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Dear disciples of Jesus at American Lutheran,
"Teach your children well....." goes the refrain from a popular Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young song years ago. But the sentiment goes back much all the way to the Old Testament with God's instructions to the Israelites, "Teach [these words of mine] to your children, talking about them when you are home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise" (Deut.11:19).
Passing on the Christian faith from generation to generation is at the heart of the life and work of the church. Parents make promises to their children in baptism to teach them the essential truths about God. And the congregation in turn makes the promise to partner with parents in nurturing their child's spiritual growth.
Looking at the month ahead, I was reminded of all the different ways we partner together to guide our young people in faith and life:
- During worship on Aug. 2nd we will present baby blankets knit by members of our church to the newly baptized, as a tangible sign of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter.
- On Aug. 9th we will hear and see how those attending the ELCA National Youth Gathering in July were transformed through inspiring worship and acts of service with the people of Detroit.
- "Blessing of the Backpacks" on Aug. 16th will remind our students that God is with them in their classrooms as they learn and grow throughout the year.
- Our young families will gather once again on Aug 23rd to deepen relationships and support one another in raising their children in the Christian faith.
- Middle and high school youth will begin a new year of Confirmation and Youth group with parents and mentors at the Welcome Back Potluck on Aug. 30th.
- The Burbank Children's Theatre Company will provide wholesome entertainment for all ages with their second production, "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown."
What a gift we give not only to our children, but also to one another when we work together to see God's presence alive through home, church, community and culture.
May we continue to teach our children well, so they will see all of life as under the care, blessing, and direction of our gracious God.
Pastor Gretchen
Child of God
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| Member Spotlight: The Aumont Family  
Both my husband Craig and I are from Silverlake, CA - just a few miles away. We both went to the same High School - John Marshall. We were high school sweet hearts and have been married for 28 years. We have two sons, Brandon 23 and Blake 20. We have resided in Burbank for the last 12 years and both our sons attended, Jordan and John Burroughs.
Our family have been members of American Lutheran since Blake was about 2 years old....he's now 20. Our previous church was Hollywood Lutheran, where both of our sons were baptized and so was their Dad, Craig who was confirmed there as well along with and all 3 of his siblings. Craig's parents were also married there over 50 years ago. Both Brandon & Blake had their first communion & confirmation here at American Lutheran - Brandon with Pastor Ron & Blake with Pastor Jhanke.
I've been the church secretary and have served on the Board as well. I happened to be on the Board when Pastor Gretchen joined our church and we couldn't be happier! She is an awesome pastor!
The next time you see Yolanda, Craig, Brandon or Blake, please give out a friendly "HELLO!" We thank Yolanda for her continued service to ALC, particularly for her work with the recent African Crafts Sale benefiting African Team Ministries. |
| Giving Statements Contributions Statements for the year-to-date were e-mailed this morning to all those who have financially supported our ministry this year. Hard copies will be mailed this week to those without an email address on file. If there is an error or you did not yet receive your statement, please contact our Financial Secretary Bob Norgauer.
Financial Secretary Bob Norgauer:
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| Softball Semifinals:
Cheer on the A.L.C. Angels TONIGHT!
Friday, July 31st at 7:00 PM
Gross Park Field 2
Against Victory Baptist Saints
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| Pastor Gretchen out of office, August 3rd-5th 
From Monday-Wednesday this coming week Pastor Gretchen is taking a few vacation days with her siblings in the Bay area. She will be back in the office on Thursday August 6th. For pastoral emergencies please call Stephanie Jaeger, Pastor of St. Matthew's Lutheran Church in N. Hollywood (310-968-7038). |
| Holy Baptisms, August 2nd 
Holy Baptism this Sunday is for Madeline Dianne and Oliver Michael Pachon, born on April 14,2015 to parents Megan and Silas Pachon. Their sponsors are aunt and uncle Melanie and Steven Aguilar. We welcome with joy these new members and children of God into our community of faith! |
| Sermon Series and Bible Study, Now-August 23rd  This Sunday we continue a 5-part sermon series on Paul's letter to the early church in Corinth. There will also be a weekly Bible Study group called "A Heart for Reconciliation: A Walk through 2nd Corinthians" based on a book by the same name authored by Megan Dosher Hansen and Michael Rinehart. for anyone interested in deepening his or her understanding.
2nd Bible Study session will be Sunday after worship. Bring your coffee and snacks from the patio to the Friendship Room. Topics covered:
- Aug 2 "New Creation" 2 Corinthians 5:6-17
- Aug 9 "Open Heart" 2 Corinthians 6:1-13
- Aug 16 "Eager Generosity" 2 Corinthians 8:7-15
- Aug 23 "Powerful Weakness" 2 Corinthians 12:2-10
Please RSVP to Pastor Gretchen or sign up online using SignUpGenius. |
| Time for LWR School Kits!
We have about 100 Backpacks to fill for
We need the following items for each backpack:
- Spiral notebooks 4-70 pages each;
- metric rulers;
- 5 pencils;
- 5 ballpoint pens;
- scissors-blunt point;
- erasers (like pink pearl);
- pencil sharpeners; and
- box of 24 crayons.
Cash donations are also accepted. Checks should be made out to ALCW. There will be a box for donations in the narthex.
We will be assembling the kits after worship on Sunday, Sept. 13th. Please plan on staying after the service and help us assemble; we can always use the help!
Any questions call Vi Reardon 818 353-5563 or e-mail
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| Confronting Racism, August 6th 
Join ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton and William B. Horne II, an ELCA member from Clearwater, Fla., for a
LIVE WEBCAST
conversation on the complexity and implications of racism Aug. 6th at 6 p.m. Pacific Time.
Through its social statement - "Freed in Christ: Race, Ethnicity, and Culture" - ELCA members have expressed this church's calling to confront racism and advocate for justice and fairness for all people. "God's intention for all humanity is that we see the intrinsic worth, dignity and value of all people. Racism undermines the promise of community and fractures authentic relationships with one another. We need to talk and we need to listen, but we also need to act," says Eaton. A link to the live webcast will be embedded on this page. A live stream also will be available at www.Facebook.com/Lutherans. Twitter hashtag is #ELCAConfrontRacism. Interested in submitting a question for the ELCA presiding bishop to consider during the live webcast? Send your question to [email protected]. Please provide your name and your congregation's name, city and state. |
| ELCA Youth Gathering Experience, August 9th
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| ELCA Youth Gathering Setup Time-lapse |
On Sunday, August 9th, the two youth from our congregation who attended the National Gathering in Detroit last month, Sevanna & William Reitter, will share their experience through stories and pictures in worship. Come and hear what a life-changing event this was for the 30,000 Lutheran youth from all over the country! |
| Blessing of the Backpacks, August 16th
Summer vacation time is soon coming to a close with the transition into the fall schedule. On Sunday August 16th we will bless our students before they head back to school.
Pre-school through high school youth are invited to wear your backpack to worship, so your community of faith might surround you with our love and prayers for the new academic year! |
| You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown, August 21st-30th  NEW SHOW TIMES! August 21 | 28 7pm August 22 | 29 2pm August 23 | 30 2pm Burbank Children's Theatre Company 747 Whitnall Highway, Burbank, CA 91505 Email: [email protected] 818-276-6708 Like us on facebook! |
| Young Families Gathering, August 23rd  The next gathering for families with young children is scheduled for Sunday, August 23rd from 4pm-6pm at the home of Teresa and Michael Corrington in Burbank. It will be a backyard play date, including water tables, chalk drawing and tons of bubbles floating through the air! Complete with a Nacho Bar, quesadilla options for the kiddos and a snow cone machine for dessert, this is an event you don't want to miss. Please RSVP to Teresa Corrington: [email protected] or 818-439-9211. |
| Calling all Middle & High School Kids, August 30th  Our fall Youth events get underway on Sunday, August 30 with a Welcome Back Potluck dinner, 6:30pm at Salem Lutheran in Glendale. During this time of fellowship and orientation to the new year, we will also have a presentation from the American/Salem high school group that attended the National ELCA Youth Gathering in Detroit. This year we are also doing something new by inviting 6th graders to join the Confirmation group. Sunday night sessions for all youth begin Sept. 20th. More details and a full schedule will be e-mailed to families soon. |
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Celebrating a birthday this month!
Joyce Robitaille
Olivia Salisbury
Kimberly Hoover
Bonnie Hill
Justin Kuester
Dave Bauer
Cyndie Griffin
Dena Kassenborg
Cynthia Suttle
Kathy Lawrence
Lindsay Reardon
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Summertime Review
When is the best time to review your estate plan? Many like to do it in January in response to a New Year's resolution. However, summertime can be an even better time as we reflect on past summers spent with family, and how we now want to honor them as we consider what our legacy will be. Whatever time of year you choose, it is important to review your estate plans every five to ten years, or sooner, if there have been major changes in your family situations or estate tax laws. For information on resources available for your review, or for other questions you may have regarding estate gift planning, please contact our congregation's gift planner:
Greg Shepherd, at: 909-910-6823 or by email at: [email protected].
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