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“Gathered faithfully to love and serve God and all others.”

Faith's Friday Update July 23, 2021

Sunday, July 25, 2021 Ninth Sunday after Pentecost

9:00 AM Bulletin Join us in Fellowship Hall after the service for Coffee Hour!

This Week's Readings: 2 Kings 4:42-44 Elisha feeding a hundred people Psalm 145:10-18 You open wide your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. (Ps. 145:16) Ephesians 3:14-21 Prayer for wisdom, strength, and Christ’s indwelling  John 6:1-21 Christ feeding the five thousand

SPECIAL OFFERING SUNDAY

LUTHERAN THEOLOGICAL SOUTHERN SEMINARY: At Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary (LTSS) we teach, form and nurture women and men for public ministry in a context that is Christ-centered, faithfully Lutheran, and ecumenically committed.   Our focus is on preparing students to excel in a variety of ministry settings—youth and family ministry, music ministry, faith formation, chaplaincy, and directors of faith-based non-profit organizations. Your donation will help further these goals.

ALL HANDS ON DECK! To “prepare our church” for a new pastor we are holding Clean Up & Organize events tomorrow and on July 31. Please join us for one or both dates and time slots. Even if you cannot lift, your help is needed. The more hands, the better!    Pizza will be served at noon for all helpers!   July 24: 10am-12pm and 12pm-2pm July 31: 10am-12pm and 12pm-2pm

BUILDING WISH LIST – The Property Committee has identified needs that are not currently in the regular budget but are valuable to keep up and improve our church.   Current needs and estimates, if available: A Powerful Vacuum with Attachments (cost TBD) Touch-Up/Repaint the Gym (cost TBD) Machine Auto-Scrubber for the Gym Floor ($4,700) Electronic Sign Upgrade on Beneva (cost TBD) Security Camera for Main Office Lobby ($700) Upgrade Narthex Restrooms to ADA (cost TBD)   To make a special offering to support the building needs; by check, indicate “Improvement Fund” in the memo; online or via the Give+ mobile app, select the Improvement Fund.

MARY CIRCLE NEWS

THE LADIES ARE BACK! In June members of Mary Circle met in the memorial garden to relaunch our meetings. We had a great time simply reminiscing about surviving COVID (to date) and checking up what everyone has been doing. We also reaffirmed our desire to continue meetings. Regular meetings in Fellowship Hall will begin in September. HELP US PREPARE SCHOOL KITS FOR LUTHERAN WORLD RELIEF. As in the past we will be collecting supplies to pack in backpacks for LWR. Each pack requires: 4 70-sheet notebooks (no looseleaf) 1 pencil sharpener 1 ruler with centimeters and inches 1 blunt scissors *5 pencils, unsharpened 5 pens, blue or black ink 1 box crayons (16 or 24) 1 eraser *Please do not contribute pencils because we already have an ample supply. You may bring in any amount of any supply you wish. Mary Circle will be assembling the backpacks at one of our fall meetings. Did you know the perfect time to shop for school supplies? July 7 to August 9 is tax free time when you buy school supplies here in Florida. Why not take advantage of this opportunity and help us stock up? If you would prefer to have us do the shopping just drop a donation in the collection plate or mail to Faith. If using a check please indicate in the subject line this money is for LWR. A collection basket will be in the narthex of the church for all supplies collected.

PARKING LOT SAFETY

Last week a car was broken into in our parking lot. We have video footage of the crime and it has been reported to the sheriff.    This thief “shopped” the parked cars for quite a while before selecting his target. An article from the Parker Police Department in CO (excerpt below) includes helpful prevention techniques. Please CLICK HERE to read the full article.   “Keep your car tidy. Avoid leaving anything visible in the car. Almost any item that's visible from the outside - even if you think it is worthless - could be seen as valuable to a thief. Your spare change, sunglasses, even an empty bag (a thief may think there is something inside the bag) could be valuable in the mind of a thief.” - taken from Help Prevent Car Break-Ins, Parker Police Department, Parker, CO

UPDATES FROM THE FL-BAHAMAS SYNODICAL WOMEN'S ORGANIZATION

Grant Opportunities: Share the Spirit and Let Your Light Shine Did you know that the Florida-Bahamas Synodical Women's Organization has programs available to help defray the cost of attending the Fall Gathering? We know it’s not always easy being you. We don’t want you to choose between paying for prescriptions, groceries, or daycare and being in fellowship and worship with your sisters in Christ.  If you are are interested in attending the Fall Gathering and resources are a concern, we encourage you to first reach out to your congregational unit to determine what, if any, local funds may be available. We then invite you to complete the Share the Spirit or the Let Your Light Shine (for youth grades 6-12) application and submit it with your Fall Gathering Registration Form. Funds are limited and are administered on a first-come, first-serve basis. Grants are not announced publicly.

ALTAR FLOWERS

ALTAR FLOWERS are a beautiful and meaningful way to honor/remember someone or a special occasion, while decorating our altar for worship. Next available date, September 12!  When you purchase altar flowers, your name and dedication will be published in the bulletin on your selected Sunday and the flowers are yours to keep after the service! Available upcoming dates are; September 12, 19, 26, all of October, November 7 and 14, and December 19.   To make a dedication: At church, complete an 'Altar Flowers' envelope with your payment, and place it in the offering plate; By mail, send payment with a note indicating your desired date and dedication; or CLICK HERE to order online. The cost is $60, which is for 2 vases. Please make checks payable to Faith Lutheran Church and indicate ‘altar flowers’ in the memo.   Thank you for making Faith Lutheran’s altar beautiful!

FAITH LUTHERAN CONSTITUTION

NEW! The 2020 Faith Lutheran Church Constitution was recently approved by the FL-Bahamas Synod. This replaces the standing 2015-2016 Constitution. The updated constitution will be available in the weekly Friday Update, located at the very end of the email. It will also be available soon on our website under 'About Us'. CLICK HERE to view it now.

DAILY PRAYER VENTURES

The ELCA offers daily Prayer Ventures, which may be found on their website, https://www.elca.org/en/Resources/Prayer-Ventures. The prayer for today is below. Visit the website if you would like to follow the daily prayers! 23 The work of a shepherd is unfamiliar to most of us, but we all know how it feels to be guided and assisted through dark and difficult times, to have our spirit restored when we are weary and to be reassured that we are not alone in life. Give thanks and praise to God for being our ever-present, loving and good shepherd and for equipping our communities of faith and siblings in Christ to shepherd one another and our neighbors.

HELPFUL LINKS

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Interim Pastors: Rev. Dr. Robert Mursch and Rev. Larry Wright Operations Manager: Tami Page Office Tel: 941-924-4664 Office Email: officeadmin@faithlutheransrq.com Website: www.faithlutheransrq.com Weekly office hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Faith Lutheran Values – Mutual Respect, Honesty, Kindness, Service, Forgiveness, Commitment, Perseverance, Faithfulness, Compassion, Flexibility

CLICK HERE to view the current Constitution of Faith Lutheran Church.