Atonement Lutheran Church Newsletter - Messenger

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June 3, 2008 - Volume 29, #22

• Appleseed Gets Seasoned with a Little More SALT

  In the past five years, two organizations have formed to honor and help promote theatre in the Syracuse-area community: the Syracuse Area Live Theater (SALT) AwardsÐthat were established in 2003Ðand the Syracuse Area Live Theater Youth (SALTY) AwardsÐthat were established in 2005. Both are Syracuse's version of Hollywood's Oscars or Broadway's TonysÐSALT primarily for adults and SALTY primarily for youth.

  Since the formation of these organizations, shows at Appleseed Productions have been honored to receive 51 SALT nominations and win 8 SALT awards, and to win 11 SALTY awards (nominations for SALTYs are not officially announced).

  At this year's SALT Awards ceremony (which covered shows in the 2007 calendar year), Appleseed remained on the winner's list with the presenting of the Supporting Actor of the Year in a Musical award to Paul Gundersen for his portrayal of Benjamin Franklin in our production of 1776 and the People's Choice Actor of the Year award to Gerrit Vander Werff, Jr., who appeared in both of our productions of Our Town and Sorry! Wrong Chimney!

  And at this year's SALTY Awards ceremony (which covered shows from May 1, 2007 to April 30, 2008), Appleseed swept the Community Theatre Play categories, winning the awards for Best Play (Our Town), Best Actor (Mark Weatherup, Playing With Fire), Best Actress (Jecoura R. Fields, The Left Hand Singing), Best Supporting Actor (Navzad N. Dabu, The Dragon), and Best Supporting Actress (Bethany Harris, Our Town). This is the third year in a row that Appleseed has won the awards for Best Play and Best Actress, the second year in a row for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress, and the first time winning Best Supporting Actor.

  Also at this year's SALTY Awards, Jon Wilson was honored to win the Best Director award in the high school category for his directing work at Solvay High School.

  For more information on the SALT Awards, visit www.saltawards.net; for information on the SALTY Awards, visit www.saltyawards.org; and for more details on the awards Appleseed has won from these organizations (and others), visit www.appleseedproductions.org.

  Congratulations to Appleseed, Jon Wilson, and ALL of this year's SALT and SALTY winners!

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• Summer Thursday Night Worship Begins June 5

  May 28 will be the last Wednesday Church Night for the season. We will resume in September. Thursday Informal Worship will begin on Thursday, June 5 with Worship at 7:00pm, in the Chapel, preceded by a picnic supper in the Coffee Shop at 6pm. If your summer weekends are busy, please join us for this mid-week service.

  And, please join us Wednesday night, May 28, for a special evening of worship, fellowship, and praise. A full turkey dinner will begin at 5:30pm, followed by a worship celebration at 6:30 with the Sunday Praise band playing (no recreation or adult class this week).

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• Lutheran Home Appeal

  The Women of the ELCA will be collecting for the FRIENDS of the LUTHERAN HOMES after each service on Sunday, June 8. For $5, you can become a ÒFriend of the Lutheran HomesÓ. The "Friends" contributions brighten up the residents days by providing extra things for the residents such as welcome flowers, Christmas gifts, Ice cream social, and spring fling.

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• What you Probably Don't Know....About Dennis Kennedy

  Dennis coaches the Tully girl's lacrosse team. Recently, he and his team raised over $4,000 for the Carol M Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund in Patty Bailey's name.

  Read more about Dennis' efforts to spearhead the undertaking and how he brought a town together for a good cause to honor a beloved resident on the web at: http://www.syracuse.com/articles/regional/ (Scroll down to May 23 and click on the article entitled: ÒHow Tully rallied for a beloved neighborÓ)

  Congratulations Dennis for your good work. We are proud of you!

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• Support Our Troops with Supplies from Home

  The Crafty Ladyes, acting on a suggestion from Jerry Holbrook, are collecting items to send ot our service men and women. Please drop items off in the church office. Items needed include:

  • Crackers
  • Hard candy and gum
  • AA batteries
  • Soft drink mixes
  • Moistened hand wipes
  • Small notebooks
  • Stationery
  • Journals
  • Pens/Pencils/Markers
  • Canned tuna
  • Slim Jims
  • Store-bought, packaged cookies
  • Chapstick
  • Raisins
  • Nuts
  • Toilet tisse
  • Kleenix (small packages)
  • Ankle socks
  • Antipersperant

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• Devotional

  4th Sunday after Pentecost - Hosea 5:15-6:6

  This is a complicated passage. Why? Because it's actually two voices, not one. And it's hard to tell where one voice ends and another begins. But first a little background. There is a constant movement in the Old Testament about the people of God and how they behave and treat God. First they revere and love God, then they do something wrong (generally worship other gods), then they are punished somehow, and then they revere and love God again. So this is what's happening in this passage. When we look for the two voices, we find God's voice in v. 15, announcing to the people how guilty they are. The next chapter begins with the response from the people of God in v. 1-3, expressing their guilt and how they are going to turn themselves around. Then God comes back in v.4-6, obviously knowing their pattern, and not being impressed by their words. Actually I like the way it's put, that their love dissolves like the dew in the morning. It doesn't last. God points out in v.6 what God truly wants from the people, love and faithfulness to God rather than offerings that don't mean anything.

  Now, it's always easy to blame the people of God in the Old Testament, but we do the same thing. We don't always behave like we love God and want to follow all of God's teachings and rules. It's easy to say that we'll focus on God, but we are just as guilty as they are. And God knows that. God knows that we fail, and that we will fail. And despite that, God still loves us. God wants love from us, and may not get it always, but God still loves us. God calls us the people of God, and will always.

  Let us pray, blessing God, you love and care for us even when we don't always follow you. Guide our actions this week to love and be faithful to you, and care for those who need it. In your name we pray, Amen.other. In your name we pray, Amen.

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