Atonement Lutheran Church Newsletter - The Messenger

The Messenger is published weekly, except for holiday weeks and an abbreviated schedule over the summer. If you prefer a copy of the Messenger that you can print, click on the link below:

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June 16, 2009 - Volume 30, #25

• Save a Tree, Save a Stamp, Save some Money!

  Have you signed up to get the Messenger Online?

  To sign up for electronic "delivery" complete the online form at: http://www.alcsyracuse.org/mailinglist.php

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• The Windows are Coming, the Windows are Coming.....
  
  

  Actually... most of the windows are here!

  By the time you get this Messenger at least the Coffee Shop windows will be installed. Everyone who has seen them thinks they look wonderful. At a quick glance they'll look just like the old windows - but without the cracks. Upon closer inspection you'll discover that they are massively heavier and are equipped with heavy duty commercial hardware.

  In addition to being much better insulated, they'll look great. Come see.

  Even better, come see and make a Building Renovation Fund donation. The bill will be here soon and the Fund is running on empty. We need everyone's participation to get this important upgrade of our church building paid for.

  On a related front, the work on the back entry will begin the week of July 5th. There will be new doors and a portico like the Kiesewetter Building entrance as well as some interior improvements/repairs to make the back entry to our church home more hospitable.

  Please be watching for signs, during a portion of the work we'll need to enter the church building through the front door or the Kiesewetter Center.

   

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• Thanks and Ever Thanks
  

  My wish is that I could thank each of you personally for your part in celebrating the anniversary of my ordination. But since that is not possible, please accept these words as my personal thanks for your cards, gifts, and presence honoring me on my 50th anniversary......and for the way in which you have helped me in the work of the gospel from my first day at Atonement until now.

  - Pastor Peter.

   

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• Father's Day is June 21
  
  Thank a Dad in your life.
   

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• Important Meeting for Fabius Community

  Fabius Community Meeting
  Saturday, June 13 - 6:15pm

  Following the 5:15pm service, there will be a very important community meeting to talk about the future. There is another congregation interested in meeting in the same building we have services. This presents both opportunities and challenges. We need everyone's input, so your attendance is important!

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• Honoring and Celebrating 2009 Graduates

  Honoring and Celebrating 2009 Graduates During both worship services on June 28, we will be honoring and celebrating with our 2009 graduates and their families. We will give thanks for their achievement and ask God's blessing on their future endeavors. Graduates may wear their cap and gown. Families and friends are especially invited to join us for this celebration.

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  Literacy and Head Start

  Do you know someone who could use a little one-on-one help with their reading skills? Do they need to develop reading skills?

  Receive one-on-one help with reading and go at your own pace.

  Contact the Family Worker of Head Start, Andrea Bernard, right here at Atonement. 701-1867

  Details:

  • Once a week, each Wednesday, July 1-August 6
  • 5:00-7:00pm with dinner at 5:00.
   

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• Word [WURD] of the Week
  

  child --[chahyld] I'm talking to you - yes you!

  As Christians we are often told we are children of God - each of us is a beloved child of God. In scripture, children are evidence of fruitful production and of fulfilling of God's promise of ancestors who will follow God. Jesus came to us as a child and then later asked that children be brought to him; he taught that we should become like children and that, indeed, theirs was the kingdom of heaven.

  Kids often get a bad rap. The whole of them are often blamed for the actions of a few. Often, they are lumped in with what is feared or not understood by others, often by those who are older than them. Learning about life is a constant thing, and being a kid ain't no picnic. And back in Jesus' time, children were viewed as detrimental and a bother.

  Yet this is the standard Jesus holds up for us: become like a child. No, this doesn't mean to become childish or to presume immaturity on your part. Rather, it signals that you are ready and willing to follow Jesus - you are eager to learn from him, be shaped by him, be loved by him. And yes, we are dependent on him for our very lives, just as children depend on their parents or caregivers for their lives.

  Yes, we are children of God, continually growing in faith, making mistakes, and being swept back up into God's arms, comforted and loved.

   

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