Adult Formation Hour Options

9:20 a.m.

September 3, 2023

Guns, Germs and Steel:  Root Causes of Inequality - Sanctuary with Heidi Michelsen

God's Law is Love - Room 120 with Dave Keammerer

September 10, 2023

Jesus:  The Greatest Story Bible Study - Sanctuary with Cheryl Slack

Deepening our Welcome:  RIC and Responses to Welcome Statement - Church Hall.

  God's Love for All:  Embracing an Inclusive Vision and Mission

God's Law is Love - Room 120 with Dave Keammerer

Sunday School Orientation - LLP Annex

September 17, 2023

Jesus:  The Greatest Story Bible Study - Sanctuary with Cheryl Slack

Deepening our Welcome:  Adult Panel - Church Hall

God's Law is Love - Room 120 with Dave Keammerer

Sunday School

Fusion

September 24, 2023

Jesus:  The Greatest Story Bible Study - Sanctuary with Cheryl Slack

Deepening our Welcome:  Adult Panel - Church Hall

God's Law is Love - Room 120 with Dave Keammerer

Sunday School

Fusion

Priscilla Circle’s Bible study group will resume on Tuesday, September 5^th at 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. in the Brides Room.  Each Tuesday afternoon, Priscilla & friends read the scriptures for the coming Sunday & talk about each one.  (Sometimes we chat about other things as well.)  We have Prayer Box into which we put the prayers, lifted up by us, for our families, our community of faith & the world.

Organ Recital • Friday, September 8 • 6:00pm

Immanuel Lutheran Church

Our 2023 Fellowship Fridays continue with an organ recital by Dr. Steven Wente.

The program will feature musical numbers by Bach, Mendelssohn, and Walther, and classic hymns. This recital is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served afterward.

Dr. Steven Wente

Steven Wente is distinguished professor of music emeritus at Concordia University Chicago, River Forest, Illinois, where he continues to teach applied organ and play in chapel. He also serves as cantor (music director) at First Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church, Chicago.

He holds bachelor and masters degrees from Concordia, River Forest, and the doctor of music degree in organ performance from Northwestern University. His organ teachers have included David J. Wilson, Herbert Gotsch, Robert Lodine, Richard Enright, and Wolfgang Rübsam. He has pursued further study through summer seminars in France, Switzerland, and Canada.

Steven keeps an active schedule as a teacher, workshop leader, and organ recitalist. He currently serves on the board for the Fox Valley (IL) Chapter of the American Guild of Organists and has been a member of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians (ALCM) since its inception in 1986. He has presented at the Institutes on Liturgy, Preaching, and Church Music (LCMS) and at conferences of the ALCM. He has performed in numerous locations throughout the United States, and in the Luther and Bach areas of Germany. As an active organist and church musician, he has composed hymn preludes for the recent 

Report to the Congregation

Stephen Ministry

January 1 – August 1

•  148.5 Hours

                 * Of Personal, Highly Confidential Care

• 13 Active Stephen Minister                                                                                                     * 3 men, 10 women
• 21 Care Receivers

Is this something you should consider?  Contact either Pastor, CLC office or any         Stephen Minister (blue name badge).    We are here to help!

LWR School Kits

We are still collecting supplies for the School Kits for Lutheran World Relief, which are an important lifeline for learners all around the world.  As your children have settled into the new school year, think about choosing supplies for others.  We will be collecting items through mid-October, and the children will assemble the kits during one of their Sunday School hours.  The boxes of school kits will be loaded onto a truck at the end of October and shipped to a warehouse for distribution to places where they are needed around the world. 

Each kit containing the following: 

FOUR – 70-sheet notebooks of wide- or college-ruled paper, approximately 8” x 10 ½” 

ONE – 30-centimeter ruler, or a ruler with centimeters on one side and inches on the other.

ONE – pair of blunt scissors (safety scissors with embedded steel blades work well).

FIVE – black or blue ballpoint pens (no gel ink).

ONE – box of 16 or 24 crayons.

ONE – 2.5" eraser.

FIVE – unsharpened #2 pencils with erasers.

ONE – pencil sharpener.

Gathering supplies with your children is a great way to remind yourself and them that we need to continue to love our neighbors, near and far.  It helps us all remember that God’s love is everywhere! 

There is a basket in the Gathering Space for donations, or you can purchase from an Amazon wish list (search CLC School Kit on Amazon) and choose to have the items delivered directly to the church.  Thank you for your support!

Sunday School News...

Sunday School Orientation Day-Sunday, 9/10 from 9:20-10:20 a.m. This will be an event for Sunday School children and their families to attend together.  They will meet the teachers, see the classrooms, and engage in activities together.  Families should meet in the LLP Annex.

Some upcoming dates…We will have Sunday School 9/10, 9/17, 9/24, 10/1, 10/8, and then OFF for fall break 10/15.

SS Registration-

Link:  https://clcvalpo.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/1816439

SS Calendar-

Link:  CLC Sunday School Calendar 2023-2024

Senior Group News

The September Senior Group will meet on Thursday, September 28, 2023, at 9:15 a.m. in the church hall.  Our new Youth Director Kaitlyn Jedrzejowski will introduce herself and share with us the exciting plans she has for our youth programs!  A sign-up sheet will be in the east hall to indicate attendance.  If a few people could please bring some sweet treats to accompany our provided coffee, kindly indicate that on our sign-up sheet also. 

Thank you for your understanding regarding our art museum cancellation due to the hot temperatures.  We are looking forward to rescheduling this outing as soon aspossible. 

For questions, please contact Sue Reinhold 219-286-0784 or Beth Bigham 219-477-3937.  

CLC Social Ministry and Mission

September 2023

Compass International Family Center, Valparaiso  http://compassIFC.org   equips international neighbors of all ages in Northwest Indiana with the educational services and support needed to thrive in their new community.  Compass is “Open Arms * Hand in Hand” equipping new neighbors with language and life skills needed to thrive in the US strengthening our community by breaking down divisions and isolation. With approximately 90 children and 40 adults joining 50 annual volunteers each week each Compass night is an opportunity for growth and new friendships.  Compass offers the following free services for all ages:  Adult English classes, Citizenship classes, K-12 tutoring, English learner preschool, Childcare, and soccer skills/drills, arts and crafts, and other fun enrichment projects. 

66^th Synod Endowment Fund - “Lutherans for Black Lives”                 https://www.facebook.com/66thSynod  has the vision “. . . that they may have life and have it abundantly!” (John 10:10b).  66^th Synod’s mission is to “to establish justice and equity” and build a fund that allows those from the dominant culture to contribute so that some of the damage done due to inequitable treatment of Black Leaders in society and the ELCA (because of systemic racism, white supremacy, and complacency) may be repaired.  A goal is to provide reparations to Black Leaders and Congregations of the ELCA.  Examples are:  excessive student loan burdens, Pastoral calls to communities that are unable to pay a living wage, not being paid comparable to white leaders, and low pension contributions.  The Fund is hosted by Immanuel Lutheran Church (ELCA), Seattle, http://immanuelseattle.org.  CLC’s connection is Rev. Angela Shannon, who serves on the Board of this nonprofit, has degrees from V.U. and LSTC, grew up and was ordained in Gary (Lutheran Parish), and has served congregations in the I-K Synod.

Help achieve our goal of $2500 in September (over and above giving combined with CLC’s $1200 budgeted amount).  By achieving our goal CLC will help Compass and 66^th Synod Fund continue mutual support and service activities that are crucial to effective ministry.  Use your weekly worship giving mailed in check to CLC and indicate “Compass/66thSynod” or contribute through Subsplash on the CLC website https://clcvalpo.org via the “Give” button and choose Monthly Social Ministry Emphasis.  Thank you to members for supporting monthly social ministry emphases.

Priscilla Circle’s Bible study group will resume on Tuesday, September 5^th at 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. in the Brides Room.  Each Tuesday afternoon, Priscilla & friends read the scriptures for the coming Sunday & talk about each one.  (Sometimes we chat about other things as well.)  We have Prayer Box into which we put the prayers, lifted up by us, for our families, our community of faith & the world.

CLC YOUTH

High School (9th-12th)

Circle | September 10th | 6-8pm

Confirmation

Confirmation Orientation | September 6th | 6-7:30pm

Fusion

First Fusion | September 10th | 9:20am

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A Letter to the Congregation

CLC Congregation,

Warm greetings from the Youth room! With the school year having begun, our CLC youth ministries are also gearing up! Circle is in full swing and preparations for Fusion and Confirmation are well under way!

With programs starting up, there are also a plethora of opportunities for you to be involved in the lives of our youth. If you are interested in volunteering with the youth in any capacity, whether it be cooking a meal for Circle or volunteering to lead discussions with Fusion, your time and support is deeply appreciated. The youth ministries at CLC is an opportunity to be on a “team” with our youth: learning alongside them, supporting them, and being transformed in Christ with them.

If you are interested in volunteering or have any questions, you can contact me at

kaitlyn.jedrzejowski@clcvalpo.org. 

Blessings,

Kaitlyn Jedrzejowski

Director of Youth Ministries

- - - - - - 

Popcorn Fest Volunteers

             With Popcorn Fest right around the corner, preparations continue for our annual

fundraiser. The success of this fundraiser is all due to the amazing support of the CLC

community! With that being said, we need your help for another successful year.

             This year, we need individuals who are willing to help pre-cook the brats prior to the day of the event. The brats will be available for pick-up at the church starting September 5th. We also are in need of donations for things such as soda and condiments. Volunteers are also needed to help set-up the booth the morning of the event. And finally, we need volunteers to help serve each of the shifts on the day of Popcorn Fest! If any of these volunteer opportunities is of interest to you, be sure to check out the sign-up sheets, which are posted out in the Gathering Space. 

 If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Kaitlyn

(kaitlyn.jedrzejowski@clcvalpo.org). Thank you all for supporting our fundraising efforts!

Popcorn Fest Committee

With Popcorn Fest, there will also be the formation of the Popcorn Fest Committee. This

committee will meet to plan, prepare, and organize for the day of the fest. There are various roles on the committee that cater to specific aspects of the event. The roles in need of filling are as follows:

Grillers Coordinator

Set-Up/Tear Down Coordinator

Volunteer Coordinator

Store Run Coordinator

Health/Safety Coordinator

Cashier/Money Coordinator

Inventory Coordinator

Shift Manager Coordinator

The committee will meet each year beginning in late June and will temporarily disband in

September after the Popcorn Fest. Each position on the committee will be a 2 year term. If you are interested in serving in any of these positions, please contact Kaitlyn

(kaitlyn.jedrzejowski@clcvalpo.org)

Sandy & Dave Keammerer are always collecting the following items for Lutheran World Relief (LWR).  Please drop off at the church and put in white basket in Gathering Place and feel free to call the office if you have any questions.

Baby Care Kit Project

2023 Goal-500

Items collected - 760

Baby Care Kits September Needs are JACKETS, SWEAT SHIRTS, SWEATERS, AND HATS sizes 6 months to 2T.

BABY CARE KITS
All clothing items 6 months to 2T
(2) gowns or sleepers: long- or short-sleeved
(2) t-shirts: lightweight cotton
(1) jacket/sweater/sweatshirt: with hood, or include a baby cap
(2) pairs of socks
(2) receiving blankets: medium-weight cotton or flannel, or crocheted, or knitted with lightweight yarn, up to 52" square
(4) cloth diapers: flat fold preferred
(1) hand towel: dark color recommended
(2) gentle soap bars: 4oz., bath-size, in original wrapping
(2) diaper pins: or large safety pins
3-ply baby yarn and flannel fabric in increments of .75 yards.

Please indicate if items given are laundered. 

Fabric Kit Project

2023 Goal-150

Items collected - 160

Fabric Care Kits September Needs are three (3) yards of cotton fabric. 

 
FABRIC KITS
(2) spools of thread (250-300 yards)
(2) pieces of cotton/cotton blend fabric (3 yards)

Check out stores for clearance, mark downs, reduced, and summer sales for cotton fabric and baby clothing. Resale and retail shops will soon be changing their stores from summer to the fall and winter seasons. 
 

Personal Care Kits

Item collected  - 615

PERSONAL CARE KITS
New and in original packaging
(1) bath towel: lightweight, dark color preferred (between 20' x 40" and 27" x 52")
(1) toothbrush: adult size
(1) nail clipper
(2) bars of soap (4 oz.)
(1) Sturdy comb

Personal Care Kits September Need—Financial support to purchase needed items.

ALUMINUM CAN PROJECT

$58.80

10 towels/10 yards of flannel purchased

$40.00 (waiting for sales)

September Needs:  ALUMINUM CAN-Keep those CANS coming.  CAN placement white basket/Red Truck.

LWR QUILTERS 

2023 Goal:  500

Quilts Made:  315      

Weekly Prayers

Hospice:

• Julia & family
• Bob
• Frances

Long-term/ongoing:

• Karen
• Ken
• John 
• Thomas
• Edith
• Kelly
• Charlie
• Letty 
• Katrina
• Jimee 
• Baby Gabriel 
• Wanda Rodgers, 
• Pastor Phyllis Kersten
• Bob 
• Tim
• Wayne
• Fawn
• Joyce
• John 
• Mark
• Mike
• Matthew

8/13

• Baby Eliza “Lizzie” Rose
• Pat
• Danny
• Kelly
• Verna