Welcome to a New Church Year

As the church measures time, the new year begins on the first Sunday in Advent, which falls on November 27th this year.  The church year developed over the centuries, modeled on the Jewish calendar of annual observance of the great events of the Old Testament.  The Christian church year divides into two large sections: the Somester Domino (the time of our Lord) and the Somester Ecclesii (the time of the church).  The first section of the year includes the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, and Easter, concluding with the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, the culmination of Easter.  The second section of the year includes all of the Sundays following the Day of Pentecost, tracing the development and spread of the Christian church and the ministry and teachings of our Lord.

     The season of Advent includes the four Sundays preceding December 25th, and is historically a season of penitential preparation for the coming of Christ.  That coming has a threefold emphasis: Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, his coming into our hearts, and his return at the end of time.  While the traditional color of Advent is violet, symbolic of penitence and royalty, in our time the more common color is blue, symbolic of hope.  The structure of the liturgy changes in Advent, as in Lent, reflective of its more penitential character.  The liturgy moves to the plainsong style of LBW Setting III, beginning with the Brief Order of Confession, uses the Kyrie (Lord have mercy) following the apostolic greeting, omits the Gloria (Glory to God), replaces the Alleluia Verse with the Canticle for Advent, and uses the Nicene Creed rather than the Apostles’ Creed.

     The calendar of readings for the Sundays and Feast Days of the church year was traditionally the same each year.  The Second Vatican Council of 1962 to 1965 significantly changed that calendar.  In order to provide for a fuller use of scripture, the Council established a new three year sequence of readings, with Gospel readings generally drawn from Matthew in year A, Mark in year B, and Luke in year C, with portions from John interspersed among the three years.  The lessons were also structured to generally relate the Old Testament reading to the Gospel, to provide for sequential readings of portions of the New Testament letters, and to provide for a fuller use of the Psalms.  Lutherans generally adopted the new Roman Catholic calendar of readings in 1978 with the publication of Lutheran Book of Worship, thus synchronizing the readings in Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, and many other protestant churches.  The new church year that begins on Sunday, November 27th, will return to year A with readings from the Gospel of Matthew.

     Join us as we begin the new church year on Sunday, November 27th, and prepare ourselves in Advent to celebrate with joy the birth of our Lord at Christmas on Sunday, December 25th.

Andrew J. King, Cantor

PRESIDENT'S REPORT....by Janine Douglass

Statement of Mission First Lutheran Church of West Seattle

(Continued from the October Messenger)

“In our worship we: Honor the historical liturgies, upholding the apostolic faith and practice, and seasons of the liturgical year; Honor the sacrament of Christ’s Holy Supper, celebrating it at every Sunday liturgy and other church appointed days throughout the year, with bread and wine, extending it to all who are baptized and believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior, including infants and members of other Christian denominations; Honor the music of the great hymnody of the Church, seeing in it a richness that properly matches the grandeur of the apostolic faith.”

     Our Mission Statement becomes particularly important as we look to call our permanent pastor. We hope that a clear sense of who we are will reflect both the qualities we desire in a pastor as well as what we have to offer to the pastor. After devoting time to develop interview questions, the Call Committee met on October 10th to interview a prospective candidate for the permanent pastor position. More information will follow in the coming weeks. Minutes from the Call Committee meetings can be found on the bulletin board in the hallway outside room C.

     The pledge cards were sent in early October, and our pledge campaign is officially underway. If you haven’t already done so, please turn in your pledge cards during the Sunday liturgy or online as soon as possible. Pledging your tithe allows the council to plan the budget for the upcoming year. On behalf of the council, I urge you to continue to meet your pledge for the current year and, if you have fallen behind, to make every attempt to catch up. It is essential during the transition between permanent pastors to fully fund the budget that will ultimately allow us to seek the best qualified candidates.

     Justine Tucker, our Office Manager, has notified us that she is relocating to Idaho. Her last day of work was Friday, October 21st. While she was here only a short time, she learned the job quickly and was a pleasure to work with. We wish her and her family success on their journey. We are thankful that Sonja Clemente has agreed to come out of retirement to cover during the gap and help with training once we hire a new Office Manager.

     On a final note, Pastor Snider has notified us that his last day to lead worship will be Sunday, November 20th. His contract allowed for a two-week vacation at the three and six month intervals of his service to us as interim pastor. He has instead opted to combine the four weeks and take them at the end of his contract, which was to end December 31, 2022. Among his accomplishments were his eight-week class on Spring Training for Christians and the initiative he took to start a Bible class at the Alaska House. We pray God’s blessing on both Pastor Snider and his wife, Judy, on their next adventures. We are fortunate that Pastor Phil Nesvig has agreed to provide pulpit supply during the season of Advent and Christmas Day.

     Please pray for our church leadership and membership as we navigate the call process.

Call Committee

The past month the Call Committee has been focused on creating interview questions for our potential candidates.  We spent hours honing questions that we feel would better reveal the candidates’ beliefs and experiences. After many meetings we decided on a slate of questions that include topics such as: leading the congregation, sermons/teaching, conflict resolution, worship service, extended ministries/outreach, and Biblical understanding.

      Our MSP (Ministry Site Profile) has been accepted and posted by the synod! Our position of pastor is now out there for applicants to peruse. We are waiting for a slate of candidates from the synod.

      Movement is coming fast and furious now that the MSP is finished.  We had a great interview with our first candidate, and we also reached out to our second congregational nominee.

      I know that these next few months will be busy for everyone, but please expect to play your role in the selection of our next pastor once the Call Committee has finished their duty. We will need everyone’s help and input.

Matthew Kahn, Call Committee Chair

            “Return, backsliding Israel,” says the Lord;

            “I will not cause My anger to fall on you.

            For I am merciful,” says the Lord;

            “I will not remain angry forever.
Only acknowledge your iniquity,
That you have transgressed against the Lord your God,
And have scattered your charms
To alien deities under every green tree,
And you have not obeyed My voice,” says the Lord.

            “Return, O backsliding children,” says the Lord; “for I am married to you. I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion. And I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.”

Jeremiah 3:12-15 

                         Psalm 147:1 - “Alleluia. How good it is to make music for our God, how joyful to honor him with praise.”

I have been singing with the FLCWS choir for about 20 years or so, but this is my first year on the Council, and my first ever article I have been asked to write on Stewardship.  I must admit, I really did not know where to start, so I looked up the definition of the word in relation to the church.  While most sources I found mentioned Stewardship in relation to tithing, and supporting one’s church financially, one source defined Stewardship as “…more than simply contributing money to the church; it’s also about contributing time and talents and volunteering for ministry and mission.”

      Singing with the choir is the easiest and most enjoyable way that I have found to contribute to the church, but being on the Council has reminded me that I can do more than just one thing to help out the church and the congregation.

      If you have the funds, writing a check is an easy thing to do to support the church.  These days you don’t even have to write a check; you can simply have the funds taken from your bank account on a weekly basis…it doesn’t get any easier than that.

      I always liked hearing the phrase “Faith without works is dead.”  There are many good works that one can do to support your church and your community.  As we head into Advent and the start of a new church year, I encourage you to take some time to think about what the new year will bring for you, and for your neighbors.  Is there someone in need that you can help?  Maybe you have some extra time to donate to the church, or a charitable organization?  Or perhaps you have a hidden talent that would be of use to others?  Or if you are in need of help, do not be afraid to ask.  Helping others is what we as Christians are meant to be doing, for we all know that it is good to give back what we have received through God’s grace.

Kathrine Young, Church Council

Saint Nicholas Faire & Auction

Friday, November 25th, 2022

6 pm to 9 pm

For the third year in a row, the Saint Nicholas Faire & Auction will be a Virtual Fundraiser sponsored by First Lutheran Church of West Seattle with all proceeds benefitting the West Seattle Food Bank. 

     We continue to chair this event to honor the memory of Scott’s grandmother Alfhild Schorn, who worked tirelessly during the Depression to feed the hungry that showed up on her doorstep.

     Our goal of $15,000 would surpass prior years and can be obtained with your help. 

We ask you to help in two ways.

     First by purchasing items from the Saint Nicholas Faire & Auction Amazon wish list https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/37THT2NYXHT62?ref_=wl_share; we then catalog the items and make them available on the Virtual Auction site.

     Secondly we ask you to attend and bid at the Auction.

     We understand that Thanksgiving weekend can be a busy time; but we ask that you think about those who will benefit from the proceeds.  Cash Donations can also be donated on the Auction site, or sent directly to First Lutheran Church of West Seattle, clearly marked for the Saint Nicholas Faire & Auction.

     Once the Auction site is live we will share the link for you to pass on to family & friends; the more bidders, the closer we come to reaching our goal.

     With your help we can meet or beat our goal of $15,000, and help those in need within our neighborhood.

     In Christ we can do all things,

     Scott & Valerie Schorn

  PARISH PRAYERS 

Scott Schorn, Nancy Lawson, Mariann Petersen, Janice Lundbeck, Robert Schorn, Kim Lim, Melanie Johnson, Holly Petersen, Leah and Melissa Baker, Felicia Wells, Eileen and Dave Nestoss, Kyra Stromberg, Peter Morrison, The Rev. Douglas & Paula Lindsay, The Rev. Howard Fosser, The Rev. Kari Reiten, Yuriko Nishimura, Karen Granger, Angel Lynne, Nick Karlson, Paul Sponheim, the Ceaicovschi Family in Moldova, Richard Patishnock, David Ruberg, Judy Berkenpas, Nicole Coile.

     Pray for our professional health care providers:  Gina Allen, Janine Douglass, David Juhl, Dana Kahn, Dean Riskedahl and all those suffering from the coronavirus pandemic.

     Pray for the shut-ins that the light of Christ may give them joy:  Joan Olson, Bob & Mona Ayer, Gregg & Jeannine Lingle, Robert Schorn, Nora Vanhala, Martin Nygaard, Lou Landino.

     Pray for our bishops Elizabeth Eaton and Shelley Bryan Wee, our interim pastor the

Reverend Neal Snider, our choirmaster Dean Hard and our cantor Andrew King, that they

may be strengthened in faith, love and the holy office to which they have been called. 

     Pray that God would give us hearts which find joy in service and in celebration of stewardship.  Pray that God would work within you to become a good steward of your time, your talents and finances.  Pray to strengthen the stewardship of our congregation in these same ways.

     Pray for the hungry, ignored, abused, and homeless this November.  Pray for the mercy of God for these people, and for all in Christ's church to see and help those who are in distress.

     Pray for our sister congregation, El Camino de Emaus in the Skagit Valley, that God may bless and strengthen their ministry.  Also, pray for our parish and its ministry.

     Pray that God will bless you through the lives of the saints:  Saint Andrew and all the saints and martyrs of the church this month.

     Pray for this poor, fallen human race that God would have mercy on us all.

     Pray for this planet, our home, that it and the creatures on it would be saved from destruction.