Pilgrim’s Progress July, 2014

Pilgrim’s Progress Pilgrim Lutheran Church www.pilgrimindy.org

July, 2014 Volume 60 Number 7

IN THIS ISSUE:

Anniversaries/Birthdays Pg. 7

Church Calendar Pg. 8

Large Print Center Pg. 4

Pastor’s Page Pg. 2

Pilgrim Preschool Pg. 3

Social Ministry Pg. 5

Worship Leaders Pg. 6

Remains the same:

Sunday services will

be at 8:00 a.m. and

10:45 a.m.

Are you going to be

away for the week-

end? Join us on

Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. for the brief service

of Evening Prayer with Holy Communion.

Have a safe – and faith-full – summer!

SACRED THREADS

will meet Tuesday, July

1st, 10:00-2:00 p.m.

Lunch will be provided.

Pilgrim Service Opportunity! Join Youth Group members for an intergenerational Pilgrim service opportunity! Pil-

grim is taking part in the 2014 Indy Backpack Attack school supply drive by collecting

supplies and helping stuff backpacks. We did this for the first time last year and it was

a great success! Two things about our Backpack Attack collection efforts this year are

different from last year. Backpack Attack will be our designated mission during VBS

this year and we’ve been asked to give half of our collected supplies to the inaugural

Hamilton County Backpack Attack.

We will collect supplies in bins in the narthex from June 29 until July 19. The Hamilton County list of

needed supplies is slightly different from the Indianapolis list, so feel free to bring in items from either

list. Both lists on the narthex table.

We will also be taking about 25 people ages 8 and older to a warehouse in Indianapolis on Friday July

25 from 9:00 am to around lunch time to stuff donated supplies in 1,000 backpacks for children in In-

dianapolis Public Schools and throughout Marion County. We can only take a group of about 25, so the

first 25 to sign up will be the ones who get to help out with this fabulous opportunity! The sign-up sheet

is on the narthex table. The group had a great time last year!

Contact: Jenny Pitts at 317-732-4081 or pitts_jennifer@hotmail.com if you have any questions.

Five Gifts From God

Love makes our friends a little dearer.

Joy makes our hearts a little lighter.

Faith makes our paths a little clearer.

Hope makes our lives a little brighter.

Peace brings us all a little nearer.

—author unknown

2 Pilgrim’s Progress July, 2014

Dear members and friends of Pilgrim,

THANK YOU for recognizing me (and Pat, too!) on

the occasion of my fortieth anniversary of ordination

at a special lunch on Sunday, June 22nd, which was

also the date of the baptism of my granddaughter, Jo-

sephine Joylyn Jackson (at 10:45 a.m. worship). As if

that wasn’t enough, many of you were also thoughtful

and gracious to note that Pat and I were celebrating

our 43rd wedding anniversary (June 26, 1971) in close

proximity, as well.

the pastor’s page

My ordination at my “home” congregation, St. Paul’s

Lutheran Church, Reading, Ohio (suburban Cincin-

nati) was a Sunday afternoon event on May 26, 1974

– and I remember it well. It was gratifying for me to

have so many from St. Paul’s to attend, as they were

the very people who had nurtured me in the Christian

faith from my early days in Sunday School through

my affirmation of baptism at Confirmation, and

through my high school years when I was active in

the “Luther League,” the high school youth group.

My ordination into the Church’s Word and Sacrament

ministry was made even more special by wonderful

gifts from the congregation presented to me on the

occasion: a pectoral cross and a green stole to wear

during worship, and an “ascending Christ” wall cross

– all of which I still have even after forty years(!) –

and still cherish. (But forty years is a long time: as

the years passed, the pectoral cross became tarnished

and its silver coating eventually wore away complete-

ly; I had it re-finished many years ago!)

The Service of Ordination included an Opening hymn

procession from the narthex into the chancel and I

was pleased to be in the narthex well before the ser-

vice started, to greet those arriving, nearly all of

whom I had known for most of my life. There were

two women I didn’t recognize, though after speaking

with them, I learned that one of them lived down the

street from my parents, and I had actually met her

before, though many years had passed since then –

she was a member of St. Paul’s. The other woman did

not look familiar at all, but she said to me, “You

don’t remember me, do you?” so I thought I should

recognize her. But before I could even give an an-

swer, she said, “You’re the one who pulled up my

tomato plants!” That brought back an unpleasant

memory from my elementary school years: a neigh-

bor woman I did not know well had come to our

house and had angrily told my mother that I had dam-

aged her garden!

My mother turned to me and asked, in the woman’s

presence, “Did you pull up her tomato plants?” I said

I had not – and I hadn’t; I was being falsely accused –

and my mother believed me. The woman was in-

sistent that I was guilty, but my mother trusted my

claim of innocence. I was glad to not be punished for

a crime I did not commit, but I didn’t feel completely

exonerated and free – it was as though the accusation,

false though it was, was a weight that pressed against

me. Even though I had done nothing wrong, after that

I still stayed clear of that woman’s home and proper-

ty!

That such an incident was brought to attention on the

day of my ordination at first felt unsettling and out of

place. Why did that have to come up on such an oc-

casion? But the more I thought about it, the more I

made peace with it. I wasn’t being ordained to serve

in a perfect world. Indeed, pastors are ordained to

serve as agents of the Good News precisely because

we live in a world of imperfection and false accusa-

tion; a world of sin, evil, and death. Didn’t Jesus go

to the cross because of trumped-up charges and false

accusations?

This is not at all to suggest that my little “garden sto-

ry” is in anyway comparable to the Garden of Eden

account or Jesus’ ordeal in the Garden of Gethsema-

ne! This is simply to say that things go awry in an

imperfect world, but God has done something amaz-

ing about it – in the person of Jesus Christ. Thanks be

to God!

Sincerely, in Christ,

Alan Goertemiller

Pastor

Image above from www.all-free-download.com.

3 Pilgrim’s Progress July, 2014

Pilgrim Lutheran Preschool

and Parents’ Time Out

Wow! What a busy June we had back at the preschool! Our

regular school year was over on May 29. We kissed many of

our families good-bye as they ‘graduated’ their last child . . .

But then we find out how many of our current families have

another baby on the way! That should keep us in business

for a while!

During our day camp program, the children had a fabulous

time! Most weeks were good weather-wise and we were able

to play outside most days. We learned about all of the ani-

mals God has created for us and about the give and take of

friendship and love of neighbors. We changed things up a

little when the big dirt moving machinery moved in during

our third week

of camp! We

had a week of

‘Construction’

… the chil-

dren loved watching all of the diggers and earth mov-

ers. The week before the 4th of July we did every-

thing in Red, White & Blue. I don’t think I have ever

cut so many stars before!!!

If you know of anyone who is interested in a top

notch program, have them give us a call as we have a

few openings in some of the age groups. The number

at preschool is: 846-6132 or they can contact us by

email: pilgrimpreschool@pilgrimindy.org.

We are all looking

forward to our third

year in the beauti-

ful brand new Pilgrim Lutheran Church building. We had so

many fabulous memories from the ‘old’ Pilgrim, but we have made

some really great memories since we have moved to our new

school.

Our new place is absolutely breath taking! The beautiful stained

glass windows from the narthex of the old church gives great

‘borrowed light’ in the first and second floor of our education

wing. We all feel so blessed to have such a wonderful place to

grow our next generation in God’s love.

Thank you to all who support our ministry to young children and

their families from our congregation and our community. Please

keep us in your prayers.

In His service,

Pat Goertemiller

4 Pilgrim’s Progress July, 2014

Pilgrim’s Braille Center has become a Large Print Center!

Why did this happen? The Spring newsletter of the Lutheran Braille Workers offers an explanation:

“Although Lutheran Braille Workers began over 70 years ago, by providing the Holy Scriptures in

Braille, it wasn’t long before “Sight-Saving” Large Print was added. Our Large Print Bible is unique

in that it is separated into 37 volumes, just like our Braille Bible. These volumes are: lightweight

and easy-to-handle; made with durable, non-glaring paper; printed with a special, large 18 pt. font;

assembled with spiral bindings to open fully; formatted to have large 1” margins all around, with

increased line-spacing; made available free of charge.

For a variety of reasons, LBW has experienced a decline in Braille orders for several years now.

This decline has caused a reorganization of the workload, and unfortunately, a number of Braille

Centers had to be closed. Our Large Print orders, on the other hand, have been increasing. Printing,

in the past, was primarily centralized at the Home Office, with un-collated pages being sent to Work

Centers. The assemble volumes would then be sent back to the Home Office for distribution to our

readers. This printing of one volume at a time, in large quantities, and having the completed books

returned for distribution, is tedious and labor-intensive for the Print Shop and Shipping/Receiving

Departments. It also lends itself to back-order situations of certain volumes on a regular basis.

LBW’s focus has always been that of providing the best service to our clientele, with the highest

quality publications, while utilizing our volunteers as much as possible.

With these three things in mind, a plan was envisioned and put into place, that would both improve

our method of Large Print production and provide an opportunity to allow many of these Braille

Centers to remain open as Large Print Centers. This plan calls for each of these “New Model Large

Print Centers” to utilize an approved production type, laser printer at their respective centers.

Printing from the PDF file(s) provided to them by the Home Office, the volumes are then assembled

and shipped directly to our readers. Our Information Technology (I.T.) Department has created a

mailing label program similar to the one used for the Braille to enable this new process to run

smoothly. The response from our former Braille Center volunteers has been overwhelmingly posi-

tive. LBW is blessed to have these dedicated volunteers, so overjoyed in the knowledge that they

will continue to serve people with vision impairment by providing God’s Word in the format that

they require. God is Great! – Roy Fisher”

Pilgrim’s Braille Center is one of the centers chosen to become a Large Print Center. We began the process

of shifting to Large Print production in January. By May, we have developed a working process, and are

filling our orders. But Large Print centers are expected to produce and mail 150 books a month and we

have lost one of the other church groups that helped produce Braille volumes. So we are looking for peo-

ple to help us!

One group meets Tuesday mornings, and we are forming a second group to meet on Thursday morning, but

other days and times could be used. Are you willing to donate 2 hours a week to the Large Print Center?

The work is not physically taxing. The laser printer prints the pages that we punch holes in, bind and

check. They are then packed in boxes and taken to the USPS. If you can help us, please contact Phyllis

Swanson at 317-344-3051 or Linda Denger at 317-714-3040. This is an opportunity to help spread the

news of God’s love and grace. Fellowship is another benefit that cannot be underestimated! Please join us

in this ministry.

5 Pilgrim’s Progress July, 2014

The Missions We Support

Indianapolis Congregation Action Network (IndyCAN): IndyCAN is an organization of

20-30 churches of many denominations working with local and state governments to improve

conditions in Indianapolis by advocating upgraded and expanded local public transportation,

hiring, training, career pipeline options, and instituting “Operation Ceasefire”, a proven pro-

gram to reduce gun violence. “Opportunities for All” is the motto of the organization. See

www.IndyCAN.org for more information. Pilgrim has budgeted $1,618.52 for 2014.

Lutheran Outdoor Ministries (LOMIK): Lutheran Outdoor Ministries Indiana-Kentucky is

an independent outdoor ministry organization that serves and welcomes all. Our three camps

— Lutheran Hills, Lutherwald & Lake Luther — provide a Christian community and new ex-

periences in a fun environment with caring leaders. No child is denied a camp experience due

to financial need. See www.lomik.org. Pilgrim budgeted $572.13 for LOMIK for 2014.

Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, OH: Trinity Lutheran Seminary is a school of the-

ology of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Because Lutheran identity is

not sectarian but ecumenical, the seminary has consciously sought to be of service to the wider

Christian community. This is reflected in ecumenical representation among Trinity's student

body, faculty and staff, course offerings, and special events. Pilgrim budgets $572.13 annual-

ly to Trinity Lutheran Seminary. See www.TLSohio.edu for more information.

EXERCISE CLASSES are now being offered on Tuesday and Thursday mornings in our Fel-

lowship Hall by Sheryl Cassis, a fitness professional instructor. There are three different clas-

ses each morning with start times at 8:45 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. Interested? See the flyer with

full class descriptions and cost information on the table in the narthex!

MORE EXERCISE CLASSES are now being offered. These classes will be held on Mon-

day and Wednesday mornings in our Fellowship Hall by Cheryl Kingsbury, a fitness profes-

sional instructor. The first class is called “15-15-15 Exercise” (cardiovascular conditioning,

strength training, and balance training. This class will be held from 9:00-9:45a. The second

class is called “Balance & Strength Basics” and will be held from 10:00-10:45 a.m. Call

Cheryl at 317-903-3377 or email her at Cheryl.bicfit@gmail.com if you are interested.

6 Pilgrim’s Progress July, 2014

WORSHIP LEADERS

7 Pilgrim’s Progress July, 2014

7/1 Kathy Ransford

7/2 Andrew Shilling

7/3 Scott Borthwick

7/6 Benjamin Bowen

Daniel Harshbarger

Connor Huey

Suzanne Kraft

Maxine Lempke

Alexis Wagenhauser

7/7 Susan Maul

7/11 Ellis Guedel

Steve Witte

7/12 Laura Peeters

7/14 Patricia Sarti

7/15 Carol Kocher

Alexander Rinderknecht

7/17 Jeanette Cover

Stephen Hatfield

Kayla Nelsen

7/18 William Huey, Jr.

Gwen Knipstein

7/19 Layla Lehr

7/20 Evelyn Kramer

7/23 Joshua Gegel

Ella Hatfield

7/24 Audrey Griffiths

Jennifer Kappmeyer

Michael Przybylski

7/25 Margie Fougeron

7/26 Jason Brauer

Charlotte Lippert

Gail Powell

7/28 George Ransford

7/31 Therese Owen

Jason Urban

Dick & Sundy Hughes 35 years

Beth & Josh Kuechler 11 years

Jason & Jaime Follstad 2 years

Dave & Judy Hunden 47 years

Jeffrey & Meredith Keller 3 years

John & Sarah Williams, Jr. 11 years

Michael & Ashley Eddie 8 years

Jason & Melissa Brauer 15 years

Kevin & Tammy Donley 11 years

8 Pilgrim’s Progress July, 2014

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1

8:45a Exercise Classes

9:30a Pilgrim’s Large Print Group

10:00a Sacred Threads

2

9:00a Exercise Classes

7:00p Wednesday Evening Prayer

3

8:45a Exercise Classes

4

OFFICE CLOSED

5

6

8:00a Worship and Holy Communion

10:45a Worship and Holy Communion

7

9:00a Exercise Classes

8

8:45a Exercise Classes

9:30a Pilgrim’s Large Print Group

9

10:00a Carmel Library

7:00p Wednesday Evening Prayer

10

8:45a Exercise Classes

11

11:00a Carmel Library

12

13

8:00a Worship and Holy Communion

10:45a Worship and Holy Communion

14

9:00—VBS

9:30a Large Print Group – Carmel

15

9:00—VBS

9:30a Pilgrim’s Large Print Group

16

9:00—VBS

7:00p Wednesday Evening Prayer

17

9:00—VBS

18

9:00—VBS Music Under The Stars @ Connor Prairie

19

10:00a Carmina Consort Rehearsal

20

8:00a Worship and Holy Communion

10:45a Worship and Holy Communion

21

9:00a Exercise Classes

22

8:45a Exercise Classes

9:30a Pilgrim’s Large Print Group

23

9:00a Exercise Classes

7:00p Wednesday Evening Prayer

24

8:45a Exercise Classes

25

8:30a Indy Back-Pack Attack Youth Project

26

27

8:00a Worship and Holy Communion

10:45a Worship and Holy Communion

28

9:00a Exercise Classes

9:30a Large Print Group – Carmel

29

8:45a Exercise Classes

9:30a Pilgrim’s Large Print Group

30

9:00a Exercise Classes

7:00p Wednesday Evening Prayer

7:00p Mutual Ministry Meeting

31

8:45a Exercise Classes

2014

9 Pilgrim’s Progress July, 2014

Mission Statement: We are a caring Community Called together in ministry by the Holy Spirit Through the Gospel and the Sacraments to: Believe in Jesus Christ as Savior, Worship the Triune God, and Serve God by Proclaiming the Gospel, Joyfully Celebrating our God-given gifts, and Loving and Serving our neighbors With Jesus as our example.

PILGRIM LUTHERAN CHURCH

Staff Pastor Alan Goertemiller Education Director Gloria Worth Preschool Director Pat Goertemiller Youth Director’s Jenny Pitts Gail Powell Cantor to the Congregation Sarah Gran Williams Director of Music for Children & Youth Gail Powell Assistant Treasurer Donna Drew Nursery Attendant Annie Harriman Custodian Maureen Jordan Set-up Matt Worth Maintenance Mark Wylie Handbells Director Kevin Donley

gathering in to Christ, sending out to serve

Sunday Worship: 8:00 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. Sunday School: 9:30 a.m. No Sunday School during Summer Nursery Available Wednesday Worship: 7:00 p.m.

Office Hours: 8:00 a.m.—2:30 p.m. Monday—Friday

Church Office: (317) 846-2221 Church Fax: (317) 846-3590 E-mail: pilgrim@pilgrimindy.org

www.pilgrimindy.org Preschool Office: (317) 846-6132

Pilgrim’s Progress Pilgrim Lutheran Church 3650 West 106th Street Carmel, IN 46032

Address Service Requested

Evangelical Lutheran

Church in America