November 2021 Newsletter
Grace, mercy, and peace are yours in our Risen and Ascended Lord Jesus Christ! Amen.
Dear Family of God at Grace,
What happened to September and October? They seemed like a blur. Maybe because I was traveling but I lost most of October. The Oktoberfest was fantastic! Thank you SueAnn and David Zornes! Without them I don’t think the Oktoberfest would happen. As always, they did a wonderful job. Thank you to everyone else who pitched in on the day and helped set up and tear down. I’m not sure of the numbers but it looked like a great crowd, and I think everyone had a great time.
I hope you all enjoyed the celebration of Reformation that we had on Sunday. This year it fell on a Sunday, and we celebrated Reformation during the two morning services. We sang Luther’s setting for the Divine Service and many more hymns that he composed. While we worship Jesus alone, Luther certainly helped, always pointing us toward Jesus in what we think, say, and sing.
November is packed with activities. The first Sunday, the 7th, is our celebration of All Saints. We will remember those saints of God at Grace that transferred their membership from the church militant to the church triumphant in the year of our Lord 2021. The 10 souls are: David Schmiel, James Hanley, Jay Tee Thompson, Vita Meyer, Brian Canning, Rosemary Lingsch, Carolyn LaPine, Ann Fuglsang, Tom Nelson and Victoria Tatum. We will read their names and toll the bell. The beloved of God and of Grace may not be with us as they were a year ago, but they are still with us in Christ and that brings great comfort! They sing with us. While, we get a foretaste of the great heavenly banquet in the Lord Supper, our brothers, and sisters on the other side of the communion rail receive the full banquet meal! What peace we have knowing we are never separated from our loved ones in Christ.
Along with remembering the saints of God who have departed we will also welcome over 50 new saints who will be joining our Grace family through membership. This is amazing. Such a great crowd of new members, both seasonal and full members. We want to welcome them to our family. Take time on Sunday to say hello to someone new. All our new members will be receiving name tags. We are also working to provide all our members, old and new with name tags. If you are a member of Grace and do not have a name tag let us know and we will get you one. This helps with remembering names and it helps when you go to Publix after church or to First Watch. People will know your name and where you are coming from. Hopefully this will open a door for conversation about your church and who knows, maybe an invite to come to Grace. You are the best witness for Christ and for His church! See you on All Saints Sunday.
Thursday the 11th is Veterans Day. We want to have a special remembrance for our veterans this year. We have done similar things in the past but this year we are going to gather at 6 PM on the 11th for about 30 minutes. Sing some patriotic songs. Have a message of thanksgiving for our veterans. Recognize them and their branch of service. Then pray for all our veterans as well as those who continue to serve. After the service we will have some hotdogs, coleslaw, and apple pie for dessert. Who knows, a baseball game may even break out! (Kidding). Come help honor our veterans for their great service to us and our nation. They deserve our thanks.
This year we were worried that we could not get enough food for the Thanksgiving Food Baskets. It was not looking good as we called around to the different grocery stores. Finally, we struck paydirt with ADLI grocery. We will be collecting the financial resources from now until November 21st when we will have everything purchased and in the fellowship hall to assemble the bags and distribute them to those in need. Thank you to Deaconess Linda and Mauro Nobili for taking over this project over the last few years. Grace has been providing food for those in need, 270 families, for I believe over 35 years. It all started with our beloved, sainted, Richard Bizier. Yes, you read that correctly 270 families. Let’s say 5 per family, that’s…umm…carry the 2…aah… a lot of people! Thanks be to God for your generosity so that we can do this year after year!
The week the food baskets are distributed is Thanksgiving. We will forgo the Thanksgiving feast at Grace one more year due to the pandemic and plan on having it in 2022. Please enjoy with family and friends around a wonderful meal this year. Rejoice and give thanks to God for His profound blessings to you. My whole family will be home this year and that is what I plan to do. I’m thankful for my Lingsch family as well as my Grace family!
Sunday, November 28th is the first Sunday of Advent. We begin a new church year. With the beginning of a new church year, we will have so many wonderful activities. We will also have business to finish. In November your church council we be working to prepare the budget for the upcoming year 2022. We are blessed at Grace by your generosity. Once again, it appears as though we will more than meet and exceed our budget for 2021. The church council and I, thank you! Please know that the church council is working to reduce costs where we can and to keep spending in check. The church and school continue to work hard for you and for our neighbor. Keep an eye out for the budget as we will be circulating it for your consideration at least 2 weeks before the Voters’ Meeting in December.
And finally, if you didn’t know it, Pastor and Sandy Kudart are back with us for their 7th year. Hard to believe it has been 7 years. We welcome them back and pray that God will bless them for service in our midst.
Have a blessed November! In His Service,
Pastor Lingsch
