Life In Christ Lutheran Church
JULY 2009 NEWSLETTER
JUST A THOUGHT-----from
Pastor Spicer
The dog days of summer are here but the heat isn't slowing down the ministry of your church. This month we anticipate having 60 to 80 children on our campus, as our annual VBS takes place. We praise God once again for the opportunity to teach so many children about the wonderful love of Jesus Christ. And speaking of children, I will have the privilege of baptizing four children at the services of July 5th and 12th. God loves little children and through water and Word, God will adopt these children and make them His very own. Praise God for His mercy and grace!
My wife Sherri and I are ready to be grandparents to 60 or more kids between the ages of 12 to 15 at the TRAC Camp. I am grateful to all who have taken time to write prayer cards to the campers and staff and for all who have offered help with registering the kids for camp and for helping to serve the "Welcome Home" meal for the staff. If you would like to find out how you can get involved, please speak to me.
Speaking of grandparents, I am one proud grandfather - my beautiful grandson, Luke, is walking! And Geoff and Stephanie thought they were busy before! On your mark, get set.....
Our Sunday adult Bible class has been thoroughly blessed by our study of Philippians and the "Discipleship Explored" series. We will wrap up that study this month and on July 19th, begin a new study entitled, "Death and Resurrection of the Messiah." This is a video/discussion study and was filmed on location at a variety of sites in Israel. If you've never been to the Holy Land, this is the next best thing. I hope you'll come and join us at 9:30 AM, beginning July 19th.
It's vacation time but please don't take a vacation from worship, Bible study and prayer. It's so easy with travel and other activities to let the important ways that the Lord gives you His gifts of forgiveness and life, to get lost in the mix, so to speak. Don't take a Sunday off -- be here for worship and Bible study! Don't take a day off -- be faithful in your personal study and prayer time!
Jesus loves you and so do I!
Pastor George Spicer
Volunteer Spotlight
Jan Hagar is proof that you can take a passion and interest and turn it into a ministry and service for the Lord's church.
When Life in Christ Lutheran was planted as a new, fledging church, some folks thought it would be a good idea to put a website on the internet. Jan stepped forward and created a website that told the story about the new church in Peoria. The site was easy to navigate, featured lots of information about the church and, in a very winsome way, encouraged visitors to the site to come and worship at LICL.
Since then, Pastor Spicer and Connie Kanzler have lost track of the number of visitors who have said, "We found your church through the internet. Your website is great!" Thanks to Jan, many who wouldn't have known about Life in Christ Lutheran do know about us because they can learn about our church on the internet.
Jan was just elected to the Board of Ministry Directors as a member at large and will be a great addition to the other elected leaders. Thanks, Jan, for lending your talent to the church and for serving with joy and humility!
LICL is blessed to have so many wonderful volunteers who enable the mission and ministry of the church to go forward.
Lutheran Women's Missionary League
Our June meeting was attended by 17 ladies enjoying a devotion entitled, "The Present" relating to the uniqueness of women's gifts, fellowship over a continental breakfast and the revealing of our Secret Sisters. Using our Special Mission funds, the proceeds of our bake/craft sales, Missions were voted on as follows;
Phoenix Rescue Missions - $250 Hope & A Future - $700 to send 2 children to camp. Maggie's Place/Michael's in Glendale - $250 LICL kitchen - $200 + tax for 4 bar stools. Election of officers was held and the Lord has answered our prayers with women willing to serve on the Executive Board of our LWML here at Life In Christ for the 2009 - 2010 year.
We pledge to Him our willing service wherever and whenever He has need of us.President - Lucille Beyer VP of Service Resources - Joann Shiber VP of Christian Life - Norma Lutzinger VP of Human Care - Linda Trimble Secretary - Rachel Randall Treasurer - Pat Herman The Board is meeting to plan the year of events. Won't you, as members, bring us your ideas for a devotion or a Special Mission that we could validate to receive mission monies in the coming year? Every woman that is a member of Life in Christ Lutheran Church is invited to attend our meetings.
UPCOMING DATES
Please mark your calendars now and plan to join us for devotion, fellowship and a continental breakfast.
Gifts from the Heart
Gifts from the Heart will be on vacation for the month of July. That just means ...there will be no official work day at the church on the 4th Saturday of this month. Many of us will continue working at home on projects for the community.
If you would like additional information about Gifts from the Heart or about the community organizations that we give our “gifts” to, please contact Joann at 623-337-0850 or Judy at 623-334-4269.Tiny quilts and preemie hats were delivered to Banner Hospital in June. GFTH received a wonderful "Thank You" note from the Neonatal Unit at Banner Thunderbird - "Thank you to all of the ladies in your sewing groups...the babies beds look so much prettier...the parents appreciate your thoughtfulness too. God bless you all!"
Most of the donated fabric has been laundered and is now stocked on the shelves. There is still yarn available also. If you would like materials to work with, contact Joann (623-337-0850) or Judy (623-334-4269) and they will assist you with patterns, dimensions and materials.
Next GFTH will be held on the 4th Saturday in August..(.August 22nd). We hope you'll mark your calendar now and plan to join us, there's an empty seat waiting for you!
From the Congregational Health Ministry
We have been blessed with an unusually cool June for our Valley of the Sun, but July and August most likely will not be so kind. Don't forget to keep your water bottle close at hand. Your body is 75% water and when it is hot, you lose water at an accelerated rate, through your breath and as you sweat. What an amazing evaporative cooling system God gave us!
How much water do you need? Divide your weight by two and that's how many ounces of water you should drink everyday. So a 200 pound man should drink 100 ounces, or about 12 cups of water a day. And that does not take into account, you golfers, gardeners, or exercise enthusiasts, out in the AZ sun. A brisk walk can generate up to 16 ounces of sweat loss. If you know you are going to be out in the heat, or exercising, drink 2-3 cups of water before your activity and then keep drinking during and after exercise.
Remember that you can't count on your thirst to let you know when you should have a drink; by the time your brain signals that you are thirsty, you may have already lost 3 cups of sweat and be well on your way to dehydration. Also, as you get older, your body is less able to sense dehydration and send your brain signals of thirst. So make sure you drink before you feel thirsty.
You can, and should, get water from other sources like fruits and veagetables, (eg. tomatoes and watermelon are 90-100% water by weight), protein rich foods and prepared grain products. However, on average, 80% of your fluid intake comes from beverages and water is one of your best choices, as it is calorie-free, inexpensive and readily available.
Be safe out there; drink often and enough water from safe sources.
Book Review From the LICLC Library
Just Beyond the Clouds
By Karen Kingsbury
Still aching over his wife's death, Cody Gunner can't bear the thought of also letting go of his Down's Syndrome brother, Carl Joseph. Cody wants his brother home, where he will be safe and cared for, not out on his own in a world that Cody knows all too well can be heartless and insecure.
So when Carl Joseph's teacher, Elle, begins championing his independence, she finds herself at odds with Cody. If Cody can let go of his lingering anger, he might just see that sometimes the brightest hope of all lies just beyond the clouds.
The 18 adult Down's Syndrome students at the center directed by Elle learn "life skills" of which praying is the most important of all.
It's a book you don't want to put down and a great reminder of just how important prayer is.
All members of Life in Christ Church are encouraged to visit our church library and check out some of the great books we have collected. It is located beside Pastor Spicer's office.
For further information or to contact the Life In Christ webmasters Janet Hagar & Nancy Remmel please e-mail licl@licl.org
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