Evangelism

Nothing you do for the Lord is ever wasted.
I Corinthians 15:58

September 2008

A Reflection on Faith

As I sit under the protection of the eaves of my roof while the rain pours down, I reflect on the old wooden stave barrel that stands next to me. Many visitors and guests to my home must wonder why this old barrel should preside in such a prominent location. I myself question its purpose as a planter stand just outside the kitchen window. It is a very large barrel, larger than any normal planter stand, and one that is showing its age with warped staves and rusted hoops. One end of the barrel no longer has the wooden end that would make it complete and usable for its original purpose.

I guess that it is the barrel’s original purpose and use that compels me to hold it so dear to my heart. At one time barrels were the popular means for packaging, storing and conveying goods throughout the world. They served to hold water, salted beef, flour, possessions and many other sorts of materials and merchandise. My old barrel may have served many such purposes in its life, but for me it came into use when my mother obtained it to move her family of seven children to Seattle from Astoria, Oregon in the summer of 1943. It was one of two barrels.

The other barrel no longer exists, as I left it in the weather to rot and fall into decay. For that I am truly sorry, for it had scrawled on it the shipping address for where it was destined, 5244 Brooklyn Ave NE, Seattle, Washington (no zip code and no abbreviation for state at that time). The barrel I now have does not have those markings. I remember well the use for both barrels after their arrival at their destination, and the unloading of the meager belongings they contained which my mother intended to use to set up a household and provide for her children’s future. When emptied they were located in the basement of our new home next to the coal bin and the old hand stoked coal furnace.

They became my place of refuge and play as I made the transition to a new environment that seemed strange and hostile to a five year old. It was comforting to crawl into one of the barrels and pretend it was anything other than a barrel. Perhaps it was a stagecoach or a submarine. It could even be a cave or a mine. At times my next eldest brother and sister would share in my fantasies, and we would join in hours of adventurous play.
There finally came a day when they were no longer used for storage, shipping or even play. As I grew up they no longer had a place in my life. They remained in the basement collecting dust, spider webs and mold. There they remained until my mother was finally forced to give up her independence and move to assisted living. When the family went to make arrangements for my mother’s belongings I came across the barrels once again. Something compelled me to keep them.

One barrel was kept in a sheltered place outside. There was no shelter for the second barrel and it was left in an unprotected place. The one barrel kept sheltered, even though it was outside, managed to survive. The unsheltered barrel decayed, warped and fell apart.

Listening to the rain as it splashes to earth reminds me that many years have passed, and that it is no longer feasible at my age to clamber into the remaining barrel to seek solace and relief from the uncertainties and hostilities that surround me on life’s journey. The barrel, however, is a reminder. It is a reminder that there were once two barrels both of which served as a life shelter me. Like faith, if I nourish and protect it I have the joy and satisfaction of its shelter and sustenance. If I neglect my faith, like the second barrel, it will decay and serve no purpose in sheltering me.

The realization that indeed many years have passed, and that once again I am moving to a new and perhaps hostile environment in my sojourn on this planet, I reflect on the comfort of Christ’s promise that he is with me always and will serve as my comfort and shelter in all the travails that await me. And when the time comes, by God’s grace, to take up residence in his mansion, no matter what room he may have in mind for me, if I protect and sustain the shelter of faith in Christ’s death on the cross for the forgiveness of all my sins, I too will have everlasting life.

The remaining barrel is my reminder of my past, present and future as a child of God. I pray that I will continue to savor the shelter of Christ’s presence in my life.

— Alan Murdock

July 2008

When we think about our own lives, and how our faith sustains and guides us and gives us hope and purpose, we need to remember that not everyone has Jesus but that they need Him.

1. Bread
“I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger.” John 6:35
2. Light
“I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12
3. Gate
“I am the gate; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.” John 10:9
4. Good Shepherd
“I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for His sheep.” John 10:11
5. Resurrection and Life
“I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies.” John 11:25
6. Way, Truth, Life
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.” John 14:6
7. True Vine
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.” John 15:1
The divinity of Jesus Christ is further illustrated in John 8:58. Jesus said, “Truly, Truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am”, which means that Jesus existed before His human life on earth.

We aren’t just proclaiming Northlake Lutheran, but Christ Himself to change people’s lives! We are offering to share our great friends and fellowship, but that is secondary to what Christ promises. This week, try to tell someone about how Jesus is one of the things He says he is for you.

Brian Elbert

Evangelism Committee

December 2006

Hip Replacement . . .

Let’s face it. When many of us hear the word “hip” we think of the noun referring to the joint, instead of the (already dated) adjective meaning “trendy”.

When “trendy” is not one of the top five words someone would use to describe you or your church, there needs to be a “hip replacement” to attract people.

Love and unselfishness never go out of style. It is a strength of many members at Northlake.

I am often impressed to see members act like loving grand- parents or aunts or uncles, reaching outside of themselves and their friends in order to take a few minutes with one of the younger Lutherans, or a visitor, to really listen and try to connect with them.

We aren’t going to compete with the big box churches on programs or cool factor, but we certainly can be a closer family that displays real love - if we choose to.

Advent is a special time of focusing on faith. Invite someone to come with you to the Wednesday dinners and Sunday or Wednesday services. Introduce them to the people you love at Northlake. Learn about their faith journey. Look for new faces. Love and unselfishness never go out of style.

Brian Elbert
Evangelism Liaison

October 2006

Kenmore Good Ol’ Days Festival
Northlake had a great time participating in the Kenmore Good Ol’ Days parade and at our booth on Saturday, September 9th. ..... a great evangelism opportunity! We talked with many people and passed out free New Testaments and bottled water. We also had a spinning wheel to win a candy, a plastic cross necklace, answer a question about themselves, or the bible verse on our new banners. It was great.

For the parade we were planning music, but with the threat of more rain, it was decided that electricity and water did not mix well. So we had the van and the new banner with members giving out free religious-themed bracelets and candy. And, yes, there were the purple t-shirts! The sight of so many of our members running around in purple t-shirts was inspiring.

Also our contemporary music group played at the bandstand, and they sounded awesome!

Thank you very much to all who participated.

September 2006

Kenmore Good Ol' Days Festival

Saturday, September 9th is the annual Good Ol’ Days Festival in Kenmore, and Northlake will again be participating by having a booth at the community fair and having an entry in the parade. This event is a great evangelism opportunity.

We have had our first planning meeting and it looks like it’s going to be great fun. So far the plans for the booth include giving free New Testaments and bottled water to those who visit the booth. There also will be a children’s spinning wheel game to win a snow cone.

The plan is to have a musical entry for the parade, and free religious-theme bracelets and candy will be given to onlookers.

Join in the fun. Parade participants and booth workers are needed.
Final plans are still being worked on. The one thing that is known for sure — we will definitely need volunteers to be in the parade and to staff the booth. So please watch for the clipboard, and sign up to lend a hand to this fun activity.

We had great fun last year. Don’t miss it!

July 2006

REACHING OUT TO THE COMMUNITY

KENMORE GOOD OL’ DAYS FESTIVAL - Northlake again will be participating in the Kenmore Good Ol’ Days parade, and we will have a booth at the community fair. The date has not been announced, but it is usually in September.

This will be a great evangelism opportunity, so please watch the bulletin for the date of our first planning meeting later this summer. Everyone is encouraged to come and help with the planning. Because it is such a great opportunity to let the community see what Northlake is all about, we encourage all committees to participant. We also will need volunteers to be in the parade and to staff the booth.

We had great fun last year. Don’t miss it!

October 2005

News from the E Team

I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the Lord”

Psalm 122:1

KENMORE GOOD OL’ DAYS FESTIVAL

Saturday, September 17 was the Kenmore Good Ol' Days Festival. In the parade, Northlake had the church van decorated with amazing art work from our Sunday School children and a trailer with an outstanding band playing Christian music. Coupons were given out to invite people to Church and a Wednesday night BBQ with youth events. We also gave out 480 Christian-themed pencils.

Our booth at the street fair was decorated on the theme of baptism. There was a working “shell” fountain, great super-size pictures of church activities, a video and a ring toss. Bottled water was given out as well as Christian-theme spiral tablets with the church’s address and service times on the back.

Participation in this each year is such a great opportunity for us to let the community know about Northlake and to invite them to come.

A special thank you to all who participated. It was fun, and we received a lot of great comments on everything.

~ Bev Peterson

Sept 2005

Nothing you do for the Lord is ever wasted.

I Corinthians 15:58

Northlake again will be participating in the Kenmore Good Ol’ Days parade, and we will have a booth at the Street Fair that is held in the Kenmore Village by City Hall. This event is on Saturday, September 17^th, and it will be a great evangelism opportunity where we can invite people to church the next day on Special Welcome Sunday. Our theme this year will be water and baptism. Our booth will have a water feature, we will be giving out bottled water, and other fun things are planned. We are still working out the details for the parade, which will include some great handouts.

Everyone is encouraged to come and participate in this event. It is such a great opportunity for us to let the community know about Northlake and to invite them to come.

There will be a clipboard to sign up for the parade and to staff the booth. We had great fun last year. Don’t miss it!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Special Welcome Sunday

at Northlake

September 18^th

At the Kenmore Good Ol’ Days we will be inviting the community to Northlake, so Sunday, September 18^th will be a special Welcome Sunday!

The day will consist of our regular schedule for services (8:30 & 11 am) and the Education Hour at 9:45. But we also are planning several things to make this a special Welcome Sunday :

· Invite others, including friends, family, and neighbors.

· Wear our nametags.

· Have a special gift for each child in Sunday School.

· Have lots of greeters . . . that would be everyone in the congregation.

· Have a fully-staffed Nursery at both services.

· Have a great coffee hour at the upstairs, outside entrance.

· Have coffee hour after both services.

· Have extra flowers for the narthex and coffee table.

· Have our really great smiles and friendly selves present!

· Have pamphlets about Northlake and our programs on the visitors’ table in the narthex.

· Have a table display with pictures and short comments from members about what attending Northlake means to them. ***

There will, of course, be clipboards for everything except the last item.

*** For the last item, we would like to ask you to prayerfully consider preparing and emailing comments to Jeanie about what it means to you to be a part of Northlake. You can bring a picture to Jeanie, or we can arrange to take a digital picture and print it, to be put alongside your comments. This is not limited to adults.

Remember the assignment! J What does attending Northlake mean to you?

Please send your comments to Jeanie at

mcbee@northlakelutheran.org

This is a great opportunity for us—both to welcome the community and to revitalize our own involvement at church.