First Edition
Published monthly by Volume 156
First Evangelical Lutheran Church Number 1
Houston, Texas January 2007
CHURCH COUNCIL FOR 2007
On Sunday, January 7, the 2007 Church Council of First Evangelical Lutheran Church will be installed at the 11:00 a.m. service of worship. Council members this year are:
William Bammel, Jr.
Gertie Beutel
Jamie Brewster
Paul Orton
Brian Oxley
Herb Richter
Rudy Rivas
Rose Marie Sontag
Millie Thibodeaux
Ruth Tracy
Completing a term on Church Council is Norman Speck. A special word of thanks is extended to him for his faithful and conscientious service.
The Church Council is the governing board of the congregation. Its members are elected by the congregation. The Council is responsible for seeing that the constitution of the church is upheld, that services of worship are conducted in accordance with the Lutheran tradition, and that all matters of the congregation are cared for in a wise and judicious manner that serves the mission and purpose of the church.
On Sunday, January 21, the new Church Council will hold its first meeting. Included on the agenda will be the election of officers.
Pastor Peterman will attend Church Council meetings and have voice, but no vote, on all matters that come before it.
ON PUBLIC WORKS Peterman’s Postulate
When I hear of a Habitat for Humanity project, I recall being a farm boy in Ohio when people in the community would gather for threshing days. Few farmers could afford to own a threshing machine or to hire help. So they would come together, rent the necessary machinery, and go from farm to farm to do the work. The women also came together to make huge, hearty meals for everyone. Those were exciting days, filled with energy, enthusiasm, and celebration. I shall never forget them.
The Amish still have threshing days like this. They also do barn-raisings where people come together to build a barn in only a day or two. The community focuses completely on the task at hand. There is no waiting for materials that were delayed because of computer error. There is no labor dispute when a carpenter puts down his saw and lays chimney bricks. There is no tally of hours worked, breaks taken, or wages earned. It is simply a public work in which the whole community joins for the benefit and improvement of the whole community.
The tradition of public works like this goes back to the time of the ancient Greeks. Whole cities would come together with great enthusiasm to stage a drama, build a stadium, or equip a warship. The wealthy provided much of the funding, but even the poor were allowed to contribute whatever they could.
The Greeks called these public works "liturgies." "Liturgy" means "the people's work." Everybody took part in doing something that benefitted everybody else. It was community effort for the sake of the community.
It is no accident that the church calls its worship the “liturgy.” After all, it is the work of the people, in which all participate with energy and joy to accomplish something that benefits the entire community. Sunday worship provides habitat for those alienated from home. It harvests the seeds of faith that have been sown and builds safe barns for them. It offers drama, feasting, and excitement. It provides armament for the battles that lie ahead on the vast sea of life.
Our liturgy is a public work that happens every Sunday. I know of no public work more vital or exciting than this.
NEW DIRECTOR OF WORSHIP AND MUSIC
At its December meeting, the Church Council unanimously selected Carroll Shaddock to be the Director of Worship and Music for First Evangelical Lutheran Church, beginning January 1. Mr. Shaddock served as Director of Music for Christ the King Lutheran Church in Houston for over two decades, but retired from that position several years ago.
He was instrumental in forming the Bach Society at Christ the King Church, and he and his wife Dorry made a substantial contribution toward the new pipe organ that was dedicated there in 1995.
He will take the place of Allyson Applebaum, who had served as our Director of Worship and Music. The church expresses its gratitude to Dr. Applebaum for her excellent and faithful service during her time of service here.
FROM THE PARISH RECORD
Remove from the membership roll:
ANNIE M. BAMMEL, by Death on December 15
LYDIA SCHNEIDER, by Transfer to St. John’s Presbyterian Church, Houston, Texas, on December 16
FIRST EDITION APPEARS
Welcome to the first edition of First Edition!
First Evangelical Lutheran Church has a long and illustrious history, and yet there are many, even within our own synod and the Houston community, who don’t know much, if anything, about it. This newsletter is a first step in correcting that.
Pastor Peterman has announced that it is his intention to publish a monthly newsletter during his time of service here and to see that it is widely distributed to members and friends in the synod and even to other interested persons across the nation.
Anyone who would like to add someone to the mailing list is invited to inform the church office.
The deadline for articles is the 20th of the preceding month.
FIXIN’ THE GRAND OLD BUILDIN’ Paul Orton
Much that you see in this article was meant for the December newsletter, which was not published, due to personnel changes at the church and time constraints.
Our roofer advises that all the areas of concern have been re-checked and additional repairs made. Again, we will have to wait for a substantial rainfall to determine if the repairs were effective. We will keep you informed.
As time has allowed, our custodian, Seneca Gallien, has been working on the stair railing in the bell tower, removing the old varnish and sanding. When the prep work is done, he will refinish the rails with new stain and polyurethane. Seneca was very helpful to the members of the Rev. Vern Swisher’s congregation when it held an ordination service and reception at our church on November 19. We thank Pastor Swisher for paying Seneca for his work then, and we thank his church members for making donations for the use of our facilities.
On November 21 Seneca looked after our interest and aided the Foreign Student Association of Houston Community College when they held their Thanksgiving luncheon in the East Room on the second floor.
Our buildings continue to experience quite a flow of traffic. Many couples inquire about having their wedding at our church. We already have several booked for 2007.
We thank Carl W. Sontag for his assistance with the landscaping in front of the portico, particularly the azalea bed.
If anyone has an over supply of soft, clean rags that can be used for cleaning, please consider donating them for use in our buildings. Your help is appreciated.
We thank the Rev. Todd Williams of the New Covenant Church and his volunteers from Cypress Creek Christian Church for their help in cleaning our facilities on December 9. This act of kindness was greatly appreciated, since we are currently without the services of our custodian. Our prayers are with Seneca as he faces an unfortunate and difficult ordeal. We look forward to his returning to us.
ABOUT PASTOR PETERMAN
In November Pastor Edwin D. Peterman was selected by the congregation to serve as its Interim Pastor beginning December 16. Here is some information about him.
Pastor Peterman is a native of Ohio and a lifelong Lutheran. He is a graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and the Divinity School of the University of Chicago. He also studied theology for a year in Tübingen, Germany.
After serving parishes in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, and St. Louis, Missouri, he became pastor of Christ the King Lutheran Church in Houston in 1968. At that time the congregation was composed of a small but dedicated number of members, who were confident that the congregation had a future in its present location. Under his leadership Christ the King Church began to grow slowly but steadily.
At the time of his retirement in 1998 the church had come to be widely known as one of the leading churches in the metropolitan area. Of special note were its excellent worship, music, and preaching, its campus ministry to Rice University and the Texas Medical Center, its pioneering ministry to AIDS patients and their families, and its strong emphasis on adult theological education.
As a direct result of this emphasis on adult education, the Melanchthon Institute was established in 1995, dedicated to offering sound Lutheran theological education to clergy and laity in the greater Houston area.
Since retiring, Pastor Peterman has published three collections of sermons under the title “Practically Preaching.” He has continued to serve as a guest preacher and to teach adult classes in theology. He is widely known for his comprehensive knowledge of the Bible and Lutheran theology, his animated teaching style, and his ability to relate to both clergy and lay people.
Pastor Peterman and his wife Jane have been married nearly 52 years. They first met at Miami University when they both played in the summer band. They have three daughters and six grandchildren.
DECEMBER PRAYER LIST
Those who were ill or otherwise in special need of prayer:
James Cone
Lindsay Lum
Minnie Johnson
Lee Orton
Margie Ranft
Emilie Ratcliffe
Rhonda Richter, serving in Iraq
Bruce Rogers
Ronnie Rossi
Bertha Suessmuth
Norman Tofte
Betty Wade
Special Concern:
Annie M. Bammel, whose life on earth came to completion on Friday, December 15. She was 99 years old and a lifelong member of First Evangelical Lutheran Church.
NEW OFFICE MANAGER AND SECRETARY
On Monday, December 11, Charline R. Thompson began work as the Office Manager and Secretary of First Evangelical Lutheran Church. She is a native of Houston, we understand, but grew up in Michigan. She has served as a foster parent for a number of years.
She will be in the church office from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Ms. Thompson has been very busy preparing the bulletin for each Sunday, learning to handle many of the bookkeeping duties assigned her by the financial officers, finding her way around the office, and locating files, supplies, and other materials. “We are truly fortunate to have a person of Ms. Thompson’s character and ability in our office,” said Pastor Peterman.
JANUARY BIRTHDAYS
Each month we will make an effort to list members who have birthdays during that month. Inasmuch as the church records are not complete, we may miss someone. If we do, let us know and we’ll make the correction. Here are the January birthdays, as far as we know:
January 1 Patricia Wolfer
January 3 Marguerite Hillegeist
January 20 Deborah Joiner
January 21 Vicki Milner
January 30 Stephen Ranft
ADULT SUNDAY CHURCH SCHOOL
In January Pastor Peterman will begin a course that will cover the entire Bible in approximately ten weeks. Beginning with Genesis and concluding with Revelation, the course will review the history of both the Old and New Testaments, including when each book was written, why it was written, and what it contains. Participants will receive a simple set of charts they will be able to use in future study of particular books in the Bible.
In January the focus will be on Genesis 1-11 as the basic set of stories about life. The topic will be as follows:
January 7 Introduction: “What is the Bible?”
January 14 The Two Stories of Creation
January 21 The Garden of Eden, Cain and Abel
January 28 Noah and the Flood, the Tower of Babel
The Adult Class meets every Sunday in the Beutel Room from 10:00 until 10:40 a.m. All adults are invited to attend the class.
Much of the Bible study that is provided in various churches today dwells on specific books, chapters, and verses. The purpose of this course is to provide an overarching view of the Bible, how it came to be, and what its basic themes are. Prior knowledge of the Bible is not a prerequisite for this course. However, it would be helpful for each participant to bring your own Bible (or, as one might say, BYOB).
First Evangelical Lutheran Church
1311 Holman, at Caroline
Houston, Texas 77004
Address Correction Requested
First Evangelical Lutheran Church is a congregation of the Texas Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Founded in 1851, the congregation has played a vital role in the history of Houston and the formation of Lutheranism in Texas. The church building is located at Holman and Caroline across the street from Houston Community College. The church office is open from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Telephone: 713/529-3589
Fax: 713/529-0816
The Rev. Edwin D. Peterman Interim Pastor
Mr. Carroll Shaddock Director of Worship and Music
Ms. Charline R. Thompson Office Manager and Secretary |
