First Edition

  
ASCENSION SERVICE MAY 17
      On Ascension Day, Thursday, May 17, a special service of worship will be held at First Evangelical Lutheran Church from 12:00 noon until 1:00 p.m. The service will include both sermon and communion. Afterward a soup lunch will be available for those attending.
      Unlike Lutheran churches in Europe and elsewhere, the Festival of Our Lord’s Ascension is largely ignored by Lutherans in this country. Even within our synod very few congregations have a service of worship on this very important day of the church year.
      First Evangelical Lutheran Church will be an exception this year by offering a full service for Lutherans and others in the greater Houston area. Perhaps by our example other churches will be moved to reinstate this festival and observe it in future years.
      All members are encouraged to attend. We welcome also other Lutherans and people who work in the Downtown, Mid-town, and Near-town areas of the city.

ASCENSION AND PENTECOST   Peterman’s Postulate
      Forty days after Easter Jesus ascended into heaven. His ascension is described twice in the Bible—both times by Luke. It’s at the end of the Gospel Luke wrote, and then it’s at the beginning of Acts, which is Luke’s history of the early church.
      The story is simple. Jesus is talking with his disciples when suddenly a cloud enfolds them. When the cloud lifts, Jesus is gone. He has been elevated to the right hand of God the Father, which is not only a place of honor, but also a place of action, since God’s right hand signifies his activity in history. The disciples are then told to return to Jerusalem and wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit.
      Very few churches today commemorate the Ascension, although it is a major festival equal in importance to Christmass and Easter. In my mother’s Old Order Dunkard Church, an offshoot of the Amish tradition, Ascension Day was a day of worship, rest, and quiet. (However, it was customary for the men to go fishing, my mother said, because it was thought that on this day the fish imitated Jesus by “ascending” to the top of the water.)
      I suspect that today the Ascension is largely ignored both as a doctrine and as a feast day, because it is awkward for prosaic pastors and parishioners to see beyond the story’s flat earth world view to the significance of Jesus’ Ascension as his vindication and exaltation. Rather than deal with it, many pastors and churches simply avoid it.
      Ten days after the Ascension comes the Festival of Pentecost, originally a Jewish holy day that was always fifty days after the Passover. (The word Pentecost means “fifty days.”) For the Jews, Pentecost was a first fruits festival, when a portion of the first harvest of the year would be offered at the Temple in gratitude to God. For Christians, Pentecost marks the first harvest of Christians, when the Holy Spirit came to the disciples and made them apostles, whose preaching brought others into the Christian faith.
      The liturgical color of white for Easter and Ascension is replaced by red for the Festival of Pentecost. Red symbolizes both the fire of Holy Spirit and the blood of the martyrs whom the Spirit motivated to lay down their lives for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

BILL BAMMEL AND PAUL ORTON DAY MAY 27
      The members and friends of First Evangelical Lutheran Church will honor Bill Bammel and Paul Orton on Pentecost Sunday, May 27, at a special luncheon following the service of worship. Both Bill and Paul, by the grace of God, have played a vital role in the life of First Church for many years, most notably during the more recent time of congregational difficulty and discouragement. Bill’s diligent attention to the details of finance and church organization, as well as Paul’s abiding concern for the property and grounds, have been essential in holding the congregation together and keeping it alive.
      Everyone is invited to attend the service on Pentecost and then take part in the luncheon in honor of these two faithful members.

ASSISTING MINISTER TRAINING MAY 20
      On Sunday, May 20, a one-hour training session will be offered in the nave at 12:30 p.m. by Pastor Peterman for all confirmed members who wish to serve as Assisting Ministers. Assisting Ministers read the first two lesson each Sunday and assist the pastor in leading the liturgy, including the distribution of communion.
      All who presently serve as Assisting Ministers, as well as others who are willing to serve but have not yet been trained, should attend this session, since the role of the Assisting Minister has changed significantly since the first session in February.
      New Assisting Ministers will be installed at the service of worship on Sunday, May 27.

ROBES AND VESTMENTS
      It started in April, and it has met with wide approval. The choir has new robes, consisting of cassocks (black) and cottas (white). Acolytes, crucifers, and assisting ministers have new albs (white) with cinctures (rope-like belts).
      There is now a formal processional at the beginning of every service of worship and a recessional afterward, in which the crucifer carries the processional cross ahead of the acolyte, the assisting minister, and the pastor, who are in turn followed by the choir.

ADULT SUNDAY CHURCH SCHOOL
      In April Pastor Peterman began a course on “Daily Life in the Time of Jesus.” The series will continue through May.
      The adult class meets every Sunday in the Beutel Room from 10:00 until 10:40 a.m. All adults are invited to attend.

FROM THE PARISH RECORD (March 21–April 20)
      Because membership records were somewhat unclear at the first of the year, it was decided to establish as accurate a list of members as possible as of January 1, 2007. Since then it has been necessary to make corrections from time to time. That’s what “correction” means in the listing below, to avoid mentioning members’ names
Remove from the membership roll:
      Two confirmed members, by correction
Add to the membership roll:
      Two confirmed members, by correction
Add to the associate membership roll:
      Two confirmed members, by correction

EASTER BREAKFAST THANKS
      Carl W. Sontag, President of the Julius Knigge Class, extends a sincere thank-you to all who helped in any way with the Easter breakfast. “It was such a great success,” he says. “We are happy to have the togetherness for such an occasion.”

SYNOD ASSEMBLY MAY31—JUNE 2
      The Annual Assembly of the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod will be held May 31 through June 2 at the Marriott Hotel in The Woodlands. On the agenda is the election of a new bishop for our synod. First Evangelical Lutheran Church has already extended an invitation for the Service of Installation of  the new bishop to be held at our church on September 29.
      Carroll Shaddock was elected by the Church Council to be the Voting Member from First Church this year. Pastor Peterman will also attend as a Voting Member.
APRIL PRAYER LIST (March 21–April 20
      James Cone            Norman Tofte          Lindsay Lum        
      Minnie Johnson       Betty Wade             Donna Mosesman
Emilie Ratcliffe        Senaca Gallien  Bruce Rogers  

JULIUS KNIGGE CLASS TO MEET
      The Julius Knigge Class will meet on Friday, May 18. in the Beutel Room of the church building. Participants begin arriving soon after 6:30 p.m. with covered dishes for the meal a little before 7:00 p.m. The meeting will follow the meal.
      The Class normally meets on the third Friday of each month. Any persons wishing to host a meeting at their home or at some other special place should contact Carl W. Sontag, President of the Class. Matters for discussion or action by the Class should also be given to the President. A cordial invitation is extended to all the members and friends of First Evangelical Lutheran Church to attend.

NEW HYMNALS COMING TO THE PEWS IN MAY
      Starting May 6 the green copies of The Lutheran Book of Worship will be replaced with red copies of Evangelical Lutheran Worship.  The congregation will continue to use the second setting of the liturgy from the LBW, printed in the worship bulletin. However, the ELW will now be the source for the hymns we sing.
      More than two hundred copies of the new hymnal were donated to First Church by Christ the King Lutheran Church. In order to have enough copies for all the pews, however, we need about one hundred more.
      Members and friends of First Church are invited to purchase copies of the new hymnal. The cost is $20 each. The donor may designate each hymnal purchased as provided in honor of or in memory of someone. A bookplate containing this information will then be placed inside the front cover of the hymnal.
      Forms for this purpose are available in the narthex and the church office. With the continued growth of worship attendance, it may not be long before the church will need hymnals in every pew.

BACH VESPERS

        On Sunday, May 6, at 5:00 p.m., a Bach Vespers will be held at Christ the King Lutheran Church under the auspices of the Bach Society. The Bach Choir and Orchestra, directed by guest conductor Richard Erickson, will present the cantata Wir müssen durch viel Trübsal (We must through much affliction), BWV 146, Jesus bleibet meine Freude (Jesus remains my joy), from BWV 147, both by Johann Sebastian Bach, as well as In dieser österlicher Zeit (In this Easter time) by Eccard.
        The Bach Society offers its programs as a gift to the community without any admission charge. However, a free-will offering is received at each event to support the work of the Society.
        Christ the King Church is located at the southwest corner of Rice Boulevard and Greenbriar in The Village

WORSHIP ATTENDANCE GROWING
        A steady increase in attendance at Sunday worship continues to occur. On Easter the attendance was 89, and on the Sunday after Easter (usually a low attendance Sunday) there were 55 at worship.
        This is the result of faithful participation by members, as well as many visitors from the community and the greater Houston area.
       
ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP
        Our church constitution provides for associate membership in First Evangelical Lutheran Church. An Associate Member is a person who is a member of another church, but wishes to be more formally associated with our church as well.
        Theologically, all other Christians throughout the world are, by definition, associate members of our congregation. However, formally becoming an Associate Member is a way of adding one’s name to the list of those who wish to see themselves as directly supporting the life and work of First Evangelical Lutheran Church
        Anyone interested in becoming an Associate Member should call Pastor Peterman at 713-529-3589. Associate membership is open to adults and children alike.

ALTAR GUILD TO FORM
        On Saturday, May 19, at 10:00 a.m., an organizational meeting will be held to form an Altar Guild for First Evangelical Lutheran Church. Pastor Peterman, with the help of Gertie Beutel, Carolyn Hokanson, and Jane Peterman, will give an overview and orientation of how an Altar Guild functions and begin the basic training of members. It is expected that a monthly meeting will be held thereafter for further training and to coordinate assignments.
        The Altar Guild prepares and sets up for all services of worship and cleans and stores items afterward. It also looks after all the enabler robes, cleaning them as necessary. When only one or two people serve, which is true at present, the work can be burdensome, but with as many as twelve serving (our goal), the burden is shared and made lighter for everyone. The Altar Guild is a wonderful opportunity to serve the church and form friendships with others.
        All members and friends of First Church are invited to consider joining the Altar Guild. Persons interested but not sure they wish to join are welcome to attend the meeting on May 19 without obligation.
MEMBERSHIP STATISTICS
                                                         March 20      April 20
        Child members                                   7                  7      
        Confirmed members                         76                76
        Total baptized members                    83                83
        Associate members                            6                  8

SOCIETY FOR EARLY MUSIC OF THE CHURCH
        In April the Church Council approved the formation of the Society for Early Music of the Church. The Society will sponsor the Heinrich Schuetz Choir of Houston, a professional choir, under the direction of a well-known choral conductor. The Choir will begin this fall by presenting music at occasional Vespers on Sunday evenings at First Church, as well as on other occasions. The Society will be self-funding.

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE TAKES SHAPE
        In April the organization of committees in First Evangelical Lutheran Church began to be charted. All of the committees listed below have members, and most have persons who have already agreed to chair them. Regular meeting times have been tentatively set, with reference to the monthly meeting of the Church Council, which is on the Sunday before the 16th of each month. Here is a list of committees that have been formed and when they will meet:
Executive Committee - the Monday evening at 7:30 before Council and the Monday evening after Council
Planning Committee - the Monday evening at 7:30 before Council and the Monday evening after Council
Finance Committee - the Monday evening at 7:30 before Council
        Publicity and Evangelism Committee - the Sunday at 12:30                                    after Council
Property Committee - the second Sunday at 12:30 after Council
Education and Fellowship Committee - the third Sunday at 12:30 after Council
        Another committee, the Congregational Care and Social Ministry Committee, will begin in September.
        All committees except the Executive Committee are open to and would welcome additional members. Anyone interested in serving on any of these committees should contact the President of the Church Council, Millie Thibodeaux, at 281-489-9020.
        Plans are under way to offer a light lunch at cost to persons attending any meetings at 12:30 p.m. on Sundays
        In addition, the term “Auxiliary” is being used as the general heading for other organizations in the church. These include the Julius Knigge Class, the Brotherhood, Ruth Circle, Altar Guild, Ushers, Acolytes, Crucifers, Assisting Ministers, and the Society for Early Music of the Church.
        It is hoped that soon a complete list of organizations and their officers or chairs can be provided to church members.

MUSINGS    Marty Ambrose, Church Administrator
        What a busy and blessed month April has been!
        Newspaper ads for Holy Week appeared in the Houston Chronicle, The Leader, The Examiner, and The Southwest News. There were also mentions in the Midtown E-newsletter. What resulted were wonderful turnouts at Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter services, with 89 souls counted on Easter Sunday.
        More and more folks within and without the community have responded well to the news that Pastor Peterman is here and that excellent Renaissance and Baroque music is presented at worship. Once here, they like the beautiful nave and grounds, as well as the new flag and the sense of history connected to this glorious church.
        In April 5000 postcards were delivered in the 77004 zip code to acquaint our neighbors with our campus. But interestingly, most of our new visitors come from other parts, like the Woodlands and Baytown. This shows that worshipers will travel great distances to find the order of service, music, and preaching that speaks to them. As we continue to get the word out, we can count on a steady growth in worship attendance and membership.
        To this end, another 1000 postcards were prepared with a whimsical theme of  “Housewarming,” inviting recipients to join us in celebrating 80 years in our present location. These are available in the narthex and the church office. Please stop by, pick up a handful, and send them to friends and acquaintances.
        On April 18, hundreds of HCC international students held their annual festival on our lawn. Pictures from the event are on our web site: www.felchouston.org. Our thanks to Gertie Beutel, Pat Wolfer, and Carl and Rose Marie Sontag for bringing cookies and leading tours through the church building. Paul Orton also led tours and did whatever was necessary to make the event successful.
        Effective April 23 the church is open for meditation and prayer from noon until 1:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, for the benefit of Houston Community College students, faculty and staff, and others.
        Finally, be sure to visit our gazebo, which has been renovated with new benches, iron grape brackets, new paint and lights.