A message from Pastor Valerie and Pastor Dan
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If you’ve spent any time at the church this week, or if you’ve even driven by, you know that it’s impossible to miss the fact that our rummage sale is this coming weekend. Of course, in reality the rummage sale has already begun because the work has started. Ingrid, Bob, and Tony have been running all over town collecting donations, and a countless number of diligent volunteers have already helped to collect, sort, and display various items for the sale to start Saturday morning. The church is full of all the trappings of life right now. I can all but guarantee that anybody would find at least one thing that was totally surprising and at least one thing that they’d really like to own. There just so much stuff!
And of course because I am a reflective person, (sometimes unnecessarily so). I find myself thinking about what all of this means. On the simplest level, it all means that we have a lot of generous people in our community and our CAT program will benefit immensely from the proceeds of the sale of all this generously donated stuff.
On a deeper level though, I find it very interesting to try to think about what sentimental value all this stuff has, or had. How much family fun was had playing this board game, how many family meals were eaten with these utensils, how many miles did these shoes walk, how tightly did a child hold this stuffed bear, or that stuffed rabbit? We are an interesting people, us humans. We like to attach sentimental value to these inanimate objects. We like to think of these things as being somehow in possession of our memories and our feelings.
In reality, though, the memories and sentiment attached to all these objects remains when the object itself goes off to find a new home. Even when we lighten our material load, all the memories, feelings, and connections we have made in our lives remain behind; even if they have become inaccessible to us for some reason or another.
We have heard it repeated often in our religious lives that we should not place so much value on our material possessions, and I for one have felt guilty for having these sentimental connections. But I wonder if this rummage sale well help me, and maybe you too, to realize that the things that have value to me are not ever things that would sell at the church this week. Our material possessions and the value we place with them are not evil, they are not even sinful, but let us remember that even if we donate everything we own to the church this week, all the joy and nostalgia that those things bring to us will stay behind with us. (But please don’t donate everything you own, I don’t think Ingrid could handle it...)
And even if we buy up everything at the sale, we won’t gain the memories of whoever donated those items. We will have the chance to make new connections and new memories though, so come, stop by (buy?). Look and see what amazing things have been donated. Maybe you’ll find something you can’t live without, at least until next year when it’s time to donate again.
-PDC
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Contact Info:
To reach Pastor Valerie - 805-776-3377 or pastor.valerie@mtcarmelslo.org
To reach Pastor Dan - 805-776-3707 or pastor.dan@mtcarmelslo.org
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Rummage Sale 2015! - Saturday, September 12 starting at 8am
Donations accepted on:
September 8, 9, and 10 - 8:30 am to 4:30pm
September 11 - 5pm to 8pm
The sale is September 12th at 8am.
Donations will not be accepted on sale day.
All proceeds go toward the youth programs of Mt. Carmel.
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Reminder! Orders are being taken after each service on the patio for those yummy made with love by the women of Mt. Carmel enchiladas. You have your choice of chicken/cheese or cheese only, 2 enchiladas per order for$7. Or, save money and get 3 orders for $20. They freeze really well and are the answer to “What’s for dinner?†Funds raised are used for scholarships to the Women’s Retreat. You only have until Sept. 20th to order. There will be no extras available, so don’t miss out. The pick-up date is Sept. 27.
Questions – Nancy Priddy, 544-6410
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Book Club: our reading for September is “Between the World and Me†by Ta-Nehisi Coates. A #1 New York Times Bestseller and hailed by Toni Morrison as “required reading," the book is a bold and personal literary exploration of America's racial history by "the single best writer on the subject of race in the US" (The New York Observer). Meet at Karen Petersen's house on Sunday, September 13, 6:00pm.
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Ever Ask Yourself “Why Do I HAVE to be a Grown-up?â€
Friday morning Bible Study is resuming September 11! We will be doing a 12-week study on the books of 1&2 Peter and Jude. The description of the series goes like this: “Sometimes we all feel a little like Peter Pan. We’d rather be children, free of obligations and responsibilities. Sometimes we even feel that way about our Christian lives. The writers of 1&2 Peter and Jude understand how difficult it is to grow into maturity. But they show up how God provides direction and comfort when we travel dark roads, and they show us what it takes to be mature in Christ.†Sound intriguing? Join us for coffee and conversation at Steynberg Gallery (1531 Monterey St. in SLO) at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, September 11.
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“Four Poems for Palestine.†This will be the Brown bag topic for Friday, Sept. 18, at noon. This will be a fascinating presentation by poet Paula Lowe. Paula travels periodically to Palestine to teach art to Muslim women at LWF Vocational Training Center. She will focus on her personal journey, beginning with her daily life at Augusta Victoria Guesthouse, operated by Lutheran World Relief in East Jerusalem, and culminating in her last day at Dome of the Rock in the Old City of Jerusalem. There will photos, objects and poems. Bring your brown bag, a friend and questions and join us for this memorable presentation! Questions or to RSVP – Nancy Priddy, 544-6410
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Men’s Advance
El Camino Pines, September 25-27th
Calling all Men from Mt. Carmel: Get away for a weekend of Bible Study, music, singing, hiking, recreation, fellowship, golf, swimming and ping pong! Guest speaker for the weekend is Bishop Guy Erwin, who will speak on Hebrews 12:1; “Let Us Run with Perseverance the Race That is Set Before Usâ€. Cost for the weekend, including five meals, transportation and two social hours, is $145. For a weekend of great music, Bible study, golf, food and fellowship sign-up today! Information and registration forms are available in the narthex. Full and partial Sponsorships are available. Information or questions? John Keisler, 543-4259 or rebjohn50@hotmail.com
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Someone wants your identity. Do you know if your personal information is safe? Are you sure?
By the time it takes me to read this announcement, nearly 30 people will become victims of identity fraud. The fact is: Every 2 seconds, someone in the U.S. becomes a victim of identity fraud.1 If your identity is stolen, it puts your finances and credit rating at risk. And that’s just the beginning!
Don’t become a statistic. Attend a free educational workshop, Identity Theft: What You Need to Know. The workshop was created by Thrivent Financial to help you learn how identity theft can occur, how to take steps to prevent it and what to do if your identity is stolen.
The workshop will be at:
Mt. Carmel Lutheran Church, 1701 Fredericks Street, San Luis Obispo
on September 26th, from 10:30- 11:30 AM
and Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 4380 Orcutt Road, Santa Maria
on September 26th from 1:30 to 2:30 PM
Document shredding will be available.
10:00-noon at Mt. Carmel Lutheran Church
1:00-3:00 PM @ Gloria Dei Lutheran Church
Refreshments will be available.
To register, email ken.mccall@thrivent.com or call Julie at (805) 773-2764.
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Aprons not perfect!
Thanks to all who purchased Mt. Carmel aprons. Unfortunately, after washing ours, Greig & I found that the Mt. Carmel logo is faded. Please either hand wash yours, or I can give you a refund. So sorry! I have let “Stitching up Detroit†know so they can try a different fabric next time. This is a "Learn By Doing" ministry!
Thanks, Sue Cummings (slosue@pacbell.net)
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Prayer Requests:
So many things go on behind the scenes you would never know about until you need it. The Mt. Carmel Prayer Chain is a lot like that. Prayer requests can be written on the ‘Welcome to Worship’ slips in the Sunday bulletin, called or emailed to the church office (info@mtcarmelslo.org) , or called or emailed to Pastor Valerie (pastor.valerie@mtcarmelslo.org) on weekends. Each request will stay on the prayer list for three weeks unless there is an ongoing need. When making requests please include a little info about the person and the reason for prayers. This helps our prayer chain members pray more meaningfully.
Isn’t it nice to know there are people praying for you? And please let us know of answered prayers and prayers of thanksgiving. Perhaps you would like to join the Prayer Chain? Please contact Karen Petersen (kcp412@gmail.com) and we’ll add you to the list. Blessings
Updated Mt. Carmel Directory:
Please take a moment to email (info@mtcarmelslo.org) the church office or fill out the ‘Welcome to Worship’ slip with your current address, email and phone number. Both phone numbers and emails for couples too. So many members have let go of their ‘land-lines’ and changed their email addresses. It is tough to keep on top of it all. Working on getting the MCLC directory all updated and ready to print by
mid-September so please help us out and keep the church office in the loop.
Also, if you are reading this but have moved out of the area please let us know if you would like to end your membership or transfer to another congregation. You can continue to get the newsletter and Vista but we need to clean up our records.
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| Wed. September 9 |
11:00 AM |
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Staff Meeting |
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5:30 PM |
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Praise Band Rehearsal |
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7:00 PM |
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Choir Rehearsal |
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| Thu. September 10 |
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| Fri. September 11 |
8:00 AM |
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Friday Morning Garden Club |
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9:00 AM |
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Lutheran Chicks (child care available) |
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10:30 AM |
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Bible Study at Steynberg Gallery |
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| Sat. September 12 |
8:00 AM |
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Rummage Sale |
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| Sun. September 13 |
8:45 AM |
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Traditional Worship |
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11:00 AM |
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Contemporary Worship |
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| Mon. September 14 |
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| Tue. September 15 |
7:00 PM |
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N.A. meeting |
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| Wed. September 16 |
11:00 AM |
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Staff Meeting |
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5:30 PM |
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Praise Band Rehearsal |
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7:00 PM |
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Choir Rehearsal |
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| Thu. September 17 |
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| Fri. September 18 |
8:00 AM |
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Friday Morning Garden Club |
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9:00 AM |
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Lutheran Chicks (child care available) |
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10:30 AM |
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Bible Study at Steynberg Gallery |
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Noon |
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Brown Bag Lunch Bunch |
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| Sat. September 19 |
8:00 AM |
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Men's Breakfast & Bible Study |
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| Sun. September 20 |
8:45 AM |
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Traditional Worship |
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11:00 AM |
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Contemporary Worship |
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