Inside this Issue

September 2020

765 E. Chinden Blvd.

Meridian, ID 83646

(208) 288-2404

office@friendshipcelebration.org

www.friendshipcelebration.org

Pastoral Ponderings by Pastor Matt 2

From Pastor Tom’s Pen 3

Preschool News 4

From our DCE Brett

Youth Groups & Confirmation 5

Student Care Ministry Registration Form 6-7

Head-Heart-Hands Connecting

Ministry Updates 8-10

Sundays at FCLC 11

Women in the Bible Search Puzzle 12

Friendly Findings

Monthly Newsletter of Friendship Celebration Lutheran Church-Meridian Idaho

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Dear Friends in Christ,

Sometimes we just need a good laugh. My go-to website for Christian satire is www.babylonbee.com. Where do they get their ideas? It’s not hard to come up with ridiculous items because the world is doing

that on its own, but I do appreciate their wit. With a tip of the hat to Dr. Seuss and Whoville, here’s a funny rhyme from the Babylon Bee that speaks to the stricter circumstances churches in California are facing.

Then in crept Ol' Gavin, with loathing and spite

To snatch up those hymnals, in the dead of the night. He went one by one, threw each one in his sack

From the very first pew, to the one in the back. Then Newsom he laughed, such a terrible laugh,

And said, “This will cut their dumb service in half!” “No worship, no singing, they’ll cry and they’ll scream!”

“That will teach them for messing with COVID-19!”

But poor Gavin was shocked, when to his dismay He heard the church singing, the very next day He heard high notes and low notes, horns, violins,

For the old folks had memorized all of the hymns.

Here’s hoping that our leaders would view the church as a solution and not as a problem. Afterall, we do believe—as the Grinch experienced—in a change of heart that comes through singing!

And on that note, let’s talk worship plans. The Elders have approved the continuation of the 9 am (outside) and 11 am (inside) worship services through the month of September. Sincere thanks to the

Worship Team (tech and musicians) for making worship possible in all of these venues. Both services will continue to be live-streamed. And did you know you can also watch the service live on our own church

website? Another improvement! Starting October 4th, we will switch the order and return services to their familiar times. The 8:15 am service will be inside and the 11 am service will be outside. We will keep the

outside service for as long as the weather allows. Thanks for staying connected in worship and fellowship as best you can. Wherever we are, no matter

the circumstances, we can take hymns to heart because we have Him in our heart.

In Christ,

Pastor Matt Henry

Pastoral Ponderings

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Do you have what you need? Some of you have dogs AND cats. That amazes me in some ways because they seem to be so different from one another. My grandparents had a dog and lots of cats. I really don’t think the cats were pets. They

were mouse traps on their farms. Those of you who have both would understand what a friend said about his dog and cat. The dog gets the privilege of living most of his life on the inside of the house. It is nice

and cozy especially in inclement weather. The cat gets the privilege and freedom to be outside much of the time. She climbs trees, chases away squirrels, and basically has the free reign of her world in the eyes of the

dog. The problem is, often the dog sits and stares out the window, wondering why he can’t have the freedom

the cat has. The cat has an issue too. The cat sits at the back door, meowing pitifully, especially when the weather isn’t so pleasing to her, wishing she could come in. They each apparently think, the other has the

better deal.

I think the same is true for us, at times. Though we have good things going on in our lives. We have most, if not all, the things we really need, but we look at the things other people have and we become envious. We begin to think our stuff isn’t as good as their stuff. Do you know which of God’s

Commandments deal with STUFF? The Ninth and Tenth Commandments deal with coveting. Coveting simply means wanting what someone else has. It is not wrong to desire to have things we don’t have.

Perhaps that motivates us to work hard, save, improve ourselves, and do what is necessary to attain them in a legitimate way. In Confirmation classes over the years I have described “coveting” as wicked or sinful

wishing. It motivates us to be jealous and envious of others to the point where we have hateful attitudes towards others and may use any means possible to have what they have.

We live in a very materialistic culture. As a nation we have been so blessed to have so many more of the material things that many people don’t have. I believe it was Will Rogers who was asked: “How much is

enough?” His answer: “Just a little bit more!” I am not free of the sin of coveting. I love power tools and hand tools. I have a hard time resisting sales on a better or more up-to-date tool, but enough is enough. I

need no more. The Apostle Paul tells us that being content with what we have isn’t something that we automatically

do. It is a step of spiritual maturity. For some of us this is more challenging than other steps we need to take in developing the character of Jesus in our lives. It is a learned behavior as we are tested in our life

experiences and guided by the Holy Spirit to be content with what God has blessed us with.

The Apostle Paul said it this way: “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or

want. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:12-13.

Let this sink into your heart and mind everyday. I am content. Jesus will give me everything I really need!

In God’s grip,

Pastor Tom

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Welcome to Friendship Celebration Preschool!

Our staff, with the support of parents and our congregation, is ready to start our new year of

teaching God’s little people about the love of Jesus!

We’ve spent the last few weeks planning, organizing and polishing to be ready for our first

days. Thank you to all the people that helped get our Preschool looking fantastic! We

appreciate each and every one of you!

We still have a few openings in our 3’s afternoon class and 4’s classes, with a variety of days

and times. Thank you for sharing with your friends and family about our program.

Thank you for your continued prayers for our school year. Here’s to a great year at

Friendship Celebration Preschool!

In His love,

The Staff at Friendship Celebration Preschool

FRIENDSHIP CELEBRATION PRESCHOOL 765 East Chinden Blvd., Meridian, ID 83646

Preschool Director—Lori Jensen

ljensen@friendshipcelebration.org

208-288-2404

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Jr. & Sr. High Youth Group: We will have Jr. High (7th Grade) and Sr. High Youth Group every Sunday

of September 6:00pm to 8:30pm.

3rd through 6th Grade Youth Group: We will have 3rd through 6th grade Kickball (Parent vs Student)

and BBQ on Sunday September 20th at 10:30am to 12:30pm.

We are offering 1st year confirmation to all students who are starting 7th grade or older this fall 2020.

We will have a ZOOM informational meeting on Sunday,

September 13th from 1pm to 2pm. Our first day of Instruction will be Sunday,

September 27th from 4:00pm to 5:45pm.

Friendship Celebration Lutheran Church is happy to announce a

new ministry! STUDENT CARE - Ministry for At-Home

Schooling. We care about families & youth at FCLC. We seek to

provide a fun, safe, & Bible-centered affordable option for families

in our local community who need a place for their student(s) to learn during this unique time we find ourselves in. STUDENT CARE is for families of

Preschoolers through 6th Graders who need a day(s)/week or even a partial day or

week. We will be following the West Ada school calendar. This means that we will begin September 8th with coverage from 7am to 6pm.

Registrations are available on our website under the Resources dropdown menu: www.friendshipcelebration.org/youth-families/school-care-ministry/

From our DCE Brett Lindemood. . .

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Sunday school teachers needed for this fall!

Classes are split into two groups- primary age (pre-k to 2nd grade) and elementary age

(3rd -6th grade). Materials are provided. We are looking for several teachers for each

group so that we can rotate times and hopefully teach just 1 or 2 times a month. We will start in October. Please let Becky

Brune know if you are interested. You can call or text at 208-477-8158 or e-mail at

rebekahbrune@yahoo.com.

The Quilting Group The Quilter Group is not meeting at this

time. Many of the quilters are working on

quilts at home. Watch for details on a return date.

Men’s Monthly Breakfast The Men’s Breakfast will remain suspended

as long as masks and social distancing are

required. We cannot, give the purpose of the Men’s Breakfast to socialize over a

meal, see any way to do that under these circumstances. We will start again as soon

as the situation allows. Any suggestions are always welcome. Questions. Contact Ray

Ohlaug (208-908-3281)

Head ~ Heart ~ Hands Connecting

FCLC’s Cookbook: “Breaking Bread in Friendship”

Coming very soon!

Thank you for your many pre-orders. And a huge ‘thank you’ to the home cooks at

Friendship Celebration Meridian and Friendship Lutheran Kuna Mission for the

over 160 recipes! The final editing process has begun and the publication process will happen VERY soon. We hope to have the

cookbook available to those who preor-dered by mid-September. There will be a

limited number of extra copies available for purchase after the preordered copies have

been distributed.

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September Birthdays Sept. 1: Ron Bischoff McKayla Garner Brynna Herridge Bob Kandler Gus Weisshapt Sept. 3: Gwen Hamby Sept. 4: Cassandra Hubler Sept. 5: Sage Martin Emelie Woodall Sept. 8: Ron Hawkins Peggy Runcorn Sept. 10: Cheryl Boyd Nicole Morgan Rebeca Stokes Sept. 11: Emily Henry Donnette House Robert Morris Sept. 13: Deaun Schertel Bill Shikrallah Sept. 15: Susan Banker Sept. 17: Kent Resch Sept. 18: Linda Hausch Lucas Sarty

Sept. 19: McKenzie Reiber Michael Wiederstein Sept. 22: Bob Putzier Sept. 25: Joelle Holmquist Noah Ohlaug LouAnn Pabst Maggie Runcorn Sept. 27: Becki Walters Sept. 28: Bobbi Cofer Courtney Reiber Sept. 30: Silas Carley

September Wedding Anniversaries

Sept. 5: Rich & Gail Davis Gary & JoAnn Hieb Sept. 6: Dick & Paulette Meyer Sept. 12: Lee & Amy Reiber Sept. 30: Chris & Julie Salvaggio

If we have missed your birthday or

anniversary and you would like those dates

listed in the newsletter, please email the

church office with the dates.

WAYS TO SERVE WHEN

WE GATHER TOGETHER AGAIN:

Fellowship Ministry:

Coffee Bar Contact Wayne Wierson (515-290-6826)

Fellowship Time Snacks:

Contact Bonni Shikrallah (208-321-0781)

Hospitality Committee Contact Susan Banker (661-619-3006)

1st Impressions Committee Contact Ruth Kanemasu (208-830-0706)

Caring Ministry Contact Carol Lipschultz (208-884-4597)

Helping Hands Ministry Contact Darlene Biar (208-866-5201)

Grunt Crew Saturday mornings and as needed, the GRUNT

Crew works on projects and facilities maintenance around the church grounds. If you are interested in

joining them, contact Ralph Cavalieri (509-595-8340)

2nd Saturday Church Work Day Every Saturday Church Work Day. Cleaning and other projects are available to be done. As always, you can find out what’s needed and work on your own time schedule. Work Days are every Saturday

at 9:00am Mike Sivey Director of Properties (208-859-0079)

Tech Team Contact David Reinke (208-863-8535

or Karl Bokenkamp (sound 208-870-5621) We are looking for another person or

two interested in doing sound with the Tech Team.

Training will be provided.

Head ~ Heart ~ Hands Connecting

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Lay Leadership Council

President: Kevin Krafft

Vice-President: Wayne Wierson

Secretary: Phyllis Garner

Chief Financial Officer: Rick Richter

Director Discipleship: Neal Lindemood

Director Evangelism: Dale Bentley

Director Education: Rebekah Brune

Director Property Mgmt.: Mike Sivey

Looking for a Bible study?

FCLC is now offering two on-line Bible studies

through Zoom.

The Gospel of John ~ Sundays, 6:30pm, led by Matt Holmquist

(208-922-1445), mattholmquist@msn.com Acts ~ Wednesdays, 7:00-8:00 pm, led by Pastor Matt Henry

(208-957-9364), mhenry@friendshipcelebration.org

Acts The church makes its way through unprecedented change. Sound familiar? Luke records in Acts the remarkable journey of the Spirit-filled church and gospel’s spread from Jerusalem to Rome,

from Peter to Paul, and from familiarity to the unknown. Their circumstances were unique, but the God who guided them and us is the same. Sources: Bible, “The Message of Acts” John R.W.

Stott, Just starting? Catch up with the handouts that are available on the church website.

Let’s keep the habit of being in God’s Word together.

E-mail or call “your Matt H. of choice” for more information and invites!

Church Staff: Senior Pastor: Matt Henry mhenry@friendshipcelebration.org

Founding & Kuna Mission Pastor: Tom Hausch thausch@friendshipcelebration.org

Director of Christian Education: Brett Lindemood blindemood@friendshipcelebration.org

Preschool Director: Lori Jensen ljensen@friendshipcelebration.org

Office Manager: Kayla Liehe kliehe@friendshipcelebration.org

Church Secretary: Joan Hammerson jhammerson@friendshipcelebration.org

Head ~ Heart ~ Hands Connecting

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Sundays at Friendship Celebration Friendship Celebration has two in-person services. 9am (outdoors through September)

and 11am (indoors). Both worship services are streamed live on our Facebook Page.

Check out our website’s FC Online Worship Services webpage for a PDF copy of the

worship bulletin for each service. We generally go live about 5 minutes before the service starts so that you have time to find us on Facebook. You DO NOT need to have a

Facebook account to view our Facebook videos and live-streamed services. Visit our

website’s FC Online Worship Services webpage for links posted for the worship bulletins and our Facebook Videos even after the services have streamed live. Don’t forget to invite

your family and friends to ‘attend’ our online worship services!

NEW!!! We’ve added a new option for those who don’t have a Facebook account or

don’t want to use Facebook. Our Sunday services can now also be viewed through this link: http://friendshipcelebration.sermon.net. If we are not

broadcasting a service at the time you view this webpage,

you can look on the righthand side of the webpage for any previous services that have been streamed.

The live stream is still available on our Facebook page as well.

Friendship Lutheran Mission-Kuna Kuna Mission meets at Kuna High School in the Commons area

each Sunday at 10:30am. Contact Pastor Tom at

thausch@friendshipcelebration.org for more information

about the worship service, Life Groups, and Kuna Mission.

Visit their website at www.flmkuna.org.

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