HE ADVENTURE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF ADVENT LUTHERAN CHURCH

February 2020

IN THIS ISSUE

by Pastor Gabi

CHRISTMAS EVE AS GUEST AT SAINT

TEKLE HAYMANOT ETHIOPIAN ORTHODOX

TEWAHEDO CHURCH IN SACRAMENTO

Picture a smallish church

building, tucked away at the

end of a cul-de-sac in a

residential Sacramento

neighborhood, between the

Marconi and El Camino exits.

Most likely, the building

once belonged to a

Protestant congregation,

before it became home of an

Ethiopian Orthodox church.

There are about 20 pews, the

space is brightly lit, the

windows are decorated with

Ethiopian Christian art, and

large paintings are hung at

the front of the sanctuary.

The feature that clearly marks the space as an Orthodox sanctuary is the “iconostasis,” the wall of icons and religious

paintings, that separates the altar from the nave (i.e., the main section) of the sanctuary. This way of dividing sanctuaries is very old and comes from the Jewish temple in Jerusalem, which was divided into three parts: the courtyard, the temple’s interior, and the Holy of Holies, separated by a big curtain from the rest, entered by only the High Priest. In Orthodox (i.e., Armenian, Ethiopian, Greek, Russian, Coptic, Syrian, and Serbian) churches, the altar is located in that special part of the building. The wall that separates it from the rest of the church is typically very ornate and has multiple entrances that can be closed with curtains. (continued on page 6)

Ethiopian Christmas Eve 1, 6, 7

Thank you, Herum! 1

From the Council President 2

Council Connection 3

SCFM Fundraiser 3

Our Church: Margaret Johnson 4, 5

Paint Night 7

In Memoriam Herbert Chilstrom 8

Confirmation Corner 9

Linda Hultman Game Day 9

Stanford Mansion Outing 10

Dominos 10

Prayer Concerns 11

Winter Sanctuary 2020 12

Wednesday Night Changes 14

Heartstrings 15

Early Valentine’s Dinner Feb 5 15

Birthdays & Anniversaries 16

Stewardship of Service 16, 17

Internal Controls Best Practices 18

February Calendar 19

Stewardship Team 20

FROM THE COUNCIL PRESIDENT

2

“God works in funny ways.” I think we

use this term sort of off hand, ( I know I

do) to describe actions, results or events

that were not necessarily within our

thought process or original plan. Often

the result is even better than we thought it

would, or could, be. We do not always

take time to acknowledge it, and may

even take advantage of it. What I don’t

usually do, however, is acknowledge or

appreciate, if the result is worse than

what I wanted. I probably assume God

was not involved in it.

Bill and I are avid country music

fans. One all time great artist, Garth

Brooks, had a hit song “Thank God for

Unanswered Prayers” The song is about

a man and his wife going to a hometown

football game, and they run into his old

high school flame. He remembers that in

his high school days he would have given

anything to make her his girl, forever and

spent each night praying that God would

make her his. If God would only grant

him that wish, he would never ask for

anything again. As the song progresses,

he realizes that he is fortunate that he did

not get his wish, and that his wife is the

best partner for him. The chorus is

particularly applicable “Sometimes I

thank God for unanswered prayers.

Remember when you’re talking to the

man upstairs, that just because he

doesn’t answer, doesn’t mean he don’t

care. ‘Cause some of God’s greatest

gifts are unanswered prayers.”

We here at Advent have a fervent belief

that God will see us through any issue.

Currently we are struggling with a drop in

membership due to the passing of long

time members, and with concerns about

our financial situation. Yet, each Sunday

we are all at service – not many of the

members are giving up, or moving away,

or just nay saying any idea or

opportunity. Our prayers will be

answered, of that I am sure, but maybe

not in the way we are asking for. I guess

that means also that although we should

be careful what we wish for, ultimately

God is the only one who knows what is

right for us and for Advent and He will

provide it. We have to remember to open

our hearts so God can send us the

answers we need, or more appropriately,

the answers He knows we need.

On that note, a heartfelt thank you to

Herum Bjork for his leadership of the

property committee over 23+ years, and a

sincere thank you to the Tuesday Crew

for all you have done to keep our campus

clean, up to date, and watered. Let’s

keep praying for the sprinkler/irrigation

system to not completely fail!!

So, however you term it, God definitely knows

what is best for each of us and this

congregation, and while prayers should be part

of our everyday lives, if they are not a daily or

regular part of our lives, God will still give us

what we need!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Robin Clark Bevier

Give thanks to the God of Heaven who made the

sun, moon and stars. He also created birds to fill

the skies. Imagine a world without birdsong.

Birds are one of God's great wonders – a joy to

behold and a delight to hear and observe. Some

fly hundreds of miles and migrate to places

they've always known. Others hover, soar, float

on air currents, dive, swim, catch prey in mid-air

or don't fly at all. Their eggs are beautiful and

who could fashion a stretchy nest using spider

silk such as a hummingbird does?

For thousands of years songbirds were regarded

as messengers from the gods. A dove was

Noah's messenger. Who gives birds their song?

Teaches them to fly? How or where to build a

nest? Where to get food?

Have you tried to count a mockingbird's songs or

watch sanderlings chase waves? Have you

watched crows walk with an attitude or seen tiny,

feisty, jewel-like hummingbirds chase each other

or look at you up close? Why do geese talk to

each other when they fly? How can pigeons fly

as one and never bump into each other? Who

adorned the peacock with shimmery colors and

patterns plus a spectacular tail? Even the plain,

brown sparrow is precious in God's sight.

All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great

and small, all things wise and wonderful, the Lord

God made them all. As stewards of what God

has planned for us, we need to make sure these

creatures do not vanish for we are all woven

inextricably into the fabric or our

environment.

Take joy in birds and find out what

you can do to protect them, the

places they live and the food they

eat. Stop and consider the

wonder of birds.

ADVENT’S MISSION: Through God's grace, we gather, worship, grow, and care 3

COUNCIL CONNECTION

Take Joy in Birds by Sharon Bancroft

4

OUR CHURCH: MARGARET JOHNSON

MARGARET’S FAVORITE PRAYER:

Offering Prayer from the Lutheran Book of

Worship (aka “green hymnal”): Merciful Father,

we offer with joy and thanksgiving what you have

first given us – our selves, our time, and our

possessions, signs of your gracious love.

Receive them for the sake of him who offered

himself for us, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

MARGARET’S FAVORITE BIBLE VERSE:

“Where your treasure is, there will be your heart

also” (Matthew 6:21).

Margaret Johnson shares her talents and lives

her prayer and favorite Bible verse. Her way of

giving back to her congregation is through her

talent for needle work. Whether it’s baptismal

napkins, chrismons, or altar paraments,

Margaret doesn’t want a fuss made over her.

As a child, Margaret lived with her paternal

grandmother (for whom she is named) for three

years. At age seven, Margaret watched her

grandmother doing “cutwork” and other needle

crafts.

Her grandmother told Margaret, one day you will

do better work than me. Today Margaret works

professionally for a designer from Texas where

she “proof stitches” the designs before they are

taught or published. Margaret also edits pattern

books before they are published.

Margaret was born in Virginia and attended nine

schools in twelve years including three different

high schools with the first in Virginia, the

second in Michigan, and the last is New Jersey.

She says, she wouldn’t do that to any child.

She was raised Catholic but when she met

Maynard at a Young Catholic Adult Club function

in New Jersey in 1968, she didn’t know she

would become a Lutheran. Maynard was there

as a guest of a friend and just getting out of the

Navy. They were engaged twelve days later, but

wouldn’t marry for two more years because of

Maynard’s training schedule in aviation

maintenance.

They married in 1971 at Ho-Ho-Ho-Kus, New

Jersey, (a Native American name meaning The

Red Cedar.) Their oldest son, Allen was born in

New Jersey, then they moved to Pennsylvania

where their daughter Rebecca was born. It was

in Macungie, PA (home of the “Mac” Truck) that

brought Margaret to the Lutheran Church. The

nearest Catholic Church was twenty miles away,

Zion Lutheran was in town. Margaret would go

only if Maynard went too.

The Johnson’s made their way to Sacramento in

1979 in search of employment for Maynard in

aviation maintenance. Margaret’s first job was as

church secretary for St. Timothy’s Lutheran

Church in North Highlands. She also worked as

a teacher’s aid for the Rio Linda School District.

When Rebecca reached an age where she could

be left alone, Margaret took a job with Blue

Cross of California, retiring after 23 years.

The family came to Advent, because Margret

knew Pastor Olsen and joined the other families

with children. Margaret cross stitched a

baptismal napkin as a gift for a friend in the

congregation. Pastor Olsen saw an opportunity

for a new program and Margaret began making

them as a gift from Advent. She has no idea how

many she has made over the years, but it is her

way of giving back.

When Pastor Olsen went on a sabbatical in

2005, the Associate Pastor, Frank Espegren

asked Margaret if she could stitch new

chrismons for the Christmas tree.

by Pat Johnson

5

Margaret responded that she couldn’t possibly

do them all herself. So she recruited over 40

members of the congregation to work on the

ornaments. Margaret created the designs and

taught the ladies how to do the work.

In addition, Margaret created the design and

made the star that sits on top of the tree.

Whenever she looks at the tree, she sees the

gifts from God to the congregation.

By far, the most ambitious of Margaret’s gifts are

the paraments that adorn Advent’s altar, lectern,

and pulpit. Done in the Hardanger style, the

embroidery is Norwegian in origin. Again, she

looks out from the pew and sees all that He has

given us and we are blessed.

There are other things that were different in this

church: everybody took off their shoes before

entering the sanctuary and left them outside.

Everyone was dressed in white or at least

covered with a white shroud. Women sat on

one side of the aisle, men on the other. Young

children were allowed to sit on either side. The

service was much longer than our services. It

began on 9 pm on January 6 (the Orthodox

Christmas Eve). Gradually, over the next two

hours, the sanctuary filled with people.

Although there were comfortable pews, most

people remained standing during the service.

To help them endure, prayer staffs (Makomiya)

were available to lean on.

The worship language was Ge’ez, the liturgical

language of the Ethiopian church, a Semitic

language related to certain Arabic dialects and

Amharic. There were multiple worship leaders:

a priest, several deacons, even two young

deacons-in-training. The worship leaders

began in the same kind of attire as everyone

else, but over time, went through several

changes of attire. Eventually, they all sported

golden liturgical outfits and hats. There even

was an ornate umbrella that was held above

the priest while he read from the Gospels.

As far as I can tell, the worship was a mix of

liturgical chants, psalms, Scripture lessons,

and prayers – just as most Christian worship

services are. At certain points two long torches

were lit while a leader read from Scripture. At

other times, the worship leaders processed

through the sanctuary with incense. Twice, a

book was processed, covered in velvet, and

the gathered community each bowed and

kissed the book – first a Bible, then a prayer

book.

Over time, the worship increased in liveliness.

At some point, the first portion of the worship

ended and a second portion began. Two large

drums, strapped around the players’ neck,

were brought out and sistrums distributed: little

metal rattles. The congregation sang many call

-and-response songs and there was slow

religious dancing.

I ended up leaving around 11pm, before the

beginning of the actual mass. As a non-

Orthodox visitor, I was unsure of whether or not

to stay at that point…and it was getting late,

too. The two hours of standing had taken their

toll on my feet, as well. The actual mass ended

around 2:30am, but it took some people over ½

hour to make it out of the parking lot, Mekdes

told me the next day.

I am glad that I had the opportunity to attend

this worship service as guest of Mekdes, my

co-worker in the church office. Not only did she

gift me with a white shroud to cover my head

while in church, she also quietly answered my

questions about standing, photography, the

worship leaders, etc. It was special to be at the

worship as her guest on such a solemn

occasion. Although I was the only person of

non-Ethiopian descent in the room, everybody

felt welcoming: the women next to me in the

pews, as well as the worship leaders.

All in all, this service was a beautiful reminder

to me of the wonderful diversity of Christ’s

body. Followers of Christ speak many different

languages, worship in different ways, but

together all are members of the same Body of

Christ, the Church, called to serve the same

God each in their own way!

6

ETHIOPIAN ORTHODOX CHRISTMAS EVE (continued)

7

IN MEMORIAM: BISHOP EMER. HERBERT CHILSTROM

8

On January 19, Herbert W. Chilstrom, the

first presiding bishop of the ELCA, entered

life eternal at the age of 88.

Bishop Emeritus Chilstrom completed

academic degrees at Augsburg University,

Augustana Seminary, the Lutheran School

of Theology at Chicago, Princeton Seminary,

and New York University. He served as

pastor to three Lutheran congregations in

Minnesota, as was professor and dean at

Luther College, Teaneck, N.J. (1962-1970),

as bishop of the Minnesota Synod of the

Lutheran Church in America (1976-1987),

and as the first presiding bishop of the newly

merged ELCA (1987-1995). He was

awarded 15 honorary doctorates by 15

colleges, universities and seminaries. He

was named a Commander of the Royal

Order of the North Star by King Carl Gustav

IV of Sweden, received the Pope John XXIII

award from Viterbo College, the Servus Dei

Award from the ELCA, as well as numerous

other honors and awards. He served on

numerous boards of directors, including vice

president of the Lutheran World Federation,

Geneva, Switzerland; Luther Seminary, St.

Paul, Minn.; Lutheran Social Service of

Minnesota; Gustavus Adolphus College, St.

Peter, Minn.; the National Council of

Churches and others.

Inn his retirement, he continued to be active

in church and community, preaching and

lecturing in many parts of the country. He

became a Minnesota Master Gardener,

volunteering and serving as interim director

at the Linnaeus Arboretum at Gustavus

Adolphus College.

According to current ELCA Presiding

Bishop, Elizabeth Eaton, Chilstom once said

that his mother told him: "Herb, you might be

the only Bible some people read." It was her

way of telling him, and his way of telling us,

that we are living witnesses to the grace of

God. And, indeed, this servant of God

became such a living witness in his service

to Christ’s Church.

Thanks be to God!

by Pastor Gabi

9

Did you know that - during the school year –

Bella and Kalani are trekking every Thursday

night to my office for their six o’clock

confirmation class? Like many teens, the two

have extracurricular activities in addition to the

demands of their middle school. Despite all

these, they still take the time for confirmation

class. That’s commendable, wouldn’t you

agree?

Currently, we are in our second year, with their

confirmation scheduled to take place on

Reformation Sunday, October 25, 2020. As part

of the confirmation classes, they have studied

the Bible (and will continue to do so in 2020),

peeked a little into the history of the church,

learnt about Martin Luther and the Reformation,

participated in a number of service projects,

and have helped as communion assistants

during band-led worship services. Currently, we

are discussing an important, but difficult topic –

evil. Next up will be more on the writings of the

New Testament.

Will you please hold them in your prayers as

they continue their journey towards religious

adulthood? Remember, once they are

confirmed, the two can fully participate in every

aspect of our ministry, including vote and run

for office.

When you see Kalani and Bella in church, why

don’t you thank them for their commitment to

the church? Better yet, send them a note in the

mail. Their addresses can be found in the

church directory.

Thank you!

CONFIRMATION CORNER by Pastor Gabi

10

Last fall, at the annual planning meeting of the

Women of Advent, interest in starting a new

“Out ‘n About” ministry was expressed. The idea

is to monthly organize a fun event for all to enjoy.

These outings should be varied to appeal to

different interests and affordable, too. Vicki

Singleton and Beth Mora were volunteered to

help organize the start of this new group. Since

neither of us is capable of saying no . . . well,

here we are. We’re looking forward to fun times

and we encourage you to volunteer an idea, too!

We’ll help you run with it!

Our first outing is coming up

this Saturday, February 1,

with a tour of the historic Stan-

ford Mansion on Free Museum

Day. We’ll meet at Advent at

9:30 am and carpool to the

Leland Stanford Mansion State

Historic Park, a state and fed-

erally protected historic

site in Sacramento, Califor-

nia. The park is on the corner

of 8th Street and N Street in

Downtown Sacramento, just

two blocks away from the State

Capitol building. This was the

first Governor’s Mansion

which, after being refurbished, is used as the

official site of California State dinners and recep-

tions. For added interest, our own Pat Johnson

worked on the plans for the restoration during

her tenure as Sacramento County Archivist!

For more information, please don’t hesitate to

contact us at emorab@comcast.net (Beth Mora)

or vsingleton.nlt@gmail.com (Vicki Singleton).

Hope to see you Saturday! Join us for a fun time

at the mansion!

STANFORD MANSION OUTING by Beth Mora & Vicki Singleton

ONGOING PRAYER CONCERNS

Darlene and Bill Baker; Elaine Patterson; Meghann Smiley; Kurt, Karyl Cimini and Karen Sorenson’s

father; Willa Clore; Wendy Slater, friend of Kathy Henricks; Julia McLoughlin, friends of Henrick’s family;

Marilyn Pederson; Leonard and Winnie Parish; Heidi Swanson, niece of Kathy Johnson; Angie and Tom

Easter, friends of Natalie Jones; Joyce Duncan.

PRAYERS FOR FAMILY MEMBERS SERVING IN THE MILITARY

Scott Atchley, Air Force; Alex Chesire, Air Force; Jason and Heather Stickney, nephew and wife of

Keith and Joyce Montag, Air Force; Heath Jennings, Linda Belchem’s son, Air Force; Charles Roney,

Army; David Schedler, son of Paul Schedler, National Guard; Sara Elliott, daughter of Bill and Diana

Elliott, National Guard; Brandon Drake, grandson of Curt & Pam Lipp, Army; Caitlyn Werth, Tom and

Audrey Werth’s granddaughter; Chaplain, Jordan Henricks, Amy Gariano’s cousin, Army; Fritz

Brinkman, son of Keith and Stephanie Brinkman, Marines.

Please notify the church office to add or remove your prayer request. Thank you.

E-mail: advent1@adventcitrusheights.org

Note: Long-term prayer requests are listed under “ongoing prayer concerns” 11

ACUTE PRAYER CONCERNS

The Rinde family, upon the death of Donald’s mother,

Doreen

The parents of Dominic Bubba’s friend, who died in car

accident

Roger Albertson, friend of Ken & Kathy Johnson, severe

injuries from a fall

Terri Britt, friend of Karen Franz, who has stage 4 cancer

Anthony Creel, grandfather of Austin Clatte, with cancer

and on hospice care

Nolana Daoust, prayers for peace and successful

outcome of radiation treatments

Conrad Engler, prayers while he receives cancer

treatments

Twila Engler, recovering at home from angioplasty

Esther, friend of Mary Toutonghi, bravely battling cancer

Sandi Galliher, friend of Kathy Henricks, facing a

recurrence

of cancer

Jack Fox, brother-in-law of Kathy Henricks, kidney failure

Bob Henderson, recovering from double hernia surgery

Keith Johnson, recovering from surgery

Maynard Johnson, continues to battle cancer & prayers

for all his counts to be in good range

Norma Jones, mother of Linda Broaddus, in rehab after

gallbladder surgery

Karen Kalinowski, friend of Diane Peterson, kidney stent

& contracted C-Diff

Beth Mora, recovery after fall

Tommy Panziera, Bill & Robin Bevier grandson, prayers of

thanksgiving for recovering from pneumonia

Ken Pescod, Joyce Duncan’s son-in-law, cancer

Pat Piotrowski, continued healing from broken hip &

arm

Libby Presto, Jody Presto's father in law, gallbladder

surgery

Betty Rockwell, knee replacement

Paul Schedler, recovering from arm surgery

Lois Sellers, at home, still on dialysis three days per

week

Greg Seo, friend of Dorothy Slade, cancer

Harry Shaver, friend of Ken and Kathy Johnson, bladder

cancer

Rod Sorenson, Karen’s brother-in-law, cancer

Atle Wammer, grandson of Dave & Barb, completed

chemo therapy, prayers of thanksgiving for successful

outcome

Julie Wright, cousin of Amy Gariano, brain cancer

INTERCESSIONS & THANKSGIVINGS

12

WINTER SANCTUARY 2020 by Barbara Olson

Thank You

• for all of you who prayed for the guests and

volunteers,

• for all who donated food and clothing,

• for the cooks and all their helpers,

• for the Hospitality Team,

• for the Early Bird night crew,

• for the Night Owl crew,

• for the Leadership Team,

• for our gracious guests,

• for Sunrise Food Closet that donated food,

and

• for Thrivent, the Rotary Club, and Advent

Bunco group who provided funds.

The 2020 Citrus Heights HART Winter

Sanctuary is running for nine weeks this year.

Advent provided shelter for the second week of

Sanctuary and we housed between 13 and 19

guests per night.

Over 50 volunteers worked during those seven

days to make our guests feels welcome and

comfortable. In addition to what

our church family is able to

provide, we had services from

Dignity Health, AA, and Weave,

as well as 2 beauticians offering

hair cuts.

HART provides a year-round full

time Navigator (a person who

helps connect homeless with

services to find employment and

housing). She has an office at

the Citrus Heights Police

Department. The Navigator

came to Advent with our guests

2 nights during the week.

Another exciting addition was 9 visitors from the

Citrus Heights Friends Church who came on

Tuesday evening. They wanted to observe how

we conducted our Sanctuary so that their

church can become involved. So, our network

of churches who are willing to house guests for

next year is growing.

During the 4th week of Sanctuary at Antelope

Christian Fellowship 22 guests were welcomed

with 11 of those being women. This is a new

development for the program since we have

always had many more men than women.

As we were told at our HART meeting on

January 23rd, the homeless population is

growing here in Citrus Heights despite the

efforts of groups like HART. So, it is wonderful

that our congregation is heeding Jesus’

mandate to feed the hungry and house the

homeless in this small way.

It makes me much more aware of my blessings

of home and daily food when I participate in this

ministry.

DRAWING by one of our Winter Sanctuary guests, signed by guests.

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WINTER SANCTUARY MEMORIES January 5-12, 2020

14

Things change all the time…and the ministry of

the Church adjusts to these changes. The

Advent community has lived through many

changes already:

• from one pastor to two pastors, and back to

one again;

• from a smaller to a larger sanctuary;

• from two services to one service;

• from no Memorial Day celebrations to large

Memorial Day events and back to no

Memorial Day events;

• from red hymnals to green hymnals to

cranberry-colored hymnals to screens.

The latest of these changes will be seen on

Wednesday nights. During the 1980s, the

Wednesday program consisted of Confirmation

Classes and a mid-week service. To better

serve the needs of the entire family, the

program was expanded to include dinner and

classes for all ages before worship. This

changed in 2003, when a new Praise Band

worship service was launched. At times, the

Praise Band played during the Summer, at

other times the band played only during the

school year. During that time, some

band members left and others

joined.

Leadership of the Wednesday night

dinners changed, too: from Cornelia

Chancellor to Laura Schedler to

Kathy Henricks. Confirmation

Classes changed to a different night.

By the end of 2019, the weekly

dinners, worship services, and

classes were only sparsely

attended, with the exception of

specially themed dinners

(Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day,

Octoberfest, Scandinavian Dinner,

etc.)

In order to meet the changing needs of our

congregation, the schedule will change again.

From now on, weekly worship services and

suppers will be offered only during the Lent

and Advent seasons, when we use Marty

Haugen’s liturgies. During the rest of the

year, there will be one monthly Praise Band

and service and one monthly dinner – on the

Wednesday before the second Sunday of the

month (don’t worry – dates will be posted!).

The dinners each will have a special thematic

focus. Current plans include “National Quiche

Day,” “Junk Food Day,” “Eat a Peach,” and

others. Most of the dinners will be potlucks of

some sort, but we will still need volunteers who

can help us set up for dinner and clean up

afterwards.

This article would not be complete without

thanking the band, and in particular Jon

Schedler for their faithfulness and enthusiasm

for leading the Wednesday night Praise Band

services and Kathy Henricks for coordinating

the meals. A hearty thank you to all of them!

WEDNESDAY NIGHT CHANGES by Pastor Gabi

15

HEARTSTRINGS by Diane Peterson

The next meeting will be on Friday, February 14 at 1pm

at Diane Peterson’s home:

1319 Ridgecrest Way; Roseville, CA 95661

Contact: 916-773-4756 or dianep@surewest.net

I got lucky and happened to drive by the new

Hobby Lobby on Greenback (next to Lowe’s)

on their Opening Day! I got lots of soft, yummy

yarn at a great discount.

Please come on Feb. 14 and get some yarn and patterns —

or just help package hats — we have a lot ready to be turned in

and can use the help.

It doesn’t hurt that we are a fun group who would love to see some new faces.

If you’d like to knit or crochet, we can help you learn. If you’d rather sew, we have hat patterns

for you, too. Come and check out what we do.

STEWARDSHIP OF SERVICE: FEBRUARY

BIRTHDAYS & ANNIVERSARIES

Whitney Clatte, Feb 1

Jann Knutson, Feb 5

Bob Mathews, Feb 6

Nicole Schedler, Feb 7

Ann Levens, Feb 9

Bob Schultz, Feb 11

Annika Mack, Feb 12

Anna Lee Bjork, Feb 13

Aaron Montag, Feb 14

Inge Clarke, Feb 17

Sara Cartwright, Feb 19

Betty Rockwell, Feb 19

Lois Sellers, Feb 19

Alex Aria, Feb 20

Darlene Baker, Feb 21

Joyce Montag, Feb 26

Anders Franz, Feb 28

Judy Taylor, Feb 28

Margaret & Maynard Johnson, Feb 6

Winnie & Leonard Parish, Feb 12

Mary & Bruce Hansen, Feb 17

Pat & Keith Johnson, Feb 23

BIRTHDAYS

Altar Guild Anna Lee Bjork, Jenny Stern, Pat Johnson, Vickie Singleton

Ushers Phil Davidson, Scott Barbu, Rick Hermanson, Beth Mora,

Richard Robinson, Lois Sellers

ANNIVERSARIES

16

February 2 February 9 February 16 February 23

Greeters Tony Bubba/ Leslie Scheurer

Lorna Mymka & Nolana Daoust

Mary Toutonghi Carol Crespo

Assisting Ministers

Pat Johnson Lou Smith Jeffrey Belchem Luke Patterson

Lectors Nancy King Leslie Scheurer Keith Montag Beth Mora

Techie Tom Werth Troy Malaspino Joyce Montag Nolana Daoust

FINANCIAL STEWARDSHIP: NOVEMBER + DECEMBER

17

18

The ICBP Workgroup is tasked to evaluate the

integrity of Advent’s financial and accounting

information, promote accountability, and

prevent fraud. The workgroup performs this

evaluation by comparing the ELCA’s Internal

Controls Best Practices Guidelines with

Advent’s procedures.

There are eighteen different procedures that

the Best Practices Guideline addresses, and

each will be evaluated by the workgroup. The

procedures range from how we process and

track receipts (i.e. giving) to records retention,

and even how we keep track of property.

The workgroup reports its findings to the

Finance Committee, where any adjustments

are made before it is sent to Council for review

of its recommendations and adoption of policies

or procedures. The workgroup’s first report

covered Advent’s Receipts processes and was

adopted by Council in November.

The workgroup’s second (and most recent)

report evaluated our Purchasing and

Disbursement processes and was completed in

January. It is currently being reviewed by

Council for action at February’s meeting.

One of the most challenging parts of the

evaluations has been that in the past, very few

procedures were written, and processes were

largely dependent on someone remembering

“how we do it.” However, at the end of the

Workgroup’s evaluations, Advent will have

written procedures and policies for each of the

18 processes that were evaluated. In addition,

congregation members will have confidence

that Advent’s financial interests meet the

ELCA’s guidelines.

I want to thank all the workgroup members: Ann

Chehak, Linda Belchem, and Linda Broaddus.

These folks have taken Advent ‘s best interests

to heart, and have worked hard to see that

Advent is in a better position to move into the

2020’s.

INTERNAL CONTROLS BEST PRACTICES by Troy Malaspino

Please mark

you calendars

for this local

event.

We have the

home

advantage

and can help

out LOPP.

19

THE MONTH AT A GLANCE: FEBRUARY 2020

20

ADVENT LUTHERAN CHURCH

5901 San Juan Avenue Citrus Heights, CA 95610

www.adventcitrusheights.org

advent1@adventcitrusheights.org (916) 966-7242

You may have heard Pastor Mark Vance’s

announcement about the rebuilding of our

Stewardship Team. Stewardship is an essential

part of our ministry together. Many people might

associate Christian Stewardship as “a few unlucky

individuals asking you to part with some of your

money for the sake of the church.”

While that may be one aspect of church

stewardship programs, that’s not all there is to it.

• Stewardship education is about learning

generosity in all aspects of our life.

• Stewardship education is about learning

what Margaret Johnson said in the article

that Pat Johnson wrote about her (page 4):

“Where your treasure is, there will be your

heart also” (Matthew 6:21).

• Stewardship is about learning to pray

Margaret’s favorite prayer from the green

hymnal: “Merciful Father, we offer with joy

and thanksgiving what you have first given

us – our selves, our time, and our

possessions, signs of your gracious love.

Receive them for the sake of him who

offered himself for us, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen”

• Stewardship education is about reminding

each other that everything we have – body,

mind, breath, possessions, abilities,

relationships – has been first given to us by

God. Everything we have is on loan to us

from God.

• Stewardship education is about reminding

each other to be as generous in our own

lives as Good has been towards us.

• Stewardship education is about learning to

“cast all our anxiety on God, because he

cares for us” (1 Peter 5:7).

I warmly invite you to come and find out how

you can be part of our new stewardship team.

On Sunday, February 9, Mark Vance invites you

to join him in the Friendship Hall after worship

for lunch and a conversation about Advent’s

Stewardship Ministry.

Please mark your calendar and plan to attend.

Thank you!

RECONSTITUTING OUR STEWARDSHIP TEAM