VINLAND LUTHERAN CHURCH est.1904 PO Box 2134 2750 NW Finn Hill Road Poulsbo WA 98370 Office: 360.779.3428 E-Mail: vinland@vinlandlc.org Web: vinlandlc.org Interim Pastors: Sigi Helgesen & Marty Dasler Lay Associate: Marsha Wright Youth: Allison Pringle Secretary: Megan Adrig Preschool Director: Janean Moriarty Preschool: 360.865.0510 E-Mail: preschool @vinlandlc.org

SEPTEMBER 2017

Greg Gilbert 9/2 Myrt Jodry 9/3 Erika Rabura 9/6 Brandy Weir 9/6 Ken Ray 9/7 Dave Bigelow 9/9 Mya Schultz 9/11 Alyssa Banzer 9/12 Spencer Weir 9/12 Kris Bonholzer 9/13 Rich Wendt 9/13 Anne Stock 9/13 Jimmy Prehm 9/14 Chris Adrig 9/17 Lynn Florent 9/17

Lonnie Swanson 9/19 Katelyn Barnhart 9/21 Ray Kobeski 9/22 April Kollmorgen 9/22 Ed Stock 9/23 Emma Banzer 9/25 Steve King 9/25 Walt Elliott 9/27 Sharon Schmid 9/28 Ava Adrig 9/29 Lisa Mansfield 9/29

Floyd & Karen Oster 9/3

Bob & Mary Lou Reister 9/4

Don & Marilee Mills 9/5

Rick & Marsha Wright 9/12

Michael & Judith McMahon 9/26

MINISTRY FAIR SEPTEMBER 10

TWO SERVICES RESUME SEPTEMBER 17

VINLAND

The Ninth Inning “Every time I think of you, I give thanks to God!” Phil. 1:3NLT

News

Dear Vinlanders,

We are just shy of a year in this interim/ transition process and if you will allow me to use a baseball metaphor we are now in the ninth inning where you are about to vote on calling your next pastor! So this is it for the interim, (unless you go into “extra innings”).

It has truly been a joy for me to serve as your co-interim pastor along with Pastor Marty. This summer I have been the “relief pitcher”, and Pastor Marty is coming back as the “closer”. You have called us the “dream team”. I’m not sure about that but I do know that you have been the “dream congregation” and I have felt honored to be with you for lo these many months. It has been truly a joy to serve alongside such a strong and capable staff- Marsha, Megan, Karyn, Steve, Lisa, and Janean- you have been a “dream team” staff for sure! I know you will be missing sharing Highs and Lows so I will have to “call in” from time to time and share mine. In fact I would love to share with you some of my “highs” and “lows” from this past year! Worship at Vinland Advent services-with an Advent wreath that didn’t want to light! Yet we had many other candles lit for the “Holden Evening

prayer” service. Lent services in Grace Hall for the first time! Lighting candles for “Prayers around the cross”, led by the youth and their parents. Karyn Crawford making sure the “lighting” happened!

Singing with the choir under the direction of our wonderful music director- Lisa Mansfield. Managing to sing a very difficult Afri-can style piece- “Freedom Come!” and pulling it off!

Working with Steve King on the contemporary service who managed to put a slide or video in for me at the last minute that was “just right”! The gospel style service (another first) with Galen singing a Johnny Cash song- awesome!

Children’s messages and singing “I will call upon the Lord!” On the “Rock” Sunday. “O When the Saints go Marching in” with kids playing kazoos for Mardi Gras! Easter Sunday and the look on the kid’s faces when the Easter Bunny came hopping in! Marsha Wright’s giggles with the kids at the Easter egg hunt. Lectionary Lunch the good discussion and great folks who taught me a lot and gave me some great sermon material! Preschool Sunday The little kids reciting the 10 commandments with Janean Moriarty, Lori VanVlerah and Lynn Florent leading them in the hand mo-tions. Preschool chapels were definitely a high- I will miss those kids! Confirmation Sunday 10 of our youth affirmed their faith and shared their faith statements. Singing “Sanctuary” as they lit their candles of faith! Confir-mation was just a blast, (don’t know if the kids would agree). But I do know we would all agree that the Confirmation retreat at Beachie and Glenn’s house was a highlight! Family Camp! I was told by some of the youth that I absolutely could not miss family camp because it’s the best! Family camp did not disappoint and it is a highlight of the year! Baptism of little Kai in the lake along with several affirmation of baptisms by immersion, and Kelle Horn’s testimony! A Reformation theme, beautiful weather and the grand finale Talent show- with a “flash mob” thank you to Karyn Crawford for her years as Vinland’s youth minister- all highlights. Thank you to Kelle, Karyn and Kristine for organizing a great camp! Thanks to Marsha, Lisa, Barb,Bill and all of the helpers at camp for reminding us of our Reformation history! After the last campfire, I went home so grateful to have been a part of the Vinland family, I will never forget it. I am sure there are many other highs and lows that happened during this interim year- I would love to hear some of yours.

Lows: Saying goodbye I don’t like saying goodbye. So I won’t because one never knows, we just might show up again! Thank you for such a great year to-gether and for welcoming Dave and I into the Vinland community! As a congregation -you “hit the ball out of the park”! Thank you for all of the cards, the hugs and well wishes and the gift of Poulsboopoly ! It was such a wonderful send off on Sun-

day, with the special song and blessing! Thank you so much for the privilege of being your co-interim pastor. Dave and I will forever be grateful for our time at Vinland! See you later- Pastor Sigi

Pastor Sigi has accepted a part-time position as Church Relations Specialist for Lutheran Community Services Northwest, starting Sept 1st. She will be working to develop partnerships with churches in Western Washington with the vision and mission of LCSNW. She plans to continue leading Wellness retreats and doing triathlons!

Pastor Sigi Helgeson

Family Camp 2017 was spectacular!

Martin and Katie Luther were there! Tons of teenagers were there! Flocks of little kids were there! Fun-loving adults were there! The spirit of God was flowing through and among all the great people all week long!

This was Karyn, Kelle and Kristine’s “swan song” as directors (at least for awhile!). The medieval Reformation theme was so much fun and swords and shields and fami-ly crests made it exciting and engaging.

This week is truly a “sanctuary” for all who attend. It is a place and time set apart to nourish relationships, build friendships, act in harmony with creation. It is true family time when people related not just by blood come together to work, laugh, sing, talk and maybe even shed a few tears together.

inland Family Camp 2017 A week when we all stood together

Win a Dream Vacation To Hawaii!! As a fundraiser for Living Stones Prison Ministry, there will be a

raffle for a $5,000 trip to Hawaii tailored personally for the raffle winner. The winner may choose their island, accommoda-tions, airfare, activities and how many people go on the trip—

all within the $5,000. ALL proceeds will support and benefit Living Stones Ministries.

Tickets are $10 each or 6 for $50.

They will be on sale at church

through the end of September.

Bishop Rick Jaech will draw the win-

ning ticket on Thursday, Oct. 12 at

1pm in the SWWA Synod Office.

More details on the church bulletin board

Women of Grace

In celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Refor-

mation, we will begin October with an interesting

study of Luther’s Small Catechism and the ins and

outs of Lutheranism.

Watch for meeting date and time details.

FIRST SATURDAY OF THE MONTH 8:30 at Envy’s

at the Poulsbo Junction

Quilters meet EVERY Tuesday from 9-noon. Snacks & Coffee!

They always helping hands as they put together quilts for Lutheran World Relief.

All women are invited to the September 20

meeting at 10am.

Bonnie Debar and Jan Janzen

will be the hostesses and Judy

Herman will share a devotion.

SCHOOL KIT SUPPLIES NEEDED: 70-sheet notebooks, ball point pens, crayons (18 or 24) Bring supplies to church and the women will assemble them into school kits.

BUSY MOMS SUMMER TUESDAYS AT THE LAKE Vinland Busy Moms (moms with kids in tow) will once again be meeting on the picnic side of the lake at Lutherhaven. We usually start gathering around noon. Come when you can; leave when you must. It is a great time to visit and for the kids to play and get to know each other. No lifeguard is on duty.

What's happening in the LOFT? A new school year, a new director! Please look out for new registration forms! This helps us know the best ways to communicate with you as well as gets us organized for an amazing year in the LOFT. Questions? Contact Allison.

August 19th: Reform Ride for Refugees There is still time to sign up for Reform: Ride for Refugees and participate! This event is one of many ways to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation but more importantly to join together with other Lutheran churches and our community to raise money for

Sept. 6th: First Day of School! No LOFT

LOFT KICK OFF EVENT - Thrift Shop Fashion Show - Wed, Sept 20th Have an amazing "find" that you got at a thrift store that you want to show off? Please join us for a potluck dinner and fashion show, starting at 6pm in Grace Hall. Everyone is invited to bring our their inner model (we hear Pastor Marty has some runway moves) and showcase a "look" that they found at a thrift shop! Models young and young-at-heart are invited to showcase

their designs for prizes! Please also bring any cash, food, or gently used clothes that you would like to donate to this event! Executive Director Mary Nader, from North Kitsap Fishline will be our guest judge and will be joining us to talk about North Kitsap Fishline and their Second Season Thrift Store which all proceeds goes directly to their food bank. You won't want to miss this!

SAVE THE DATE: October 14th Join us for the 1st Annual Vinland Lu-theran Church Brave Bavarian 5k! This family friendly 5k run/walk will be a fundraiser for the youth program for ser-vice projects, trips, and activi-ties. Please share and invite all your friends! Lederhosen encouraged!

LOFT* NEWS

*L.O.F.T. is the acronym for Living Our Faith Together. It is our middle and

high school youth group that meets in the LOFT in Grace Hall.

SENIOR LUNCH BUNCH

September location and date

are pending. Watch the bulle-

tin and weekly E-Flash for

more details.

ALL MEN are invited to a

great breakfast on SEPTEMBER

9 at 8am at church. We will meet

ON THE SECOND SATURDAY

because of the Labor Day holi-

day. Hearty Food and Healthy

Conversation! Bring a friend.

DIALOGUE

ON DRAFT

MONDAY, SEPT.

19 AT 5:30 at

Elmers in Poulsbo.

Pastor Marty will

lead the discussion. It will be interest-

ing! Watch for more details.

Fall Sunday Schedule Begins September 17

9:00 Worship & Sunday School 10:15 Youth Mingle

10:45 Worship & Kid’s Church

PINOCHLE September 15. Potluck at

5:30; cards dealt at 6pm. Hostesses are

Jan Hakanson and Judy Wales. Sign up

in Grace Hall.

CRIBBAGE players meet on the second Friday of the month at 1pm for a

friendly game and a root beer float! Just show up in Haugen Hall!

WATERCOLOR CLASSES IN HAUGEN HALL

4-WEEK SESSIONS ($100 ) Mondays 10am-noon

9/11-10/2

10/23-11/12

11/20-12/11

To reserve your space contact John Adams 206-842-3099

2john@earthlink.net

Barb’s Backyard by Barbara Erickson

We entered the sanctuary quietly, allowing the muffled sounds, filtered light, and lush surroundings to envelop us. Surprisingly, they did as I asked and remained quiet or spoke in hushed tones only. We walked on slowly, gradually leaving behind the normal activity, commotion, and bus-yness of the day. The further we went, the deeper the silence, until we stopped, closed our eyes, and purposefully listened to hear those sounds that we might normally overlook: the chirp of a bird nearby, the song of another high in a tree, the distant chattering of a squirrel, a voice from across the lake, the roar of a chainsaw, the far-off whine of an airplane…

As we progressed, we stopped to observe and talk about the wonder of trees – their size, age, different types of leaves, bark, cones, and growth patterns. If trees could talk, what stories would they tell? We each got a slice of a branch and counted the growth rings to see how old they were; the oldest was around 8 years old, much younger than the oldest trees here. Since this area was probably clear-cut in the early 1900s, the oldest trees here are likely not more than 100 years old, a concept that can be difficult for a child to grasp. But we were commemorating 500 years since the Reformation – how do any of us to relate to that? Still, somewhere in the world there are living trees much older than that – up to 9,000 years old!

I have long felt that the forest at Lutherhaven is a sanctuary. Sanctuary is a word derived from Latin indicating a container for keeping something holy – things or people; a place of refuge and protec-tion. This forest offers a refreshing respite from our everyday lives – a bit of peace, quiet, relaxation, and solitude if one wishes. It contains a wealth of vegetation: firs, cedars, pines, hemlocks, maples, alders, ferns, blackberries, huckleberries, grasses, flowers, mosses, lichens, and thousands more. The soil, nourished for centuries by detritus from the vegetation, is thick and rich. Wildlife is abundant, though mostly unseen: rabbits, raccoons, squirrels, coyotes, bears, deer, many species of birds, frogs, fish, and countless species of creepy-crawlies. Several small streams wend through the woods, one of them cutting deeply through he layers of soil, and feed into the lake.

This is why I so love working with the children each year at Family Camp – to lead them into this sanctuary, help them to experience the natural world and appreciate all it has to offer. For in doing so, I believe, we all draw closer to the Creator and the many wonders He has wrought. Each of these creations is valuable beyond what we may know; each serves a purpose and is connected to every-thing else. We are each a part of this miraculous web of life. If that is not sacred, then I don’t know what is…

Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary Pure and holy, tried and true

With thanksgiving, I’ll be a living Sanctuary for You.

The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; Psalm 24:1

They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty - and I will meditate on your wonderful works. Psalm 145:5

SEPT. 10, 11am GRACE HALL Food, Fun,

Information

If your group wants to have a space, please sign up in Grace Hall.

We won’t have a Bite of Vinland Fundraiser at the fair this year, but you are encouraged

to provide a small “bite to eat” or “bite of information” to give out

to your visitors.

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 10

“God’s work. Our hands.” Sunday is an opportuni-ty to celebrate who we are as the Evangelical Lu-theran Church in America – one church, freed in

Christ to serve and love our neighbor. Service activ-ities offer an opportunity for us to explore one of

our most basic convictions as Lutherans: that all of life in Jesus Christ – every act of service, in every daily calling, in every corner of life – flows freely from a living, daring confidence in God’s grace.

Reform Ride For Refugees

Saturday, August 19 Registration www.Signmeup.com

Search “Reform: Ride for Refugees” Find us on Facbook

or reformride500@gmail.com

-Bob Reister

Why does God invite us to pray?

God extends his hand of friendship. To pray is

to communicate with Him. When you call on

God, He will listen to you (Jeremiah 29:12). As

you speak to God, He will draw close to you as a

friend (James 4:8) and the bible assures us that

God is near and is listening (Psalm 145). God

wants to help us.

Jesus said: “Which one of you, If his son asks

for bread, will he hand you a stone? Or if he

asks for a fish he will not give you a serpent.

Therefore, if you...know how to give good gifts to

your children, how much more so will your Fa-

ther who is in heaven give good things to those

asking him.” (Matthew 7:9-11). Yes, God invites

us to pray because “He cares for us” and wants

to help us. (Peter 5:7). God invites us to come

to him with our problems.

The Bible tells us: “Do not be anxious over an-

ything, but in everything by prayer and suppli-

cation ALONG WITH THANKSGIVING, let your

petitions be made known to God.” (Philippians

4:6). Humans were created to have a spiritual

need. Jesus said “Happy are those conscious

of their spiritual need.” (Matthew 5:3). One

way we can fill that need is by regularly com-

municating with God your Father. If we accept

God’s invitation to pray to him what benefits

may we expect?

What does prayer involve? The Bible shows

that prayer can embrace every facet of our life.

Confession (Psalm 32:5)

Thanks (Psalms 92:1)

Praise (Psalms 34:1)

Request for Guidance (Psalms 119:35)

Request for Strength (Psalms 86:16)

It would be great if everyone read the whole

book of Psalms all the way through and not just

the designated verse.

The Mansfields are looking for musicians

(singers, instrumentalists, performers) to

present special music for fall season.

Please email Lisa. mansfie250@gmail.com

to arrange a time.

MUSIC “NOTES”

CHOIR PRACTICES BEGIN September 13

from 6:30-7:30

No choir rehearsal on Sept. 20—All

church “Fashion Show” event

CHIMES RESUME PRACTICE on Sept. 27

from 5:30-6:15

Special Musical Event Sept. 29 The National Lutheran Choir leads an evening of singing in commemoration of the 500th anniver-sary of the Reformation at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29, at St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral in Seattle. The program is titled “Jesus Christ: Yesterday, To-day and Forever,” and will feature early hymns and new works sung by the choir and audience under the direction of David Cherwien. The con-cert is free. A free-will offering will be sent to the Compass Housing Alliance.

Come and meet Pastor Nels Flesher, his wife Darice and daughter Juniper on Sunday, August 20 at 5:30pm. We’ll have some fun trivia questions, a delicious dinner and time to get to know the Flesher family. Sunday, August 27, there will be a congregational vote on extending a call to Pastor Nels and approval of a compensation package. All voting members please attend this meeting right after worship.

COOKING WITH SPIRIT has expanded their vision and are now offering quarterly Gourmet dinners in a home setting to help raise funds

for Vinland as well as outreach projects. We started as a cooking group interested in developing our knowledge of food, specifically gourmet home cooked meals and sharing fellowship during preparation and enjoyment of those meals. The picture shows a recent group sampling one of our dinners at the King’s home in Hansville. Please ask the contented diners about their ex-perience. The work will be done by the Cook-ing With Spirit staff, you just come and enjoy the evening. We can accommodate 4-12 at each meal. You must sign up with the Kings, Doug Barnhart or the Schmids. We will charge between $60-$90 per person for each meal, depending on the menu (available ahead of time). This sum will cover food expenses and the extra will be donated for the cause; our first project is the Sanctuary Fund. Is there someone to whom you “owe” a meal? Company coming and you’d like a night off from cooking? Want a congenial evening out? Our first meal will be offered in September. Become part of this endeavor, reminiscent of Vinland’s Gracious Dining of past years (but you don’t do the cooking!).

Cooking with Spirit

Honoring God by nurturing children’s relationships

DISCOVERY GARDEN CLEAN-UP WORK PARTY Tuesday, August 29 from 9-11am

Bring gloves and tools to weed and clear the playground and forest so all is ready for fall fun!

PRESCHOOL SUPPLY DRIVE Dry erase markers Fat markers Black Sharpies Blue Tape Children’s Birthday Cards Cotton Balls Cardstock Stickers Also...dress up clothes (especially for boys), hula hoops, toy shopping carts and tonka-like trucks for outside play.

PRESCHOOL OPENINGS We have openings in our afternoon 4-day Honeybee class for 3-5 year olds. Spread the word to help us fill our roster before classes begin.

SEPTEMBER 17 The theme for Sunday School

through the end of October will

be “Reformation Revelry”.

There will be lots of fun learn-

ing activities and we’ll all learn

something new about the 500

year old reformation.

Lets ROLL into fall!Fishline is in need of toilet paper for it’s

many clients. Please bring a few rolls to church during the

month of September.

SUNDAY SCHOOL BEGINS

SEPT. 17 DURING THE 9:00

SERVICE. We’ll start the year

with Ice Cream Sundaes!

Begin worship with your family in the sanctuary. Kids will be dismissed

at around 9:30 and return in time for communion.

There will still be Kid’s Church during the 10:45 service.