Two months out
Neighbors of St. Stephen Lutheran Church, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, fill dumpsters on “Trash the Neighborhood” day.
Iowans trash the neighborhood “ H
ow many dumpsters should we get?” That was the main ques- tion last April when St. Stephen Lutheran Church, Cedar Rap- ids, Iowa, approached their “Trash the Neighborhood” day. But nobody had an answer because they had never done anything
like this. The answer soon became clear—they needed more than the five they had requested. Two Sundays prior to trashing day, the outreach team, Lutheran
Youth Organization Sunday school class and others distributed fli- ers saying dumpsters would be available for neighbors who might be doing spring cleaning. Five dumpsters were standing by on the cool, gray morning of “Trash the Neighborhood,” along with a table of goodies and coffee in St. Stephen mugs. With the help of a few members, neighbors filled the dumpsters with trash. Ev Peterson, coordinator of the men’s group and member of the outreach team, declared the effort “incredible.” “I’m really proud of St. Stephen’s for doing this. We even had one of the families bring their children to Sunday school the next day,” he said.
After the event, member Kenn Nye said he hoped it would become an annual spring event. “We just want to be good neighbors; we’ll probably do it again next year,” he added. Member Melanie Ostmo says they will. For more information contact
melanieostmo@mac.com.
And in neighboring Wisconsin ... Zion Lutheran Church, Stratford, Wis., came up with an idea for honoring Earth Day (April 22) when discussing care of creation at a Bible study. The Tuesday morning group thought it would be good for parishioners to be aware of ways the congregation could do its part in the community. As a result, in 2011 they offered this Earth Day education:
• A display showing what Zion already does to recycle. • A presentation on how simple it is to compost.
• Information on how and where to dispose of over-the-counter or prescription drugs. • A demonstration on the natural products a member uses on his lawn and garden. • Lessons on how old items can be used as garden decorations or birdhouses. • A book display on keeping the earth clean and recycling. • A table offering old magazines on lawn and garden care, Earth Day coloring books and information on where things can be recycled. • Tables for games and crafts, including making bird feeders.
For more information contact
janicelee@zionlc.com. M
Good one! Shakespeare Club
The Shakespeare Club gathers three
times a year on Saturday mornings at Christ Lutheran Church, Aptos, Calif. (office@
aptoschurch.org). The group began using Christ’s facilities in 2010, though they had been gathering for more than eight years under the direction of a retired English pro- fessor from local Cabrillo College. In January, about 30 to 35 people, most
of them from the community, began meeting again to read Hamlet. A guest speaker gives an introduction prior to each initial reading. Then, each week, a “director” assigns parts to “actors.”
Member Edita McQuary is part of the group. She also edits the church’s newslet- ter, where the pitch to join the group was: “It is way more fun than your high school Eng- lish class and no grade!” The club enables the church to be visible to the community, McQuary said. It recently held a fundraising play, “Romeo and Juliet Meets Law & Order,” that raised more than $700. The group gave nearly $500 to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz County, which the church’s community gar- den supports, and the remaining amount to a Cabrillo College scholarship.
Send congregational stories—both those for a specific month/holiday or your best timeless idea—to
julie.sevig@
thelutheran.org. February 2012 39
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52