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Church News: February 2005 |
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Announcements and Information 06. February 13. February 20. February 27. February 06. March
Our Groups and Circles A Meeting with all those responsible for Groups of the Congregation will take place for yearly planning and setting of dates on Sunday, February 6th, after the German Service at 12:00 noon. The Literary Circle - takes place on Tuesday, February 8th, 4:00 p.m. at the Parsonage. 3203 Gatliff Ave., Mississauga. We will discuss the Book „A complicated kindness“ by Miriam Toews. Board of Directors of the Nursery - meets on Tuesday, February 8th, at 6:00 p.m., at the Church and invites all who are interested to the Annual Meeting of the Nursery. The Ladies’ Circle - invites on Wednesday, February 9th, at 8:00 p.m. at the Church. The Church Council – conducts its next meeting on Wednesday, February 9th, after the Lent Service app. 8:00 p.m. The Visitors’ Service Group meets on Sunday, February 13th, after the German Service at 12:00 noon. The Seniors’ Circle meets on Wednesday, February 23rd, at 1:30 p.m. at the Church. The Planning Group for the Congregational Anniversary meets on Monday, February 21st, at 7:00 p.m. at the Parsonage! Lent Services from February 9th, every Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. at the Church. Further Dates:
Radio
Dedication
in German Please send us an email, if you want to receive our newsletter regularly. |
But rejoice that your names are
written in heaven. Devotion on the Verse for the Month of February 2005
Dear Congregation,
With kind regards for February, I remain, Saying Farewell to Pastor Susanne Hofmann on February 20thOn Sunday, February 20th, 2005we want to bid farewell to Pastor Susanne Hofmann, who has worked in our congregation for a year. Therefore, a Joint Service takes place at 11:00 a.m.. Following this, we want to gather for a cup of coffee and take the opportunity to extend good wishes to Mrs. Hofmann for the future. As many of you have already heard, she takes on a position as a Pastor in the Bavarian Mistelgau near the city of Bayreuth as of March 1st. Mrs. Hofmann has, with much dedication, started several things in our congregation, has conducted Sunday Services and undertook many visits. She will certainly be missed very much by us. To her and to her husband Andreas we say here at this point already a big Thank You and God’s rich blessings for everything that awaits you in Germany!.
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cordially invite you to stay for a while after the Services for a cup of
coffee!
paragraphs actually always point to what Jesus says and does. That is the
main thing. How does he conduct himself here? – He brings order into things.
Of course, he is glad when the friends he sent forth do good deeds, preach
the gospel and heal people. No one can seriously have anything against this.
But it is not about using power, even though it is power over evil. It is
not about people getting used to being powerful, but it is about a goal in
life that goes beyond this life: But rejoice that your names are written
in heaven. – How often have we been totally captured by what we have
experienced. And there is certainly much that we have enjoyed, or there are
things we like to remember. We surely know situations where we were so
elated and simply wanted to celebrate their success with others. And why
not? Jesus does not at all put a damper on this, but he adds something else
to the joy, which should make the 70, who were sent forth, truly glad: You
are not forgotten, your names are written in heaven. - As so often in a
Biblical text, this sentence, too, points beyond the actual situation. It
does not matter whether we are famous and well-known, whether our names are
written in history books. It is not about us possessing power over whomever
or whatever. For all that, which is so important to us here and takes up so
much room in our life, will, at some time, no longer play a role. It was
also Jesus who said, one should gather treasures in heaven rather than on
earth, for the earthly treasures would, one day, be eaten by moths. „But lay
up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes
and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is,
there will your heart be also...“ – According to Psalm 69, the righteous are
written in the Book of Life. In the Evangelical faith we know that not works
justify us, but faith. And to close the circle once again: It is faith in
God, which shall be more important than anything else, which has perpetuity,
also beyond the earthly things, and which should, ultimately, make us
certain in the Here and Now that there is something still to come. When I
had a telephone conversation with someone recently, this thought came to us
and I was glad that this person is already looking forward to eternal life –
not that he was already waiting for this life to be over, but to enjoy this
life, too, with joy and without fear.
Dear
Congregation, hard to believe! It is already a year since I packed my
suitcases in Germany and came to Toronto into „Deep Freeze Temperatures’. I
have now lived and worked here one year among you as a „Guest“ Pastor and
have gathered various experiences. In this report, I would like to share
with you these experiences and review my time in Canada Even before I
arrived here, I noticed the great willingness to help, which was shown my
husband. From far away I heard, that many of you brought by furniture for
our apartment and many other items one needs in life. I was thankful, that
you took us in in such a friendly and heartfelt manner. My first event in
the line of duty was the traditional weekend in Edgewood at the end of
January, which Pastor Stefan Wolf and I prepared and led on the topic of the
23rd Psalm. It was nice for me to see that profound and honest conversations
were possible at this retreat and that also new methods were accepted. At
the same time, I could get to know some of you better in a somewhat
different atmosphere. It was for me the first step to truly arrive in the
congregation. On the following Sunday, February 8th, I officially introduced
myself to the congregation and was ceremoniously installed as Pastor. From
then on, I participated in most events, conducted Church Services and thus
became a part of the congregation. I agreed with Pastor Stefan Wolf that we
would, if at all possible, take turns in conducting congregational circles,
Church Services and Radio Devotions. My own projects, which I introduced at
the Annual Meeting, were the founding of a Visiting-Service Group, which
co-ordinates the visits within the congregation and strengthens the
congregation’s understanding of „Being there for each other“, as well as
starting and leading a Senior’s Circle. Both circles have been well accepted
and are now established in the congregation. A further new circle is the
English Bible-Circle, which I have founded together with Peggy Seifert. One
of the highlights of this year was the participation in the youth camp at
Lutherlyn, which we prepared as a team. I found it impressive to see the
enthusiasm with which so many children and youth of various ages took part
in the program, and how adults, families, youth and
children spent this week together. Very soon, I felt to be kindly accepted
into this community. An important and very good experience was the help
which I received, after my initial difficulties with the English language.
Through the weekly English instructions from Peggy Seifert, I have, in time,
overcome my insecurity and 
language
blockage. That has made my work much easier and has added much to my feeling
at home in the congregation. After a phase of settling in, when I first had
to find my role within the congregation (and the congregation me in this
role), I realized that the trust in me as Pastor was growing. I liked very
much to take on my duty in Pastoral care during my congregational visits,
during many conversations with you after the Church Service and on the
telephone. It gave me much joy, to lead the Bible hours, the Senior’s Circle
meetings and the Visiting-Service Circle, to have conversations with you or
just to socialize with you on our congregational trips. I want to thank you
all for the trust and the goodwill which you have offered me in my work
during this year. I thank particularly Stefan Wolf, who has accompanied my
work with his help and has given me much freedom in my work. This year was,
personally as well as professionally, a considerable enrichment for me.
We
remind once again of the date of the Annual Meeting, which is to begin
around 1:30 p.m. on February 20th. We hope that as many members as possible
can take part in the meeting. It is important that you take advantage of
this opportunity, to inform yourself regarding further plans, especially
during the Anniversary Year and add your opinions. We hope to be able to
make the reports available two weeks ahead of time. In case it is not
possible for you to pick up the report at the Church, there is the
possibility that you contact us, so that we can send you the report via
mail or email
The
film begins with his conversion experience during a storm 1505, Luther’s
transfer to the University of Wittenberg 1508, Luther’s work as Doctor of
Theology from 1512, then revolves around his central question of faith
regarding the merciful God and finally demonstrates how Luther, through the
posting of the 95 theses at the Palace Church 
of
Wittenberg on 31.10.1517 raged against the so-called absolution trade of the
business efficient commissar of absolution of the Archbishop of Mainz,
Tetzel (Alfred Molina). Luther’s summons before the Reichstag in Worms 1521,
his translation of the Bible from the Greek original text under the
protection of Prince Frederic the Wise at the Wartburg after 1521, his
marriage to the former nun Katharina von Bora (Claire Cox) 1525, and thereby
the conscious and open break with celibacy, are addressed in the film as
well as the horror of the peasant uprisings 1525 and their fallout. The film
director Eric Till shows the person Luther in connection with the dispute
around these questions of faith and thereby the Reformation as a religious
matter. Participating actors are among others Joseph Fiennes, Alfred Molina,
Jonathan Firth, Claire Cox, Peter Ustinov, Bruno Ganz, Uwe Ochsenknecht and
Mathieu Carričre. We show the film in the English original version.
I
have asked myself, whether there is also interest in the English
Congregation for such devotions, and whether we may find a day and a time,
when English speaking congregational members could come. I propose Tuesday
evening at 6:00 p.m., beginning with February 15th. What do you think about
this?|
Martin Luther Church
is a member congregation of the
Toronto Conference of the
Eastern Synod of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in Canada, the
DELKINA
(Deutsche Evangelische Lutherische Konferenz
in NordAmerika / German Evangelical Lutheran
Conference in North America), and the
EKD (Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland /
Protestant Church of Germany). |