The Vine and the Branches

September 2005

The Newsletter of St. Thomas Lutheran Church

President's Message

Dear Friends in Christ,

One of the goals of the council is to increase communication. We monthly submit the bits and pieces from our council meetings to the Vine & Branches newsletter as well as the bulletin for that week. We also are diligently working to have all ministries submit monthly reports so that we can support ministries. All of these reports are in a three ring binder in the narthex as well as in the church office for anyone to review at anytime. I will also put together monthly messages.

The church council is a wonderful mix of Christian people who are working diligently on many of the issues that face St. Thomas during our time of transition. Many people wonder just what the council is doing. I can assure you that everyone of them is involved as a resource to ministries, reviews the business of the church and are working to fulfill our mission statement. There is a lot of work to do in preparing a church to receive a new Pastor. A few items are, correction and updating of the membership roster, keeping the finances of the congregation current, preparing the call process, hiring key staff, and many times just keeping the peace when so many changes are taking place. Thanks to the council for all their hard work and Holy Spirit driven decisions.

Lately I’ve been hearing a lot of grumbling about the “us and they”. Just who are the “us” and who are the “they”? I was taught that we are all the body of Christ. In him there are no “us or they”. We should all work together to bring people to know the salvation of Christ and the eternal life that he has prepared for us. Pastor Linderman’s sermon today talked about Christ not caring whether communion was done by common cup, by intinction, or by the little cups. What matters is that Christ’s people receive forgiveness through the sacraments.

This example carries over into our services here at St. Thomas. God has commanded us to go out and bring people to Christ. This is known as our commission and can be found in Matthew 28 V:19 . Does it really matter to Christ how we bring people to him? Here at St. Thomas we are blessed to have a variety of services that allow us to reach a variety of people. Each service has our Lutheran theology at its core and the message of Christ’s Love through the service. We may not like one style of service but we need to support it just the same and not talk bad about it. We need to cross over the road, over the aisle, out of our comfort zones to support each other in Christ’s church. Remember it is Christ’s church and not our own personal house. It is a matter of attitude, and a matter of heart for us all to work together and support each other as we bring people to Christ.

I pray that this message reaches each and everyone’s heart and that we truly see how blessed we are through Christ’s abundant gifts. St. Thomas has great potential to reach many people and bring them to Christ.

In God’s Service,

Marty Sommerfeld

Global Mission Message

Traditionally, children look forward to summer (kids, hope you all had a great one!) going to camp, going swimming, sleeping late. But for millions of children and teenagers in our country, this time of year means a greater risk of going hungry. Yes, going hungry! Out of school, means no school lunch programs to assist low-income families. During the school year, approximately 16 million children receive free or reduced priced lunches, some also receive breakfast. Often these meals make the difference as low-income families struggle to feed their families.

School is back in session now and we must impress upon our legislators that we want their support in protecting federal nutrition programs from budget cuts and their support of the work of church and local groups against hunger in our communities which is the Hunger Free Communities Act of 2005: S.1120 in the Senate and H.R. 2717 in the House, vital to the well-being of children and teens.

Bread for the World’s 2005 Offering of Letters campaign began last May, Make Hunger History, which supports these national programs, the fastest, most direct way to prevent hunger with children. In May, both houses of Congress introduced the Offering of Letters legislation, the Hunger Free Communities Act of 2005.

The Hunger-Free Communities Act would express Congress’ intention to cut hunger in the United States in half by 2010 and to eliminate it by 2015. A renewed commitment from Congress to reduce hunger and to protect federal nutrition programs (Food Stamps, WIC. School Lunch Program) will bring us one step closer to ending hunger in God’s world.

Sunday, October 16, 2005, WORLD FOOD DAY

We will join with Bread for the World in our commitment to end hunger. We will celebrate by joining with other people of faith to reflect on how God’s overflowing love is a harvest of hope for all people … to pray for our hungry brothers and sisters … and to take specific steps that will make a difference in their lives (and our own by doing something!).

On Sunday, October 16, we will:

1. Celebrate harvest, the earth’s autumn bounty by having a food drive for our St. Thomas Food Pantry.

2. Pray and reflect. This harvest time is an opportunity to give thanks to God and to remember our brothers and sisters in need.

3. Integrate advocacy into our hunger ministry. As faithful citizens, raise our concerns about hunger in the United States and the world with our representatives in Washington.

4. Celebrate with us an OFFERING OF LETTERS.

We will be simply asking all worshipers that Sunday to sign and send (50 cents for postage) letters to Representative Chris Smith; and to our Senators, Jon Corzine and Frank Lautenberg. Global Mission Team members will be in the Narthex to assist you. Letters will be ready for your signature or we will have suggestions you may wish to use and/or express in your own words.

Let’s make this a true harvest of care and love allowing us as people of faith to work, step-by-step-by-step, toward a world where each person has enough to eat.

Dorothy Linderman

UPDATE ON PASTOR ELLISON

Pastor Ellison suffered a heart attack on July 22. Following hospitalization he is resting comfortably at home. You may send greetings to him at

1 Calvin Terrace

Oakhurst , NJ 07755 .

Remember him in your prayers and daily devotions. An update will be made at Liturgies each weekend.

Pastor Ellison has asked that we thank the Congregation for all the prayers, wonderful cards and well wishes. It really lifts his spirits and he appreciates them very much.

ELCA YOUTH SUMMIT

This fall St Thomas is hosting the annual ELCA Youth Summit. It will be Saturday, Oct 1 from 9am to 3pm. The Youth Summit is a day of worship, fellowship and fun for Jr and Sr high kids. There is music, information on Synod servant trips, crafts, games and food. The cost is $ 6.00 per person. There will be youth from churches all over New Jersey. Please join us for a day of fun. Any questions contact Kevin. 732-477-5533

Bits & Pieces from Council Meeting – July 11, 2005

G. Carbone led devotions. 8 members were present, 5 members were absent but excused and 1 guest from the congregation. J. Nilsen will lead devotions in Aug.

1. Pastor Ellison verbally reported he will begin new member classes on July 17th. There is an urgent need for congregational sponsors. There is also a need for individuals to contact the unchurched. Pastor E. reminded council of his vacation on Aug. 14 & 21. He hopes Pastor Davidson from the Synod office will preach one of those Sundays. Pastor Davidson’s expertise will be addressing the topic of a “congregation based community organization”. Council should also make themselves available on a one to one basis with congregation members to listen to issues and concerns. Rather than establish another procedure, Council agreed to encourage the mechanism already in place - the Mutual Ministry committee - as the avenue for issues and concern. Any concerns from the Mutual Ministry committee are to be sent to the committee, individual or group concerned with a copy to council. All topics will be relayed back to the Mutual Ministry committee with a copy to council. Pastor stated that review of the council minutes showed approval of the 1993 constitution but the constitution drawn up that year was never approved by the congregation. This copy will be used as a guide for the council’s review when the model ELCA constitution is presented. Pastor is working on his review of the Membership files. In 1988, the ELCA posted new definitions of member categories. These will be incorporated into our member profiles. Pastor inquired concerning the schedule for installation of the sound system. Kevin Gruetter is handling this project and the 3rd week in Aug. is the target date. A copy of the contract with the installing company should be part of the council records. M. Sommerfeld will look into this matter.

2. The Hoxie property is finally in the hands of the attorney to review. Hopefully, all will be finalized this month; definitely next month.

3. The Call Committee election has been held. The congregation has voted for: Fred Backhus, Bob Horn, Linda Layton (from council), Wendy Newcomer, Natalie Stites and John Sutton (from council and Chair of the Committee). The committee will meet on Wed. 7/13 to receive pertinent synod material, review our Mission Profile submitted to the synod and to become familiar with each other. A meeting will also take place on August 1 or 2 with Pastor Ewen, Assistant to the NJ Synod Bishop Riley, to discuss the mission profile and respond to any questions and concerns of Council or the Call Committee.

4. The Music & Worship Committee began interviewing candidates for the Music Director/ Organist/ Music Teacher position on 7/10. Council had approved the job description at the June meeting but has not received any reports concerning any interviews. The Council liaison to the M & W Committee will impress the need for the committee to communicate their activities in written reports; monthly and when the committee holds any special meetings. Also, any pastoral leadership and guidance should be communicated by the committee to council.

5. The Music & Worship Committee has requested that the church purchase a tabernacle and a lavabo for pastoral use. The tabernacle would be used to house the consecrated sacraments and the lavabo would be used by the pastor for cleansing purposes. Pastor Ellison reported that a lavabo has been found and there is no need to purchase one. The purchase of a tabernacle has been tabled until the new pastor is in place. Until then, the method used in the past will continue. This motion was presented by J. Nilson and 2nd by J. Sutton.

6. The Music & Worship Committee has requested that a member of the Contemporary worship group participate in the monthly M & W Committee meetings to permit their input and ideas be made known to the committee. Kevin Gruetter will attend these meetings.

7. The Web Team will be asked not to publish material on the web site that has not been approved or passed by council. This will avoid public embarrassment should something be published that conflicts with our mission statement, constitution, responsibilities & expectations or policies.

8. Jersey Shore School of the Arts Summer Camp update. To date, we have not received a detail of the time and what rooms are to be used by the camp. This is necessary for our own planning for summer cleanup and possible meeting needs. The STCA letter of agreement and copies of the workman’s compensation policy have not been received. The executive committee will contact Cindy Kane, Principal for the documents.

9. Review from the Finance Committee and the Treasurer’s Reports show a decline in our income verses expenses of $31K. We must again withdraw from saving another $10K to meet our bills and payroll for the 15th of the month. Our income has been dramatically reduced and though the expenses are below budget, we still are not meeting our obligations and needs. More stewardship and prayer is needed to help us through this difficult time. Pastor Ellison reported that one reason for the reduction in income is a reduction in attendance. Comparing Jan/Feb of 2004 to 2005, there has been a decline of 23% (from an average of 309 to 237). Our contemporary service has brought more worshipers and the Sat service is slowly growing. But the attendance at the other services has declined. The summertime is also a cause for low church attendance with vacations and such.

10. The Finance Committee reported that we received a bequest from the Kindig family.

11. The Christian Ed Committee has reported a need to use the library on Sunday mornings until 10:00a.m. This will conflict with the tellers using the library Sunday mornings from 7:30 to 9:15 to do the contributions received in the mail and the 8:00 am service. The head Teller Coordinator, Carole Eppinger, has agreed to ask the early morning counters to do their work in the main church office and then move their supplies and equipment to the library at 10:00 to accommodate the team of counters that normally perform their duties after the 9:30 service. We do not expect this to cause any problems for the early morning tellers or the regular teller teams if the room is vacated by the agreed upon time.

12. Council addressed the problem of the Standing Committees mentioned in our Constitution not meeting on a regular basis and the lack of minutes being forwarded to Council of the meetings. The standing committees mentioned in the constitution are: Education, Property, Evangelism, Finance, Social Ministry, Stewardship, Music & Worship, Youth Ministry and Mutual Ministry. These committees are to hold monthly meetings to address concerns of our church, needs of our congregant membership, plan for the future of our church, plan activities and educate our membership and other such items pertinent to that committee as defined by the constitution. A committee is to then submit a written monthly report to council of their activities, findings and recommend items for council to act upon. Should a committee need direction as to topics etc. they should contact council liaisons assigned to their committee, council executive committee or the pastor for guidance. A letter will go out to all standing committees relating to this concern. The standing committee is asked to again review their respective Responsibilities and Expectations (R & Es) and make recommendations to council for amendments and changes if necessary. All committees are to work as a team within the church. These committees equate to departments in the business world and without communication and teamwork, the business cannot function properly nor attain their goals. Thus, the work the Lord has commissioned us to do can not be done or accomplished.

13. Council also addressed other committees, ministries and groups which meet. The council has not been receiving reports from those groups as well. Communication is our only tool that can be used to inform our membership, encourage participation and be connected with our church.

14. Council received a disturbing note from the Mutual Ministry Committee concerning their communication regarding membership concerns. These concerns were referred to the Music & Worship Committee. To date, the MM Committee has not heard from the M & W Committee. As a council, we encourage, even insist on communication between committees but on the other hand, expect a response to that communication. We voted to be a ministry driven church and council would like all committees to act responsibly.

15. A motion to adjourn the meeting was made by F. Zimmerman, 2nd by Z. Zingis. The meeting came to a close with prayer at 10:25 p.m.

Bits & Pieces from Council Meet – Aug. 8,, 2005 7:30 to 10:15 p.m.

J. Nilsen led devotions. 10 members were present, 2 members were absent (excused), 1 member was absent (unexcused) and 1 guest from the congregation. Z. Zingis will lead devotions in Sept.

1. Pastor Ellison’s update. He is scheduled to see a nurse practiconer on 8/11 and the cardiologist on 8/31. He is hoping to obtain permission to drive as soon as possible. He is resting well. Our prayers go to Pastor Ellison for a speedy recovery.

2. There is no update on the Hoxie property as F. Zimmerman is on vacation. Fred did ask that the Finance Committee follow up but we did not have a contact number. We hope Sept. will be our finalization month.

3. J. Sutton reported that the Call Committee is in the middle of step 6. On 7/13, the mission profile was given to all members of the committee and all members were asked to review the profile prior to the meeting with Pastor Ewen from the Bishop’s office scheduled for Aug. 1. N. Stites was unable to attend the 8/1 meeting due to vacation. Pastor Ewen emphasized the importance of confidentiality. The Call Committee will develop questions which will be asked of all candidates. These questions will be reviewed at their next meeting on Sept. 6. The committee will also formulate how an interview is to be conducted. Currently the Call Committee has 4 names which were given through the suggestion of congregation members. J. Sutton made a motion for an initial request of $1,000 for travel reimbursement, 2nd by Z. Zingis. Motion passed.

4. The Music & Worship Committee continues to interview candidates for the position of music director/organist/STCA music teacher. Until such a person is found, the M & W Committee proposes that George Murphy (organ) and Keith Leonard (music director/teacher) act in an interim capacity through the Christmas season to terminate no later than the 2nd week in January. Due to Keith’s inexperience (currently learning) with the pipe organ, Keith will play the Saturday service for practice time. A motion was made by C. Eppinger, 2nd by G. Carbone that George is to receive the same pay and Keith is to receive the same pay as Becca and Dereck. If a fulltime person is hired, the contracts for the above two will be terminated with a 30 day notice. If no person is found, the contracts are to be renegotiated in January. Motion was passed.

5. Review of the summer camp run by the Jersey Shore School of the Arts brought up a number of negative points. Though the halls are filled with joyous children noises, there is a definite lack of supervision of the children in the hallways and a great deal of traffic through the outside door requiring that the door be left unlocked. We are not comfortable with this. Also, the building and classrooms, especially on the 2nd floor, are very dirty and untidy. Based upon our agreement with Keith Leonard concerning cleanliness, a letter will be addressed to JSSA requiring that the professional cleaner for the school (John) be hired to clean the facility. Council has concern that the building and school equipment, used by the JSSA summer camp, have been totally neglected. A motion was made by L. Layton, 2nd by J. Nilsen that a letter be sent to JSSA regarding our concerns and stating our insistence that a professional cleaner be contracted to clean the area; per the agreement when approval was granted to allow the summer camp to use our facility.

6. Council has been advised that the Arts and Crafts Fair, a joint venture sponsored by the Holy Hobbies and the Brunch Bunch, will not be held this year. This event will be sorely missed. The Fair was a large fund raiser for the church and for those ministries that participated. The Finance Committee will be asked to investigate possible other events that could take place between now and the end of the year that will avail us of the ability to receive the allowable annual Thrivent matching funds allotment of $1,600 that is given to a church body.

7. The Jersey Shore School of the Arts has requested permission to hold an International Food & Music Festival on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2005. The proposed Festival is to take place in our parking lot. A lengthy discussion ensued producing numerous questions and concerns such as; tax exempt status of JSSA, use of church building and equipment (bathrooms, chair & tables), use of port-a-potties, need for the gambling license, rain date, clean-up, Saturday church service, free spacing for church groups & the school, STLC to be the headliner of the event and a 10% financial donation to STLC for use of the parking lot only, not the building.

M. Sommerfeld will present these questions and concerns to JSSA and if all points are satisfied and acceptable, then an approval will be given.

Motion was made by J. Bailey, 2nd by B. Lenneper. Motion passed.

8. Council addressed concerns of members of the congregation concerning the Mary-Joseph-Infant statue and its position in front of the altar. It was agreed that the statue be moved to the chapel/meeting room. Motion made by J. Sutton, 2nd by L. Layton. Motion passed.

9. Finance reported that our income has continued to decline to a dangerous level. To date, we have withdrawn from savings $40K and this trend cannot continue. The church is doing its utmost to carry on God’s Mission but the expenses keep mounting. There is a definite need for increased stewardship growth to help close the gap between expenses and income.Finance suggested that the Treasurer’s report be worded differently to attempt to be clearer in stating our needs. The Treasurer’s report will now be presented in the following manner: Income now called Stewardship, Expenses now called Doing God’s Mission, the profit/(loss) result of the difference will now be called Rejoice/(Pray), withdrawal from savings will now be called Withdrawal from God’s Gifts and the need to increase our gift/contribution giving will be called Replenishment through Stewardship Growth. Finance hopes this will reach members to prayerfully increase their time, talent and treasurers given to the glory of God and his Mission. 10. Council was advised by the Treasurer that the liquid funds in the Bequest account have been depleted and we must now begin liquidating investments. The available cash is only $7,500 but we need $15,000 to meet bills and payroll to the 15th. A motion was made by N. Star to borrow from the Special Gifts account the additional $7,500 needed. When the investments have been liquidated, in the Bequest Account, repayment will be made to the Special Gifts Fund. This motion was 2nd by J. Sutton. Motion passed.

11. A suggestion was made that the President of the Council write a monthly article in the V&B. It is hoped that this action will increase communication to the congregation regarding issues, rumors and other items of concern which may be presented.

12. Special thanks goes to Carl Benfanti and the Property Committee who addressed the potential problem with one of the chandeliers in the

sanctuary.

13. M. Sommerfeld reported he had received a letter from Pastor Ewen, Assistant to the Bishop, describing his statements given at the special Council/Call Committee meeting held on 8/1. Marty will share this communication with the congregation through the V&B.

14. L. Layton reported that St. Thomas will host a Youth Summit expecting approximately 200 kids and will be using at least 5 classrooms. This event is sponsored by the NJ Synod and will be held on Oct. 1 from 9 am to 3 pm. There will be a barbeque lunch for the kids. Linda made a motion for Council to permit the Summit, 2nd by J. Nilsen. Motion was passed.

15. Z. Zingis reported the outcome of the Cub Scout/Confirmation Class conflict of use of Luther Hall on Tuesdays. This has now been resolved. This is fine example of communication between church group conflicts and that there is always a workable solution available. Thank you to

L. Sommerfeld, L. Latchford and Z. Zingis for their compromises.

16. Z. Zingis reported on the Men’s Bible Study and they have a new member. The Men’s Group continues to grow and is always open to welcome new attendees.

17. Z. Zingis reported that the preparation of the Leadership Development

Equipping Conference is underway. The 2nd conference is scheduled to

be in mid-Oct (The 1st was held on 4/9/05). Anyone interested in

attending or participating in this conference is asked to leave a note,

indicating your interest, in Ziggy’s mailbox.

18. Z. Zingis reported the additional storage space in Luther Hall is going slowly. They are awaiting an appointment with Shawn Keneevey at Town Hall. Once final approvals are received, this Eagle Project can get underway.

19. Z. Zingis made a motion to adjourn the meeting, 2nd by J. Bailey. Meeting was adjourned at 10:15 pm.

Kindred Sisters ...

Ladies it’s time to start our fall schedule and it’s never too late for you to join us. Come and check us out on Sept. 7th at 7pm, we will show our introduction to our new Bible study, Living Beyond Yourself by Beth Moore. We are all very excited to start. We will take 2 weeks for each lesson. Each lesson consists of one-week DVD lecture and the following week our questions/answers. If you miss a week, we have an extra set of DVD’s so you can catch up at home. Join us every Wednesday, 7pm at church. If you have questions, please call Lori Sommerfeld.

WELCA

WELCA’s first meeting will be Wed. Sept. 21st at 12 noon with our “Fall Luncheon” which is always super. Bring your favorite dish to add to the buffet table which makes it so special. A meeting and program will follow.

Wed, Oct. 19 12noon - Brown bag it, desert and beverage will be served.

Sun. Nov. 13 WELCA’s Thank Offering Sunday, where the congregation can participate. Wed. Nov. 16 12noon - Our regular meeting and program. This is the time to bring in your Thank Offering box or envelope.

Come to our meeting to learn of the other special events taking place at St. Thomas.

See you on Wed. Sept. 21, 12noon.

Shalom

ST.THOMAS CHRISTIAN ACADEMY

Well, it’s that time of year again. School opens for the students on September 7th.

There will be some changes at the Academy this year. We have a new principal, Mrs. Nancy Tancona. She has been a teacher at the school for several years and was acting teacher in charge whenever Mrs. Kane was not in the building. I am sure we all wish her well in her new position. Mrs. Cynthia Kane retired as headmaster from the Academy on July 31st. She will continue to serve the school as a substitute teacher. We hope she can enjoy her retirement.

There is still time to register your children for the 2005-2006 academic year. It is never too late to give your children the education they deserve. The academy provides wonderful academic challenges, sports and more. Take time to visit the school.

Submitted by: Becky Kirschman

Church and Academy Picnic

The annual Church & Academy picnic will be held on September 25th at the Church after the 11:00 service. There will be games for the children and time for fellowship among members of the congregation and parents from the academy. Each family attending is asked to bring a covered dish to share. Hamburgers and hot dogs and beverages will be provided. There will be a sign-up sheet in the narthex for members of the congregation.

Hopefully the weather will be cooler!!!!!!

Brunch Bunch

Sorry to say that the bus trip to Lancaster was cancelled, not enough people interested.

We can look forward to Buffet Pot Luck on September 30 th at 6.pm in Luther hall.

Just bring a covered dish of your choosing. A dish relating to your heritage would be wonderful. A sign up sheet will be posted in the narthex.

More info. Call Aileen.

The Brunch Bunch meets the first Monday of the Month, come and join us!

Aileen.

Calling all women of St. Thomas...

You are being invited to a Women’s Ministry Fair, September 10, 10am. Come for a continental breakfast and information on what’s happening for the women of St. Thomas this fall and beyond. St. Thomas is in a time of transition but great ministries are still going on. We invite St. Thomas members, friends and visitors to join us. Please make your reservation on the poster in the narthex and mark your calendar. We can’t wait to get a jump on the fall activities!!

If you have questions please call Aileen Coleson or Lori Sommerfeld.

Notes from Reylene

I want to take this opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Reylene Starego and I am excitedly looking forward to becoming your new Director of Music. I hope to begin meeting all of you very soon, but I must warn you -- it will probably take me several meetings to remember your name! But I’ll work on it!

My family and I are in the process of moving to Brick from Easton PA, where I was the director of music at St. Paul’s III Lutheran Church for most of the past 18 years. My husband and I both went to college in New Jersey. I went to Westminster Choir College and he attended Rutgers -- and I taught school in North Plainfield and lived in Dunellen until we were married and relocated to the Lehigh Valley.

My husband, Ray, is a self-employed health insurance broker and works out of our home. He is a fanatic about Rutgers -- any sport they play - and he fixes up old pinball machines. He also loves to bowl and is a big fan of contemporary Christian music. In our previous church, Ray was very active with youth groups and taught confirmation classes.

My son, Anthony, is 11 and will begin 5th grade. He loves to play baseball and basketball and also likes to bowl and golf. He likes to sing and is taking drum lessons. Anthony also loves horses and wants to own one someday. Just to let you know that Anthony is a bit shy with strangers, but will be your best buddy when he gets to know you.

Just a bit about us -- we look forward to learning more about you and meeting you all soon. May God bless our endeavors as we grow together in God’s love and service.

Christmas Store

The Christmas Store Committee will hold its 2005 organizational meeting on 9-6-05 at 7:30 PM ( St. Thomas) - a ministry held each year to help many needy families enjoy Christmas.

Much help is needed to handle this project.

If you could arrange to attend this meeting, it would be appreciated.

The Committee

Any questions call:

Bona Heitman ( St. Thomas)

Bob Durr ( St. Thomas)

Bery Smithouser (St. Paul's)

Walt. Musterer (St. Paul's)

Confirmation - Head to the Heart (H2H)

Confirmation is getting ready to start. Our first evening together will be Sept. 13, 6pm. We serve dinner first and then we start our lessons. If you have a 7th or 8th grader and did not receive information concerning the program, please call Lori Sommerfeld.

H2H is looking for a few good people!!!

Once again we are in need of people or families to provide a meal for the confirmation classes. We feed about 45 and this has been a wonderful addition to our confirmation program because it gives the youth a chance to fellowship with one another. We budget each evening $25.00, which won’t buy much. We ask that you keep it simple, remember you are feeding youth, pizza, hot dogs, salad, soup etc. We are also looking for theme presenters. We just ask that you give a personal story about you or something that happened to you that would relate to our theme. If you have great stories or if something is always happening to you please call Lori Sommerfeld and she will fit you on the schedule for either a theme presenter or meal presenter. Thank you to all who have helped in the past year. You are great!!

Vacation Bible School- Kingdom of the Son

Vacation Bible School for the summer of 2005 was a big hit. We had 93 children register between the ages of 3 and 11. We welcomed 45 visitors to St. Thomas. The theme for VBS this year was on the Lord’s Prayer. Each day we focused on a different animal and a different petition of the Lord’s Prayer. We even had a chance to learn some Swahili. That made it challenging for everyone! All the children enjoyed crafts, storytime, games, snack and music. What a great time was had by everyone.

Our closing program consisted of the children singing at the 5:30pm Saturday service. They did an awesome job. We had approx. 150 people in attendance. Following the worship service we had an ice cream social with the ice cream being provided by the Hornfeck family of St. Thomas. Once we enjoyed some tasty treats we were entertained by “The Lizard Guy” also know as Silly Billy. Bill brought some of his friends along, some liked to crawl or hop but they sure kept everyone entertained. Bill was awesome.

Our mission project this year was to build a Lego house for the Habitat for Humanity of Ocean County. Well, we build two homes which will be donated along with $352.00 and an additional grant from Thrivent Financial for $160.00. The kids did a great job and are excited to hear that their quarters will be helping purchase land to build a Habitat home.

Thanks again to everyone who helped with VBS. We couldn’t have done it without you!!!

Thank you...

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the gift certificate I received the last evening of VBS. I will use it with a happy heart and take some time to be creative. You are the best.

Lori Sommerfeld

Social Ministry

Our Lego project was successful! Between accepting donations on Sundays and the VBS kids participating as their mission project, we raised $317. Thrivent added $160 to give us a total of $477. There have been some additional donations since then, so we anticipate the final total being donated to Habitat for Humanity to be more. We’ll keep you posted. A big thank you to all who participated!!

Our August project is coming to a close. We have been collecting school supplies to help needy children start the school year off right. All proceeds will be donated to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ocean County.

Our Coat Drive will begin on September 1st, and will run through September 30th. We are collecting clean, gently used coats of all sizes. Our goal is to collect 100 coats, which will be donated to the Lakewood Outreach Ministry. Please hang your coats on the coat racks marked Social Ministry Coat Drive, outside of the church office.

Social Ministry will have it’s next meeting on Monday, October 17th. New faces are always welcome - hope to see you there!

Wendy Moore

Mutual Ministry

The Mutual Ministry Committee recently cancelled their July meeting due to extreme heat. However, we will be meeting the fourth Wednesday of each month at 7:00PM at the church in the future. All are welcome.

We are here to serve you, the members of the congregations of St. Thomas. It is our function within the church to act as a liaison among the staff, congregation and council. At this time our church is going through a difficult period of adjustment which affects each and everyone of us. We may not all feel comfortable with all the changes that are taking place but this period is one of transition for St. Thomas. We, the members of the Mutual Ministry Committee, realize this and are here to try to make this as stress-free as possible. We know that not everyone views every change as a positive one. Please feel free to contact us with any suggestions or comments you may have regarding them at any time.

There are still openings for more members on this committee. Please feel free to join us.

Submitted by: Becky Kirschman

Autumn Canoe Trip:

Row, row, row your boat gently down the Manasquan… The youth group is going canoeing Saturday, September 24 th in Farmingdale. It’s a pretty gentle river and should give us a nice paddle through the fall foliage. We’ll leave around 9:30am and finish up our day with lunch. Cost is dependent on the number of people going but will be about $10 a person. Make sure to sign up on the sheet in the narthex.

Youth Fundraisers...

This year you will notice many more fundraisers than in the past years. This is due to the fact we have a huge trip planned for July 2006. We are heading to San Antonio for the ELCA National Youth Gathering. We are all excited!!! The trip will cost approx $750-$1000 per person. This is why we need to fundraise. Please help us out when you can.

September- Joe Corbi’s pizza kits and cookie dough

October 2- Potato Pancake Breakfast

October- Tupperware sale

We will always keep you posted in advance as to what we are doing. You have always been a great support to us. Thank you.

To: Friends of Maude and Bill McKnight

They are currently in the nursing facility called Renaissance Gardens at Seabrook Village in Tinton Falls, NJ. They moved there in mid-February after the Medicenter in Lakewood closed. Maude does not walk and spends a good deal of time in bed. She usually does get up and accompany Bill to the dinning room for meals. Their short-term memory is a problem, which Bill defines as being “fuzzy”. Bill and I have gone to the local driving range. He can still hit a golf ball and enjoys the putting green. The guy in the pro shop can’t believe he’s 99. Maude was 103 July 9th. They are an extraordinary couple. If you desire additional information or can give me other names/addresses that might have an interest you can contact the church office.

Gordon Kelly / Nephew and Legal Guardian

Gifts to the Memorial Garden

The Memorial Garden Fund receives gifts given in memory of loved ones and assists with the upkeep of the Garden. Recent gifts were received in memory of:

Gunhild & Sven Johansson By Anna Marie Nelson

Frank Richter By Bernice Richter

Gifts to the Organ Fund

The Organl Fund receives gifts given in memory of loved ones.

Recent remembrances were received in memory of:

Arthur Schreckenstein By Edna Schreckenstein

Treasurer’s Report

Food Pantry

Items needed for the food pantry this month are as follows:

Powdered milk/parmalat

Instant Coffee

Spaghettios

Cheerios

Canned Vegetables

From the Editor

Deadline for October Submissions: September. 15

E-mail vineeditor@optonline.net