Community of Christ Lutheran Church          Phone: (419) 877-0607
                6517 Finzel Road                                                           
                Whitehouse, OH 43571

General Information

Reading Material Available - The recent issues of The Lutheran and Christ in Our Home are available on the information table in the Gathering Space.  Please help yourself to any of the material on the table!

Announcement Procedure - Please make sure all of your announcements are in the church office by Wednesday mornings to be printed on the announcement sheet. This is how we will be announcing our church events.

Church Address Has Changed - We now have a mailbox in front of the church!  Members are welcome to drop off any mail or items for the church in the incoming box.  This is a very secure mailbox.  Because we now have mail delivered here, we no longer need our Post Office box.  We will no longer be receiving mail through the PO Box 2602.  Please use our street address of 6517 Finzel Rd. when mailing items to the church.

Fair Trade - Ten Thousand Villages is part of a worldwide movement striving to practice fair trade.  Fair trade is an alternative approach to conventional international trade.  It is a trading partnership aimed at sustainable development for excluded and disadvantaged producers.  It seeks to do this by providing better trading conditions, by raising awareness and by campaigning.

The key principles of fair trade include:

You can shop online at http://www.tenthousandvillages.com.  Don’t forget coffee & chocolate items are available for sale in the buffet cabinet in the hallway.

Hospitalized Or Sick? - Be sure to inform the Church Office of your anticipated hospitalization or surgery.  Both Pastor Ron and Pastor Rich are honored to have a prayer with you before your surgery and also visit you as you are hospitalized or recovering at home.  But we have to be informed.  Hospitals no longer call the church informing us of members hospitalized.  Please make an effort to call the church as you anticipate health issues.  Privacy is also respected if you don’t desire to be remembered in prayer during the services. 

Coffee Hours At The Church - Now that we have such a nice facility, we would like to begin having regular coffee hours in the gathering space after each service beginning in September.  The Saturday 5:00 service has been doing this for some years now.  We will be contacting members about their willingness to participate in this ministry and for their preference of service and put on a rotating schedule, which will be published in the newsletter each month.  With so many families, you would only be doing this once in awhile.  Thanks for your cooperation in providing this important part of our hospitality ministry outreach.  Food is optional.  A user-friendly instruction page will be posted on the coffee machine that will be on a special cart that rolls into the gathering space. 

Kitchen Use Guidelines - A Kitchen Committee was established earlier this year at the request of the Church Council with their task to develop policy and rules for using our new kitchen.  After many meetings and much discussion, it was determined that use of the new kitchen and appliances at this time would be limited to church members only.  To avoid scheduling conflicts, a Kitchen Request form was created and is to be used when requesting the kitchen.  This form is available in the church office.  It was also decided that in order to use the new appliances (grill, warming oven, convection oven, dishwasher, etc.) the user must attend a short training session.  This is a "one time" training and their name will be added to a list of church members who have been trained to use the appliances.  These rules have been approved by our Church Council.  If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Kevin Swagler, Council Rep.  Kitchen Use Guidelines are here: Kitchen Use Guidelines.

Newsletter Deadline - The newsletter deadline is the 15th of the month prior to the next newsletter.  Please email your newsletter items to the church office at: secretary@commofchrist.org.  If you have any questions, please call Sherrie in the office at (419) 877-0607.

Nursery - is available at the 10:00 AM service.  However, due to space and staff limitations, we ask that parents limit this to kindergarteners and under.

Did You Miss Last Sunday’s Bulletin Insert? - Stop by the church and pick one up from the information table in the foyer.  They are available every week.

Adopt A Shut-In - We have several members who are unable to attend worship regularly and would really enjoy a visit from another member of our church.  So we are going to try a new program, which would involve a church member signing up to “adopt” another homebound member and visiting them at least once a month, and also sending cards on birthdays and other occasions.  If you feel called to do this important ministry in our congregation, please call Nancy Ferne or Susan Nofzinger for a list of members waiting for a visit from you!  Some of you may already do this for a certain person; if so, please let us know so we don’t reassign them. We have had 3 members choose a shut-in so far, so that is very exciting!  Please contact us so you can be part of this important ministry.

Altar Flowers - There is a Flower Calendar on the bulletin board so that you may sign-up. The flowers can be dedicated in honor or memory of someone or To the Glory of God. Altar flowers can also be given for many reasons among them are:  Anniversaries, Birthdays, Baptisms, First Communions, Confirmations, Graduations, etc! To reserve your dates for next year, see the Altar Flower Chart on the Community bulletin board.  The cost to you will be $17. This price will include flowers, set-up and delivery!  All you do is take them home.  Please remember to put your dedication on the index card as you sign up for your date. We want to make sure your event or special occasion gets recognized the way you intended for it to be.

If you have signed up for Altar Flowers for future dates, please make sure to pull the index card out and put your dedication on the card. This will save the church office a call during the week, unfortunately we can’t always reach people and we want to make sure your dedication accurate.

Why Absentee Ballots Are Not Allowed by the ELCA and the Northwestern Ohio Synod - Occasionally I receive calls from congregational members who are changing or updating their constitution regarding the stance of this church on the use of absentee ballots by members of the congregation.  While there are valid reasons why absentee ballots would be helpful to congregational members, the validity of such balloting is not an easy thing to ensure.  This is one of the reasons that I advise people that congregations should follow the ELCA and synodical recommendation that there should be no absentee balloting.  I discuss the validity of ballots as well as other reasons below, including:

1.  In each congregational constitution there is a statement that talks about a 'quorum', which means there are enough people present from your membership to hold a meeting.  Each congregation defines this in terms of numbers of people or percentage.  A quorum refers to the number of members PRESENT at any given meeting.  Absentee ballots are not counted in this quorum.

2.  Congregational constitutions are often challenged when there are issues that arise of a contentious nature - i.e., any item of business that has two very distinct parties:  typically those for and those against. In the case of a vote for an issue involving contention, it is very likely a vote will be challenged.  There will be questioning of voting numbers if absentee ballots are used.  To keep voting from being challenged, keep the voting to only those present at meetings.

3.   Unless an individual's absentee 'ballot' is certified and notarized, you cannot be sure the person submitting that ballot is indeed who they say they are.  This can be challenged in the future. 

If you have any questions about this issue, feel free to call me at (419) 423-3664 or email me at kathy.lemmerbrock@nwos-elca.org.

God's peace, Kathy Lemmerbrock, Northwestern Ohio Synod Administrator

Practical Tips for Sharing your Faith:

Community of Christ Lutheran Church Endowment Fund - The endowment fund is established for the purpose of providing members of the church and the community an opportunity to make gifts that become a permanent endowment of financial support and a loving memorial to those whom the church has served in the past, as well as those it will serve in the future. The endowment fund is designed to offer a balanced portfolio that not only can provide income, but also distribute principal for the appropriate missions recommended by the Endowment committee and approved by the Church Council. 

In addition to cash donations, there are many ways to contribute to the Mission Endowment Fund. One of the ways is through the designation of the Mission Endowment Fund as a beneficiary on: 

Long range planning is necessary in addition to current needs and provides funds down the road to ease those current needs.  If you would like more information, speak to a member of the Endowment Committee or Pastor Ferne.

Need to Borrow Tables or Chairs from the Church? - We are glad to lend out tables or chairs for your personal events. They are lent out on a first come, first serve basis by calling the church office for your reservation.  Please do not come and borrow tables or chairs without calling the church office before hand. This allows us to fulfill our commitment to those on the schedule.

Transferring Membership? - If you are a member of another Lutheran congregation and would like to join Community of Christ, please talk to Pastor Rich.  He will meet with you and explain who we are and our ministry here at Community of Christ.  We are always looking for new members as together we serve Christ!

A Grocery Cart in the Foyer? - Did you ever wonder why a grocery cart sits in the church entry way?  Here at Community of Christ we support the Feed Your Neighbor Program by sending canned goods to Salem Lutheran Church in north Toledo and the Whitehouse Food Pantry. By placing the shopping cart in the foyer, it is a reminder to us that there are those less fortunate when it comes to feeding their families.  These Feed Your Neighbor Programs are a vital part of our Outreach program as they continue to minister to families in need. Your continued support is appreciated by all.  Any non-perishable goods may be donated.

Food Pantry Information - We support both the Salem Lutheran Church Food Pantry, Toledo and the Whitehouse Food Pantry.  Both pantries are interested in canned/boxed meats and meals which can make up a stand-alone meal such as hamburger helper, tuna fish & noodles, spaghetti and meatballs, etc.  Also needed are any kinds of canned fruit and all kinds of vegetables except corn & green beans.  Paper products are also welcome since these are not covered by food stamps.

From the Church Office - If you come by the church during the week, please be prepared to use your church key.  During the times that Pastor Rich is out of the office, the doors will be locked.  If you don’t have your key handy, please stop by anyway, and knock on the door and we will let you in.  Thank you!

Memorial And Honorium Designations - Community of Christ welcomes both memorials (given in memory of individuals) or honorariums (given in honor of some event or person living).  These gifts can be given to the church and designated for our Memorial or Building Fund. So when you want to give a memorial or honorarium, (to celebrate a birthday or special event, wedding, graduation ordination, anniversary) please consider giving it to our own church.   These gifts are also listed on your personal giving statements.

Recycle Those Aluminum Cans - For years we have been recycling aluminum beverage cans.  Please don’t crush them as the weight becomes overburdening.  We are changing our collection drop-off point because of construction to the direct opposite side of the building.  Our old fence will be constructed in the opposite corner near the Dutch Road entrance door.  The proceeds of the can money along with the noisy offering goes to the Building Fund.  Save your cans from your home, neighbors and work and bring them here!

Prayer Shawl Ministry- This is a ministry of prayer and care for those in great need. Prayers of healing and love are woven into the prayer shawl as it is made, for the person who will receive it. A card or letter is given with a prayer for the recipient to pray as the shawl is being worn.  Knitted or crocheted shawls are made and given to men, women and children who have a great need for love and prayer in their lives as they face physical or psychological issues in their lives.

How are they made?  This ministry combines knitting/crocheting and praying as you make beautiful prayer shawls with love and care for those in great need. Just follow the directions for making the prayer shawl and pray as you knit/crochet, for the person who will receive the shawl.

Who receives them? Men, women and children with great need for love and prayer including the homebound receive a prayer shawl. "If they can't come to church we bring church to them. We reach out to meet the needs of those whom God brings to us" (Quotations used by permission of Bette Shellhorn, July 17, 2002) Some references are taken from The Lutheran, December 2001; Knit one, pray one. In a letter to Ms. Shellhorn, Marge tells men, "Don't confuse this with a Jewish prayer shawl, gentlemen. This shawl is for those times when you are sick at heart or body and need to feel surrounded by a warm hug filled with the love and prayer of others who are pulling for you."  

Simply Giving - Have you considered the convenient way of giving your offering to the church?  Simply Giving is a free service provided by Thrivent for Lutherans for individuals to have their church offerings electronically transferred from their account to the church’s account.  We now have 18 envelope users at Community of Christ which use this service and we would like to increase that number as it provides a consistent level of financial giving even when the members are away.  Please call the office and talk to Sherrie or pick up a brochure on the Information Table in the Foyer.

Give it a try and see what you think!  Do your financial contributions tend to be the same on a weekly or monthly basis? Simply Giving is great!  You can just have your contributions transferred from your account to the churches account.  This can be done weekly, bimonthly, monthly or if you have specific dates you would like to use.  Have you every sat down in worship and realized you left your envelope at home?  No more checks to write, no looking for you envelopes on Sunday mornings and no more check writing at the beginning of the service!  This so convenient, and everyone benefits.  It is a time saver for our members, and it allows the church to have a consistent cash flow, especially as summer attendance can present a financial challenge for the church.  If you are interested, call Sherrie in the office and she will help you out.  There are also forms available on the information table in the foyer.  If you want to try it for a few months, and decide you don’t care for this method of donating, we can make that change back for you at anytime.

Do You Know? - Do you know why we carry our offering up to the Altar during worship instead of having the plates passed through the rows?  When our Church was started in 1974 the organizing committee made this decision because by carrying our offering up to the altar we are giving it and we are giving ourselves - where if an offering was collected from the congregation it would be asking.  Maybe a small thing - but doesn't it make you feel better to know that you are "giving"?

What Is Thrivent®? - Many of you have read of Thrivent around our church and are aware of the financing provided for our new building and the Simply Giving program.   However, there are more than these financial benefits received from Thrivent.  Thrivent started in June 2001.  Aid Association for Lutherans and Lutheran Brotherhood agreed to merge, forming the largest fraternal benefit society in the world.  Since Thrivent as the IRS defines, is a fraternal benefit society "one whose members have adopted the same or a very similar calling, avocation, or profession...working in union to accomplish some worthy object."  The IRS also notes that members of a fraternal band together as a society to "aid and assist one another and promote the common cause" and engage in activities of a "beneficial and fraternal character."

Thrivent offers assistance in the following areas within and around our congregation:

Care Abounds in Communities® - This program supports our members' volunteer activities that benefit individuals, families and nonprofit organizations in the Northwest Ohio area.  Funds in excess of $30,000 are distributed annually in West Lucas County.  If you know of a need, contact a coordinator.  

Care in Congregations® - This program supports our members' volunteer activities that benefit our congregation and related Lutheran institutions.  Examples are the bake sales and dinners to benefit the youth and other events to support our building and organ funds.  We received a total of $1,600 in 2008. 

Care in Regions® - This program brings Thrivent Financial for Lutherans members, financial representatives and other volunteers together to make a significant difference for a cause that is meaningful in their region.  The Thrivent Builds Habitat homes are regional events.

Join Hands Day - Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and its members are strong supporters of this national volunteer day of service. Sponsored by America's fraternal benefit societies, this special day brings adults and youth together to showcase the power of grassroots volunteer activities when it comes to helping communities. 

Normally held in early May, activities such as cleanup and painting projects have been held. If you have an interest or idea to become involved and/or coordinate an activity of Thrivent please contact one of our Congregational Coordinators: Kathy Phillips, Don Schroeder or Barb Thober.   You can read more detailed information at www.thrivent.com.