Current Events
All of the events for the current month can be found on the Calendar page. Below are some of the events coming up in the next few months that you may want to put on your calendar:
SUNDAY WORSHIP
8:00 a.m. Contemplative Communion
8:45 a.m. Choir Rehearsal
9:30 a.m. Classic Communion Service in the Chapel and Facebook Live
September 8th – 16th Sunday after Pentecost
First Reading: Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9 – Sayings concerning a good name and generosity
Psalm 146 – I will praise the Lord as long as I live. (Ps. 146:2)
Second Reading: James 2:1-10 – Faith without works is dead
Gospel: Mark 7:24-37 – Christ healing a little girl and a deaf man
TEXT STUDY
Monday, September 9th – 10-11 a.m. in the Garden Room and via Zoom
Texts for Sunday, September 15th – 17th Sunday after Pentecost
First Reading: Proverbs 1:20-33 – Wisdom’s rebuke to the foolish
Psalm 116:1-9 – I will walk in the presence of the Lord. (Ps. 116:9)
Second Reading: James 3:1-12 – Dangers of the unbridled tongue
Gospel: Mark 8:27-38 – Peter’s confession of faith
Monday, September 9th – 10-11 a.m. in the Garden Room and via Zoom
Texts for Sunday, September 15th – 17th Sunday after Pentecost
First Reading: Proverbs 1:20-33 – Wisdom’s rebuke to the foolish
Psalm 116:1-9 – I will walk in the presence of the Lord. (Ps. 116:9)
Second Reading: James 3:1-12 – Dangers of the unbridled tongue
Gospel: Mark 8:27-38 – Peter’s confession of faith
Centering Prayer…
…is an ecumenical, non-sectarian practice of silent prayer. Centering prayer groups are hosted by Lutherans, Catholics, Methodists and more. Here in San Diego County, there are Centering Prayer groups meeting every day of the week and all are open to anyone who would like to practice this form of prayer… and ‘practice’ is the right word for it. We are all learning, deepening, maturing in our faith and our ability to enter into the life of Christ through this and other forms of prayer. Each gathering consists of a 20 minute sit, then the balance of the time is spent in spiritual reflection. Starting in October the Zoom group will reflect on Richard Rohr’s book “Everything Belongs: The Gift of Contemplative Prayer. If you would like to participate in a centering prayer practice, look on http://www.contemplativeoutreachsd.org for the complete schedule of San Diego County groups or contact Pastor Karla for details. Our centering prayer group meets on Tuesdays at 11 a.m. via Zoom. Those who prefer to pray and keep silence ‘in person’ meet Thursdays, 11-12:30 in the chapel or the Garden Room. New participants are always welcome. Contact Pastor Karla (858)883-8038 or Diane Langworthy at (619)403-6822 or dlangworthy1952@gmail.com for the Zoom link or any questions.
GLC Voted YES!
to becoming a Reconciling in Christ Congregation!
The vote was unanimous at the congregational meeting last Sunday. What does this mean? This means that we’ll be listed in the public records of Reconciling Works, our ELCA partners that work for inclusion of our LGBTQIA+ neighbors, racial equity and justice for those who have been marginalized. We will have access to their materials, logo, and other resources to help us in our goal of becoming more inviting to people in our community, especially those who have been pushed out of churches in the past when their full identity or history has become known.
In tandem with our Reconciling in Christ Congregation designation, our Council is working on updating our welcome statement.
THIS WEEK
SUNDAY WORSHIP — September 8, 2024 – 16th Sunday after Pentecost
Contemplative Communion Service at 8:00 a.m.
Choir Rehearsal at 8:45 a.m.
Classic Communion Service on Facebook Live and In Person in the Chapel at 9:30 a.m.
TEXT STUDY — Monday, September 9, 2024 – 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. in the Garden Room and via Zoom
CENTERING PRAYER — Tuesday, September 10th via Zoom and Thursday, September 12th in the Chapel
GLC/MMAC BOOK CLUB – Wednesday, September 11th – at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom
DEACON JENNIFER’S INSTALLATION AND ORDINATION – September, 14TH – 2:00 p.m.
LOOKING AHEAD
OUR WORK TOGETHER DAY
Thanks to those of you who came to work or bring treats on Saturday. We got quite a bit done. We’ll take August off and be back to work in September. Stay tuned for our next “work together day!”
WELCOME DEACON JENNIFER BARKER –
SAVE THE DATE!
Saturday, September 14 at 2pm will be Deacon Jennifer’s ordination service in the Gethsemane Chapel. It will be a celebration of great joy and a gathering of local pastors and deacons to uplift her and us in the ministry we are called to together. You won’t want to miss this… especially if you haven’t been to an ordination before. Everyone should plan to attend. More details will be forthcoming!
LOOKING AHEAD
OUR WORK TOGETHER DAY
Thanks to those of you who came to work or bring treats on Saturday. We got quite a bit done. We’ll take August off and be back to work in September. Stay tuned for our next “work together day!”
WELCOME DEACON JENNIFER BARKER –
SAVE THE DATE!
Saturday, September 14 at 2pm will be Deacon Jennifer’s ordination service in the Gethsemane Chapel. It will be a celebration of great joy and a gathering of local pastors and deacons to uplift her and us in the ministry we are called to together. You won’t want to miss this… especially if you haven’t been to an ordination before. Everyone should plan to attend. More details will be forthcoming!
LIVING THE RESURRECTION
…is our baptismal calling. It is about living with joy and hope in the midst of real life where we become a blessing to our community and the world around us. It is also an 18 month guided practice of outreach to each other and to our neighbors. During the months of June and July, our Living the Resurrection team will be conducting interviews of (hopefully) every member of our congregation, either in person or by phone or zoom (your choice) to collect your thoughts on what makes GLC unique.
WELCOME STATEMENT
We humbly welcome all to join us in worship and to participate in the mission of building community, embracing the work of racial, social, gender and economic justice, and equal opportunity for people with differing abilities, seeking equity for all.
We believe in including everyone. We cherish diversity, including your race, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, marital status, social or economic state, physical or mental challenge, addiction history, geographical location and whether you are confident or questioning in your faith. There is nothing that separates you from the love of God through Christ Jesus.
Our unconditional welcome is an open and sincere invitation for you to fully participate in all facets of our Christian community: the Lutheran sacraments (baptism and Holy Communion), other sacred rites (confirmations, weddings and memorials), Christian education and fellowship, and congregational leadership and service.
“You are all God’s children through faith in Christ Jesus. All of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither slave nor free; nor is there male or female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:26-28, Common English Bible)
STOREFRONT: DINNER IS SERVED!
GLC takes dinner to Storefront, the shelter for homeless teens, on the first Monday of each month.
ARE YOU AVAILABLE TO HELP OR PARTNER WITH A FRIEND??
THANK YOU, Linda Juhasz for signing up for September.
Would you be willing to sign up for October? November? Or December?
Please sign up in the narthex or call the office. (Don’t forget you can team up.) This is one way we serve our youthful neighbors. Thank you all!
Even if you can’t provide dinner on a Monday, perishable and non-perishable breakfast, lunch, and snack items are also needed, such as milk, orange juice, and cereal (teenagers can go through LOTS of cereal!), bread, sandwich meat/cheese and individual bags of chips, cookies, ramen cups, Hot Pockets, frozen breakfast sandwiches, you name it! Bring non-perishables to the office on Wednesday or Thursday, or to worship any Sunday and put them in the Storefront basket, or contact Pastor Karla for pick-up/coordination for delivery of perishable or frozen items. Also, checks made out to San Diego Youth Services (Storefront written in the notes) can be mailed directly to San Diego Youth Services, 3255 Wing Street, San Diego, CA 92110 or if given to Gethsemane, note “Storefront” in the notes line.
MMACC/GLC BOOK CLUB
This is our book club with an opportunity to mix and mingle with readers from the Mary Magdalene community. It is a wonderful fellowship opportunity. We meet on the 2nd Wednesday of each month. Our next meeting is September 11th, 7:00 p.m. on Zoom and the book is “The Little Liar” by Mitch Albom.
Here is a little bit about it from the publisher.
Eleven-year-old Nico Krispis has never told a lie. His schoolmate, Fannie, loves him because of it. Nico’s older brother Sebastian resents him for both these facts. When their young lives are torn apart during WW2, it will take them decades to find each other again.
Nico’s innocence and goodness are used against his tightly knit community when a German officer barters Nico’s reputation for honesty into a promise to save his loved ones. When Nico realizes the consequences of the betrayal, he can never tell the truth again. He will spend the rest of this life changing names, changing locations and changing identities, desperate to find a way to forgiveness—for himself and from the people he loves most.
Albom’s extraordinary storytelling confronts the destruction that lying can wreak both on the world stage as well as on the individual lives that get caught up in it. The Little Liar speaks to hope, in a breathless page-turner that will break your heart open and fill it with the power of the human spirit and the goodness that lies within us all.
Narrated by the voice of Truth itself, The Little Liar is a timeless story about the power of love to ultimately redeem us, no matter how deeply we blame ourselves for our mistakes.
The Zoom is sponsored by MMACC so the log-in info is different. Please contact Pastor Karla at (858)883-8038 for log-in information.
PRAYER QUILT MINISTRY
PRAYER QUILT MINISTRY
The Quilters meet on the 3rd Tuesday of each month. They will be taking a break for July and August and meet again on September 17th from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. in the Garden Room. It would be a great time to come, get acquainted, and find out where you can fit into our congregation’s quilting ministry as we head into fall!
New participants are welcome and you need not know how to sew. There are lots of tasks that are part of making this ministry function—from prepping fabric for cutting, picking colors to go together, cutting fabric or batting, placing ties—all easy to do. Recipients of prayer quilts, crocheted throws, and prayer squares often express their wonder and appreciation of this ministry of love and healing and you can be part of providing it!
Zoom Information:
Join any of our Zoom Meetings with this link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82522613866?pwd=Tk9vQXN1T09ieFF4SXdzM0xkTEFqUT09
You can also join any of our meetings from the Zoom home page by entering our Meeting ID: 825 2261 3866 and the Passcode: Welcome (capital W, the rest of the letters small case). To join any of our Zoom meetings by phone, simply dial 1(669)900-9128. Once on the line at Zoom, when prompted enter the Meeting ID: 825 2261 3866 and then the Passcode: 3213747