Newsletter

February 2016

Jesus came to this earth, 2000 years ago, and

died for our sins. Paul says that God made him
who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we
might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor.
5:21). Because of Jesus, we are bound for an
eternity with God first, our soul resting with
him in Paradise; then, body and soul reunited,
death undone, just like Jesus on Easter, walking
with God physically in the (re)new(ed) heavens
and the (re)new(ed) earth, celebrating the feast
of feasts for all eternity. This salvation, bought by
Jesus, is central to our Christian faith.
But have you ever wondered whether there
was more to the story of Jesus than just dying for
sins and getting us to eternity? Have you ever
wondered if there was more to the Christian faith
than just being saved from your sins and being
bound for an eternity with God?
Have you ever wondered if Jesus life
mattered a lot too? Have you ever wondered if

Jesus still changes

things today? And what
if the Christian life isnt
just about doing
religious stuff
reading the Bible or
doing devotions or
praying or trying not to
sin but about even
more?
What if were called
to live like Christ in
every aspect of our
lives? Imagine if Jesus
lived in your house and
went to your work and
dropped your kids off
at school and went to
swim practice and
walked through your neighborhood grocery
store. What if you could live like Jesus and show
him to the world in a powerful, tangible way?
What if following Jesus means you get to see
what God is doing in the world around you and
get to participate in what hes doing? What if it
meant you got to be Good News to the people
around you? This life would be full, joyful,
difficult, gritty, down-to-earth, wouldnt it?
Starting February 14, were going to hear this
good news of Jesus Christ and his incarnation
into human flesh, and were going to hear about
how we can live in this world following his
pattern. Come join us for this Lenten series on
the book Flesh by Hugh Halter. Be challenged by
these questions and learn about how not just the
death, but also the life, of Jesus is good news for
the whole worldand how you can be, too.

Question:
What is the big deal of Lent and
why do we even celebrate it?
Early in the Church's history, the major
events in Christ's life were observed with special
observances, such as His birth, baptism, death,
resurrection and ascension. As these
observances developed, a period of time was set
aside prior to the major events of Jesus' birth
and resurrection as a time of preparation.
During Lent, the Church's worship assumes a
more penitential (remorseful, sorrowful,
contrite) character. The color for the season is
purple, a color often associated with penitence.
Sometimes certain hymns are omitted from the
liturgy that may contain praise type words like
Alleluia. The Lent season forms a powerful
contrast with the festive celebration of Jesus'
resurrection and hopefully we are preparing our
hearts and minds for the celebration of Easter as
we move through the themes presented in Lent.
The penitential character of Lent is not its
sole purpose. In the ancient Church, the weeks
leading up to Easter were a time of intensive
preparation of the candidates who were to be
baptized at the Easter vigil on Holy Saturday.
This time in the Church's calendar was seen as
an especially appropriate time for baptism
because of the relationship between Christ's
death and resurrection and our own in Holy
Baptism (see Romans 6:1-11). This focus would
suggest that the season of Lent serves not only as

a time to meditate on the suffering that Christ

endured on our behalf but also as an
opportunity to reflect upon our own
baptism and what it means to live as
a child of God.
Some are in the habit of "giving
something up for Lent". Please
understand it is entirely a matter
of Christian freedom. It would be
wrong, from the churchs
perspective, for the church to make
some sort of "law" requiring its members
to "give something up for Lent," since the
Scriptures themselves do not require this. If, on
the other hand, a Christian wants to give
something up for Lent as a way of remembering
and personalizing the great sacrifice that Christ
made on the cross for our sins, then that
Christian is certainly free to do soas long as he
or she does not "judge" or "look down on" other
Christians who do not choose to do this. As we
move into Lent beginning on the night of
February 10th and our Ash Wednesday service,
may this church season be a blessing to you and
a chance to grow in your faith as you reflect on
what Jesus has done for you.
God Bless,

Pastor Andy

Words from Author and Pastor

Greg Finke:
When you have a vision to become a more
missional church, the pathway for getting there
starts with a first step.
Whether you are ready for your first step or next
step in becoming a more missional church, this is
the time of year for strategic prayer and
planning.
1) The Other Prayer Jesus Gave Us to Pray:
We are all familiar with the prayer our Lord gave
us to pray... the Lord's Prayer, correct? But what
about that other prayer He also gave us to pray:
"Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers
into his harvest field," (Matthew 9:38). Let's
become as intentional and consistent in praying
that prayer the Lord gave us as we are in praying
the Lord's Prayer personally and
congregationally.
2) Mind over Matter: Second, before we can
expect anyone to live differently (missionally),
we need to help them think differently. In other
words, once people start to think, "Well, for
heaven's sake, I can do that," living missionally
will become realistic. When their minds can see
it, they will be ready to start taking small steps in
that direction. The "Joining Jesus" materials (see
below) are very effective at helping people have
these breakthrough mindset shifts.
3) "Kick-the-Tires" Before Committing:
The next proven step is to bring some leaders
to a low-risk event where they can "Kick-theTires" on what it could look like for them to live
missionally and have the ongoing support of the
congregation behind them. This starts with test
or first launch group to test the water and see
what God does and how the Holy Spirit works.
So, here's your simple strategy
for preparation: Pray, ease their minds,
help them "kick-the-tires." Do this and your
people will be ready to actually begin the
journey to becoming everyday missionaries.

Clare House Ministry

Donna Koehler
Clare House is a 24-hour emergency shelter
open to women with children and expectant
mothers over the age of 18. Residents receive
daily meals and referrals for child care,
substance abuse/mental health, affordable
permanent housing, employment and
continuing educational opportunities.
Our church was asked to support this
ministry in the 1970's by donating a meal the
second Sunday of each month for these
women and children. This is something we
have faithfully done for 40 years.
At this time we need:
(1) A coordinator,
(2) Monthly donations for this meal
(3) People to transport food donations to
Clare House on Spenard Road
This is an easy way to participate in a
ministry that reaches beyond our church
building into the community. A sign-up board
for donations is in the church narthex,
donations are brought to the church kitchen
on the 2nd Sunday and then loaded out and
delivered after second service. If you are able
to help this ministry continue, please contact
Donna Koehler, 947-3838. If we cannot find
enough people willing to fulfill this
commitment, Clare House will be forced to
locate another church/organization to do so.
Please prayerfully consider being a part of
this ministry in our community.

Dear ALC Disciples,

Like most of you, I could tell you where I
was and what I was doing when I heard that
President Kennedy was assassinated, and
when Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther
King were assassinated, and when Neil
Armstrong walked on the moon, and when
the twin towers were destroyed on 9/11,
and when we entered into the Gulf War in
the Middle East. I can also tell you where I
was and what I was doing when last nights
7.1 earthquake hit.
Like most of you, I was in bed. I was tossing
and turning, having a hard time getting to sleep, so I
was awake when it hit. As the shaking got stronger
and continued lasting longer, I thought to myself, this
is the strongest one I have felt, this could be the big
one and I may be seeing Jesus in heaven before too
long. I even said a quick prayer, Thank you, Jesus, for
loving me.
While the shaking was going on, some would say
that I was in a daze, but actually my thoughts turned
toward Jesus and I just laid there. When the shaking
stopped, my thoughts came back to earth. Kathy
called and checked on the kids and grandkids. I went
through the house and checked for damage and
picked up things that had fallen over and were
strewn around the place.
Later in the day, after hearing all of the different
stories that people had experienced through the
quake, some thoughts came to mind. There are many
different kinds of natural disasters and calamities
that occur throughout the world, earthquakes, floods,
tornadoes, tsunamis, forest fires, etc. We all know
many, many more. There are also other situations
that can threaten our lives, all types of accidents,
coming upon evil activities, terrorism, and many
more activities. From one moment to the next in our
lives we cannot be totally certain that we are safe.
Anything could happen that could be disastrous for
us. But we don't let those fears cripple us and keep us
from living our lives. Instead we live our lives as
Gods children knowing that He loves us and because
Jesus died for us we can be certain that God has
control of our lives, protecting us and keeping us safe
or bringing us home to be with Him in Heaven. So
when things get scary as they did for many people
during the 7.1 earthquake, take comfort and know
that God is holding you in His hands.
Blessings,

Terry Callies
Licensed Deacon

ALC Finances
Terry Callies, President
Mission and Ministry Council (MMC)
Let me fill you in on how things
are going financially at ALC. First
of all, THANK YOU, THANK YOU,
THANK YOU!!! Let me explain. Year
after year our income
(offerings/giving) is down in the
summertime because many people are
traveling or on vacation. We experienced
that last summer. When fall comes we usually
rebound as giving increases, making up for the
reduced giving in the summer. That did not
happen last fall. In fact, giving was down even
further. That was not unique to ALC. Many other
churches and nonprofit organizations
experienced the same thing. I sent out a letter to
the congregation early in December explaining
our situation and asking you to consider giving
an additional offering before the end of the year
to help relieve our financial situation. You
responded and you responded big time. We
received approximately $75,000 in the month of
December, getting us back to a situation where
our giving for the year exceeded our expenses.
Thank you very much for your generosity. But
we are not totally out of the woods yet. The
cushion that we have is not very big and we still
need to make it through the end of the fiscal
year, which is the end of June and includes a
couple of summer months. In my letter I also
encouraged all of you to continue tithing on a
regular basis each week. If you do that we will be
able to make it through the end of the fiscal year
and ministry will continue as budgeted. The staff
is doing their part as they have been and will
continue to monitor expenses so that only
essential expenses are incurred. Thank you in
advance for your on-going efforts to tithe in
support of Jesus ministry at ALC.
It has been suggested that we think about
having an audit at ALC. I contacted Tracy
Hartung, who is the daughter of Steve and Sherry
Hartung and grew up in ALC. Tracy is a CPA and
a partner in a well-known CPA firm. She
provided me with some valuable information. I

also obtained information from some other

sources. Here is what I found out:
1. The way churches do finances, it really isnt
conducive to doing an audit. The proper term
would be a Financial Review and one type of
Financial Review would be called Agreed
Upon Procedures. The proper way to have
this done is to hire an independent CPA firm.
They know what they are doing and they
have the expertise to convey to us their
findings and any suggested changes that
should be made to our procedures.
2. These types of Financial Reviews are quite
lengthy and therefore are quite expensive,
costing between $15,000 $25,000 for each
year that is reviewed. If we want two years
reviewed estimated costs would be $30,000
$50,000, three years $45,000 $75,000, etc.
There are also some additional costs. Our
bookkeeper would also need to be available
to work with the reviewer and we would
need to pay for her time as well as
babysitting costs for someone to watch her
children.
3. We do not have anything budgeted for a
Financial Review, nor do we have that
amount available for a Review. Because of
our financial situation, any CPA firm that we
would hire to do a Financial Review would
probably require us to pay the entire amount
up front.
4. A few years ago, two of our members who are
CPAs, Mike Boots and Cathleen Hahn, looked
over our processes for handling money and
gave us some recommendations which we
implemented. We also implemented some
additional changes shortly after Pastor Andy
got here that provided us with additional
safeguards in handling money. I described
what our processes and safeguards for
handling money are to Tracy Hartung and
she thought that they were very adequate
procedures.
5. Tracy Hartung also knows our bookkeeper,
Julie Boerger. Julie is a CPA and according to
Tracy she has an outstanding reputation. If
Julie is overseeing our finances, we should
feel pretty certain that things are in order.

Additionally, prior to Julie, Mike Boots, who

also is a CPA assisted our Treasurer, John
Eng, and before that Mike was Treasurer for
many years. Having two highly regarded
CPAs working with our finances over the past
few years should help to assure us that things
should be in order.
6. Therefore, since we are not budgeted for a
Financial Review and do not have the funds
available to pay for one anyway, and since we
have proper procedures in place and have
had extremely competent CPAs overseeing
our finances, the MMC did not see any
urgency to have a Financial review at this
time and they voted not to have a Financial
Review.

Allison Chandler, School Administrator

Ms.Chandler@ALSalaska.org

522-3636

Weighing Anchor
February 1 means Enrollment Season again
here at Anchor, as we re-enroll for the next year
as well as get the word out to new families that
Anchor is a great Christian school environment
to choose. We hope to continue to grow and are
planning for a fantastic future here at ALS.
Youre invited to attend our upcoming All
School Open House on Thursday, February 4.
Swing by anytime between 6:30 and 8:00. This is
for all current and prospective families, as well
as our church supporters. All classrooms will be
on display with teachers present to talk about
the great things happening this year at ALS. If
you have children who could benefit from
attending, this is a great time to learn all about
us as well as to talk with current school parents
who are eager to share their experience. If you
have no school-age children, come by to learn
about the ministry work that your church is
supporting. Refreshments will be on hand, and
smiling faces will be ready to meet you.
We have another Open House later in March
and April as well. These will be specifically for
prospective new school families, providing
terrific opportunities to see the school in action.
Watch for those dates to appear in later
publications. If you ever have a question or
would like more information drop on by and we
would be happy to help you.
Enrollment growth allows us to move ahead
with our strategic plan here at Anchor, focused
on reaching the most families possible with the
good news of Jesus, our primary purpose for
existing. We are excitedly planning for future
opportunities, and look forward to sharing these
with our current and future students.
Thank you in advance for spreading the word
about the Christian educational opportunities at
Anchor Lutheran, your PS-8 Lutheran School
ministry in Anchorage!

Anchor Lutheran News and Notes:

February 4 All School Open House,
6:308:00 p.m.
February 1112 League Volleyball
Tournament
Feb. 15 Presidents Day, No School K8
February 1819 11:45 Dismissal,
ParentTeacher
Conferences throughout
afternoon & evening

LWML
Joanne Fritz, President
The Womens guild meets on the first
Saturday of each month at 11 a.m. We have
lunch, a Bible Study, and then do a service
project each time. The Service project for
February 6 is packing valentine boxes for college
students and valentine baskets for shut-ins.
The service project on March 5 will be
assembling Easter Baskets for Lutheran Social
Services (LSSA). Clients of their Food Pantry can
take Easter Baskets for their children. This is a
great way to spread the good news of the
resurrection. Donations of small toys for the
baskets are needed. There will be a collection
box in the narthex.
We collect Mites on the last Sunday of every
month. What does LWML do with all that
money? They support many ministries. One of
those is MOST (Mission Opportunities Short
Term), where college students serve on mission
trips. Projects have included building a cistern in
Dominican Republic to provide dependable
water for a home for orphans with disabilities;
English language classes in Latvia using Bible
stories in reading and writing lessons; providing
eyeglasses for 572 people in Tanzania, sharing
home visits with the local pastor, and baptizing
188 people!

ALC Community Garden

Susie Mikkelsen
Any visit to Vancouver
Island, British Columbia,
Canada must include a
visit to the famous
Butchart Gardens. A
woman, Mrs. Butchart, had
an idea to transform rugged
terrain around her home. One
hundred years later these beautiful
gardens covering many acres and featuring a wide
variety of plantings are a feast for the senses.
Not as grand nor as old as the Butchart
Gardens, the Alaska Botanical garden was also the
result of an idea of creating a space that would
highlight the plants that thrive in our climate, and
it continues to grow and expand for the whole
community to enjoy.
These two different gardens have many things
in common. They both started with a simple idea.
The idea was shared, interest was created, plans
were made, goals were set, funds were found,
workers put their backs into the labor of clearing
and planting and it all was the result of an idea.
Just such an idea exists at Anchorage Lutheran.
The idea is to create a community garden to be
made available to people who have no space to
garden. The area being considered is on the flat
high ground south of the education wing. Lisa
Wilkinson and Dick Mikkelsen are the idea sharers.
They have done some preliminary research, but
they cannot do it alone. To complete this project
there will need to be participation from the
congregation from planners to laborers. The
congregation will be getting more detailed
information in the near future with the hope that
many will be willing to participate.
The idea is to raise food to be shared with those
in need in Anchorage. Not only will this be a
positive way for our congregation to interact with
the community, but it will be an opportunity for us
to grow in fellowship by working on this project
together. In other words, ALC will be Blessed as we
work together to be a Blessing.

Guest Ministry
Kathy Callies, Guest Ministry Coordinator
Valentines Day is on a Sunday this year! I
am excited that we can meet new people!
We never know who Jesus will send to
worship with us! But, He says Come all
you who are burdened and heavy
laden What a marvelous invitation to
Come and meet the One who loves us
more than anyone on earth! Id say this is
the Best Valentine ever!
So often I have met guests who are alone, lonely,
ashamed, in need of forgiveness, and God has led
them to come and worship together with us at
Anchorage Lutheran Church. This touches my heart
so deeply, as many years ago, I too was alone, very
lonely, lost, at times depressed.
God led me to worship here at Anchorage
Lutheran. A few welcomed me; some were very
unfriendly and even unkind. At times I wanted to run,
hide, and not return. Somehow Jesus kept
encouraging me to continue coming to hear the Word
and to know and accept that Jesus loves me just as I
am. In time I heard the words of the pastor saying
forgiveness is not a feeling, it is a FACT. From that
day forward, I could feel the transformation in my
heart and I began to love and accept myself as Jesus
loves and accepts me. Praise God!
The best Valentine ever! Jesus loves me just as I
am and because of that I continue to grow in His
love, to try the best I can with His Love and His Help
to extend the Hand of Jesus and the Friendship only
He can bring into our lives, to those who come just as
they are.
Please join me in showing our guests Jesus
welcome. Please look around you in the pews, before
and after worship and take the time to introduce
yourself to our guests and visitors. I guarantee, Jesus
wants to use each of us to answer the prayers of
many! We never know their pain, or what they are
going through, but we do know, Jesus brought them
to worship together with us for a reason and we are
called to love and show His love! What a better day to
begin then Valentines Day There is no better
Valentine than Jesus Christ, our Lord.
May you feel the love and blessings of Jesus! And
then, pass it on! Happy and Blessed Valentines Day.

Lutheran Social Services

of Alaska
Alan Budahl, Executive Director, LSSA
1303 W. 33rd Avenue
272-0643
Thanks to everyone who has contributed to
LSSA through the Pick.Click.Give. campaign on
the Alaska Permanent Fund online application. If
you havent completed your PFD application yet
please remember LSSA as your consider giving a
gift.
Imagine if you had to choose: Paying your
rent or getting food for your family? Paying your
utility bills or getting medicine? There is an
opportunity to help our Anchorage neighbors
and you can make a difference! Join us at the Run
& Walk for Warmth on Saturday, February 20,
2016 at 9 a.m., the race begins at 10 a.m.
Everyone is welcome to join in running or
walking this 5k to raise money to help our
neighbors make ends-meet and stay warm,
housed and fed. Register to run or walk with us
or if you cannot make it, sign up as a virtual
participant. Go to United Way of Anchorage
website and scroll down until you find the Run &
Walk and register to join in the fun. Remember
to join the Lutheran Social Services team or you
can pledge a donation under my name. LSSA
distributes all the funds raised from this event.
Thank you to those who made scarves and
hats or donated warm socks for Project
Homeless Connection on January 27th. These
warm items put smiles on many individuals who
spend their days/nights on the streets or in and
out of shelters. Also thanks to all who
volunteered at this year's event.
We are hosting an appreciation lunch for all
volunteers of the Food Pantry and the Mobile
Food Pantry on Saturday, February 6th from 11
a.m. to 1 p.m. This will also give us an
opportunity to train you in safe food handling
procedures and other safety topics as well as
share some fun and games. The lunch will be at
Gloria Dei Lutheran Church at 8427 Jewel Lake
Road. Please RSVP to Sue at 272-0643 ext. 10.

Many of you will be happy to know that we

have upgraded our phone system and we are
getting many compliments on the new system.
We purchased a new phone system in 2013 and
after numerous service calls we were finally told
that they sold us too small of a system. Turns out
most of our voice mails were not retrievable. So
give us a call we can hear you now!

Bethesda Lutheran Communities

Nelda Hamilton
Bethesda Auxiliary is one of the principal
support groups of Bethesda Lutheran
Communities. The auxiliary is made up of
approximately 4000 women and men
throughout the US. Their mission is to provide
prayerful, spiritual and financial support for
those who are developmentally challenged and
reside in Bethesda homes; and to fulfill the vision
of those special needs people to live life to the
fullest with dignity within a Christian
atmosphere. There are currently four Bethesda
homes and several apartments in the Renton,
Washington area where 32 individuals are
served.
Auxiliary membership is open to all
Christians who are interested in furthering this
Lutheran mission for an annual donation of $5.
Contact Nelda Hamilton at 240-6524 if you
would like to join the auxiliary.