Life with partial or total separation continues here in Florida. I know that people feel that their patience and strength are being tested. Many of you worry about your own health and those near you; you miss your friends and hugging your kids and grandkids.
“
Let not your heart be troubled. Believe in God and believe also in me
.”
Faith, hope and love will overcome fear, hopelessness and anger. We know how all of this will end, but until then, we have been actively called to build an atmosphere of faith, hope, and love in the world, even when we don’t feel like doing so.
To that end, once again, I urge you to turn your eyes to Jesus. One early saying of the church was:
Deus pro nobis
. That means, that God is on our side, he is for us. The Apostle Paul asks: "
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? Who shall separate us from the love of Christ
?
”
Nothing! We are so privileged. We have Jesus and he has won the world. This does not make us immune to viruses or free us from the responsibility of making this world a better place.We cannot close our eyes to the suffering and unfair treatment which happens around us. When evil forces seek power over the world around us, we, as Christians, are to show who we belong to. We have been called to bless, love, and pray for strangers and enemies, as well as those close to you.
I would like to once again remind you of the responsibility laid on you when you call yourself a follower of Jesus. Do not be a part of those spreading words of hate, bitterness, jealousy, or division- not written or spoken. Instead of finger pointing or blaming, bless everyone around you.
Finally, all of you, be like minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.
(Peter 3:8-9)
Blessings, perseverance and good health to all!
Pastor Mia
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Greetings from Finland!
In Finland, we too have been able to enjoy a warm June, which is a nice change from the coolness of previous years. In Finland, we have gradually lifted restrictions on Covid-19 and life is starting to feel more normal. Even restrictions on people over the age of 70 have been lifted and travel to some European countries is allowed. Unfortunately, the situation in Florida is not so good. Our intention was to open our church to worship as early as June 21, but as corona infections intensified again, we had to give up on this and continue online for the time being. This caution is necessary. Unfortunately, the situation in Palm Beach County is such that a few members of our congregation have unfortunately fallen ill. Let’s move on cautiously and with common sense!
Gradually, I start to wonder how this situation will develop in the fall and the end of the year? Can we snowbirds fly away from the snow and return from summer pastures back to enjoy the Florida sun and heat – maybe even enjoy the Miami Heat? Following the worrying corona situation, I’m already starting to prepare for a situation that this year's tourism may be canceled, and we will have to participate in the congregation’s activities remotely. That would be very unfortunate.
Blessings and joy for your summer!
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If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. (John 15:7-10)
Pertti Pietarinen
Council President
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Join members and leaders from throughout the Florida-Bahamas Synod for a virtual prayer vigil and time of lament together.
Our Florida-Bahamas Synod community is invited to gather in solidarity, to witness to one another’s pain and to lift up our prayers for peace and justice. We will hear from Bishop Pedro Suárez and other Synod leaders, and will have time to express our grief, hope, and faith.
Why Lament Matters: As a society, we have been rushing to fix the problems that plague our communities. We have urgently sought a vaccine for COVID-19. We have championed justice and reform in response to police brutality. We have tried to find modern solutions to our problems and viable alternatives to traditional meetings and events.
But through these struggles, we have seldom taken the time to mourn the loss we collectively feel. Our pain is universal, and it is time to gather as a community and lament as God’s people during this trying time.
Let us stop, for a brief moment, and share in each other’s grief and suffering. Let us support and hear one another. Let us take a break from our efforts to fix our society’s issues and spend precious time mourning together and affirming our shared mission.
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We reopened the Preschool on June 1
st
after being closed for two and a half months. It was not exactly business as usual! We are following (and exceeding) all CDC guidelines and did a great deal of preparation before we ever opened our doors.
Thirteen of our students have returned. We need to keep the number of students per day low (no more than 9), so most students are attending 3 or 4 days a week. So far, things are going pretty smoothly. Both teachers and children have been adjusting to new routines and procedures. Teachers are getting used to wearing masks all day. We are constantly cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting. We are planning activities to keep the children in small groups. The children have also adjusted to wearing masks for some activities, having their temperature checked upon arrival, washing their hands often, and
not
sharing crayons, markers, scissors or germs!
We had a lot of fun in June with our Cowboy/Wild West and Desert Habitat themes. We wore our cowboy hats and did some pretend horseback riding, made covered wagons and cactus art. The children enjoyed a visit from a very gentle Bearded Dragon (a desert lizard).
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We finished June and start July with 4
th
of July activities and our America the Beautiful theme. Our students will learn about the different habitats (mountains, forests, deserts, swamps, beaches, prairies, etc.) found all over America and study some of her famous landmarks. Later in July our theme will be Silly Summer Fun! The children might get a little wet and messy having fun with Slime (we’ll make our own), Soap, Sand and Sparkles. They will play with slime, make sandy, glittery creative art and practice writing the letter S.
Our original plan was to increase the number of students in July, but unfortunately the situation has taken a turn for the worse instead of improving as we had expected. Therefore, we shall keep our attendance numbers low this month.
The Preschool will be closed on Friday 3rd for the 4th of July holiday.
Stay safe and God Bless,
Pirjo Komonen-Campitelli
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If there is a name missing from our birthday list, please let us know ASAP, THANK YOU!
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Peter and Arja Mäkilä
finally made it to their summer home in Askainen. Their trip to Finland took 30 hrs. all together. Behind the link below you'll find their story (unfortunately only in Finnish) with some pictures.
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The last several months have been a time we will not forget anytime soon. Our lives have changed drastically from the comfortable pace of life we used to live. There are many things which were those points of comfort that we have had to just plain give up, and there is no expectation that anything will return to normal in the near future.
Coming to church is one of those things that brings comfort to many lives and this has been a struggle from both sides, not only as congregation members but also for us who are church employees.
It has been a challenge, as well as a blessing to hold these unique services for our congregation, not only musically, but spiritually as well.
I would like to personally thank every one of the wonderful musicians and volunteers who has helped make this a more comfortable experience and given their time to the church now more than ever before. This small team that you see every week has become a family within our walls and without them we could not fully operate.
The music has also evolved from more of a traditional style to one which has embraced many different musical ideas, as you may have noticed. No matter what the style of music is, the most important thing is that we play and sing everything for the glory of God. If we keep this in our hearts and minds on both sides of the camera, we can all grow closer to God together, even thought we may not be in the same room.
Worship and togetherness are something that we all crave, and we hope for a time when we can all share in this comfort as one body inside our church walls. We need to look out for each other more than ever during these times and show that we belong to the family of Jesus Christ. Please pray for one another and find comfort in Jesus.
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English language, live mid-day prayer moments are available for viewing on our Fb-page, which you can access through our website(There is a link on the bottom of our newsletter to our website). Move to the bottom portion of our webpage and you will see a picture of our fb-page. Click on our
church name
, this brings you to the site. If you receive a message to sign up for Fb, just click cancel.
Let's be together through prayer!
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Greetings From Ettanen Family
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Sami's and Tarja's daughter Ida writing from their home at Suodenniemi, Finland
What a spring it's been! It snowed on and off until May and since then it's been a sweltering heatwave! It's almost like Florida here.
We've been lucky enough to spend the quarantine together in the peaceful quiet of the Finnish countryside.
Spring is the season of birth and growth and we've had a lot of it here! Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm talking about our garden! Being quarantined at home consists of a lot of free time you usually spend on commuting and "running errands around the town" (that we soon realized are completely inane and definitely nonessential). It felt like an easy transition to take refuge between classes and spend some time outdoors, getting some fresh air. While it's been a little unusual studying medicine only via screen, they certainly haven't gone easy on us. Then again, maybe this is what the future could look like, remote doctors diagnosing you from their flowerbeds. Our garden has been given a new lease on life!
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On one of those occasions, when weeding out peonies, I started dreaming bigger. With all this time on our hands, this beautiful weather-- we could paint the stables! And so we did!
Dad lent a hand ( literally!) and now we barely recognize it to be the same building! Inspired by my great idea ( or rather combination of HGTVs Fixer Upper and Pinterest) mum expanded the landscaping around the yard. Our herb garden is thriving and her new mini-pergola is ridiculously cute. Good job dad! Moss does not grow on a moving rock.
Speaking of keeping busy, dad has taken to recording Facebook Live's with great enthusiasm, seeing that it gives him an automatic break from the hustle and bustle that mum and Pinterest create into his day. He has seriously considered deleting the app from mum's phone. But they seem so happy. Even if he gets 15000 steps in a day executing whichever new idea they're working on.
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Mum has found ways to keep herself busy too ( micromanaging garden projects only takes so much of ones time) and if I'm being honest, I'm not complaining. She's been busy testing out new recipes and baking all sorts of goodies. Both dad and I have been enjoying this. Dad disgruntedly admitted to enjoying them an additional three kilos worth. We were put on salad and herring diet from there on. You all get to try out her new bakings next winter I'm sure! But beware, they're deceptively good!
Summer wishes from
Ida, Tarja and Sami (+doggies)
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We warmly thank all those who have remembered and supported our congregation through their gifts. We are living through economically challenging times, and we need your prayers as well as financial support, so that our work can continue year round.
God tremendously blesses you and your gift!
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Let's enjoy summer on both sides of the Atlantic!
Photos on the left (above on your phone) from Delray Beach Florida and those on the right taken by Erkki Kylmälä from the shores of Simojärvi, Raunua.
Dearest God, we thank you for the beauty of nature. Give us the will and ways to preserve the beauty, pureness, and diversity around us. Amen.
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CHALLENGE TO EVERYONE!
We challenge each of you to
bring joy to all of us.
All you have to do is to send 1-2 summer photos or a videoclip, that you are in. We will assemble these pics and videos in our August Newsletter and put a shared greeting on our FB-page.
We miss you and hope that a photo or video will help ease this feeling.
Join us to bring a smile on our face!
Thank you in advance!
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On Sunday, June 7th, we participated, along with our music team, in a live summer-broadcast invloving Finnish Lutheran churches accross America. There is a link for this broadcast on our Finnish language webpage. Our aprox. 3 minute long music performance can be seen from the link below.
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For those of us involved, our Sunday online services are the highlight of the week. We hope that they bring glory to God and are also joyful and nourishing to those who follow them. It is a privilege to come to church and hold these online services. Many congregations see all of their services from those working at home. We have also received much joy from the few loved ones who have come to church during this time.
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Father's Day and mid-summer Sunday services were delayed by a week, but the singing of Lauri and Suvi-Katriina, as well as the playing of Merja and other musicians was magnificent a week later. In a familar style, the English service was relaxed and fun, even though we missed the Karvonen's.
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Blessed July to everyone!
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St. Andrew's Lutheran Church | (561) 582-0554 | 928 South E Street, Lake Worth, FL 33460 | www.standrewsfl.com
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