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Members           What does it mean to be a member? How do you "do membership?" Here are some thoughts on membership at St. Stephanus, including the procedural and administrative matters that make a congregation a living and growing organization. I hope the following ideas will make your membership here more meaningful. In the past such ideas were modeled by the grandparents and parents. But in our highly mobile and increasingly secular culture, an understanding of church membership is no longer a given. It has to be learned and practiced. But if you practice your membership, you will be practicing your faith---former pastor Jim Bender. Office While office data may seem irrelevant to a person's relationship with their Lord, it isn't irrelevant to your church because it helps us take care of you spiritually. We can help each other out by... Notifying the office of household changes--births, deaths, address changes, phone number changes, etc. Calling the church office for a pastoral visit when troubled, sick, or hospitalized. Hospitals do not call the church. Checking your narthex mailbox for memos and other information. It saves the church mailing costs. If you don't have a narthex mailbox, please see Pastor Bender. Informing the church office or the elder of your district if you happen to move away, or for some reason can't worship with us. You will need a transfer or a release to another church. Signing an attendance pew card. These cards help the Lay Ministry board and Board of Parish Education keep track of our members' worship life. If attending a church somewhere else on any Sunday, please pick up a visitor's card and place it in the offering plate when you attend St. Stephanus again. This is especially important for CLS parents.

Mutual Care

St. Stephanus membership is about belonging to a community of believers. Our Christian community cares for each other in a number of ways such as...

• Noticing and befriending those who sit next to you on Sunday morning. When they are gone, let them know you missed them.
• Allowing our church leaders to observe the Sabbath. Please reserve your questions, concerns, and tasks for another time of the week.
• Noticing and befriending the new face that walks through our doors. The time is ripe for them to be touched by God's grace in worship. By boldly welcoming them, you are making their heart more receptive to welcoming the Heavenly Father.
• Working through the channels. We elect and entrust our own members to be leaders. Sometimes we may not agree with their leadership, sometimes we may have questions or concerns. Please consult your sponsor, elder, or the chair of the responsible board with your questions, concerns, or encouragement. Pastor is always open to your thoughts, ideas, and concerns.
• Joining in the high mission of supporting Central Lutheran School. We have the opportunity to give sacrificially--even if you don't have children there.
• Tithing, which means giving 10% of your income. When the stewardship drive comes around and we talk about money and speak of 10% giving, it isn't the church's greed but it is the Lord's challenge. God has promised he will provide for all our needs.
• Studying God's Word. Sunday morning offers the most convenient time to study his word, but small group Bible studies are available at various times throughout the week as well.
• Forgiving each other when we are hurt. Apologizing to each other when we hurt others. St. Stephanus is filled with "normal" people who sometimes hurt each other. But God encourages us to speak forgiveness upon each other that we may all experience a new start.
• Keeping informed by reading the Sunday morning bulletin, the Chimes, and the Voters Assembly minutes. Depending on your involvement in different ministries, you may be getting other calendars (acolyting, greeter, usher, lector, etc. schedules). Please transfer the scheduled dates to your home's master calendar so that we can always rely on you.

Worship

Worshiping is a skill. Faithful worship involves learning new hymns and orders of service, mutual care and encouragement of those sitting around you, mental participation in the story of the liturgy, emotional preparation to be quiet and hear, and spiritual readiness to receive God's Word. We all come to church with different mindsets, difficulties, and needs. Some of us have little children to care for, others "can't" sing, others are lost in the hymnal, others have just received hard news. You will grow in meaningful worship by...

• Arriving at least ten minutes before the service to prepare your heart and mind.
• Sitting up front so that the sound of the singing supports you from behind and that the view becomes more open and less distracting. Sitting up front helps the children pay attention to the action up front, instead of the action all around them and the backs of people's heads.
• Training your children to worship. Encourage them to participate in whatever way they can, according to their age level. There is no minimum age to teach children to worship.
• Helping babysit the busy mothers/fathers with restless children.
• Singing, even if you don't feel like it--by singing you are thus stating that God's promises are true despite our feelings. Sing even if you are tone deaf--thus you will be demonstrating the higher reality of God's acceptance of you and living in faith that he receives your joyful noise with glee.
• Boldly participating with us. By boldly speaking the creed and singing the liturgy with your whole heart, and giving firm handshakes with the greeting, "God's peace by with you," you are making a public witness among us that this hour of worship is meaningful and unique. We will all be strengthened by your bold leadership in worship participation.
• Listening to the sermon and looking attentive. The communication during a sermon goes both way. Pastor is strengthened and emboldened to preach when he sees a people actively listening.
• Tying the pieces together by seeing how the scripture texts, hymns, and sermon tie together with the season of the church year.
• Respecting the dignity of the occasion. Such respect is shown by dressing appropriately and avoiding flash photography, baseball caps, walkmans, beverages, or snacks.
• Remembering that we have cassettes available for you if a service touched you in a significant way, if you would like someone else to hear it, or if you were just too distracted or too sleepy to pay attention. Contact Clayton Piepkorn and he will make you a copy.
• Preparing your heart to receive Holy Communion. Such preparation would include taking inventory of our lives and offering ourselves to the Lord that he would forgive us, change us, and enable us to serve him. If you are worshipping with visitors and they wonder if they are welcome to our rail, please direct them to the questions posed in our Sunday morning bulletin. If they can affirmatively answer each, they are welcome. They are also welcome to discuss the concern with pastor, but please approach pastor with at least ten minutes still remaining before worship begins.
• Continuing to learn about worship. If you have questions, please see Pastor. Worship should be comforting, but not necessarily comfortable because we should be open to being challenged and stretched in our worship life.

Pastor

Just as Jesus was a servant, so also the pastor is the servant among us. We can make his service more joyful among us by...

• On Sunday, writing all requests or information down and placing it in his narthex mailbox. He is not able to remember the items said in passing on Sunday mornings.
• Respecting the Pastor's Day of Rest, which is Friday. Please do not call his home on that day unless it is an emergency. He keeps office hours (10-12, M-Th) to make it convenient for you to reach him. It is best to get him in the office, rather than at home.
• Communicating directly with the pastor. Please don't place the responsibilities on the pastor, his wife, or church and school staff to communicate to each other what you need communicated. Don't make any assumptions that what the pastor knows, they know, or visa versa.
• Regarding him as called by God to be your shepherd. As such, pray for him daily, be patient with his human weakness, support him in spirit, word, and deed, and speak well of him.