Interim Pastor
The Rev. Murray D. Finck
Bishop Emeritus; Interim Pastor
Message from the Pastor:
September 2024
A Month with Moses and James
September 2024 will be an important month for our ministry at Redeemer and Saint Theodore of Canterbury. I am grateful for the many details provided in this newsletter by our parish secretary, Margo Geesing, and congregational president, Kay Pushman. I also want to highlight the New Member Reception on September 29th as several people will be joining the official membership of our community of faith. We give thanks for all who participate--members, associate members, friends, and an increasing number of visitors and guests. We are thankful for every person and for your presence at Sunday Morning Worship, the Wednesday Midweek Bible Study, and any and all other events happening at this congregation.
I wish to highlight what will be happening in September at two of our weekly gatherings, namely our Sunday Morning Worship and our Wednesday Midweek Bible Study. During these next September weeks, we will be spending some very intentional and concentrated time with Moses and with James. Let me explain…
First, a word about Sunday worship at 10:30 a.m. The appointed readings for the five Sundays in September during this waning Season of Pentecost include readings from the New Testament book of James on each of those five Sundays. Many (but not all) biblical scholars believe that the author of this book was James, the son of Mary and Joseph, thus the half-brother of Jesus. He was a very significant figure in the early Christian Church in Jerusalem. The author of this short book wrote an epistle to the Early Christian Church offering them very specific guidelines for living within this emerging faith community. This particular letter to the Church has some very unique characteristics and teachings. I will be focusing the five Sunday morning sermons in September primarily on this book of the Bible. By the 29th of September, we will hopefully all have a better understanding of this New Testament writing, its author, and its message to the Christian community.
Secondly, during our Midweek Wednesday Bible Study (12:00 to 1:15 PM), starting on September 4th we will begin a new study entitled “The Decalogue--The Ten Commandments.” We will be looking at each of those commandments to better understanding what our Lord God was giving to God's people during their journey to the Promised Land, but, at the same time, during these next weeks we will also explore the ministry of Moses as the leader of the Israelites at the time they were freed of their 430 years of captivity in Egypt. The giving of the 10 commandments is recorded in Exodus 20 and again in Deuteronomy 6. Our study of the Ten Commandments will include an overview of the entire 40-chapter book of Exodus, telling the whole story, the history, and the context of the time when God chose to give these commandments to God's people. We will also discuss and deliberate on modern, 21st century applications for these 10 directives, which were written in stone, and given to the people of God.
Any and all are always welcome to our worship services and Bible studies. Please join us as you are able to spend time in September with Moses and James, and with other people of faith and those inquiring, and mostly with our Lord God and God's Holy Word.
Continually grateful for this ministry here within the Leisure World community,
+ Pastor Murray D. Finck
The Rev Murray D. Finck, Bishop Emeritus
Message from the Pastor:
October 2024
A Gift for Those We Leave Behind
I want to write about something we may not always want to address, but it is important that we consider at this time in our lives. One of the best gifts we may leave with our families and all those whose lives go on after we breath our last and final earthly breaths is a document that indicates our preferences for the service or services that will happen as memorials and thanksgivings for our life and faith. There are a variety of important and helpful documents that will help our family members and our survivors before and after we die. Among those are a will or trust, documents indicating the medical and/or physicians’ treatment we may or may not want (POLST or MOLST), perhaps a DNR (Do Not Resuscitate), documents about arrangements with mortuaries and cemeteries, and a copy of a form that can be included in your membership file here at the church indicating some of the important details about your preferences for the memorial/funeral/graveside services.
In the past two months, we bid farewell to Jerry Brady and Pastor Gil Moore. I also was asked to lead a third funeral and graveside service for the parent of someone with whom I worked some years ago. In Jerry’s file at the church, we found a page with some of his wishes upon his death. Pastor Gil’s family clearly knew what he and they wanted. Planning those service with the families went very well and we knew the services would be what their loved one had wanted. In the third situation over which I officiated, there was nothing to go by—no predetermined or chosen hymns, no selected passages of scriptures, no indications of special music or people they wanted to be involved in the services. That family was at a loss. I had no idea what that person may have wanted. We did the best we could and used some of the most well-known hymns and scriptures, but I wondered what really were the most meaningful elements of the services to the person we were memorializing.
We are editing an “End of Life” form and some resources that will be available this month, asking if you have not already done so, that you, (Perhaps along with other family members) might consider filling out and giving a copy to us in the church office. You will have the opportunity to list the hymns you hope the congregation might sing, the scriptures you would like them to hear, and other specifics that will help your family and others and us at the church to best honor your final wishes and make the service(s) a personal witness of your life and faith.
Please accept the form as it become available. Please consider filling it out and returning a copy to us at the church. Please talk it over with family (and perhaps friends) and give them and us some details that will help us to prepare wonderful and meaningful worship and graveside services I assure you; it will be a gift to those we leave behind as we go to rest in the mercies of God.
Thank you in advance for considering taking this important step.
God’s peace and love be ever with you.
+Pastor Murray D. Finck
The Rev Murray D. Finck, Bishop Emeritus
Message from the Interim Pastor
November 2024
“O give thanks unto the Lord, for God is good. The Lord’s mercy endures forever”
Psalm 136:1
Reviewing the November calendar for Redeemer and St. Theodore of Canterbury, it looks as if we are being invited to a great potluck or smorgasbord--a feast of possibilities and gatherings is being spread out before us in this month where the time changes and so many other offerings are being placed before us. We have opportunities to worship, to fellowship, to study, to carry on the congregation’s ministry and mission, to fund raise, to remember, and to give thanks. Our spiritual and social time together is like a great Fall banquet with course upon course being set before us.
We begin the month gathering to worship on the high festival day of All Saints Sunday. We will remember those who have gone before us in the faith, and we will give thanks for the saints among us who bless our day to day living within the Body of Christ. On the second Sunday of November, the Holy Scriptures will reintroduce us to two most amazing, yet un-named women, whose lives of faith and generosity have made them renown in the pages of holy history. That weekend we will also give thanks for the Veterans who served our nation and defended our precious democracy. The last two Sundays of November remind us that Jesus has promised to return again, and we are encouraged to always be ready and filled with both thanksgiving and expectation. Pastor Brad Stienstra will lead worship again on the last Sunday of the month, the day called “Christ the King Sunday.” It is the last day in the Christian Church calendar.
In between these main courses that feed our hearts and souls, our abundantly filled tables will offer us an opportunity to meet on November 10th after worship for a brief congregational meeting as we make decisions how best to be Christ’s Church in the year ahead. The following week, everyone is invited to the Holiday Bazaar (Nov. 14-15) in the Fellowship Hall as tables, overflowing with many treasured items, will be perused by those looking for that “special something.”
During this month, the Wednesday Bible Study will continue its conversation and learning about the Ten Commandments. We meet each week in the Fellowship Hall at 12:00 noon for 75-90 minutes. At the end of November, the national holiday of Thanksgiving on November 28th gives us special opportunities to be filled with gratitude (and perhaps we will gather with family and/or friends, and may even watch a parade or a football game.)
It promises to be a wonderful month. Leaves are changing their colors and dropping to the ground. The temperature is cooling. We set our clocks back one hour on November 3rd and get the gift of an extra hour of rest. The daylight grows shorter, and the night are longer. In the midst of all the changes and with such a feast of activities and possibilities before, we are assured that our Lord God walks with us, caring for each of us, forgiving us, loving us, watching over us, saving us, and giving us great reason and opportunities to give thanks. God bless and keep you this month of November 2024!
+Pastor Murray D. Finck
The Rev Murray D. Finck, Bishop Emeritus
Message from the Interim Pastor
December 2024
“Light!”
The first page of the Bible begins with these four verses…
In the beginning when God created the heaven and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light!” and there was light, and God saw that the light was good. Genesis 1:1-4
“Let there be light!” are the first words of God as recorded in Genesis, and so with this divine mandate, the universe, including our tiny planet, began. And the story of “light” continued down through the ages.
The Gospel of John, telling the story of Jesus from the vantage point of one of his closest disciples, begins with these four verses…
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. John 1:1-4
There is a wonderful connection between the story of God’s creation and the story of Jesus’ incarnation… Light exploded into the darkness and chaos as God chose to fling and bring our universe into motion and magnificence. Divine Light, coming (adventing) in human form, entered a world that has been clouded, shadowed, and darken by the imperfection and brokenness of humanity, giving our world and each of us the hope and promise of new and renewed life.
“Let There Be Light!” will be the theme of our Advent and Christmas days during the month of December as we gather on Sunday mornings and also on Wednesday afternoons on December 11th and 18th at 3:00 p.m. On Christmas Eve, December 24th, we will celebrate the Nativity of our Lord Jesus at 10:30 a.m. in our sanctuary. During this season, we will give thanks for the many ways God shines forth in brilliant love and compassion, and we will meditate on the ways the light of God has opened our eyes, touched our hearts, and given us courage and faith throughout our lives.
I hope and pray that everyone reading this page will again be showered with the Light of God in these coming days as we celebrate the gifts and outpouring love of God! All are always welcome at Redeemer Lutheran and St. Theodore of Canterbury Episcopal Church!
Let there be light!
+Pastor Murray D. Finck
The Rev Murray D. Finck, Bishop Emeritus
Message from the Interim Pastor:
January 2025
“Behold, I Make All Things New”
Dear Members and Friends of Redeemer and St. Theodore of Canterbury,
Happy New Year. May the promises of God who promises to always be with us give us hope and faith as we enter the New Year.
The Church Calendar in January brings us the Season of Epiphany, that time as the Christian Church reflects on the early days of Jesus’ ministry. The Epiphany Season will last through the next two months, as it leads us to Ash Wednesday on March 5th, the beginning of Lent. Our primary focus on Sunday mornings these next weeks will be the stories told in the Gospel of Luke about the first days and months of the ministry of Christ Jesus.
The New Year will offer us the following:
The Wednesday Bible Study at 12:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall will begin again on January 8th. For three weeks we will finish our study of the Ten Commandments and then begin a new study, yet to be decided. All are always welcome. Please invite a friend or neighbor to these 75-minute times of study, learning, prayer, and conversation.
2025 Commitments. As written about some weeks ago, in January anyone who wishes to make their stewardship commitment will have an opportunity to fill out a pledge card for 2025, seal it in an envelope, and place it in a box on the altar. Pledges are between God and the person making the commitment. There are no expectations for this. Each person may or may not choose to make this pledge for the New Year.
End of Life Preferences. We also wrote previously that after the New Year we would hold three one-hour gatherings wherein members and friends of the congregation will be able to fill out a form that offers preferences at the time of death. We will be able to choose the Holy Scripture passages, the music and hymns, and other details about a memorial service of thanksgiving that will gather our family and friends together in worship when that time comes. Again, there is no expectation for anyone to do this, but we want to make it available for those who would so choose as it helps family when those decisions are made in advance.
New Daily Devotionals for 2025. Two new daily devotionals are now available. Christ in Our Home and Our Daily Bread are ready to be picked up and used as a daily devotional. Please find copies in the entry way of the church.
If anyone needs to communicate with me, please feel free to email, text, or call. I am normally in Leisure World on Wednesdays and Sunday mornings. Again, a blessed New Year. In the peace and light of Christ,
+Pastor Murray D. Finck
The Rev Murray D. Finck, Bishop Emeritus
Message from the Interim Pastor:
February 2025
Dear Members and Friends of Redeemer and St. Theodore of Canterbury,
The grace and peace of God be with you as we begin the second month of this year 2025. We are midway through the wonderful Season of Epiphany, those weeks within the calendar of the Christian Church when we read and focus on the ways God revealed the love of God in the earliest days of the ministry of Jesus… his baptism, his first miracle, the beginning of his preaching and teaching, his choosing of his disciples, and as he clarified his eternal and divine mission to bring the grace, compassion, and love of God to all of humanity
February is, of course, the shortest month of the year, but as I look at from the point of view of our congregation, I see it teeming with activities and invitations. Of course, we worship every Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m. Our Wednesday Bible Study at 12:00 – 1:15 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall will study the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) during the four Wednesdays of February. As promised, during this month we will offer several gatherings to allow our members and friends to fill out an “At the End of Life” document that will give indications and preferences about the services and memorials that will honor and give thanks for our lives upon our death. Those dates and times are listed at the end of this article and any and all are invited to attend one of those gatherings. A small group of people will be working on the Ministry Site Profile of the congregation, a document then shared with the Synod Office and finally, the whole church, that will help us identify a person to more permanently fill the long pastoral vacancy of this congregation. We will be receiving estimates for a new heating and cooling system for our campus, with the hopes that in the months ahead, it will be more comfortable during the times when it is uncomfortably cold or hot in our facility.
Along with all that activity within our congregation, we will pause in February, especially around St. Valentine’s Day to reflect on the ways God loves us and how we love God and one another. On Presidents’ Day Weekend, we will observe and remember those who have faithfully and courageously served in our nation’s highest office. It will be the 99th year since our nation first began, in February, to observe Black History Month, and it will be the 49th year since this observance became more formalized through presidential proclamations. We are also encouraged to continue to think how we are able to support and care for the many Southern Californians who have lost their homes and livelihoods in the devastating fires of this past month.
The month of February this year is only 28 days long and yet those four weeks offer us many reasons to gather as the people of God. This short month invites us to pray, to worship, to study, to plan, to contemplate, to support, to give thanks, and to love God and one another with heart, soul, and mind. Let us gather together as often as we are able to be the church—the people of God—and receive all that God is offering us day by day.
Here are dates and times for the gatherings to discuss, prepare, and record the information you may wish to leave “At the End of Life.” Please notice these gatherings are offered either before or after the Wednesday Bible Study. If another day of the week is needed and requested, we will add at least more offering of this gathering.
Wednesday, February 5th, 10:45-11:45 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall
Wednesday, February 12th, 10:45-11:45 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall
Wednesday, February 12th, 1:30-2:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall
Wednesday, February 19th, 10:45-11:45 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall
May our Lord God continue to bless you, watch over you, and keep you in the days and weeks ahead.
+Pastor Murray D. Finck
The Rev Murray D. Finck, Bishop Emeritus
Just a reminder:
New Member Reception in Early March. We are start the conversations and preparations for another New Member Reception for any who desire to join the official membership of the congregation. The form will be available on Sunday mornings. It is also attached to the weekly Communiqué. If you are interested, please fill out the form and give it to Pastor Finck on Sunday morning or send it to the church address: 13564 Saint Andrews Drive; Seal Beach, CA 90740. There is never any pressure for people to officially join the membership. We always welcome, include, and love our visitors, friends, associate members, and members.
Message from the Interim Pastor:
August 2025
"Decisions, Decisions"
We find ourselves in a hopeful and important time of making several significant congregational and personal decisions and plans for the days and years ahead. It is good to have before us new possibilities that may move us in new ways into the days ahead or re-affirm what we are currently doing. God made plans for the future. According to Jeremiah 29, God spoke through the prophet, saying…
“For surely I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord, “plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give a future with hope.”
God was telling the people of God that new days were dawning. Here are four decisions our congregation and our friends and members have before us these summer days.
ONE -- A CONGREGATIONAL DECISION… We recently voted to move forward with a plan to replace the old and no-longer-working heating system that fills an entire room in the lower level of the building. When the City of Seal Beach gives us the permits (and green lights) to move forward, new heating and air conditioning (HVAC) units will be installed in the sanctuary, the fellowship hall, the meeting room, and both offices in the back of the building. Each area will be zoned in such a way that they may be turned on or off completely independently. Thank you for helping us make that decision several weeks ago.
TWO -- A PERSONAL DECISION… As we have shared earlier, the Pacifica Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles have given us a total of $37,500 in ministry grants and another $12,500 in an interest-free loan that will allow us to dedicate some of our current operating funds toward the purchase of the new HVAC system. Now we individually have the ability to cover the rest of the needed funding for this system with over-and-above giving. The Council is extending a special fund-raising appeal, entitled B2B2B—Blessed To Be Two Blessings, to the friends and members of the congregation to raise at least $15,000. That amount, along with the $50,000 in grants and loans will allow us to complete the project with a very low monthly payment to repay the interest-free loan. Please prayerfully consider making a decision to support this effort as you are able.
THREE – ANOTHER CONGREGATIONAL DECISION… On August 10th, following worship, the congregation will be asked to consider the request of Seal Beach Sa-Rang Church to use parts of our campus for their congregation. Currently, this Korean-speaking congregation is meeting in Clubhouse 3. They wish to use our facilities on Sunday afternoon for worship, Wednesday evenings for Bible Study, and Tuesday through Saturday from 6:00-7:00 a.m. for prayer. None of those times conflict with the current use of our facilities by our congregation. The Council is bringing this before the congregation for discussion, sharing of additional information, and a congregational vote on August 10, 2025, at 10:30 a.m.
FOUR – YET ANOTHER PERSONAL DECISION… A wide variety of people participate regularly in the life and ministry of this congregation, and we give thanks for each and every one of you. Some are members of either the Lutheran or the Episcopal congregations. Some are associate members. Some are friends. Each person is a blessing to our community of faith. Are some of you considering membership? When people choose to become members, they then are able to serve on the Council and help us make the monthly decisions that govern the congregation between Congregational Meetings. They also are considered Voting Members who then are welcomed to attend all Congregational Meetings to approve congregational decisions, budgets, and other ministry and mission plans upon which the congregation is deciding. If you are not a member, but wish to become one, there will be a gathering in the Meeting Room on Wednesday, August 13th at 1:30 p.m. to talk together about that. A New Member Reception will take place during the worship service in mid-September. We invite any and all friends and associate members to consider officially joining the membership of the congregation. Attending the information meeting on August 13th would hopefully be helpful toward making that important decision.
Decisions, decisions… much to think about these summer days as God is moving among us, challenging us, giving us opportunities to grow and move forward as the Body of Christ. During the days of Jeremiah, God had plans for God’s people’s future. During these days, God also has plans for us now and in the days before us. May God bless our discernment and decision-making!
+Pastor Murray D. Finck
The Rev Murray D. Finck, Bishop Emeritus
Message from the Interim Pastor:
March 2025
“The Cross”
Dear Members and Friends of Redeemer and St. Theodore of Canterbury,
Saint Paul wrote to the Church in Corinth that “the message about the cross … for those of us being saved is the power of God.” He went on to say, “I have decided to know nothing among you except the crucified Christ Jesus.” He repeated those thoughts when he wrote to the Galatians that the primary message he came to bring was “the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” by which the world was saved. As the Season of Lent is about to begin, we too will again spend time contemplating the necessity of the cross of Jesus. One of questions we will ask is this: “Do you have a cross or a picture or an image or a memory of a particular cross that has had an impact on your life?”
March is going to be a wonderful month filled with opportunities to gather for worship, inspiration, community and collegiality. At the same time, there will be a number of special times together to observe the disciplines of Lent.
March has five Sundays and four of those, beginning with March 9 through March 30 are the first four weeks of Lent. The biblical reading and the sermons during those weeks will focus on Jesus’ journey toward the cross, where he sacrificed his life for the forgiveness of our sin and the eternal salvation of the world.
One of the long-standing traditions of the Lenten Season within many Christian traditions is the mid-week gatherings during those six weeks. The theme we have chosen this year is CrossWays. We will gather, starting on Ash Wednesday, March 5th, for a Holy Communion service. Also, during the worship, for anyone so desiring, we will offer the imposition of ashes, either upon our foreheads or on the back of one of our hands.
On this month’s Wednesdays following Ash Wednesday, March 12, 19, 26, we will gather at 4:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall downstairs for a 50-minute time of inspiration from Scripture, music, and devotional moments focusing on the cross of Jesus. During those gatherings, attendees sitting at round tables will have an opportunity to share with others at their table the meaning and the power of the cross in their lives. At each gathering, one person from our congregation will share a five-minute story about the way a particular cross has had an impact on their life. At 5:00 p.m., we will share a meal together and enjoy the friendships and community of all who gather for those events. All are always welcome. We hope to see you there! And into the first two weeks of April, this same pattern of gathering will continue throughout the remainder of Lent.
In March we will have our Annual Meeting on March 2nd immediately following the worship. On March 16th, we will remember and give thanks for Dee Sessa, and all are invited to a luncheon in Dee’s honor following the worship service. That luncheon will be served in the Fellowship Hall. Then, on March 23rd, we will again enjoy a new member reception during our worship service.
March is going to be a month of many opportunities for our congregation. We look forward to being together in worship, fellowship, learning moments, and community the message of God’s love through Jesus and the cross reminds us that we are the recipients of grace and forgiveness. Thanks be to God!
+Pastor Murray D. Finck
The Rev Murray D. Finck, Bishop Emeritus
