November!  The month of Thanksgiving.  While we should always be giving thanks and praise to our Lord, this month allows us to better focus on expressing our gratefulness for the many blessings we each have received.

One of the blessings that I am most grateful for is this church!  While it is true that the building is a wonderful place to worship and share in fellowship, it really isn’t the structure itself that I am so grateful for.  No, what I am most grateful for is the people who spend time in our building.  A team of wonderful volunteers who do so much for our church community and our community at large.  We are truly blessed to have some folks that are willing to go above and beyond for us and I am so very thankful for them and all that they do!  I am pleased that our attendance has been up the past few weeks and that we are sharing the Good News of the Gospel with more and more folks.  But what makes it even more thrilling is that we have people willing to support the church by giving of their time and talents.  Unfortunately, there is more to do than we currently have volunteers for.  It is my hope that more people will come and join our team!  We have many chairperson seats available, and we always can use more help with our various programs.  If you haven’t considered joining the team, please do so.  If you have considered it, but feel you can’t contribute, please reconsider that decision.  It is only by keeping our existing programs viable and perhaps adding new ones that we will grow the Gospel in our community.  I know we are all busy, we all have health issues, we all think that somebody else can do it.  (Just imagine if Jesus thought that way!  He asked His Father three times to let His impending torture and death to pass by Him, but in the end, He knew what needed to be done and did it.  In doing so, He gave us the greatest blessing of all time!)

In giving thanks, I also want to thank you for your concern and support during the recovery of Marian from her mishap.  Your thoughts, prayers, texts, cards, phone calls, and of course food have meant so much to both of us.  You people are just remarkable!  I cannot adequately put into words how much you mean to us or express how thankful we are to have you in our lives.

In closing, I ask that each of you take a moment each day and reflect on the things that you are thankful for.  Then, take the time to prayerfully give God thanks for all that He has done and continues to do within our lives.  And please know that when I, myself, do this, your name will be on that list of blessings that I am thankful for.

Pastor Gerry

Monthly Men’s Breakfast…Please join us for our monthly men’s breakfast the second Wednesday of each month at 9:00 am at Eat-N-Park.  All are welcome!

From the President, Bob McKinney…Someone tell me where this year has gone!  I cannot believe we are closing in on November.  I think in general this has been a good year so far here at Living Lord Lutheran Church.  We have completed several larger projects this year around the church through the Fuchs Fund.  We have updated many sections of our Constitution and By-laws to be more in line with where we are today as an independent Lutheran Church.  Our Pastor has been with us for one year already and I know we made the right decision in bringing him on board.  He has been very instrumental in smoothing our start as an independent church.  I was incredibly pleased with the Senior Valley Choir concert.  We had over 50 people attend and it was an enjoyable night.  I am looking forward to our next concert, the Hamilton Road Gospel Trio, on November 8, at 6:00 pm.  We will be collecting items for the Animal Welfare League at this concert.  I am hoping everyone is comfortable with the new time of our worship service at 10:00 on Sunday mornings.  Our Adult Forum is being well attended at 9:00 am.  I want to thank the congregation for supporting myself and the Council with all the changes we have requested this year so far.  I will say we are working on other items to help our church grow and we will be talking to you about that in the near future.  I am also hoping we will be able to fill a few more Council positions this year when the Nominating Committee starts its process.  In closing, let me say that I feel we have a solid membership base here at Living Lord and you are letting us continue to be a viable church and make a difference in our community.  Thank you and may God bless each and every one of you!

Church Information…Please remember that you can obtain church information from the monthly Lamplighter Newsletter, the Constant Contact emails you receive, on the church website (www.lllc.org), on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/Living-Lord-Lutheran-Church-493806727349110/), and postings on the church bulletin board.  Church Council Meeting minutes are posted on the bulletin board and sent out via Constant Contact.  We would like to see a better “open rate” when we send information to you via Constant Contact so that we know you are being informed of the activities that are occurring at the church.  If you have any other suggestions on how best to reach out to our parishioners, please see a Council member.

The Evangelism/Membership Committee members will meet on November 11, 2025.  Members are Rose Baringer, Bonnie Sanzenbacher, Drena Smith, Denise Scheiner, and Barb Wright.  We continue to take communion to our homebound members on Thursdays and Pastor Gammon will accompany us if possible.  Thanks to everyone who has contributed to the Paw Pantry this year.  You are greatly appreciated for your generosity and we will certainly continue these collections.  Go Tigers!  If you have suggestions for other areas of service in which our church could participate, please let one of our committee members know.  Thank you for your loving care and generosity.  We are blessed!

As the temperatures are falling and the days are getting shorter, we thank God for the beautiful summer and fall we all enjoyed this year.  For November, we are having our annual pie Fellowship on November 16.  This has been a big hit in the past, so we are making it an annual event.  Please plan on joining us for a slice of pie and some good fellowship.  Saturday, December 6, is our Christmas Party, so mark your calendars.  Times will be coming with a sign-up sheet for the potluck.

Monthly Women’s Breakfast…Please join us for our monthly women’s breakfast at Vasilio’s in Cortland on the second Thursday of every month (Nov. 13) at 10:00 am.  All are welcome!

Thanksgiving Food Baskets…Our Thanksgiving Food Baskets ministry has begun.  Sign-up sheets for food donations are posted on the tripod in the narthex.  The last day for donations will be on Sunday, November 16.  If you are interested in reserving a food basket, please contact Pam Boothe.  Thanks in advance for your generosity and assistance with this program.  God bless!

Adult Forum is off to a great start.  It begins at 9:00 am each Sunday and is taught by either Pastor Gammon or Christian Scheiner.  In the next several weeks, we will be studying the Gospels and how they impact our faith for witness and actions.  Looking forward to seeing you!

Here it is October already!  Whether we like it or not, Fall is upon us.  Kids have returned to school, the temperatures are cooling, and it won’t be long and the furnace will be running at home.  Nature will begin to go into its dormant cycle, and we will witness the colorful display of change around us.  While I prefer summer, I cannot deny the beauty of Fall.  I also cannot deny the dread of winter, which of course will follow Fall.

There is so much to celebrate in every season.  God has blessed us with ample opportunities to see beauty throughout His creation.  We can find it in nature.  We can find it in people.  We can find it in church, and, of course, we can find it in the grace of salvation.  There are times when beauty can be more difficult to find, or it is less obvious, and we need to search for it.  (This can especially be true when it comes to finding beauty in people!)  We just must look harder.  We are all part of God’s creation, and therefore we all have an inherit beauty and value.  I know that some circumstances might make this more difficult.  There are those who are influenced by evil, and it is hard to see beauty in them at all.  But Jesus will.

If we want to be Christlike, we must too.  As difficult as it might be, we must really try.  Jesus found beauty and value in all of God’s creation, even to the cross.  He was put to death by those seeking to do evil, yet He forgave them and asked His father to do the same.  Why? Jesus recognized that because His killers were part of God’s creation, part of God’s plan, there must be some beauty and value in them.  Afterall, Jesus wasn’t put to death to accommodate the hatred of those persecuting Him.  No, He was put to death because He was the only sacrifice that could be given to atone for the sins of mankind.  It was His divine blood that washed away the sins of all who would seek redemption in His holy name.  It was His agony and death that made restitution for us and brought beauty and value back to us.

There is beauty in everyone.  Hopefully it will be seen and not covered or marred by evil.  Hopefully, as followers of Jesus, we will see the Son shine through the darkness that might sometimes hide the beauty in others.  And if we can’t, let’s lend them some of ours!

I pray that all of you beautiful people find happiness and good health.  And I  thank you for allowing me to bask in your beauty for the past year!  God bless each and every one of you!
Pastor Gerry

Change of Sunday Schedule Beginning on October 5…Adult Forum will begin at 9:00 am on Sundays, Worship Service will begin at 10:00 am, and Choir Practice will begin at 11:00 am.

Senior Valley Choir Concert…The Senior Valley Choir, sponsored by Scope, will present a concert at Living Lord Lutheran Church on Friday, October 17, at 6:00 pm.  The Senior Valley Choir consists of about 30 senior citizens who love to sing.  The church will collect non-perishable food items needed by the Howland Schools’ Paw Pantry.  Come join us and help support our students at Howland Schools.  We look forward to seeing you!

Church Information…Please remember that you can obtain church information from the monthly Lamplighter Newsletter, the Constant Contact emails you receive, on the church website (www.lllc.org), on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/Living-Lord-Lutheran-Church-493806727349110/), and postings on the church bulletin board.  Church Council Meeting minutes are posted on the bulletin board and sent out via Constant Contact.  We would like to see a better “open rate” when we send information to you via Constant Contact so that we know you are being informed of the activities that are occurring at the church.  If you have any other suggestions on how best to reach out to our parishioners, please see a Council member.

With fall and winter just around the corner, thanks go to members of Living Lord for your generous donations of food items for the Howland Schools’ Paw Pantry during August, September, and October.  You are most generous!  God bless and thank you!  The Senior Valley Choir is coming to Living Lord on Friday, October 17, at 6:00 pm to entertain the crowd.  We will also be collecting non-perishable food items at this event also for the Howland Schools’ Paw Pantry.  Many thanks.  Come and join us in our celebration and entertainment!  For the months of January and February, we will go back to donations of personal care items.  A list of suggested needed items will be posted on the bulletin board in the narthex.  Again, many thanks for your generosity.  It is greatly appreciated!  God bless!

This year is flying by!  I cannot believe we have to start thinking of the holidays already.  I certainly will welcome the cooler days, but not the falling leaves.  October Fellowship will be on Sunday, October 19, following our worship service.  I am still working on the details.  Mark your calendars.  More to come.  I just have to take a minute to say “Thank you” to my bakers and helpers.  I could not do this without them and they are always ready when I call on them.  I am blessed to have such a wonderful group of friends!

Monthly Women’s Breakfast…Please join us at our monthly breakfast at Vasilio’s in Cortland on the second Thursday of every month (Oct. 9) at 10:00 am.  All are welcome!