ADLA 2nd Quarter E-News (April – June, 2021)

Easter Morning ~ Making all things New!

Easter has marshaled into being the month of April with Holy Week carrying us from the end of March into the first days of the second quarter of the year. Passover also commenced the last week in March reminding us of the Holy Spirit’s travels in and among God’s people as they marked their doors acknowledging and declaring their faith. So, in what ways are we marking our faith’s journey?

As members of ADLA, we declare our faith through the actions we commit ourselves to in the service of others. This quarter, while restricted due to the pandemic, we were able to enter into an agreement with My Friends House (MFH) to help sponsor hygiene kits to those who call Skid Row home. On May 24th, Pentecost Sunday, those assembled hygiene kits will be distributed at the Church of the Nazarene (5th and San Pedro) bringing “the Spirit’s” newness to those lives we touch.

Did you know, that at MFH more than 150 persons every Wednesday are able to receive a week’s worth of groceries and often quality clothing? These items strengthen their ability to survive while helping to restore their dignity as a person. Many ADLA members are volunteers at MFH and are extending their gifts of service weekly with much love and care. Getting to know those who seek assistance from MFH by their name is a gift of immeasurable proportion. You can serve as well, just let us know your intentions and we can guide you through the process of being a volunteer.

What have we been doing?

Social distancing and stay-at-home criteria have caused some diminishment in our ability to be overly proactive. We have not been able to distribute our annual hygiene products to Skid Row, although, we have amassed bags of supplies for this purpose. We were able to continue our efforts in securing eyeglasses to be recycled and issued to those in need. And, yes, we produced another 7lbs of pull-tabs, delivering them to Ronald McDonald House in Long Beach. To date, we have recycled 71lbs or 80,900 individual tabs! Whew…

Certainly, we are most proud of our January 2021 e-worship service in tribute to The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., that by all accounts was phenomenally received and served as a grand opportunity to praise and honor God for His work in and through the life of Dr. King. Many have said that even next year’s service should be virtual or e-based because of its ability to reach so many people nationwide. There were nearly 1,000 views of the worship service, realizing that in many cases, two or three people may well have viewed it together, which would have made individual viewing that much more significant in number. It was, unquestionably, a powerful witness!

Arising from this e-experience, we agreed as an association to advance our web-based capabilities to be more in-line with the visual display demonstrated by the King celebration production. With that in mind, we agreed to raise funds to revamp our website and to offer a brand new platform for user review and ultimate appreciation. This new platform will be interactive and shall be updated with reasonable frequency. The new platform should be on-line by May 2021.

Just last week, ADLA received from the Office of ELCA World Hunger and Disaster Appeal their heartfelt thanks for the $2,500 that was donated in support of Lutheran Disaster Relief. Here again this year we’ve witnessed flooding in the Midwest and severe winter storms on the eastern seaboard. We pray that these resources will extend some level of relief and restoration for those hard hit. We also recently forwarded to Interfaith Refugee and Immigration Service (IRIS) a check in the amount of $1,700 in support of the children held as detainees at our southwest borders. Some 700 children are being housed in quarters designed for less than half of that number, detained for weeks on end. We pray that this gift as well will have significance. We, as an association, shall endeavor to do more, for we can do no less!

What’s next at ADLA?

March 31st marked the end of the 2021 ADLA membership with the following four congregations reflecting the highest membership levels for the New Year:

Ascension Lutheran - 18

Community Lutheran - 17

Holy Trinity Lutheran – 20 (including 2 new members)

Olivet Lutheran - 6

Despite the pandemic, we were able to renew 91 members and welcome 4 new members to the LA Chapter! Many thanks to all for your unwavering commitment towards keeping ADLA programmatically viable and financially solvent!

How are things in the Synod?

For those of you who are voting members to the upcoming e-synod assembly, please remember to take full advantage of the training that will be offered. The assembly will be using a company called LUMI whose software will be used to conduct the voting process. You will need to know how to participate using LUMI. You may know that there are several candidates for synod council to consider, a vice president to elect and a bishop to call. This is an important assembly that requires our extensive involvement. The e-assembly shall be held on June 4-5, 2021. Contact the Synod Office, if you should have questions (818) 507-9591.

Celebrating our Heritage!

We celebrate persons of our past and present this year, honoring The Rev. Dr. Nelson W. Trout in our planning for the Chapel dedication at the Lutheran Center, now to be held in February 2022.

All of our pre-planning has been accomplished with the establishment of an ELCA-endowment in his name, the actual naming of the chapel in his honor with his picture to be prominently displayed and the presence of his family in celebration next year. We continue in celebration in recognition of our own, The Rev. Charlene Limenih, who became the first African descent female pastor ordained in the Southwest California Synod. Her service is being acknowledged as part of Women’s History Month. She and Dr. Trout are our pioneers for whom we give thanks and praise to God for who they have become.