April Newsletter 2015 - Ebenezer Lutheran Church
Transcription
April Newsletter 2015 - Ebenezer Lutheran Church
April Newsletter 2015 THE SEASON OF EASTER Easter Vigil 5:00 PM; Easter Sunrise 6:30 AM; Easter Day 10:00 AM Ebenezer Lutheran Church – Port Hudson The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod 9100 Highway YY Leslie, Missouri Parsonage 573-459-6432 Church 573-459-6431 Rev. William F. Zastrow, Pastor Mary Sprick, Secretary [email protected] ebenezerlutheranchurch.wordpress.com From the Pastor’s Desk: Don’t Be Afraid So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Matthew 28:8 "What will Jesus think!" Is that the thought that was going through the heads of the women? After all, they had brought burial spices! They were planning to bury him, even though he had said to them that he was going to rise from the dead. And, by the way, he had said it enough times and publicly so that even his enemies knew about his promised resurrection! And what had the women done? They'd failed (refused?) to listen! Can we understand why they hurried away "afraid"? I can understand because I've failed to listen too! I've failed (refused?) to listen to what my Savior says to me about ... life, about death, about forgiveness, about salvation, about how to treat my spouse/kids/parents/neighbors, etc., etc. I can empathize with these women! My sins have brought fear to me too! So it's really important for us to see how Jesus treated his fear-filled followers: "Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me” (Matthew 28:9-10). Wow! Such love! Such assurance! No words of condemnation. Not even a teasing, "Hey what were you planning to do with those spices?" :-) No. Instead, it's wonderful good news! "Do not be afraid!" Why do they not need to be afraid? Why do they not EVER need to be afraid? Because they have a Savior who had risen 2 from the dead! They have a Savior who has won forgiveness for them! Indeed, they never needed to be afraid again because they have a Savior who loves them dearly! THAT'S how Jesus felt about them. And that's how he feels about you too. Prayer: Risen Savior! Drive my fears away, by assuring me that you, the risen Savior, love me dearly! In your name I pray. Amen. The Parables of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday MAUNDY THURSDAY & GOOD FRIDAY SERVICES 10:00 AM and 7:00 PM Join us for The Parables of Lent, a special series of services for the season of Lent. Each service in this series focuses on a biblical parable that connects to Lenten themes. April 2 – Maundy Thursday, “Receive the Meal” Welcome to Maundy Thursday service based on the parable of the Great Banquet. In this parable, those in low positions are invited to a place of honor by the host. We who are humbled by our sins and outcast by the world are welcomed by Christ to dine at his Holy Supper. The service includes readings from Scripture, a children’s sermon, a sermon, thematic hymns and a celebration of Holy Communion that help us to remember that we receive the meal as humble partakers of our Savior’s generosity, being nourished and sustained by it. 3 April 3 - Good Friday, “Receive The Sacrifice” Welcome to a special Good Friday service based on the parable of the Landowner and the Tenants. In this parable tenants in a vineyard kill the son the master sent to gather the harvest. We are reminded in this service that the Son of God is killed that we might receive the kingdom. The service includes readings from Scripture, a children’s sermon, a sermon and thematic hymns that help us to remember that when we receive the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, our place in his kingdom is preserved. April 4 – Easter Vigil with Holy Communion – Keep Watch! Stay Awake! The New Light Dawns! 5:00 PM The Vigil of Easter, celebrated at the end of Holy Saturday ushers in the celebration of the Resurrection of Our Lord on Easter Sunday. The Vigil of Easter connects the days of Holy Week, especially Holy Thursday and Good Friday, with the ultimate celebration of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. In some places throughout the early centuries of the Church’s life, the people of God would hold vigil, which means “keep watch,” through the night in expectation of Christ’s return. A vigil in expectation of the Lord’s return at Easter became a common feature of the celebration of His crucifixion and resurrection. The vigil consisted of prayer, psalms and hymns, and readings, especially from the Old Testament, culminating in the celebration of the resurrection at dawn with the Lord’s Supper. As the Church gathered in vigil, she waited in hopeful expectation for the appearance of the resurrected Christ in those most recently born in Him, the newly baptized. During the vigil, those who had prepared throughout Lent to be joined to Christ were baptized. At the dawn of the new day at Easter sunrise, the newly baptized joined the entire Church in the chorus of alleluias at Christ’s resurrection from the dead. 4 April 5 – Easter Sunrise 6:30 With darkened hearts, through gloomy haze, They faced the morning’s growing rays: Their Master’s body to adorn, Not knowing this was Easter morn. While it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb, finding it empty. Not knowing that her Lord had been raised, she ran to Simon Peter and John, panicking that His body had been taken. They, too, ran to the empty tomb, soon believing. As Mary wept outside the tomb, Jesus revealed Himself to her, assuring her of His resurrection. What joy and what relief Mary must have had! A turn from thinking her Savior was dead to believing and understanding the promises He made. What joy and what relief we have. Our Savior has fulfilled His promises, conquering sin, death, and the devil, giving us pardon and peace through His death and resurrection. The Son of God has conquered night And reigns in everlasting light! April 5th – Easter Divine Worship with Holy Communion 10:00 AM. Of all the things in life, one is number one. Of all the teachings in the Bible, one is primary. Of all the things in the world, one is prime. The apostle Paul names what this is in today’s Epistle. He calls it “of first importance”: “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3–4). The Gospel of Jesus, our Savior, is what is of first importance. This Easter, celebrate that Jesus’ death, burial, 5 and resurrection was all done because your forgiveness and salvation was of “first importance” to your loving Savior. April 5 - Easter Breakfast 7:30 AM – The Education Committee will again host the Easter Breakfast after the sunrise service on Sunday, April 5, 2015. Plan to join us for rolls, donuts, ham, breakfast casseroles, juice, coffee and milk. A free will offering will be taken for the Light of Christ Chinese Mission in St. Louis, Missouri. Hope to see you there! April 5 - Easter Egg Hunt 11:15 AM – Our annual Easter Egg Hunt will be following the 10:00 AM service on Easter Sunday. Donations of pre-decorated hard boiled eggs or plastic eggs would be greatly appreciated. If you choose to send plastic eggs, please avoid chocolate inside the eggs. If the weather is warm, it melts! Please bring them on Holy Saturday or Easter Sunday morning to the kitchen. The hunt is open to children from birth to age 10 or fourth grade. April 5 – New Haven Care Center Easter Service – Pastor Zastrow will have a Holy Communion Service at 1:30 PM at the New Haven Care Center. THURSDAY BIBLE STUDY – RESUMES APRIL 23 – 10:00 AM and 7:00 PM Regrets, Reality, Restoration The simple truth is life is full of regrets. Imprinted on our psyches, some resist all attempts at erasure. What do we do when the condemning memory of past offense(s) won't be silenced? Is there a way out beyond our backstory? Regrets, Reality, Restoration shows there is, by sharing the life stories 6 of those who have found resolution and victory over the heartache of their pasts. Who among us wouldn't like to redo or undo something from our past? A brief glance backwards is sometimes all the reminder we need to stop us in our tracks with the sobering realization that we, too, have been less than decent human beings. Was it dope? Was it booze? Was it pride and selfishness? Was it violence? We're all capable of producing mind-boggling disasters in our lives and the lives of others. In Regrets, Reality, Restoration you will hear heartfelt stories from people who have experienced regret in deep and profound ways. What took place previously in their lives -substance abuse, shunning God and family, a series of highlevel career missteps, taking a life --weren't unpardonable sins to God. Self-forgiveness and moving forward, however, was another matter. Depending on your past, you may know exactly what this means. See how, even in these individuals' most tormented moments, it was God's love in Christ Jesus that brought hope to despair and light to crack the darkness. Rev. Greg Seltz, Lutheran Hour Speaker, has just concluded a four part sermon series on the Lutheran Hour on this topic. Lutheran Laymen’s League Men’s Network has made this Bible Studies available to all congregations. It is Pastor’s prayer that many will join this wonderful, informative Bible Study. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 7 It’s Cook Book Time!!! We welcome present and former Church members to submit up to 5 recipes per person to be included in the Church cook book. If you have recipes from Church members who are no longer with us, please submit them along with their picture, if you have one If you have any old Church related photos, (picnics, Ladies Aid, luncheons/dinners, Church or buildings, etc….) and don’t mind us possibly using them in the book, please submit with a note about the photo. If you would like your photo returned, please include your name and address. There are 2 ways to submit recipes/photos: you can put them in the red box in the back of Church marked RECIPES or you can email them to [email protected]. The deadline to submit is April 15th. No recipes can be accepted after that date. If you would be interested in buying a cookbook, please indicate that on one of your recipe submissions. We are trying to get an idea of how many we might need to order. The price will be given at a later date. If you have any questions, you can call: Nancy Quinn 573-459-3344 Dana Kasman 636-583-8516 Mary Wesche 573-459-2046 Julie Crego 636-358-3010 Family Game Night Do you like board games, card games, Wii games? Join us for a Family Game Night, April 18th at 6:30 PM (following the evening service). Bring a dish to share for a light supper and enjoy an evening of fun and fellowship. There will be games and cards available but if you have a favorite, please feel free to bring it along! For more information, please give Mary Wesche a call at 573-459-2046. 8 Notes of Appreciation THANK YOU to all who came to the dinner for the American Cancer Society. Over $2200 was collected to aid in cancer research. Your help was appreciated so much! THANK YOU to all those who helped cook chili on Saturday, brought desserts on Sunday and especially to those who came to enjoy the good food on Sunday, March 15th. The free will offering totaled $300 which was delivered to Leslie Food Pantry last week. New! Thrivent Member Network Thrivent Financial proudly presents the Thrivent Member Network. As a fraternal benefit society, we have local member groups all over the country. As a member, you’re part of one. Today that member group is call a chapter system and in the future we are transitioning members to the Thrivent Member Network. It was created based on member input, in order to appeal to and engage more people in a way that is meaningful to them as member-owners of Thrivent. And in a way that supports the misson of Thrivent to help more people be wise with money and live generously so that more families and communities thrive. We listened to our members who said the chapter system is too complex and we are responding by reducing the administrative burden placed on so many members. This means chapters in your region will close on June 30, 2015. Beginning on July 1, members will be part of the Thrivent Member Network where a regional board of three to ten members will provide governance, accountability and strategic insight and monitoring of operations and initiatives to help Thrivent leaders achieve its mission in the region. We’ve transitioned members in other regions from the chapter system to the Thrivent Member Network and the response from members has been overwhelmingly positive. We’ve also made it easier for you to make a difference in your community through a new member program called Thrivent Action Teams. All members can volunteer to lead a one-time project team to support a cause they care abou through a fundraiser, service activity or educational event. As a member of Thrivent, you will continue to have the opportunity to participate in Thrivent Builds 9 with Habitat for Humanity, direct Thrivent Choice dollars and attend financial workshops and other events within the region. To learn more about these programs and all the benefits of memberships, visit Thrivent.com. You’re invited to a Virtual Member Meeting – Want to know how Thrivent Financial did in 2014 and where we’re headed in the future? Join us online for our Virtual Member Meeting on April 23 at 7:30 PM Central time. For more information contact Cathy Quillin [email protected]. April Birthdays Jennifer Huellinghoff 4/1 Jane Schroeder 4/7 Paul Kassebaum 4/8 Tim Huellinghoff 4/10 Kathleen Monzyk 4/10 Mia Louise Gardner 4/12 Marvin Kassebaum 4/13 Cody Brunkhorst 4/13 Jeff Hohlt 4/13 Lowell Kassebaum 4/14 Danika Donatti 4/14 Pat Cardwell 4/15 Aiden Harter 4/16 Wilma Helling 4/17 Donald Hoemann 4/21 Janette Bauche 4/21 Michael Glosemeyer 4/23 Roy Brunkhorst 4/23 David Brune 4/25 Lloyd Kassebaum 4/28 Brandi Brune 4/28 Alyssa Bopp 4/29 Aubree Southerland 4/29 10 April Anniversaries Charles and Diane Luechtefeld Robert and Donna Kirschenmann Jeff and Dawn Brunkhorst Eugene and Kathy Scheer Warren and Janette Bauche Felix and Rosemary Frye Anthony and Becky Allmeroth Douglas and Ashley Compton Albert and Marilyn Bade 4/8 4/9 4/16 4/20 4/21 4/21 4/26 4/26 4/27 We wish all of you a very Blessed Birthday and Anniversary!!! If your birthday or anniversary is not listed or listed incorrectly, please let Mary Sprick know. Little Boy’s Explanation of God Someone sent this to Karen Sprick. We hope you will enjoy this….This was written by an 8 year old boy who lives in California. He wrote this for his third grade homework assignment, to explain God. EXPLANATION OF GOD: “One of God’s main jobs is making people. He makes them to replace the ones that die, so there will be enough people to tae care of things on earth. He doesn’t make grownups, just babies. I think because they are smaller and easier to make. That way he doesn’t have to take up his valuable time teaching them to talk and walk. He can just leave that to mothers and fathers”. “God’s second most important job is listening to prayers. An awful lot of this goes on, since some people, like preachers and things, pray at times beside bedtime. God doesn’t have time to listen to the radio or TV because of this. Because he hears everything, there must be a terrible lot of noise in his ears, unless he has thought of a way to turn it off.” “God sees everything and hears everything and is everywhere which keeps Him pretty busy. So you shouldn’t go wasting his time by going over your mom and dad’s head asking for something they said you couldn’t have.” 11 “Atheists are people who don’t believe in God. I don’t think there are any here where I live. At least there aren’t any who come to our church.” “Jesus is God’s Son. He used to do all the hard work, like walking on water and performing miracles and trying to teach the people who didn’t want to learn about God. They finally got tired of him preaching to them and they crucified him. But he was good and kind, like his father, and he told his father that they didn’t know what they were doing and to forgive them and God said O.K.”. “His dad (God) appreciated everything that he had done and all his hard work on earth so he told him he didn’t have to go out on the road anymore. He could stay in heaven. So he did. And now he helps his dad out by listening to prayers and seeing things which are important for God to take care of and which ones he can take care of himself without having to bother God. Like a secretary, only more important”. “You can pray anytime you want to and they are sure to help you because they got it worked out so one of them is on duty all the time.” “You should always go to church on Sunday because it makes God happy, and if there’s anybody you want to make happy, it’s God”. “Don’t skip church to do something you think will be more fun Like going to the beach. This is wrong. And besides the sun doesn’t come out at the beach until noon anyway.” “If you don’t believe in God, besides being an atheist, you will be very lonely, because your parents can’t go everywhere with you, like to camp, but God can. It is good to know he’s around when you’re scared, in the dark or when you can’t swim and you get thrown into real deep water by big kids.” “But…you shouldn’t just think of what God can do for you. I figure God put me here and he can take me back anytime he pleases.” “And….that’s why I believe in God.” 12 Usher Schedule for April 1: Donald Hoemann 2: Adam Brune 3: Lawrence Pelster 4: Alan Hilkerbaumer 5: Elmer Kellmann Alternate: Paul Brune Head Usher: Marvin Kassebaum Altar Guild for April Barb Gilbert and Mary Adams Bell Ringer Schedule for April April 5: Corey Adams April 12: Paul Kassebaum April 19: Jeff Hohlt April 26: Corey Adams Recyle Report We are pleased to report the addition of $29.50 for recycle aluminum, $32.00 for recycle paper, and $15.00 for cash donations from the Sunday School birthday bank. This brings our grand total for recycle aluminum to $4742.20 and the grand total for all recycle to $9,091.85. Thank you for your help and support for our recycle program to help our missionaries. 13 Monthly Treasurer’s Summary February 2015 Beginning checking balance Receipts Disbursements Ending checking balance $26,414.41 $8,266.50 $10,803.48 $23,877.43 LCEF savings balance Thrivent FPDA balance $35,020.38 $20,416.18 Pledged to Missouri District for year Paid to Missouri District this year-to-date $4,800.00 $800.00 Year-to-date income less expenses -$9,545.96 14 APRIL 2015 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday 1 Friday 2 Maundy Thursday Worship with Holy Communion 10:00 AM & 7:00 PM Confirmation 6:30 PM Choir 7:45 5 Easter Sunday Sunrise Service 6:30 AM Easter Breakfast 7:30 AM Sunday School 9:00 AM Worship w/ Holy Communion 10:00 AM Easter Egg Hunt 11:30 AM Worship at Nursing Home 1:30 6 Pastor Vacation Lake of the Ozarks 8 3 Good Friday Service 10:00 AM and 7:00 PM 9 Pastor Vacation Lake of the Ozarks 13 Pastor & Margaret return from St. Paul Concordia 10 Ladies Aid 1:30 PM 19 26 Sunday School 9:00 AM Worship 10:00 AM 11 Worship 5:00 PM 14 Elders 7:00 PM 15 Confirmation 6:30 PM 16 17 18 Worship with Holy Comunion 5:00 PM Officers Meeting 7:00 PM Pastor & Margaret to St. Paul Concordia leaving in the PM Sunday School 9:00 AM Worship w/ Holy Communion 10:00 AM 4 Resurrection of Our Lord: Vigil of Easter Worship with Holy Comunion 5:00 PM No Confirmation 12 Sunday School 9:00 AM Worship 10:00 AM 7 Pastor Vacation Lake of the Ozarks Saturday Game Night April 18 at 6:30 PM 20 Voter’s Meeting 7:30 PM 27 21 Education and Sunday School Teacher’s 7:00 PM 28 22 Confirmation 6:30 PM 29 Confirmation 6:30 PM 23 Bible Class 10:00 AM & 7:00 PM 30 Bible Class 10:00 AM & 7:00 PM 24 25 St. Mark, Evangelist Worship 5:00 PM