THE EVANGEL
Transcription
THE EVANGEL
THE EVANGEL March 2016 Led by Christ…Sharing Love…Serving All FROM THE PARISH REGISTER With Our Family The following friends need our prayers: Mary Martin, Stephanie Martin, Marlou Dixon, Ron Powell, Kim Bothe, Erik Johnson, Cecelia Bartley, Daniel West, Amy Chassereau, Peggy Brannan, Agnes Leister, Susan Goralski, Meredith Newman, Melinda Russell, Colleen Guimes, Roberta Florey, Eric Smith, Kim Durm, The Scott Family, Gail Claytor, David Cary, Tom Wood, Leon Dykhuis, Brent Behringer, Caitlyn Papsan, Ernest Hudiburgh, Carolyn Walker, Hilda Heckner, Gary Eisenlohr, Dave Cosner, Josephine Melka and Tammy Durkin, Vera Albright, Velma Dill, Zachary Tawney, Modesto Jarquin, Alyson Geckle, Ken Hare, Mary Grantland, Ryan Cullison and his family. Baptism Braeden William Poteet son of Dan and Garnett Poteet and grandson of Dee Pumphrey was baptized on February 7th . Wedding Anniversaries Matthew & Rebecca Everhart their 2nd on March 1st Thomas & Katherine Mathers their 67th on March 5th David & Roxanne Shaffer their 35th on March 7th Duane & Debbie Geisler their 19th on March 8th Daniel & Karen Haab their 25th on March 9th Jack & Penny Courtney their 29th on March 14th Charles & Jamie Daniel their 8th on March 17th Ronald & Frances Weiland their 57th on March 21st Brian & Jennifer Murphy their 8th on March 29th Anniversary Milstones In celebration of their 60th anniversary a commemorate tray was presented to Howard and Sandra Davis, and in celebration of their 50th anniversary a commemorate bowl was presented to Richard and Ginny Heckert and to Charles and Sylvia Chaney New Members On February 28th we welcomed the following new members into our St. John Family…..Gary & Linda Lester, Travis Fales, Robyn Powell, Matt & Ashley Terpstra and their children Maddie and Brady and Jennifer Mermod . Church Humor It was Palm Sunday but because of a sore throat, 5-year-old Johnny stayed home from church with a sitter. When the family returned home, they were carrying several palm fronds. Johnny asked them what they were for. "People held them over Jesus' head as he walked by," his father told him. "Wouldn't you know it," Johnny fumed, "the one Sunday I don't go and he shows up." Maria came home from Sunday School on Palm Sunday and told her mother that she had learned a new song about a cross-eyed bear named Gladly. It took her mother a while before she realized that the hymn Maria had been singing was really: "Gladly The Cross I'd Bear." One Easter Sunday morning as the pastor was preaching a children’s sermon, he reached into his bag of props and pulled out an egg. He pointed at the egg and asked the children, “What’s in here?” “ I know, I know” a little boy exclaimed, “pantyhose” On Easter Sunday the Reverend Jones announced to his congregation, 'My good people, I have here in my hands three sermons: a $100 sermon that lasts five minutes; a $50 sermon that lasts fifteen minutes; and a $20 sermon that lasts a full hour. Now, we'll take the collection and see which one I'll deliver. From Our Pastor Easter Hope People in, around, and beyond St. John (Linthicum), During this season of Lent, we have been focusing on 40 days of giving through several avenues: Giving supplies for people recovering from addictions (which are a form of hunger for something other than food), participating in a weekend famine with educational moments and servant events, while not eating for 30 hours – all to raise donations to feed hungry people through ELCA World Hunger, getting a crazy haircut or hairstyle to encourage youth to care about hungry people and to help with the fundraising efforts of those youth, while having some fun together as a faith community reading World Hunger’s Daily Devotional about giving attending the corresponding midweek Lenten study on hunger-related matters, and giving up something negative and/or taking on something positive. As we transition into Easter, we celebrate the hope that we can share with others as we respond to God’s call to feed the hungry, including people such as Gilbert, as explained and shared in this excerpt from session 1 of the ELCA World Hunger’s 40 Days of Giving Educational Series, page 4. Because hunger and poverty are so often connected in a community, ELCA World Hunger and Lutheran Disaster Response often work together to respond to a community’s needs. In the following story, we will hear about the cooperative response the ELCA is still supporting for people affected by Hurricane Sandy in New York. “I was in shock, barely living day to day,” Gilbert Johnson says of the days and months after Hurricane Sandy tore a hole in his roof and flooded his home in 2012. Legally blind, Gilbert was unable to fill out forms and had found little help after talking with several people. His home had no roof, his electricity and heat had been turned off, and his septic tank had collapsed because of the storm. He had almost given up hope. Fortunately, Gilbert sought help again and found it from a disaster case manager working with Lutheran Disaster Response. “I was skeptical,” he says, “but [the disaster case manager] proved to me that he will advocate for me – [that he was] on my side.” The case manager and the long-term disaster recovery committee walked with Gilbert on his journey to rebuild his home and his life. “I never could have imaged this, it is better than I ever could have dreamed,” Gilbert says. “Now I have hope.” Thousands of people were in situations like Gilbert’s after the storm. Lutheran Disaster Response, working through local partners, is helping them recover, even now, more than three years after the storm. This long-term recovery will help ensure that residents of New York, New Jersey and other areas affected will be able to rebuild their lives. But for many, the immediate needs for food and clothing are especially pressing. To help meet these needs, Lutheran Social Services of New York’s New LIFE Center food pantry on Long Island worked with Lutheran Disaster Response case managers after the storm to provide food for clients who lost their jobs, their homes or their savings. Many of those who were already vulnerable to hunger and poverty before the storm found themselves unable to provide for their families afterward. The long-term recovery efforts of Lutheran Disaster Response partners gave them hope for tomorrow, and New LIFE Center, supported by ELCA World Hunger, gave them hope – and food – for today. For families with infants, the pantry also provides baby clothes, wrapped up carefully in gift boxes. Together, ELCA World Hunger and Lutheran Disaster Response accompany communities in the United States and around the world to meet both immediate and long-term needs, long after the news crews have left. Thank you for helping to feed the hungry, have fun together as a faith community, to inspire the next generation to care for the hungry and hurting people around them, and for sharing Easter hope with those who received what it has been given! Let’s join together and celebrate Easter… every Sunday morning. Happy Easter, Pastor Mike OUTREACH St. John is sponsoring 12 families for Easter. The signup sheet is located on the back wall of the All-Purpose room. Non-perishable donations may be left in the Adult Sunday School Room. Be sure to mark your items “Easter Families”. Please have items to church by Palm Sunday, March 20th. Monetary donations may be made by using your pew envelope and marking it Easter Families. Shelter Book Drive! During the month of March we are collecting new or gently used books for the women and children’s shelter. Novels, fiction or non-fiction, word search puzzles, books for children, teens and moms are being collected. Donations may be left in the box in the All-Purpose room marked ‘Book Drive’. We are also collecting hand and body lotion and feminine hygiene products. All are welcome to join us the last Saturday of the month, March 26 th as we serve at the shelter. We meet at the church around 4:14 and car pool to the shelter, returning around 7:30pm. If you have any questions about the shelter, please contact any member of the Outreach Ministry team. Due to on-going renovations, the Bunny Breakfast has been cancelled for this year. Thanks to all who embraced the 40 days of Giving, Sharing God’s Love and Blessings. During the 40 days of giving many cans of soup were collected along with soap, blankets, cleaning supplies, socks and much more! These items will be donated to those who are in various states of recovery. All donations were greatly appreciated! ‘Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which He has given you.’ (Deuteronomy,16: 17) The winter months can be hard on us all. But can you imagine not having shelter, or funding to pay the gas and electricity bill during the bitter cold days we have experienced recently, or funding for eyeglasses for your child. Over the past several weeks St. John has assisted members in our community with shelter, food and assistance with gas and electric bills. As a result our Mission fund is running low. The Mission fund assists St. John with the many Outreach and community projects we undertake. It helps with the shelter, the families we sponsor for Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Not to mention gift cards for those knocking at our door seeking food, assistance with shelter, from time to time assistance with prescriptions, eye glasses and much more. In order for many of these ministries to continue we need your help. We need your time talents and treasures. Won’t you prayerfully consider how God is calling you to use your blessings? Are you being called to volunteer…do you have talents that could be used in Outreach Ministry or can you help support this ministry of St. John financially. Donations may be left in the Adult Sunday School Room, monetary donations may be made by using your pew envelope and marking it Mission Fund. If you are interested in volunteering for any of the Outreach Ministry projects or have ideas for new ones, please see any member of the Outreach Ministry team: Mary Martin, Pam Weammert, Rich Filkins, MaryKay Grantland, Evelyn Walsh, Carolyn Walker, Dean Shifflet or Tami Jones. Outreach meets the second Monday of the month in the Adult Sunday School room at 7:00pm. From The Office To Contact the office with general information matters (bulletins, announcement, Evangel, prayers list, service participant, etc.) email should be sent to stjohn@sjlc.org. To access the Administrative Assistant directly those emails should be sent to llester@sjlc.org. We print the weekly bulletins and announcements on Wednesday. If you have an article that you want in the bulletin please have it to us no later then 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday. CARING CARD MINISTRY On the first Sunday of each month, you are invited to join the “Inky Fingers” Fellowship in the All Purpose Room from 10 a.m. to Noon. Anyone interested in putting the cards together can participate - no experience or tools necessary. Sample cards and materials will be provided. For every 3 cards that you assemble, you get to keep one. The remaining cards will be used in several ways: some will be shipped overseas for our troops to mail back to their families; some will be sent to our members who need to know that we care, and some of the cards will be displayed in the All Purpose Room for the congregation to pick up when they need a card. Money will be collected on the honor system, and a donation of $3 per card or two for $5 is suggested. Money collected for the cards will be used to order more supplies. For more information, contact Maryann Gapsis at 410-859-1198 or maryanngapsis@cablespeed.com. PRAYER LIST If you have a prayer concern for anyone - friend or family - you can either contact Carl Fuehrer, 301-7255621 or the church office via phone call, 410-8590020 or place a message in the Sunday offering plate. There is also a prayer board near the back entrance to the church. Please stop a moment to add your concern to that board, and pray for others in need. PRAYER GROUP: St. John’s Prayer Group meets on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays from 6 to 7 p.m. You are welcome to join us as we pray for our church, our congregation, and our community. Contact Carroll Paul, 410-8590891. PEER TO PRAYER MINISTRY How does Peer to Prayer work? 1. When someone comes for prayer, they are met by the team. We listen to their request and ask any clarifying questions. 2. We may hold hands or place hands on each other’s shoulder. 3. Depending on the request, team members will pray asking for God to give guidance, discernment, strength, and/or comfort. Team members may also praise God for thanksgivings and blessings. 4. Sometimes the person requesting prayer will also join in and pray, but only if the person wants to. SENIOR FELLOWSHIP You are cordially invited to celebrate BIRTHDAYS at March's Senior Fellowship Luncheon on, Wednesday, March 2nd at Noon in the AP Room. We'll celebrate everyone's birthday with great fellowship and a birthday party - party foods & birthday cake! Don't forget to bring a 'present' – personal toiletry items for the women and children at Christ Lutheran Church's Shelter. Why not invite a friend to come along, too? The more the merrier at parties!! See you then! Happy Birthday to YOU! STEPHEN MINISTRY --- CONFIDENTIAL! A Blessing at St John It is hard to find anything that is unconditional. Everything seems to have strings attached to it. Yet God’s love is unconditional – we don’t have to earn it or achieve it to receive it. At times, however, we can feel quite removed from God’s unconditional love. We can feel guilty, undeserving, or downright ‘unlovable’. At those times, Stephen Ministers can help. They are trained to listen and care in a nonjudgmental way, focusing on letting Christ’s unconditional love flow through them and into the life of their care receiver. If you or someone you know has been struggling with guilt or feeling unlovable and would like to learn more about Stephen Ministry please contact one of the Stephen Leaders: Marjie 410-969-6059, Bill 410-274-3921 or Sandy 410-456-3019. Please keep our Stephen Ministry team and their care receivers in your prayers. ALTAR GUILD FLOWERS: You can dedicate the altar flowers in honor of, or in memory of a loved one – all you need to do is call the church office or email stjohn@sjlc.org, with the wording for your dedication. The altar flowers cost $50 for both vases or $25 for one, and you can take them home when services are done on Sunday. We do not have altar flowers during Lent, but if you would like to place a memorial during that time you can donate to the Flower Fund and the donation will be printed in the bulletin and Evangel. EASTER LILLIES: please call (410-859-0020) or email (stjohn@sjlc.org) the office to place your order for Easter lilies. The cost is $10. INVITING ALL MOTHERS WITH CHILDREN CONCEPTION TO FIVE YEARS OF AGE St. John’s Mothers Of Preschoolers are beginning their second semester meetings which are held on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of each month from 7:00-9:00 pm. Informal fellowship, as well as crafts and discussions are conducted in a nonthreatening atmosphere. Moms share their personal journeys and learn from each other as they explore this year’s theme, “A Fierce Flourishing.” Please extend an invitation to family members, friends and neighbors who have young children from conception through kindergarten to try out this group. Childcare is provided. For more information visit sjlc.org or email stjohnmops@yahoo.com YOUTH AND FAMILY MINISTRY High School nights are every Wednesday 7pm. Keep an eye on the St. John Youth Facebook page for details. YOUTH EVENTS: 2016 SJLC Youth Mission Trip: June 19 - 24 in Raleigh, NC youth completing 8th grade and older. Cost is around $160 per person. More information at: www.youthworks.com/trips/raleighnc-youth-mission-trip/ During the week, students may serve all or part of the week at a food shelf, clothing distribution center, soup kitchen, children’s program, or elderly care facilities. Sign up today! Please respond by February 14th. Allen Jones (ajones7787@aol.com) Katrina Corley (pinwheels3@yahoo.com) FIRST HOLY COMMUNION CLASSES: Classes will be held on Friday, March 4th, 6:30 – 8:00, Friday, March 11th 6:30 – 8:00 and Saturday, March 19th 9:00 – 10:30. Parents are encouraged to attend these classes along with their child. CONNECTIONS Please join us for our “Connections” gathering if you desire to connect with others from St. John as we fellowship around the Word of God – applying it to our circumstances and caring for one another by listening and praying for each other. You don’t have to be familiar with scripture. We are relaxed and enjoy one another. 10:30 a.m. on Sundays is the time. The Youth Room is the place. SEMINARY GUEST SPEAKER: On Sunday, April 10th, The Rev. Dr. Angela W. Zimmann, Advancement and Communication Executive; Visiting Professor of Preaching will be our guest speaker. In addition to her role in the Office of Seminary Advancement, Dr. Zimmann assists the dean and faculty in a new, Lilly endowment funded "Abundant Life" project, designing innovative curricular approaches to make theological education at Gettysburg more accessible and affordable. Most recently, Zimmann served in Jerusalem, Israel/Palestine as Pastor and Special Assistant to Bishop Dr. Munib Younan, President of the Lutheran World Federation. She has also served as a leader of the English congregation at Church of the Redeemer in Jerusalem. She has also served as pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, Riga, MI, ran for congress in the 5th District of Ohio, and worked part time for Bowling Green University. She has taught preaching courses at Gettysburg Seminary occasionally since 2007. Zimmann is married to the Rev. Martin Otto Zimmann, also an ordained pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and together have two children, Seth and Chelsea. MUSIC & WORSHIP Volunteers are needed to serve as Lay Assistants and Communion Assistants at the 9:15 and 11:00 services. If you would like to assist please fill out the back of the yellow sheet and place it in the offering plate or contact the office at (stjohn@sjlc.org or 410-859-0020). CONTEMPORARY MUSIC Man, am I pumped to be here at St. John helping with the worship department and specifically the 9:15 worship service! You guys have made me feel more than welcome as I am getting “settled in,” and I know there is more to come as I meet several more new faces every week. As the music team and the 9:15 worshippers get used to me being a part of the team, I want to respond to the concern recently brought to me that the volume of contemporary music is louder. I have found many instances in the Bible where worship is larger and grander than our experience here on Earth. Things that are alive in God grow. We have already added some new members to the “CrosSing” music team, and I expect that many more of your friends and neighbors will be eager to get involved on the team in the near future. What happens as more people are added to the team is that the sound gets larger. More people involved means more depth to our creativity and more nuance to our worship sound. Two things will happen here: first, there will be some people who hear the larger sound, and think we are louder. While the sound team may inadvertently turn the volume up on a song here or there, the larger sound fills more space and can be interpreted by some as louder. As the team grows, we want to reflect our large relationship with a big God who loves us; feel free to come out any Tuesday night at 7pm to get involved. St. John, you sing so well as a congregation – a wonderful legacy from Susan Hrybyk’s ministry among you. I want to enhance this singing at the 9:15 hour through some coming adaptations to how we set up in the chancel area. Hopefully, you will first notice that there are more smiles on the worship team faces (as if they could even smile any bigger than they already do!). Second, take note of the disappearance of that wall of music stands, which will help us get better and better at learning these engaging new songs together. Finally, I invite you to join me on Tuesday nights in March, 5:30-6:30 over dinner in the all-purpose room (kitchen area off of the sanctuary). Let’s get to know each other better. Please bring your comments, concerns and/or compliments directly to me and encourage others to bring their opinions to the Tuesday night discussions. Man I am excited for this St. John experience! You guys are becoming a real blessing to me quickly, and I can't wait to see all that God is going to do and has done already here in our midst! Have a great week! Cool. -- Drew Parrish May 11, 2016 To: American Music Theater Show: Crooners Leave: 7:45 a.m. St. John’s Parking Lot (Park along fence in back lot) Return: Approx. 6 p.m. Cost: $80 Includes: Lunch at Shady Maple Show and all Tips (Bus Drivers also) Payment due by Sunday April 3, 2016 Make checks payable to: St. John WELCA To be put on list please sign sheet on WELCA bulletin board located In the All Purpose room or call Pat Dougherty, 410-8590425 Our next meeting will be held on Saturday, March 12 th at 10:00 a.m. We will be making Easter candy the weeks of March 7th and March 14th from 9:30 to 5:00. Many hands are needed. The Anne Arundel Cluster will be held here on Saturday, April 9th and our speaker will be MaryAnn Gapsis talking about the Card Ministry. We continue with our clothes sorting on the third Thursday of each month. All women of St. John are welcome! NORTH COUNTY FOOD BAGS So far this school year we have provided 204 bags of food to North County students. Last school year we provided a total of 396 food bags. This is impressive and is only possible due to the congregation's generosity and living out our mission – Led by Christ...Sharing love...Serving all. Here is a total list of all food items we provide: canned chicken breast and tuna, Vienna sausages, Chef Boyar dee or Spaghettio's etc., Knoor's rice/pasta sides, small cans/cups of vegetables, cups of pudding/fruit/applesauce, oatmeal/Grits packets, individual boxes of raisins, spaghetti sauce packets, 6oz. cans tomato paste, small box of Hormel pepperoni, boxes of pasta for spaghetti, small jars of peanut butter boxes or cups of mac & Cheese, snacks, popcorn, hot chocolate packets, dry milk packets, individual cups of cereal, small cans baked beans , Ramen noodles, box of Zatarain’s Beans and Rice Thank you all for embracing this ministry! The GFWC Woman’s Club of Linthicum Heights Invites high school seniors residing in zip code 21090 to apply for three $1,500 scholarships. In the past, these scholarships were available only to those attending North County High School. The club has expanded eligibility to those students living in the Linthicum zip code who attend other public or private schools. And it has increased the scholarship amount from $1,000 to $1,500. Scholarship applications are available at high school guidance offices or by contacting Shirley Beck, Scholarship Chair, 410-789-1577 or trinketssab@aol.com. All applications must be postmarked no later than April 1, 2016. The scholarships are non-renewable. The awardee must attend an accredited college, university or trade school within a year of graduating from high school. Save the Date!! Vacation Bible School! Ages 3 years through 5th grade When: July 11th – 15th 9:00a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Only $10.00 for a week of fun, making new friends and learning about Jesus! Where: St. John Lutheran Church 300 West Maple Road Linthicum Heights, MD 410-859-0020 How: Download registration form online: www.sjlc.org or Stop by the office and pick up a registration form! THANK YOU NOTES To the Members of St. John, Thank you for your prayers during my short hospital stay. It was nice to know that so many of you expressed your concern to my wife and family. Please continue your prayers during my recovery. Bill King ***** …And though my heart is torn, I will praise you in this storm… Such meaningful words in a powerful song by Casting Crowns. As we dealt with Brent's medical crisis and the roller-coaster of hospitals tests -doctors - surgery - medicines - and recovery - our hearts were torn and we were often afraid over these past couple months. We know, now more than ever, that we praise our Lord Jesus Christ even in the middle of the storm. Thanks to you, our dear SJLC family, we truly felt the presence and love of our Savior reflected in the outpouring of prayers and support that kept us strong through this journey. You reflected Jesus through your actions, kindness, and love and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your encouragement, meals, and cards that all came when we needed these most. And we so appreciate Pastor’s Mike and Meheret for their steadfast spiritual pastoral support especially during our more challenging moments. Just as the beautiful prayer shawls wraps us in warmth and comfort, your support warms our souls and enables us to continue to praise him as Brent works toward full recovery. We so humbly recognize that many in our SJLC family are dealing with their own "storms" and we pray for peace and strength for all. …And every tear I've cried - you hold in your hand. You never left my side....Casting Crowns Yes - we will praise him even in the storms. Amen! In Christ's Love, Terri Kellogg and Bob Behringer GIFTS TO ST. JOHN Gifts to the General Fund To the glory of God by Susan Kurz In loving memory of Norma Fink by Janice Brennan To the glory of God by Wilfred Schmidt Gifts to the Music Fund In memory of my “card playing” dear friend Ken Farinholt by Ronald Weiland Gifts to the Capital Fund In loving memory of our dear friend Joe Zeleny on the first anniversary of his death on February 26th by Stan and Pat Dougherty Prayer Shawl Ministry “God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform; He plants His footsteps in the sea and rides upon the storm." "God Moves in a Mysterious Way" a Christian hymn written in 1773 by William Cowper from England. The title of this hymn has been used as an expression of praise after God has done something that cannot be explained. We know that God does move in mysterious ways often working through others. Today some one who is not a member of St. John dropped off four large bags of yarn. Maybe this person heard about our Prayer Shawl Ministry and was moved to give us this unexpected gift. What a blessing for the Prayer Shawl Ministry's knitters and crocheters who use a lot of yarn for the shawls and Baptism blankets. Thank you! FROM ST. JOHN LUTHERAN CHURCH SNOW CLOSING POLICY If bad weather makes travel to St. John treacherous (snow, ice) a decision on whether or not to cancel Sunday services will be made by 6:45 a.m. The cancellation will be posted immediately on as many media sites as possible, including local TV stations, and radio stations WBAL 1090 AM, and WRBS 1230 AM. Our webmaster will also post cancellation news on the church website: www.sjlc.org. An email will be sent to congregation members who have provided an email address. Our standing policy for weekday or weeknight activities is as follows: if school is cancelled in Anne Arundel County, all daytime and evening activities are cancelled. In rare instances, a storm may cause a power outage at St. John, meaning no heat/AC or lights. In those circumstances, if you call the church office, 410-859-0020, and the answering machine does not come on, then the church has no power and church activities are cancelled. SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES DURING LENT AND HOLY WEEK . Wednesday March 2nd Senior Fellowship....................................................................12 p.m. Lenten Supper............................................................................6 p.m. Lenten Service...........................................................................7 p.m. Wednesday March 9th Bible Study...............................................................................11 a.m. Lenten Supper............................................................................6 p.m. Lenten Service............................................................................7 p.m. Wednesday March 16th Bible Study...............................................................................11 a.m. Lenten Supper...........................................................................6 p.m. Lenten Service...........................................................................7 p.m. Passion/Palm Sunday March 20th Services........................................................8 a.m., 9:15 a.m., 11 a.m. Maundy Thursday March 24th Services……………………………………………………………………..10 a.m., 7 p.m. Good Friday March 25th Cross Walk…………………………………………………………………………….….Noon Service………………………………………………………………………………….…7 p.m. Easter Sunday March 27th Services…………………………………………………….8 a.m., 9:15 a.m., 11 a.m.