TIDINGS. Monthly Highlights Mark your calendar! A few thoughts

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1 TIDINGS St. Timothy Lutheran Church Newsletter APRIL 2017 A few thoughts The cross alone is our theology. --Martin Luther 2017 will be remembered in the history of St. Timothy Lutheran Church as the year of the cross. On the evening of April 15 th, as the sun sets over the west end of our church, we will gather outside in the fading light to rekindle the fire of Christ, which leaves our world on Good Friday. We will march the fire triumphantly back into the sanctuary reclaiming the darkness, and there revealed to us in the light will be our new cross. The new cross will hang from the rafters centered above Christ s altar, becoming a visual reminder of the cross s central and prominent place in our Christian faith. Ten feet tall and made of oak and aspen wood, the cross will also contain prayers and messages from across our congregation within its hollowed out body. Pr. Daniel Joyner Miller But why a cross? Why not a giant bouquet of flowers? Why not something a little less scandalous? After all, is it not a tad bit morbid to hang the instrument of our savior s execution in front of our eyes? We will proudly raise the cross in the sanctuary because it is ultimately the place where God is fully revealed and made known to us. We will raise the cross because it tells us who God is and how God saves. And this God is a God who cares about us so deeply that coming down to earth and living with us and even dying like us is a part of the divine will. We will raise the cross on Easter because of all the days of the church year Easter is the day that the true power of the cross is revealed. And the true power of the cross is the power that God has to turn death into life, to turn darkness into light, to turn a display of human power into a statement of God s mercy and grace. Yes 2017 will be the year of the cross at St. Timothy. But in truth every year when we gather as a congregation to preach and praise Christ crucified and risen is a true year of the cross. Monthly Highlights Mark your calendar! April 8 Easter Egg Hunt 10:00 am April 13 Maundy Thursday Seder Meal 6:00pm April 14 Good Friday 7:00pm April 15 Easter Vigil 7:00pm April 16 Easter Sunday 9 & 11:00am NO Sunday School April 30 Road Rally 2:00pm

2 Worship and music HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE Thursday, April 13, 6:00 pm Seder Meal remembering Passover and The Last Supper. Everyone is invited, but advanced signup is needed. The sheet is on Table in the narthex. Friday, April 14, 7:00 pm - Good Friday service Saturday, April 15, 7:00 pm Easter Vigil followed by champagne reception Sunday, April 16 EASTER services at 9 and 11:00 am Easter Children s Chapel During both Easter worship services we will have Children s Chapel directly following the Children s Sermon. Children in preschool through fifth grade are invited to the Cornerstone Room to watch the animated DVD of The Story of Easter, which uses spirited animation to help children marvel at God s love for the world through the resurrection of Jesus. Social Ministry items Bridge Communities update Our Bridge family has completed a year in the program which means that our young mother and her son have one more year before selfsufficiency. She has made good progress in following her budget. She has an excellent, optimistic attitude and is responsive to the team's suggestions. The mentor team is very appreciative of the support of the congregation for this ministry. Health & Wellness Fit 4 Life Classes will continue every Thursday morning 9:30-10:30am, in Cornerstone. These will continue through April 27. Please join us for a time of fine-tuning balance, stretching and fellowship. Donation is $5 per class. April is National Healthcare Decisions Week dedicated to exploring our wishes should a unexpected, life-altering event occur. Please access these links to prepare yourself and your family in order to discuss and plan for unexpected situations. As always, feel free to contact me with any questions. krunge@sttimothylutheran.com Kim Runge Faith Community Nurse

3 Youth Ministries Sunday School April 2 NO SUNDAY SCHOOL (Spring Break) April 9 Holy Week April 16 NO SUNDAY SCHOOL (Easter Children s Chapel during both services) April 23 The Empty Tomb April 30 The Holy Spirit LOGOS April 6 Matthew s Holy Week April 13 NO LOGOS (Maundy Thursday) April 20 Thomas Answers Jesus April 27 Road to Emmaus First Communion On Saturday, April 8, during the 5 pm worship service, we will welcome and celebrate the following children making their First Holy Communion: Kayla Boor Jacob Conway Diana Cox Niklas Cree Mowen Sydney Sofia Mowen Charles Lawrence Pierce Anna Lynn Provenzano Catherine Claire Provenzano Tyler James Schmidt Caroline Elizabeth Schulz Jeremy Smith Madison Joy Taylor Alexander Timothy Wohlfahrt SAVE THE DATE VBS 2017 Save the dates of June 19 to June 23, 9 am to noon, for an exciting week of VBS! Our theme this year is Maker Fun Factory and we are hard at work to make this the best VBS yet! VBS is for children in preschool (4 years old by 9/1/17) through fifth grade. We will also need many volunteers (sixth grade through adult) to make this week a success! Look for registration and volunteer sign-up at the Kids with Christ table beginning Palm Sunday Weekend. Confirmation We will meet the following Thursdays in April: 6, 20 and 27. April 13 is Maundy Thursday. There will be no Confirmation, but all families are invited for our Maundy Thursday service and Seder Meal. This will be fun and worshipful for all ages. Don t forget, we will spend an amazing week this summer at Lutherdale, June 25 June 30. High School April 2 Main Event (permission form )* Come join us for a night of fun at Main Event. We will meet at church at 6:30pm and return at 8:45pm. More information is on the permission form. April 9 Easter/Holy Week Small Group Worship Holy Week is the most important time in the life of a Christian. We will mark this event with a special event with our high school youth in mind. Drawing on traditions ancient and modern, we will worship our crucified and risen Lord. Apr 16 No YG (Easter) Apr (Fri-Sun) LOMC (permission form )* Camping ministry shows us that the World of God is connected to the Word of God. We will spend Friday evening until Sunday morning at LOMC. More information on the permission form. April 30 Road Rally (Sign-up) Join us for the final all church Fellowship night for the year. This will be a Naperville city puzzle scavenger hunt. Look for information about it in your Tidings (pg.5) and Tidbits.

4 Faith Development The Tuesday AM study group is being led by Pastor David Miller who is presenting a Lenten series on the meaning of the Cross. This series will continue through Easter Week. Study material post-easter is yet to be determined. We meet every Tuesday 10:30-11:30 am, in the conference room. Group is open to both men and women, however no child care is available. Feel free to drop by and check it out! Women s Wednesday book group will be reading the Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. We meet in the serenity room, Wednesday evenings, 7:00 pm. All are welcome. Council Highlights from the March 21 meeting New Business: Finance: Actual giving during February was better than expected giving. Current cash reserves are $118K. The Audit Committee made some recommendations to the Finance Committee regarding Designated Fund reporting. Finance Committee will make some clarifications to our Designated Funds and continue to provide clear, accurate and transparent financial reporting. All submissions for reimbursement of expenses over $50 must be submitted using the Check Request Form and include the receipt and be approved by a Council member responsible for that area of the expense or a Staff member designated by Council in order to be paid. Volunteers: Exploring how to help identify volunteers and/or members of St. Timothy during events. Mutual Ministry Committee: Council approved the proposed candidates for the Mutual Ministry Committee. Jana Tindall will contact the candidates and ask them to be a part of the Committee. Truth Chinese Lutheran Church Scott Merrihew will write a letter welcoming them to the neighborhood. This is the new construction at the NW corner of Mill St. and Bauer Road. Cross Construction Stain color has been selected. Will be ready for 4/15. High School Youth Position on Council Council elected Ben Lovick as the Youth Council Member. Continued Business: Host/Hostess Role An will be sent to the congregation to generate interest in volunteers for this role in addition to what Council members are currently doing. Attendance we will now begin including Sunday School attendance in the totals for worship attendance. Pastors Reports: Pr. Dan 14 Confirmands went to LOMC, had a great time. 14 children will receive First Communion on 4/8. Lenten Life of Faith Series has been a success, and the Adult LOGOS have been using this material for discussion during Lent. As many as 20 different people have attended this new Adult Group. All-church Road Rally Fundraiser is in planning stages. Mission Trip planning and recruiting is continuing; women are needed as chaperones. Pr. Miller 4/9 we will be receiving new members, probably 6 new families. He is investigating a Refugee Resettlement Project and has meetings about that soon. He has met with LIF teachers and the Director of the Preschool to determine needs. Committee/Task Force Reports: Property: Narthex Project A flat panel TV screen will be installed on the west wall of the Narthex to promote events, display announcements, report on trips/events/projects, etc. Sanctuary Project Many of the track lights are out. 50 will be replaced. Next meeting is Tuesday, April 18 at 7:00 pm.

5 Around St. Timothy Garage Sale: We will have a rummage sale fundraiser in May. But it s never too early to start setting things aside that you were otherwise going to get rid of including: clothes, shoes, bedding, purses, electronics, sports equipment, toys/ games, kitchen appliances, books, cds, and dvds. Library Notes: During this season of Lent, be sure to investigate our collection of seasonal books. For adults consider Bread and Wine, Readings for Lent and Easter from the world s best-loved spiritual writers. For children try A Family Journey with Jesus through Lent: Prayers and Activities Road Rally: St. Tim s will be holding a Spring Road Rally for all members (middle school age and up) of the church on Sunday April 30. For those of you who have never been on a road rally, it is set up similar to a treasure hunt, where a car of individuals are provided with clues to various secret locations throughout Naperville. We will meet at Church at 2:30 pm and dinner will be provided at 6:30, with Ignite led music. The signup sheet is in the narthex (note: you can sign up as a full car (4-6 people), OR as an individual/or couple and we will assign teammates). The cost is 25$ per person and includes the rally and dinner. Mark your calendars, and plan to join us! Date: Sunday, April 30, 2017 Time: Meet at Church at 2:30 pm (dinner will be after at 6:30) Sign up: Sign up sheet is in the Narthex. (note: you can sign up as a full car (4-6 people), OR as an individual/or couple and we will assign teammates). Other: After you have signed up (use the sign-up sheet in the Narthex) you will be notified of some tools to bring with you in your car Cost: $25 per person (all proceeds go St. Tim s HS Youth program). Cost includes rally and dinner.. Questions: Contact Bud Angell -- (630) Prayers We invite you to lift up members of our congregation in prayer. Each week, a number of families will be listed in Tidbits and prayed for during worship. The following are on the prayer list for APRIL Bud & Shelley Angell Jamie Kevin & Sonja Beallis Britten, Vaughn, Morgan and Karson Barb & Steve Bernardi Jacob and Matthew Jim & Laura Bond-Harris Lindsay and Andrew Kurt & Marilee Clements Samantha and Troy Les & Jennifer Cowel Jennifer, Lindsey and Allie Thor & Wendy Davidson Brenna and Anders Kevin & Karrie Driscoll Kelsey, Kaylee and Keegan Bruce & Jann Everhart Kerrie Folisi Matt & Laura Frego Eleanore, Alese and Evelyn Charlie & Barb Graveline Matt & Shannon Hallstrom Harry, Vaughn and Luke Save The Date Saturday May 6 7:30 am Boy scout pancake breakfast AND Spring blood drive Larry & Toni Hansler Alex & Molly Harris Kally, Bryn, Tess and Lainey Abbey & Eric Henderson Anabel and Jacob AND Spring garden and landscape cleanup