ST. MARK S MESSENGER. from the Pastor. February 2019 Valley, Nebraska

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1 ST. MARK S MESSENGER February 2019 Valley, Nebraska from the Pastor Ahhh, February! That grim and dreary month when we celebrate the beauty and warmth of love by sending gifts and cards to our special ones called Valentines. Valentines normally have the shape of a heart to symbolize the love that we feel for someone. Speaking of hearts and symbols, I thought that I would share with you a little information on Martin Luther s seal that he commissioned Lazarus Spengler to design for him in 1530 after sending him the following description of what he wanted on the seal and why.

2 I shall answer most amiably and tell you my original thoughts and reason about why my seal is a symbol of my theology. The first should be a black cross in a heart, which retains its natural color, so that I myself would be reminded that faith in the Crucified saves us. "For one who believes from the heart will be justified" (Romans 10:10). Although it is indeed a black cross, which mortifies and which should also cause pain, it leaves the heart in its natural color. It does not corrupt nature, that is, it does not kill but keeps alive. "The just shall live by faith" (Romans 1:17) but by faith in the crucified. Such a heart should stand in the middle of a white rose, to show that faith gives joy, comfort, and peace. In other words, it places the believer into a white, joyous rose, for this faith does not give peace and joy like the world gives (John 14:27). That is why the rose should be white and not red, for white is the color of the spirits and the angels (cf. Matthew 28:3; John 20:12). Such a rose should stand in a field, tinted with the blue hues of heaven, symbolizing that such joy in spirit and faith is a beginning of the heavenly future joy, which begins already, but is grasped in hope, not yet revealed. And around this field is a golden ring, symbolizing that such blessedness in Heaven lasts forever and has no end. Such blessedness is exquisite, beyond all joy and goods, just as gold is the most valuable, most precious and best metal. This is my compendium theologiae [summary of theology]. I have wanted to show it to you in good friendship, hoping for your appreciation. May Christ, our beloved Lord, be with your spirit until the life hereafter. Amen - From a letter sent to Lazarus Spengler July 8, 1530 Luther s seal has become a symbol and synopsis of what Lutherans believe, and was often used as a symbol of the Reformation. Many Lutheran churches have this symbol on or in their building, on a window, or even adorning their stationery! Have you found it in our church anywhere? Be on the lookout for this important symbol and emblem of our Lutheran heritage and faith-may it remind us of Christ s love for us in this month when love is celebrated in our culture- by his death on the

3 cross. And now you have a better understanding of this Lutheran coat of arms or symbol of our faith! May Christ s love and light shine in you, Pastor Barbara (Below is a copy of the original black and white drawing used by Luther with his initials included.) from the PMA Handcrafted As a PMA at St. Mark s, I have the opportunity to serve in a variety of ways. One that is both humbling and emotional for me is that of serving the sacraments during communion. As I place a wafer or piece of bread in hands, I can t help but notice the uniqueness of each hand. It may be the hand of a child communing for the first time or the hand of one of our more mature members. The hands tell a story of the person, the calluses, the scars, the curve of the fingers the texture of the skin. In that open hand reaching up and yearning for the body of Christ, I see how God has crafted each individual in his image and led them to this moment of receiving His grace and forgiveness. To be a witness to that is a privilege I don t take lightly. God has crafted you to both give and receive. Karen

4 ASH WEDNESDAY LENT Lent starts with Ash Wednesday on March 6 th, Watch the bulletins for more information. Our Lenten Experience starts on Wednesday,. March 6 with the Ash Wednesday service at 7 p.m. The schedule for the five Wednesdays following Ash Wednesday is as follows: Lenten Supper 5:30-6:30 p.m. Clean Up & Preparation for Worship 6:30-7:00 p.m. Worship 7:00 p.m. Choir 7:45 p.m. The Season of Lent The season of Lent is upon us! Lent officially begins on Ash Wednesday, March 6. We will observe this with a worship service that includes imposition of ashes and communion. For the five Wednesdays following, we will begin with a meal and conclude with a midweek worship service. Lent concludes with Holy Week Services on Palm Sunday, April 14; Maundy Thursday, April 18; Good Friday, April 19 and Easter, April 21.

5 A SHROVE (FAT) TUESDAY CELEBRATION TUESDAY, MARCH 5, :30 7:30 P.M. FUNDRAISER FOR ST. MARK S YOUTH GROUP It s traditional around the world to clean out your cupboards and refrigerator of all those yummy items like cream, eggs, cheese, chocolate, and even meats the day before Ash Wednesday. Many of us make a choice to give up pleasures.to deny ourselves and focus on the actions of LENT --meditating, praying, reading the Word, and repenting. Six weeks of denying our earthly cravings becomes our personal sacrifice. So let s celebrate in the tradition of FAT TUESDAY!! The menu will offer: MEATS!! PANCAKES!! EGGS! FRENCH TOAST STICKS! Not into breakfast for supper? No worries! Other items on the menu are: MAC & CHEESE! PIZZA! AND LOTS OF FATTY DESSERTS!! COME WHEN YOU CAN, LEAVE WHEN YOU MUST! All proceeds from this fundraiser will go towards our youth going to the ELCA Youth Work Mission Trip in Chicago the week of July 7-12, Thank you for your support!

6 Because the Council meeting for January was postponed a week due to bad weather, the January Council Highlights will be in the February newsletter. The December Financial Reports will also be published next month. (Watch the bulletins for these items) A PRAYER FOR ST MARK'S COUNCIL Gracious God, help the council see with increasing clarity the gifts you have given our congregation for serving you by serving others. Amen. The COPE pantry is currently running low on the following items: Pancake Mix & Pancake Syrup Ketchup Ranch Dressing Jelly or Jam Instant Box Potatoes Spaghetti O s Paper Towels Toilet Paper Kleenex Laundry Detergent Cereal **Special note...cope is helping approx. 40 families per week with grocery items. Thank you for your support of this outreach program. It is so appreciated by those in need. PEACE CIRCLE

7 FEBRUARY NEWS FOR WOMEN OF ST. MARK S FAITH CIRCLE NEWS Faith Circle will meet on Tuesday, February 5 at 1 p.m. for our regular meeting and Bible Study. The study entitled, "Meetings with Jesus, Session Two, Coming to Faith in Jesus" will be led by Carmen Dau and Jean Krahmer will provide refreshments. The upcoming quilting project will be discussed. Please join us for this session and fellowship. FRIENDSHIP CIRCLE NEWS We didn t meet in January. We will be doing an ingathering of items for LWR Personal Care Kits until February 24 th. Items needed to make a kit have been in the Sunday bulletins or can be found online at the LWR website. Our next meeting will be on Monday, February 4 th with Sharon Wilson leading our study and Lorrie Denker serving as our Hostess. JOY/PEACE CIRCLE NEWS Joy/Peace Circle will meet on Sunday, February 3 at 9:20 a.m. in the Sunday School Office. Please join us for Bible Study and fellowship.

8 LUTHERAN WORLD RELIEF PERSONAL CARE KITS The Friendship Circle at St. Mark's will do a gathering of items to put together some personal care kits for LWR. These kits are distributed all over the world in the event of natural disaster or those fleeing from their homes because of war. We will be putting these kits together as a group at a later date but will be asking you to contribute the following items if you feel called to participate in this outreach. The collection will run from Jan. 13th thru Feb. 24th. Thank you in advance for your help! Each kit must include: ONE light weight bath size towel (between 20"x40" and 52" x 27") dark colored towel recommended TWO or THREE bath size bars of soap equaling 8 to 9 oz..any brand in original wrapping ONE adult size toothbrush in it's original packaging ONE sturdy comb ONE metal nail clippers (attached file optional) New items only please!

9 A BIG THANK YOU TO: everyone who brought a dish, salad, or dessert for Linda George s funeral all who worked in the kitchen, planed, set up and broke down tables and chairs for the funeral what workers we have! Karen King and her extra help for setting up for the Longest Night service, and all the extras she does around worship to make them flow easier! Donna Fintel and family for the beautiful altar flowers in her daughter, Rachelle Vencil s memory and honor. They were beautiful. Bob Scholz who set up the outdoor lighted manger scene and angels, tested/replaced light bulbs and also took them down! Also thanks Bob for replacing a flat tire on the church s snow blower. Servant heart! Nominating Committee for their prayer and discernment. our leaving Council members, (Linda Ryan, Nate Wittgren and Toni Peacock) for your work, the hours, and your guidance during your term s tenure. Sharon Wilson for steering the ship of St. Mark s for most of this past year. Thanks for your kindness, reliability, faithfulness and your love of your church! all the women who bring their smiles, love, faith and bingo to care residents in Orchard Gardens and Valhaven.

10 our organists, Teri Dreessen and Pat Stiefel for your wonderful playing helping us to make a joyful noise and making Christmas brighter and more meaningful to us! 100 Voices for their faithful music making, their practices, and lifting our hearts with their music much obliged! all who shopped for and brought presents and delivered them (on a snowy night) to COPE families in need. How blessed we are to give! Thanks COPE for all you do for our brothers and sisters in need. all who de-decorated the church as well as those who decorated and made our church festive! Thanks! Patti Jensen for her excellent work cleaning our building. Thanks so much! Jan Reis for all her extra work through the holidays, prayer tower request s on her days off and extra work through Linda s funeral. Thanks, Jan all those prayer warriors who faithfully pray for all our members and requests. God bless you! the Taylor and Aubrynn Sheets for generously adding their singing talents to our holiday music by singing All Is Well. What a blessing! Cal Peacock and Danny Stewart for sharing their voices in singing Christmas in Nebraska on Christmas Eve. Beautiful! Sunday School children for their presentation of Come and See during worship on December 16 th. the Choir for their special music on Christmas Eve and throughout the past year!

11 FAITH CIRCLE and the St. Mark's Church Women wish to revitalize the ministry of providing tied quilts for Lutheran World Relief as has been done many years in the past. (For many years, Helen and Harvey Soll engineered this project and we are grateful for their efforts.) This group of volunteers (do not need to be a St. Mark's member and men are welcome) will meet the LAST Thursday of every month for fellowship and service to measure, cut, iron, assemble and tie these quilts using materials hopefully donated by members of our congregation. Cotton or polyester fabric, flat or fitted 60 " X 80 " bed sheets, embroidery floss, sewing thread and large needles are among items needed to begin. Look for a complete list of items in the newsletters and bulletins. One DOES NOT need to be a "quilter" to assist with this project! But many volunteers are needed as "many hands make light work". If you or someone you know would be able to share in this fellowship/ministry project, please mark your calendars for the LAST Thursday of each month,(jan. 31, Feb. 28, Match 28, April 25, May 30, etc.) to come to St. Mark's from 1 p.m.-4 p.m. to help with this worthy effort. Thank you to Sharon Renshaw for agreeing to be coordinator of this project. Donated items may be left in the Fellowship Hall by the Project Warmth tub and clearly mark them for "Quilters". We hope to see you as we make quilts for LWR once again and can be a part of this worthy ministry. Faith Circle Lutheran World Relief Mission Quilts Wish List Steam Iron Embroidery Floss Fabric Bed Sheets Flat and Fitted (needs to measure 60 x 80) Sewing Machine Thread Sewing Machines 2 Cardboard Cutting Mats Rotary Cutter and Blades

12 Blue Tape Scissors Large Self Healing Cutting Mat Large Needles to Tie the Quilts with Hospice Volunteers provide companionship for individuals living with terminal illnesses and their families. Volunteers choose the hours they are able to serve and determine the geographical location in metro Omaha/Council Bluffs and surrounding area. Volunteer education will take place in February and is sponsored by CHI Health at Home Hospice, VNA Hospice and Hospice House The Josie Harper Residence. Please call one of the agencies below to request an application. Celeste Feuerbach, VNA Hospice ; Mary Pendell, CHI Health at Home Hospice, and Taylor Romeo, Hospital House

13 Funds raised by the women of St. Marks go to support many programs sponsored by the NE Synod of the ELCA. Also thru our community outreach we make donations to fund many Service Organization in the surrounding communities. Listed below are the organizations & people we gave donations to this fiscal year ( ) and the amount given. We want to thank the members of St. Marks for their continued support in helping make these donations possible. Charitable Giving for 2018/19 Amount Hillary Christensen $ In support of her Seminary schooling Campus Ministries $ Care-A-Van, Inc Women s Fund of Omaha Prison Ministries Lutheran Family Services NE Children s Home Society Nebraska Lutheran Outdoor Ministries Sherron Fund Table Grace Cafe Western Douglas County Food Pantry COPE Total $