Emanuel Lutheran Church. March Enlightener

Transcription

1 Emanuel Lutheran Church March 2018 Enlightener 125th Anniversary ~ Sunday, August 25, 2019 The first service held in the church building was in the early morning hours of January 1, Approximately 50 people attended the service led by Rev. Gustaf Ekeberg. In his annual report for that year he said of the service,...an early morning service with Christmas candles lit so that both the earthly and spiritual light shone in the woods and in the church on this new year s first morning. Sunday Worship Service 11:15 AM Office hours Tuesday, Thursday 12-2 PM (Fridays as needed) Interim Pastor Warren Geier (906) or (906) pastor@bethanyishpeming.org Church Phone: emanuel@tds.net

2 Congregational Leadership Interim Pastor Warren Geier (906) Council Members Sandi Ruotsi Mary Lou Behrens Donna Oliver Jolene Kokko Betsy Koski Jane Sims Jesse Kainulainen Christian Education Betsy Koski ~ Confirmation Leah Kainulainen, Karen Maki ~ Sunday School Sandi Ruotsi ~ Adult Forum Office Amy Ayotte ~ Administrative Assistant Emanuel Lutheran Church has both a Face Book Page and website! Catch up on upcoming and past events, our monthly calendar and Enlightener newsletters at: Committee Leaders Sandi Ruotsi ~ Council President Barb Bach ~ Stewardship Sarah Kimball ~ Outreach Betsy Koski ~ Christian Education Betsy Koski ~ 125th Anniversary Committee Leah Kainulainen ~ Youth Mission Jane Sims ~ Worship & Music Roger Kimball ~ Building & Property Patti Bergdahl ~ Cemetery The deadline for getting items and information to Amy for the April Enlightener is Sunday, March Worship time is 11:15AM beginning in March and continuing through June. Sunday School and Adult Forum will remain at 10:15AM.

3 Midweek Lenten Worship & Soup Suppers The long-time tradition of joining our friends and neighbors from the Skandia Hope Methodist and the Community Covenant Church in midweek Lenten service followed by a soup supper continues this month. Wednesday, March 7 Skandia Hope Methodist, 6 PM Wednesday, March 21 Community Covenant Church, 6 PM Thank you to all that help host Emanuel s soup supper and worship service. Community fellowship was enjoyed by all! More Lenten Opportunities You are invited to pick up any of the many devotional booklets that are on the table in the parish hall. They are free and you are welcome to keep the ones you choose. You are also encouraged to take a Lenten coin folder from both entrances into the sanctuary. These can be used to help remember the sacrifice Jesus made for our sins and to deepen your prayer life. We will be having an Easter Sunday Brunch (April 1) from 10-11:00 AM before worship. A sign-up sheet is on the counter in the parish hall. Thank you for helping making Easter Sunday a special day!..to Roger Kimball for steam cleaning the carpeting in the fellowship hall and offices, they look great! And thank you for all of your work needed to get bids for the roof!

4 Pastor s Reflections ~ The month of March doesn t have much to recommend it, at least not around here, apart from the fact that it means February is over. I think you would be hard pressed to find someone who would say that March is their favorite month of the year. If you re a college basketball fan there is March Madness, the beginning of the NCAA tournament and a lot of people do look forward to that. In this part of the world though, March Madness might have more to do with actually being mad, angry at winter s unwillingness to ease the grip of its icy fingers. Even for those who like winter, enough is enough. You know that somewhere spring is beginning to make its appearance, but most years it s very slow in arriving in Upper Michigan. March can drive you to madness! On the other hand, as I drove over to church the other morning it was stunningly beautiful; the sun rising a little earlier these days, clear blue sky, a coating of fresh, clean snow. If only the thermometer in my car didn t say minus 1! This year in March we settle into the heart of the Lenten season and then Holy Week in the last week of the month. I don t know if winter s lingering makes it easier or harder to maintain a Lenten focus. Forty days (plus Sundays) isn t a real long time but in a culture of short attention spans, after beginning with good intentions on Ash Wednesday it is easy to lose track of Lent as a time of repentance and honesty and renewal. It s easy to fall back into what Pope Francis a few years ago called indifference, indifference that winds up closing the door through which God comes into the world and the world comes to him. The pope nicely articulates the challenge of Lent. Some people don t take on any Lenten discipline because they figure it won t make any difference in their spiritual life, others lose focus somewhere along the way having drawn a similar conclusion.

5 That does close a door through which God might come and be a living presence in one s life. The challenge then is to be persistent throughout the forty days, finding some practice or discipline that causes you to think about your relationship with God, what s good and what s not so good. It might not lead to a great spiritual awakening, but then again, who knows? If nothing else it can be a beginning that will carry you beyond Lent and into the rest of the year and into the rest of your life. At this point in Lent we don t want to be in a rush to Holy Week and Easter; Lent needs its own space and time. However, as Holy Week does take place at the end of March, be reminded that the liturgies of Holy Week are central to our identity as Christian people and they make up the heart of the gospel narrative. That s from Sundays and Seasons, a worship guide published by Augsburg and it highlights the importance of what goes on during these days. So be persistent in your observance of Lent and also plan to make Holy Week worship a priority this year for you and your family! I ll offer a reminder that we again will be observing the week in its fullness, beginning with Palm/Passion Sunday, then Maundy Thursday, the Good Friday ecumenical service (at Bethel this year,) Good Friday Tenebrae, Easter Vigil on Saturday followed by the all night vigil leading into Easter morning. It is a lot of church but as always I urge you to plan to be present for as much as you can. They are all unique, once a year services worth making a part of your Lenten discipline! May you continue to experience a blessed and meaningful Lent! ~Pastor Warren Geier

6 In 2019, Emanuel will celebrate 125 years of ministry! We invite all current and former members to be a part of the celebration. If you have moved from the area or are out of touch with Emanuel, please send us your mailing address via Facebook or (emanuel@tds.net) so that we can send more information on what will happen during our anniversary year. If your children were baptized, confirmed or married at Emanuel, send their addresses, too! We are now putting together a cookbook/biography and invite all former and current members to submit recipes, a picture, and a short remembrance of your time at Emanuel. Send via or hard copy to Emanuel Lutheran Church P.O. Box 160, Skandia, MI Sign Up Sheets are in the fellowship hall window to sponsor monthly bulletins (cost $25 per month) and to volunteer to serve coffee during fellowship. Thank you for helping! Worship Leaders for the Month of March 3/04~Pastor Chrys Levesque Hendrick 3/11~Mrs. Virginia Paulson Thank you to Gisele Duehring for sponsoring the March bulletins in honor of Margaret Gowin s 91st birthday! 3/18 ~ Mrs. Virginia Paulson 3/25 Palm Sunday~ Mrs. Virginia Paulson 3/29 7 PM Maundy Thursday~Pastor Chrys Levesque Hendrick 3/30 7PM Good Friday ~ Mrs. Virginia Paulson

7 Palm Sunday ~ March 25: Worship 11:15AM On Palm Sunday we begin the most important week of the Christian year. You are invited and encouraged to include these services in your weekly schedule as we walk with Jesus toward the cross. Maundy Thursday ~ March 29: Worship 7:00PM On this evening we remember Jesus Last Supper with his disciples, his hours of prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, and his betrayal by Judas. After celebrating holy communion, the service will conclude with the stripping of the altar. Good Friday ~ March 30: Worship 7:00PM Come and stand at the foot of the cross as we hear again the story of Jesus suffering and death. Listen deep in your soul as he utters the words, It is finished. Easter Sunday, April 1, begins with a potluck brunch being served from 10:00-11:00AM followed by a festive worship service at 11:15 AM. Raise your voice in Thanksgiving and praise to our Risen Lord! Easter Flowers Living flowers remind us that we worship a living Risen Lord. You are invited to help contribute to the purchase of flowers to adorn the altar and sanctuary Easter Sunday. A sign up sheet is located at the counter in the parish hall.

8 Richard Cooke, Laurie and Andrea Kass and Pastor Jim and Gisele Deuhring have become members of Emanuel Lutheran Church! We welcome you all and we feel very blessed to have you part of our family at Emanuel! This summer the church sanctuary will be getting a new roof.! Bids are being received for this this project and the Stewardship Committee has committed to leading the fundraising! The first fundraiser will be a Community Dinner at Emanuel, Saturday, April 21 2:00-6:00 PM. The menu will include turkey, ham and scalloped potatoes. Congregation members will be asked to make and donate salads and desserts. A free-will offering will be taken to support the cost of the new roof. Keep an eye for opportunities to help with this event! But I m not a crafter We all have different talents and crafting may or may not be one of yours. Each year our November bazaar has become more popular because we make homemade crafts, wreaths & quilts offering them at affordable prices. We have built a large following and this year we really need your help! If you re not a crafter, you can still help! Everyone knows someone that is a crafter, will you please consider asking them to use their special talents and donate a few of their creations to our bazaar or raffle. THANK YOU for sharing another way of helping Emanuel Lutheran Church. If you have any questions please contact any member of the Outreach Committee.

9 Don t Forget to direct Choice Dollars! If you are an eligible Thrivent Financial member and have Choice Dollars available to direct to an organization, the deadline is coming up on March 29. For more information or to direct Choice Dollars, call or Thrivent.com/thriventchoice to learn more. THANK YOU FOR SAVING AND BRINGING IN YOUR ECONO-FOODS RECEIPTS THEY REALLY DO ADD UP! Our receipts were tallied and this year have added up to $28,966 which should give our church a donation of approximately $289! Thank You Econo-Foods for your generous We Share Receipt Program. Remember in Prayer Our members, family, and friends who are ill, have health concerns, or are grieving Our members who are absent from worship and unable to attend Herb Anderson, Lee Berglund and Bettie Ahola Our Thanks and Praise to God. If someone has a prayer chain request, they should call Amy in the office at (906) or after hours at (906) Amy will then activate the contact list and when Sarah receives the she will activate the phone list.

10 March 2018 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sunday school/ Adult Forum 10:15AM Worship 11:15AM 5 9AM-5PM AA-7PM 6 7 Worship/ Soup Supper Hope Methodist 6 PM 8 9AM- 5PM Sunday School/ Adult Forum 10:15AM Worship 11:15AM 12 9AM-5PM AA-7PM AM- 5PM Sunday school/ Adult Forum 10:15AM Worship 11:15AM Council Mtg.1PM 19 9AM-5PM AA-7PM Worship/ Soup Supper Covenant Church 6PM 22 9AM- 5PM Sunday school/ Adult Forum 10:15AM Worship 11:15AM 26 9AM-5PM AA-7PM AM-5PM Maundy Thurs. 7PM 30 Good Friday- Service 7PM 31

11 Date Acolyte Ushers Lector 03/04 Luke Kainulainen Jesse & Leah Kainulainen Sandi Ruotsi 03/11 Hailey Ridolphi Bahrman Family Sally Weingartner 03/18 Tiffany Ridolphi Roger & Sarah Kimball Jesse Kainulainen 03/25 Luke Kainulainen Tom & Barb Bach Betsy Koski March 1 ~ Johnny Bergdahl March 5 ~ Michelle Whitaker March 5 ~ Mark Shelton March 5 ~ Pastor Chad March 7 ~ Sam Gardner March 12~ Laura Thompson March 20 ~ Karen Bahrman March 20 ~ Ryan Howard March 23 ~ Jeff Sims March 26~ Doris Larson March 27 ~ Dean Wilson March 28 ~ Samantha DuVall March 14 ~ Lani Yearicks Happy Anniversary Mark & Melissa Krans~March10 Outreach Committee Update ~ Outreach will not be meeting in March while Sarah is in Alaska. Prayer Partners will be exchanged March 25th. THANK YOU for your generous donations for the MARKED event. Confirmation students filled backpacks for children that need food at home over the weekends while not at school. Church Council meets Sunday, March 18 at 1PM. Minutes from the previous meeting are posted on the bulletin board in the parish hall.

12 The March Enlightener Emanuel Lutheran Church P.O. Box 160 Skandia, MI Emanuel Lutheran Church is a people centered in Christ, rich in heritage and beauty, living out Christ s openness to all. Our ministry is to spread the Word of God in our community through service, education and fellowship, creating a sense of family as we break bread together in the company of Christ. Worship Time 11:15 AM beginning March 4 Sunday School/Adult Forum 10:15 AM