FIRST FRUITS. First Fruits - February

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1 FIRST FRUITS WE GIVE OUR FIRST FRUITS BECAUSE HE GAVE US HIS ONLY SON February 2015 Volume 18 No. 2 First Fruits - February Will You Come and follow me if I but call your name? Will you go where you don t know and never be the same? Will you use the faith you ve found to reshape the world around, Through my sight and touch and sound In you, and in me? Lenten Devotion by Rev. Katie Owen Dear First Family and Friends, As we find ourselves at the onset of February, let s do a quick New Year resolution review how are you doing at keeping yours? As for me, I feel pretty good at holding true to my new year s resolution of following God s command of finding Sabbath rest. Now that seminary study is off my plate, I have been more intentional in refraining from technology usage outside of regular office hours and I now can typically find a day off on either Monday or Friday depending on what week it is. (It is Friday when it is Rodney s weekend off and he can come to El Campo). So if I receive a non-emergency call, text, or from you and it is not returned quite as fast as usual on either my Friday or Monday off, that is why. SEASONS OF GIVING Our Wednesday Night Bible Study is a great opportunity to be inspired and conduct a spiritual check-up on how the value of generosity and hospitality is manifesting itself in your daily walk. Come join us and take a more intentional look at generosity, hospitality, money and giving. Through exploring the rich examples of generosity and hospitality found in the lives of biblical characters, we are discovering how it can help us to live every day with a more generous and welcoming heart. This four-session study continues each Wednesday beginning at 6:00 through Feb. 4th. A study of the word generosity is important to cultures past and present and according to the University of Notre Dame s Science of Generosity research: Generosity has not long been viewed as a normal trait of ordinary people, but rather those of a greater goodness. And more of an ideal toward which the best may aspire and achieve than a democratic obligation that is the duty of all to practice. Generosity may then, on the positive side, properly call any given person to a higher standard Yet simultaneously (and more problematically) this two-tier understanding may have the effect of excusing the majority from practicing generosity because of their perceived ordinary status. The study goes on to define generosity as: a learned character trait that involves both attitude and action. in its mature form rejects selfishness, greed, fear, and meanness. giving to others not simply anything in abundance, but rather giving those things that are good for others. always intending to enhance the true well-being of those to whom one gives. What is your attitude toward giving? Come join us at Bible Study to find out. Lent Begins on Ash Wednesday, February 18 with a soup supper beginning at 6:00 following with worship at 6:45 pm. If you would like to host one of the Mid-week Soup Suppers, a sign-up sheet will soon be available on the table in the fellowship hall. This year our Mid-week Lenten services will contain pictorial, geographical, historical and spiritual insights I gleaned through my summer 2012 mission/study trip to Mexico City and 2013 study pilgrimage to Israel/Palestine. Get ready as we will walk together On The Road With Jesus Seeing And Being Christ. May the Peace of Christ be with you all, Pastor Donna

2 First School And Day Care First School has created a School Wish List with educational items and also a separate list of everyday ews items such as batteries and tissue, and Diaper Genie refills that are much needed at the school. If you wish to generously donate an item from the list send me an , call, or stop by our center to designate which item you want to financially contribute and then the order will be placed online for the specific item. The list will be ed at request as well as posted on the board in the Fellowship Hall. Our address is firstschoolanddaycare@yahoo.com and phone number is: , Thank you for your support! Also, First School and Daycare is participating in the FundingFactory Recycling Program! This fundraiser is FREE and simple because there s nothing to sell, no paperwork to fill out and no deadline. The program runs year-round, accumulating constant income for our efforts. But we won t get very far without your support. Please donate your empty printer cartridges, cell phones, small electronics, and laptops to our school and we ll take it from there! We will recycle the cartridges, cell phones, small electronics, and laptops through FundingFactory to earn new improvements for our classrooms and playground. FundingFactory also sponsors a business support program, where your employer can help out our school without spending a cent. FREE prepaid shipping labels can be sent, free of charge, directly to any business, organization or other facility within the continental United States. Business supporters simply need to load boxes, apply a FREE prepaid shipping label and leave them for the next UPS pickup. If you work for a company that may be interested in supporting us, please call FundingFactory toll-free at Give the customer service representative our school identification number, and they ll set you up to support our account. Finally, don t forget to like us on Facebook!!! Many Blessings, Bree Joines First School and Daycare First School Board - February 2 nd 6:00 p.m. 02/01 Psalm 111; Deuteronomy 18:15-20, 1 Corinthians 8:1-13, Mark 1: /08 Psalm 147:1-11,20c; Isaiah 40:21-31, 1 Corinthians 9:16-23, Mark 1: /15 Psalm 50:1-6; 2 Kings 2:1-12, 2 Corinthians 4:3-6, Mark 9:2-9 02/22 Psalm 25:1-10; Genesis 9:8-17, 1 Peter 3:18-22, Mark 1:9-15

3 02/01 Maddie Mathews 02/18 Kyle House 02/20 Ellis Lundy 02/21 Ty Schoenfield 02/23 Tammy Campbell 02/27 Nora Borak 02/11 Justin Cerny 02/15 Cori Bram 02/23 Ty Schoenfield 02/25 Tammy Campbell 02/26 Teresa Berglund Meridian - Henrietta Bram & Lorene Bard Our FLC Family Esther Swanson Valrie Gann Dorothy Atchetee All caregivers of FLC Grace Lowery Evon Atchetee First School - Teachers Rose Merta Charles & Vernell Bard Families and Children Mandi Tesch Judy Bezdek Kandi Alcalias Parke Christenberry Friends of FLC Louis Skrabanek Elenora Hadash Eddie Graeter Michael Grissom Thomas Hernandez Debbie Hubenak Judy Brown Nora Hollingsworth George Jalowy Norma Englund Joslin Robert Hollingsworth Connie Martin Conner Family Jimmie Joines Nancy Mozicek Vernon Winfield Bonnie Jones Lloyd Nelson Arnold Johnson Harry & Marilyn Kight Gloria Schoenfield Avery Roan Justin Lormand Andy Talbert Bernadette Terrell Forrest & Norma Newton ARC of Texas EC Police Department Odis & Lorraine Newton Vanessa Darwin Grewe Jimmy &Sharon Nielsen EC Volunteer Firefighters Willie Gonzalez Elsie Overstreet EC Paramedics Family of Cline Johnson Ted Schoenfield Dave Schoelman Maxine Allen Haley Stewart Lawrence & Marcy Berglund Shanelle Henson Jett Garrett Wilbert Talafuse Pray for our loved ones In the Military Jake Barosh Justin Cerny Sarah Langston Michael Monreal WE RE HERE WHEN YOU NEED US 02/02 James & Sheila Herrington 02/14 Lionel & Shirley Chatel 02/18 Warren & Helen Johnson OR Office hours: Tues & Thurs: 8:00am - 4:30pm Wed: 8:00am 12:00pm Phone: office@firstlutheranec.com COUNCIL MEETING Thursday, February 12 th 6:00 p.m. Pastor Donna Zipp: pastorfirstlutheran@yahoo.com Phone:

4 Wednesday Bible Study Group The Wednesday study group will continue to meet on Wednesday evenings January 28 th and February 4 th at 6:00 p.m. They are studying the Seasons of Giving, an intentional look at generosity, hospitality, money and giving. Looking Ahead to 2015 The Church Council has met to propose a budget of $108,810. for the year This means we will need $9, monthly to meet this budget. Breaking this down by Sundays, we will need an offering of $2,267. each Sunday Flower Chart The new Flower Chart for 2015 is up in the Narthex. Please choose your dates for the new year. There is an open date for the month of February. The Sunday, February 8 th, is open. Please check the chart and sign up if you would like to provide flowers for this Sunday. WOMEN OF THE WORD MEETING Monday, February 9 th 6:00 p.m. WOW Food Drive Sunday, February 1 st + Lenten Worship Schedule + Ash Wednesday February 18 th Wednesday Services February 25 th, March 4 th, 11 th, 18 th, 25 th Soup Supper will be served at 6 p.m. Lenten Services will begin at 6:45 p.m. Lenten Theme: On The Road With Jesus Seeing and Being Christ 2015 Annual Scandinavian Pancake Supper Sunday, February 22 nd 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Free Will Offering It is that time again! We need your help to make our traditional pancake supper a success. It will take all of us to make this event possible. Thank you! Prayer s February 2 nd & 16 th 6 PM Everyone is invited! A Prayer for Ash Wednesday. Lord God once more we begin our season of reflection on that which would separate us from You were it not for the bounty of Your grace. We remember that we are dust and to dust we will return. But that is not the end of the matter. We also remember that, in our Lord, You have made us new. Help us always to rejoice in that as we kneel before You in repentance. In Christ s name. Amen. ---Portals of Prayer (January - March, 2015) p.108

5 February Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday School w/communion WOW Food Drive Sunday School Friendship Sunday 2 9 First School Board WOW 3 Prayer 4 Bible Study Group Church Council Sunday School w/communion 22 Sunday School Pancake Supper 5-7PM Arc of Texas Prayer Newsletter Items Due 18 Ash Wednesday Soup Supper Lenten Service 6:45PM Soup Supper Lenten Service 6:45PM February Responsibilities ASSISTING MINISTER: Ted Schoenfield SEXTON: David Kight USHERS: Ed Campbell, Kirk Marek ALTAR GUILD: Gloria Campbell, Jaki Smith, FEBRUARY FLOWER CALENDAR 1 st Judy Bezdek ACOLYTE READER 1 st Sawyer Schoenfield Diane Stewart 8 th Sawyer Schoenfield Helen Johnson 15 th Sawyer Schoenfield Kirk Marek 22 nd Sawyer Schoenfield Ty Schoenfield 8 th Open 15 th James & Sheila Herrington 22 nd Leroy & Billie Jean Bram If you are unable to serve on your date, please find someone to take your place.

6 First Lutheran Church 304 Oscar El Campo, TX ESTABLISHED FEB 1893 Worshipping Christ and Sharing the Word for over a century. Donna Zipp, Pastor Helen Marie Kight, Organist Christine Richter, Office Manager Lionel Chatel, Technology Specialist Bree Joines, Director of First School Join us on FACEBOOK or check us out at CHURCH COUNCIL MEMBERS: Calvin Borak, Billie Jean Bram, Nerissa House, Doug Mathews, Don Al Middlebrook, Ted Schoenfield, & Daniel Wilfert. 1. Our Newsletter can be found on our website at Mark the Calendar Friendship Luncheon Feb. 8 th Ready to meet, greet & eat? Act now. Invite a friend who will enjoy the 5-star FLC hospitality. Please RSVP! Use the Sign-Up Sheet available in Church February 1st or call Christine at Be sure to register yourself and your guests so we can plan an outstanding event. After February 8 th s, lunch will be served at 12:15 pm in the Fellowship Hall. So bring your appetite & ya ll come!