The Epiphany Star March 2018

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1 The Epiphany Star March 2018 Newsletter of Epiphany Lutheran Church Fort Wayne, Indiana Dear Epiphany Lutheran Church, Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ. Amen. How is your Lenten journey going? Are you practicing the three ancient practices I talked about on Ash Wednesday: PRAYER, FASTING, AND ALMS GIVING? I want to take a moment to write about each one of these three ancient aspects of the Lent journey. PRAYER - What does it mean to pray? I work off of this definition: Prayer is the express of thanks and needs to God- simply talking with God in our daily life. So the act of communicating with God means not only talking with God but that God is listening. FASTING- it means simply refraining from food and drink for a period of time and spending that time in prayer with God. The third practice is ALMS GIVING. This historically means giving many different foods and monetary gifts to the poor. God also asks us to give freely and to do it with a willing heart. God s love should shine through all of our daily lives. The Season of Lent is a very solemn time in our liturgical season. I am often asked why the worship music is so dark and our liturgy is shorted? All of this is to help us focus on what Jesus did for us. Jesus was lifted up on the cross. Lifted up is a serious illustration for all to see and be blessed because of Jesus love for us. We are on a pilgrimage and should not venture too far off of the path that is already marked off for us. We need to be reminded that Jesus makes sure we are forgiven and freed from the bondage of sin. In Christ, Pastor Richard Hartman

2 Ways to benefit Epiphany without costing you anything: Kroger Community Rewards - sends us quarterly checks when you connect your Kroger card to Epiphany - check the bottom of your receipts to see if you are already designating money towards Epiphany. Our member # is Thrivent Choice Dollars - Designate your choice dollars earned towards Epiphany, they send a check whenever they are designated from your policy payments made. Amazon Smile - order through this site and you can designate a.5% of sale to charity of your choosing. Rummage Sale - clean out at home and bring to church anytime Please feel free to stop in or call for any of your Pastoral needs. Our office hours are as follows: Pastor: Sunday Thursday 8:00 am 2:30 pm Monday and Wednesday evenings Dia: Wednesday 10:00 am 4:00 pm, Other times as needed Due to unexpected circumstances, these hours may be subject to change. Us: Pastor s office... pastor@epiphanyfw.com Pastor s home... rlhart49@frontier.com Dia s office...dia@epiphanyfw.com WEB SITE: Epiphany Lutheran Church 2

3 We are Christians, called by God, committed to: Sharing the Gospel, Serving others as Christ taught us, and Creating disciples for witness. Epiphany Lutheran Church s Vision Statement: A Christian family of God committed to sharing the Gospel and serving others, through joyful worship, education and fellowship. Comfort Ye My People Our quilting group will meet Sunday, March 11 th, at 9:00 am. All are welcome to join us no special talents needed! We can use help laying out the layers of fabric, pinning layers together, knotting, or taking some projects home to do. Please join us and help us be a blessing to others around the world! Meals on Wheels Thank you for your continued support of this vital mission in our community. Our congregation donated a total of $161 in the month of February, bringing our total donations to over $8,800! Please let Dia in the office know if you would like to be added to the list to give $7 a month to this worthy cause. Thank you for sharing the gifts God has given to you!

4 Dinner at 6 pm, Worship at 7 pm February 28 th Quilting Group Baked Potato Bar March 7 th Youth Group Spaghetti March 14 th Choir Tacos March 21 st Church Council Deli Sandwiches Our annual Seder Meal is scheduled for Maundy Thursday, March 29 th, at 6:00 pm. Please join us for this annual commemoration of the Passover feast, which our Lord Jesus celebrated with his disciples just before his arrest and crucifixion. The cost is $7 per person, with a family maximum of $21. Please sign up on the sheet outside the office, and place your payment (made out to Epiphany with Seder Meal in the memo) in the offering plate by March 25 th. If you would like to help with this event, please sign up on the bulletin board by the office. Thank you to Jane Dawkins for organizing this always meaningful meal! 4

5 Join us for Worship this month! Every Sunday at 8:00 am and 10:15 am Lesson Study Monday at 2:00 & 7:00 pm Wednesdays in Lent at 7:00 pm Confirmation Class at 9:00 am Sunday Please join us! Crosses for Holy Week We will again be lining our driveway with crosses in memory of loved ones who have been called to the Church Triumphant. Help is needed to put up the crosses on Friday morning, March 30 th, and to take them down on Monday morning, April 2 nd (9:00 am both days). If you are available for either or both activities, please sign up on the sheet on the bulletin board outside the office. Thank you! March 4 th 3 rd Sunday in Lent Exodus 20: Corinthians 1:18-25 John 2:13-22 March 11 th 4 th Sunday in Lent Numbers 21:4-9 Ephesians 2:1-10 John 3:14-21 March 18 th 5 th Sunday in Lent Jeremiah 31:31-34 Hebrews 5:5-10 John 12:20-33 March 25 th Palm Sunday Mark 11:1-11 Phillippians 2:5-11 Mark 104:1-15:47 March 29 th Maundy Thursday Exodus 12: Corinthians 11:23-26 John 13:1-17, 31b-35

6 Angels Among Us! We have members of our congregation who do many things behind the scenes, and we want to take the time to recognize just a few of them in this month s newsletter. Thank you, Angels! Quilters worked at home and on Sunday mornings making quilts for LWR Breakfast was served at the Quarterly Congregational Meeting Faithful for Fifty continues to reduce Epiphany s debt Souper Bowl contributions of canned goods delivered to Associated Churches The Saturday morning Men s Bible Study will continue their study out of the book God At War. We will meet next on Saturday, April 14 th, at 7:00 am for breakfast and the Word. All are welcome. Please plan to join us! EASTER BREAKFAST Our fellowship committee and church council will be serving breakfast on Easter morning from 8:30 am until 9:45 am. If you would like to join us, please sign up on the bulletin board outside the church office. We hope to see you there! 6

7 We are in need of readers for the various parts in our Palm Sunday Gospel reading on March 25 th for both the 8:00 am and 10:15 am services. We have 7 parts to be filled for each service. If you would like to volunteer, please sign up on the Casting call or let Dia know as soon as possible. Thank you for serving! Order forms for Easter flowers will be arriving in your church mailboxes soon. The lilies, tulips, daisies, and hyacinths remain just $9.50 per pot; azaleas will be $ Orders are due by Sunday, March 11 th, and you may take your flowers home with you after the 10:15 am Easter service. See Dia Herb if you have any questions. Thank you! SPRING RUMMAGE SALE June 1 st & 2 nd As we get nearer to spring, why not use one of those rainy days to do a real spring cleaning? Our next debt reduction project is going to be a (hopefully) HUGE rummage sale and bake sale. We re hoping to make a real dent in the debt, but we can t do it without you! We will be collecting items in the nursery room, across from the mission room. If you bring it, we will sell it! You can also help by baking items for the bake sale, by helping price and organize items, by working at the sale, and by shopping. There will be a sign-up sheet for helpers right after Easter, but you may drop off donations starting immediately. If you want a firm price on your items, please mark them yourself; otherwise, we will be glad to price them for you. Thank you!

8 Mission Moment for March 2018 Lent is a time of sacrifice. We follow the example of our Lord who made the ultimate sacrifice for us. During Lent we will be supporting the hungry in our community by collecting canned fish, crackers (to go with last month s soup) and boxes of Tuna Helper. Please consider giving not just of your abundance, but sacrificially to support our neighbors. We also are supporting Heifer International. This organization provides livestock, education and agricultural support to families internationally. Their mission is to provide food stability and financial independence for these families and their communities. Please take a calendar and Heifer bank or envelope form the Mission Table by our library and begin your Lenten journey of giving. Jane Dawkins 8

9 March Baptismal Birthdays Eric Hedin Lucy Elizabeth Lohman Happy birthday to those who celebrate their second birthday during the month of March! Martin Luther said, When you wash your face remember your baptism. Take time to remember and celebrate this month! Lutheran Senior Care Ministry Our ministry has a new name-more appropriate to its evolving mission. The L.S.C.M. Delegates Meeting endorsed this change at their annual meeting where they were charged to pray for and promote the ministry in the Fort Wayne area. Delegates elected Deaconess Gina Teeple of Peace Lutheran Church in Fremont to the Board of Directors along with re-electing Deaconess Amy Rast and Rev. Art Klausmeier. Thanks to Epiphany s congregation for serving as a Member Congregation in 2018! Next year s Delegate meeting will be at Epiphany at 6 pm on February 7, Thanks to Pastor Richard for hosting us! We hope to expand our ministry further in 2018 to serve additional residents and facilities and are grateful for your support! Peace! Sue Johnson

10 March 4 th March 11 th March 18 th March 25 th LBW Setting II spoken LBW Setting II spoken LBW Setting II spoken LBW Setting II spoken Organist/ Pianist Amanda Pickett Sara Sara Sara Assisting Minister Amber Logan David Dawkins Mark Herb Rebecca Hartman Lector 8:00 am Kurt Unrue Sue Sue Johnson Cheryl Ralston Lector 10:15 am David Dawkins Jane Dawkins Melissa Hartman Cathy Rumfield Acolyte Lucy Kristen Zoey Osheskie Erin Robinson Communion Assistant 8:00 am Renee Muenier N/A Richard Lee Connie York Communion Assistant 10:15 am Mike Rumfield N/A Cathy Rumfield Becky Roemer Altar Guild Amanda Pickett N/A Cathy Rumfield Alicia Greeter(s) The Hedin s The Rumfield s 10 Barb Werling The Roemer s Capt. Lee Hedin Sandy Hedin Minda Hartman Steve Auman