A Love Letter. Christ Lutheran Church. Pastor Teresa. from. March 2013

Transcription

1 A Love Letter from Christ Lutheran Church Dear Friends, I was thinking about Lent, and about snowbirds who end up in Florida (a place of sunshine and play) during this stark, serious, and somewhat somber season. In some ways, Lent is more an adventure, the discovery of God in this world. There is a series of promotions - perhaps you've seen them in Lutheran publications. In each picture the cross is found in something ordinary: a toolbox with shiny nuts and bolts, a pantry with bright red tomato juice cans, bowling shoes, and lighted windows - each picture highlighting the cross showing up in ordinary ways. So I thought perhaps I will look for God in the ordinary things and happenings this Lent. Of course, not all good intentions... Then one day, while passing through the hallway at Pinebrook Rehab, out of the corner of my eye I glimpsed a cross. I stopped and took a step or two back. The black-and-white photograph on the wall was of golfers. And there, just at eye level, was a golfer carrying his bag. He was upright and the bag slung over his shoulder was March 2013 nearly horizontal. I saw the cross, and I thought of Jesus. Then driving up I-75 on the left side of the highway, I saw three electrical poles that looked like three crosses, and I thought of Jesus. Even in the Dodge Ram commercials I found the "mountains made low and the valleys raised up" - and I thought of Jesus. This weekend I sorted through six months of photos on my camera, and stopped at the one pictured above - the rugged walkway inspired a thought about the journey of life, the sand is like the wildernesses we traverse - especially during Lent - and the refreshing waters of Baptism lying beyond. I thought of the journey, and the prize. I hope you are fasting, praying and giving alms for the poor during this Lenten season and whether working or playing, finding in ordinary things reminders of Christ. May you always experience, God s Peace and Love, Pastor Teresa

2 Journeying through Lent PRAISE Worship Sundays 9:30am Wednesday Worship 4:30pm 2/27 Not so Smooth Sailing 3/06 Healing 3/13 Anna the Prophetess 3/20 TBD Palm Sunday 3/24 9:30am Interview with a Stone Maundy Thursday 4:30 pm Pilate s Wife stripping of the Altar Good Friday 4:30 pm EASTER Sunday 3/31 9:30am PRAYER One of the Lenten disciplines is that of prayer. Each week we find included in the bulletin the names of others for whom we are asked to pray. As children we are asked to cite a concern or want in a simple sentence. However, the purpose of prayer is not to receive some thing from God. The purpose of prayer is to find oneself in communion with God s Almighty Love; and to ask God s almighty love upon others for whom we pray. ALMS The giving of Alms for the poor sounds like an ancient practice., yet every week we bless food that is gathered and sent to Englewood Helping Hand (the red wagon) for distribution to those in need. The Social Ministry Team is hoping that we as a congregation might make a more communal statement of Alms for the poor in the Greater Englewood area, and to make it possible for those unable to participate in the purchase and delivery of food to church. Attached to the March bulletins are green envelopes, labeled Englewood Helping Hand. If each individual places a dollar (or two) in the green envelope each Sunday during March, in the practice of giving Alms to donate to Englewood Helping Hand $500 (or more) would be collected. For those unfamiliar with Englewood Helping Hand, Inc. (EHH): is a 501(c)(3) corporation started by twelve Christian churches in Englewood. Christ Lutheran is not only a charter founder of EHH, but alongside the other eleven churches, we have continuously offered food, funds and volunteer hours to assist in its operation. EHH partners with Charlotte and Sarasota Counties and the Salvation Army and aids in the distribution of their funds. When such funds are exhausted, EHH takes from their own funds to help the poor old and young, many families, and the homeless. We are blessed to be part of their organization. It helps us to be a more effective blessing to others.

3 The BIG Breakfast, a BIG Success That ll be $4, please Carole Cotton, Barb Krueger, Barb & Jack Sturrock Relay for Life Caroll Montgomery & Charlene Seltz Pancakes Anyone? Vince Plante, John Fazekas, & Dick Krueger More than half the congregation lingered after worship to partake in the BIG Breakfast. THANK YOU R.O.M.E.O.S! for planning, setting-up, cooking, flipping, serving and cleaning up. Home on the Range Paul Riehm, John Esposito, & Gordon Dutch Deutscher

4 What is This??? Announcement page on steroids We are charged 1-click for printing each side of a page. The counter does not care whether the paper is 8 1 / 2 x11 or 11x17. Therefore, on the first Sunday of each month, the announcement pages will be on the larger sheets and include the full month calendar and worship leader schedule. This is an experiment. Please express your opinions or concerns to the pastor or to Ginger in the office. Baseball Tickets for Stone Crabs Faith Night baseball are available. The cost is $10 for each ticket and Englewood Helping Hand benefits $3 per ticket sold. Tickets are for seats in the shade, and include a hat, silent auction and Class A baseball against the Minnesota Ft. Myers Miracle. There is also opportunity to win a box for the person (or team) that brings the heaviest food donation. See Pastor Teresa for tickets. Relay for Life is Coming On Saturday, March 23 to Sunday, March 24, the Lemon Bay High School football field on Placida Road, will be filled with tents, teams, food, audio visual equipment for the 2013 Celebration of Life and Love of all who have battled cancer and won, and those who fought the good fight, but were called home. All these individuals have empowered a community to FIGHT BACK against this disease and support a nationwide cause. This year, Charlene Seltz, is serving as Luminary Chair and in doing so, would like everyone to have an opportunity to place a bag in the ceremony in Memory or Honor of anyone who has been touched by cancer. Bags are available for the ceremony for any donation. The candles within will burn throughout the night. In addition, a Power Point Presentation of our cancer family members and friends will precede the lighting of the candles. If anyone has a photo they would like to be a part of this presentation, please contact Charlene at to make arrangements for electronic transfer or scanning of same. The deadline for submission is March 15, All photos will be returned. If you are a Survivor and would like to attend the 11:30am on March 24, please go to: and click on Sign Up Here. Caregivers may also attend, but all must be registered. All funds raised at Christ Lutheran Church benefit the official American Cancer Society and directly support local ACS programs and services for research, education and advocacy efforts. Thank you for supporting Relay for Life-Englewood, Fl. I hope to see many there. If you have any questions, please DO contact: Charlene Seltz at

5 Holy Grounds When a church north of here decided to offer free coffee to travelers, I thought the title of their campaign: Holy Grounds was cute. The church is on a busy side street of Sarasota, and I recently inquired about their success. I was told that it took a few weeks before people were stopping, but that they were meeting new people and providing a brief respite. Lent offered a perfect opportunity to try this out in Englewood. Thus far (one 2-hour shift) we have given away 3 cups of coffee. However many people noticed a person sitting out there with book in hand and fresh steaming coffee in the pot next to the sign. You may find the following statistics interesting: between 7am and 8am an average of 20 cars per minute passed Christ Lutheran Church most headed northbound toward Sarasota. Between 8am and 9am, an average of 40 cars per minute passed CLC again, most headed northbound. Assuming a decrease during the day ( say 75%) and picking up again during rush hour, there is a conservative estimate of 9,000 vehicles passing CLC on the average weekday in February during Lent. Interesting numbers! Stop by some Thursday morning during Lent between 7am-9am for fresh coffee the real thing or real decaf. A Nursery for Christ Lutheran Perhaps you ve seen a tall young woman hanging around the Narthex on Sundays. Her name is Merissa Siggins and she has consented to be our Nursery Attendant on Sundays so that young parents may take advantage of the hour for worship. She is a senior at Lemon Bay High School and will be attending college in the fall. Rachel Blanchard has agreed to share some of Heidi s toys. Anyone wishing to participate in the financing of the Nursery can do so by speaking with the pastor. Thank you, Jerry Barnard for the crosses that adorn our worship space! The shadows were totally unexpected. You are truly a wizard with wood!

6 It isn t over Until it s all done The title of this article could apply to just about anything a baseball game, a book, a funeral, a church breakfast, truly nothing is over until everything is done completed. This is an opportunity to thank those who attended the church breakfast and stayed to clear tables, wash or put away dishes, take out garbage, and at the last, turn out the lights and lock the hall. We wait for Go in Peace before the worship continues in the fellowship of the patio, yet until the last door is locked, it is not over. It happens everywhere: at home, in stores, in treatment of scratches as well as the most dreaded disease, the reading of a book, the prayers Amen. There is an ending to everything except the Christians life. Consider Good Friday. For some it is over as soon as the worship ends we leave in silence. Those who keep the silence until they reach home, experience a surreal view of the world continuing as if nothing has happened. The surf still churns, the wind at its back, and Wal- Mart continues to fleece dollars from its patrons. Saturday morning dawns as if nothing has happened. For the disciples, it was over at sundown on Friday. They were done dismissed it was over. Or was it? For the women of those times, it wasn t over. It was not done until the body had been washed, properly prepared with oil and spices, and wrapped. Then it could be over. But it wasn t, and still isn t, and never will be which is the most incomprehensible expression of love imaginable. That God would raise his only Son from the dead for those who loved Him and those who would love and be loved by him in the future. The Apostles (those who witnessed the earthly life, death and the risen Christ) learned that it is not over, until it is really done. Those who have gone before us, who rest in God s eternal care, know that it is not over, but that the end is the real knowledge of life eternal. Acknowledging that blessed assurance is what Easter is. Tidewell Hospice Hospice provides comfort, care and love to those who are experiencing their last weeks and days. They are a benefit to families, relieving them of the medical needs and restoring quality time. Volunteers are needed for a variety of hospitality tasks. Tidewell provides 17 hours of training for volunteers. Training in Englewood is March 18 & 20 from 9am- 4pm and March 27 from 9am to noon at the Hospice House in East Englewood, N. Access Road. Contact Lynette Melchoir at or apply online at One does not have to be a yearround-local to participate in the mission and ministry of Hospice. January Statistics: In the 4 Sundays of January CLC hosted 539 worshipers and our income exceeded expenses by $1,384.95

7 Reminders of Christ in Ordinary Places A Love Letter from Christ Lutheran Church is a monthly publication by and for the members and friends of our faith community. Christ Lutheran is located at: 701 N Indiana Avenue, Englewood, FL us at christ_lutheran@usa.com or phone us at To contact Pastor Teresa directly, call , or RevT@ .com

8 Friday, Mar 1 Happy Birthday Frank Mick Saturday, Mar 16 Happy Birthday Irene Gustafson Sunday, Mar 3 9:30 Worship 10:30 Bible Study Happy Birthday Gunther Piepke Monday, Mar 4 6 Lemon Bay Chord Company Tuesday, Mar Weight Watchers Happy Birthday Clarence Harrison Wednesday, Mar Quilters 3 Choir Rehearsal 4:30 Lent Worship (Healing) & Soup Supper Happy Birthday Gladys Boril Thursday, Mar Country Liners 11 Garden Tour Sunday, Mar 10 9:30 Worship 10:30 Bible Study Monday, Mar 11 6 Orchid Society 6 Lemon Bay Chord Company Tuesday, Mar Weight Watchers Wednesday, March 13 7:30 am R.O.M.E.O.S. (at Wink s) 3 Choir Rehearsal 4:30 Lent Worship & Soup Supper Thursday, Mar Country Liners 10 Council, VOTI 11 Garden Tour Friday, Mar 15 Happy Birthday Blanche Erickson. Sunday, Mar 17 St. Patrick s Day 9:30 Worship 10:30 Bible Study Monday, Mar Worship & Music 6 Lemon Bay Chord Co. Tuesday, Mar Weight Watchers 10 Jubilee Bible Study 11:30 Social Ministry Happy Birthday Ed Odegaard Happy Birthday Bill Boril Wednesday, March Quilters 3 Choir Rehearsal 4:30 Lent Worship & Soup Supper Thursday, Mar Country Liners Sunday, Mar 24 9:30 Palm Sunday Worship Happy Anniversary Clarence & Janet Harrison Monday, Mar 25 6 Lemon Bay Chord Co. Tuesday, Mar Weight Watchers Wednesday, March 27 9:45 Choir Rehearsal Thursday, Mar Country Liners 7 pm Maundy Thurs Worship Friday, Mar 29 7 pm Good Friday Worship Sunday, Mar 31 9:30 Easter Worship