Ash Wednesday Worship

Transcription

1 THE MESSENGER St. John's Lutheran Church Volume 2018, Issue 1 February 2018 Inside this issue: Message from Pastor Esther Call Committee Update Be part of the weekly Lenten Services From Our Director of Music Preschool News 6 Preschool Open House 40 Day Bible Challenge Special points of interest: Annual Fastnacht and Pancake Supper to be held. Volunteers needed to help with weekly Lenten Services Our Call Committee is making progress Join Pastor Tricia for a 40 Day Bible Challenge 7 8 Ash Wednesday Worship Feast Then Fast! Wednesday, February 14 12Noon & 7 P.M. Join us for a service of Worship and Communion with Imposition of Ashes St. John s Adult Choir at 7 P.M. service Tuesday, February 13 6:00 p.m. Dinner 7:00 p.m. Worship Come celebrate with us at the Pancake Dinner as we are about to begin Lent. Some people call it Fastnacht, Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. It is traditionally the day that people try to use up their flour before the time of Lent when we are repentant and giving up something we enjoy but do not need or it can be a time to start something new. Join us for a fun filled night where we eat and then worship including lots of songs with Alle- luia s as we will not use that joyous word during Lent. We will use it again on Easter Sunday as we celebrate our Lord s resurrection. Please bring some donuts to share for dessert. A free will offering will be collected during dinner.

2 Page 2 The Messenger A Message from Pastor Esther January 23, 2018 Dear People of God, By the time you receive this newsletter we will be fast approaching the season of Lent. Our Lenten journey begins on Valentine s Day, February 14 with Ash Wednesday s somber repentance and leads us through Holy Week s bitter story and Easter s joy in Christ s resurrection on April 1. Lent, as you may be aware, is the Church Year s springtime. Out of the cold and darkness of sin s winter, emerge a people - reborn in their Lord s Easter resurrection. The observance of Lent started between A.D. Lent then was used as a time of preparation for people to be instructed in the Christian faith before their baptism. Today the Lenten season calls us to look at our own baptism, a time when we died to our sinful life and were raised to a new life as God s children and to examine how our spiritual journey has continued since then because sin keeps on distracting us from our new life in Christ. In the disguise of work, pleasure, laziness or rest, sin may be keeping some of us away from attending Sunday worship services where we receive our nourishment through word, sacraments and fellowship with other believers. As you begin your Lenten journey on Ash Wednesday, with a repentant heart, ask the Lord whether he is pleased with your life and your commitment to God. If the answer is no then clean your life of sin s clutters that have kept you away from the Lord, make the changes that are necessary and return to him. I invite you to begin this Lenten journey with a pancake supper and a service beginning at 6:00pm. On Wednesday, February 14 th Ash Wednesday worship service is offered at 12:00 noon as well as at 7:00 PM. During those services, ashes are offered to those who want them as a reminder of our mortality. Holy Communion completes the worship service. To help us get ready for the sorrow of Good Friday and the victory celebration on Easter, we set aside time for additional worship services on Wednesday evenings during Lent. These mid-week services will begin with a Soup & Bread supper at 6:00 pm followed by worship service at 7:00 PM and each service lasts only 30 minutes beginning from February 21 st. These services also offer opportunities to worship for people who must attend to other responsibilities on Saturdays/Sundays. This year's mid-week worship services will focus on a theme called, "Questioned for Christ, presented each Wednesday in the form of a Lenten Drama reflecting on the experiences of those who followed Christ. Come and see how each week those dramas unfold.

3 Volume 2018, Issue 1 Page 3 During Lent, think about someone you know who might welcome an invitation to worship with us on Saturdays/Sundays or on Wednesday evenings or both. People are often more open to an invitation to worship during the holy season of Lent. The Congregation's Council and I look forward to seeing you at any or all of the worship services you can attend during this Lenten season. God's richest blessing on you, always. Sincerely, Pastor Esther Rajashekar Bridge Pastor Call Committee Update Since we last updated you, we have interviewed another candidate. This interview went well. We are planning on going to see them preach on Sunday, February 4th. Please continue to keep the process in your prayers as we, and the prospective candidate, discern our future directions. If you have nay questions about the progress of the call process please see one of the call committee mem- bers; Helen Baker, Harry Gordon, Clair Amy Roberts, Mildred Rosas, Joanne Hajoway, Martha Klingbeil or Dave Speece. Our Call Committee continues to work on finding us a new pastor Monthly Fellowship Everyone is invited to join us on Saturday, February 17th following the 5 p.m. worship service for our monthly fellowship. Dave Speece will once again challenge us with his unique questions as we have fun with Tricia Night. You do not need any special skills for this. We play in teams so all answers are a team decision. Join us for an evening of fun, fellowship and light snacks. We meet in Room A. Join us for Trivia Night!

4 Page 4 The Messenger Worship Opportunities During Lent Besides the opportunity of worshipping on Saturdays/Sundays, during Lent there are additional opportunities for you to come, have fellowship soup supper and hear God s word each Wednesday. Two other Lutheran congregations in the area will also be joining us for our soup suppers and midweek services. For our Mid-week services we are going to focus our attention on Questioned for Christ, and each mid-week service is presented in the form of a drama that lasts only 30 minutes. February 21: Soup & Salad Supper at 6:00PM Mid-week Service at 7:00PM A Question of Priorities - The Interrogation: Mary, the Sister of Martha and Lazarus February 28: Soup & Salad Supper at 6:00PM Mid-week Service at 7:00PM A Question of Conviction - The Interrogation of Nicodemus March 7: Soup & Salad Supper at 6:00PM Mid-week Service at 7:00PM A Question of Innocence - The Interrogation of Mary Magdalene March 14: Soup & Salad Supper at 6:00PM Mid-week Service at 7:00PM A Question of Sacrifice - The Interrogation of Barabbas March 21: Soup & Salad Supper at 6:00PM Mid-week Service at 7:00PM A Question of Authority - The Interrogation of John Soup and Salad Needed Donations of soup and salad are needed for our Lenten Dinners. All of the Lenten services will be held at St. John s this year. We will begin with a soup and salad dinner in Room A. Donations of these items are needed to make the event a success. We are asking you to sign up for a week or two to bring either soup, salad, bread or dessert. Sign up sheets can be found at the back of the sanctuary or in Room A. Thanks in advance for your help.

5 Volume 2018, Issue 1 Page 5 From Your Director of Music Ministries As we, the people of St. John s, find ourselves in the midst of a challenging time of discernment and decisions, I am reminded of a verse from the book of Esther that has also been set to music a number of times - For if you keep silence at such a time as this, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another quarter, but you and your father s family will perish. Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this. ~ Esther 4:14 (NRSV) In spite of any obstacles we may face, only God has the big picture. This is a great thing because we re intentionally put in a place where we learn to trust in God s love and provision for us. He s got a plan and although we can t see it, we are called to continue our mission and service in obedience. It is a joy to persevere and see new and exciting things unfold ( Behold, I am doing a new thing! ) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Here are just a few things in the works for the music program in the New Year: Hymn Sing! - Once a month, 15 minutes before each worship service, we will have a Hymn Sing, sometimes also known as a hymn lottery. Post-it notes will be provided with your bulletin so that you can either look through the blue and green hymnals and select your favorites, or simply jot down a title and I will pull it out from somewhere! Our first Hymn Sing! will take place this coming Sunday, January 28 before the 5 pm and 8 am services. The 11:00 service will be a Praise service. Ordinarily we will have this for all three services, so I am thinking we will do it every second Sunday of the month. Hymn of the Month - As a rule, we strive to sing familiar tunes and selections so that everyone will be able to sing at their best, but there are also some gorgeous new hymns that fit perfectly into a given season of our church year. Aside from that, the Psalmist exhorts us to sing God a NEW song which means we cannot stagnate or simply rest on what we know, but are always moving forward and learning new things. With this in mind, we will be introducing one newer, unfamiliar hymn each month and singing it each week. By the end of the month it should then become familiar, and we will soon have many more songs with which to sing, worship, and praise. Remember that there was once a time when every hymn was new and unfamiliar! There will also be helpful write-ups in each bulletin that will teach us about each hymn. UPCOMING!!! Mark your calendars! LENTEN CHOIR VESPERS - Saturday, March 24, 2018 at the 5 PM Service Celebrate Christ s passion in song as St. John s Adult Choir takes us on a journey from Palm Sunday through Resurrection Day in a single service! Light refreshments to follow in Room A. BROADWAY AND BEYOND! = Saturday, April 21, 2018 at 7:00 PM After the rousing success of last year s Evening of Song, our neighborhood troupe returns to bring more favorites from the Broadway and classical repertoire. Included this year are selections from Les Miserables, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, A Little Night Music, Kiss Me Kate, Camelot, Trouble in Tahiti, A Streetcar Named Desire, and many more! A free-will offering will be taken to benefit the church s general fund, with a time of fellowship to follow. Come and see! - and hear! as we journey together through Lent and beyond. In peace, Lisa

6 Page 6 The Messenger Preschool News February may be a short month, but the 5 Day students are getting a lot of learning and fun in! We start out the month looking out for that famous Groundhog. Our class is 100 Days smarter on February 9th. We will dress up as if we were 100 years old and count to 100 too. We will be celebrating St. Valentine s Day next. In doing so, we will learn about God s love for us and about being a good friend to all. Our class will enjoy a pizza party, exchange cards, and make crafts too. We will begin to picture read the story of Noah and learn of God s promise. We will review the signs of the season like the color red and the heart shape. We will also be learning about our country s Presidents as we honor them on President s Day and learn about Chinese New Year. We will practice writing and sounding out the letters Q, R, S, and T, while we review all the rest of the alphabet. The children are mastering printing and recognizing letters, especially all the letters in their names. The children will become minimeteorologists and observe and chart the weather as well. Dental health and expressing and identifying emotions play about in our lessons as well. We will be visited by Dr. Bresler s Office for a special lesson in keeping our smiles pretty. As you can see, our February will be filled with many fun and exciting learning experiences. Mrs. Donna Conway Mrs. Doreen From Our 3 Day Class This February our 3 Day Class will learn about love as we celebrate St. Valentine s Day! We will also learn about Jesus s love and the love we share with family and friends as well as reading the story of St. Valentine. The children will also continue to work on their letters (Pp, Qq, Ss, Tt, and letter sounds, shapes (oval) colors (pink), numbers (English and Spanish), printing, patterns and starting to read sight works and rhyming! Whew! We are busy! Busy! It that wasn t enough we will also be learning about our Presidents and honor them on President s Day. We will make Groundhog Day predictions; celebrate Chinese New Year by making Chinese lanterns and Mardi Gras by making noodle necklaces and masks. Along with all the learning we will be making many fun crafts for our families for Valentine s, rockets, beaded snakes and many more. February is full of fun for the 3 Day class. Happy Valentine s Day to all! Ms. LaRaine Oliveira Our 2 Day Class The school year is going by so fast and we are busy, busy, busy in the 2 Day classroom. During the month of February the children will be concentrating on letters P. and S. This month is also Dental Hygiene month, so we will be learning about different ways we keep all of our body in good health, including our teeth. We will celebrate the new friendships we have made by having a Valentine s Day party. As a last note, we will be holding an Open House for perspective children and parents who may want to come and see what our program is like and take a first-hand look for themselves. Come, see what we are doing! Learning is fun! Ms. LaRaine Oliveira Ms Doreen

7 Volume 2018, Issue 1 Page 7 St. John s Preschool St. John s Preschool is a private, non-profit, congregation based preschool. The preschool offers a developmentally and age appropriate program focusing on the growth of the whole child, physically, socially, emotionally, cognitively, and spiritually. St. John s Preschool is a Keystone Stars School We accept Tuition Assistance from CCIS Before & After Care Different class options are available for children ages 3 and 4 years old by September 1 st COME VISIT OUR OPEN HOUSE/ REGISTRATION NIGHT ON WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 6-730pm 3101 Tyson Avenue Philadelphia, PA (215) Call Child Care Information Services today to see if you are eligible for tuition assistance! (215) Check out our Facebook page- St. John s Preschool

8 Page 8 The Messenger We Receive Thanks We wanted to let everyone know how much we miss our St. John s church family. Thank you for all your prayers, phone calls and cards. It s a great feeling knowing how much we are cared for. Barbara Lang comes and gives us communion which is very important to us. You are all in our prayers and we love you. God Bless You, Love, Robert & Irene Evans 40 Day Bible Challenge For the season of Lent, I (Pr. Tricia) am starting a new Bible study using the book The Social Justice Bible Challenge by Mark Zabriskie which includes daily devotions and reflections around justicebased scripture. I have found this to be an excellent study of how God speaks out for those who are struggling throughout salvation history and find that it can lead to rich discussion. We will explore this in different formats: online via a Facebook group (starting February 14) and face-to-face on Fridays at 10:00 (to cover the week s events starting February 16). We may also explore times to meet together online. We will pre-purchase copies of the book which will be available starting February 3. It is also available on Kindle. During this season, you are invited to reflect together with us about how God is leading us to walk together with our brothers and sisters, and to discuss the challenges of living out our faith in the world.

9 Volume 2018, Issue 1 Page 9 Church Council Members Ellan Kay Faust ellankayfaust@gmail.com 2020 Marie Hand marie.e.hand@phila.gov 2021 Julie Henderson Don Jones dejcpa76@aol.com 2020 Maureen Jordan reen.jordan10@comcast.net 2021 Doreen Kinzler doreen.m.kinzler@phila.gov 2021 George Miller george.miller@dla.mil 2019 Bette Pittman 2019 Clair Amy Roberts psu95lions@aol.com 2020 Vicki Schempp Jennifer Wilent simsc1j@aol.com 2020 TEAM LEADERS: Vicki Schempp No direct Faith in Action Judith Rose RoseFam73@verizon.net Mutual Ministry Rev. Esther Rajashekar revrajashekar@gmail.com Rev. Patricia Neale pastor.tricia.neale@gmail.com

10 St. John s Lutheran Church 3101 Tyson Avenue Philadelphia PA Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Phila. PA Permit No Address Service Requested ST. JOHN'S LUTHERAN CHURCH St. John s Lutheran Church Rev. Esther Rajashekar, Bridge Pastor Rev. Patricia Neale, Pastor & Director of Feast of Justice 3101 Tyson Avenue Philadelphia PA Phone: Fax: stjohnsmayfair@verizon.net O UR MISSION IS TO PLANT THE SEEDS OF GOD S LOVE THROUGH CHRIST IN W ITNESS, OUTREACH AND THE WORD Companion Church Kana Lutheran Parish, Tanzania Lisa Thomas, Director of Music Susan Black Thomas, Administrative Assistant Dave Speece, Property Manager/Sexton Gina Hughes Polychronakis, Preschool Director Our Worship Schedule 5:00 p.m. Saturday Evenings 8:00 & 11:00 Sunday Mornings Sunday School at 9:30 a.m. Holy Communion is celebrated every week.