God s Work, Our Hands

Transcription

1 Lord of Life Lutheran Church, 9700 Neenah Ave, Austin, Texas Phone Fax Volume No God s Work, Our Hands March 2014 Edition Inside this issue: Lent Begins March 5th 1 Greeting Cards 1 Kindred Sisters 2 Prayer List 2 Sunday Readings 2 Church Calendar 2 Time Change 2 Birthdays/Anniversaries 2 Lutheran World Relief 3 Prayer Shawl Ministry 3 Thank You! 3 Bread for All 3 Global Initiatives 3 Habitat for Humanity 3 Celebrate God s Creation 4 Communion Change 5 Library Notes 5 Synod Assembly 6 Lent 6 Crop Hunger Walk 6 State of the Church 6 Worship Leadership 7 Calendar 8 GREETING CARDS Do you know someone in need of a greeting card, whether sick or for support, please call Patsy Walker: LENT BEGINS MARCH 5th Wednesday, March 5 marks the beginning of the Season of Lent with the celebration of Ash Wednesday. At this time of the year, I can t help but think of my first visit to New Orleans which happened to be for Mardi Gras. I must confess, I had never in my life witnessed and participated in such festivities. A million plus people line the streets of the French Quarter, eight to ten people deep on the sidewalks, for a variety of Krewe-sponsored parades. Masked members of the Krewes aboard huge floats toss necklaces of plastic beads, coins called doubloons, and an array of plastic cups and toys. The crowds are continuously shouting, Throw me something, mister, in hopes of securing a souvenir. And without a doubt, fun is had by all. What strikes me most in my recollection of Mardi Gras, and for me, what connects the Mardi Gras experience with Lent, was the Krewe members hiding behind masks as they publicly paraded through the streets of New Orleans. Krewe membership is a secret and the life led as a Krewe member is to always remain a mystery. So often, as we lead our daily lives, we are tempted to do so hiding behind a mask. We attempt to hide the fact that we fall short of expectations, sometimes afraid to let others see the real me. Wondering, if they really knew, what would they think? There are times we might even try the same strategy with God. If we can mask our imperfections, if we can hide our sins, if we can expose a public persona that s not the real me, maybe, hopefully, prayerfully, we can remain a mystery. Lent being a season set aside for reflection, introspection, confession, and repentance invites us to take off our masks. To stand before God, just as I am, without one plea and relish in the fact that God forgives me and accepts me for who and what I am. I don t need to hide; I don t need to appear to be someone/ something I am not; I don t need a false face! Through my baptism, I have been claimed as a child of God. And, as the hymn of old proclaims, I ve been washed in the blood. Certainly my relationship with and love for God encourages me to do my utmost to live according to God s purpose. But just as certain, when I mess up and feel the need to hide from God, I can remember that God has promised, I will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more. Each Wednesday during Lent we will gather for worship at 11:30 a.m. and/or 7:00 p.m. Make plans to join us each week and leave your mask at home. In the name of Jesus, Pr. Skip

2 Page 2 Life-Lines KINDRED SISTERS Kindred Sisters will have their March meeting on Tuesday, March 4th, 2014, at 10:30 a.m. in the Koinonia Cafe at LOLLC, We are happy to have Pastor Skip as our guest. He will present a Bible Study for us. He does a wonderful job of presenting a Bible Study, and we learn so much as we all participate. Please bring your own sack lunch, and dessert and drinks will be provided by our March hostess, Ingrid Crawford. We always have a wonderful time of fellowship at these meetings! All women of LOLLC and friends are cordially invited to attend. We hope you can join us! If there are any questions, please call Joanne Forseth at , or at joforseth@gmail. com. PRAYER LIST Ann Willman, Angie Parr, Jeannine North, Doug & Brenda Searcy, Herman & Olga Haenel, Melissa Neeley, Linda Vaughn, James Paul Pennington, George Dailey, Mel Wolf, Dot Harrington Members of LOLLC, please help us in our Lutheran World Relief Project! This is a project for our whole church to participate in! What a wonderful way for all of us at LOLLC to participate, by bringing articles from the list in this newsletter (towels, toothbrushes, clippers, soap, or comb), or giving a monetary donation to help cover the cost of shipping ($2.65 per kit to LWR for shipping overseas)! These "Personal Care Kits" are desperately needed via LWR, as they provide comfort and give encouragement to refugees and people affected by war, famine, climate, and natural disasters, etc. Just think of the comfort of a bath! A list of needed articles is provided in this newsletter. Kindred Sisters plan on assembling and packing these kits at our April 1st Kindred Sisters meeting, so we would appreciate your donation. This is such an important and needed mission to provide some hope and dignity for those poor unfortunate souls in their time of need. We always pack these kits and pray for the ones who receive them, that they somehow feel God's love through our humble gift! Thank you for your help and contributions in advance! SUNDAY READINGS March 2 Exodus 24:12-18 Psalm 99 2 Peter 1:16-21 Matthew 17:1-9 March 9 Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7 Psalm 32 Romans 5:12-19 Matthew 4:1-11 March 16 Genesis 12:1-4a Psalm 121 Romans 4:1-5, John 3:1-17 March 23 Exodus 17:1-7 Psalm 95 Romans 5:1-11 John 4:5-42 March 30 1 Samuel 16:1-13 Psalm 23 Ephesians 5:8-14 John 9:1-41 Birthdays: Thurman, Jordan 03/02 Parsons, Marilee 03/06 Sellers, Russell 03/07 Covington, Rebecca 03/08 Schroeder, Eric 03/18 O'Donnell, Kiernan 03/20 Wiruscheske, Rea 03/20 Prather, Callie 03/21 Scott, Savannah 03/21 Weston, Greg 03/24 Eckermann, Austin 03/25 CHURCH CALENDAR What's going on at LOLLC? We need to hear from you! We are in the midst of putting together an annual calendar and would like to include all events currently scheduled at LOLLC through December, We want to make sure that events don't overlap and that everyone has plenty of notice to plan to attend all of the exciting things happening at LOLLC. If you are heading up any events, gatherings, etc., please contact the office as soon as possible and give David your dates, so that we can get your event on the official LOLLC calendar. TIME CHANGE March 9th is the spring forward time change. Please make sure to set your clocks ahead so you don t miss church! Lagerstrom, Shari 03/25 Breyer, Alan 03/27 Freitag, Damon 03/31 Anniversaries: Nicholas & Barbara Ferriola 03/08/1997 Chuck & Julia Neeley 03/12/1977 Nikki & Earl Deathe 03/31/1984

3 Volume No LUTHERAN WORLD RELIEF Lutheran World Relief (LWR) PERSONAL CARE KITS are desperately needed. Therefore, Kindred Sisters is assembling Personal Care Kits for their LWR project. With your help and contributions, we can bring new hope and dignity to thousands of people in need. The items needed: 1. Dark Color Light-Weight Bath-size TOWEL (Max 52 x 27 ) 2. Two Bath-size Bars (4 to 5 oz) of SOAP in Original Wrapping 3. Adult-size TOOTHBRUSH in its Original Packaging 4. Sturdy COMB 5. Metal NAIL CLIPPERS (preferably with file) 6. Or a Monetary donation (Costs $2.65 per Kit for LWR to Ship Overseas) 7. No Toothpaste it is added by LWR Place items in LWR Box in Welcome Center. Thank you. Questions: Glenace Klinker BREAD FOR ALL Bread For All" is a food pantry sponsored by Austin City Lutherans. We will be collecting food for the pantry with plans to deliver the food on Monday, March 10th. Peanut butter, tuna and macaroni & cheese are staples which are always in need. A box for donations will be placed in the welcome center of the church. For additional information, please contact Diane Saegert at or dsaegert@austin.rr.com. GLOBAL INITIATIVES Through the benevolence we pay to the ELCA we are supporting these global initiatives. A link is available on our website under Giving, so you can keep up-to-date on what the ELCA is doing to reach the world for Christ. PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRY Page 3 The Prayer Shawl Ministry would like to remind everyone that if you have a friend or loved one in need of a prayer shawl that you are free to take one from the trunk located in the back of the welcome center. Just select a shawl and provide David Pencil with the name of your loved one. These shawls have been made with prayers of healing, comfort, strength and peace. We also have prepared a special prayer card that you may take and give with the shawl if you so wish. They are in a zip lock bag which is also in the trunk. If you want a special blessing for the shawl by Pastor Skip please contact the office. If you are interested in joining this ministry or have any questions, please contact Deanna Brown at dmbrownmn@hotmail.com. THANK YOU! To our Lord of Life family, Herman and I thank you for your wonderful support in prayers, notes, use of dumpster, on call if needed. You made the difference in getting matters taken care of. We are now living at Horizon Bay right across the street from Cedar Valley Middle School. We re in apartment 124 and would love to have visitors. Herman and Olga Haenel ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thank you to our church family for all of your prayers for our son James Paul Pennington. Please keep him in your prayers as the doctors continue to treat him with the care and medication he needs. Horace and Nell Pennington HABITAT FOR HUMANITY Saturday, May 3rd is Lord of Life day for Habitat for Humanity! We need you! Some of you have previously worked as volunteers on Habitat for Humanity projects, but some of you haven t done that yet. Perhaps you have imagined that it might be fun to do something completely different from your ordinary routine, while actually helping some brothers and sisters who really need our help THIS IS IT! No prior construction experience is required and you do not have to be a member of LOL. Please ask your friends and family members to join. To sign up contact Felicia or mrs1stlady@sbcglobal.net

4 Page 4 Life-Lines CELEBRATE GOD S CREATION A SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY STARTING WITH MARCH 2 EACH INDIVIDUAL OR FAMILY WILL HAVE A SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY TO ADD TO THE BEAUTY OF THE ALTAR AREA OF LORD OF LIFE LUTHERAN CHURCH BY BRINGING FLOWERS. FLOWERS ARE NOT PROVIDED BY ANY OUTSIDE SOURCE BUT ARE PURCHASED AND PROVIDED BY INDIVIDUALS OR FAMILIES AT THE TIME OF THEIR CHOOSING. Let me introduce you to the FLOWER CHART. This CHART is in the Narthex (entrance) to the church and can be used every week. It has all twelve months of the year and the dates of each Sunday in the month on it. To use the Flower Chart you sign Your NAME AND PHONE NUMBER NEXT TO THE WEEK THAT YOU OR YOUR FAMILY WILL BRING FLOWERS FOR THE ALTAR AREA. YOU ARE WELCOME TO BRING FLOWERS AS OFTEN OR AS MANY TIMES AS YOU WOULD LIKE. FLOWERS ARE BROUGHT FOR MANY REASONS: 1. In honor of a family member s birthday. 2. In celebration of an anniversary. 3. In remembrance of a loved one. 4. In thankfulness for In praise of God s glory 6. In celebration of a baptism 7. In celebration of a baptism birthday 8. In honor of God s creation. 9. To add beauty to the altar area 10. For any or no reason at all. You ll receive a phone call reminding you to bring flowers on Sunday before the weekend that you signed up to bring them. It is your responsibility to purchase the flowers or pick them in your yard and bring them to church by 8 a.m. on Sunday morning. IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO GET THEM TO CHUCH BY 8 A.M. ON SUNDAY THAN YOU CAN BRING THEM TO THE OFFICE ON FRIDAY DURING THE HOURS -11a.m. to 3 p.m. THEY WILL BE PLACED IN THE ALTAR AREA ON SUNDAY MORNING. So far so good. - Let s check it out. 1. Sign up to bring flowers 2. Receive reminder phone call. 3. Purchase flowers or pick from yard and put in vase 4. Bring them to church by 8 a.m. Sunday. 5. Remove them after the second service. Last is what to do with the flowers when the service is over. You purchased the flowers so it is your choice about what to do with them after church. A few suggestions would be to pick up your flowers and take them home, give to a friend for their celebration, surprise someone at church or make arrangements for someone to take them after the second service. If someone has signed up on a day that you would also like to bring flowers You can also sign up we can have more than one vase of flowers. If you have any questions contact Marge Robison at or and she ll try to help you find the answer. START SIGNING UP ON MARCH 2ND ON THE NEW FLOWER CHART. CELEBRATE GOD S CREATION!!!

5 Volume No Page 5 COMMUNION CHANGE Holy Communion, or The Lord s Supper is a sacrament we hold dear as a reminder of the bond we share with Christ through His death and resurrection and a remembrance of the final meal Christ shared with his disciples before his crucifixion. Christ died for our sins and by eating the bread ( this is my body ) and drinking the wine ( this is my blood ) we share a weekly moment with our church family, growing closer in our relationship with our Lord and Savior, and strengthening our bond with our church as a family. Beginning March 5th, Ash Wednesday, we will be experiencing a change in the way we receive communion. We will be changing the format to communion by intinction. We will be using an unleavened bread (gluten-free option will be available), which will be distributed to everyone by Pastor Skip and we will individually dip the bread into either wine or grape juice. It is hoped that this change will be well-received as there is no loss in the meaning of the sacrament. It is made for the following reasons: continuous communion allows us to participate as one body instead of individual tables; members who use wheelchairs and/or walkers can participate more easily; this process is more visitor friendly ; unleavened bread is part of the Passover meal; it will be a simpler format and will shorten the length of the worship service. SUGGESTED READING By: Donna Estes LIBRARY NOTES THE VET IN THE VESTRY - by: Alexander Cameron This book is the true life story of Alexander Cameron, a Scotsman who after training and practicing as a vet in Scotland and England decides to alter the course of his life and in 1959 enters the Church of Scotland as a minister. He finds that his calling as a minister is not much different from that of the vet - same job - just a different flock and many times he was called upon to perform both tasks. It is such a wonderful book to read, filled with blend of spiritual insight, humor and wry Scots pragmatism. The rich, surprising and often very moving stories (some will bring you to tears) he has shared over the years with his two flocks is filled with plenty of humor and God s never ending love for His animals and people. I hope all who read this wonderful book will truly enjoy it as much as I did. ***************** UNTANGLING ALZHEIMER'S (The Guide for Families & Professionals) A Conversation in Caregiving - by: Tam Cummings, MS Gerontologist This book is written by the same woman who gave the Dementia Seminar at our church last month. The book is easy to read & provides valuable information, along with case examples of the various stages of cognitive & personality decline that inevitably occur in people with dementia. It provides very useful tips on behavior & communication problems that commonly occur in dementia & suggest different ways to cope and adjust for them. This book is a "must read" for those who know or are caring for a person with dementia.

6 Page 6 SYNOD ASSEMBLY This year's Synod Assembly is scheduled for Friday, May 2 - Sunday, May 4 and will be held at the Double Tree in Austin. Voting members will participate in the missional vision of the synod, learn what it means to be a missional church, and conduct the annual business of the synod. The Synod Assembly offering will be supporting Life Straws through Water for Africa, a ministry of Palm Valley Lutheran Church in Round Rock. Life-Lines Lord of Life will have four voting members at the assembly: one adult male, one adult female, a youth, and Pr. Skip as a rostered leader of the synod. Serving as a voting member is open to all members of our congregation. You are invited to pray about this opportunity for service in the larger church. Please contact Pr. Skip if you are interested. CROP HUNGER WALK This year's Crop Hunger Walk is Sunday, March 23rd at Camp Mabry. Registration begins at 1:45 with the walk starting at 2:30. CROP stands for Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty. CROP Hunger Walks are community fund-raising events sponsored by Church World Service (CWS), an international relief, development, and refugee resettlement agency. Money raised by CROP Hunger Walks nationwide is used by CWS to provide food, medical care, disaster relief, and self-help development for needy people locally and throughout the world. LENT Join us throughout Lent for Mid-week services on Wednesdays at 11:30 a.m. and 7:00 p.m, beginning March 5th with Ash Wednesday. In the following five weeks, the evening service will be conducted using the Holden Evening Prayer. During the five weeks after Ash Wednesday, a light soup lunch will be served immediately following the 11:30 a.m. service, and a light dinner will be served at 6:00 p.m. preceding the evening service. Local organizations benefiting from this year's walk include the Sustainable Food Center, Capital Area Food Bank, Micah 6, and iact for Refugees. Last year, the Austin Crop Walk raised over $95K. Let's make it another great year. To register or donate, go to Be sure to look for the Lord of Life Lutheran Church Team! For additional questions, please contact Courtney Warnsman. Income for Jan.: $25,921 Income YTD: $25,921 Expenses for Jan.: $22,670 Expenses YTD: $22,670 Net Gain for Jan.: $3,251 Net Gain YTD: $3,251 Worship Attendance 1/5/ /12/ /19/ /26/ Weekly Average 107 YTD Total 429 Weekly Average 107

7 Volume No Page 7 Worship Leaders for March 2014 MARCH 2, 2014 Transfiguration of Our Lord Color: White Assisting Minister: John Paul Crawford Lector/Petitioner: Chuck Neeley Communion Assistant: Shari Lagerstrom Acolyte: Summer Simon Media Assistant: Jim Tarsi; Raina Parsons Ushers: Doug Caldwell, Bill Saegert; Max Kretschmar, Mike Brown, Gibb Prather, Lee Penland Altar Guild: Cindy Wilks, Dee Smith; Deb Grunska (setup) Bread: Deb Grunska Flowers: Edith Swartz, in memory of her mother, Katherine Stewart; Stephen Ministers, in honor of Eric Smith s commissioning. MARCH 9, 2014 First Sunday in Lent Color: Purple Assisting Minister: Marilee Parsons Lector/Petitioner: John Paul Crawford Communion Assistant: Dorothy Crawford Acolyte: Breanna Sellers Media Assistant: Alan Breyer; Rex Schroeder Ushers: Doug Caldwell, Bill Saegert; Dustin Simpson, Ben Eckermann, Clayton Wachsmann, Shane Willenborg Altar Guild: Lyn Caldwell, Jim Tarsi; Heather Simpson, Avery Willenborg (setup) Bread: The Simpson Family MARCH 16, 2014 Second Sunday in Lent Color: Purple Assisting Minister: Mindy Penland Lector/Petitioner: Deb Grunska Communion Assistant: Nell Pennington Acolyte: Oscar Lopez Media Assistant: Dee Smith; Dick Fink Ushers: Doug Caldwell, Bill Saegert; Dustin Simpson, Ben Eckermann, Clayton Wachsmann, Shane Willenborg Altar Guild: Barbara Snook; Deanna & Lauren Brown (setup) Bread: The Sheehan Family MARCH 23, 2014 Third Sunday in Lent Color: Purple Assisting Minister: Rex Schroeder Lector/Petitioner: Dick Fink Communion Assistant: Gayle Covington Acolyte: Carter Parsons Media Assistant: Jim Tarsi; Lloyd Haskins Ushers: Doug Caldwell, Bill Saegert; Max Kretschmar, Shawn Simon, Eric Warnsman, Clayton Wachsmann Altar Guild: Cindy Wilks, Dee Smith; Dick Fink (setup) Bread: The Penland Family MARCH 30, 2014 Fourth Sunday in Lent Color: Purple Assisting Minister: Lloyd Haskins Lector/Petitioner: Mike Petry Communion Assistant: Shari Lagerstrom Acolyte: Chapin Smith Media Assistant: Alan Breyer; Connor Sheehan Ushers: Doug Caldwell, Bill Saegert; Max Kretschmar, Shawn Simon, Eric Warnsman, Clayton Wachsmann Altar Guild: Lyn Caldwell, Jim Tarsi; Chuck & Julia Neeley (setup) Bread: Lyn Caldwell

8 Volume No Page 8 M a r c h Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 2 12:00 Evangelism Ministry Meeting 5:00 Emmanuel Indian Fellowship Gathering 3 Education Ministry Meeting 4 Election Primary 10:30am Kindred Sisters 5 Ash Wed. 11:30am Morning Service Evening Service 7:45pm Choir Rehearsal 6 Finance Ministry Meeting :30am Morning Service Stephen Ministers Meeting 6:30pm Bible Study Evening Service 7:45pm Choir Rehearsal Church Council Meeting :30am Morning Service :00 Emmanuel Indian Fellowship Gathering 6:30pm TIFA Meeting 6:30pm Bible Study Evening Service 7:45pm Choir Rehearsal 7pm Scouts STEM Day 23 Crop Walk :30pm Worship Meeting 26 11:30am Morning Service :30pm Bible Study Evening Service 7:45pm Choir Rehearsal 30 31