ANCHOR NEWS. Post Scripts. In This Issue. To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow. April Calendar. Presidents Report.

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1 ANCHOR NEWS Springfield Lutheran Church, ELCA, Newsletter April 2018 Post Scripts "He is not here..." Four words that carry immense power: the angel at the tomb got the chance to say those great words. I wonder: was he just lucky enough to be chosen by God to do so, or did he win some sort of angel lottery, or was he the first to get dressed and report in on that day...? Okay, just having some Easter fun here... It has been said by more than one commentator that even more important things happen after the dramatic events themselves; for example, it is what the Apostle Paul did after his dramatic encounter with the risen Jesus on Damascus road that made such a difference in the world. So, those four words to the witnesses of the resurrection at the empty tomb got them moving on to Galilee. "he is not here...", so where is He? Well, Jesus meets them and others for forty days (until his Ascension) to add impact and, of course, and as an answer to "He is not here" with Thomas' "My Lord and my God", "we have seen the Lord!", "in the breaking of the bread" and other equally inspiring affirmations. It's what they did after the angel's announcement that mattered most, it seems to me. Now in these days and weeks after Easter it is our own turn to respond to hearing "He is not here..." with our faithful words, prayers, and actions. Between now and Pentecost Sunday it is called "The Great Fifty Days". What can be so "great " about them is what I continually find to be an encouragement to be like the first disciples, and witness to the resurrection in our daily lives, like they did. Of course, one response of the early Church was to sell all they had, share their resources, and essentially live in a commune-like way (see the first chapters of Acts for that). Not likely to happen here any time soon... But the point is: in the 1st century world, Christians faced huge odds against them with the power of faith. Now, too, in the 21st century, I maintain that we also face incredible odds against us as faithful people. Huge indifference to the Christian message, opposition to the love of God through Jesus by His grace, weary disciples like you and I carrying the weight of our convictions and wondering at times if it's worth the bother. Many of you commented to me in this way, too: "we haven't seen an Easter season so minimally evident with fewer lawn announcements of his resurrection, or even "secular" expressions like colorful eggs on ribbon dangling from trees and bushes..." Yup, I agree... But it's not the last word, or "words" about these things. Come on: be renewed at worship, and with active prayer! Let's continue to be faithful and open to new ways that say with our lives "Here is where He is!" with compassionate words and actions that answer the angel's bold four word announcement "He is not here." I'm up to that, and by the power of Jesus' resurrection so are you! Really! Pastor Erik To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow. - Audrey Hepburn In This Issue April Calendar Presidents Report CTP Cooking Class Our Church-Our World-Our Community Book Group Springfield Sewing Sisters Newsletter News

2 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 8:30 am Worship with Communion 9:30 am Fellowship 10:00 am Worship with Communion Office Closed 6:30 pm Al-Anon 6:30 pm Bible Study 9:00 am LWR Quilting 5:30 NA 9:00 am SLSS Quilting 9:30 am SHS Cooking 12:30 Nar Anon 2:00 Sr. Mat Yoga 3:30 Sr. Chair Yoga 5:30 AA 9:30 am SHS Cooking 5:30 AA 12:30 Nar-Anon 10:30 AA Women s APRIL 2018 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Easter Sunday 8 Easter pm Women s Circle Easter 3 11:10 am Council Meeting 22 Easter :15 pm Wise Guys 1:30 pm Fringe Benefits In This Issue Advantages of a Newsletter Add Value to Your Newsletter Second Story 29 Easter 5 LWR Quilt Sunday after 10am Service 30 No Bible Study Another Story May 4 1 Back 1:30 am Page Story Book Group at Toreros

3 A special Thank You Easter Egg PRESIDENTS REPORT Happy Easter season to you all! Council met on March 18 after the 10 a.m. service. After devotions and minutes were read and accepted, we heard from our Financial Secretary, Eileen Brown, and our Treasurer, Gail Rogers. Eileen mentioned all is well with our counters, even though we could still accept a substitute or back-up counter. Gail reported bills are being paid, and she will have her duties covered by Cascade Tax on her vacation time later this year. We are very pleased with Tonya, our new office administrator, and expect her to be moving past her six month probation period with flying colors. New computers are in the office, and the re-arrangement of the office into a more efficient mode-- as well as finding colors to paint the offices--is progressing nicely. Thanks to all who took part in our Holy Week and Easter services, including the baptism of little Lucas (he's so cute!) at Easter Vigil. We were glad to hear the singers/choir in the second service on Easter Sunday. Special thanks to Susan for her work with decorations and getting the breakfast done so well again; a free community breakfast is planned for later this Spring. The teens in the Community Transition Program (CTP) were hard at work in the SLC kitchen making chocolate candy eggs as part of their Annual Spring Fundraiser. The cooking class meets at SLC during the week and is a program through the Springfield School District for students with mild to moderate disabilities ages who need additional support as they transition to adulthood. A delicious egg was given to the church by the students as a thank you for the use of our kitchen. The CTP cooking class also has an annual Christmas Fundraiser where they bake and decorate gingerbread houses. For more information check out their webpage on the Springfield School District Website. Our property management is in good order thanks to Ray and many volunteers. More work needs to be done and a sign-up sheet with tasks will be available soon to carry into the summertime. Work on the office area windows and frames will begin in Spring; new pew modifications for wheelchairs/walkers took place just in time for Easter! How great is that! Worship and Music continues to plan hymns and services, we are also looking forward to putting our new Chapel together this year; thanks for donations at Easter breakfast to help that along. Our one day (this year) annual Oregon Synod Assembly takes place May 19 at Gethsemane Lutheran in Portland from 10 a.m. till 5 p.m. We need one male and one female delegate to join Pastor Erik there. Please ask me or Pastor Erik about that ASAP. Thanks! He is Risen! Alleluia! Linda Loomis, Council President

4 Book Group The next book group will be May 4th at 11:30 am. The group will get together at Toreros Mexican Restaurant. The book to be discussed is Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly. Lilac Girls is a novel of three unsung women and their quest for love, freedom, and second chances. Inspired by the real-life character Caroline Ferriday, godmother to the Ravensbruck Rabbits, Lilac Girls illuminates a poignant and harrowing hidden event of WW2 history. Source: Our Church Our Community Our World Bible Study-Meets Mondays In April at 6:30 pm. No Bible Study April 30th. Women s Circle-Next meeting will be Tuesday, April 10 at 1:00 pm at the home of Kae Ellingson Council-Next meeting will be Sunday, April 15 at 11:10 am. Blood Drive-Emmaus Lutheran Church is holding a blood drive on April 15th. For more information you can contact their church office at or Mat Purvis: mlpurvis10@hotmail.com. Fringe Benefits-Next meeting will be Thursday, April 19 at 1:30 pm. Wise Guys-Next meeting will be Tuesday, April 24 at 1:30 pm. LWR Quilt Sunday-Quilts will be packaged to ship to Lutheran World Relief after the 10 am Worship Service on April 29. Your help is greatly appreciated. Hope to see you all there. If you know of an event going on in our community and would like to share it, please let the church office know ten days before the end of the month so that it can be added to the next months newsletter. Thank you

5 SPRINGFIELD SEWING SISTERS ~Michelle Marroquin~ We gave 20 quilts to Catholic Community Services. We are eight ladies that gather at Springfield Lutheran on G Street. We meet every Wednesday from 9:00-11:00. We share our quilting knowledge, someone has a block to teach. Come join us and support the community by giving a gift of a handmade quilt!

6 Newsletter News We are in the process of revamping the newsletter. The goal is to publish more up to date and timely news and events. It will be posted on our website. It may look a bit different than what you re used to but we hope that the change will be a great one. Thank you all for your patience as we find the right format for future church news and events. Contact Us If you need the church, the Pastor, the Office Administrator, prayer, comfort, or guidance; please contact us at: Springfield Lutheran Church, ELCA 1542 I Street Springfield, OR (541) Office Hours: Closed Mondays & National Holidays. Open Tuesday-Friday, from 10:00am to 1:00pm. SLCAnchor@gmail.com Visit us on the web at Springfield Lutheran Church, ELCA, Newsletter Springfield Lutheran Church 1542 I Street Springfield, OR PLACE STAMP HERE