Flock MONTHLY NEWSLETTER GOOD SHEPHERD LUTHERAN CHURCH MARCH 2018

Transcription

1 The Flock LENT IS HERE! Each Wednesday there is a special Lenten 6:30 pm. Pastor is preaching a special sermon series called The Objects of the Crucifixion. Lent began on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 14. Pastor Sheets spoke about The Nails. On Feb. 21, he spoke about the Crown of Thorns. On Feb. 28, Pastor told us about the 30 pieces of silver MONTHLY NEWSLETTER GOOD SHEPHERD LUTHERAN CHURCH MARCH 2018 that Judas accepted to turn Jesus in to the authorities. This month, we will learn even more. Mar. 7, is the story about the casting of lots for Jesus s clothes. Mar. 14; The Sponge. Mar. 21 will finish the series with The Spear. Mar. 25 is Palm Sunday and is the beginning of Holy Week. HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE In This Issue From the Pen of the Pastor Birthdays & Anniversaries Belvoir Christian Academy News March Activities Calendar Missionary News Rachel Meyer Update! Why Be A Member of GSLC? March 25 Palm Sunday- Regular Service Times 9 am & 11:15 am March 29 Maundy Thursday- Maundy Thursday Service & Fellowship Meal 6 pm March 30 Good Friday Tenebrae 7 pm March 31 Holy Saturday Prayer Vigil (9 am 5pm) April 1 Easter Sunday 3 services. 7 am, 9:15 am and 11:15 am. Breakfast will served between Sunrise & Traditional services. Hosted by GSLC Youth. Freewill donation is asked.

2 LECTOR SCHEDULE Contact Lane McKown with ques ons March 4, Karen Hundt March 11, Dan Norey March 18, Nicole Norey March 25, Steve Meyer (Palm Sunday) April 1, Lane McKown (Easter) April 8, Dave Mietzner April 15, Lorna Duderstadt April 22, Craig Mullinax April 29, Mark Steele ALTAR GUILD March Ruth Ebert: CALLING & CARING March Bernie Hilbrandt:

3 dwell among us richly as we sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs! This song brings the mighty word of God s to bear upon our hearts. Sin bows to this musical Word of God! Pastor s Pen They sang a new song, saying, Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth."- Rev. 5:9 10 Singing, what a gift that expresses our joy. Yet, singing the new song talked of our text is meant for something else as well. It is how we fight our battles. That may sound crazy, but it is true. There are examples of God s people entering a war in the Old Testament and all they do is sing. Guess what? They won! We certainly have battles to face. Whether it is battling our own weaknesses, or facing a world that fights the ways of God, we do know battle. So why singing? I have always been amazed about how few religions really practice singing. However, Christian churches sing! How does that bring the victory? The secret lies in the text above. A New song fills the heart of God's children. The first verse of that song is printed above. It is a song about Jesus Christ who was slain for our sins. You learn to sing this song in one place, at the foot of the cross. It is here that we are ransomed, freed from the burden that weighs our heart down in misery and sadness. It is here that we feel the gift of joy as our burdens are removed! When that happens, God teaches us this new song! And we join in the unending chorus of praising our God and Lord, Jesus Christ! We don't do this because we have to. We do it because our hearts are bursting forth in joy! His love puts a song on our lips! Is it any wonder that Paul tells us to let the word of God Singing brings us victory in a second way. As we sing at the foot of the cross and experience the release from sin, we find ourselves in a totally new situation. God makes us a kingdom to rule upon the earth! As we look at life through the lens of the cross, we see things differently. The rest of the world may think sin reigns, but our eyes are opened to the reality that our Lord is reigning! As he sits upon the throne, he causes everything to work together for the good of those who love him whom he has called according to his purpose. Amazingly, this even includes what others would judge as being the bad times. We see others around us struggling with sin, but we face all this as sing the new song of the cross and our redeemers victory. There we see Jesus conquering the power of sin so that he even causes these things to turn around and bring blessings to his children. So we sing the victorious song as our hearts face each moment not in fear, but in faith and peace that belongs to us as those who sing the song of our Savior. Sings brings victory to us in yet another way. He has made us priests who can now serve our God! Our life is not a vanity. Sin does not have its way and lead us to a dead end. What we do does make a difference as we sing the song of the Lamb. That is why God has us sing. As we sing this song to the world, hearts are conquered and Christ wins others to his kingdom. Yes, God could do it all himself. However, because of his grace, he grants us the amazing privilege to serve beside him to bring the gift of his love into the lives of others. So the song of victory that we sing for ourselves, we also sing to the world. This new song heals the hearts of the broken. They are then moved to join us in the song. There is victory Life becomes a song. Life becomes a continual worship service and we are the choir. The job of the choir is to lead others in song by first singing to them and then inviting them to sing along. It is the tradition that when we sing Handel's Messiah, as we begin the concert, the choir sings alone. The congregation listens. However, at the end, all are invited to rise and join the choir and sing the "hallelujah chorus." It is such a joy to watch the others join the choir and sing for joy! Of course, the heart of that song is the victory of our Lord Jesus Christ who through the cross is reigning for ever and ever to the joy of his people. As he reigns, the burdens of God's people are forever lifted and they sing the new song, a song that has no end. Life becomes a song, a song of joy to the Lord before all of creation! May the Lord teach you this new song today and every day. In Christ, Pastor Chris Sheets

4 BCA NEWS The students celebrated the Winter Olympics by dressing in red, white and blue. The PK3 students also made Olympic torches and painted the Olympic rings! Mar. 7 Yankee Candle Fundraiser Money and Orders Due Mar. 8 BCA's Annual Arts Night & Middle School play - 6:30 p.m. Mar. 9 Grandparents' Day - 8:15-11 a.m. Mar. 16 Blue Jean Dollar Day (proceeds to go to Heifer International) Mar. 16 School-wide Dance 6-8 p.m. BCA's 2nd - 4th graders enjoyed the annual Mini-Courses, held on Friday afternoons throughout February. Students were able to choose from a variety of fun learning opportunities such as cooking, gardening, wood-working, board games, dance and more. We appreciated all of the volunteers who spent time teaching these skills to the students! Mar. 23 Spring Picture Day - Individual and class photos, team photos for basketball, volleyball and cheerleading Mar. 27Open House- 4-7 p.m. for Prospective Families Mar. 29 St. Jude Math-a-Thon ends - booklets and pledge money due Mar. 30 Good Friday - School and Childcare closed Apr. 2-6 Spring Break - School closed/childcare open Apr. 13 Muffins with Mom - 8:15-9 a.m.

5 Why Be A Member of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church? That is a good question. point gets overlooked. How upli ing is it to have someone say to you, I want to be your brother/ sister? That is what you re saying when you join the church: You value the spiritual friendships you have in this congrega on, and you value this community of faith. Joining the church is an act of love, which means a great deal to your fellow members. It is a public profession of faith Believers are told not to hide our light under a bushel, but to share it with the world. A first step towards sharing hope and healing for others is to publically say that we believe and declare our readiness to live according to the values we profess. It strengthens our rela onship with others in the church O en I ve heard people say, I don t need organized religion all I need is me and God. While it is true that going to church doesn t make you a Chris an, it s also true that the Chris an faith was never meant to be a solo ac vity. The Holy Spirit works among us as a community, calling us together to learn how to love and support one another, so we can offer that same love and support to our neighbors. When we take the step to become official members of the church, we re affirming the value of these friendships. We don t expect other Chris ans to be perfect, just as we ourselves aren t perfect, but together we can grow more and more into the image of Christ. We are stronger together than when we are alone. Membership allows us to par cipate fully in the life of the congrega on. Everyone is welcome to a end worship, par cipate in service projects, and enjoy fellowship with us. But only those who have made a definite commitment to be a part of the congrega on are invited to have a voice and vote in congrega onal business. Only members are eligible to serve on elected boards to lead ministry in our congrega on (wording not in italics changed to fit our cons tu on). Joining the church encourages others So o en this It s an important step in your rela onship with God Being a part of a local congrega on offers you opportuni es to learn, serve, worship, and grow in your faith. If we try to walk this journey alone, it s all too easy to slip away from our most important rela onship; Our rela onship with God. There are always urgent distrac ons that tug us away from what we know deep-down to be important. But our fellow believers can help keep us on track, reminding us of what s truly important, encouraging us when we need it, and even keeping us accountable to live according to our values. Jesus said that when we gather in his name, he s right here with us: This is a journey that it s good to take together. (wri en by Sco Henze) Becoming a member of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, the holy Christian church in this place, is a blessing from the Lord. Membership classes are available to learn the basics of the faith from the Bible. It is through the Word that that the Holy Spirit moves us to first believe in Christ and his gift of the church and then to confess that faith to the world just as we do every week in the Apostles and Nicene Creeds. Good Shepherd Lutheran is part of that visible family, the church, that the Holy Spirit has gathered in this place. If you have already been instructed in the basics of the Christian faith, it is simply a matter of confessing the faith that God has already worked in your heart, faith in your Savior Jesus Christ and promising to live out that faith in love towards others by living for Christ in fellowship with church that Christ has created. If you have any questions, please feel free to talk to Pastor. Of course, if you are not yet a member, you are always welcome at Good Shepherd Lutheran. We rejoice every time you worship with us knowing the Holy Spirit is working to grow you in your faith through the Word. We also rejoice anytime you join us for service projects and fellowship events. We do that because we know that Jesus is here to bless you when we come together in the name into which we were baptized. So may God bless you and may he bless his church, the very body of Christ, of which Good Shepherd Lutheran is a part by his grace.

6 GOOD SHEPHERD ENDOWMENT FUND... A GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING In 1998, Hal Ruck, the late husband of member, Ethel Ruck, made the decision to establish an Endowment Fund for Good Shepherd. The fund was established with an initial contribution of $5,000. Since the initial contribution in l998, additional contributions to the fund through 2007 totaled about $12,500; for a total contributions at that time of $17,712. From late 2007 through 2017 there were no contributions to the Fund. In 2017, our church leadership asked that we re-establish a focus on the Endowment Fund and an oversite committee of Allen Stephens, Dan Norey, and Dan Jacobs was established. They were assigned the responsibility of managing the Endowment Fund, as well as assuring that our congregation is aware of how they might assist in the fund s continued growth. The Good Shepherd Endowment Fund is a part of our church s constitution with specific designations of how the fund is handled. Until the fund reaches certain levels, none of the contributions can be used and then only income and earnings can be used. Any use of monies from the fund must be approved by the congregation and, monies from the fund cannot be used for BCA or Good Shepherd s General Operating expenses. Our Endowment Fund has grown to a total of $62,082, as of February 2, That is an amazing growth of total contributions of $17,712!!! Contributions to our Fund are truly a gift that keeps on giving! There are several ways you can assure our Endowment Fund continues to grow: Make an annual one time gift Establish a weekly or monthly gift to the fund Make the Endowment Fund a part of your estate planning During the month of March, we will be making you aware of our fund and how you can be a part of its growth. Pray about how you might be able to support the fund, discuss with your estate planner how the fund might be a part of your estate planning. The Endowment Fund Committee would like to see our fund reach a level of $100,000, at which time a plan would be established to use any earnings and/or growth above the $100,000, as outlined in our constitution. Please feel free to ask any questions you might have with a member of our committee. We thank you for your continued support of our Endowment Fund truly a gift that keeps on giving. March 4: "When God's Darkness Surrounds You " Guest Speaker: Rev. Dr. Dale A. Meyer When times are darkest, God wants you to know how close He really is. It's in those threatening times that you can especially learn and live in His love. (Exodus 20:1-17) March 11: "Condemned Already" Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour: Rev. Dr. Ken Klaus Some things just work better in the dark. You know, things like watching for shooting stars and getting a good night's sleep or dreaming about the future. People love the darkness for a lot of reasons, and not all of them are good. (John 3:19-21) reward is God's way forward for followers of Jesus. (Mark 10:32-45) March 25: "And They Crucified Him" Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour: Rev. Dr. Ken Klaus Next week The Lutheran Hour celebrates the Savior's resurrection. Today we mourn the unjust murder of the Savior by considering the text: "And they crucified Him." (Mark 14:24a) March 18: "Thrown into the Arms of God" Guest Speaker: Rev. Dr. Dale A. Meyer The desire to advance your own interests can alienate you from others and God. Serving others without thought of

7 MEET MISSIONARY RACHEL MEYER SERVING THE LORD IN UGANDA Rachel Meyer serves the Lord through The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS) as a missionary in Uganda. She teaches at a Lutheran primary school and supports the development of a continuing education program for the teachers. Rachel is also involved with the life and activities of a local congregation, giving her the wonderful opportunity to build relationships and share the Gospel with the local people. wisdom and encouragement to humbly share Christ s love in word and deed. Pray that God s name is glorified in all that Rachel does and says. Let us give thanks that Rachel is serving God s children in this part of the world. GSLC has chosen to support Rachel financially and spiritually thanks to an LCMS missionary program called Together in Mission. You may send a tax-deduc ble gi to: The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod P.O. Box 66861; St. Louis, MO Make checks payable to The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Include in the memo line: "Meyer-Uganda Support." Rachel s hometown is Milwaukee, Wis. She received bachelor s degrees in music education and elementary education from Concordia University Chicago, River Forest, and a master s degree in education with a specialization in elementary reading and literacy from Walden University. Before serving in Uganda, Rachel taught 2nd grade at Grace Lutheran School, Modesto, Calif. ( ) and 4th grade at St. Paul s Lutheran School, Bourbonnais, Ill. ( ). She also taught general music to kindergarten through eighth grade at both schools. In addition, she served as a missionary teacher at Concordia English Language Academy, Chiayi, Taiwan ( ). Rachel s previous mission service includes serving as a vacation Bible school teacher in Seoul, South Korea (July 2002), serving on a medical mission team in Honduras (July 2013), being a volunteer child care provider at Concordia Children s Services in Manila, Philippines (Feb. 2015), and serving as a volunteer missionary with the LCMS Project 24 in Rongo, Kenya (Feb. 2016). In her free time, Rachel enjoys hiking, reading, music and spending time with family and friends. Pray for Rachel as she serves in Uganda. Ask God to give her strength as she transitions to life in Uganda and learns the language and the culture. Pray that as she strives to understand the people of Uganda that God gives her opportunities to build relationships where she can share the love of Jesus. Pray for guidance and strength as Rachel builds her support network. Pray that the Holy Spirit works in the hearts of Rachel s students, her coworkers and their families. Ask God to continue to grow Rachel in her faith and give her Greetings from Uganda! Thank you so much for your partnership as I serve here. I have been here for about 2 weeks now, and I have met the congrega on, faculty, and students at Hope Lutheran, where I will be teaching Bible and music classes. Your generous financial and prayer support are invaluable as you are making it possible for me to share the Word of God with these children and their families. Thank you for your con nued prayers and encouragement, and for being a part of this mission and ministry. God s blessings to you in Christ, Rachel Meyer

8 March 2018 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat EVERY SUNDAY Tradi onal Service 9 am Contemporary Service 11:15 am All Ages Sunday School 10:10 am Crossways 2 pm EVERY WEDNESDAY MDO/Blessing Place 9am 2pm Bulle n Ar cle Deadline Noon Wednesday Meal 5 6:15 pm Choir Prac ce 7:30 pm (during Lent) Youth Group 7:30 pm (during Lent) GSLC Orchestra 8:45 pm (during Lent) Birthdays & Anniversaries BIRTHDAYS 3/2 Karl LaRoche 3/3 Don Houvener 3/3 Everly Webb 3/4 Isaac Futrell 3/5 Peggy White 3/5 Heidi Gaines 3/8 Sherry Kleptaz 3/8 Cara Mefford 3/9 Randy Mauritzen 3/11 John Hilbrandt 3/11 Mark Sosna 3/12 John Donahey 3/12 Carson Gaines 3/13 Sheila Arnold 3/13 Jeff Fountain 3/15 Jenna Malone 3/16 Kim George 3/16 Kelly Chipman 3/16 Kelly Swain 3/16 Justin Reader 3/18 Moriah Silvers 3/20 Shannon Donahey 3/20 Dr. Rebecca Robinson 3/20 Margret McCall 3/22 Carol Humble 3/24 Blanton Maples 3/27 Kelli Besh 3/28- Judy Stites 3/29 Julie Jarvis 3/31 Austin Steele ANNIVERSARIES 3/6 Tommy & Heather Audirsch (2006) 3/20- Stim & Shari Dupuis (1971) 3/14 Donnie & Nancy Graham (1980) 3/4 Charles & Kim Holcomb (1978) 3/2 Mike & Ginger West (1973)