The Epistle Lent The newsletter of Apostles Lutheran Church, Gloucester.VA - Libby Boyer, editor

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1 Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Scarcely have we gotten used to writing 2015 on the date line of our checks, and just this quickly Lent is upon us. Ash Wednesday falls on February 18 this year, ushering us into our 40 days plus Sundays of preparation for our celebration of Easter (Easter is the first Sunday in April). As always, Apostles will offer the opportunity to pause mid-week during Lent to recharge our batteries and refocus our lives on God s grace. On five consecutive Wednesdays beginning February 25 we will gather in the evening for a simple meal of soup and bread at 6:00, followed by Evening Prayer at 6:45. We should be finished by 7:30, so there should be no major interruption of evening schedules and next-day preparations. There was a time when Lutherans were almost as certain to be in church on Wednesday evenings in Lent as they were to be there on Sunday mornings. Sadly, that is no longer the case. Yet, the opportunity to recharge and refocus is more needed now than ever as the demands of the world on our time and energy seem only to grow and grow. I invite you join with your sisters and brothers as we unplug for just a short while and to what our Lord would have us hear and know. We will hear the words of St. Paul written to the early church at Philippi. We will lift our voices in musical praise and prayer as we turn our hearts and minds to God. And we will receive the grace that only God can impart the grace to live renewed as God s beloved children. I invite you to join us on the remaining Wednesday in Lent for a simple meal and Evening Prayer at 6:00/6:45, which will bring us to Holy Week leading to Easter s celebration of our Lord s resurrection. See you in worship! The Epistle Lent The newsletter of Apostles Lutheran Church, Gloucester.VA - Libby Boyer, editor

2 Wednesday Lenten Supper and Service New Council meets Feb 23 Join us on Wednesday evenings at 6:00 beginning Feb. 25 for supper (see signup for providing soup or bread) followed at 6:45 with worship using Holden's Evening Prayer. The new Church Council elected in January will meet next week to begin their new term together under the leadership of President Ray Scholz and Vice President Janice Shupp. The other officers are Libby Boyer, Secretary, Tina Britt, Treasurer, and Irene Albert, Financial Secretary. New members are David Albert, Lorna Hanson, Jewel Thomas, and John Wicker. Karen Stark and Debbie Krahn completed their terms. Members are welcome to attend. Council meets on the 3rd Monday at 7 pm Serving Our Neighbors Members of Apostles provided meals several days in February for the GUEST homeless shelter program. Among the people served was a family with 5 children. The homeless, yes - even children - ARE among us. It was a moving experience for those who participated Help was also provided at the day shelter. The meal for doctors and nurses at the Free Clinic was cancelled because weather closed the facility that day. But this in a ministry we do every month. Please sign up early if you can cook part of the meal next month. The chart is in the narthex. Join other women on the 2nd Thursday at 10:30 at the church for the monthly program. The next meeting on March 12 will be led by Terri Larsen. She will share the story of Taize, the ecumenical moment started in France that has a strong following among young people. What about the organization attracts an age group that has largely turned away from the church? Food for Bread for Life is picked up weekly in Richmond by one of our members. God bless! Snack Packs for needy elementary students to take home on weekends were packed with love. Supplies for the Laurel Shelter are always welcome. Check the list in the narthex for the needs for March. Over $1000 was collected on Super Bowl Sunday for local and Synod hunger programs Did I miss something? Let me know where you served in our community.

3 ARE YOU ON TARGET WITH YOUR GIVING? The Epistle Lent The newsletter of Apostles Lutheran Church, Gloucester.VA - Libby Boyer, editor

4 What is a Lutheran? Our Church Family We are a church that shares a living, daring confidence in God's grace for us. This faith comes through the good news of Jesus Christ and gives us the freedom and courage to wonder, discover and boldly participate in what God is up to in the world, As members of the ELCA, we believe that we are free in Christ to serve and love our neighbor. With our hands, we do God's work of restoring and reconciling communities in Jesus Christ's name throughout the world. Eight value statements outline our beliefs and strengths. Taken together they form a richly textured portrait of a church that offers a distinctive and meaningful way to share God's love with the world. We are a church... That belongs to Christ and welcomes everyone. Whose unity is in Jesus Christ, who gathers us around word and water, wine and bread. That believes Jesus is God's "yes" to us and our lives can be a "yes" to others. That believes God is calling us into the world - together. That rolls up it's sleeves and gets to work. That is a catalyst, convener and bridge builder. That is energized by lively engagement in our faith and life. That is deeply rooted - and always being made new. - From the ELCA website Birthdays Baptismal Dates Martha Carroll 03/04 Kayla Hautz 03/02 Tina Britt 03/11 Mike Sowden 03/16 Judy Wright 03/20 Anniversaries Steve Hanson 03/22 Bern & Barb Runk 03/01 Births Richard and Libby Boyer s first great-grandchild was born Feb 17 in Bavaria, Germany. Sophia Alexandra is the daughter of Michelle Boyer and Stefan Straus. Deaths Bernard Hall, brother of Lorraine Malkemus and Preston Higgins, passed away Feb. 3 in Gloucester after a long battle with cancer. Our prayers are with the family. Directory Changes Libby Boyer s new cell phone is Jackie Dudley s new cell phone is Address is PO Box 222 Gloucester, VA Our Building and Grounds Have you noticed the changes around the church? The new fixtures in the downstairs bathroom? The new steps/railing/lights to the basement? All of the new plantings? Thanks especially to Pastor Jim and Ray Scholz for the work on the bathroom (and on the gutters!) and to the men of the church for the steps. This project was funded by the memorial funds given for Tom Stallman. Other memorial funds received in memory of Tom, Larry, Pat Wicker, Mark Battaglia and Juanita Smith will be used to purchase a large oak tree. Thanks to the hard work of Lorna Hanson and the generosity of Brent and Becky s bulbs, we now have thousands of daffodil bulbs in the ground. Lorna and Jewel Thomas are working on revising the landscape plan for the church.

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6 Beyond Giving Up Chocolate: Going Deeper in Lent What are you giving up for Lent? Lent isn t simply about us giving up something. This year we might reflect and ask the deeper question: What is God inviting me to change this Lent? How do I know what God might be stirring in me? I begin by listening to the movements in my heart. Where am I feeling uncomfortable with the choices I am making? With the things I have done? With the habitual ways I respond? The Lord will be speaking to me in those small nagging moments of discomfort in my heart. Asking what we would like to change about ourselves this Lent requires a little reflection. What pattern of behavior in my life needs changing? What do I need more of in my life? Patience? Unselfishness? More loving behavior toward my spouse or children? I need help. It may be something that I don t want to change or acknowledge. I don t think I can change it. But that s where talking to God can make the difference. I am not doing this alone; I am doing it with God. The real grace is when we recognize that Lent is a season in which God wants to give us something. God wants to help us transform our lives and make us more free as people -- not just freer with God, but in the way we live our lives and love our families. Why is this a good Lenten penance? Because it gets my attention where I live every day. It allows God s grace into my soul and into the place where my real life exists. Taken from Creighton University's Online Ministries website: aborativeministry/online.html. ( Edited. Used with permission. ) What is Stewardship? When we hear that word, we usually think of money. But it is much more. Being good and faithful stewards is about how we live our whole lives in thanksgiving for the blessings we have been given. We are called to be servants, and supporting our church through our financial gifts is just one way we serve. The ELCA theme sums it up perfectly: God s Work Our Hands How are you doing God s work? What gifts do you have to offer to the Lord? Maybe you know quite well where your talents lie, but some of us need help discovering or perhaps focusing on our strongest gifts. By knowing that, we can better use our time and talents in the places where we get the most bang for the buck. The ELCA website has an online Spiritual Gifts Assessment that we would like to ask every member to take. Click the box below to go to the ELCA website and take the brief survey. You can print the results to keep for your own use. Your individual results will be for you alone, nobody else can access them. Spiritual Gifts Assessment When viewing your results, note that the higher the score, the stronger the corresponding gift. The strongest gifts will generally have a total score of 65% or more. Those with that score or higher are considered your Spiritual Gifts. Our website will soon have more information about how your specific gifts relate to ministries at Apostles and in our community. So keep that printout of your results!