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1 2016 Pastor s Page April has come and by the time most of you read this, my time is up as your interim. Theresa and I have delighted in being with you these 8+ months. They have flown by; we have worked hard together; and in very efficient manner you have called your new Pastor who will begin in the middle of April. You have been very kind and generous to us and for that we are grateful. Officially on the synod rostered list I am called retired which began in June of Since then I have spent all but 3 months being an interim in 3 churches. Upon my leaving I always have to remind you of the rules for former Pastors, called or interim. We can no longer perform in Pastoral functions such as weddings, funerals, hospital visitation or counseling. The reason for this rule is that your new Pastor is your shepherd now and any involvement by a former Pastor just confuses the office of Pastor. On rare occasions the sitting Pastor will call upon a former Pastor to officiate where it makes all the sense in the world. For example, I called upon Pastor Zetto when a member died whom I did not know but Pastor Zetto knew him well. It just made sense to make that call. Friendships can remain, but these boundaries must be maintained. I Pastored St. Martin s for 12 years and occasionally some of them visited my interim churches on a Sunday. The same is true for Peace Lutheran (my first interim) and Covenant Lutheran (my second) who visited Memorial Drive. I have arranged to take my earned 3 weeks of vacation to coincide with the suggested 3 weeks between my leaving and Pastor Will s arrival. This vacation time allows me to cover emergencies should they arise so that the congregation will have a familiar Pastor to minister in such cases. I never say goodbye to a congregation but choose to follow the great hymn God Be With You Till We Meet Again. These verses say best what I know and feel in my heart. Pastor s Page continues...

2 Pastor Stephen Kelly God Be With You Till We Meet Again 1. God be with you till we meet again; by his counsels guide, uphold you, with his sheep securely fold you; God be with you till we meet again. Refrain: Till we meet, till we meet, till we meet at Jesus' feet; till we meet, till we meet, God be with you till we meet again. 2. God be with you till we meet again; neath his wings securely hide you, daily manna still provide you; God be with you till we meet again. 3. God be with you till we meet again; when life's perils thick confound you, put his arms unfailing round you; God be with you till we meet again. 4. God be with you till we meet again; keep love's banner floating o'er you, smite death's threatening wave before you; God be with you till we meet again. We will meet again, dear friends, if not in this life, then in the next. Blessings of God to all of you. In Christ, Pastor Stephen Kelly and Theresa 2

3 President Mike Riggs ALLELUIA!! By the time you are reading this article, spring will have sprung, Easter will be here, and the Alleluias will be ringing! ALLELUIA!! We have just celebrated our time with PK and Theresa, and very soon we will be welcoming Pastor Will and Erin Storm into our family. The next few months will be a time for us to get to know each other better and better, and to begin growing into the church God has envisioned us being. PK is fond of saying that churches do not have missions, but God has a mission for His churches. Isn t it exciting to start finding out what that mission will be for us in Houston in 2016? You have now heard several Temple talks over the last several weeks about various ministries at MDLC, and you will hear a few more over the next month or so. If you are not yet involved in MDLC ministry activities, please consider what you have heard and decide what ministry or ministries might be calling your name. We have outreach, education and learning, service and fellowship ministries, as well as music, worship and property ministries. Gardening and backpacks, fellowship functions, learning opportunities, youth activities lots of choices! If you have seen or heard of a ministry or activity at another church that you might like to see started at MDLC, please grab a Council member and give them the details. Remember our one congregational goal for this year is for every last one of us to participate in a ministry at MDLC! We have just experienced another week of wonder wondering at the crowds that shouted Hosanna to the Son of David. Wondering how the King of Glory could then be crucified. And then wondering - mesmerized and mystified as Christ did not stay dead. Christ died for us, and because His Father loves Christ so much God saved us for Jesus precious sake. Good News! No, Great News! As the days progressively get longer now that spring has sprung, as we see God s world come fully back to life as the sun and rain shower down, let us never forget what Christ has done and the glorious life He has procured for us. ALLELUIA! 3

4 Pastor Will Storm Acceptance of Call It is with great joy that we can confirm that Will Storm has accepted the call to be MDLC s senior pastor. He will begin his service here on April 18, with his first Sunday leading worship being April 24. Since we saw Will and Erin in late February, he has been ordained in a wonderful service in Chicago and can now officially be called Pastor Will. Will and Erin have rented an apartment near Voss and San Felipe and are planning to move in early in April. Below is Pastor Will s letter to the congregation accepting our call to be our senior pastor. 4

5 MDLC FINANCIAL SECTION: MDLC Financial Position as of March 15, 2016 Actual Budget Total Revenue $82,167 $70,342 Total Expenses (51,924) (60,222) Profit/(Loss) $30,243 $10,120 Carol McBride Carol Neal Chad Ferguson Doug Pfluger Ed Locheed Eddie Mejia Helene Wiese Jill Kosinski Jimmy Singley Kelly Jones Laura Sparks Loretta Muilenburg Lorrella Cobb LuVerne Blanc Marilyn England Prayer List Marjorie Lemire Matthew Counsell Matthew Peschel Megan Wyatt Pamela Tamburello Pat Lynn Pat Pfluger Rollie Weium Royce Brown Sarah Day Tammy Russell Verleen Peden Steven Etheredge Happy Birthday April 5 Paige Pierce 6 Stuart Moen 7 Delores Howard 10 Sherry Hann 12 Kasey Hughes 13 Diann Phillips 14 Jerry Hillestad 21 Loretta Muilenburg 21 Ted Muilenburg 27 Luke Hughes 29 Linda Richter 30 Rollie Weium 5

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7 Worship Leaders Please volunteer: Worship Participants April 3 April 10 April 17 April 24 Assisting Minister Joyce Kennedy Hub Tett Karen Whitefield Gary Tamburello Acolyte Lector Jo Ann Peschel Joyce Kennedy Mike Riggs Kate Counsell Communion Server Angela Richter Doris Bosse Elaine Riggs Doris Bosse Ushers Stuart Moen Stuart Moen Stuart Moen Charles Blankenhorn Greeters Margaret and Mel Dosch Barbara Elrod Nedra Berger Nancy McMurray Altar Guild Joyce Kennedy Joyce Kennedy Elaine and Mike Riggs Suzanne Locheed and Martha Satterwhite Counter Linda Richter Linda Richter Linda Richter Linda Richter Flowers Altar Guild Karen and Ray Carter Stuart Moen Altar Guild 8

8 Director of Church Music Pamela Tamburello Dot Edmond, a long time member of Memorial Drive Lutheran Church, recently died. Her service will be at The Buckingham on May 28th at 2:00 p.m. 9

9 Rewards for MDLC! If you are a shopper and use Amazon on line, please go to AmazonSmile instead of just Amazon! If you do this, AmazonSmile will contribute a portion of your purchase to MDLC! Ron Richter has been pursuing various avenues where MDLC can be the benefactor to these wonderful opportunities this is another of those opportunities! The following link and Amazon will contribute a portion of your purchase to MDLC Please use this link and fill out the appropriate spaces to where MDLC will be the benefactor! Thanks for sharing your purchases with MDLC! 10

10 April 8-10, 2016: MDLC Women s Retreat The Women s Bible Study is busy planning this year s MDLC Women s Retreat. If you would enjoy a scenic countryside location and the opportunity to relax with our women of faith, do join us. This year s retreat will again be at the Zaozirny Ranch located 80 miles from church near Weimar/Schulenburg just off I-10 West. We begin with dinner and ice breakers on Friday evening and we conclude after worship on Sunday so you are home in the early afternoon. Car pool is always available. For more information, talk to Janet Zaozirny, Linda Richter or Loral Haus. A sign-up sheet will be in the Narthex in March. Come admire the view from the front porch swing! The Flower Chart is posted at the narthex. Sundays in April are available as well as Sundays for the rest of the year. Please sign-up for one or more Sundays. The cost is $50.00 per arrangement for either the altar or pedestal arrangement. And remember IT IS ALL ABOUT GOD!!! 11

11 Memorial Drive Lutheran Church Memorial Drive Houston, Texas The deadline for submission of information for the May Contact is April 12. Memorial Drive Lutheran Church Memorial Drive Houston, TX Nursery Open Sunday School Sunday Worship 8:45 a.m. 9:15 a.m. 10:30 a.m. Telephone: Web Site: Our Mission Statement: Memorial Drive Lutheran Church is committed to the teaching and study of the Gospel and to proclaiming Christ as our Savior as we reach out in service to all people with faith, hope, love and enthusiasm. STAFF Pastor Stephen Kelly, Interim Pastor Pamela Tamburello, Director of Church Music CHURCH COUNCIL President Mike Riggs Vice President... Karen Carter Secretary... Marshall Wegner Treasurer... Linda Richter Worship & Music Ministry... Joyce Kennedy Support Ministry... Gary Tamburello Learning Ministry... Karen Carter Service & Fellowship Ministry. Ruth Gerum Property Ministry... Stuart Moen Communications Ministry... Doris Bosse Outreach Ministry... Ron Richter A CONGREGATION OF THE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH IN AMERICA 12