Olive Leaves February 2016

Transcription

1 Olive Leaves February 2016 From Pastor Sizemore Page 1 Pastor Wilson s Blurb Page 2 Classes for Everyone Page 2 Thoughts, Prayer, Calls, Cards Mt. Olive Lutheran Preschool Board of Elders Stephen Ministry Page 4 LWML The Olive Branch Page 4 Pastoral Acts Page 5 Board of Stewardship Page 5 Board of Social Ministry Page 6 Table of Contents The Altar Guild Page 6 Board of Public Relations Page 7 Board of Christian Education Page 7 National Youth Gathering Page 8 Children s Sunday School Page 8 Midweek Lenten Sermon Series Sounds of the Passion Pastor Paul C. Sizemore It s been a long-standing tradition in the Lutheran Church to offer parishioners additional midweek worship services during the forty days of the Lenten Season. This commitment is made to help us all become better prepared to celebrate the good news of our Savior s empty tomb more genuinely and more joyfully! Lent begins this year on Ash Wednesday, February 10 th, and concludes officially on Good Friday, March 26 th. The six Sundays during this time period are not actually counted as among these 40 days since every Sunday is supposed to be a little Easter! Sundays are always meant to be a celebration of our Lord s glorious resurrection. This year Pastor Wilson and I are working up a sermon series for the Wednesdays of Lent (12 Noon and 7 PM) entitled: Sounds of the Passion based on various Biblical texts. On Ash Wednesday we will recall that when Jesus was being interrogated by Caiaphas the high priest who said to him: I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God that Jesus answered him: Yes, it is as you say, Jesus replied. But I say to all of you: in the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven (Matthew 26:63-64). What a confession! Not only did Jesus claim to be the Son of God, but he also claimed to be equal to God the Father himself. All the power and majesty of God himself was also his. When Caiaphas heard this he became so angry that he could barely contain his rage. Grabbing a firm hold on his ornate robes, the symbol of his office, he tore them mightily! He was ripping cloth while tearing fiber from fiber! For centuries the ripping of clothing was a sign of mourning, repentance, and outrage among the Jewish people. Whenever the people of Israel were in great emotional pain, they ripped their clothes as a sign of mourning. Board of Evangelism Page 9 Announcements Page 9 Birthdays Anniversaries Special February Dates 1

2 Fortunately for us, however, when Jesus died on the cross, St. Matthew tells us about another extremely important piece of cloth that was ripped from top to bottom! This was the cloth that was hanging in the temple from floor to ceiling. It was that long, very heavy curtain separating the Holy Place, where the priests ministered, from the Most Holy Place where the LORD God dwelt. At the moment Jesus died, that curtain was torn or ripped in two, from top to bottom, emitting one long and loud continuous sound! Let me invite you to make a personal commitment now to be present to worship with us on Ash Wednesday. On the following Wednesdays of Lent, we will hear other sounds associated with our Lord s Passion. We will listen to some clinking coins (Matthew 26:14-16), crying tears (John 11:35-36), tramping feet (John 18:1-6), a crowing rooster (Luke 22:60-62) and a shouting mob (Matthew 27:15-25)! Pastor Wilson s Blurb Rev. Jeffrey J. Wilson Assistant Pastor MERRY NEW YEAR, my friends, one and all! We are in the midst of another year of Bible class, and I m honored to be continuing the legacy of Keith Degner, who has taught in the fellowship hall almost as long as it has existed! Thanks, Keith, for your dedication! We are currently finishing another amazing study of Revelation, and as we come to the end of chapter 18, our thoughts and prayers should be starting to dwell upon what our next study should be. I m excited, because there are many resources covering everything from topic-driven studies to book-driven discussions using our Lutheran Study Bibles. There are countless possibilities in between and I am encouraging each of you to either continue in your participation in or to consider joining our class. The Rev. Dr. Louis Brighton s CPH Commentary on Revelation has been our guide through this faith-building and not-so-mysterious-after-all journey that will eventually come to its completion. Bring your Bibles, your notes, your laptops or tablets, and especially your voices, questions, and ideas as we continue our studies and discussions of the most important components in building our faith: God s Word and prayer! All God s Blessings to you! Join us for a Sunday Morning Bible Class! February Sunday School & Bible Classes 9:15 AM Infants age 2 Nursery Flora Weed Loving Care PK3 4 th Grade Upstairs Classrooms Anne Wilson (PK3- K4), Megan Gotz (K4- K5), Connie Cook (1 st - Jesus Teaches about God s Kingdom 2 nd ), Lisa Sizemore (3 rd - 4 th ) 5 th Grade & Older (Not Yet Confirmed) Wagner House Lay Minister Bill Boykin (Parents attend, too.) 2- Year Study of Luther s Small Catechism Middle & High Schoolers Wagner House David Buck (Middle) Mike Knowles (High) Jesus Teaches about God s Kingdom & NYG Bible Study Adults Fellowship Hall Pastor Wilson The Book of Revelation Adults Downstairs Classroom Sandy Osborne The Book of Luke New Members Class Downstairs Classroom Pastor Sizemore (thru 2/21/16) Christian/Lutheran Doctrine Downstairs Classrooms are accessible by stairs and elevator. 2

3 Thoughts, Prayers, Calls, & Cards A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. John 13:34-35 ESV Continue to remember Mt. Olive s faithful members who are unable to join us for worship in your prayers, by sending cards, by phone calls, and with visits. You might also include others who are on the weekly prayer page in the bulletin. Contact information is in the church directory. Marilyn B Virginia G Mary G Teresa H Caecilia J Bonnie J Ruth K Elsie L Pastor Paul L Anita M Gladys M Lucile M Grace M Robert R Preschool News Krista Bernthal, Preschool Director, Hopefully you are already signed up to attend Mardi Gras Trivia Night! We are looking forward to a fun evening! If you offered to bring items for the bake sale or country store, please deliver them by Friday morning, February 5th. If you attend, you ll be able to pick up some sweets for your sweetie or some game day snacks for the Super Bowl. The New Year has brought us a few new students and we now have 36 students. This is our largest enrollment ever! We are proud that we have continued to grow as we head into our tenth year of operation. Our continued growth is due in large part to every one of you and your support of this ministry. Thank you so much for all that you do for us! Do you follow us on Facebook? If not, you should. By following us, you will get to see what is happening in the classrooms. Find us at Mt. Olive Lutheran Preschool. Board of Elders Pete Witt, Board of Elders Chairperson Next month, starting with Ash Wednesday on February 10th, we will be entering the most somber part of the church calendar, which is called Lent, which comes from an old English word for the season of spring. Lent lasts 40 days Sundays are not counted and ends on the Saturday before Easter. Since Easter is a moveable feast, Ash Wednesday moves along with it. Lent began in the early church as a time of fasting and repentance in preparation for Easter, and the length reminds us of the 40 days Jesus spent fasting and praying in the Wilderness (Luke 4:1) immediately after his baptism. The Board of Elders invites everyone to prepare for Easter by attending our Lenten services, where our Pastors will preach on the sounds of Lent, and by praying and reading the Scriptures. 3

4 Stephen Ministry Update Bill Boykin, Stephen Leader January 2016 marked Mt. Olive s 5-year anniversary of Stephen Ministry! We are so very blessed to have trained three classes of Stephen Ministers, for a total of 22. Our 16 active Stephen Ministers are: Ellen Richter, Shari Selke, Flora Weed, Nehemiah & Katie Bolton, Matt Williams, Charlie & Twila Sandt, Meghan Smith, Mike Knowles, Dave Osborn, Mike Prater, Nancy Thompson; and Stephen Leaders Dianne BouFawaz, and Bill & Aresa Boykin. Our program celebrated another milestone when Jerry Garlington, one of our Stephen Ministers who has since moved to NC, completed Stephen Ministry Leadership Training in Orlando for his new church, Hope Lutheran in Wake Forest! Congratulations! Please keep all of us in your daily prayers as we minister to those who are going through hard times, as we listen, share Christ s love, and pray with them. Pray for our Stephen Leaders as they prepare for twice monthly continuing education. Pray for our supervision facilitators Ellen, Charlie, and Dianne. Pray for Jerry and the Stephen Ministry at Hope Lutheran. And most importantly, pray for those unnamed individuals who are receiving weekly care from our Stephen Ministers. If you would like more information about Stephen Ministry or are in need of your very own Stephen Minister, please contact Bill, Aresa, or Dianne. STEPHEN MINISTRY IS CHRIST CARING FOR PEOPLE THROUGH PEOPLE. LWML The Olive Branch Carole Mueller, President And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:8 The Olive Branch will meet on February 9 th and begin a new Bible study, The Challenge of Islam. Copies of the Bible study are located on the table in the narthex. The annual Joy Event will be held on Saturday, April 2nd, from 9:00 3:00 at Ascension Lutheran Church, East Morehead St., Charlotte, NC. Registration begins at 8:00. Cost is $25.00 per person and the registration and payment are due before February 26 th. If you are interested in attending, you will find information and a sign up sheet posted on the LWML bulletin board. If there is enough interest, we will coordinate traveling arrangements. The Southern Zone Spring Rally is scheduled for April 23rd. Furt he r details will be posted and announced as the time nears. Be a missionary with your mite box! The first Sunday of each month is designated for LWML mite box collections. Please place your monetary contributions in the large LWML mite box located in the back of the Sanctuary. Individual mite boxes for home use are located on the table outside the workroom. Mites forwarded to the district for 2015 amounted to $ Thank you. LWML Olive Branch Meeting Tuesday, February 9th 10:00 AM Bible Study 11:00 AM Business Meeting 12:00 PM Lunch (Dessert and beverage provided.) 1:00 PM Crafts: Chrismons 2:00 PM Wrap- Up 4

5 Pastoral Acts Holy Matrimony Tim and Shanna Stuck December 4, 2015 Holy Baptism Sebastian F December 5, 2015 Grady C December 13, 2015 Gerhardt S December 23, 2015 Telsa K January 9, 2016 Funeral Service Melvin Earl Bouknight October 7, January 7, 2016 Laid to Rest January 10, 2016 Board of Stewardship: God Blesses Faithful Givers David Buck, Chairperson A missionary was sitting in a small corner restaurant reading a letter delivered from home. As she opened the letter, a crisp, new twenty-dollar bill caught her attention. Needless to say, she was pleasantly surprised, but, as she read the letter, her eyes were distracted by the movement of a raggedly dressed man on the sidewalk leaning against a light post in front of the building. She couldn t get his peculiar condition and stature off her mind. Thinking that he might have greater financial need than she, she slipped the bill into an envelope on which she quickly penned persevere. Leaving the restaurant, she nonchalantly dropped the envelope at the stranger s feet. Turning slowly, he picked it up, read it, watched the woman walk away, and smiled as he tipped his hat and went his way. The next day walking down the street, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She found the same shabbily dressed man smiling as he handed her a roll of bills. When she asked what they were for, he replied: That s the money you won, lady. Persevere paid five to one. There is a serious moral to this story: It is impossible to give unselfishly of ourselves without being blessed in return. In Proverbs 3:10, we are told that, when we give God our first and best, our barns will be filled with plenty. Proverbs 22:9 tells us, A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor. Jesus tells us that as we give it will be given back to us (Luke 6:38). God promises us through His Word that He will bless those who give faithfully. The blessings that we can be certain of are spiritual blessings and, for some, financial blessings as well. Giving is a blessing for both the giver and the recipient. The recipients of our gifts are blessed in receiving our gifts, and we are blessed in giving them. Stewardship Minute from Steward Builder February