Community Church News March 2018

Transcription

1 The Community Church P.O. Box 14 Boulder Junction, WI Phone Non Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 2 Community Church News March 2018 Keep fervent in your Love for one another, because love Covers a multitude of sins. I Peter 4:8 Come Worship With Us Community Church of Boulder Jct Main St P O Box 14 Boulder Jct WI Telephone: commchbj@centurytel.net Website: Service: Sundays at 9:30am Church Staff Organist Helen Townsend Telephone: Choir Director Glen Wildenberg choirdirector@commchbj.org Treasurer Bruce Greenhill treasurer@commchbj.org Council Chair Lorine Walters Telephone: Christian Ed Coordinator: Jamie Zogata Youth Director: Adam Zogata Telephone: Custodian Cindy Wildenberg Telephone Grounds Raphael Moraczewski Telephone Office Manager Mary Anderson office Tues 9 a.m. 1 p.m. Wed 9 a.m. 1 p.m. Thu 9 a.m. 1 p.m. Fri 9 a.m. 1 p.m. Pastor James McKenzie office by Appointment Tues 9 a.m. 1 p.m. Wed 9 a.m. 1 p.m. Fri 9 a.m. 11 a.m.

2 PASTOR S PAGE I just arrived home from church, and I m still buzzing. You don t suppose it has anything to do with the fact that Coffee Hour had some very appetizing treats and that I had two (and a half) pieces, do you? Nah well, OK, maybe just a little. But what I really think is that my excitement has more to do with the spirit of our church than any overload of sugar. You see, I m loving who we are and how we go about doing it, being it, and realizing where it all comes from. We have a genuine love and respect for one another, a clear vision of what we are called to do, and a tremendous sense of joy in being the church together. We understand the radical paradox that we gain by giving, are served by serving, and loved by loving. Who wouldn t want to be a part of that exciting miracle? Ash Wednesday is now in the rearview mirror and we re well on our journey to Holy Week. As is usually the case, Ash Wednesday is my favorite service of the year. It s hard to be pretentious when staring your own mortality square in the puss. Ash Wednesday begins the 40-day season of Lent (if you don t count the Sundays, which we don t, because Sundays are considered days of resurrection ). It is a profound time of serious contemplation, selfreflection, and study. It has as its focus the sacrifice of Christ on our behalf and the invitation to share in his sufferings. It s a way of remembering the cost and how much love was required to overcome evil. But nowhere is it written that we can t smile during Lent and consider the amazing amount of love it took to give us life. Sometimes we think of Lent as a dark and dreary time of ashes, remorse, and repentance. It is colored with heavy shades of black and gray, and the musical tones of solemn dirges. There s usually not much joy in Churchville during Lent. But that s where we may be mistaken. The things we choose to give up for Lent may well lead to healthier lifestyles. The self-reflection and subsequent decisions to change certain attitudes and behaviors may leave us less burdened. And an increased awareness of our own mortality may free us to engage in patterns more meaningful for the days with which we are blessed. But joy is knowing to whom we belong even when life around us swirls. In a nutshell, Lent is a time to grow and become an even better version of the people God created us to be. And after all, who wouldn t be excited about that? So, go ahead, and be gloomy if you want--but not me. I ll be the one buzzing about the goodness of God s opportunities to give and grow, and celebrating the fact that I get to do it all with you. Smiling all the way through Lent, Pastor Jim

3 March 2018 Birthdays & Anniversaries 2 nd Brian Derber 4 th Lee Ann Ondracek Sue Patterson 5 th Cindy Hawkinson John Iltis Sharon Perry Robert Poisson Carli Boston Denton 6 th Becky Prigge 7 th Tim Sanderson 9 th Jimmy Dean VanRossum 11 th DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME 12 th Mary Congdon 13 th Deb & Steve Halverson 15 th Rebekah Loew 16 th Dave Sullivan March 4 th March 11 th March 18 th March 25 th The Loew Family Matt, Leah, Rebekah, Hannah, Jacob Jean Knox Gina Pounds Glen and Cindy Wildenberg Harold and Joanne Eick Pat and Sue Patterson Mindy and Sarah Poisson Kathy McMyler Mary Congdon 17 th 18 th Mike J. Duwe 20 th Anita Pierce 21 st Chris Calder 22 nd Richard Calder 23 rd Paul & Karen Newberg 25 th Kristin Hawkinson 26 th Charles Knox 29 th Chris Wolter Jay Kassien 30 th Matt & Leah Loew Rachel Koester March 4 th March 11 th March 18 th March 25 th Sue Patterson Carol Rowe-Zaeske Louella Doss Ellie Orbison

4 From the Church Office... IN MEMORY Harvey Tallroth passed away January 20, 2018 Services were held here on February 12. Peace to his memory. COMMUNION The Sacrament of Holy Communion will be observed at the worship service March 4, COUNCIL MEETING Church Council meets Tuesday, March 13, at 7 p.m. in the Conference Room. Prior to the Council meeting, CE Department meets at 5:45; Elder and Worship/Music Departments meet at 6 p.m. Watch the Sunday bulletin for announcements of when other departments or committees meet SIMPLE SUPPERS Christian Education Department started the Simple Suppers last year and they were a greatly enjoyed by all. Please read about the simple suppers in the Christian Education section of the newsletter and plan to attend the supper and the service following. MAUNDY THURSDAY Service on Maundy Thursday (March 29) will be at 7 p.m. There will be no Good Friday service, however the sanctuary will be available all day for prayer. EASTER SUNDAY Easter Sunday schedule on April 1, will be the same as last year: Sunrise service at Boulder Lake Boat Landing 6:30 a.m. Easter Breakfast in Fellowship Hall 7:30 a.m. Easter Worship Service 9:00 a.m. TREASURER S REPORT Income Expense January $ 9, $ 28, Fiscal Year to Date $188, $131, CHURCH DIRECTORY After many weeks, the church directories are now being bound and should be ready for distribution by the last Sunday in February. For all of you enjoying the sun and warm temperatures, your directory (along with all of us snow bunnies!) will be eagerly awaiting your return to the Northwoods. FOOD PANTRY March is the month when Community Church is asked to donate some items for the Community Food Pantry. Our theme this month is "Safety First". Items include disinfectant hand wipes, band aids, antibacterial ointment, alcohol wipes, itch relief, smoke alarms and batteries. Please put the items you are donating into the box in the coat room near the rear entrance. Thanks for your donations! THANK YOU A huge Thank You for all the warm thoughts, prayers, cards and hugs shared with my family during this difficult time. Your love, concern and boundless kindnesses were so very much appreciated! Feeling blessed, the family of Harvey Tallroth BOOK CLUB The book club has a new time for meeting. Next meeting is March 4:30 p.m. They will be discussing "Clementine" by Sonia Purtell. This is a biography of Mrs. Winston Churchill. If you enjoy reading, come and join the discussion. CCBJ HISTORY We are working on putting together presentable albums of the church s history. Look through your pictures and see if you have any interesting ones of church functions that would be good to include. We would especially like confirmation class photos. Any pictures could be copied and returned. We d appreciate your help. Any questions see Ron or Skippy Winter.

5 Notes from Worship & Music Ushers/Greeters - This is the time of year that it becomes difficult to fill the Usher/Greeter schedule. If you re willing to serve as an usher, but have not volunteered in the past, please contact Glen Wildenberg and I will pair you with other trained volunteers. Ushers and Greeters play a very important role in our worship services. I look forward to your phone call to volunteer for this very important task. Flower Chart - The W&M Department was made aware that our members have not been volunteering to donate flowers for our worship services. One of our members promptly shared a possible solution that was utilized in a congregation that she had attended. The solution was to establish a flower fund through donations and/or adding a line item to our budget for flowers. We would then contract with a florist to provide flowers for the sanctuary on a weekly basis. Members who wish to commemorate a special occasion with flowers may contact the florist to request a special arrangement. Those who wish to donate flowers would make their donation to the flower fund rather than paying the florist directly. The W&M Department would like your comments on this suggestion. We need to know how important flowers in the sanctuary are to you and if you think the flower fund is a good or bad idea for our congregation? Your feedback will be appreciated. Piano Tuning - You May have noticed that our piano s in the sanctuary have occasionally been out of tune. This is the result of lack of humidity in the sanctuary. Dryness or lack of humidity causes the felts on the hammers to shrink thereby not striking the strings accurately. We have 2 humidifiers in the sanctuary to resolve this issue. However, for the humidifiers to do their job effectively the doors to the sanctuary must remain closed. We are asking that everyone close the doors when entering and leaving the sanctuary. Glen Wildenberg Worship & Music Department

6 Christian Education / Youth Upcoming C.E. events Please watch bulletin for additional details 3/14 No Y.E.S. program for Spring Break 3/25 Kids special during Palm Sunday service 5/20 Confirmation Sunday 5/30 Y.E.S. concludes for this academic year 2018 Generations of Growth January PRAY February CONNECT March - SHARE Well friends how did your January and February efforts of PRAY-ing and CONNECT-ing go? Through prayer, were you able to increase your burden to help young children and families grow in Christ? Any success reaching out to someone new, especially young people? Did it rekindle the passion you have for generations to come? I d love to hear about it sometime soon! This brings me to the action focus for March SHARE-ing. Many parents, including my wife and I, have declared that Sharing is Caring! This usually was an attempt to encourage our boys to take turns with a toy or game, or perhaps not eat the last remnants in the candy dish or cake pan. Although as a man with a GIANT sweet tooth, it s really difficult to understand just how the last brownie is supposed to be sliced and diced into more pieces than one. The phrase Sharing is Caring is catchy because it rhymes. But in my opinion, the act of sharing or giving, truly does embody the authentic love of Jesus. I once heard a great message on how important it is to share or give our time, talent, and treasure. As you probably already know, there are extremely fundamental ways to apply this to our lives. But I d like to express a few thoughts about connecting generations through each element of sharing: TIME Is there ever enough in a day? Nope, there usually isn t. But, how do I spend it? Am I willing to get past my own agenda and schedule, and consider spending time with someone I might not otherwise? Will I take the time to call, write, or visit? Will I get out of my routine to spend valuable time with another person, family, or child? This actually takes minimal effort, but has tremendous value on building solid relationships. TALENTS What type of profession or career did/do you have? What types of hobbies, fun activities, or talents bring you great pleasure personally? I am amazed at the unique skills and talents that people possess. Do you realize how important it is to share them with younger generations? Children can become mindful and motivated by them when your passion shines through as you share, fostering growth in each one. Share your talents and skills, but also your beautiful life story. No doubt, you will change a child s life!

7 TREASURE I suppose it would be appropriate to talk about our finances here. But, you already know the importance of Kingdom giving. I want to talk about our greatest spiritual treasures and experiences in life. I believe every one of us have them! You can probably even recall the place and maybe the entire setting where it happened. Perhaps the Lord provided undeniable healing or provision, divine intervention, or direction. Maybe it was a sermon, song, or a word spoken to you by the pastor or a friend that changed your life forever! In fact, just last weekend Pastor Jim gave all of us a faith nugget during a message which hit me like a ton of bricks, and I will never forget. He said Perfection is not the goal Love is! Like you, I have been given so many more of these heavenly treasures. These God-given and faith building testimonies should be shared far and wide, especially to the younger generation! What are we waiting for? Psalm 145:4 (NLT) Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts; let them proclaim your power. My goal for this year was to share a new action every month in the CE portion of the newsletter, about how we can experience generational growth and connections in our church and community. But I must say, that if we routinely apply the first three actions given in January, February, and March, which are PRAY, CONNECT, and SHARE, we will discover more faith building experiences than this newsletter will ever be able to contain. I m hoping that s the outcome reading monthly examples about how this is being carried out by every one of YOU! Stay tuned Love and Abundant Blessings to each and every one of you!!! Laughter can be the best medicine