Important Events in February

Transcription

1 Timely information for the members and friends of Concordia Church. not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Important Events in February Youth Ministry Update Men's Group Kick-off Event New Worship Site Expansion Update 'Tuesdays at 2:30' St. Pat's Hiatus Concordia Place Open House Concordia Lutheran Church Information Important Events in February Concordia Church would like to let you know about some key dates coming up. You can also visit our website and click on the calendar section to see all of the scheduled meetings and events. February 9th February 16th February 18th Launch Team Meeting at Whipple Campus, 7 pm "Big Faith Questions" Small Group Mtg. at Whipple Campus, 6:00 pm (3rd Floor Conference Room at 3300 N. Whipple Resource Center) Ash Wednesday at 3300 N. Whipple Annex Children's Craft, 5:30 pm Dinner, 6:00 pm Worship, 6:30 pm

2 February 23rd February 25th Launch Team Meeting at Whipple Campus, 7 pm Lenten Family Faith Night at 5:30 pm (3300 N. Whipple Annex) Adult Lenten Study at 6:00 pm (3300 N. Whipple, School Building, 3rd Fl. Cafe) February 26 th Council Meeting at Whipple Campus, 7 pm Youth Ministry Update Concordia s high school youth, Confirmation, and Sunday School students gathered on Sunday, January 25th, after worship to prepare care packages to send to Concordia s college students. We hope that these care packages which consist of chocolate chip cookies, brownies, and a note for each student brighten our college students days! Concordia s high school youth and Confirmation students will meet next on Sunday, Feb. 15 to prepare soup to serve to the homeless alongside The Night Ministry in Humboldt Park. Contact Pastor Adam if you d like to help out. Men's Group Kick-off Event Concordia Church is excited to announce the formation of a men's group designed to bring men of our church together for a time of fellowship and to strengthen and support one another's faith journey. The first event is a kick-off dinner on Saturday, March 7th that will be held at the 3300 N. Whipple Annex. To learn more, please contact Pastor Adam or Pastor Zook. New Worship Site Expansion Update The Launch Team is a group of Concordia Church members and friends who are committed to providing the leadership support needed to develop a new worshipping community at the Concordia Whipple campus. In January, the Launch Team met to plan outreach events for the coming months and to check in about team members one-on-one relationship building. In February, the Launch Team will meet twice for training by Intentional Impact consultant Brian Zehr, who will provide coaching and support to team members this year. If you re excited to bring Concordia Church to a new community and would like to help out, please consider joining the Launch Team we d love to have you! Pastor Adam sharing the Christmas Story at ChristCordia 2014, an outreach event hosted by the Launch Team.

3 'Tuesdays at 2:30' coming to an inbox near you! In an effort to create more efficient and quality communications with the members and friends of Concordia Church, we are working to simplify and standardize our electronic newsletter (e-letter) offerings. Every Tuesday at 2:30 pm, Concordia Church will send an e-letter that focuses on a particular topic or theme. 'Need to Know News' will include key dates and important snipets of information that helps keep our members and friends updated on all that Concordia Church is doing. In addition, we will have a monthly e-letter that targets a specific event or events, a reflection piece from one of our pastors, and a fun interview and profile of one of Concordia's own members that aims to help us all connect better to one other. As always, we appreciate your comments and feedback as we explore these new avenues of communication. Click here to let us know what you think! St. Pat's Hiatus The St. Pat's dinner and fundraiser for Concordia Church, typically scheduled for the weekend before St. Patrick's, will not take place this year. More details of a September fundraiser will be communicated later in the year. Concordia Place Open House Concordia Place is hosting two open houses in February for any families interested in daycare options. The Whipple campus will host its open house on Saturday, February 21st between 10 am and 12 pm. Families are invited to tour the school building and learn more about the childcare programs. There will be dinosaur-themed activities for children. Similarly, the Seeley campus will host an Open House on Saturday, February 28th between 10 am and 12 pm. Light snacks and refreshments will be provided. Please RSVP to Marie Smith at or her at maries@concordiaplace.org North Seeley Ave. Chicago, IL (O) (F) contact@concordia-chgo.org Sunday Worship Schedule 8:00 Spoken Worship 9:00 Choir Rehearsal 9:15 Confirmation 9:30 Sunday School

4 9:45 Adult Class 10:30 Festive Worship 11:30 Fellowship As Christ's presence in our community, we are called to love our neighbors. Concordia Church puts its faith into action through Concordia Place. forward to a friend Copyright 2015 Concordia Lutheran Church, All rights reserved. You are receiving this because you provided your address to us in person or online. Our mailing address is: Concordia Lutheran Church 3855 N. Seeley Ave. Chicago, IL Add us to your address book unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences

5 New Resolutions for Concordia January 4, 2015 Arise, shine; for your light has come and the Glory of the Lord has risen upon you. Isaiah 60:1 Welcome to the New Year and may blessings upon blessings fill your days with joy and peace. How wonderful to be present at the beginning of a new year, a new day...a new beginning. What have you done to greet the new year? To take advantage of a new beginning - the opportunity to start something new? What have you envisioned to embrace the future, the not yet - something completely different. Actually, I tried something new at the end of last year, anticipating the yet unmade resolutions of the new year...i committed to singing in the choir for Advent and Christmas. I haven t sung in a choir for many years and the experience brought home some things I had forgotten and taught me some things I didn t know about myself. The experience of worship from the choir side is very different than the other side of the chancel or in the congregation. The exhilaration and challenge of singing in unison and harmony with other voices, blending your voice with your parts, hearing the other parts soar off in different directions - melodies - and be marvelously joined together in the last measures...i forgot how delightful the experience and how appreciative I am for the talents members share with us. I also learned my voice does not have the range I thought it has and how difficult it can be for me to keep in tune and come in on time. I m grateful for the patience Lana and fellow choir members showed me. I must confess, I entered into the whole experience with some treptitude and uncertainty- can I really do this? The new is a bit frightening, filled, as it is, with the unknown. Trying something new means change: changing what you do, changing how you see yourself and how others see you. Change, even for something new and wonderful, is a journey into the unknown-- testing, challenging your abilities. There is comfort, great comfort, in the familiar, the status quo. That s the underlying thrust of the Christmas story- Part III- The visit of the Magi. Last week, Pastor Adam spoke about the dangerous baby of Jesus and how Simeon and Anna greeted the baby Jesus at the temple for circumcision on the 8th day, rejoicing in the Messiah and prophesying that this change would be the rise and fall of many in Jerusalem. God has brought about a new day, a new beginning, a change: wonderful gift, terrible gift, filled with promise. The news of the Magi frightened Herod and all Jerusalem with him. The response to change is like an automatic knee-jerk reaction-not in my neighborhood-not for me and for mine. Erect barriers to prevent change from happening, preserve the way things are, build barricades against the future. In this way, Herod is not that different than you and me. No one likes the unpredictable, the totally new thing. We all feel an impulse to first turn away, deny, hide the truth, and try to preserve the momentum and inertia of the way things are.

6 The difference for you and me is seeing past the fear and uncertainty to see God s hand in all that is coming and to join ourselves to God s future. For God, our God, is not behind us. Our God meets us ahead, guides us as surely as the star guided the Magi-- to a new and promised future. Christ meets us on the road ahead and calls us to follow him. That dangerous baby is our Messiah, our Savior and Lord. Arise, Shine: Your light has come. Last week, I spoke with another pastor who told me You ve had quite an exciting year. What do you mean? I asked. Well look at all the things that have happened this year- and he ticked off a list: New Associate Pastor New full time Parish Administrator New leadership positions and staff at Concordia Place Expansion plans for a new worshipping community for Concordia Church Vision 2020 plans for Concordia Place It s been a banner year of change, you must be pleased. I guess when you put it that way; there have been a lot of activities and developments. I replied, But I don t think of it as a year of change, not a year of new ministries. It s more like a year of preparation for change. Now we re ready to do new ministries, to expand and grow. I m excited about what the new year will bring. Our parish administrator, Jen, tells me quite a number of new commitments were made in our Stewardship program for this new year: commitments to new ministries and members making commitments for things they have not done before. That excites me, for if we will embrace the future of our church, we will need to do new things, take up new challenges, and meet the days ahead with openness and commitment. If you are one of those who committed to something new at Concordia this year, as I hope you are - thank you. I know it can daunting and a bit scary to commit your time and give of your ability in a totally new way not certain how it will all turn out. If you haven t stepped up for Concordia s future yet, well, there is still opportunity, need and welcome. Also, know if you haven t, you will no doubt be approached. For change at Concordia has come. It s come for our outreach ministries at Concordia Place, for our church community at Concordia Church, for our neighborhoods and for our neighbors. Christ calls us to do more and be more than we have been. We have been blessed with talents, enriched with resources, and filled with vision. Of this moment in our life together, the prophet Isaiah has truly foretold, Arise, Shine; your light has come and the Glory of the Lord has risen upon you.

7 You re invited for an uplifting Lenten journey... Ash Wednesday, February 18 (3300 N. Whipple, Annex*) 5:30 PM Children s crafts 6:00 PM Dinner (free-will offering) 6:30 PM Worship Service Lent Family Wednesdays, February 25, March 11 & 25 5:30 PM Family Faith Night (3300 N. Whipple, Annex*) Families are invited to participate in children s crafts and family-focused worship 6:00 PM Adult Lenten Study & Soup Supper Understanding Jesus (Resource Center**) Explore perspectives on Jesus in our culture and the role of faith/discipleship today Holy Thursday, April 2 (3300 N. Whipple, Annex*) 5:30 PM Children s crafts 6:00 PM Dinner (free-will offering) & Worship Holy Week Services at 3855 N. Seeley Good Friday, April 3 at 7:00 PM Easter Sunday, April 5 8:30 AM Breakfast (free-will offering) 10:30 AM Worship The *Whipple Annex is located next to the playground at 3300 N. Whipple. Follow the signs. The **Resource Center is the red brick building on the corner of Whipple and School streets. The entrance is on School Street at 3300 N. Whipple. The conference room is on the 3rd floor. Questions? Contact us via phone at or via contact@concordia-chgo.org You can also visit us at