What if a simple invitation could change the life of your friend this month? Ranier, The Unchurched Next Door

Transcription

1 March Pioneer Drive, Woodbury, MN Sunday Service: 9:00 & 10:30 am Nursery care available Communion is the first Sunday of each month WCC Staff: Brian Schulenburg, Senior Pastor Darrin Geier, Youth Pastor Jessi Ramsdell, Worship Director Liz Nelson, Children s Ministry Dir. enelson@woodburycommunitychurch.com Linda O Keefe, Office Manager lokeefe@woodburycommunitychurch.com In This Issue Easter Week Info 2 WCC Info 3 Minnesota Food Share 4 Nursery Ministry 5 Kidz News 6 Student Life Ministry 7 March Calendar 8 Follow us on facebook.com/ WoodburyCommunityChurch twitter.com/ woodburycchurch Dear WCC Family, What if a simple invitation could change the life of your friend this month? Did you know that research shows that: "Eighty-two percent of the unchurched are at least somewhat likely to attend church if invited." Dr. Thom Ranier, The Unchurched Next Door "Only two percent of church members invite an unchurched person to church. Ninety-eighty percent of church-goers never extend an invitation in a given year." Dr. Thom Ranier, The Unchurched Next Door 63 percent of Americans are willing to receive information about a local church from a family member, and 56 percent are willing to receive it from friend or neighbor. Philip Nation, LifeWay Research A majority (66 percent) of Americans are unwilling to receive information through an message, and 70 percent say would be ineffective in getting them to visit. - Philip Nation, LifeWay Research Americans wanting to find out more about God look to the Bible first (33 percent) but are willing to engage Christian friends and family members as well to discover more about God. Philip Nation, LifeWay Research 7 out of 10 unchurched people have never been invited to church in their whole lives.- Dr. Thom Ranier, The Unchurched Next Door Study after study also shows that people are most receptive to the Gospel during times of crisis, times of transition, and during the Easter or Christmas seasons. Will you be a 2 percenter in the month of March? Will you be one of the 2 percent of American Christians who will invite someone to church with you? Our world is searching for answers. The rise or foreign and domestic terrorism, the blurring of moral absolutes, and general fear and anxiety about the future give us an opportunity to speak truth into that world. In the month ahead we have some great opportunities for you to reach out with an invitation. As Easter nears, we will celebrate Palm Sunday on March 29 with a look at God s love for sinners. That week s sermon will focus on the calling of Matthew as a disciple. It was at Matthew s house that Jesus was accused of hanging out with the wrong type of people. He revealed to the religious leaders that He had come for sinners. Then, on Thursday, April 2nd, we ll celebrate Maundy Thursday with a Passover Seder dinner. JJ and Stephanie Wessman will lead us in this Continued on page 2

2 Woodbury Community Church Page 2 Continued from page 1 very special dinner, which is a family event where we ll see how the Passover points us towards the Messiah. On Easter Sunday we ll ask the question, Who is Jesus? taking a look at the need that everyone has for Christ. For four weeks following Easter we are going to try something new. It s a pilot for a Thursday night service that if it goes well, we will start up again in the fall. We re still working on a name for the service, but it is geared at reaching those who can t make it to church on Sundays, and those who might be skeptical of the Christian faith. The service will look a little different than our Sunday service, but includes the same sermon. The sermon will be presented in more of a dialogical approach. There will be a time for Q & A and an extended time of prayer. The music will often times be led by one person with a guitar or keyboard. Please be in prayer for this service, which we hope will help build a bridge to a generation of people who are increasingly walking away from church. The service will begin at 7 PM. Because of the late start we don t plan on having a nursery or childcare. We d love to have you join us April 9, 16, 23, or 30 for this special time as we look at Luke 6! I am praying you as you seek to honor God with your lives! May the Lord bless you this Easter season. In Christ, Pastor Brian Seder Dinner Maundy Thursday April 2nd ~ 6:00 pm $10/person ~ Sign up in the lobby or call the church office Honor/Remember a loved one this Easter by ordering an Easter Lily to decorate our Sanctuary. Order cards are available in the lobby. Please fill out the card and return it to the church office by Sunday, March 29th along with a check made out to WCC (write Easter Lily in the memo line). You are welcome to take your Easter Lily home following the Easter Service.

3 Woodbury Community Church Page 3 Sign Up to Serve the Elderly in March Join us for a wonderful opportunity to serve the elderly at Oak Ridge Assisting Living Center in Hastings. You can play bingo on Monday, March 2nd and you can help with an art class on Tuesday, March 31st. Both events start at 2:00 pm. Sign up sheets are on the Share Because You Care bulletin board in the church hallway or you can contact Pam Faessler at If you are interested in having your child dedicated to the Lord, please contact Pastor Brian or Linda in the church office at Starting your Spring Cleaning? As you start your spring cleaning and decluttering, please consider donating your unwanted items to the WCC Garage Sale. Proceeds will help offset the cost of our VBS program. Clothing, Shoes, Household Items, Furniture, Books, Music and toys will be accepted. Liz Nelson must approve all large appliances & electronic devices before they will be accepted for the garage sale. Join us for deeper look at the teachings of Jesus from Luke 6. For the four Thursdays after Easter from 7-9 pm, we will spend time in simple worship, extended prayer, and a longer look into the Word of God. April 9: Breaking the Rules With Jesus April 16: 12 Ordinary Men April 23: Blessings and Curses from the Greatest Sermon Ever Preached April 30: Loving Your Enemies Donations can be dropped off in the WCC multi-purpose room May 3rd- 5th.

4 Woodbury Community Church Page 4 Hungry in our Midst? That s the number of people who were supported by Woodbury s Christian Cupboard Emergency Food Shelf just in 2014 and 8,300 of those were children. Last year, 12% more households for a total of 6,000 just in Woodbury, Oakdale, Landfall and South Maplewood were served by Christian Cupboard as compared to That s more than 600 additional households where kids are hungry, and adults don t know where their next meal might come from. every donation of food and cash given to Christian Cupboard during March is proportionally matched by the Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches throughout the month. As part of that effort, we will be collecting food and personal care items throughout the month, and also encourage you to use the donation envelopes in the sanctuary seatbacks for cash donations. While food donations are always appreciated, every dollar donated can be used to purchase up to 10 times that amount in food and during the month of March, that dollar will go even further with the proportional match. Three Meals, Three Sundays Why not challenge yourself, or your family, to feed a family for a day by bringing in a meal each of three Sundays in March? Following are some of Christian Cupboard s suggestions for breakfast, lunch and dinner BREAKFAST: Shelf-stable fruit juice, hot or dry cereal, dry powdered or canned milk, biscuit mix, oil, coffee, tea, baby food or formula. LUNCH: Hearty soup/chili/stew, saltine crackers, canned meat (tuna, chicken, salmon, sardines), peanut butter, canned fruits (in juice). In fact, 1 in 10 Minnesotans (more than 500,000) experience food insecurity on a regular basis. Every year, we have a chance to double our donations to meet these needs during Minnesota FoodShare Month in March. While WCC always has a collection bin for Christian Cupboard in the lobby as part of Compassion Ministries, Last year, Christian Cupboard provided people in need with 490,000 pounds of food and personal care items enough to fill 3.5 miles worth of shopping carts. Through church and community gardens, 10,000 pounds of fresh produce were donated. This year, let s make that collection even stronger. What can you do to support the hungry in your midst? DINNER: Canned or boxed main dishes, rice, pasta, pasta sauce, canned or dried beans, canned or boxed vegetables (low sodium). WCC also helps Christian Cupboard throughout the year. Last fall, our youth group helped pack food for Christian Cupboard s annual Thanksgiving meals.

5 Woodbury Community Church Page 5 He took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them. Mark 10:16 Meet the Nursery Team Nursery Coordinator: Joan Haugen Nursery Assistant: Liz Nygren Adult Caregivers: Brianna Alverson Julie Alverson Alisa Bell Terri Beran Jennie Hargis Brandy Kane Sally Mattison Brenda Minette Ione Pearson-Flugel Rocio Ramos Barb Ramsdell Melissa Tapperson Sharon Tocko Youth Caregivers: Grace Bennett Cecelia Carlson Jackie Carlson Spencer Haugen Thomas Haugen Gillian Haveman Zach Schulenburg Bela Tapperson Substitutes: Ellen Bennett Kari Bennett Tasha Hanson Layne Hieb Makenna Saeger Wanda Spagnola God s Faithfulness in the Nursery God has been so faithful to guide the vision and growth of our nursery in the past few years. His direction has been clear and his provision has been abundant. We are so thankful for the many wonderful Nursery Team Members who invest their time and energy in this ministry, caring for the youngest in our church family with knowledge, dependability, and love. I am confident that, through their joyful service, many children and families will be blessed. Please prayerfully consider if God might be calling YOU to this ministry. Though we have a strong team, we are still in need of, at least, three adult volunteers to keep a well-balanced schedule for our team members as we strive to meet the needs of the children in our care. You can indicate your interest in Nursery by making note of it in the bulletin s Communication Card or by contacting Joan Haugen via phone ( ) or (jjhaugen@att.net). We would love to welcome you to the team and introduce you to the sweet little ones we care for! Building A Strong Team Because a healthy nursery ministry is made possible with a strong team of well-trained caregivers, 16 of our dedicated Nursery Team Members recently attended our annual February Team Building Event. In so doing, they strengthened their knowledge of nursery policies/ procedures, learned more about infant development and how to provide them with the best care, and got to know their team mates a little better. FEBRUARY TBE Hi-LIGHTS Scavenger Hunt: The team participated in a scavenger hunt, interacting more deeply with the nursery environment to discover the significance of some of the policies/procedures and how to implement them effectively for the good of the children. Learning Topic: Liz Nygren shared from her Early Childhood Family Education experience about the development of infants and what we, as caregivers, can do to encourage positive experiences that enhance their best development. God has designed babies so beautifully to interact with their world and learn. What a privilege it is to be a part of that! Prayer: The Nursery Team Members had the opportunity to pray for the ministry, fellow team members and the children and families we serve. They were encouraged to pray regularly for Nursery Ministry, for seeking God s guidance and provision is the source of any fruit that comes through our service.

6 Woodbury Community Church Page 6 Memory Verse of the Month Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Mark your Calendars Wednesday nights 6:30-7:30pm Zone 4:12 May 7-9 Garage Sale June VBS Psalm 139:23-24 Prayer requests: For Zone 4:12 to grow & be an outreach to the community Health for our families For our hurting friends and family To a great bunch of teachers and volunteers: We sure are lucky to have you in our lives!

7 Woodbury Community Church Page 7 Monthly Newsletter March 2015 LISTEN, LEARN, SERVE StudentLife Summer Mission Trip - CHICAGO - JULY 26-AUG 1, 2015 APPLY NOW FOR THE CHICAGO MISSION TRIP The application and information for our summer mission trip to Chicago is now available. Application and deposit deadline is Monday, March 16. You can pick up an application/info packet from the student bulletin board at church or online. Visit woodburycommunitychurch.com/students, then click on News and Events. SPRING CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS CANCELED: Urban Mission Weekend Due to changes at Urban Ventures TO BE ANNOUNCED: New Spring Events! MAY 16: Paintball Outing SMALL GROUP NIGHTS (1st and 3rd Wed s): MAR 4 & 18, APR 1 & 15, MAY 6 & 20

8 Woodbury Community Church Page 8 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 9:00 Service*, ABF, 10:30 Service*, ABF, 11:30 Gotcha Shower 2:00 Bingo at Oak Ridge :30 School of Disc. 9:00 Men s Bible Study Perkins, Wdby. 9:30 Women s Bible Study 6 7 7:00 Men s Bible Study at WCC 9:00 Soccer Shots 7:00 Youth ROCK 6:30 Girl Scouts :30 Women s Small WCC 6:30 Zone 4:12 6:30 Youth Small Gps. 6:30 Addictions Min. 9:00 Service, ABF, 10:30 Service, ABF, 8 10:30 NorthstarPastors :15 Moms in Prayer 12 9:00 Men s Bible Study Perkins, Wdby. 9:30 Women s Bible Study 13 8:30 HomeSchool Grp. 14 7:00 Men s Bible Study at WCC 7:00 Youth ROCK 6:30 Zone 4:12 6:00 Board of Elders 6:30 Addictions Min. 15 9:00 Service, ABF, 10:30 Service, ABF, :15 Moms in Prayer 19 5:30 School of Disc. 9:00 Men s Bible Study Perkins, Wdby. 9:30 Women s Bible Study :00 Men s Bible Study at WCC 7:00 Youth ROCK 6:30 Girl Scouts :30 Women s Small WCC 6:30 Zone 4:12 6:30 Youth Small Gps. 6:30 Addictions Min. 22 9:00 Service, ABF, 10:30 Service, ABF, :15 Moms in Prayer 10:00 Moms Club So. 26 9:00 Men s Bible Study Perkins, Wdby. 9:30 Women s Bible Study 27 8:30 HomeSchool Grp. 28 7:00 Men s Bible Study at WCC 7:00 Youth ROCK 6:30 Zone 4:12 6:30 Addictions Min. Palm Sunday 29 9:00 Service, ABF, 10:30 Service, ABF, :00 Painting at Oak Ridge * Communion