Details Inside! Randy & Sue Andresen 4170 S 61st St Omaha, NE ASH WEDNESDAY is March 6, 2019

Transcription

1 Christ the King Lutheran Church 7308 South 42 nd Street Bellevue, Nebraska RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED Randy & Sue Andresen 4170 S 61st St Omaha, NE Details Inside! Friday March 8, 2019 Friday March 15, :30pm 7:00pm ASH WEDNESDAY is March 6, 2019 Fish will Fry again this year and it s still better than them other guys!

2 Lutheran World Relief quilting has resumed. We will quilt on February 19, March 5 and March 19, 9-11:30am in the Fellowship Hall. No special skills are needed to tie quilts. Please join us in this worthwhile project. And enjoy coffee and fellowship too. Lutheran Women of Omaha will meet on February 12, at 12 noon at Luther Memorial Lutheran Church,,6099 Western Ave. Program is by Lutheran Family Services. LWO will meet March 12 at Saint Michael Lutheran Church, Blondo Street. The program is The Last of the Brethren. The cost is $7. Reservations are due to Mardelle the Sunday prior to the meeting. Women of the ELCA Winter is here with its snow and cold weather. Remember to share God s love with others, especially those people who are homebound. A simple phone call can make someone s day. Our Bible study group will meet on February 19, at 11:30 AM in the Fellowship Hall. We continue our Bible study in the Gospel of John. Gayle Carmine is the Bible study leader and Jeri Lindauer will be our hostess. Our March meeting will be on March 19, at 11:30 AM. Mardelle Gocek will lead the Bible study and Phyllis Carlson will be the hostess. Anyone is welcome to join us. Bring a sack lunch. Coffee and a dessert will be provided. Metro East Spring Gathering will be April 27 at Saint Timothy Lutheran Church in Omaha. Please plan to attend. Please continue to save UPCs from Our Family products and General mills Box Tops for Education. We are now collecting Family Fare receipts (these will go to support the Bellevue Public Library). A box for these items is located on the coat rack in the elevator room Church Council Council President Dave Wiegand Vice President Jedd Taylor (Stewardship) Council Secretary Laurel Wiegand Treasurer Nick Christy Members Val Johnson (Worship & Music) April Marx (Christian Education) Paul Dawkins (Property) Dick Lindauer (Finance) Judy Taylor (Congregational Life) Debbie Cline (Mission and Service) 2018 Committees & Boards Nominating Deb Marx Committee Jodi Keating Mission Endowment Gene Schneiderman Fund Board Leonard Schwalm Becky Dawkins Colin Palm Beth Christy

3 So then it s OK if I just show up every so often on Sunday morning? Sure if you view your time in church as an obligation, something you have to do; if it s just another box to check. But then we should probably talk because if you think your time in church in the places where God is doing his saving work is an obligation and not a privilege, something you drudgingly drag yourself to instead of something you look forward to, something is getting lost in the message. We don t need your help. That is sort of an odd thing to hear at a Church. After all at the Annual Meeting I mentioned that this year we would be planning the 60 th Anniversary worship celebration and I asked for people to consider what ways they could see themselves involved in planning and implementation of ideas, sprucing up, etc. We just finished the unit on the Lord s Prayer in Confirmation. Oddly enough, Martin Luther teaches that this is how the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) respond when we say thy kingdom come. He says, God s kingdom comes on its own, without our prayer So, the Kingdom of God will get along just fine without your help and mine. It doesn t need us to grow and thrive. It was getting along just fine in the years before we came into the world and it will get along just as well after we re gone. But while we are here, we have the privilege of participating in God s mission. We are invited into the work of seeking and saving the lost, of connecting people to Jesus. It is by participating in this relationship with God (faith) that we see God at work in the world he created, redeemed and is in the process of sanctifying. growing in FAITH LOVE & SERVICE To the God who loves us. What better use of time is there than watching God at work changing and saving lives? On Sunday morning, for sure. But also during the week at Bible studies, working together at Fish Frys, on Youth Trips, at breakfast, Confirmation, quilting, decorating the sanctuary, and even doing the heavy lifting of sacks of potatoes at a mobile food pantry. So you re saying the Church doesn t need my help, but I need the Church? Now that is something I have heard. But it s more of a semantic restructuring to get at the same outcome getting people to do stuff. The truth is this: You don t need the Church so much as you need Jesus. And while its not the only place he shows up, Jesus has a habit of revealing himself through what goes on at Church. More accurately, through the church. No, not a typo church the people not Church a place. Luther taught, God s kingdom comes on its own, without our prayer, but we ask that it may also come to us and through us. As God s kingdom comes to us, we also get to have the privilege of participating in what God is doing through his church to bring people to faith in Jesus. We don t need your help so much as we want you to participate in what God is doing through his church because we know you will be blessed your faith strengthened and your life changed. Grace and Peace

4 Birthdays and Anniversaries February Anniversaries 3 Danny & Muffy Bratsveen 6 Steve & Ann Kennon February 10, at 5pm OH... ITS ON! Come cheer on our culinary champions as they seek, with all the Lutheran grace and humility they can muster, to destroy the Methodists in this epic battle of savor and spice! They edged us out by a spoon last year. Let s reclaim the title! We tremble not, unmoved we stand; they cannot overpower us! First Friday Breakfast at Village Inn! February 1 and March 1 at 8am! February Birthdays 1 Jeri Lindauer 2 Abby Cool 2 Norm Grob 2 Reese Taylor 4 Harold Rice 7 Brook Pecka 8 Val Prismantes 11 Brandon Pecka 17 Lois Smith 18 Ashley Hansen 20 Jeff Heldt 21 Jeffrey McCulloch 28 Marge Butler March Anniversaries 1 Harold & Caroline Rice 22 Mike & Carol Galaska 24 Richard & Jeri Lindauer March Birthdays 1 Katheryn Rice 1 Daniel Rice 7 Sarah Marx 9 John Thompson 9 Elijah Christy 13 Evan Lockwood 17 Haleigh Welshonse 18 Val Johnson 19 Harriet Carlson 24 Debi Marx 25 Denise Vaag 27 Regan Taylor 30 Brett Robalik

5 Youth Emergency Services (YES) was founded in 1974 by a group of community volunteers who noticed homeless youth hanging around in Omaha's Old Market district. At first, YES was led strictly by volunteers -- they invited youth in crisis to stay in their homes. One morning, a volunteer woke to her kitchen cabinets being painted green, and the volunteers decided it was time to invest in a home, which became known as the YES house. February 22 and 23, :00 pm The Papillion La Vista Arts Network (PLAN) is producing The Princess Who Had No Name. The performances will be at Christ the King Lutheran Church February 22 and 23, 2019 at 7PM. Students in the play range in age from 1st grade through 9th grade and come from the local area. Performances are always fun and if you know of a youngster with some theatrical skills, this is a great organization. They even have a summer camp program. The Papillion LaVista Arts Network will be putting on this production at Christ the King. All proceeds from the production will benefit the Dorothea Bowers Kindergarten in Domasi, Malawi. The kindergarten prepares children for school by focusing on teaching reading. With only 34 percent of children reaching grade 5 this jump-start to education is vital to success. Tickets are $5.50 and can be reserved by calling The YES House (known today as the Emergency Shelter) has been serving youth in crisis for over 40 years. YES added it s Street Outreach Program in YES launched its Transitional Living Program and Maternity Home in YES offers services in Bellevue. Last summer, our Youth Trip to Sioux Falls sought to give those who went an opportunity to see the many problems that lead to homelessness. Homelessness is not so much a problem as it is often a consequence to many other problems. Rather than addressing homelessness as a problem, hope lies in addressing the underlying issues that lead to homelessness. Our mission and service ministry will be looking for ways for us to support the work that YES does both in Bellevue and in the greater Omaha area. There will be many ways to get involved. Possibilities range from collecting diapers for young and homeless mothers, cooking meals to be taken to the Emergency Shelter, sorting donations, and more. We are just at the early stages of working out what will be the most successful opportunities for our congregation, but please pray for the work that YES does and that we as a congregation will grow in faith as we seek to do the work of the kingdom.

6 Ash Wednesday is March 6! Wednesdays in Lent Worship at 7pm! Friday March 8, 2019 Friday March 15, :30pm 7:00pm Fish will Fry again this year and it s still better than them other guys! You asked for it and you got it! We will be having 2 fish frys this year March 8 and 15! We will be frying, serving and eating fish. Invite your friends and neighbors! Men s Breakfast February 9 and March 9 8:00am Men s Breakfast meets the second Saturday of every month at 8:00 a.m. where men of Christ the King unite in fellowship, dialogue and service to others. Come yourself and bring a friend! Soup Suppers Wednesdays at 6:00pm March 13 April 10 Sign up to bring a soup or bread if you would like to share or just come for a simple meal and fellowship. Electronic Giving Electronic Giving (Direct Debit) is the term used to describe automatic methods for making contributions on a regular basis without the need to write checks, carry cash, or prepare envelopes. Christ the King offers the ability to give electronically. If you have a billpaying feature on your checking account at your bank you can ask your bank to send your contribution in the same way they pay your bills. Or, if you don t, the church has a service that is simple, secure, and easy to set up. Just go to the church website and either create a profile for reoccurring contributions, or make them as you like without setting up a profile. For more information about Electronic Giving contact Dick Lindauer ( ).

7 Though the Scriptures do not mention Lent, it has a longstanding tradition in the Church. From the earliest times, it was customary for Christians in most places to fast (go without food or severely limit eating) before Easter. At first this was a 2-day fast (Friday and Saturday). As time passed, this fast was extended here and there to a week. Though we are not certain how it developed, by 350 A.D. the 40-day fast that we now have was already in vogue in most places. Today Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday Sundays are excluded to preserve the number 40. For Christians living in the Fourth Century, Lent was seen as a time of repentance and denial of self. All Christians were to examine their lives according to the Ten Commandments and other Christian ethical precepts and repent where necessary. They were to remember what it cost their Savior to save them. Martin Luther saw Lent as an opportunity for the strengthening of faith. Lent, Palm Sunday, and Holy Week shall be retained, not to force anyone to fast, but to preserve the Passion history and the Gospels appointed for that season. Luther is saying that Lent should be preserved, in part, because it reminded Christians of the Passion (Suffering and Death) of Jesus and encouraged them to meditate upon it. However, no one should be forced to participate. It should be voluntary. So we also retain Lent to this day, because we see it as an outward discipline that gives Christians a wonderful opportunity for spiritual renewal. Our observance of Lent combines many of the above features. But most profoundly, we come face to face with the Gospel of Jesus which forgives and removes that sin and gives us the power to live anew. Are you satisfied with your walk with Jesus? Or do you long for more: to know him better, to be more like him, to experience his love more profoundly? Then we urge you to willingly submit yourself to the discipline of Lent. There is nothing like it to bring you face to face with Jesus and his Gospel. There is nothing like it to find spiritual renewal. A 40 days Challenge Some people give up chocolate for Lent. Or meat. Or Facebook. This year, let me suggest an alternative. Commit to regular worship for Lent. Don't skip a Sunday. Not one. Attend every Wednesday midweek service. Re-up on Bible study it s at 9am every Sunday by the way. Lent is exactly the right amount of time to make a new practice "stick." It takes about seven weeks for a new habit to become habitual. You will benefit personally. You will take a journey of repentance and new life with Christ that is incomparable. If there is any season of the Christian calendar worth sacrifice of time and energy, it is Lent. Your church will also benefit. Congregational vitality is measured at least in part by the number of those present Sunday morning. Others need you. The church needs you. Show up. Of course, you can also give up chocolate or meat or Facebook if you'd like. Christian spirituality is very both/and, but commit to Lent. Lent is designed for renewal. The lessons on Sundays are selected to focus the spirituality of the community as it journeys with Christ towards Holy Week and Easter; temptation, mission, repentance, prodigal love, costly grace. If you worship regularly, twice a week, you will grow in your love of Jesus Christ. Guaranteed. But most of all, WORSHIP. We live in a modern secularizing era that fails to realize that the "useless" activity of worship is essential. Give it a try.

8 February and March 2019 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 2 1 8am Village Inn 10am Council 3 First Communion Endowment Com 10 Second Sunday Sync-up Chili Bowl 5pm 17 11:30am Council am Quilting am Quilting 11:30am WELCA :30pm PLAN Dress Rehearsal am Men s Breakfast 10am Confirmation pm PLAN PLAY 1 8am Village Inn 23 10am Confirmation 7pm PLAN PLAY 2 10am Exploring Lent 3 Second Sunday Sync-up 4 5 9am Quilting 6 Ash Wednesday 7pm Lenten Worship 7 Fish Fry Prep 8 Fish Fry 4:30 7pm 9 Fish Fry Cleanup 8am 8am Men s Breakfast 10am Confirmation 10 Congregational Care Breakfast 17 11:30am Council pm Soup Supper 7pm Lenten Worship 19 9am Quilting 11:30am WELCA 20 6pm Soup Supper 7pm Lenten Worship pm Soup Supper 7pm Lenten Worship 14 Fish Fry Prep Fish Fry 4:30 7pm 16 Fish Fry Cleanup 8am am Confirmation 31 Don and Millie s