Contents. Vision Statement Calvary Lutheran Church Verona, New Jersey

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1 APRIL 2016

2 Contents From the Pastor. pages 3-4 Upcoming Events.. pages 5-6 This March at Calvary. pages 7-9 The Beauty of Forgiveness. Page 10 Photo Journal.. pages Those Who Serve Us.. Birthdays/Anniversaries. pages page 25 Vision Statement Calvary Lutheran Church Verona, New Jersey As God blesses, guides, and empowers us, the vision of Calvary Lutheran Church is to glorify Him by being the hands and feet of Jesus to our neighbors, friends, families, and people in Verona and our surrounding communities. [Ephesians 5:1-2; Luke 19:10] As His feet, we will involve our membership in the on-going process of discipleship through activities and programs that will nurture spiritual growth. We will immerse ourselves in the culture around us, reach out to all people with His Gospel message, and invite them to worship, grow, and serve with us. As His hands, we will partner with families, young and old, individuals, and groups to touch the lives of the elderly and those in need both within and outside our church. [Matthew 25:37-30] To accomplish our vision, we will: Aspire to achieve worship excellence in both our traditional and contemporary services, taking care to meet specific needs of young families (e.g. children s messages, nursery care, etc.) Seek to enhance the Children s Ministry with programs that support Christian education, fellowship, and a desire to serve. Additionally, provide educational opportunities to help adults better understand various cultural groups and how best to engage the unchurched in meaningful conversations. Structure our Social Ministry programs to identify the needs of the community, taking special care to meet the specific concerns of the elderly

3 From the Pastor Well my friends, the marshmallow chicks have been devoured, the ears on all of the bunnies have been swallowed, and the last celebration is over (for at least a little while). This month, I d like to take a break from the norm to stop and say thank you for all of the help with this past Easter season. Sometimes in a church, the pastor is the only one who is recognized for what goes on. And part of that is understandable because the pastor is usually the only one who is out front and center. However, there are many other people who devote their time and talents to make my job that much easier. First and foremost I thank YHWH God, for without Him my words, my deeds, and my life would have no value. Next, I thank Ruth B., Anne D., Bob B. as well as all of the members of the choir and praise teams. The constant flow of gifts that you share week after week take an immense load off of my shoulders. In addition, you help to remind all of us who it is that we come to worship. All of the members of the altar guild who make sure God s altar is prepared for His worship week after week. Debbie H. and everyone who helped make our first Saturday Easter outreach event a huge success. We had over 50 kids as well as their families join us. Diane B. and everyone who helped with the Easter Breakfast. John R. for all of the things that he did and continues to do behind the scenes. For everyone who came out to help clean up God s campus here at Calvary. Joanne A. for another beautiful postcard

4 Robin G.H. for sharing her vision and artistic gifts by creating the tomb and floral decorations for the pews and altar this past Easter. Liz (my wife) for being amazing. Gloria M. and Anne D. for their eyes for detail in the office. And finally for everyone s continued prayers. As I finish this off, I realize that there may be people who I may not have mentioned by name or otherwise, however, I also realize that without the body of Christ coming together and working as the body of Christ much of this would not be possible. And at the end of the day that s what He has called us to do: to live as His children and to spread His word. And so I leave you with this thank you. Remember, wherever you go, whatever you do, you re on the King s business. Blessings, Pastor Kuder - 4 -

5 UPCOMING EVENTS A one night showing of the film This is Winter Jam will take place on Tuesday, April 19 at 7:00 pm at Showplace 14 in Secaucus. The ticket price is $ This is a filming of performances and backstage interviews from the largest annual Christian music tour. Winter Jam features rock, rap and contemporary music bands. A signup sheet will be posted on the bulletin board in the stairwell outside of the narthex. If there is enough interest, carpools will be arranged leaving the church at approximately 6:00 pm. Click here to watch the trailer As our Mission of the Month for April, we will be collecting new tubs of Play-Doh for children of the Valerie Fund Children's Centers- the largest network of healthcare facilities for children with cancer in New Jersey. The Valerie Fund is a not-for-profit organization established in 1976 in memory of nine-year-old Valerie Goldstein. Eight hospital-based programs are in the network including St. Barnabas in Livingston, Children's Hospital at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, and the Goryeb Center at Morristown Medical Center. When children come in for their cancer treatment, the toys need to be thoroughly cleaned due to the children's compromised immune systems. Since Play-Doh can't be cleaned, it is discarded after each use. Naturally, they go through a lot of Play-Doh. Please help us bring some smiles to sick children by donating toward this effort. A collection box will be in the narthex throughout the month of April

6 The Clothesline Project at Caldwell University Come view The Clothesline, a display of shirts with personal narratives and graphic messages designed by survivors of violence, their friends or families. You can see this display Monday through Friday April 4-8 at the Alumni Theatre Atrium. For additional information, contact Counseling Services at Caldwell University: Youth Group Rummage Sale Start setting aside your unused household items for this annual fundraiser. The rummage sale will be held in May. Desirable donations are clean / polished items including new, gently used, and collectible merchandise. The items may be brought to church any time during the months of April and early May. Please store items for the sale in the small classroom at the top of the stairs that lead to the basement (aka the Marge Cushmore Room). Save the date! Vacation Bible School this summer will take place from Monday through Friday August 1-5. Look for more information about volunteering and registration in the coming months! - 6 -

7 THIS MARCH AT CALVARY Sunday School News Welcome spring! The Sunday School teachers and students are happy to feel the first warm rays of the sun as winter fades away. Though small in number, the children are enthusiastic. They were excited to take part in the Palm Sunday worship service with their skit and song Hosanna! The lesson theme for the elementary school classes for this quarter is Jesus Teaches about God s Kingdom. Laura and Ruth Bolger are leading the lessons which are based on Jesus' ministry and teachings. Through the miracles that Jesus performed and parables that He shared, the children are learning that they are accepted and loved by their heavenly Father. The high school students, led by Bob Eucker, meet weekly to learn how the Bible relates to their lives. By attending class every week, these young adults are strengthening their faith and preparing for the future by growing closer to God. We are blessed each Sunday with faithful students and teachers! Children s Easter Celebration On Saturday, March 26, Calvary opened its doors to the community for an Easter outreach event. Planned by Debbie Houlihan and Diane Behlen, the event featured crafts, snacks, games, prizes, candy, a puppet show and a petting zoo! Over 53 children registered for this event and attended with their parents. The event even made the front page of last Thursday s Verona-Cedar Grove Times, with a large photo of our Easter llama. Through the activities, the children learned the Easter message and were overheard explaining it to their parents! Hallelujah! - 7 -

8 Midnight Runners Stories from the Midnight Run with Caldwell University Diane Behlen: On the night of March 3rd, a group of five of us from Calvary caravanned into NYC with Caldwell University students and staff. Our vehicles were filled with donated clothing to distribute to the homeless at three separate locations. We were welcomed at the first location by students and staff from Molloy College in Long Island and a large group of homeless men. We formed a circle and prayed! Molloy then served the hot soup, sandwiches and coffee which they brought while Caldwell/Calvary distributed the clothing. We were thanked and appreciated and truly blessed! The next two stops were equally meaningful. It was an event that we were happy to be a part of. Laura Bolger: I see the homeless every day on my way to work, but the Run was the first time that I was really able to talk with them. Meghan Moran, who has been on many runs in the past, told us to have topics ready for conversation material as the people lined up to receive food and clothing. It was tricky at first to know what to say, but I was surprised by how natural some of these interactions could be. One homeless man commented on how mild this winter had been. People don t realize how good it s been this year, he said to me. While it is true that many homeless people face struggles with addiction and mental illness, a man who works with the Midnight Run told us that the number one obstacle for many homeless people is their shame, which often prevents them from asking for help during hard times

9 The only way to fight this kind of shame is by reaching out with love. As Christians we are called to see all people as our neighbors and treat them as such. I hope that because of my experience with the Run, I can continue to improve in this area. Dylan Behlen: Our night began with packaging up the 12+ Tupperware containers with Caldwell students before setting out to NYC. We were given a rough explanation of what the night would be like but we would later found out that our feelings that night were beyond explanation. We made three stops in NYC, where we handed out clothing while students from Molloy College handed out food. Commuting and working in NYC, I see a lot of homeless and always want to do something to help, so the Midnight Run was perfect for me. We were able to connect with all the people there; both the homeless and the other volunteers. The homeless people that came were very grateful for everything that we had brought but I believe that some of them really just appreciated our time that we gave them to listen and talk with them. They are just like us that have made wrong choices or are going through a rough patch in their lives. They were not greedy or selfish with the clothing that we had. They mostly needed and looked for clothing that was durable and lightweight, even though it was still winter. I want Calvary to make this into a tradition! Caldwell University does it four times a year, so we can surely find time in our schedules to participate. We could also learn from this organization and create something ourselves so that the whole congregation could participate. Thank you to all who donated and volunteered for the Midnight Run. Special thanks to our fearless driver, Abbaccus Dokie, and to Meghan Moran and the students at Caldwell University for inviting us to join their mission

10 The Beauty of Forgiveness He who forgives an offense seeks love Proverbs 17:9a Forgiveness is the beginning of love. We cannot love without having a heart with the ability and strength to forgive. This heart is a blessing from God who creates in us clean hearts and renews a right spirit within us (Psalm 51:10). He does this because He loves us unconditionally! Jesus came to this Earth so our sins could be forgiven and our relationship with the Father could be restored. Forgive us our trespasses as we also forgive others, we pray as Jesus taught us. When we harbor our sins, we are weighed down by guilt and shame. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (I John 1:9). When the hurts and pains caused by others are continually on our minds, we give birth to hate, anger and jealousy- emotions that we need to release. Jesus tells us to give them to Him. He will carry our burden. Is this easy to do? I would say it is one of the most difficult things we are asked to do as Christians, but when we are able to do this through the strength of our faith in a loving Father and redeeming Savior our sins are truly forgiven, our resentment is gone and we are free to love. That s the beauty of forgiveness! The Lord be with you always. Yours in Christ, Robert F. Eucker

11 March 2016 Photo Journal Palm Sunday Skit The Sunday school performed an original skit at the late service (written with help from our students!)

12 Children s Easter Celebration pictures by Debbie Houlihan Our community event on the Saturday before Easter was a wonderful occasion for outreach!

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16 Easter Tomb - pictures by Laura Bolger Robin s tomb was a dramatic visual representation of the Easter story on Good Friday and Easter Sunday

17 Easter Sunday - The annual pancake breakfast, as well as the beautiful floral decorations, made this a very festive day of worship! We were happy to be joined in worship by both old friends and newcomers!

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23 Those Who Serve Us: Altar Guild: Joyce Sapara-Grant, Esi Sapara-Grant SundayPlus Design: Lauren Willenborg Acolytes: April 3 April 10 April 17 April 24 David Poesl Tracy Dokie Temi Adesokan Lewis Dokie Greeters: April 3 8:30 AM 10:45 AM Donald & Lucille Wernes George & Marit Lofmark April 10 8:30 AM 10:45 AM David & Barbara Hildebrandt Harold & Connie Vaughan April 17 8:30 AM 10:45 AM Gordon & Ruth Wickham Karl & Luise Wetter April 24 10:45 AM David & Diane Behlen

24 Those Who Serve Us: Introit Readers: April 3 Anne Daly April 10 Joyce Sapara-Grant April 17 Edith Conte Flower Visitors: April 3 Jaya Lakra April 10 Joyce Sapara-Grant April 17 Liz Kuder April 24 Edith Conte Ushers: April 3 April 10 April 17 April 24 8:30 AM 10:45 AM 8:30 AM 10:45 AM 8:30 AM 10:45 AM Bill Martin, Ajit Lakra Gbenga Adesokan, John Ricca, Harold Vaughan John Wickham, Abbaccus Dokie Richard Akers, Jim Carlson David Eucker, Chris Eucker Chris Molinari, Stephen Molinari, David S. Behlen 10:45 AM Gordon Wickham, Karl Wetter

25 April 3 Arlene DeVito April 4 Ruth Wickham April 5 Liz Kuder April 4 Julie Erwin April 7 Mildred Reich April 9 Anne Ricca April 13 Karen Sprengel April 14 Nate Karpinski April 15 Robert L. Eucker April 17 George Sprengel April 18 Robert F. Eucker April 23 Doris Deede April 24 Karen Gordon EL April 25 David Hildebrandt April 29 Ceazu Kassor April 9 Amy & Robert Zinn