St. James Lutheran Church

Transcription

1 St. James Lutheran Church 9:00 A.M. Worship Service 10:30 A.M. Sunday School The Rev. Darcy M. Reis, Pastor =============================================== March, 2017 Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, Conversations have already begun that discuss what vice individuals are going to give up for the season of Lent that begins on Ash Wednesday, March 1 st. Chocolate and caffeinated coffee/soft drinks seem to be among the top contenders. Sugar, gum, and candy have always been in the mix but have fallen away as of late, especially since ownership and usage of popular technological devices allowing fast communication through texting has increased. Some users of these devices are contemplating lessening their amount of texting or going cold turkey altogether for their Lenten discipline this year. Most compelling about the practice of giving something up for Lent is the idea that once Lent is over and Easter is upon us, many people go back to their usual routine of enjoying the vices they gave up- as if their Lenten discipline never happened at least until the next year s Lenten season rolls around! The success or failure- of previous Lenten disciplines thus serves as a reminder (coach?) that helps shape our choice of what vices to give up next time. The season of Lent is a season that begins with the markings of a dirty cross of ashes placed upon people s foreheads with the reminder that individuals begin as dust and to dust we shall return. This is a truly humbling statement to hear in the sense that we, as individuals, reflect upon our nature as human sinners who are not perfect no matter how hard we try. This statement can oftentimes lend the hearer to feel isolated, alone, or abandoned. We feel isolated in the sense that our individual sin is attributed to us -and us alone. We feel alone and abandoned as we try to let go of the vices and behaviors that serve as a form of insulation that hides us from the outside world and restricts us from sharing our spiritual gifts with others for the good of God s kingdom.

2 Lent is a time when we again attempt to wipe the dust out of our eyes and see ourselves and our relationship with God in a new light. A time when our dry, parched selves hunger and thirst for the resurrected Christ; who dies on the cross for our salvation so that the power of sin and death have no hold over us. This Lent, wear those ashen crosses marked on our foreheads as proudly as badges of honor. Honor in the sense that we know that we are a fallen humanity, protected by the love bestowed upon us as God s beloved children given the courage to take a hard, long look at ourselves. When we feel isolated, we can remember that through Christ s abundant love we are brought in to community with one another and invited to share what we have our spiritual gifts, our time, and our talents. In our loneliness, we can remember that we are showered with God s abundant grace which comes to us through the water of baptism and in the elements of Christ s body and blood-the bread and wine- when we celebrate Holy Communion. When we feel abandoned, among other things, we can share with others those Lenten disciplines that have worked - and not worked so well- for us as pilgrims on our journeys together in this lifetime. Even if that means breaking out our technological devices and texting the Good News to others and proudly wearing those crosses of ashes on our foreheads as badges of honor. In Christian love, Pastor D. ****************** DID YOU KNOW that Rev. Dr. Martin Luther was a huge advocate for educating people of all ages (he taught at University as well as serving as a pastor). He wrote many publications, including both the Small and Large Catechism which are still used today! As part of our Reformation 500 th Anniversary celebration, the St. James Reformation committee is happy to welcome representatives from various organizations to educate us about their ministries that serve people locally, nationally, and globally. Please mark your calendar to attend and participate in these informative and uplifting events. On February 12 th a representative from Heifer International, Mr. Phil Ogline visited our congregation for worship and a presentation during the Sunday school hour in the social room. He educated us about the history and ministry of this organization as well as the different ways people and organizations can donate to support this ministry. We raised $ which covers the cost of a goat and a flock of chicks! March 26 th - Dr. Holly Hoffman, deaconess (diaconal minister) from Lower Susquehanna Synod, will inform us about the Kenyan ministry she and other healthcare professionals began volunteering in a few years ago. She will be preaching during worship and has also made herself available during the social time and Sunday school hour to answer questions. Dr. Holly and Pr. D became colleagues and friends during their clinical pastoral education field experience in Mechanicsburg, PA, in May 7 th - Sister Marianne Brock, Director of Camp Nawakwa, will visit our congregation to present a temple talk, share in worship and educate us about camp ministries during the Sunday school hour. Oct. 15 th - Rev. Glenn Miller from SpiriTrust ministries will present information during the Sunday school hour. Oct. 29 th - REFORMATION SUNDAY- Rev. Dr. Mark Oldenburg from Gettysburg Seminary will be our guest preacher during worship and will be educating us during the Sunday school hour during our Reformation 500 th Anniversary celebration. Following Sunday school we will be having a special Reformation meal! We are waiting for dates to be confirmed from Wheatridge ministries, Lutheran Indian ministries, and Lutheran World Relief. We look forward to sharing in these opportunities of welcoming special guests to our congregation!

3 BEGINNING ON SUNDAY, MARCH 5 th - LUTHER PINS, being provided by the Reformation Committee, will be given out to members and guests following the worship service. An explanation of the seal is also being provided with each pin. Extra pins will be placed in a basket and will be available through March for those not present on March 5 th CHRISTIAN EDUCATION MEN S BIBLE STUDY - MEN IN MISSION The group will meet on Sunday, March 5 th & 19 th at 8:00 a.m., in the Adult Sunday School Room. All men are invited, please join with us. SUNDAY SCHOOL continues on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. Adults meet in the Adult Sunday School Room Nursery through grade 6 children meet in their regular Sunday School Room. =========== Social Hour Hosts Coffee socials/fellowship time follow Sunday worship services. Please join with us. March Sunshine Workers April Social Ministry ============ MEMBERS PLEASE NOTE: In our effort to be more conservative with paper, printing supplies and printing expenses, we have prepared a reusable weekly worship service outline that we will begin using for Mid-Week and Sunday Lenten services. Each week your bulletin will include announcement pages and other miscellaneous inserts. We are asking that you remove, and take along home, the announcement pages and inserts. Please return the reusable outline to the baskets provided at the doors. Thank You! UPCOMING LENTEN SERVICES Ash Wednesday, March 1 st 7:00 P.M. at St. James Worship with Holy Communion and Imposition of Ashes ========================================== THIS YEAR S Mid-Week Lenten Series & Worship Based on Luther s Small Catechism Beginning Wednesday, March 8 th -7PM Social Room March 8 th March 15 th March 22 nd March 29 th April 3 rd Ten Commandments The Apostles Creed The Lord s Prayer Holy Baptism Holy Communion HOLY WEEK SERVICES at ST. JAMES April 9 April 13 April 14 April 16 9:00 a.m. Palm Sunday 7:00 p.m. Maundy Thursday Holy Communion and Stripping of the Altar 7:00 p.m. Good Friday Worship Service 9:00 a.m. Easter Sunday Worship Holy Communion

4 THE 500 TH REFORMATION ANNIVERSARY "WOMEN OF THE REFORMATION" BY MARK SNYDER During the Reformation, many men came forward to try to reform the Catholic Church. Some died while others managed to remain living and continued to reform the Catholic Church. Men were not the only ones trying to bring reform to the church. Women also had a hand in the Reformation as well. As the Reformation took hold, many women worked at reforming the church either by their husband's side or using their influence. Many women died while working to reform the church, for the Catholic Church punished all regardless of gender. In the bulletin insert for this month, some of the women wrote about are Argula von Grumbach ( /68?), Katharine Schütz Zell ( ), Duchess Elisabeth von Braunschewig ( ), and Luther's beloved Katharina von Bora ( ). These and other women played a part in a successful Reformation. Argula von Grumbach lived in Bavaria and found Martin Luther's message of Christian freedom and equality empowering. She challenged an entire Catholic university in Ingolstadt in defense of Lutheran faith and faced persecution for "Lutheran heresy" not only by the Church, but also by her husband whose political career and livelihood was in jeopardy because of her activities. Luther considered her a valiant hero of faith. Katharine Schütz Zell, who had no children of her own was a published lay author, and identified herself with a calling of a "church mother." She married a former Catholic Priest shared in his ministry. During the Peasants'' Was of She directs a vast relief program, serving some three thousand who seek refuge in Strasbourg. The Zell home is also open to some of the most celebrated Reformers of the era, including Ulrich Zwingli and John Calvin. Katharine Schütz Zell is not afraid of telling these reformers how she felt about some of their beliefs. Duchess Elisabeth von Braunschewig used her authority as the "mother of the People in her land" to implement Lutheran faith through legislation. Elisabeth had suffered exile from her Catholic husband and children once she confessed her faith in public by receiving the sacrament in a Lutheran rite. Her advice to her son, whom she groomed as a Lutheran ruler, was that he should obey God, the emperor and his mother. Luther's beloved Katharina von Bora managed the household while Martin Luther dealt with the Reformation. Luther admitted that next to the Holy Spirit, he obeyed his wife-"lord," Katharina. Finally, the Reformation brought literacy to people who would not have had a chance to learn to read, including women. Martin Luther's beliefs of equality and the need for the individual to be able to read the Bible for themselves fueled wide spread for all, even the peasant girls. The information for this article was taken from About The Lutherans Women and the Reformation bulletin hand out, and Biblegateway@e.biblegateway.com, Faithful Through the Ages series, April 1, ============================================ GROUP NEWS ST. JAMES SENIOR MEMBERS will be meeting for lunch and entertainment on Thursday, March 2 nd, beginning at 11:30 a.m. in the social room. Bring your own sandwich. Dessert and beverage provided. Following lunch Jerry Overby, a Big Band singer, will provide the afternoon s entertainment. All are invited to attend THE PEACEMAKERS Next scheduled workday will from 3:00-6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 8 th Please contact Sue Martin for additional details

5 BREAKFAST BLESSINGS UPDATE: Next Breakfasts March 4 th and April 1 st - 8:00-9:30 a.m. We would like to thank our congregation for their ongoing continued support to the breakfast. Our community outreach program would not be possible without each of you. Personal and food items needed for upcoming breakfasts: March 4th Breakfast Feb. 26 th Mar. 4 th Body Wash, men s and women s deodorant April 1st Breakfast Blessing March 5th-11th Body wash March 12th-18th Men's and woman's Deodorant March 19th-25th Toothpaste and Toothbrushes Mar.26th-Apr.1 st Pancake Mix, individual snack items, Pop Tarts If you are cleaning out your closets for spring we will be collecting clothing/shoes to hand out at the April 1 st breakfast. Please bring any clothing you may want to get rid of and place on the pool table. Those attending the community breakfast always enjoy looking for a new outfit and appreciate it SUNSHINE WORKERS UPCOMING CLASS MEETING: Monday, March 6th (1 st Monday) Class meeting in social room at 12 Noon. SUNSHINE WORKERS BREAKFAST at PANERA - 8:30 a.m. Thursday, March 9 th. (2 nd Thursday) Come out and start your day by having breakfast with the Sunshine Workers! SOCIAL MINISTRY COMMITTEE invites you to participate in their 2017 Lenten project that will begin on the 1 st Sunday in Lent, March 5 th. The goal for this year s project is 40 BASKETS OF PROMISE /HEALTH KITS. We are encouraging each donor or donor family to donate a completed Personal Care Kit which consist of: 1 - dark colored bath towel, approx. 27 x packaged adult toothbrush oz. wrapped bar of soap 1 - packaged adult nail clipper Please put each completed kit in the marked box on the pool table in the social room. Next Sandwich Sale, March 15 th, deadline to order March 5 th. Order forms on pamphlet rack. ================= PENN STATE HEALTH Penn State College of Medicine On March 11, 2017, the Penn State Cancer Institute, in partnership with the American Cancer Society, is holding an educational program for the general public on the latest information related to prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment of common cancers. The program is free to participants but enrollment is limited and preregistration is required. Brochure and online registration are posted on the website: SUNSHINE WORKERS continue to sell Weis & Giant Grocery Gift cards each week in the social room during coffee social time. Please stop by and purchase a card or two to use as Christmas Gifts or for your weekly groceries, prescriptions or gas purchases.

6 M.O.M s Ministry of Meals A ministry for those returning home from the hospital, rehab, outpatient surgery, etc., or have had a death in the family, or birth of a new baby, etc. Anyone experiencing any of the above or other illnesses and in need of having a meal provided is asked to please call the church office, , or Barb Rhodes ================ When you find yourself in the hospital either unexpectedly or for a planned stay, please let us know by contacting Pastor Reis at the church office at , or Council President, Mike Cooper, To ensure that you will receive pastoral care while in the hospital, please inform the church office, the Pastor, or Mike. WHAT'S HAPPENING AT ST. JAMES Be sure to "check out" the Bulletin Boards for current and latest happenings. Upcoming bulletin boards to be provided by the following committees: March Church Council April - Not designated WEATHER DELAYS AND CLOSINGS During the winter months the church office will follow the closing and delay schedules of West York Area School District. If West York schools are closed or delayed due to bad weather the church office will also be closed or delayed. If you are concerned about Sunday worship cancellations due to weather, please check Fox43 TV news channel, WGAL.com, or you may call Pastor Reis at or contact Mike Cooper at Our Lord says, Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted, [Matthew 5:4], we join in prayer and mourning for the loss of: Dorothy Elaine Eyster 1/29/2017 Nathan Chance Heberlig 2/3/2017 We keep their loved ones, family, and friends in our prayers and ask that members please update your congregational directories. ============ THANK YOU NOTES: Dear Pastor Reis & the St. James Community, I just wanted to write and say thank you all for your wonderful Thanksgiving card! I apologize that I have not written sooner, but I hope this letter finds you all doing well and thriving in God s love! It isn t easy being far away from friends and family, especially on holidays. But knowing that wonderful Brothers & Sisters in Christ are praying for and thinking about me makes all the difference. Thanks again! Yours, Jordan Peters Just a note of appreciation for Pastor Reis visit while I was in the hospital. It really brightened my day. Thank you to Mrs. Meckley who delivered the lovely altar flowers. Also many thanks for your prayers and well wishes. Mary Orris Thank you for the beautiful altar flowers and the one who delivered them, Nancy Eyster. They brought Spring into our home. A big THANK YOU to Pastor Reis for her visit and giving us communion. To all of St James GOD BLESS. Ruth & Len Zemaitis We would like to express our thanks for the beautiful flowers and to Nancy Eyster for bringing them to us. Sara & Bob Hess Dear St. James Church, We would like to thank you for your recent donation of $400 for our residents. The donation was used for our residents Christmas. Your heartfelt thoughtfulness is very much appreciated. Tammy Hetrick, Assistant Admin. Pleasant Acres Nursing & Rehab Center

7 PASTOR D is going to jail. On Thursday, March 30 th at 9:00 a.m. Pastor D will be picked up and taken to jail where she will need to make phone calls to raise her bail money. She will have names and phone numbers ready to call for help in her pursuit to raise bail money. Money raised will be used to help research for those fighting Multiple Sclerosis. If you get a call, from the Pastor, please help her GET OUT jail as we have do not have a supply Pastor scheduled for April 2 nd TREASURER S MONTHLY REPORT January 2017 Actual Year to Date Current Receipts $17,346 $ 17,346 Current Expenses $18,478 $ 18,478 [ $ 1,131] [$ 1,131] Current receipts DO NOT include Building Fund. (Stewardship envelope receipts January $150) Current Benevolence Receipts $ 665 $ 665 Current Benevolence Disbursements $ 665 $ 665 HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALL MARCH 2016 Mar. 01 Sandra Markle Mar. 07 Samuel Burns Mar. 10 Deborah Rinehart Mar. 10 Diane Workman Mar. 11 Barbara A. Densel Mar. 11 Brian Funkhouser Mar. 12 Margaret (Peggy) Funkhouser Mar. 14 Teresa Deaner Mar. 15 Nancy Laird Mar. 17 David Smith Mar. 17 Scott Stock Mar. 20 Ann Hied, Mar. 21 Christine Sheffer Mar. 26 Colton & Garrett Rafferty Mar. 28 Glenn Sheffer Mar. 31 Trey Hess ==================== ============== Nickels the Lamb: ALL money collected in 2017 will be given to the Wellspan Cancer Patient Help Fund Store. A SPECIAL LENTEN OFFERING ENVELOPE is included with this Newsletter. Please use this envelope for your Lenten Offering. Please watch the bulletin for Council s 2017 receipts designation. ========================= RECENT ADDRESS CHANGES: Ashton, Jean Marie, 9 Lexington Drive, Hanover, PA Colantino, Jennifer & Family 1069 SE 475, Knob Noster, MO

8 FROM HOSPITALITY / EVANGELISM COMMITTEE UPCOMING FELLOWSHIP EVENTS for ALL Covered Dish Dinner and Game Night March 18th starting at 4:30 p.m. we will be having a covered dish dinner and game night at the church. Please sign up by March 12th on the bulletin board to bring a covered dish. Bring your favorite game to play with others. Come out and join in on a fun night with others. Any questions please see Cindy or Linda PAINT-AWAY PARTY & LUNCH Sunday, April 23 rd - 11:15 a.m. Paint -Away & Lunch We will be having a Paint-Away Party and Lunch on April 23rd with lunch starting at 11:15 am and painting fun begins at 12 noon. Space is limited to the first 40 people. Price to paint a tulip painting and lunch will be $30. If you would like to join in on the fun and only have lunch the cost is $3.00. Tickets will be on sale March 26th through April 16th. Please see Cindy Rutkowski to purchase tickets or call her to reserve a spot If you have any questions please see Linda Kern, Cindy Rutkowski, or Anita Ashton