Gloria Christi News. Volume 12, Issue 3 MARCH 2012

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1 Gloria Christi News Volume 12, Issue 3 MARCH 2012 O, COME, LET US FIX OUR EYES ON JESUS! WE ENTER LENT AGAIN TOGETHER IN REPENTANCE Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. Hebrews 12:1 3 Dear fellow sinners baptized into the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus our Savior: Lent begins again, as it does on Ash Wednesday. It is a time for focused repentance, renewal, reviewing the basics of the faith, growing in depth of wisdom and understanding, and removing obstacles and distractions from our faith in Christ. It is a time for self examination and response in turning from those obstacles and in confessing our sins to hear absolution from our merciful God. What distracts you from fellowship with Christ in His Church? What distracts you from the Word? God knows our hearts and minds, our private selves. Our Lord is a jealous God, for you. Is it one of these? Life worries Then turn from trusting in yourself and being in control to believe in the Lord s promises. Find your rest and security in His Word of promise. He is with you always. Hobbies and Recreation Then let your life be caught up in Christ and found under His cross. Guilt and Shame Return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and merciful. Anger or Frustration at God or the Church See yourself and others under the same cross of redemption as those you are angry with. Wrestle with God on the basis of His promises and not on your own internal cogitations and isolation. Say as Jacob did, I will not let you go until you bless me. And God does in His time and in His way. Indulgence of self Do not let sleep or laziness or other business of life keep you from feeding in the rich pastures of God s Word and the Holy Supper of Christ; do not let that drift and temptation of Satan cause you to become calcified and dead in trespasses and sins. If there have been other things competing with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and His Word in your life, let the old Adam die with the proclamation that we should fear, love, and trust in God above all things. But also know that the Lord s mercies are new every morning in Christ who has conquered sin and death and set us free to be His holy people gathered into His Body, the Church. The Holy Spirit, by the Word of God given into our ears, calls, gathers, enlightens and sanctifies us and keeps us with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, who is the Author of our faith and the perfecter or finisher of our faith in Him. For it is by grace you have been saved through faith and not by what you do or intend. Let us be done with our empty words of resolutions and failed intentions and trust in the Lord s Word of forgiveness that cleanses us from all sin. He is your Lord and He has sanctified you and calls you into His presence. You are not alone in Christ in His fellowship. In Christ Jesus, our Prophet, Priest and King, Pastor Frahm

2 Church Council Highlights February 21, 2012 Pastor s Report: Continuing on with 2 separate adult instruction times; one will hopefully be confirmed before Easter. Micah Lile has been trained and will serve as a Liturgical Deacon. A new table has been constructed by Jane Woodard s brother- in -law for use at memorial services (for the urn and photos and/or flowers); this is a donated item. Shutins have been visited. Preschool Director: Current enrollment is at 41. Staff will attend Love to Learn Child Care Conference at UNC on 2/25. All staff received scholarships, so there is no cost to the church. Nurturing the Faith district conference will be 3/13 at Immanuel Lutheran in Loveland; the center will be closed. Teddy Bear portraits will be taken on 3/8 at 9:30 AM and 3:00 PM. This is open for children/grandchildren of church members as well. Treasurer s Report: (See pg. 8) Elders: Letters to inactive members have been mailed, and responses are beginning to come in. Since Pastor Frahm has not received any salary increase in the past few years, can we increase his vacation time? This will be referred to the Personnel Committee. Parish Education: April 1st is the deadline for securing VBS volunteers; if we do not have 10 people, VBS will be cancelled. Summer Sunday School will use the same process for getting volunteers; May 1st is the deadline for signing up to teach individual Sundays. The Sunday School children are sponsoring Baskets of Promise for Lutheran World Relief and will be collecting school supplies. They are also collecting offerings to purchase Bible Story books for children in the Ukraine (through Lutheran Heritage Foundation). Youth: The Sr. League members who were interested in attending the Higher Things conference this summer have scheduling conflicts and will not be able to attend. Game Night & Snack Potluck is a maybe as several of the youth are not available. Jen will contact them and follow through. Finance: Our financial status is a serious concern. Galen reminded all that the spending memo from 11/21/2011 is still in effect; approval for expenditures takes at least two of the three members. Next Council Meeting will be held Tuesday, March 20, 2012 at 7:00 pm Daniel Tietmeyer and Jane Woodard were joined in Holy Matrimony on Saturday, February 25, May God bless & keep them in His abiding Love! Changes for your Directory: Dan & Jane Tietmeyer P.O. Box 171 Yuma, CO Jane s janey.1281@gmail.com From the church secretary: My apologies for the delay in getting the photo directory completed and into your hands. I am finishing up the last pages and getting it to the publishing plant. Once that is done, it should be a few weeks (approx. 3) before we get it back. ~ Betty Monson Don t forget to set your clocks FORWARD 1 hour on Saturday, March 10th, or you may be late for church on Sunday morning! Gloria Christi News Page 2

3 News from our Preschool/Daycare Dates to remember Tuesday, March 13th ~ Preschool and Daycare CLOSED for Lutheran Teachers Conference WOW! A month with no Distrct 6 days off. Chapel Chapel is on Thursday mornings at 9:15am. Please join us. Page numbers for stories refer to the beginning page in the Story Bible. March 2012 Schedule March 1st: Jesus raises Lazarus John 11 p. 371 March 8th: The Triumphal Entry Matthew 21 p. 389 March 15th: The Lord s Supper Luke p. 392 March 29th: The Passion of Christ Matthew 27 p. 398 Last month we made home-made pretzels with the kids! They were yummy! The best part was eating them for snack. We had a really fun Valentine s Day party with lots of yummy snacks (some were even healthy). We got to visit with the Dentist, Dr. Nicholas A. Jamison II, DDS and his assistant. He showed us how to brush and floss at home. We had our blue Lego table fixed by Mr. Tom Johnston. Thank you so very much; we are excited to have it back! This month we Learn about the season of Lent and prepare for the death and resurrection of our precious Savior, Jesus Christ. Celebrate St. Patrick s Day. Start Spring activities. Rummage Sale Saturday, April 28th from 8am to 2pm. From April we will be taking your spring cleaning rummage donations and lining up volunteers for pricing and sorting. We will also need volunteers for helping the day of the sale. As always, lots of strong arms are needed the day of the sale for morning carry-out (weather depending) from 6:30am on. Then again, strong arms are needed and those with trucks for the take-down from about 2pm - 4:30. Gloria Christi News Page 3

4 Wednesday Lenten Soup Suppers 6:00 PM Our Lenten Soup Suppers have begun and will continue on for 4 more weeks through the month of March. Each week a different board, committee, or group of individuals hosts the supper, providing soup as well as bread and beverages. We do, however, ask members of Gloria Christi to help out with the provisions of soup. A sign-up list has been posted on the office window so that you can provide a pot of your favorite soup. The schedule is as follows: March 7th: Elders & Pastors March 14th: Evangelism & Stewardship March 21st: Parish Education March 28th: Christian Educ. and Youth Sunday, March 11th, before & after both Sunday Services It s hard to believe that spring is right around the corner! We will have several spring and garden related items on display this month. The entire month of March this year will be spent in the season of Lent as we continue to prepare for the festival of Easter. We will still have books and devotionals to help you in your journey through Lent and Holy Week. In addition to these, we will also add some items geared more toward Easter and our joyful celebration of Christ s resurrection. Bargain Sale Table we re always trying to clear out a few things from our inventory to make room for new, so check out the sale table, and see if there is something just for you. As always, if you would like to order anything special, see either Marlene Selden or Joy Johnston. Thank you for your continued support of the Christian Resource Center. Join us each Wednesday this month for evening Lenten Vespers, beginning at 7:00 pm, immediately following the Soup Suppers. The weekly themes are as follows: March 7 Matthew 26:36-75 (The Garden of Gethsemane, the Arrest and Trial Before the Sanhedrin) March 14 Matthew 27:1-26 (Jesus Before Pilate) March 21 Matthew 27:27-44 (Jesus crucified) March 28 Matthew 27:45-66 (The Death of Jesus) DYNAMIC MATURITY WILL MEET ON WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28-11:30 AM We will have lunch at Guadalajara s at 1281 Main Street in Windsor. If you would like to ride over in the church van, please be at church by 11:10, so we can leave early. See you then! LET S GET SOME SPRING CLEANING DONE! It s time to get things spruced up in time for Holy Week and Easter. The Board of Trustees is hosting a Church Work Day on Saturday, March 31st beginning at 9:00 AM. Bring along your rags, buckets, and cleaning supplies. Weather permitting, we ll also do a little outdoor clean-up around the property. The more volunteers we have, the more work can be accomplished in a shorter period of time, and the more enjoyable it becomes! Gloria Christi News Page 4

5 Come & Join the Sunday School as We Collect School Supplies For Children in Need! Give a Child the Opportunity to Go to School 25 Why school supplies? To the children who receive School Kits, these supplies mean the difference between getting an education or not. Public school is usually free, but in the places where LWR works, even a few required supplies, like pens and paper, may be more than many families can afford. And when parents can only afford to send one of their children to school, girls rarely get priority yet the education level of mothers has the biggest impact on development. Another Way to Help Delivering School Kits to the children who need them most costs LWR about $1.40 per Kit, paid for by LWR s Quilt & Kit Shipping Fund. If you are not able to assemble Kits, you can give to the Quilt & Kit Shipping Fund instead. Your donation will help ensure that we are able to distribute all of the Kits we receive. Thank you! Berlyn Clear Gloria Christi Sunday School * The backpacks must be drawstring cloth bags, not the heavy packs that we are accustomed to. If you would like to sew one or more backpacks for the kits, please pick up a sheet of instructions from the table Baskets of Promise table at church. For Members of the Weld County Chapter of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans & their guests - Disney on Ice at the Budweiser Events Center Friday, March 23, 2012 ~ 7:00 PM Tickets are just $5 per person! Make checks payable to WCCTFL and mail to: Stan Detterer 1012 Pinyon Drive Windsor, CO Deadline for payment is March 9, 2012 Tickets will be available for pick up at the Will Call window at the Budweiser Event Center. For further information, call Stan at or sdetterer@gmail.com Gloria Christi News Page 5

6 Dear Members of Gloria Christi, Thank you for your generous gift to us back in November. It couldn t have come at a better time. We are looking forward to the end of Seminary, and Call Day on May 1st. Travis and I are eager to find out where he will be serving in the years to come. We have had a rather busy year, and had to do some unexpected traveling over the Christmas and Epiphany season, as my Grandmother s health declined, and she finally was laid to rest in January. Your gift helped us greatly this year with our unforeseen expenses. Thank you for all of your support during our years at Seminary. We are blessed to have your support! In Christ, Leah, Travis, & Owen Sherman Dear Members of Gloria Christi, A blessing indeed! God is so good, and we are again able to thank you for yet another blessing. We are enjoying vicarage and feel so blessed. Thank you for your generosity and your efforts to care for us. We so appreciate your kindness. May this note find you all well in this new year. Thank you again, God bless you. Justin, Katherine, Kaiser, & Dietrich Hannemann LWML MITES Have you seen our lonely mite box sitting in the Narthex? It sits in a corner by the doors to the Agape Center, and sometimes the table gets cluttered with other things. But it s still there waiting for your donations. There are even some small individual boxes on the table that are available for people to take home and fill with pennies, pocket change, or whatever. Although our LWML society is no longer active, we do still support the mission projects and send in our mite offerings. In fact, one of the current projects is described below: MISSION MINUTE--- KING'S CAMP AT LUTHERAN VALLEY RETREAT We have paid $4,000 on this grant of $6,000 in this biennium. Angela Johnson of LVR writes, "LWML provided $50.00 scholarships to 25 children in the summers of 2010 and Praise God for all He does. Some of these campers have been abused by their biological parents, placed in foster homes, and then abused by foster parents. During the week of LVR camp, 25 campers came to hear about Jesus' love and experience trust in Him and His people. They got to trust other Christians to support them as they were lifted 6 feet into the air. What a great model of how Christians should be supporting each other as the body of Christ!" "Leap out in Joy!" Northern Zone LWML Christian Life Workshop Where better to spend a day sharing the love of Jesus than in Loveland, CO? Dig out those purple clothes, and get ready for lots of hugs at Mount Olive Lutheran Church, 3411 S. Taft Ave, Loveland, CO, on April 21, 2012, 8:15 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., hosted by Mount Olive Ladies Guild and WINGS. Enabled to Love is the theme based on Ephesians 5:2, And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Guest speaker will be Miss Adriane Dorr, Managing Editor of the Lutheran Witness. Coffee and muffins will be served during registration time which begins at 8:15am. Registration fee of $7.00 includes lunch! There is also free babysitting, an ingathering of children s shoes for Orphan Grain Train, and a Mite Box offering. All ladies and pastors are welcome. For more information and to RSVP by April 15 th, call Jan Bloss, , or to jjbloss.1982@yahoo.com. See you there! LifeLight Bible Study 2 Corinthians We re just completing our study of 1 Corinthians, and we ve already got our materials for 2 Corinthians. This is a 9-week study with one lesson per week. Participants go through the study guide during the week, and then we meet together on Monday evenings at 7:00 pm for about an hour or so. We go through the entire lesson together, discussing our thoughts and insights, using the Leader s Guide as a reference. The group setting is great for sharing and learning together! If you would like to join this small group study, please add your name to the list on the office window, or contact Betty Monson so that materials can be provided for you. Lesson books are now on hand to pick up in the office. Gloria Christi News Page 6

7 WHAT? Vacation Bible School June 4-8, 2012 VBS? ALREADY? We Need You! We need to start planning today, so if you would like to be involved in teaching a story, leading some music, working with crafts or snack, or just leading children from one area to another, we would like to know! We need a minimum of 10 individuals committed to helping by April 1st. If you are interested in helping, please add your name to the VBS Sign-Up on the office window. (If we can t get just 10 people, we will have to cancel.) In the Footsteps of Martin Luther with tour host Harry Krueckeberg The members of Peace With Christ Lutheran Church, Fort Collins and member/host Harry Krueckeberg invite you to join them on a 12 day trip to Germany for an In the Footsteps of Martin Luther tour, September 30 through October 11, This tour will include visits to numerous sites related to the life & times of Martin Luther, such as Erfurt, Wittenberg, Eisleben, and Eisenach. In addition, the tour will visit several sites related to the life and times of C.F.W. Walther, the first President of what is now the Missouri Synod. To assist in making the tour more comfortable, arrangements have been made for multiple night stays at several locations. Travel to Germany this time of year is pleasant, and the company of fellow Lutherans should be enjoyable. For more information, please take one of the registration folders located on the main bulletin board in the church narthex. You don t have to be a Preschool or Daycare parent or teacher. ANYONE can participate! If you have internet access, just go to and click Start Quiz. It s that easy! You can even check on the current standings to see where Gloria Christi ranks! Let s show our School Spirit! PS. The quiz is really easy! Join LUTHERAN FAMILY SERVICES and THRIVENT FINANCIAL FOR LUTHERANS for a NUGGETS game! The game is on Thursday, March 15 th, 7:OO PM Denver Nuggets vs. OKC Thunder at the Pepsi Center. LFS Discounts: Upper Level - $26 (normally $28) VIP Club Level - $58 (normally $85) $8 from every ticket sold will go directly to LFS. Please go to or contact Brady or bmcintyre@pepsicenter.com to purchase discounted tickets and sit in the LFS reserved sections. Gloria Christi News Page 7

8 TREASURER S REPORT January 2012 Current Year to Date Weekly Offerings $15, $15, Mortgage Offerings Special Services Non-Budgeted Income 0 0 Church Income $16, $16, Church Expenses 16, , Net Church Activity $ (271.52) $ (271.52) PS/DC Income $8, $8, PS/DC Expenses 9, , Net PS/DC Activity $ (1,071.41) $ (1,071.41) Net Activities $ (1,342.93) $ (1,342.93) District Missions $ $ Other Missions WE RE APPROACHING OUR 50TH! One of the items to be discussed at the Voters Meeting is the 50th Anniversary of Gloria Christi, which will fall in the year If you would like to help plan activities for this important time in the life of our congregation, please add your name to the Anniversary Committee list on the office window. Now we can collect additional Labels for Education points electronically using our shopper cards! Sign-up online, and every time you purchase a Labels for Education participating product using your Shopper Card from participating retailers, you automatically earn 1 point our school can redeem for FREE educational merchandise. Gloria Christi News SCRIP shopping days for this month are March 4th & 18th FAMILY CHRISTIAN STORES gift cards are available in a $25 denomination and have a rebate of 9%! That is one of our higher rebate rates. Why not do your Easter shopping AND earn some extra funds for the Church & Preschool? KING SOOPERS NEWS! Our February statement from King Soopers showed a total sales of $4,950, just $50 short of our next rebate check! We are looking forward to receiving the March statement along with a check in the amount of $250! Thank you to all of our King Soopers shoppers! We still have $5 cards available at the church office; then, when you go shopping, just load the card before you check out, and 5% of your purchase will come back to Gloria Christi. That also includes fuel sales! DON T FORGET TO DIRECT THRIVENT CHOICE DOLLARS! Thrivent Choice Dollars grant funds can help support Lutheran organizations you care about. Don t let your designated Choice Dollars expire. Eligible members of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans who have been designated Choice Dollars have until March 31, 2012 to direct any remaining 2011 Choice Dollars Help support Gloria Christi Church and Gloria Christi Preschool. Go to Thrivent.com/ thriventchoice or call 800-THRIVENT and state Thrivent Choice Page 8

9 The Gospel outreach radio broadcast of Lutheran Hour Ministries can be heard each Sunday on the following radio stations: KOA (850 AM) 6:00 am KFKA (1310 AM) 9:30 am XM Satellite - Family Talk (XM170)12:00pm Broadcast sermons for March are: March 4 ~ "Faith Sees Through Suffering" Lutheran Hour Speaker: Rev. Gregory Seltz Jesus suffered on the cross for us. In His strength, we are willing to suffer and bear the cross for others. (Mark 8:27-35) March 11 ~ "Called By God To Boast In Him" Lutheran Hour Speaker: Rev. Gregory Seltz Learn how to boast, not about ourselves, but of our God Who loves us and the world in which we live. (1 Corinthians 1:26-31) March 18 ~ "Good News for Religious People Too?" Lutheran Hour Speaker: Rev. Gregory Seltz The Bible speaks about grace for sinners, but even the so-called "good people" need God's grace and mercy, too. (John 3:1-16) March 25 ~ "He Knew" Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour: Rev. Dr. Ken Klaus Would you want to know how and when you will die? Jesus willingly faced the cross for us so that we can live--and die--with confidence and faith. (Mark 10:32-34) Preparing for the Divine Service March 4 ~ Second Sunday in Lent Genesis 17:1-7, Romans 5:1-11 Mark 8:27-38 March 11 ~ Third Sunday in Lent Exodus 20: Corinthians 1:18-31 John 2:13-22 March 18 ~ Fourth Sunday in Lent Numbers 21:4-9 Ephesians 2:1-10 John 3:14-21 March 25 ~ Fifth Sunday in Lent Jeremiah 31:31-34 Hebrews 5:1-10 Mark 10:35-45 Please study these Scriptures each week to prepare yourself for Sunday services. You are also encouraged to read the Christian Questions and Answers for communicants in the Small Catechism to prepare to receive the Lord s body and blood faithfully in the Divine Service (p.329,330 LSB). For those who would like a daily Bible reading schedule you are encouraged to use the one listed on page 299 in our hymnal, Lutheran Service Book. The Bible, the Catechism, and our hymnal are the three key books for Lutherans to use in devotions. Besides this it is good to be familiar with our Lutheran Confessions, the Book of Concord, which includes the Catechisms. See Joy or Marlene. to get a Bible, Catechism, Lutheran Service Book or the Book of Concord. Want a great web site for kids? Looking for some activities, puzzles, recipes, music, crafts, devotions & more? Check out JCPlayZone from Lutheran Hour Ministries! Gloria Christi News Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105 Page 9

10 Deadlines for Newsletter and Sunday Bulletin Gloria Christi Staff Rev. John A. Frahm III Pennie Hoke, PS/DC Director (970) (970) Travis Goeglein, President (970) George & Berlyn Clear, (970) Sunday School Superintendents Andy Eberhard (campus ministry) (970) Betty Monson, Secretary and Choir Director (970) (H) (970) (C) We welcome and encourage submissions for our newsletter and Sunday bulletin. Please make all submissions in writing, on disk, or by e -mail. All material is subject to editing for content, clarity, and style, as needed. The deadline for the newsletter is the 15th of every month. The deadline for the Sunday bulletin is Wednesday at Noon. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith... Galatians 6:10 Gloria Christi Lutheran Church (LC-MS) st Avenue Greeley, CO Phone: Fax: gloriachristi@gloriachristi.com Website: Return Service Requested Lenten Vespers every Wednesday at 7:00 PM Soup Supper at 6:00 PM March 2012