LEAVES FROM THE FOREST

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1 April 2019 Sunday Worship 9:30 am Communion 2nd & 4th Sunday of each month Sunday School 10:45 am Bible Class After fellowship Sunday Worship and Bible Class Captioned for the Hearing Impaired Pastor: Rev. Glenn E. Fischer Founding Pastor: Rev. Milton Lehr Church Office Hours: Monday to Friday 9:00 am - 1:00 pm (352) forestoakslutheran.com 8555 Forest Oaks Blvd. Spring Hill, FL Food Pantry - Tuesday 9:00 am - 12:00 pm Not To Be Missed: April Servant Schedule 2 Holy Week/Easter 2 Financial Reports 3 This Month on Council 4 Servants Needed 4 Women s Guild 4 Quilting for Charity 5 Church Life Ministry 6 QCDs Cut Taxes 7 Memorial & Honor Gifts 8 New Members 10 Birthdays/Anniversaries 10 Calendar 11 What is Truth? We certainly have not been hearing or seeing the truth in the past few years. Why? If I could answer that I would be able to cure cancer. It is just not easy to answer. The Bible is certainly the way to start for everyone. A definition of truth is: Truth is that which is constant and unchangeable. The faithfulness of God is the foundation of all truth. God does not lie nor will His word change. From Psalm 31:5 Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth. Jesus came into the world to bear witness to the truth. He called himself the truth (John 14:6) along with many other Bible references that referred to the word truth. The Bible identifies truth as a quality intrinsic to the very nature of God. Almost 2,000 years ago Pontius Pilate asked Christ that same question What is truth? There is an ultimate truth and that is deep within us and remains there because of the existence of God. God s message to mankind is read the Bible that is why it was written. You must be able to see the truth. This is the Word of God and has more authority than any other book written. From the Editor: I thank our Pastor Fischer for pushing us into reading the Bible this year. It has been interesting and educating. In this book, the Bible, God tells us about the future, He speaks to us about his Son Jesus and how we are to tell the truth at all times. When Pilate was talking to The Truth, He was talking to God in the flesh the One through whom the worlds were created. You will know the truth and the truth will set you free, Jesus had proclaimed. But having his mind made up Pontius Pilate did not get it. If the human heart is unwilling to submit to the truth, it will never know the truth. God has made it so easy for us to tell the truth and hear the truth. You need to discover this reading the Bible faithfully and hearing His word proclaimed at all functions and worship services of our church. We sing Great is thy Faithfulness, do we believe it? I pray we all do. Pray for our President, and all the power in the U.S.A. Pray for those who have cheated in their attempt to foil the school systems. Pray for those who do not read God s word. God is The Truth. Norma Karpiscak We are at the end of our Lenten journey later this month. Our alleluia anticipation of Easter is here and we celebrate the empty tomb! Easter brings us renewed assurance that God loves us with a love that is greater than any we can imagine. He is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia! The newsletter needs your articles and pictures! Please them to folc25news@outlook.com. For those unable to , you may place it in the newsletter box behind the church office. The deadline for the May newsletter is April 21.

2 Page 2 SERVANT SCHEDULE FOR APRIL Serving on the Altar Guild: Alice McCarrick Marcy Stortzum Mary Lou Thompson Bonnie Wright Serving as Ushers: Lou Hirsch Darleen Keck Dani Villarrubia Robert Villarrubia Serving as Greeters: Are you willing to serve? Serving as Lay Readers: April 7: Joan Rullman April 14: Norma Karpiscak April 21: Larry Schmitz April 28: Norma Miller Serving as Counters: Caroline Hilpertshauser Darleen Keck As you fulfill your commitment to serve, you are fulfilling God s words in 1 Peter 4:10: Each one should use the gift he received to serve others, faithfully administering God s grace in its various forms. Thank you. May God continue to bless you as you serve. Wednesday service on April 3 and 10 11:00 am followed by soup lunch Come join in worship and fellowship as we gather together. Food is provided by volunteers and coordinated by Church Life. Palm Sunday, April 14 Good Friday, April 19 Service at 9:30 am Service at 7:00 pm Maundy Thursday, April 18 Easter Vigil, April 20 Communion Service at 7:00 pm 8:00 am to noon Easter Prayer Vigil: A sign-up sheet for the Easter Vigil is posted at the Welcome Center. The vigil begins on Saturday, April 20 th at 8:00am and continues until noon. Please consider taking the opportunity to spend time before the Lord s altar to pray prayers of praise, thanks, and supplication in this continuing prayer vigil. Sunrise Service at 7:00am Easter Communion Service at 9:30am Breakfast served after both services Children s Easter Egg Hunt following 9:30 am service If you would like to place a lily in the sanctuary for Easter in memory or in honor of someone or for blessings received, please take a form and envelope from the Welcome Center and fill it out with your check or cash of $10.00 per lily. Make your checks payable to FOLC Women s Guild. The deadline for ordering is April 14th. Flowers for Our Living Cross: We will be decorating a cross with flowers on Easter. Please make a note on your calendar and remember to bring a flower or two with you on Easter Sunday, April 21 st, to place on our Living Cross. Thank you.

3 Page 3 Forest Oaks Lutheran Church February 2019 Financial Reports General Fund Operations Income $31,669 Disbursements $23,763 Year-to-Date Accounting Income $55,278 Disbursements $46,991 Budget $41,256 Debt Reduction Loan Principal $3,170 Additional Principal $950 Year-to-Date Loan Activity Principal $6,328 Additional Principal $2,410 Loan Balance (Mar. 1) $265,637 Accounting Fund Balances General $68,257 Needy Family $1,142 Memorial Garden $3,077 Endowment Fund $24,126 Major Rep. Income $1,074 Major Rep. Balance $11,205 Financial Report - February Income was very good this month and if you read the article later in the newsletter about IRAs, it will be clear why. Expenses were high but mainly for the gift given to Pastor Lehr at his celebration of 60 years in the ministry. Major Repair income was down and we need to keep this fund supplied for the work that needs to be done later this year. Any questions, please contact Jesse Ward at Our Worship Services Attendance Were you among these? Listed below are the number of Communicants who worship God s Altar in January and February 2019 to receive Christ s Body and Blood. January January February February Pastor s 2019 Bible Class Jan Feb No class Children s Sunday School Jan Feb. 5 January Sunday Services February Sunday Services No class 6 5 Body and Soul Bible Study - Thursday 9 AM At the previous two voters meetings, the Congregation was informed that our mortgage must be re-financed by March At that time, we estimate our debt to be about $250,000. If you are interested in helping to reduce the amount we will have to refinance, use your Debt Reduction envelope each month in addition to your regular General Fund envelope. The money donated to debt reduction is included in our mortgage payment each month to pay down our debt.

4 Page 4 THIS MONTH ON CHURCH COUNCIL At our March meeting, kudos were given to the Women s Guild for their great effort in raising money for Redeeming Life and to the group of people who helped with the process of getting all the photos taken for the church directory. Special kudos were also sent to Mary Hoskin for the great job she did running events while Lonnie was out, and Norma thanked Roy Martin for his great work keeping our properties running smoothly. Roy Martin shared with Council the work that s being done around the church and said that Keith Higgins has agreed to help spruce up and take care of the Garden of Remembrance. Roy also requested an additional $1,000 to put in a concrete pad for a sitting area outside the front doors of the church. More bids will be obtained for this. Ron Stamer has resigned as the Finance Committee Chairman. We will need to find someone to full his position. We discussed the possibility of bringing in a vicar for our church. After discussing what all would be involved in bringing in a vicar, a decision was made to hold off for now and revisit the idea in a couple of years. We also discussed training someone to be a backup to lead worship services should Pastor Fischer be unable to attend services on a Sunday for whatever emergency may come up. The complete minutes of the meeting will be posted on the bulletin board as always. Cindy Braun, Congregation Secretary USHERS & GREETERS: We have been experiencing a lack of volunteers to serve as ushers and greeters. We are in great need of someone who can serve as a leader for this ministry to speak with members of our congregation and encourage them to volunteer and then develop a list of two greeters and four ushers each month to serve in these important areas. Greeters and ushers are the first people that our visitors and members meet on Sunday. If you are willing to serve as an usher or greeter, please sign up at the Welcome Center. THANK YOU EVERYONE for supporting our Baby Bottle Campaign thru the month of March. We were able to present $1, plus to Redeeming Life Maternity Home at our March 13 th Guild meeting. Sheryl DeWitt and Kyle Lublin gave us an update on their program and were very thankful for your generous donation. We talked about Easter Visitations to our shut-ins and then enjoyed the Bible Study on "What is the Trinity?" by Norma Karpiscak. We found the additional comments from Pastor Fischer very interesting. We adjourned the meeting to attend the Lenten Service and soup lunch that followed. LAY READERS NEEDED! Each week someone reads the Old Testament reading and the Epistle reading during our worship service. Is that someone YOU? If you would like to take part in the service by being a lay reader, please sign up at the welcome center. Readings can be given to you in advance so you can practice. This is a wonderful way to use your talent and serve your congregation in our worship service. Our next meeting is on Wednesday, April 3 rd, at 9:00am. There will be the election of officers, planning Mother's day gifts and a LWML devotion by Jodell. Afterwards, we will attend the 11:00 am Lenten Service with soup lunch to follow. I'm proud to say that Saturday, March 23 rd, we had 10 ladies from our Guild attend the LWML Suncoast Zone Spring Rally at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Masaryktown. Our group also put on a skit on the tools God uses to hold a meeting and communicate. There were over 70 ladies and 2 Pastors in attendance and the Bible Study, Service and lunch was enjoyed by all. Don t forget to wear your HAT on Easter Sunday! Your President Bonnie Wright.

5 Page 5 April 1 April 14 April 18 April 19 QUILTING FOR CHARITY Dearest Friends, Please, don t be an April Fool! Join our fellow believers the world over in the Lenten walk to the cross. Reread the Gospel and feel once again how much our Lord and Savior loves us. Yes, I said loves us. Experience the joy that follows the pain and suffering Jesus felt. Then be elated all over again on Easter morning as we proclaim, He is Risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!! How great is our Redeemer! Oh, how he loves you and me! This past month has been most event-filled for me personally and for the quilters, too. When I could not be with the group due to my husband s accident, they carried on beautifully and productively. Following are some photos of them at work: Barb busily putting batting into place Dani s Quilt in Pastels Ladies tying quilts. Erna doing hand sewing. Shirley stitches in the ditch. (Unfortunately, I was not able to get the other finished products photo d for you this month but will do so next month, God willing.) On March 9 th, Marcy and I had the honor of attending the dedication of the Habitat Home of Carol Shad. She was very emotional and overjoyed to be in a home of her own at long last. She had requested specific colors for her first very own quilt and we did our best to honor her request. Before we entered her home after the ceremony, the quilt had already been laid in its place on her bed. See the following photos of the event: Shad Habitat Home Carol Shad after cutting the ribbon Gift table for Carol Shad Our quilt upon Carol s bed I also had the pleasure of presenting a lovely springtime centerpiece from the Forest Oaks Crafty Ladies to Carol. You can see it on the gift table next to the Christmas tree. The next Habitat Home Dedication is scheduled for March 30 th. There are 2 other homes already under construction with the walls up. I think they want to keep us and the construction volunteers busy! We quilters will look forward to an Easter break! Thank you to everyone for your support through these trying times. We are richly blessed in so many ways! May God bless each of you. If you find that you would like to join in our activities or just want to stop in to see us working, come to the Fellowship Hall on any Monday afternoon between 1:00 and 4:00. We would welcome your company. Karen We wish you a Blessed Easter! April 21

6 Page 6 We encourage you to pick up and fill out an End of Life choices form, copies of which are located at the Welcome Center and in the church office. After you fill out this information, we will add it to your church membership file. You can leave the filled out form with the office or in Lyla s box in the hallway. Lenten Lunches: Many thanks to all who have joined us on Wednesday during Lent and brought a wonderful soup meal. Every cook has done an outstanding job. It is with a bit of excitement as I await the choice each week. You have all been great and I thank you. The rest of us after enjoying our wonderful Lenten message enjoy the soup and fellowship. Easter Breakfast: We will have a sign up sheet at the Welcome center for Easter Breakfast. For those of you who have not been here in the past, we typically sign up for egg stratas. If you need of a recipe, please see Lonnie. We have breakfast after our sunrise service and after our 9:30 service. Besides the egg dishes, I will need fresh fruit, so those who enjoy cutting up fruit, we have some thing for everyone. I will be putting the dishes in before the 9:30 service. We may need some cooked if you are coming to the early service. Just check with Lonnie Benmore and we will fit you in for your convenience. We of course will have desserts. We would like you to sign up so we can anticipate our seating. Postal Drive: It s hard to believe but it s that time again. This would be the National Association of Letter Carriers. (NALC). It is always the day before Mother s Day. The date is May 11, We have approximately 6-8 pantries that participate. In the year 2010, we offered our parking lot as a drop off for the carriers. Everyone who participates is entitled to share in the staples. This is where we get our biggest inventory for our pantry. We offer our fellowship hall to get in out of the heat while waiting for food. We offer snacks and Pastor cooks burgers and hotdogs. There are many jobs and much help is needed. We have packers in the parking lot, help in the kitchen, boxing and storing our supplies as it comes in. We ask that each pantry share in the help due to the fact they share in the benefits. I am sure there is a job you can do, besides the work we get much pleasure with the fellowship of neighboring pantries. Because of the great need, I will have a sign up sheet where you can select where you might like to work and designate the time you can give us. Please rather then dismissing this event just give us a couple hours. Lonnie Benmore. BODY AND SOUL FOOD MINISTRY NEEDS: cereal saltine crackers canned soup peanut butter jelly canned fruit canned chili stuffing mix canned yams canned sloppy-joe mix pancake mix toilet paper canned beef stew canned potatoes bars of soap canned pasta (Spaghetti-os) plastic bags Volunteers In February, we served 357 families with a total of 931 people, including 283 seniors and 248 children. There were 327 repeat families and 36 new families. The families that we served in February came from the following zip codes: Homeless 2 Please remember our food ministry and the people we serve when you shop and in your prayers.

7 When you reach age 70½, you can make cash donations to IRSapproved charities out of your IRA. It is called a qualified charitable distribution (QCD) and Forest Oaks Lutheran Church is a qualified charity. QCDs have potential tax-saving advantages primarily because they are not included in your adjusted gross income (AGI) on your tax form. You only get a tax benefit from a regular charitable deduction if your total itemized deductions exceed your standard deduction. With the increase in the standard deduction, it has become harder to claim itemized charitable deductions and thus gain any tax savings. A QCD taken from your traditional IRA counts as a distribution for the purpose of the required Page 7 CUT TAXES WITH CHARITABLE GIVING FROM YOUR IRA minimum distribution (RMD) that you would otherwise be forced to receive and pay taxes on. If you can afford to donate IRA money, you can benefit tax-wise if you Won t itemize deductions due to the bigger standard deduction. So a regular charitable donation won t deliver any tax savings, but a QCD will. Want to avoid being taxed on the RMDs that you must take from your IRAs. Because tax rules for Roth IRAs are favorable, it s best to leave your Roth balances untouched and earning more tax-free income rather than taking money out with QCDs. For more information about making a qualified charitable distribution from your IRA, please talk with your financial planner or tax preparer. It s time to start thinking about Vacation Bible School! This is a wonderful outreach opportunity to our community and to bring children to Christ. We will be holding a planning meeting soon with all volunteers. Watch for additional information on VBS in the bulletin and newsletter. Think about where you may be of service and say, YES! to VBS. As a volunteer you will be investing in the lives of children who need to know Jesus. We also need Thrivent members to get busy and request funds to help us out. Thank you. THE FRIENDLY CHURCH A friendly church is one where worshipers greet one another warmly and sincerely. A friendly church is one where members seek out newcomers and make them feel welcome and important. Visitors hear that the congregation can help meet various needs: spiritual nourishment, Christian education, fellowship, friendship, service opportunities, support and comfort during difficulties and more. A friendly church has something for everyone. It becomes a loving home where people desire to return frequently for spiritual, social, physical, and emotional support.

8 Page 8 Memorial and Honor Gifts - through March 24, 2019 Praise God for blessing us through those He s placed in our lives! With Gifts in Memory and Gifts in Honor, you demonstrate your love and appreciation for someone, while contributing to drawing people to Christ and expanding the reach of the Gospel through various ministries at Forest Oaks. GIFTS IN MEMORY: A memorial gift is a meaningful way for you to celebrate the life of a dear one who has passed on, or express to their family how much they meant to you. We extend our deepest sympathy to families who have recently lost loved ones. Hoping all things that made your loved one a special gift from God will forever bless your life in beautiful memories. God is our refuge and strength...psalm 46:1. In Memory of: Contribution for: Given By: John Karpiscak Future Maintenance Ms. Norma Karpiscak Loved Ones Food Pantry Ms. Mary Angrisani Future Maintenance Ms. Darleen Keck Roman Parks Food Pantry Mr. & Mrs. William Hoskin Future Maintenance Mr. & Mrs. Ron Stamer Bob Turffs Food Pantry Mr. & Mrs. William Hoskin Future Maintenance Ms. Jackie Bearden, Ms. Marliss Bord, Ms. Louise Hirsch, Mr. & Mrs. Roy Martin Unspecified Ms. Margot Hoyt, Ms. Susan Mutschler GIFTS IN HONOR: An honor gift marks a special occasion or acknowledges someone who has had a significant impact in your life or to praise God for His blessings. It s a great idea for birthdays or anniversaries, or just as a way to say thanks. In Honor of: Contribution for: Given By: Lynn Postel for his recovery Food Pantry Mr. & Mrs. Robert Villarrubia We believe that faith in Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation; We believe we should share the Gospel of Jesus Christ; We love others because Christ loved us; We should foster Christian fellowship in love by extending a helping hand; We believe our members should be involved in the study of God s Word; We are committed to honor and glorify God and carry out His will.

9 If you know of a FOLC member, a family member or friend who is ill or in the hospital, please let the church office ( ) and Marilyn Nibert ( ) know right away. The names will be placed on the Prayer List for one month and will be removed if the office or Marilyn is not updated. Page 9 Lyla, our church secretary, is a Notary Public and can notarize your documents. There is no charge for this service, but PLEASE CALL first, if you want her to notarize something for you, to make sure she will be in the office and have her notary seal with her. Our Church Office Hours: Monday through Friday 9:00 am - 1:00 pm (Monday is Pastor s Day off) Closed Saturday and Sunday. *Hours may vary occasionally. PLEASE NOTE: If you call on Saturday or Sunday, you will get our answering machine. No one will answer the phone, so please leave a message and your call will be returned on Monday. We are still collecting the following items: 1. UPCs from Campbell s soup labels. The Sunday School gets free stuff for all we send in. 2. Used ink cartridges 3. Used eyeglasses 4. Coupons for Food Pantry 5. Labels for Education 6. Aluminum cans for F.O.C.U.S. 7. Box Tops for Education* 8. Aluminum Tabs from soda cans* Containers are outside the Fellowship Hall. *Donation boxes are at the Welcome Center. ATTENTION! All articles for the weekly Bulletin and slides MUST be in by 1:00 PM on Wednesday if you want it included for that week. Please send or give your item to Lyla in writing. Thank you. It is very important to check with the Secretary in the church office before you schedule a meeting or event. Our members always take precedence over the outside groups/organizations that meet here. We just have to be sure and alert them to any changes that have to be made. Another reason for checking first before scheduling is that you may not be aware of another church meeting or activity that is already on the calendar. Thank you for your kind consideration and cooperation in the scheduling process! Have you moved? Did you disconnect your land line? Did you change your address? Did you get married? Did you have a baby? Did you get a divorce? Do you wonder why the church has not been connecting with you? Please let us know when you have an address change, change, phone number change, change in family status, etc. If you have an address, please send an to our office: folcoffice2@tampabay.rr.com and your name will be added to our contact list. That way we can let you know of sick members and cancellations of church activities. You can also get our newsletter and send in any prayer requests or information to the church. WE ARE ON THE WEB AT: APRIL 21

10 Page 10 April Birthday* Blessings to: 01 Paul Schmidt 03 Bonnie Broberg 09 Vivian Schmitz 11 Ron Stamer 12 Christine Henson 17 Elizabeth Wu 23 Tony Davidson Walter Neumann 24 Ann Lindish 28 Phil Kuehn 30 Diana Koelling April Anniversary* Blessings to: 14 Phil & Sharon McKenna 16 Gary & Cindy Bartz 17 Rev. Craig & Becky Harmon May the Lord be with you always And as years go passing by, May your happiness keep growing And your blessings multiply. God Bless your day! * If you don t see your birthday or anniversary listed or you prefer not to have the date included please contact the church office. Call, , or write it down and leave it in Lyla s box in the hallway. Thank you. Pick up your copy of the April- June 2019 Portals of Prayer at the Welcome Center. A contribution to defray the cost is appreciated. A BIG THANK YOU to Ellouise Emke for all her hard work on the new church directory. Thank you also to the volunteers who gave of their time to help and to those who had their pictures taken for the directory. BIBLE STUDY Pastor s Bible Class Sunday at 11:00am Body and Soul Bible Study Thursday at 9:00am From Pastor and Jan Lehr: Kathie & Paul Schmidt BLESSED & HAPPY EASTER

11 14 Palm/Passion Sunday 21 Easter 1 April Fool s Day 22 Office Closed 18 Maundy Thursday 19 Good Friday S U N D A Y M O N D A Y T U E S D A Y W E D N E S D A Y T H U R S D A Y F R I D A Y S A T U R D A Y 7 Worship-9:30am Fellowship after service Sunday School-10:45am Bible Class-11:00am Mites Sunday Worship-9:30am ** Fellowship after service Sunday School-10:45am Bible Class-11:00am Worship-7:00 am Worship-9:30 am ** Breakfast after services Sunday School-10:45am Newsletter Deadline 28 Worship-9:30 am ** Fellowship after service Sunday School-10:45am Bible Class-11:00am Quilters-1:00pm 8 Quilters-1:00pm 15 Quilters-1:00pm 29 Earth Day Quilters-1:00pm 2 TOPS-8:00am Food Ministry-9:00am 9 TOPS-8:00am Food Ministry 9:00 am Finance Comm.-9:00am 16 TOPS-8:00am Food Ministry-9:00am 23 TOPS-8:00am Food Ministry-9:00am SH Garden Club-1:00pm 30 TOPS-8:00am Food Ministry-9:00am Forest Oaks Lutheran Church 3 Women s Guild-9:00am Lenten Service-11:00am (lunch follows service) W.I.S.E-6:30pm 10 Lenten Service-11:00am (lunch follows service) W.I.S.E-6:30pm 17 Handbell Choir-5:30pm W.I.S.E-6:30pm Choir-7:00pm 24 Care Ministry-1:00pm W.I.S.E-6:30pm 4 Body & Soul Bible Study 9:00am Handbell Choir-5:30pm Choir-7:00pm 11 Bible Study 9:00am Handbell Choir-5:30pm Choir-7:00pm Bible Study 9:00am Produce Drop-9:30am Worship-7:00pm ** 25 Body & Soul Bible Study 9:00am Handbell Choir-5:30pm Choir-7:00pm 5 H.C.I.G. Mtg.-6:30pm Worship-7:00pm ** Holy Communion will be celebrated at this service. 8:00am-12:00pm