Missionaries. In This Issue: Spotlight on. Messiah Staff. Council. Spotlight on Missionaries. Church Committee Liaisons page 2

Transcription

1 M e ssiah Messenger March 2019 Messiah Staff Pastor Susanne E. Smith Youth Director Kelly Benz Assistant Youth Director Laura Carruthers Administrator-Bookkeeper Dennis Wohlers Secretary Shelley Morton Choir Director Alice Kenel Organist Hal Morton Facilities Jerry & Kay Claussen Adam Gerst Nursery Attendant Ashley Hester Preschool Staff Margie Gerst, Dir. Krystal Klein Erica Moser Council President Joanne Mohr Vice President Cathy Borden Treasurer Stan Lehman Secretary Sandy Good Sue Abbott Ruth Allen Ty Buras Marge Classen Nancy Johannson Kathy Newberry Don Shackleford Dave Weiler Donna Williams Spotlight on Missionaries Supporting those who carry out God s work in faraway lands has long been the focus of Messiah s mission sponsorship. The ELCA works with missionaries in 86 countries worldwide to bring the word of God to places where it s needed. But of what benefit is proclaiming the good news to people who have more pressing things on their minds, such as poverty, hunger, disease and war? St. Francis of Assisi said preach the Gospel at all times. When necessary, use words. ELCAsupported missionaries preach the wordless Gospel in many ways to help meet the needs specific to each population. Whether it s building and running schools and hospitals, fostering community development, or helping young people further their education, God s love is demonstrated every day. Messiah has deep connections in Liberia, where we support Brian Palmer, whose primary job is to provide theological education while helping to see to the basic needs of those around him. His blog, Trying Small, ( recounts the successes and difficulties he deals with every day in Totota, Liberia. It s well worth your time to take a look. Brian s wry sense of humor illustrates his joy working with the people of Totota to meet needs both large and small, all the while relying on God, and us, to provide. Our mission bulletin board across from the office is full of information about Brian and others bringing the Gospel, sometimes with words, to Liberia. In This Issue: Spotlight on Missionaries page 1 Church Committee Liaisons page 2 Columbarium Siting Page 2 Preschool News page 3 From the Pastor page 3 Youth News page 4 Coming Soon page 5 Take Away Hunger page 5 Scheduled to Serve page 6 Birthdays & Anniversaries page 6 Council Actions page 6 Calendar page 7 PAGE 1

2 It s in the Youth News, but it bears repeating: A new Lenten devotional is available in the narthex. Feast on This Table Talk for Families has daily devotions for families to discuss and pray over. Beginning with Ash Wednesday and ending on Easter Monday, each day has for a topic something you might find at a feast napkins, onions, bread, plate, even crumbs! The devotion on flour (page 23) was written by Kelly Benz, our youth director. Columbarium Task Force Report The task force members discussed the columbarium placement, and comments made at the adult forum last month. The group agrees that with the increased use of columbaria, a single structure would not have enough room. The current planned placement in the courtyard would be inadequate when a second structure is needed. After some thought, the group decided on a new site, just north of the semi-circular drive along West Avenue. While still facing the cross, there is also room for some landscaping to help make this a peaceful, reflective area. Moving forward, the task force will obtain foundation drawings and landscaping proposals. TEACHING AND LEARNING ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL AND FORUM Mar. 3: Bob Fleming My term on city council Mar. 10: Gather Bible study: giving / Joel Hanger Mar. 17: Gather Bible study: giving / Joel Hanger Mar. 24: Gather Bible study: giving / Joel Hanger Mar. 31: Gather Bible study: repentance Church Council Elects Officers Committee Liaisons Assigned Messiah s church council met after the annual meeting on Jan. 27 to get acquainted and elect officers. Results of the balloting were: President Joanne Mohr Vice President Cathy Borden Treasurer Stan Lehman Secretary Sandy Good New council members Ty Buras, Marge Classen and Kathy Newberry were introduced and made welcome. New member Don Shackelford was not able to attend. During February, President Joanne Mohr assigned the following council members to the church s committees: Christian Education Ruth Allen Endowment Joanne Mohr Membership/Parish Life* Sue Abbott *Membership and Parish Life committees combined Memorials Cathy Borden Outreach* Marge Classen & Ty Buras *Messiah Cares, Social Ministry and Missions Preschool Nancy Johannson Property David Weiler Stewardship Kathy Newberry Worship and Arts Donna Williams Columbarium task force Don Shackleford Constitution task force Stan Lehman & Joanne Mohr Feel free to contact board members with your concerns and ideas. Constructive input is always welcome. *Classified Ad* A Messiah family is looking for a used car. Do you have a decent, older family car to sell? Contact Pastor Susanne for more info. PAGE 2

3 Preschool News SHAPING FUTURES Through Faith-Based Education Registration is underway for the sessions. Our list is beginning to fill up, and we would love to invite your child, grandchild or neighbor to join us. Preschool is a very important start for our children. It s their first glimpse at structure and learning how to form friendships. Learning is essential at all ages! The benefits of a developmentally appropriate preschool are tremendous. Growing in a faith-based school is icing on the cake! A new benefit for Messiah members: a discount on tuition for your child. I can help you with that process if you come see me. If you would like a registration form or need more information, please call Ms. Margie at ext. 2. As always, thank you for your support of our preschool and its mission to shape futures through faith-based education. If you are interested in providing tuition for a child next session, or would like to make a donation to the preschool fund, please see Ms. Margie. Happy St. Patrick s Day from Messiah preschoolers and teachers. Spring is coming and we are so ready and excited! From the Pastor s Desk Lent begins on Wednesday, March 6, later this year than most years. Ask me how the date of Easter is dictated by the spring equinox, or better yet, ask the members of the Thursday morning Bible study. They know how the date for Easter was decided before modern watches and calendars. Worship changes in Lent. Alleluias leave worship till Easter morning and the color of the season is the purple of penitence. The invitation to Lent acknowledges our need for repentance, and for God s mercy. It reminds us that our destiny is to live in joyful communion with God, to love each other and live in harmony with creation. To this end, we share Lenten fellowship, work on mission projects, worship and listen to stories of our faith journeys. We engage in fasting and sacrificial acts, works of love and songs of trust. There will be Easter, but not just yet. First Lent. Ash Wednesday worship includes communion and marking with ashes, and there will be no 412 Timothy or Confirmation class that night. And we have our Lenten Wednesdays here is our Wednesday schedule for the rest of Lent this year: 6pm supper; 6:30pm 412 Timothy participants meet in small groups; 7pm Holden Evening Prayer with Messiah faith stories; 7:30pm mission projects in the social hall, and confirmation class in the library. Faith stories, like much of Christian life, are words of encouragement to the congregation, and assurance that we share each other's victories and losses, trusting that our Lord holds us safe in all circumstances. Our faith storytellers in midweek worship this Lent are: March 13: Ty Buras, How I survived to get my faith back March 20: Fr. Paul Walker, How I fed the town March 27: Gwen Davis-Quick, How we got our new family April 3: Marcia Wiedemeier, How I bought a husband April 10: Braden Hayes, How I kept the faith through high school Will you join us? We promise that Jesus blesses our time together and our journey into His life. Pastor Susanne+ PAGE 3

4 412 Timothy During Lent 412 Timothy will NOT meet on Ash Wednesday March 6th. You are encouraged to attend Ash Wednesday worship with your family. Dinner 6pm and worship at 7pm. The rest of the Wednesdays in Lent (March 13-April 10th) We will meet for the Lenten meal at 6pm and you can eat with your families or small group leader, then you will meet with your small group leader from 6:30-7:00pm, and we will finish our evening with Holden Evening worship with the congregation 7:00-7:30pm. There will not be 412 Timothy on April 17th (Holy Week) and we will be back to our normal routine on Wednesday April 24th with yoga, small group, music with Alice, and prayer stations! 3rd, 4th, 5th Grade Lock-in March 29th 6pm March 30th 8am at Bethany. Bring sleeping stuff and a snack to share. Friends welcome!!! Communion Milestone Class For children in 2nd grade and up (or younger if parents wish) will be held on Wednesdays during Lent starting Mar. 13th 6:30-7:00pm. We will celebrate Communion Milestone on April 18th in worship with feet washing. Please see Kelly to register. The Youth Lenten meal will be March 13th Mexican Night Save the Date!! In the narthex is a Lenten Devotional for families to use at home this Lenten season. Each day there is a small devotional and prayer. I am excited to be a part of writing this devotional for families. I wrote the lesson on Flour. I hope you include this devotional as part of your Lenten practices this year. Luther Fast Lock-In For Jr. & SR. High April 5th 6pm April 6th 8am Friends Welcome! Girl Scout Sunday March 10th Wear your uniforms to church PAGE 4

5 Coming soon: RAGBRAI! This is going to be one fun night in Burlington. No fewer than 15,000, and possibly as many as 25,000 bicyclists will come through Burlington Friday, July 26, for dinner, and a place to stay the last night of this year s RAGBRAI ride. Messiah s council has voted to host two RAGBRAI groups for the night. We will have an inside group, the Hawkeye Bicycle Association from Cedar Rapids, and an outside group, Pedaling for Parkinson s out of Central College. The indoor group is about 70 riders most over 50 who say they only want a good night s sleep, and no late night entertainment whatsoever. Our outside group is about 50 riders who will bring tents and tandem bicycles and camp in the grass on the south side of Messiah s property. Both groups are making donations to Messiah. The inside group is bringing their own outside, propaneheated showers, and the outside group will use rented port-a-potties. Next question: where do these thousands of riders find their dinner the evening of July 26? Could Messiah be one of the churches who puts on a dinner that evening? It would be an extraordinary fundraiser for us, and a gracious contribution to the RAGBRAI experience if we do. A RAGBRAI veteran told us they would ride across town, if they had to, for homemade pie, and that they love chicken and noodles. Let s form a task force to create and serve a meal, and divide the donations from the meal to support several of Messiah s ministries. Please let Pastor Susanne know if you and your ministry group are interested in being part of this event. We will need a planning team to work with our RAGBRAI experts Messiah members who have ridden RAGBRAI in past years. We will need bakers and cooks, servers and a cleanup crew, and a treasurer. Think about it and talk with your ministry group. This could be your 2019 windfall! Messiah needs a coordinator for the Lutheran softball team for This team is composed of members of area Lutheran churches. Do you feel the call to play ball? You will announce the schedule, coordinate players for the games, and set up a meal for the team at the end of the season. Contact Pastor Susanne in the church office for more information. TAKE AWAY HUNGER'S next packaging occasion will be: Saturday, Mar. 16, at 10 am. If you re planning on being there, please sign up in the narthex. Take Away Hunger by the Numbers 2018 was another good year for Take Away Hunger, and many, many people were helped by this important food program, not only overseas, but in the United States as well: 700,000 meals went to Texas flood victims 500,000 meals to Oklahoma tornado victims 200,00 meals for flood victims in North and South Carolina 196,000 meals went to Central America Locally, Take Away Hunger packaged 119,800 meals in 2018 Calling All Keys! If you once chaired a committee or performed some other duty and had keys to the church that you no longer need, please return them to the office or drop them in the offering plate. We re rounding up the spare keys so we don t have to have more made. Thanks! PAGE 5

6 Scheduled to Serve in March 8:00 Service: Lectors: Mar Marge Classen Mar Bonnie Kienlen Mar Cathy Borden Mar Katelyn Orth Mar Mary Chicken Communion Assistants: Mar Marge Classen Mar Bill Evans Mar Cathy Borden Mar Diane Gray Mar Bob Wright 10:30 Service Ushers:... Bob Kremer (h), Blake Ruther,... Mark Smith, John & Judy Wischmeier Greeters: Mar Mary Lee Matteson Mar Lois & Dick Bailey Mar Pat & Jim Watts Mar Mar Lectors Mar Karen Cahill Mar Darwin Bunger Mar John Larson Mar Darwin Bunger Mar Dick Bailey Communion Assistants: Mar Don Duke Mar Joel Hanger Mar Steve Lehman Mar Steve Davis-Quick Mar John Larson Acolytes: Mar Brian Newberry Wednesday, Mar Wayne Carruthers Mar Kylie Wolf Wednesday, Mar Harrison Arnold, Matthew Dittner Mar Quinlan Kirk Wednesday, Mar Josie Wolter, Emma Tesson Mar Ben Wolter Wednesday, Mar Jacob Dittner, Lachlan Kirk Mar Elle Jones Altar Guild:...Chris Hanger Refreshments: Mar Sue Abbott, Marcia Lohmann Mar Mar Mar Mar Lorna Miller Mission Statement Welcoming all people to share in God s blessings by strengthening our commitment to God through prayer, fellowship and service. March Birthdays Deborah Hatteberg... 3 Ernie Voigt... 5 Jerry Claussen... 9 Mary Chicken Jane Kuepper Carla Wills Jill Fuqua Mitchell Brinkley Kevin Wischmeier Margaret Schupick Leah Galvin Barbara Shivapour Marcia Taeger Lauren Galvin Ronald Natzke Lomayiani Lotegeluaki Ruth Ann Griggs Paige Clements Nancy Johannson March Anniversaries Kathy & Brad Newberry... 6 Mary & Paul Polahar Carol & Richard Benne Kay & John Wischmeier, Jr If we ve missed your anniversary or birthday, please let the office know! February Council Actions A copy of council minutes and reports is available in the office for review. Facility usage approvals: Mar. 13: Sunrise West luncheon, 10:30 to 1:30 May 3: P.E.O., 11:00 to 4:00, Kitchen, S. Hall May 20: P.E.O., 9:00 to noon, library & kitchen July 26: Hawkeye Bicycle Assoc., RAGBRAI July 26: Central College Alumni Pedaling for Parkinson s, RAGBRAI Also: Assigned board members to church committees. Approved the appointment of Blake Ruther to the Endowment committee to fill the remaining year term of John Lundgren, who resigned. PAGE 6

7 6 Ash Wednesday 3 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 9:15 Sunday school 7:00 Alateen L 10 9:15 Sunday School 7:00 Alateen 17 Girl Scout Sunday 9:15 Sunday School 11:30 Worship & Arts PO 11:45 Preschool bd. 7:00 Alateen 7:00 Constitution task force 24 9:15 Sunday School 7:00 Alateen 31 9:15 Sunday School 7:00 Alateen :00 Men s Bible study L 18 6:30 Congregation Council CR 25 6:00 Endowment comm. 7:00 Men s Bible study L 5 9:30 Pastors text study 12:00 Al-Anon CR 7:00 Veterans Support Group L 12 9:30 Pastors text study 12:00 Al-Anon CR 6:00 P.E.O. L 7:00 Piecemakers CR 8:00 Christian Ed. comm. online 19 9:30 Pastors text study 11:30 Staff Meeting SH 12:00 Al-Anon CR 6:00 Hawkeye Quilters SH 7:00 Constitution task force 26 9:30 Pastors text study 12:00 Al-Anon CR 6:00 P.E.O. March :30 Ruth/Mary Elizabeth Circle SH 3:00 Open Circle L 6:00 Supper SH 7:00 Ash Wednesday Worship SA 13 NO 412 Timothy NO Confirmation 9:00 Piecemakers CR 10:30 Sunrise West SH 6:00 Lenten supper SH 6: Timothy 6:30 Communion Milestone class 7:00 Holden Evening SA 7:30 Mission projects SH 7:30 Confirmation L 20 6:00 Lenten supper SH 6: Timothy 6:30 Communion Milestone class 7:00 Holden Evening SA 7:30 Mission projects SH 7:30 Confirmation L 27 9:00 Piecemakers CR 6:00 Lenten supper SH 6: Timothy 6:30 Communion Milestone class 7:00 Holden Evening SA 7:30 Mission projects SH 7:30 Confirmation L 7 9:30 Bible study CR 4:30 Girl Scouts L 5:30 Property comm. CR 7:00 Sarah Circle 14 9:30 Bible study CR 6:30 Executive comm. PO 21 9:30 Bible study CR 3:30 Columbarium task force PO 4:30 Girl Scouts L 28 9:30 Bible study CR 1 12:30 P.E.O. K,SH Key CR - Conference Room K - Kitchen L - Library PO - Pastor s Office SA - Sanctuary SH - Social Hall 2 10:00 Take Away Hunger Packaging SH 9:00 Altar Guild cleaning day

8 MESSIAH LUTHERAN CHURCH 2411 West Avenue BURLINGTON, IOWA Non-Profit Org. U.S. POSTAGE PAID Burlington, IA Permit No. 360 Return Service Requested March 2019 MESSIAH LUTHERAN CHURCH Phone: Fax: Sunday Mornings Worship 8:00 a.m. Choir Practice Sunday School & Adult Bible Study Worship Third Wednesdays Supper Worship 9:15 a.m. 9:15 a.m. 10:30 a.m. 6:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. This Month Ash Wednesday - Mar. 6. Supper at 6:00, Worship at 7:00 p.m. Girl Scout Sunday - Sunday, Mar 10. Show your Girl Scout pride! Take Away Hunger packaging - Saturday, Mar. 16, 10:00 in the Social Hall Each Wednesday in March - Supper at 6:00, Lenten worship at 7:00 p.m. Every Month Men s Bible study - every 2nd and 4th Monday Weekly Bible study - every Thursday morning at 9:30 a.m.in the Conference room Al-Anon - every Tuesday at noon in the Conference room Alateen - every Sunday at 7:00 p.m. in the Library Exercise class - every Monday and Thursday at 10:45 a.m.in the Social Hall 412 Timothy - Every Wednesday at 6 p.m. Veterans Support group - First Tuesday of the month at 7:00 p.m. in the Library