Wednesday, March 6th Worship at 12:00 p.m. (noon) and 7:30 p.m. Inside this issue:

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1 VOLUME 30 March 2019 ISSUE32 A Community of Hope Making Christ Known. Join us for Worship! 9:00 a.m. Traditional Service 10:00 a.m. Fellowship 10:30 a.m. Contemporary Service Inside this issue: Wednesday, March 6th Worship at 12:00 p.m. (noon) and 7:30 p.m. Pastor s Message Worship Leader Training 2 3 Worship on Wednesdays, March 13th - April 10th Noon & 7:30 p.m. Lenten Dinners at 5:00 p.m. Calendar 4 Worship Participants 5 Thursday, April 18th 7:30 p.m. ABC Learning Center Stewardship Spotlight 6 6 Friday, April 19th 7:30 p.m. Birthdays & Anniversaries 7 Advent Lutheran Church

2 FROM THE PASTOR Dear Adventurers (if you are reading this, then you are an Adventurer), Periodically in life someone writes a tome that puts into words an idea in such a powerful way that you yourself could not necessarily write with as much profound truth. I share with you an article I believe to be such a one in lieu of my own words on the subject. To God be the Glory. Sincerely, Pastor Kim Little-Brooks When Enough is Enough By Rev. David Loleng And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19. and be content with what you have Hebrews 13:5 Our culture has convinced us that abundant life is about getting more - more of anything that can be better, newer, faster, and in our hands sooner. The anxious urge to consume now and pay later is fed by a sense of scarcity. Advertising preys on these fears; the average person in the USA is bombarded by over 4,000 advertisements each day. Ads often work by implying our lives are inadequate and unfulfilled, illustrating that we somehow need every excess we want. This ubiquitous consumerism is diametrically opposed to the abundant life Jesus reveals (John 10:10). Forces of our culture s consumerism have even weaseled their way into our stewardship language and ideas. In a theology of scarcity, we believe there will not be enough for everyone, and doubt that God will provide for us. The scarcity mentality can plunge us into toxic suspicion and bitter competition. To heal from this scarcity mentality, many people focus on shifting to an abundance mentality. But current forms of this model do not resonate with everyone. There is true scarcity in contemporary society - a scarcity of resources, opportunities, and security - a reality that hits hardest for people in historically exploited communities of color, cities in decline, and emerging adults facing a changed economy. Recognizing that God provides for us out of God s abundance does not dissolve our struggles. We must also be wary of how abundance mentality can lead to a nuanced form of prosperity gospel, which misleadingly attributes material scarcity to a lack of faith. As I have talked with a wide range of church leaders about stewardship and generosity, sufficiency has surfaced as a concept distinct from both scarcity and abundance. Lynn Twist, author of The Soul of Money, explains that: Sufficiency is not the same as abundance (abundance is more than we need it is excess). Sufficiency is precise. It means that things are sufficient, exactly enough. (Continued on page 3) 2

3 (Continued from page 2) From the Pastor Shifting from mindsets of scarcity or out-of-touch abundance, we should explore a mindset and theology of sufficiency. This approach can move us from fear and denial to creative possibilities in relation to our resources. We find a biblical example of God s sufficiency in Exodus. God provided daily for the people wandering in the desert, sending manna to eat. The catch was that the manna would spoil after a day, so they could not store it and thus relied on God every day. In Exodus 16:16-18, God instructs the people to measure the manna with a device called an Omer (with a volume of about two quarts) for each person, so that there would be enough for each person. When they measured it with an Omer, those who gathered much had nothing over, and those who gathered little had no shortage; they gathered as much as each of them needed (16:18). What if we applied this sufficiency mentality to our lives? What if we strived for enough rather than the excess of capturing abundance? And what if the abundance that we might be blessed with could be used for the common good? Having a sufficiency mindset can lead us to live more simply, to experience more contentment, to live with greater gratitude and generosity, to re-calibrate our lives to what God desires, and to use our resources for God s purposes, and by extension, the common good. As Lynne Twist goes on to write: There is a principle of sufficiency, and it is as follows: When you let go of trying to get more of what you don t really need, which is what we are all trying to get more of, it frees up immense energy to make a difference with what you have to be known for what we allocate rather than what we accumulate. Maybe such an approach to allocation, to stewardship of the resources available, is what Jesus meant when helping us transform our ideas of abundant life. THANK YOU "The family of Florence Lamb, Peggy Leonhardt's mother, would like to express our appreciation for the outpouring of kindness and support from Advent members and staff. The help provided with the funeral and the kitchen area were such a blessing at this time. All the cards received with thoughts and prayers are comforting messages to us with the loss of our Mom and Mamma. Thank you Pastor Kim for all your guidance and giving a comforting service to all. Blessings, Peggy and Bobby Leonhardt and family" WORSHIP LEADER TRAINING for early service worship leaders will be on Saturday, March 9th at 9:00 a.m. or Sunday, March 10th at 1:00 p.m. This training is for all current worship leaders and anyone interested in serving in worship. Please plan to attend one or both of these trainings. HELP SPREAD THE GOOD NEWS OF ADVENT! The board of outreach can help you with publicizing your church event through the Leader news from the pews and possibly a banner. Please contact Michele Smith at or Rodney Leonhardt

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5 Worship Service Participants Time Asst. Minister Lectors Comm. Asst. Greeters Ushers 3 9:00 Angie Cassens Barbara Jopplin Sally and Mike Knerr Travis & Lavina Oevermann Cassens Family 10 9:00 Lavina Oevermann Sydney Cassens John Cassens, Tyler Cassens James & Connie Cassens James & Cathy Tiemann, Bobie & Nina Pieper 17 9:00 Keith Tyson Scott Wieding Terry Holmes, Lavina Oevermann Vernon & Joyce Fuchs Terry & Pam Rodgers, Zack & Nita Arriola 24 9:00 Ellie Tyson Robert Russell Sally & Mike Knerr Curtis & Yvonne Wendler Travis & Lavina Oevermann. Mike & Becky Schultz 31 9:00 Rod Leonhardt Rodney Leonhardt, Jr. John Cassens, Tyler Cassens Terry & Pam Rodgers Leonhardt Family Transfiguration Sunday March 3, 2019 First Sunday in Lent March 10, 2019 Worship Scriptures Exodus 34:29-35 Deuteronomy 26:1-11 Psalm 99 Psalm 91:1-2, Corinthians 3:12-4:2 Romans 10:8b -13 Luke 9:28-36, (37-43a) Luke 4:1-13 Second Sunday in Lent March 17, 2019 Third Sunday in Lent March 24, 2019 Fourth Sunday in Lent March 31, 2019 Genesis 15:1-12, Psalm 27 Philippians 3:17-4:1 Isaiah 55:1-9 Psalm 63:1-8 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 Joshua 5:9-12 Psalm 32 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 Luke 13:31-35 or Luke 9:28-36, (37-43a) Luke 13:1-9 Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

We had a wonderful Valentine celebration on last week and made some really cool crafts for President s Day on Monday, February 18 th.

6 School News ABC Learning Center Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6. As the month of February has almost come to an end it s amazing how quickly the time is flying by. We had a wonderful Valentine celebration on last week and made some really cool crafts for President s Day on Monday, February 18 th. On a different note, the security pad/system has been installed at our front entrance and the parents are extremely pleased with it! We ve also recently had our annual licensing inspection and everything went very well. Upon our inspection we were instructed to add more loose fill (mulch) to our playground area and that has already been completed. Please remember that volunteers are always welcome to come and read a book to the toddler, preschool or pre-k class or rock an infant to sleep. A simple background check will have to be ran before you are allowed to be in the classroom for an extended period of time with the children. If you are interested please contact me at the school ( ). We currently have 50 children enrolled in our school and I pray that you will continue to support the school as a ministry and the wonderful work that we are trying to do throughout the community. ABC Learning Center, a ministry outreach of Advent Lutheran Church, a community of hope making Christ known! Advent's Beloved Children's Learning Center recently had their annual inspection by State Licensing. During the surprise inspection visit, the only violation was deficient mulch on the playground. New application of mulch is scheduled before the end of February. Mulch needs replacement approximately every two years due to natural deterioration. Congratulations to Tarita Smith, our school director, for her outstanding dedication and professionalism! Tarita is a true blessing to the school, the students, their parents, school staff and to Advent Lutheran Church. Thanks to Tarita, our school enjoys an outstanding reputation and has received an outstanding community school award for the past two years God's blessings!" Stewardship Spotlight Month of January 2019 Total Income $ 20, $ 20, Total Expenses Total Net Income Spotlight $ 21, $ 21, ($ ) ($ ) Campaign Update through January 2019 Invest in Advent General Fund: $ 16, ROC Fund: $ 10, Endowment (AA) $ Total: $ 27,

Quilting The Advent Piece Corp (quilting group) are busy quilting as we have only 2 more quilting days before the annual quilt blessing, and then pack the quilts for shipping to the Lutheran World

????? after which time we will place the quilts over the pew backs, also place some in the sanctuary so that the congregation can view what has been made over the past 10 months.

The plans for the day are to cut quilt squares and sew into quilt tops, place the tops with batting and backing, then hem and lastly tie the quilts.

7 Quilting The Advent Piece Corp (quilting group) are busy quilting as we have only 2 more quilting days before the annual quilt blessing, and then pack the quilts for shipping to the Lutheran World Relief Warehouse. We strive to have quilts to ship. We plan to hold the annual quilt Saturday, on April 6th. The day will begin at 9:00 am until?????? after which time we will place the quilts over the pew backs, also place some in the sanctuary so that the congregation can view what has been made over the past 10 months. There will be coffee and pastries in the AM and a light lunch at noon. The plans for the day are to cut quilt squares and sew into quilt tops, place the tops with batting and backing, then hem and lastly tie the quilts. If you plan to attend please bring your scissors, other supplies will be furnished. If you have never tied a quilt, we will show you...if you don't know anything about sewing, we will show you...it is fun to know it is going to someone as a gift of love. For nearly 70 years, compassionate people have put their faith into action and made quilts for people in need around the world. And not just a few quilts - hundreds of thousands of quilts every year. These gifts of love make the lives brighter, softer, and a bit more comfortable for our neighbors around the world struggling with displacement, chronic poverty, illness, natural disasters and conflict. We thank the congregation members for their many monetary gifts that has enabled us to purchase fabric, batting and sheets for the quilt backings. Through your generosity, we trust this ministry will flourish for a long time. Also, thanks to members that have Thrivent products and applied for a $ gift card to purchase supplies. Thanks to everyone and most importantly, the quilters who give of their time and talents in this ministry. 3/2 Larry & Sally Dresch (23) 3/5 John & Olivia Best (20) 3/10 Dale & Corinne Pieper (13) 3/13 Glenn & Connie Krebs (59) 3/28 James & Cathy Tiemann (51) 3/4 Keith Tyson 3/5 Susan Mays 3/6 Patti McCann 3/7 Marty Oeser Trenton Rogas 3/8 Bob Grimes Judy Roesler 3/9 Lindsey Cavazos 3/10 Bryant Jopplin 3/11 Lacey Pieper 3/12 Michele Smith 3/13 Reyna Rogas 3/14 Larry Petershagen 7 3/19 Chris Beck Gloria Eaves 3/23 Chris Winkelmann 3/24 Maggie Smith Jody Steck 3/26 Anna Dell Marth 3/27 Evelyn Miley 3/30 Ricky Thornton 3/31 Marilyn Marek Val Smith

ADVENT LUTHERAN CHURCH 5820 PINEMONT HOUSTON, TX 77092 713/686-8201 WWW.ADVENTHOUSTON.ORG SUNDAY WORSHIP 9:00 a.m. Traditional Service 10:30 a.m. Contemporary Service THE ADVENTURE MARCH 2019 Advent Ministers.

8 ADVENT LUTHERAN CHURCH 5820 PINEMONT HOUSTON, TX / SUNDAY WORSHIP 9:00 a.m. Traditional Service 10:30 a.m. Contemporary Service THE ADVENTURE MARCH 2019 Advent Ministers...All Advent Members! Deadline for April Adventure: March 17th Advent Staff Pastor Pastor Kim Little-Brooks ABC Learning School Director Tarita Smith Admin. Assistant Chris Ray Chancel Choir Director Scott McAdow Are you Moving? Please notify the Church office of your address change. Phone: 713/ Fax: 713/ Church Council President... Carsten Alsguth / Vice-President... Gary Mertz / Treasurer... Ron Held / Deacons... Sally Knerr / Education... Julie Johnson / Organizations... Matt Hohne / Outreach... Michele Smith / Property... Joel Vest / Stewardship... Samantha Smith / Council Secretary... Melanie Hatch / A Congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America 8

Inside this issue: Join us for Worship! 9:00 a.m. Traditional Service. 10:00 a.m. Fellowship. 10:30 a.m. Contemporary Service.

Inside this issue: Join us for Worship! 9:00 a.m. Traditional Service. 10:00 a.m. Fellowship. 10:30 a.m. Contemporary Service. VOLUME 30 January 2019 ISSUE 1 A Community of Hope Making Christ Known. Join us for Worship! 9:00 a.m. Traditional Service 10:00 a.m. Fellowship 10:30 a.m. Contemporary Service Inside this issue: Pastor