PARISH LIFE OF OUR LORD S LUTHERAN CHURCH FAITH. MOVES. HERE.

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1 PARISH LIFE OF OUR LORD S LUTHERAN CHURCH FAITH. MOVES. HERE. From the desk of Pr. Amanda March 2018 To dare to pray. Pray continually. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (CEB) During this year s season of Epiphany, we made a point of praying for the congregation, and in addition to the playground getting moved in without a hitch, at least some people have felt a shift towards profound peace in the atmosphere of the congregation. People are talking more and complaining less, showing up for more events and showing up for each other more often. There is a tangible shift, and so many people appreciated the daily prayer calls, that we have decided to continue them until the Holy Spirit makes it known that we should stop! Thanks be to God!! Now, during Lent, our mid-week worship is focused on intercession, or prayer for others. Our daily prayer will still be for the congregation, but our worship will be focused beyond the congregation. It is a somewhat outrageous thing to think that our prayer for far off places and seemingly impossible problems will actually make any difference, but I believe it does. It is very common to hear that prayer changes the person praying more than it changes the situation, but I believe it can change the situation, too. God heard the cry of the Israelites. God s mind was changed when Moses and Abraham begged, and Jesus told the disciples that some things could only be cured through prayer. I invite you to come be part of this audacious endeavor, to bring God s love to the world through prayer on Wednesday nights. Even if it doesn t make sense, just come see what it feels like to allow all those things which tug on your heart strings to tug on God s heartstrings, too. And, all of that has gotten me thinking about prayer and the congregation especially since prayer is one of the ancient disciplines of Lent. I m going to leave the question of unanswered prayer for another time. That sub-topic just too much for this article. But, when we think about the prayers that are answered, or are simply a good conversation with no conclusion, I wonder how often we stop short of the profoundly audacious, outrageous, mysterious gift that God calls us into through prayer. If Moses would have thought his prayers were too much for God, where would we be now? In the Lord s prayer, we are taught to be in conversation with our Abba, our Daddy. What wouldn t you ask a loving daddy for? There isn t hardly anything you wouldn t ask for or talk about. The other aspect about talking to God so intimately, is that it is beyond your comprehension how things will actually happen. Think about when you were a kid. You knew that you wanted a bike, but you had no idea how the whole process worked for a bike to show up in your driveway. It makes me think that it is better to ask for what is on our heart instead of talking about the specifics of how to get there, and to stick with one thing instead of jumping all over the place. If nothing else, if my heart doesn t line up with the work of the Holy Spirit, God will have a much easier time changing my heart on one thing instead of one thing a day! As we continue through Lent and prepare for the resurrection, I invite you to be outrageous, and audacious, and mysterious by committing yourself to prayer. Even if you don t understand, or it seems like it isn t working, just see what it is like to be part of what the infinite Trinity is doing in the world! I can guarantee that it will make you feel very important and very small at the same time WEST HEFNER RO AD O KL A HOMA C ITY, O K (4 05) ww w.ol lc.or g o ail.c om Fac ebook.com /O llc.org

2 Here is my current prayer for the congregation. It is one of many, but this is my consistent one that I have been praying for a while, and I will continue until I find myself turning towards something new. I invite you to join me if you wish, or pick something totally different. It all depends on how the Holy Spirit is moving in your heart! Most Holy Trinity, give us ease and laughter as we come together as the body of Christ gathered at Our Lord s. Form our congregation to be a place where mercy and peace are noticeable. Make us a beacon of your light to people who overflow with joy and wisdom in their faith, or are ready for that Joy to come as they grow in faith. Give us a sense of openness to the people whom your Holy Spirit is drawing along the same paths, that we may walk together as a larger group with an abundance of resources at Our Lord s, to shine even more brightly with your love. God, make us more awesome than we can imagine. Amen! May you continue to see the glimpses of the resurrection as we journey to the foot of the cross this Lent. Rev. Amanda Esping CONGRATULATIONS Congratulations to Surry Little for having been elected by his piers to the Boy Scouts Order of the Arrow. The Order of the Arrow is Scouting s National Honor Society and recognizes those who best exemplify the Scout Oath and Law in their daily lives. Its purpose also is to develop leaders with the willingness, character, spirit and ability to advance the activities of their units, Brotherhood, Scouting, and ultimately our nation, and to crystallize the Scout habit of helpfulness into a life purpose of leadership in cheerful service to others. Surry has participated in numerous Scout camping and outdoor adventures and will continue his regular Scouting activities. As a member of the Order of the Arrow, Surry will also participate in additional activities outside of Scouts which includes High Adventure camps. Surry faithfully serves OLLC as an acolyte and attends weekly Confirmation classes. As part of his Scout activities, he recently led our children s Christian Education class. We are very blessed to have Surry as an active member of our congregation and pray for his continued success in his Scouting endeavors. 2

3 Lenten offerings this year will be going to Hope Is Alive, a mentoring program for recovering alcoholics and drug addicts. Their mission is to inspire hope, build foundations, and change the lives of people affected by addiction. Their first mentoring home for men was located just a couple of blocks from our church. They have now grown to seven homes in Oklahoma City, including one for women, and soon one in Tulsa as well. They have created an environment and culture of accountability, celebration, teamwork, and faith, while teaching life skills that prepare the residents for a life of lasting sobriety and success. Learn more about them at Adult Lenten Study Please join us on Sunday mornings at 9:20am to study whet the bible has to say about the different meanings of Jesus death and resurrection! Lenten Worship Wednesdays at 7pm Please join us as we sing our prayers around the cross each Wednesday in Lent at 7pm. Wednesday, Feb 4: 7pm, Ash Wednesday Thursday, March 29: 7:30pm, Maundy Thursday Friday, March 3 : 7:30pm, Good Friday Worship Sunday, April 1: 10:30am Easter Worship with Easter egg hunt beforehand Our Lord s has a new Facebook page: Facebook.com/Ollc.org Be sure to like it today! 3

4 ATTENTION ALL OLLC WOMEN. Save the Date: May 6, 2018 Perhaps nothing stirs up old memories of church potlucks like JELLO. The oh-so-many kinds of JELLO dishes. So, to take us back to when JELLO was a food group of its own, Tuesday WELCA will host a ATTENTION ALL OLLC WOMEN. Save the Date: May 6, 2018 JELLO luncheon on Sunday, May 6 th, directly following our worship service. All women of OLLC are invited to attend. So dig into those old church cookbooks and whip up and bring a favorite JELLO dish to share either a salad, main dish or dessert which includes JELLO gelatin or JELLO pudding & pie filling as an ingredient. We have plenty of refrigerator space to keep your JELLO dish nice and cold during our 10:30 worship service; we ll then transport them to the conference room for lunch following worship. Also, if you were a church go-er back in the 1950 s, you may recall that most women (and men) wore hats. So, while we all dine on our favorite JELLO of yesteryear, let s all wear our favorite hat. Questions? Contact Karen Foran Ladies Aid Society, September 6, 1953 Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church, U.A.C.* Center Township, Calhoun County, IA 75 th Anniversary of the Congregation *Unaltered Augsburg Confession 4

5 Playground Update! Thank you to everyone who helped Ruben's crew to move the playground! It is completely installed, and the needed repairs are scheduled for the weekend of March We will talk about the next steps at council on the 11th. Hopefully in another month to six weeks, depending on the weather, we will be ready to welcome the kids to their new playground! The construction/caution tape will be gone soon and ready for the children to enjoy! 5

6 Coffee Fellowship Time! Please use the sign up sheet, located on the Information Counter, to choose when you would like to host-- starting coffee before worship and bringing donuts, cookies, cupcakes or other treats to share after worship! Upcoming hosts are needed for dates for April are: 15th, 22nd and 29th. May dates are all currently open. New Coordinator(s) needed! Please consider answering the call to serve on Sundays! Altar Guild is a great way to serve OLLC in a quiet, behind-thescenes way. One person sets up on Saturday (or early Sunday morning) and another person cleans up after Worship. It doesn t take long to do but is certainly missed if it doesn t get done. Please prayerfully consider joining up to help out in such an important way. To join, please talk to Carolyn Zachritz or Pastor Amanda. Thank you! Did you know that if you make a purchase from any of the BC Clark Jewelers stores here in Oklahoma City, they will give a percentage of your purchase to OLLC? That has been a long-standing tradition of BC Clark. So if graduations and weddings or any other gift-giving occasion is in your future, please consider a gift purchase from BC Clark. Coupons can be found on the bulletin board in the fellowship hall. Simply present the coupon to BC Clark Jewelers at the time of your purchase and a portion of your purchase will come to OLLC. OLLC Wants to Hear from You! Together, We are Made New in Christ! Being in constant conversation about ideas, questions, and concerns is important to everyone at OLLC. Hearing the Spirit speak through each other is one of the ways which God continues to bring forth new life in this place! You are always welcome to place a written message in the feedback drop box near your mailbox, attend a church council meeting (2nd Sunday of every month at 6:30), share your prayer concern with the prayer group (see Dee Sundholm), or contact Pastor Amanda or any member of the church council. Thank you for being part of the Body of Christ at OLLC! 6

7 LWR PERSONAL CARE KIT Items may be placed in the green box in the narthex. In March we are collecting bath size bars of soap (4 or 5oz), any brand, in original packaging. Adults meet at 9:20 and Children meet at 9:30am to grow in faith, love, and knowledge of the love of God! Please Join Us! CHILDREN S WORSHIP BULLETINS and activity sheets are available on the table in back of the sanctuary along with crayons, colored pencils, etc. More items are in the ushers room. Ask an usher if you need help locating these items. The 2018 Flower Calendar is on the office door. Sign up today! The gift of flowers are a wonderful way to beautify our sanctuary! Open dates for March are : 11th (2), 18th (1), and 25th (2). April dates are: 1st (1), 8th (2), 22nd (2), 29th (1) Lutheran Disaster Response Lutheran Disaster Response brings God s hope, healing and renewal to people whose lives have been disrupted by disasters in the United States and around the world. When the dust settles and the headlines change, we stay to provide ongoing assistance to those in need. Learn more by visiting Regional Food Bank, 3355 S. Purdue, OKC. OLLC Volunteers from 9:30am until Noon on the First Saturday of Each Month On Saturday, February 3, OLLC s faithful "worker bees served at the Regional Food Bank packing pinto beans. They packaged 4,176 pounds of frozen pinto beans into 2-pound bags (2,088 of them!). This is enough food for 3,480 horribly boring meals, says Chuck. Those worker bees were Chuck and Charlie Wende, John Tassey, Larry Eberhardt, Lloyd Scheidt, Alan Green and Dick Morrow. Thank you to them for their faithful service. Don t the rest of us wish we had been there? Let s all resolve to go next time, March 3. January 2018 Treasurer Report January income of $19,357 is above budget of $16,469 (18%). January donations of $17,955 is above budget of $15,225 (18%). YTD income of $123,105 is above budget of $115,284 (7%). YTD donations of $113,761 is above budget of $106,575 (7%). January expenses of $17,725 is below budget, $17,782 (0%). YTD expenses of $117,175 is below budget of $119,178 (2%). Net Income YTD is $13,908. The checking account balance at the end of January at Quail Creek Bank is $7, The money market account balance at the end of January at Quail Creek Bank is $136, and is broken out below according to how the funds can be used. General Fund $57, Restricted Fund $79, Total $136,

8 March Church Family in Service Assisting Ministers (D. Gillson) 4 Jenny Myers 11 Chris Henkel 18 Lou Ann Bletsch 25 Lynn Little Cantors (Bill Fuller) 4 Jim Collings 11 Chris Henkel 18 Carolee Wende 25 Wayne Craney 29 Lois Carlton (Maundy Thurs) Greeters (Dee Sundholm) 4 Amanda Green/Cherylann Kidd/ Gene Naukam 11 Jacob Edingfield/Lynn Little 18 Diane Milligan/Linda Scheidt/ Karen Foran 25 Dee Sundholm Money Counters (Gene Naukam) 4 Cal & Judy Benhardt 11 Wayne & Karen Karst 18 John Tassey/Holly Van Remmen 25 Dick Morrow/Gene Naukam Flowers ($22.00 per bouquet) 4 Zachritz/ Joseph/ 25 Flower Pick Up Anna Naukam Altar Guild Jenny Myers/Cal & Judy Benhardt Ushers Diane Milligan/Holly Van Remmen March D 1 Holly Van Remmen 3 Debi Morrow 15 Meridith Tassey 20 Michael Scheidt 29 Pastor Amanda Esping Lili DeRennaux 30 Lynn Little Flower: Jonquil Birthstone: Aquamarine or Bloodstone Easter Schedule Please join us, and invite your friends! Thursday, March 29: 7:30pm, Maundy Thursday Friday, March 30 : 7:30pm, Good Friday Worship Sunday, April 1: 10:30am Easter Worship with Easter egg hunt beforehand Deadline for the April newsletter is March 19. Articles may be ed to the church at: ourlordsokc@gmail.com or placed in the Office Assistant s mailbox. Flower Orders may be placed by filling out the form located near the office door. Please leave completed forms in the office assistant s mailbox. Bulletin Articles must be submitted by 11am Monday morning to be included in the weekly announcements. Christ in Our Home devotion booklets are available at the information counter. These are the known birthdays and anniversaries for the month of March. If there is an error, or if your special day is not listed, please let us know. We don t want to leave anyone out! Drop us a line: ourlordsokc@gmail.com or