Active in Faith. Mission and Vision Statement: February 29 Clinking Coins (Matthew 26:14 16) March 7 Crying Tears (John 11:35 36)

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1 Active in Faith March 2012 Monthly publication for members and friends of Faith Lutheran Church 4005 Palm Drive, Punta Gorda, FL Pastor: Rev. Dana Alan Narring Mission and Vision Statement: Empowering all people to know Jesus Christ. With God all things are possible. Matthew 19:26 Sounds of Lent February 29 Clinking Coins (Matthew 26:14 16) March 7 Crying Tears (John 11:35 36) March 14 Tramping Feet (John 18:1 6) March 21 Crowing Rooster (Luke 22:60 62) March 28 Shouting Mob (Matthew 27:15 25) Times: 4:30 and 6:30 with Lenten supper at 5:00 April 5 April 6 Sloshing Water (John 13:1 20) Maundy Thursday Pounding Hammer (John 19:17 18) Good Friday Weekly Bible Studies/Devotions Pastor s Information Class Bring your questions and invite a guest to Pastor s Information Class each Monday (February 27 th March 19 th ) from 12:30-2:00 pm. These four weekly session will help us better understand God s Word and Sacraments and our relationship with God and one another. We will also discuss our Synod s position on various contemporary topics... and generally get-to-know one another as we study God s Word. Those desiring to become Members or Associate Members are encouraged to attend. Visitors are welcome! NEW CLASS Sunday 8:15 to 9:00 AM A Longer Look at the Lessons Monday 7:30 to 7:55 AM Morning Devotions Start your week with God, and join Pastor Narring in the sanctuary as he leads us with a hymn, meditation, readings, and prayers. Thursday 10:30 to 11:30 AM Pastor Clyde s Bible class.

2 Shepherd s Message Greetings in Christ! In April, the season of Lent (a time for repentance and reflection) ushers in the season of Easter. During Lent, we ve looked at ourselves and realized that way too often we fall short of our Lord s expectations. We do what we should not be doing,... and we fail to do what we should be doing. This is true also for us as stewards of all that God has given us. Rather than being generous in our use of time, talents and money... we often selfishly use our lives... and our resources for ourselves rather than first, for God s purposes. God blesses us with all of life and life s resources so that we might be a blessing to others. Our old sinful nature urges us to use all these things first, for ourselves, and then, (if there is something left over) for others and God s purposes. Or, some may reason, We ll give, only if the church really needs something... we have to be prudent, you know. We recognize with St. Paul,... it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. (1 Cor 4:2) As you already know, we have been entrusted with all of life and life s resources (which are all owned by God). It is His expectation that we will use them wisely and well. Way too often, however, we fail to do what God expects... The Good News is that when Jesus said It is finished on Good Friday, He was telling us that with His holy life and sacrificial death, He paid the full price our sins and guilt. Any past failures we have had even to live as God s stewards we can take to our Lord in prayer and receive the assurance that we are made right with God through the sacrifice of Jesus. Forgiveness, through Jesus Christ, is the best way to handle all of our past failures! Easter brings us a breath of fresh air filled with joy and hope! As St. Paul wrote: He [Jesus] was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. (Romans 4:25) That truth makes us into Easter People people filled with joy and hope! Easter replaces our failures, our faults yes, all of our sins... and makes us into people of hope, Hope in Christ does not disappoint us because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us. (Romans 5:5) On Easter we greet each other by saying, Jesus Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Because of Christ s Easter Victory over sin, death, and the grave... we have the sure hope that we are redeemed stewards. In cooperation with (and encouragement from) our fellow redeemed stewards in Christ, we freely and joyfully manage all of life (and all of life s resources) first for God s purposes. As God s Easter People, may we seek to share the blessings and the love of Jesus which He has richly blessed us! A blessed Eastertide to you all! In Christ, Pastor

3 President s Corner Dear Faithful Members of Faith Lutheran Church, I just got back from our vacation and wanted to share some thoughts with you before I miss the deadline for the March Newsletter. Marcia and I visited Louisiana and saw first hand the tremendous aftermath of hurricane Katrina from over six years ago. So many homes destroyed, so many lives changed, and the comeback is very slow. It was far worse than the devastation many of us had right here in Punta Gorda over seven years ago. This really got me to thinking about all the problems we not only have personally with health, finances, and relationships, but what we know is going on in our world that has a direct effect on us and gives us additional cause for worry. The economy, the job market, inflation, conflicts and potential conflicts throughout the world, not to mention what is happening in Greece, Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq, China and other parts of the world that have a direct effect on each and everyone of us. Have you ever wondered about who is really in charge? The answer is really quite easy. Just Open the Book! Isn t that what Pastor Narring keeps telling us to do? So, that is where I went to find the answer, and there in 1 Peter 1:25 I saw it: the Word of the Lord endures forever. This is a wonderful verse and I find it rather comforting, and it serves as a good reminder that God is always our leader and is in control. The Bible will always have all the answers. Prayer will always be the most powerful thing on Earth. The Holy Spirit will always move us. God will always honor the praises of His people. There will always be God-anointed preaching. There will always be singing of praise to God. God will always pour out blessings upon His people. There will always be room at the Cross. Jesus will always love you. Jesus will always save the lost when they come to Him. I hope you find this encouraging, I surely did. Till the nets are full, let s keep on fishing. May the Lord bless you and keep you, Larry Berkel, President

4 Wandering Editors Note We did all that in February? is what you may ask after reading and looking at the results and pictures of events. March is also full of activities, and it begins with Women s Breakfast: Who Am I, Lord? on March 3. We are in the season of Lent, a time to reflect and confess our sins and seek the forgiveness of sins Christ, our Lord, gives us. Many of the activities include worship Sounds of Lent on Wednesdays and Pastor s new Bible class. Stay focused and, like Christ, set your face toward the cross. Seek His face rather than the time on Facebook. Terry and Naomi Weslock SPOT LIGHT ON Altar Guild Ever wonder how they pour all the wine into the little individual communion cups? How much work is involved behind the scenes? It takes dedicated people led by Bonnie Doeren. Each step for preparing to set up for communion is followed religiously. It begins with making sure the correct color of paraments are used. The color of the altar paraments follows the scheme of liturgical colors. The corporal is the linen placed on the altar on which the sacred communion vessels are placed. The purificator is the napkin that is used to clean the chalice. The chalice is the cup used for the common cup in which the wine is poured. The cruet is the vessel that holds the extra wine. Individual glasses fit into a template in a round tray. The wafers are placed on paten trays. The veil covers all communion vessels. Some people are assigned special jobs such are laundering the linens, ordering supplies, and keeping pastor s alb (robe), cincture (rope-like belt) and stole (narrow band of cloth) clean and pressed. The Altar Guild is always looking to more volunteers, especially during the summer months. If you are interested, please call Bonnie Doeren ( ). Ginny Bowden filling the individual glasses with wine. At Faith we use disposal cups. Left to right: Cruet, Chalice, purificator (napkin), paten trays, and individual glasses.

5 Faith Ladies Guild Veterans Nursing Home On March 10 and 11 the LWML Ladies Guild will have an ingathering of items needed at the Douglas T. Jacobson State Veterans Nursing Home in Port Charlotte, Florida. Martin Hudock, a member of our congregation, is a resident there. Let us remember our veterans and be thankful for the sacrifices they made for us. God bless them all. Laura Meyer Electric razors Disposable razors Douglas T. Jacobson State Veterans Nursing Home Acceptable Donations Adult incontinence pull-up briefs (M/L/XL) Nail clippers Nail files Manicure sticks (orange sticks) Socks (L) T-shirts (L/XL/XXL) House coats (M/L) Slippers with tread Brushes and combs Sealed puzzles New DVD movies Gift cards Cash donations The library accepts large print books Regular print books (fiction not older than 1 year) Magazines less than 3 months old Current out of area newspapers Powder (baby/talc) Bar soap Mouthwash Items we do NOT accept Magazines older than 3 months Newspapers older than 1 month Used toiletry items Open incontinence items VHS tapes Cassette tapes Open/used puzzles (missing pieces) Stained/tattered clothes Furniture No dry cleaned items We ask that the following acceptable donations are not trial size and be sealed/unopened in the original container: Shampoo, conditioner, body wash, toothpaste, lotion, deodorant, Efferdent and toothbrushes.

6 Faith Ladies Guild Style Show with Fashions by Macy s March 17, 2012 at Faith Lutheran Church 4005 Palm Drive, Punta Gorda Doors open at 11:30 and lunch will be served at 12:00 Catered Champaign Lunch by Culinary Arts School Menu: Herb Marinated Chicken Breast with Spring Greens, Mandarin Oranges, Spiced Strawberries, Praline Pecans and Confetti Vegetables dressed with Poppy Seed Vinaigrette, Fresh Baked Croissants, Bread and Butter Pudding with Jameson Crème Auglaize, Carmel Sauce Iced Tea and Coffee Donations: $18.00 (Portion for Ya- Ya Girls Backpack for Kidz) Thrivent supported For more information contact Beverlee Winslow or Margaret Andrews Our Quilt Group needs more helpers! LWML Ladies Guild meeting will be on March 21 th at 9:30 AM. Pastor Selle from Amigo en Christo will speak about his mission. If you have any questions, please call Sherrie Marks: Training is available! No spectacular talent required. Needed now are...fabric cutters: this can be men or women...sewers: anyone that can sew a straight line...people to tie square knots on the first and third Tuesday 9:30-11:00...Folks to assist putting layers together for a finished quilt. Questions? Call Arlene Wells The quilts are sent to Lutheran World Relief, abuse shelters, nursing Homes, veterans care facilities and other places as needs are called to our attention. Over 1,000 lap quilts have been made and disbursed to any who have a need.

7 Under the direction of Beverlee Winslow many volunteers worked numerous hours Monday through Friday before the doors opened for the Flea Market on February 4. Monday the tables were set up and sorting began. By Friday tables were filled with donated items brought in throughout the week. We would like to thank everyone who helped make the Flea Market a success. We made about $1900. This will help our many mission projects. The Guild Saturday the people in the community began looking for bargains. Hans Springer, the associate director of the LCMS Orphan Program in Kenya was the speaker on February 15. Our orphan, Kevin, is under the sponsorship of this program. Hans showed slides of the Kenyan people and the contrasts of life in the rural and urban areas. When asked why there were so many orphans, he simply said, Their parents died of aids or malaria. It takes $ to meet the basic needs (education, health and food) for each orphan. About 50 people attended which included 14 men. Casseroles made by the LWML ladies, fresh fruit and coffee cakes were served afterwards. Margaret Andrews President

8 Board of Missions Jack and Cathy Carlos In January we took on a large project to support our missionaries, Jack and Cathy Carlos, in Guinea, West Africa by hosting a spaghetti supper. It was a sold out event with 160 in attendance. We cleared $1, and Thrivent will be giving us another $ One of the objectives of the Board of Missions is to support others in the world. Prayer Requests from Jack and Cathy Jack and Cathy have settled in their home. There are things we take for granted living here, but are not always available in rural areas of Guinea. Their prayers after they arrived included: Thanksgiving for the almost 24-hour city electricity that they have had at their home...thanksgiving for working internet. Other prayer requests are...that they may be a help and blessing to the people they see during the week who need eyeglasses or health care...thanksgiving that people are beginning to attend the Prayer Day. On a personal note please include prayers for Jack s health. He has been diagnosed with Parkinson s disease, but he has been feeling good since they have settled in a routine. Because Jack will have to return to the States twice a year for medical check up, they will need extra funds. If you wish to support them check out and go to Guinea. There will be instructions on how to Funding is being cut to our schools and therefore they are in great need of supplies for the students and for the classrooms. Please stop by the table in the narthex and pick up a list of items needed. After you purchase them, put them in the basket provided and we will see to it that they get to our local schools. The board is still continuing to collect cell phones that are no longer being used. After deleting information on the cell phone, please put it the box in the narthex. The proceeds from the recycled phones will be used to purchase phone cards for our military personnel. This is one way to support our troops. The care packages containing personal products and treats are like treasures from home. Pick up a list of requested items on display in the narthex. If you know of a soldier stationed overseas, give us his/her address, and we can mail a box to them. Carol Leasure Chairperson

9 Board of Education Come and join the Amazing Desert Journey team. Vacation Bible School is scheduled for March 14 and 15. This year we are planning a morning VBS because all schools are on spring vacation. The sessions will run from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. with lunch for the kids. This year s theme is "The Amazing Desert Journey - Where Jesus leads us Home"! Please let everyone you know that we are offering this opportunity for the youth of our community. We will be targeting the VPK's in Punta Gorda this year. This includes 4 and 5 year olds and early elementary children. If you are interested in helping with VBS, contact Cheryl Kampa by cheryl645522@yahoo.com or by phone at We still need volunteers to help with snacks, games, crafts, etc. Please contact Cheryl if you would like to volunteer for these activities. We are also looking for some specific items for decorating for VBS. The theme is "Desert Journey" so we would like to set up a "tent type" structure and fill it with rugs, pillows, baskets, etc. so that it looks like a "desert bazaar" area. If you have anything that you could donate for two days that would help us with this theme, we would appreciate your help! We are also looking for a big "multicolor parachute" to use for one of the games. There are eight Bible study groups meeting at church and in homes and over 70 people participating! If you have never attended a small group Bible study, this will be a good time to try. If you would like to visit one of the groups contact Cheryl Kampa by cheryl645522@yahoo.com or call Cheryl Kampa Chairperson Board of Elders Board of Elders is serving breakfast on: March 11 and May 13 after the service Come and join the good food, fun and fellowship Bob Page Chairperson

10 Board of Fellowship Lenten Suppers will be served at 5:00 by February 29: March 7: March 14: March 21: March 28: Evangelism and Stewardship Choir and Altar Guild Fellowship Elders (Pastor s 2nd Anniversary) LWML Ladies Guild Saturday Worship and Pizza and Ice Cream Social. The church was filled and 135 attended the fun and fellowship in Zalman Hall on February 18. There were six musicians sharing their gifts to the Lord. Lots and lots of pizzas for everyone. Plenty of ice cream and toppings for all. What would you like to drink? Hugh leads the Glee Club in a sing-along. We ended with God Bless America, Betty Pio Chairperson

11 First of all I d like to thank our Faith community for being so positive regarding the church s music. Your choir, though small, is mighty. Music is to enhance our liturgy and that is the beauty of having choirs, soloists, contemporary musicians etc. Faith Lutheran has all of this and is growing. I ask you all to give thought to YOUR time and talent. Think about joining our choir or the Men s Glee Club Just remember, All are welcome in this place. As your music director, I am so happy being here to serve God with my Faith family. Please feel free to call me at the office or May God hold you in the palm of His hand. Tish Pannozzo Strawberry Festival Bus Trip Thrivent Financial for Lutherans will be hosting a Bus Trip to the Florida Strawberry Festival in Plant City on Friday, March 2 nd. The bus will leave from Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Port Charlotte at 10AM and will return at 6 PM. The cost is $20 which includes your admission and the bus. Seats are limited. For more information, Happy anniversary Adrian and Jenna Kukuk 3/19 Charles and Darleyne Holt 3/26 Kenneth and Marilyn Wessel 3/27 Will and Charlotte Puska 3/28 Birthday blessings Andrew Sias 3/2 Judy Niemeyer 3/3 Richard Fasnacht 3/4 George Boehm 3/12 Robert Schlueter 3/12 Margaret Schlicht 3/13 Lorraine Smith 3/14 Pat Fasnacht 3/13 Elaine Hahn 3/15 Marilyn Moore 3/15 Richard Koll 3/16 Sharon Hall 3/17 Eugene Eickstaedt 3/18 Waltrand Mitter 3/18 Gladys Jeffery 3/22 Lois Nieman 3/22 Myron Oetting 3/22 Joyce Jandola 3/23 Laura Meyer 3/26

12 Sunday, March 11 Venturing Crew 3 Faith Lutheran's new Boy Scout Venturing unit was officially formed as Crew 3, Tuesday 2/7/12 and will meet, each 1st & 3rd Tuesday from 7-8:30pm in Zalman Hall. They will conduct an organizational meeting and sign-up for area boys and girls age Our congregation is committed to providing a safe place for our unit to meet and is asked to encourage these Scouts in their endeavors. We are also asking for an additional 3-5 adults to serve as Advisers (Pastor Narring is our Chartered Organization Representative) to complement the existing leaders needed to form the unit. You can expect to spend 3 hours per month (or more, if you wish - and as your time allows) advising and supporting Crew 3. Our crew will participate in boating, camping, and have an emphasis on shooting sports (conducted at nearby Price Sanders Scout Reservation). Although not required by any unit, they also have the desire to provide support for Faith (and possibly other churches in our circuit) in the form of service projects and other events. Please stop by to sign-up, or simply greet our new Scouts and their leaders. This is another excellent opportunity for us to reach-out to our community. Pastor Narring View weekly announcements and calendar at: The church s office address is: faithadmin88@embarqmail.com Church office hours are 9am-1pm Monday-Friday Deadline for April newsletter is March 22. Please all announcements, articles and photos to wanderingweslocks@netzero.com Editor will reserve the right to proofread and edit all articles for the monthly newsletter.