Holy Week & Easter Sunday Schedule. Palm Saturday/Sunday March 24 th /25 5 PM and 10:30 AM. Maundy Thursday with First Communicants

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1 March 2018 Christ the King Lutheran Church Where We Are About God s Grace For God s People Holy Week & Easter Sunday Schedule Palm Saturday/Sunday March 24 th /25 5 PM and 10:30 AM Maundy Thursday with First Communicants March 29 7 PM Inside this issue: Pastor s Corner 2-3 Youth News 4 Offerings & Attendance Stewardship Ministry 7 Educational Opportunities Those Who Serve 10 Calendar 11 Special points of interest: Holy Week & Easter Schedule is Set CTK hosts Hope at the Inn March Christian Education Opportunities Scheduled Claim Your Thrivent Choice Dollars by March 21st 6 8 Ecumenical Good Friday at St. Stephen s Episcopal March 30 Noon Good Friday at Christ the King March 30 7 PM Easter Sunday April 1 8 AM and 10:30 AM Easter 9 AM on April 1 st too!!! *Also, let us know how you d like to help us out in worship! Treasures For God s Work Jesus taught many things during his ministry. One of his many important messages / lessons is found in the following text from Luke Chapter 12: For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Members here at Christ the King are demonstrating that they understand this lesson. The financial giving by our pledging members has always been strong and 2017 was no exception in fact 2017 has been truly an outstanding and blessed year. 92% of our pledging members have reached and frequently exceeded giving at or above their pledged amounts! THAT S RIGHT 92%! Praise God for His blessings and THANK YOU to all of you for your generosity.

2 Page 2 Pastor s Corner Lamentations 3:16-18 He has made my teeth grind on gravel, and made me cower in ashes; my soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is; so I say, Gone is my glory, and all that I had hoped for from the Lord. The book of Lamentations is not a book very many people go to for comfort, for hope, for joy. I went to it in January as a part of my personal devotions hoping to find words, phrases, biblical fodder to help me get through a spell of what I could and should call spiritual depression. I use that term very hesitantly, but also very truthfully. Even pastors, as much as we try to keep up a bright face and a sunny disposition, go through periods of turmoil and trouble in the soul. God seems distant. Time in prayer is distracted, unfocused. You ask, seek, and knock but hear only silence. Every winter something like this happens to me, perhaps because of the lack of sun, the cold weather and being cooped up, the fatigue of Advent sliding into Christmas, a brief respite for New Years, but then marching right on into Lent with not much time to breathe because of year end reports, annual meetings, budgets, and yearly planning. Know that when you say Pastor, we always pray for you and for your family it means the world to me. Lamentations didn t provide me with joy, but it does help shine a light on the darkness to get through the pain and to the joy of God. Lamentations helps to provide a grammar, a vocabulary to express the dark nights of the soul we all go through: My soul is bereft of peace... And for that I m so thankful. The Bible isn t all about praise and being happy; though we have much to praise God for and be happy about, for sure! But do we do a good enough of a job grieving, lamenting, bringing out into the open that which pains us and drags us down? The Bible does, but we don t, I m afraid. And I m just as guilty as anyone. Shouldn t it be okay to say aloud with Jeremiah I ve forgotten what happiness is...? Is it faithful to say something like Gone is...all that I had hoped for from the Lord? Jeremiah experienced intimate, joyful fellowship with the Lord, but he also experienced the pain and agony that came with being under the judgment of God. Jeremiah s words in Lamentations can help us get though the darkness and on to the joy. Other faithful Christians have gone through bouts of personal struggle and turmoil: Martin Luther and his anfechtung, Charles Spurgeon and his (most likely) clinical depression, C.S. Lewis began calling everything into question at the height of his popularity in the 1950 s, and even saints in the Scriptures struggled mightily too: Moses, Elijah, Jonah, Job, and we can t forget the Son of God himself, Jesus Christ, our Suffering Savior. Lent is a good time to be struggling though. The heaviness of sin, the burden of sorrow, the questions with no clear answers we place in our Savior s lap. Cast all your burdens/ anxieties on Him, because He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7). Our Lord walks with us through

3 Page 3 Pastor s Corner Continued this. I will be with you always (Matthew 28:20) Jesus said and promised! The Lord is unearthing something in me, in you, in the midst of our struggles, depression, and sorrow. What is unearthed will be beautiful. Easter shows us life conquers death; enlightenment dispels questioning; light will banish the darkness; joy will return and we will remember what happiness truly is. Easter can t come soon enough! Your brother in Christ, Pastor Chris Easter Lilies/Memorials If you would like to adorn the sanctuary on Easter Sunday with a lily we invite you to sign up to provide one in memory of a loved one. The cost is $15. Sign the back of your worship response card or call the church office to make your intentions known. You may also make a memorial in memory of a loved one by signing up in the same manner. All memorials and lilies will be printed in the Easter bulletin. Easter Breakfast Breakfast will be served on Easter morning from 9:00-10:30 a.m. and will include Scrambled Eggs with and without Ham, Sausage, Potatoes, Fruit, Muffins and Beverages. A free will offering will be taken and designated for World Hunger. We look forward to seeing you there. Good Friday Prayer Vigil If you are looking for some quiet prayer time we have set aside 2:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. 12:00 midnight on Good Friday for you. Sign up on the list by the guest book. The times are in half hour segments. Devotional materials will be provided. Hope at the Inn Christ the King will be hosting the rotating homeless shelter this month as Hope at the Inn gets ready to wind down for the Spring. Here is a list of upcoming dates and sites if you would like to volunteer. Your support is greatly appreciated, both at Christ the King and throughout Delta County! Visit the website to sign up: or sign up on the board in church too. March 4-10 Covenant Church March Central U. Methodist March Christ the King March Harbor Lights Church of God

4 Page 4 Faith Formation: Confirmation +Be sure to Turn in Sermon Notes and memorize your Small Catechism! +Confirmation Classes continue throughout March on 9 AM +Midweek Lenten Dinners and Worship Only three more! Wednesdays, March 7 th, 14 th, and 21 st Time: Soup/Sandwich dinners begin officially at 6 PM, worship begins at 7 PM. Confirmation Students on prep duty will need to be here around 5:45 PM. The other students will help out in worship and clean up after dinner in a timely manner. +Saturday evening, March 10 th Texas BBQ Mission Trip Fundraiser +No Confirmation Class on Easter Sunday, April 1 st +Coming in April: Beginning our annual Brat & Burger Fundraiser Mission Trip Fundraisers It s going to cost about $1000 per student/adult to go to Houston for the ELCA Youth Gathering. This makes fundraising plans throughout the year challenging and all the more important. So far this year we have raised a good portion of the funds needed, but aren t quite there yet. Thanks for your remarkable generosity so far! This month, on March 10th after Saturday night worship, the Mission Trip students and their parents will be hosting a good-ol fashioned Texas BBQ since we ll be going to Texas in June! Come and be fed, southernstyle! Stay tuned for our last couple of FUNdraising nights and events in 2018: Mexican food night in May and our usual Brat & Burger sale through Elmer s. Thanks again in advance for your generosity and helping our youth make this dream possible! First Communion Study Baptized Third Grade students at Christ the King have been receiving their First Communion on Maundy Thursday in Holy Week. We continue that important ministry and tradition. We will meet for three (3) more Sundays in March (4 th, 11 th, and 18 th ) to prepare our students for receiving the precious gift of the Sacrament. Class begins shortly after Sunday morning worship (around 11:45 AM). First Communicants will be welcomed to the Lord s Table on Maundy Thursday, March 29 th.

5 Page 5 Senior Luncheon When we think about March we often think about St. Patty s Day and when we think about St. Patty s Day our thoughts are drawn to Corned Beef & Cabbage. For years we have served that at our Senior Luncheons in March but this year we re changing it up a bit. On Tuesday, March 13th, at 12:00 noon we will serve our monthly luncheon. On the menu will be Rueben Sandwiches, Fries, Vegetable, Dessert and a Beverage. Sign the back of your worship response card or call the church office to make a reservation. Join us as we all celebrate being a little bit Irish for the day. Dear Pastor Chris & Members of Christ the King Thank you for your continued partnership in our ministry. You are sharing the love, light and hope of Christ through your generosity the love, light and hope that saves and changes lives. God Bless You, Audra Buchmiller Pregnancy s of Delta County recently received a check from Christ the King for $635 ($263 from the January Prayer offering and $372 from the November Senior s Luncheon). We also donated a nice collection of clothing and baby products to provide support to men, women and their families as they care for their children both preborn and born.

6 Page 6 Offerings & Worship Attendance For February Date 5 P.M. 10:30 Total S.S. Confirmation February 3/ February 10/ February 17/ February 24/ Average attendance for February: 118 Offerings For February February 4 $3, February 11 $2, February 18 $2, February 25 $1, Monthly Income: $10, Monthly Needed: 13, Difference: - $3, Year-To-Date Income: $28, Year-To-Date Needed: $27, Thankfulness: An Online Opportunity to Give If you need a convenient way to make recurring contributions, are out of town and would like to give, missed worship and still want to give out of the generosity of your heart, we encourage you to check out our electronic giving option. As we get back into the routine of things, you may find electronic giving a most welcome routine and an easy way to make contributions. To set up a recurring giving schedule, visit us online at and locate the Online Giving button on the right side of the webpage. Thank you for your generosity and support of God s work through Christ the King! Spring Delta Conference Come and join us on Sunday, April 15 th at 4 PM to see what s been going on in our conference and synod! We will talk about current and future ministry ventures including getting ready for the Synod Assembly in May and the UP State Fair in August. The host congregation is Cavalry Lutheran Church in Rapid River.

7 Page 7 Stewardship Ministry Offering Talk Focus for March: Church Music & Organist Psalm 98:1, 4-6 O sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things. His right hand and his holy arm have gotten him victory.make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises. Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody. With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord. This month we give thanks for the music ministry at Christ the King. Through our offerings and tithes we can make a joyful noise to the Lord with Beth Ann and Nancy leading our way with their talents, and also with our choir singing their hearts out! Thanks be to God for them and their dedication to us, and thanks be God for generous hearts that support that joyful noise at Christ the King! Faithful Stewardship: Ways to Give and Make a Difference Deferred Charitable Gift Annuities are a way for middle-aged and older persons to plan gifts to ELCA ministries while providing themselves with a future life income. The longer one can defer the payout from a gift annuity, the higher the resulting income percent for the life of the donor(s). Further, and income tax deduction is received when the deferred gift annuity is entered, and a significant portion of the annual income from the annuity is received tax-free when payments being. If the intent to make a gift exists, when compared with the historical rates of return of fixed investments (and indeed the current fixed investment rates), ELCA deferred gift annuities represent a significant opportunity for future life income. Making a Joyful Noise to the Lord Choir rehearsals for providing special music at various services in Holy Week and Easter will be held March 7th April 25th. The Wednesday rehearsals will be from 5:30 6:30 p.m. If you like to sing, no matter what your age, then we encourage you to give this a try. See you on the 7th. For more information contact: Timothy Knutsen, ELCA Foundation at or someone in the church office that can direct you.

8 Page AM Bible Study: Gospel of John This month continue slowly walking through the Gospel of John, going step by step through a dense, symbolic, yet also easy to understand and theologically rich book which recounts the glory of Jesus Christ in his incarnation, through his teaching ministry, through his signs/ miracles, and the fulfillment of the Father s redemptive plan through His Son s death and resurrection. Here s what we re covering and when this month: March 7 th John 3:22-35 John the Baptist, the Bride, and the Bridegroom March 14 th John 4:1-42 Woman Samaritan at Jacob s Well March 21 st John 4:43-52 Jesus Heals and Official s Son March 29 th John 5:1-18 Jesus Heals and Invalid Note: Bible Study picks back up after Easter on April 11 th Thursday Theology 2017/2018 Winter Focus: Formula of Concord We continue our 7 month focus on the Formula of Concord where we ve been looking at some of the controversies surrounding Lutheranism after Luther died, and how the church worked together to come to important theological consensus which empowered the church for her mission, public teaching, worship, and proclamation. We meet in the library at 11:30 AM on the following Thursdays in March: March 8 th Article Nine: Christ s Descent into Hell March 22 nd Article Ten: Church Practices Lay School For Mission One of the great treasures of our synod and conference of churches in Delta County is Lay School. Over the years, students have gathered from around our conference; brothers and sisters in Christ from Escanaba, Gladstone, Stonington, Trenary, Rapid River, and anywhere in between. They gather to dive deeper into their life of faith with God, covering some of the significant tenets of our faith, what the Bible means, and the joyful struggle to communicate those timeless truths. Lay School has been on hiatus for a semester and again is on hiatus this Spring. Might the Lord be calling you to Lay School next Fall? Let us know!

9 Page 9 Let Us Pray For those Celebrating Birthdays On: March 3: Bill Gartland March 4: Justin Cobb, John Hendrickson March 5: Tanner McDonald March 7: Beth Jacobson March 8: Pat Wendrick March 11: Rob Jensen March 12: Tucker McDonald March 13: Jared Murray March 14: Joey Kutzera March 15: Kevin Boudreau March 16: Krissa Gafner, LeRoy Sovey March 17: Harold Strasler March 19: Marlene Raeder March 22: Tim McDonald March 23: Matt Adams, Judy LaCasse, Leigh Schmidt March 24: Vivian Frossard March 26: Bella Lindstrom March 28: Meagan Johnsen, Dutch Solis, Bob VanEffen March 29: Geri Jo Berthaume March 31: Mary Hovey, Corey Kang, Pete Schlenvogt, Shirley Smith Thrivent Choice Dollars Eligible benefit members of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans have until March 31st to direct any remaining 2017 Choice Dollars. After that date the unused Choice Dollars will expire. These available dollars can be directed among thousand of 501 c non-profit organizations including Christ the King. You can easily take care of this by going on-line, making a phone call to Thrivent or calling the local office for their assistance. Act soon, before these free monies go away. If you would like to stop by the church office we also will assist you with this. Readings For March March 4 The 3rd Sunday in Lent Exodus 20:1-17; Psalm 19; 1 Corinthians 1:18-25; John 2:13-22 March 11 The 4th Sunday in Lent Numbers 21:4-9; Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22; Ephesian 2:1-10; John 3:14-21 March 18 The 5th Sunday in Lent Jeremiah 31:31-34; Psalm 51:1-12; Hebrew 5:5-10; John 12:20-33 March 25 Palm Sunday Zechariah 9:9-12; Psalm 31:9-16; Philippians 2:5-11; Mark 11:1-11

10 Page 10 Those Who Serve Readers March 3/ 4 5:00 Lisa Temple 10:30 Brett Boudreau March 10/11 5:00 Nancy Norberg 10:30 Patty Lindstrom March 17/18 5:00 Lin VanEffen 10:30 Kim Heath March 24/25 5:00 Dawn Martin 10:30 Connie Schmidt Acolytes March 3/ 4 5:00 Colton Carter 10:30 Ian Burroughs March 10/11 5:00 Brett Boudreau 10:30 Camree Bonifas March 17/18 5:00 Evan Burroughs 10:30 Brett Schlenvogt March 24/25 5:00 Jillian Cobb 10:30 Caydence Carter Altar Guild March 3/ 4 Sandy Jacobson & Judy Anderson March 10/11 Mary Jo Johnson & Beth Jacobson March 17/18 Lin & Bob VanEffen & Judy Anderson March 24/25 Laverne Picard & Connie Schmidt Assisting Minister March 3/ 4 5:00 Nancy Norberg 10:30 Roland Jacobson March 10/11 5:00 Sam LaMarche 10:30 Lance Lindstrom March 17/18 5:00 Bob VanEffen 10:30 Roland Jacobson March 24/25 5:00 Lance Lindstrom 10:30 Connie Schmidt Communion Assistants March 3/ 4 5:00 Nancy Norberg 10:30 Roland & Sandy Jacobson March 10/11 5:00 Sam LaMarche 10:30 Lance Lindstrom & Pat Johnson March 17/18 5:00 Bob VanEffen 10:30 Roland & Sandy Jacobson March 24/25 5:00 Lance Lindstrom 10:30 Leigh & Connie Schmidt

11 2018 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 10:00 Coffee with the Staff 7:00 HATI Training 1 7:00 Confirmation Lock-In 2 5:00 Communion :00 Faith Formation 9:30 Coffee Hour 10:30 Communion 12:00 1st Communion Instruction 7:00 Property Committee Meeting 1:00 Joy Book Club 9:00 Quilting 9:30 Bible Study 5:30 Choir Rehearsal 6:00 Soup Supper 7:00 Lenten Worship 10:00 Coffee with the Staff 11:30 Thursday Theology 5:00 Communion 6:00 BBQ Fundraiser 11 9:00 Faith Formation 9:30 Coffee Hour 10:30 Communion 12:00 1st Communion Instruction Noon Worship & Music Meeting 7:00 Executive Committee Meeting 12 12:00 Sr. Luncheon 1:00 Joy Book Club :00 Quilting 9:30 Bible Study 5:30 Choir Rehearsal 6:00 Soup Supper 7:00 Lenten Worship 15 10:00 Coffee with the Staff 5:30 Finance Mtg. 6:15 Church Council Meeting :00 Communion 18 9:00 Faith Formation 9:30 Coffee Hour 10:30 Communion 12:00 1st Communion Instruction :00 Joy Book Club 21 9:00 Quilting 9:30 Bible Study 5:30 Choir Practice 6:00 Soup Supper 7:00 Lenten Midweek 22 10:00 Coffee with the Staff 11:30 Thursday Theology :00 Communion 25 9:00 Faith Formation 9:30 Coffee Hour 10:30 Communion :00 Joy Book Club 28 9:30 Bible Study 5:30 Choir Rehearsal 29 7:00 Maundy Thursday of Holy Communion 30 1:00-6:00 & 8:00 Midnight Prayer Vigil 7:00 Good Friday 31 No Saturday

12 1230 North 18th Street Escanaba, Michigan Address Requested Phone: (906) We re on the Web! This issue of the King s Herald is given in memory of James P. Stasewich by Gayle Stoykovich KING S HERALD March 2018 CHURCH OFFICE PASTOR Rev. Chris Johnson address: pastorchris.ctk@gmail.com CHURCH OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR Arlene Cody address: c.lutheran@att.net Website: WORSHIP SCHEDULE: Saturday 5:00 p.m. Worship Sunday 9:00 a.m. Youth Faith Formation; 9:30 a.m. Coffee Hour; 10:30 Worship Holy Communion is celebrated at every Saturday and Sunday service. At the 10:30 a.m. service communion will be distributed using continuous communion.

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