GOOD NEWS FROM THE PASTOR S HEART

Transcription

1 GOOD NEWS Congregational United Church of Christ April 2016 FROM THE PASTOR S HEART One of my favorite stories in the Bible is recorded in the last chapter of Luke s Gospel, Luke 24: It is the account of two followers of Jesus on the road to Emmaus the very afternoon following the incredible drama of the Resurrection of Jesus. Luke mentions that it s a distance of about seven miles from Jerusalem to the village of Emmaus. Luke also mentions that these two followers were talking with each other about all these things that had happened (referring to the earlier report of Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told of their experience at early dawn on this first day of the week to the eleven [apostles] and to all the rest ). The very next statement Luke records is the telling one: While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. This intriguing account has been reflected upon by numerous writers and depicted by many painters over the years. How is it that two followers of the Christ, on the very afternoon of Christ s resurrection from the dead and following the unfolding drama of all these things that had happened in the week immediately preceding (the week we now call Holy Week ) how is it that these two cannot recognize Jesus as he walks and talks with them?! Whenever I consider this account, I cannot help but wonder how many times the Risen Christ has been walking with me in this journey of life and I, too, have failed to recognize him! Is that because I have not been expecting him to be so near on the journey with me? Is that because I am so preoccupied with whatever seems so critically important as I go about trying to faithfully serve as pastor and do my tasks well? Is that because I simply am not paying close attention? Inside this issue: In Our Prayers, Women s Fellowship Community Meal From the Pastor s Heart 3 Purple Stride 4 Weather Related Cancellations, Pig Receipts and Amazon.smile program Thank Yous 6 Birthdays & Anniversaries Questionnaires for Mission Board, Birth Announcement SW WI Association 9 Meeting These questions plague me uncomfortably! For I want to be walking with Jesus and certainly want to be recognizing him! Don t you, too? In his book, A Pilgrim s Way: Meditations for Lent and Easter, J. Barrie Shepherd shares a reflection on this amazing Continued on page 3

2 Page 2 Prayers for Luchsinger family upon the death of Larry s mother, Arlene. Prayers for Elvina Patterson upon the death of her sister, Rose Prayers for Tessman family upon the death of Doug s father, Kenneth. We will meet on Wednesday, April 13, 2016 at 1:30 p.m. Co hostesses: Emmy Hurtley & Cheryl Mani Devotions: Sonja Heiser All are welcome. Community Meal St. John s Lutheran Church April

3 FROM THE PASTOR S HEART account. May his poem-prayer touch your heart as it has mine, as I ponder this text anew and prepare to meet Jesus in the breaking of the bread. What had happened on the road This tale of the Emmaus road is a fascinating one for Christians in this present day and age. It speaks to our condition in our active, traveling, mobile way of life that the risen Christ revealed himself in the course of a journey. Mary in the garden is a poetic scene, with much about it full of grace and beauty. But I tend to see it from afar, like a lovely medieval masterpiece in an art gallery. These two travelers, on the other hand, making their sad, dejected way out of the city where their hopes and dreams had been destroyed, pouring out the burden of their broken hearts to that sympathetic stranger on the way: I read their tale and feel I walk beside them. As he explains to them the hidden, glorious meaning of the events they have seen, my heavy heart grows lighter, my mind begins to wonder and perceive. And when they ask him to abide with them, inviting them to share a simple evening meal, a sense of blessing kindles in my soul. That moment when he takes the bread and tears it in that certain way, just so, can bring the tears to my eyes even now, across so many centuries. And then I hasten with them back the way they came; yes, back to dread, bloodstained Jerusalem with all its menace and alarm, to bear the news, the greatest news that ever came to pass: The Lord is risen! He is risen indeed! Page 3 Walk beside me, living Lord, down all the roads that lie ahead. When I am puzzled and perplexed, when I doubt myself or, even worse, doubt you, draw close and make things clearer to my sight. And when I reach that final evening s rest, abide with me, reveal to me your own self in the breaking of the bread. Amen. Together with you on the journey, Pastor Lee

4 Page 4 Pancreatic Cancer is expected to become the 3rd leading cause of cancer death in the United States by the end of this year. PurpleStride Madison May 7, 2016 For the third consecutive year, my son, Marshall, and I are participating in PurpleStride Madison to continue the fight against pancreatic cancer and end this horrible disease. On May 7, we ll be striding in memory of my amazing wife, JoAnn Reese. Will you support us? Your donation, no matter the size is appreciated and will help fund research, provide support for patients and caregivers, and most importantly, create hope! Please donate at pancan.mrreese.org today. I can also accept cash and check donations. Please make checks out to Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. In the subject line, put Purple Stride Madison ( ). I would be happy to mail all checks for you. Thank you for your support! ~ Duane Reese

5 Page 5 Notification of cancellation due to weather will be listed on the web page, Facebook and a message will be left on the church phone by 8:00 a.m. Sunday morning. Members are also encourage to call one another. A reminder: Please bring your Piggly Wiggly receipts to the church, and place them in the box in the community room. Amazon has a program to support non-profit groups. Our church can now receive 0.5% of your qualifying Amazon purchases back in cash each quarter. Go to: smile.amazon.com to sign up. When prompted, search for Evansville Congregational United Church of Christ. Remember to return to smile.amazon.com (not amazon.com) for all your purchases. If you have any questions, call Mary Pitas

6 Page 6 THANK YOU Dear Church Family, A special thank you for the kindness you ve shown. Thanks so much for the lovely card and money and the wonderful party. I will miss you all. Love, Kay THANK YOU Magic Moments and the Church Council are very grateful for the monetary donation given to purchase shelving for our storage rooms. For Magic Moments it has been a tremendous help to finally be able to organize our room after 25 years. For the church, it will be huge benefit to have a place to put all our seasonal decoration and other miscellaneous items. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the wonderful gift. Thank you to Emmy Hurtley for ordering the Easter Lilies and all who helped decorate the sanctuary so beautifully for Easter.

7 Page 7 April 2 Cassandra Strommen Wally Vroman APRIL BIRTHDAYS April 26 Roxanne Weeden Vicky Rasmussen April 9 Bryce Sturz April 28 Beryl Gribbon Fago April 11 Keith Bowman April 30 Kelly Andrew April 24 Gabe Hermanson ANNIVERSARIES DeWayne & Tina Harnack John & Vicky Rasmussen 20 th 26 th

8 Page 8 CONGREGATION MEMBERS HELPING CONGREGATION MEMBERS The Mission Board would like to assist our church members in need. You will find a questionnaire in the pews to complete and return to the box in the back of the sanctuary. These questionnaires will be collected at the end of April. Thank you for your participation. Congratulations to Jasmine Eckhoff and Steve Schneeberger on the birth of their daughter, Rylee Marie Schneeberger. March 20 6 lbs. 11 oz. 19 ¾ inches long

9 Page Annual Meeting of the Southwest Wisconsin Association United Church of Christ Happy Birthday You are heartily encouraged to attend the Annual Meeting of the Southwest Wisconsin Association, United Church of Christ. April 16, 2016 First Congregational, United Church of Christ 31 Milwaukee Avenue W Ft. Atkinson, Wisconsin Come celebrate with us! The Rev. Dr. Karl Kuhn, Professor of Religion, Lakeland College, will be our keynote speaker. Karl will profile key features of early Christian ministry that are helpful models toward our life and ministry together as the Southwest Wisconsin Association. Following the keynote, there will be time to engage with Karl and one another around the ideas shared. Our Wisconsin Conference Minister, the Rev. Franz Rigert, will introduce the Conference s Shift initiative in the afternoon. Our business session later in the day will consider adopting changes to the Association s Constitution. The proposed changes have been mailed to Association churches and ministers. Registration begins at 8:30 A.M., with gathering worship at 9:00. Closing worship, with Holy Communion, will begin at 2:15 P.M. with adjournment for the day at 3:00. Directions to the church can be found on the church website Registration is $15 per person. Please register no later than April 2, Please go to: To register