INSIDE THIS ISSUE Marvelous Marv s Margins 2 Calendar 3 Obituary 4 News and Events 5 Schedules 7 Birthdays and Anniversaries 8

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1 Ebenezer Reformed Church 2997 N. German Church Road Oregon, IL Office: (815) Interim Pastor: Marv Jacobs Parsonage phone: (815) Cell phone: (480) Secretary: Dee Haak Treasurer Larry Seabold Bookkeeper Mark Lohman *Newsletter editor: Jean Woodin Prayer Chain Requests: Deb Boomgarden: or call Dee Haak (815) / (630) INSIDE THIS ISSUE Marvelous Marv s Margins 2 Calendar 3 Obituary 4 News and Events 5 Schedules 7 Birthdays and Anniversaries 8 *Newsletter articles are due SUNDAY March 18. Items can be ed to ercrays@gmail.com or put in the box in the Narthex. Thank you. CONSISTORY MEMBERS 2018 Pastor Marvin Jacobs President 2018 Elders John Smith Vice President of Consistory jwsconserv@aol.com Phone: (815) Council: Mission & Outreach (Co-Chairperson) Bill Reecher breecher1@comcast.net Phone: (815) Council: Discipleship & Education Anthony Berg aberg1959@yahoo.com Phone: (815) Council: Worship & Music Gary McDanel Mcdanel8754@comcast.net Phone (815) Council: Property & Stewardship (Chairperson) Steve Raine s.raine@comcast.net Phone: (815) Council: Discipleship & Education (Chairperson) Deacons Dale Boomgarden ddboomgarden@gmail.com Phone: (815) Council: Property & Stewardship Cara Stewart cara6485@yahoo.com Phone: (815) Council: Worship & Music (Chairperson) Marilyn Berg colafb@gmail.com Phone: (815) Council: Discipleship & Education Val Herriot dvherriot@frontier.com Phone: (815) Council: Mission & Outreach (Co-Chairperson) Skyler Martin blackhawkcattle@gmail.com Phone: (815) Council: Property & Stewardship "A body of believers glorifying God, outwardly focused, committed to growth in personal transformation and in number." 1

2 Marvelous Marv s Margins I ve set my margins this month to share a few thoughts about the future. I was sorry to hear that Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow again this year. That means six more weeks of winter! Don t even think about putting those long johns away until March 16! In the meantime, head for the mall! You only have three weeks left to buy that new pair of bermudas. Come March 17, you re going to need them! Wouldn t it be nice if you could predict the weather just by sticking your head out of the ground? Unfortunately, history reveals that Phil is only accurate 40% of the time. Given the fact that he s said to be 129 years old, however, I suppose that s not too bad! And then, there s the March saying, in like a lion/lamb, out like a lamb/lion. Turns out, lions and lambs are much smarter than ground hogs. Their accuracy rate is a whopping 44%...just shy of the coin flip! Then again, I shouldn t talk. When it comes to predicting the future, I don t fare any better than the lion, lamb, or the ground hog. If you d have asked me back on New Year s Day what we d be experiencing right now, I d have said, blue skies and clear weather! Happy Days are here again! Instead, I came in like a lion and stayed that way! First, there was the weather. My move in day had to be one of the harshest days of winter! Thank God for some very helpful and stout hearted Ebenezerites! Adding to the lion s roar of course, was the arrival of Luke and the boys. How can a family of four have that much stuff, make that much noise, and eat that much food? Still, the lion was just purring in comparison to the roar that s been heard since Eli took sick. So what happened to the lamb days I had forecast in my head? Today doesn t look anything like I envisioned it! I m enjoying the Sunday School class that is currently studying the Book of Romans (beautifully led by Marilyn and Tony Berg---no relation!). As we looked at chapter 1, I was reminded of a passage I have underlined in my Bible. Paul writes in verse 11 (rather smugly I might add), I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong. I m embarrassed to say it, but Paul probably summarized well how I was feeling before I came. Ebenezer, I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong! Could I have been more arrogant, more misguided? Going back to Paul, he no sooner pens these words, when he realizes how presumptuous they sound. Can he forecast the future? Can he be sure that his ministry is going to be such a one-sided affair? Not ready to assume the role of Punxsatawney Paul, he moves quickly to clarify his intent. Verse 12, That is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other s faith. I must apologize for my presumptuous attitude, as well. While I had hoped to be the one blessing you, I am the one who has been blessed by you! You have done all the imparting. You have done all the encouraging. It s my family that has been strengthened by your gifts, our hearts that have been touched by your love, and our faith that has been fortified by yours! I thought I had come to make Ebenezer my personal mission. I find instead, that you have made us your mission. Please accept our deepest gratitude. Paul says later in this same letter to the Romans, let no debt be outstanding except love! Please know this-our love for you will be a debt we can never repay! The saying is true. We may not know what our future holds, but we know who holds our future! Even when life roars in like a lion, that s a truth more than sufficient! ~ Pastor Marv 2

3 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Iron Sharpens Iron Men s Conference Beloit, WI 4 Food Pantry Collection 8:30AM Prayer Meeting 9:00 AM Sunday School 10:00 AM Worship 5:30 PM Soup & Sandwich Supper 6:30 PM Combined Vespers with Ebenezer 11 Daylight-Saving Time begins 8:30AM Prayer Meeting 9:00 AM Sunday School 10:00 AM Worship 5:30 PM Soup & Sandwich Supper 6:30 PM Combined Vespers with Elim 18 Newsletter Articles Due 8:30AM Prayer Meeting 9:00 AM Sunday School 10:00 AM Worship Assemble lunches for Rockford Rescue Mission 5 6:30 PM Wonderful Women in the Word 12 6:30 PM Wonderful Women in the Word 19 6:30 PM Wonderful Women in the Word 6 7 1:00 PM Ladies Aid :00 PM Christian First day of spring :30 PM Service at Rockford Rescue Mission with Elim 25 8:30AM Prayer Meeting 9:00 AM Sunday School 10:00 AM Worship :30 PM 6:30 PM Wonderful Elders Women in 7:00 PM the Word Consistory :30 PM Maundy Thursday Ebenezer 30 Community Good Friday Service time/location tba 31 3

4 Lula L. Reineke /9/1933-2/22/2018 Dixon, IL Lula L. Reineke, age 84, was welcomed to Heaven on February 22, She passed away peacefully, while surrounded by her family at the Hospice Serenity Home in Oregon, IL. She was born on May 9, 1933 to George and Ellen Grace (Myers) Stienmetz. She married Clarence E. Reineke on March 31, He passed away in Lula worked for Caron International for 32 years, babysat, and was a homemaker. She loved the color purple, reading her bible, baking especially melt in your mouth brownies, sewing, and spending time with her family. She volunteered in the Ladies Aid and occasionally at Bible School at Ebenezer Reformed Church where she was a long time attendee. Her love of God was an incredibly important part of her life. She was also a member of the Oregon Senior Center. Lula is preceded in death by her parents, husband, Clarence, daughter, Ellen Hitchcock, 6 siblings, and 1 grandson. She is survived by her sons, Joe (Margaret) Reineke of Seattle, WA, George Reineke of Ashton, Clarence (Carol) Reineke of Freeport, and Carl (Peggy) Reineke of Dixon; daughter, Vicky (Mark) Duff of Freeport; sisters, Leah Groanson and Shirley Francois; brother, Jerry Stienmetz; 7 grandchildren; 11 great grandchildren; and many special nieces and nephews. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 AM Tuesday, February 27 at Ebenezer Reformed Church with Rev. Marvin Jacobs officiating. Visitation will be held from 5:00-7:00 PM Monday in Farrell-Holland-Gale Funeral Home, Oregon and again from 9:30 AM until service time on Tuesday at the church. Burial will be at Trinity memorial Gardens in Rochelle. In lieu of flowers donations to Serenity Hospice and home would be appreciated. The family would like to encourage everyone to wear purple to Lula s services to celebrate her Heavenly homecoming. Visitation: Visitation will be held from 5:00-7:00 PM Monday Feb. 26 in Farrell-Holland-Gale Funeral Home, Oregon and again from 9:30 AM until service time on Tuesday at the church. Service: Funeral services will be held at 10:30 AM Tuesday, February 27 at Ebenezer Reformed Church with Rev. Marvin Jacobs officiating. 4

5 RAPCC MARCH IS BABY MONTH!! Ebenezer will be collecting items for the Rockford Area Pregnancy Care Center. Here are some of the suggestions: Small infant toys (teethers, rattles, etc.) Baby toiletries (baby wash, shampoo, lotion diaper cream) Spoons, bowls, sippie cups, diapers, receiving blankets, bibs, burp cloths, infant care items (nail clippers, thermometers, teethers). There will be a box in the narthex to drop them in, monetary donations can also be given. If you have any questions, contact Dee. WWW The Wonderful Women in the Word meet every Monday night at the church at 6:30 PM. They are currently studying Jesus Calling, Experiencing God s Presence. Join them and see what new revelations God has in store for you! Camp Manitoqua Camp Manitoqua registration is open! If you know someone who would be interested in camp, please contact Annette Martin or visit Manitoqua.org. Scholarships are available. Iron Sharpens Iron The Iron Sharpens Iron National Men s Equipping Conference will be in Beloit Wisconsin on Saturday March 3. Any men ages 13 and over who would like more information or are interested in attending please contact Travis Zabran. Food Pantry Collection Sunday March 4 is the monthly food pantry collection for area food pantries. This month s collection will go to Lifeline in Oregon. They are in need of canned beans, soda crackers, peanut butter, jelly, canned soup, box type soup, cereal hot and cold, small bars of hand soap, paper towels and toilet tissue. Please place monetary or food donations in the grocery carts in the church foyer. Ladies Aid The Ladies Aid Missionary Society meets the first Wednesday of each month at 1:00 P.M. at the church. There is a Bible Study, devotions, refreshments and each member brings a scripture verse for roll call relating to a certain topic. Ladies Aid takes an offering to support various ministries throughout the community, denomination and the world. They also serve luncheons when requested by family members at the time of funerals in the church. Do you have a couple hours to give one afternoon a month? Age doesn t matter; this ministry is open to all women of the church. This month s meeting is Wednesday March 7. Norma Flanagan is the hostess. Dee Haak will do the devotions. All LADIES areinvited to their first meeting of the year. They will be traveling with Bonnie Mueller to a new location. Bonnie always gives an excellent program on interesting places. COME ONE COME ALL! Naomi Ruth Naomi Ruth is now combined with Ladies Aid. Daylight-Saving Time begins March 11, Don t forget to turn your clocks ahead by one hour! 5

6 Christian Fellowshipers Christian Fellowshipers is a time for anyone over the age of fifty to get together for Christian fellowship and fun. They meet the 3rd Thursday of every month at noon for a meal. They will be doing something different this year. The following months they will be either going out for lunch or providing lunch. ALL over 50 plus are invited to lunch on the Haaks March 15 at noon. Come and give your input! Rockford Rescue Mission Ebenezer and Elim will be presenting the worship service and providing sack lunches for the evening meal at Rockford Rescue Mission on Sunday, March 18. We are going to have a lunch packing party after church that Sunday. Anyone who is able to stay and help put together lunches is welcome. There will be a container put out for monetary donations and then mission and outreach will go and shop for the groceries. We will also need people to travel to the mission Sunday evening and help serve the lunches and visit with the residents while they eat. Please sign up if you can help. See the Mission and Outreach team if you have questions. Mission Trip Fundraiser Abbie Ring is selling stocks to raise funds for a mission/work trip this summer with Disciples United Methodist Church in Mt Morris. They are going to Ripley, TN from July 7 July 15. The stocks are $25 each, and if you write down your address you ll get a postcard from the trip. If you don t wish to buy an entire stock, donations are always welcome too. More people have joined the group and really appreciate the continued support from Ebenezer! See Abbie for more details. Spoiler Alert In these days of DVRs and streaming programming, it s common courtesy to warn people before discussing a show s plot or ending. How frustrating to inadvertently hear how a muchanticipated drama concludes! Knowing how everything ends is a blessing for Christians, however. Jesus victory over death gives us hope and confidence for this life and for the life to come. The church does not pretend that it does not know what will happen with the crucified Jesus, writes Thomas Hopko in The Orthodox Faith. It does not sorrow and mourn over the Lord as if the church itself were not the very creation which has been produced from his wounded side and from the depths of his tomb. All through [Holy Week] services, the victory of Christ is contemplated, and the resurrection is proclaimed. Indeed, Jesus followers know how his story and therefore our story ends: in Easter life! 6

7 March 2018 SCHEDULE 3/4 Greeters Larry & Diane Seabold Duane & Vada Snodgrass Ushers Dean & Connie Rieck and Grace Henley Nursery Meg Coots and Jean Woodin 3/11 Greeters Mary Goerks Jean Woodin Ushers Lloyd & Janice Ruthe and Grace Henley Nursery Jen Christenson and Rosalyn Smith 3/18 Greeters Bob & Katie VanStedum Dean Schreurs Ushers Nursery Larry & Diane Seabold, Grace Henley Marilyn Berg and Connie Rieck 3/25 Greeters Dave Wolf Zabran Family Ushers Jim & Vada Rosenbalm, Grace Henley Nursery Myrna Lohman and Anna Ring 7

8 March Birthdays 1 Larry Seabold 14 Myrna Lohman 16 Deanna Groves 17 Jim Grygiel 20 Owen Flanagan 22 Justin Stewart 23 Rachel Brooks 24 Connie Rieck 25 Marge Barnes 26 Marjorie Holtapp 27 Craig Hummel 29 Karen Hummel And Anniversaries!!! 13 Mr. & Mrs. Craig Hummel (1965) 25 Mr. & Mrs. Tony Berg (2000) We are trying to keep the birthday and anniversary list up to date. If your birthday or anniversary is incorrect or missing, please send an to ercrays@gmail.com or put a note in the newsletter box in the Narthex. Thank you!!!! Rewoven After Jen Hatmaker s dog shredded an heirloom baby blanket, she piled up the dirty yarn and asked her mother-in-law to somehow reassemble the original. In Of Mess and Moxie (Nelson Books), Hatmaker explains how this is a picture of God s sovereign work. When our lives are tattered by sin and suffering, God doesn t start from scratch or create a replica. Instead, he uses the original threads to reweave a stronger version and to restore beauty. (Interestingly, when Joseph tells his brothers in Genesis 50:20 [ESV], You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, the word meant is Hebrew for wove.) Nothing bears a better witness than watching God resurrect someone s life, writes Hatmaker. That is a God who folks want to know, a God worth his glory. Show our shut-ins your love they need our contact!!! Keep them in your prayers as well as drop by for a visit or send a note to give them a lift. See list on bulletin board for addresses and birthdays! 8