1353 Witte Road - Houston, TX ST. ANDREW LUTHERAN CHURCH. April 2019.

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1 ST. ANDREW LUTHERAN CHURCH 1353 Witte Road - Houston, TX office@standrew-lcms.org The Net April 2019

2 The Net Published Monthly by St. Andrew Lutheran Church and Early Childhood Center 1353 Witte Road, Houston, Texas 77055, Tel: I thought it would be a great idea to bring local taco trucks for this church event. Support a local business, good food is provided for attendees and one less item to coordinate for the event - what a great idea! But the great idea didn t fly. Why? Because some people didn t feel good about selling stuff on church property because, you know, Jesus cleansed the temple and drove out the moneychangers from it. For the sake of harmony, I did let go of the idea, and it was fine. But I am not fine with this belief that a church building is the temple of God. Why? Because it is not. A church building is not God s temple you read about in the bible. Let s start with the Old Testament. Temple, in the Old Testament, is where the glory of God was promised to dwell through which God gave his divine presence. (The glory of God, Shakeina in Hebrew, is the technical term used in the Bible to refer to the presence of God.) Moses encountered the glory of God in the burning bush. Later, God s presence was given through the columns of fire and clouds during Exodus. Finally, when the tabernacle was completed by Moses, God s presence moved into the tent powerfully and visibly. God s presence was in the tabernacle. Therefore, it had to be holy and all. Sadly, later on, with Israel's idolatry, God left the temple. It became just a building. Many more years later, Jesus came along. And this is where it gets crazy; the glory of God, the presence of God, was back, but not in a temple building. It was in the person of Jesus. John 1:14: And the Word became flesh and dwelt among

3 us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. The 2nd person of God tabernacled in the person of Jesus and was now the "temple"; where God had his presence: his glory was found in the person. Jesus was where forgiveness was flowing from (instead of the temple), Jesus was where healing was happening (instead of the temple where it should come from). Why? Because Jesus is the temple where God s presence was. To top it all off, Jesus prophesied about the destruction of the temple building - there was no more need of it from then on since Jesus is the temple. In A.D. 70 it gets destroyed by Romans. Then, you hear more surprising news about the temple and God s presence. In the epistles, we are told that the church, the gathered disciples of Jesus, is the temple. God dwells in them, the community, not a building (1 Peter 2:5; Ephesians 2:22). The people were now the temple where God s Spirit, Holy Spirit, dwells. God dwells among St Andrew church people, not 1353 Witte. Therefore, a church building is not the God s temple you read about in the bible. So let s not apply what Scripture says about the temple to our brick and mortar building. We should apply it to the congregations of Jesus. We should keep our hearts and life clean and holy for God lives in us. Our words and deeds should be cleaned up. Our life shouldn t be all about making a living and money. As far as church facilities, we can use them to serve Jesus and his Kingdom, not worship them. So next time when you think of temple, think of yourself and the church - not a building. And perhaps next time you have a big event, you might want to get a taco truck - I will be there. David Jung Pastor EASTER EGGS AND CANDY We are once again collecting plastic Easter Eggs and individually wrapped candies for our Easter Outreach Event in April. The next time you are at the store, please consider picking some eggs or candy, or both, and drop it off at church. We need all items by Sunday, April 14 th. Thanks for your help! Board of Outreach

4 Stewardship Corner - Edie Bourland Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out (Deut 28:3-6). This is God s promise to the Israelites as they stood beyond the Jordan outside of the Promised Land. He promises blessing to His people. He will make them prosper, whether they are in the city or the field. He will make their fruit of their work to prosper, whether from the ground or their wombs, their flocks or their herds. He will make them to prosper in all things, whether upon their coming in or their going out. But there s a catch. He would do this for Israel only if you obey the voice of the Lord your God (Deut 28:2b). If they did that, He would cause that all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you (Deut 28:2a). If they didn t obey the voice of the Lord, if they didn t keep the commandments of the Lord and walk in His ways (Deut 28:9), they would be met with curse and woe. The blessings would be replaced with curses. Everything that the Lord promised to prosper and bless would be cursed and fail. Thanks be to God that our Lord Jesus Christ has come into our flesh, fulfilled the law for us in in our place and for our benefit; died for us in our place and for our benefit; and is risen from the dead for us in our place and for our benefit. By this we have justification before God. We are forgiven, clean, holy, and righteous. The blessing of God is promised to us in Christ Jesus. It depends upon His work and not ours. All this is ours in Holy Baptism. For in Holy Baptism, God claims us as His own, makes us His children, His heirs, His holy people. And so it is that the work of our hands and its fruit is holy because we are holy in Christ. It is pressed into His service, and thereby it becomes a blessing to us and to our neighbor. For this great gift, our reception of the blessings of God because of Christ Jesus our Lord, it is our duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him. This is not in order to receive blessings but because in Christ we already have. It is with this in mind that we sit down on the first day of the week and set aside as He has prospered us to give to His church for His work of blessing in our midst (1 Cor. 16:2).

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6 *Midweek Meal each Wednesday at 5:45 p.m. Lent Worship *April 3rd at 7 p.m. *April 10th at 7 p.m. Palm Sunday April 14 th at 9:30 a.m. & 11:00 a.m. Maundy Thursday Thursday, April 18 th at 7 p.m. Good Friday Friday, April 19 th at 7 p.m. Easter Day Sunday, April 21 st 9:30 a.m. Sanctuary/Communion 11:00 a.m. Auditorium **Easter Breakfast serving from 8 a.m. till 9 a.m.

7 SIGN-UP The Easter flower sign-up sheet is now available in the Narthex. Easter Lilies are available for $12 each and Hydrangeas for $14 each. Please help the church by purchasing one or more of these plants to decorate on Easter Sunday. Midweek One-Hour Workshop Wednesday, May 1 st 6:30 p.m. 7:45 p.m. Learn How Too s: Will planning Estate planning, Ect.

8 2019 Vol. 5 Issue 1 lcms.org/askins The Askins in Asia Reviewing the Past; Looking to the Future As of February 3rd, our family will have served on the mission field for three years. It has been a delightful whirlwind of service to the Church. Regularly I stop and marvel that I have been asked to serve in this way and that you all have supported us in this work. For this article today, I want to review the last year and look ahead to the next. We originally moved to Hong Kong in February of January of 2018 found us busily packing and preparing to move the regional office to Taiwan. At the time, our interim regional business manager and his family had joined us in Hong Kong, and we enjoyed getting to know them as we moved to Taiwan. Most of the first three months of the year were filled with acquiring visas, cleaning up and disposing of materials at the office space, and travels to Taiwan to check on housing for the family. In the midst of these plans, I made a short trip to India. Our partner church seminary had been hit by a cyclone and we well to collect pictures and information about the devastation. As a family, we said goodbyes to dear friends, got rid of family pets, sold furniture, and prepared our goods to be packed into a shipping container bound for Taiwan. On April 1st, we moved to Taiwan and the process of adjusting to the culture began again. As we have reflected on our life in Taiwan, we have agreed that Hong Kong provided a good transition stage. We love Taiwan. We prefer the slower pace of life in Taiwan. Almost immediately, Eliza and the children started Chinese class, and they will continue class until we return to the United States in April for home service. The summer kept me busy in preparing the new regional office to greet the workers of the Asia region for a workgroup meeting in the fall. Also, this summer, I picked up the additional title of Witness Team Manager. It gives me extra opportunities to serve our Asia team and ensure they are able and equipped to do the work Christ has called them to do. This summer also brought to fruition a two-year project. In cooperation with the web team that works in St. Louis, we developed and deployed a website dedicated solely to the work of the LCMS around the world.

9 2019 Vol. 5 Issue 1 lcms.org/askins The Askins in Asia Reviewing the Past; Looking to the Future This coming year promises to provide many opportunities to fill up that website with stories, pictures, and videos of the work going on in the Asia region. In October, I made a short fundraising trip to the US. Since we missed the normal two-year home service due to our move, I wanted to connect with some donors in the middle of the year before doing a full home service this coming spring. As I write this, Iâ m sitting in the airport in Papua New Guinea. Looking ahead, the ï rst few months of this year will be ï lled with travels to Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Cambodia. On these travels, I will not only collect stories for the new website, but also the stories we will tell for the LCMS convention this coming summer. It s an exciting if very busy time. In March, all of the international communications workers will travel to our regional office for additional training. I will help accommodate them and both support and participate in the training. Then, at the beginning of April, we will be returning to the United States until the end of July. I haven t had an opportunity to plan beyond that date yet. Thank you for your prayers and support. I hope this summary of the past year and the view of the one ahead helps provide some context and background for the work that you re supporting in Asia. As always, please do not hesitate to send me an with questions. We enjoy hearing from you. $250 IS WAITING FOR YOU! Think about an unmet need in your community and how you could help. Apply to lead your volunteer team in a one-time fundraiser, service activity or educational event that can be completed within 90 days. Once your project is approved, you'll receive a Thrivent Action Kit, including: Promotional banner. Invitations and thank-you cards. Thrivent Action Team T-shirts. A $250 Community Impact Card you can use as seed money to get your project off the ground and make a bigger impact. If you need help applying, call the church office.

10 Please Join Us for the Spring Rally. Sunday, April 7 th, 2019 Speaker Rev. Engel(Messiah Lutheran)-Topic Deathbed Confession based on Luke 23:39-43 Sign in starts at 1:30 p.m. Meeting begins at 2 p.m. Immanuel Lutheran Church 1440 Cortlandt St, Houston, TX Women of the Church Spring Luncheon Saturday, April 27, 2019 Family Trees and Olive Branches Start Time: Presentation: Lunch: Guest Speaker: 10:00 a.m. 10:30 a.m. Following Presentation Christina Hergenrader, Author, Speaker Christina Hergenrader is the author of 10 books, the mom to four wonderful kids, and the wife to one patient man. She lives in Katy where she attends Memorial Lutheran church. Her two most recent books are Last Summer at Eden, a love story at summer camp, and Family Trees and Olive Branches. Her next book, Shine, is a Bible study for teen girls and will be out this summer. Tickets: $10.00* - purchase from circle members *supporting LWML Mission Projects Make reservations by - glchouston@sbcglobal.net, hirschkf@sbcglobal.net By phone [church] Gethsemane Lutheran Church 4040 Watonga Blvd., Houston, TX 77092

11 Lutheran High North s 37 th Annual Spring Musical Friday and Saturday, April 26 th & 27 th, at 7:00 p.m. Grade School & Senior Citizen Matinees Thursday, April 25 th, at 9:00 a.m & 12:30 p.m. Purchase tickets for the April 26 th or 27 th performances through Fish Fry April 6 th at St. Peter Lutheran church, 12 to 4 p.m., 1501 Houston, Ave. Proceeds will benefit outreach. Suggested donation is $12. Plate consists of fried fish, fries, hush puppies, coleslaw, tea and dessert.

12 Heidi Thornton. April 1 Hermes Troche... April 2 Tanner Emery. April 3 Barbara Hansen.. April 4 Dan Leitko April 28 William Meinecke April 29 Katie Brinkmann Paben. April 30 JT & Heide Thornton. April 7 Joe & Kathleen Gaytan. April 15 Charles & Carolyn Hansen... April 20 Tom & Reya McQuillin.. April 24 Sun Moon & Grace Lee April 28 April 12, 2019 April Coffee donations in April will go to the Mission of Yahweh, a faith-based refuge where homeless and abused women and children are provided with food, clothing, shelter, and the chance for a better life through training and rehabilitation. Please Notify the Church Office When You or a member of your family is hospitalized. You have a change of address Your phone number has changed. Your address has changed. Your board or committee changes a meeting date or time. Members of your family are students attending school away from home or are living at a different address Your help with all of the above is very much appreciated!

13 Duties Schedule for the Month of April Date April 7 April 14 April 21 April 28 Duty Name(s) Name(s) Name(s) Name(s) Altar Guild Dottie Bonura Dottie Bonura Dottie Bonura Dottie Bonura Elder Kevin Murray Kevin Murray Kevin Murray Kevin Murray Counting Charles Hansen JT Thornton Herta Strobel Charles Hansen JT Thornton Herta Strobel Charles Hansen JT Thornton Herta Strobel Charles Hansen JT Thornton Herta Strobel Trustee Charles Hansen Charles Hansen Charles Hansen Charles Hansen Greeters Ruby & Riley Lewellyn Hal & Betty Marquardt Alex & Chris Von Sehrwald Ruby & Riley Lewellyn Usher Team Marquardt Leitko Steinsiek Rearick Midweek Cooking Schedule Date April 3 April 10 April 24 Elders ECC Board Trustees

14 St. Andrew Early Childhood Center - ECC Shatha Razzook Time to share: This month we especially celebrate God s wonderful creation that includes you and your child! We all belong to the body of Christ. Read Scripture and reflect with your child on what God tells us about His Love for us and all people in His Holy Word. What would God have us share with others? It is time to tell your child why he or she was born. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give hope and future. Jeremiah 29:11 I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify Your name forever. Psalm 86:12 It is time to tell your child that as long as we have breath, we will tell of Jesus Love and give Him all honor, glory and praise! Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise-the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. Hebrews13:15 It is time to tell your child that he or she was born to share God s love and to give Him praise. Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise! Revelation 5:12 It is time to tell your child that there is work to be done. This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24 The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. Hebrews 13:6 It is Time to tell your child that our creator promises to care for His creation. He keeps His promises! God cares for you! The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.

15 ECC continued... We will be closed on Good Friday, April 19th Easter Party Thursday, April 18 th, the classes will be having their Easter Parties in the morning. Be sure to check with your child s teacher to find out what your child needs to bring to the party. Closing Program Ballet Recital and Graduation Thursday May 23rd, the program is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. with reception following the program. Summer Enrollment Forms are available at the office. Please note that there is a deadline to guarantee a place for your child. Registration fee is $50.00 Group Class Pictures Will be taken on Thursday, April the 25 th at 8:30 a.m. All Children should arrived dressed in their Sunday clothes. Vacation Bible School Miraculous Mission-Jesus Saves the World July 15 th -19 th, a.m.-12:30 p.m. A Joyous Easter To Each Of You And Your Families 2 nd Colton Krehel 5yrs 6 th Mason Avila 4yrs 7 th Victor Madyarov 4yrs 9 th Caleb Johannsen 4yrs 27 th Edinger Magzul 2yrs But Jesus said, let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to me: for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14

16 ST. ANDREW LUTHERAN CHURCH EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER 1353 Witte Road - Houston, TX ecc@standrew-lcms.org April 2019