First English Evangelical Lutheran Church May 2015

Transcription

1 First English Evangelical Lutheran Church, 1603 Monument Avenue, Richmond, VA Office (804) Fax (804) Web pages: Rev. Dr. John T. Schweitzer, Pastor: Mr. Linwood D. Lunde, Director of Music: Mr. Brian Wingfield, Parish Administrator:

2 are removed, so we are reminded of Christ putting off the glory which he had from the beginning, which we read about in the opening verses of John 1, and becoming one of us, sharing our earthly lot even unto death. And who can help but be moved by the sight of the sanctuary, stripped of its ornamentation, clothed in black? We hear the words of the passion according to St. John and also Psalm 22, which can be called the Good Friday Psalm but nevertheless ends in a note of hope, as did our service on April 3, which ended with the singing of the hymn, Lord, Thee I Love with All My Heart (ELW 750). The third verse is also the final chorus of Bach s St. John Passion: From the Pastor: April was a great month at First English! We began with Holy Week, following Jesus from the intimacy of the upper room and the institution of the Lord s Supper on Maundy Thursday to the solemnity of Good Friday at Golgotha. The intensity of these services is always moving, as we pondered those events which brought about our redemption and salvation. The stripping of the altar and the congregation leaving the church without a recessional hymn reminds us of the words about Jesus in Philippians 2:6-8, where we read: Though he was in the form of God, [he] did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death even death on a cross. Just as all paraments, candlesticks, vases, books: just about everything but the altar (symbolizing Christ being sacrificed as the Lamb of God) and the cross (reminding us of his cruel death) Lord, let at last thine angels come, to Abr ham s bosom bear me home, that I may die unfearing; and in its narrow chamber keep my body safe in peaceful sleep until thy reappearing. And then from death awaken me, that these mine eyes with joy may see, O Son of God, thy glorious face, my Savior and my fount of grace. Lord Jesus Christ, my prayer attend, my prayer attend, and I will praise thee without end! Easter was glorious, with a full church, great music from our choir (augmented by bells for the first hymn, Jesus Christ Is Risen Today ), and a general festive atmosphere which reminded us that we serve a living Lord who brings life and light to all who believe in him. Then we continued to celebrate Easter for the rest of the Sundays of the month, hearing the gospel stories of doubting Thomas (John 20:19-31), Jesus challenging us to proclaim repentance and forgiveness of sins in his name to all people (Luke 24:36-48), and finally being reminded that our Lord is the Good Shepherd, who protects and delivers us from all harm (John 10:11-18). We look forward to the remaining Sundays of Easter during the month of May and Pentecost on Sunday, May 24! ~ Pastor John Schweitzer

3 The Women of the ELCA will meet on Friday, May 8 th. There will be a covered dish dinner at 6:00 pm. Nicole Krause will be giving a presentation to highlight cities she visited on the Mediterranean Cruise she took in October She will show pictures and provide information about Dubrovnik, Croatia; Kotor, Montenegro; Corfu, Greece; Naples, Sorrento, Pompeii, and Rome in Italy; Nice, Eze, Marseille in France; and Barcelona, Spain. The evening will end with a short business meeting. The children and youth invite you to celebrate Pentecost on Sunday, May 24 th at 9:45 am on the second floor of the Education Building. Wear red, enjoy cupcakes and ice cream as we celebrate the birthday of the church. This will be the last Sunday of children/youth Sunday School until Rally Day, September 13, The Soul Stitchers will meet on Sunday, May 17 th following the 10:30 service in the Wagner Room. This will be the final meeting before taking a break for the summer. Eco-friendly reusable market bags and other hand-made items are available for a small donation. The money raised will be used to support local social ministry organizations that First English relates to such as CARITAS, Circle Center Adult Daycare, Crossover Ministry and FeedMore. See a member of Soul Stitchers if you would like to purchase something. The Leisure Group will cruise from Alexandria to Mount Vernon, enjoy lunch and tour Mount Vernon on Tuesday, June 9 th. Please contact Grace Gulick or Libby Riggle for more information.

4 First English Evangelical Lutheran Church May 2015 Ladies Tea All women and girls are invited to a Ladies Tea on June 27th from 2:00 4:00 pm. It will be an afternoon of fun, memories, and treats to honor and remember our grandmothers, mothers, daughters, and sisters. Please bring a picture or memento of one of these special ladies to share a memory of them with your tea partner. More information will be coming and look for an invitation soon. Do you have teapots we could borrow for the occasion? Please call Melissa Shaffer at This will be a TEA-riffic party for all ages! Wednesday, May 20th will be the last Wednesdays Together for the summer. The Summer Choir will rehearse on Sunday mornings at 9:30 am in the church. This is a great time to join the choir! Just come to church an hour early and sing some of our favorites with us! Mark your calendars now for our one-day Vacation Bible School on Sunday, July 19th, immediately following the 10:30 worship service. We will start with a potluck lunch. There will be Bible stories, crafts, music, games and more! VBS will run until mid-afternoon. If you have questions or would like to volunteer, please see Debbie Lane or Susan Fenerty. If you are graduating from high school or college or know someone from our congregation who is, please let us know as soon as possible so that the names can be included in the June newsletter!

5 May Worship Assistants May 2015 May 3 5 th Sunday of Easter May 10 6 th Sunday of Easter Altar Guild Lynn Heltzer Polly Brickman Emmett Heltzel Acolytes Cassidy Hoke Jake Hamilton Amanda Jarvis Spencer Vida May 17 7 th Sunday of Easter Linda Wallace Billy Duke Amanda Jarvis Caroline Matawaran May 24 Day of Pentecost Peggy Davis Libby Riggle Cooper Hoke Nate Fenerty May 31 The Holy Trinity Jenna Hoke Jeff Hoke Ellie Fenerty Cooper Hoke Crucifer Jim Byerly Kirk Fenerty Molly McCue Caroline Stuart Myer Heltzel Reader 8:15 Laura Rice Grace Gulick Pat McAfee Jane Stockman Kevin Murphy Readers 10:30 1. Nicole Krause 2. Emmett Heltzel 1. Polly Brickman 2. Helen Schumann 1. Jim Byerly 2. Debbie Lane 1. Jake Hamilton 2. Chris Hamilton 1. Jeff Nelson 2. Carol McCue Presentation of Gifts Counters Ushers Caroline Heltzel Debbie Lane Julie Goodman Lynn Heltzel Debbie Lane Roger Riggle Bill Davidson Hospitality Congregational Life Readings Acts 8: John 4:7-21 John 15:1-8 Sheryl Finucane Betty Cochran Bill Fenerty Sheryl Finucane Joyce Smith Joedy Smith Linda Wallace Billy Duke Acts 10: John 5:1-6 John 15:9-17 Debbie Lane Rob Comet Carol McCue Betty Davidson John Ritz Linda Smith Joe Smith Nate Fenerty Bill Fenerty Worship & Music Acts 1:15-17, John 5:9-13 John 17:6-19 Jennifer Gentry Carol McCue Roger Riggle Bill Davidson Stuart Myer Acts 2:1-21 Rom 8:22-27 John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15 Mary Elizabeth Ellis Grace Gulick Jim Byerly Debbie Lane Lynn Heltzel Mark Crumpton Isa 6:1-8 Rom 8:12-17 John 3:1-17 ** Please find a replacement when you cannot serve and notify the church office at as soon as possible. Thank you for your time and service to the Church.

6 First English Evangelical Lutheran Church May 2015 Arline Oldershaw died on March 28, 2015 at the age of 89 years. A Memorial Service was held in church, on April 17, 2015 at 6 pm with burial in Pennsylvania. Next of kin is Mr. Karl Oldershaw, son. Let s Celebrate May with the Following Members of our Congregation Congratulations to Molly McCue, who was elected State Organizing Secretary of the Virginia Society Children of the American Revolution. On Saturday, April 25th at 3 pm, Mr. Robert Forrest Jennings and Ms. Sandra Dee Loving were united in marriage in our church. Congratulations to all celebrating a Wedding Anniversary in May! Happy Birthday to everyone celebrating a birthday in the month of May!

7 Sunday May 3 Fifth Sunday of Easter 11:30 am: Hospitality Congregational Life Wednesday May 6 Wednesdays Together 6:00 pm: Dinner 6:45 pm: Choir Rehearsal Friday May 8 6:00 pm: Women of the ELCA Sunday May 10 Sixth Sunday of Easter Mother s Day 11:30 am: Hospitality Linda Wallace/Billy Duke 12:00 pm: Congregational Life Committee Meeting Wednesday May 13 Wednesdays Together 6:00 pm: Dinner 6:45 pm: Choir Rehearsal Sunday May 17 Fifth Sunday of Easter 11:30 am: Hospitality Worship & Music 12:00 pm: Outreach Committee Meeting 12:00 pm: Soul Stitchers Sunday May 17 Fifth Sunday of Easter 11:30 am: Hospitality Worship & Music 12:00 pm: Outreach Committee Meeting 12:00 pm: Soul Stitchers Tuesday May 19 7:00 pm: Congregational Council Meeting Wednesday May 20 Wednesdays Together Last Wednesdays Together of the Season 6:00 pm: Dinner 6:45 pm: Choir Rehearsal Sunday May 24 Day of Pentecost 9:45 am: Pentecost Celebration 11:30 am: Hospitality 12:00 pm: Worship & Music Committee Meeting Monday May 25 Memorial Day Church Office Closed Sunday May 31 The Holy Trinity 9:15 am: Adult Sunday School 11:30 am: Hospitality

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