Lazarus, come out! Apr CHRIST LUTHERAN NEWS. Important dates:

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1 Important dates: April 8 - Spring Clean Up April 9 - Palm Sunday April 16 - Easter CHRIST LUTHERAN NEWS Apr Lazarus, come out! Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, Take away the stone. Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days. Jesus said to her, Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God? So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me. When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come out! The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, Unbind him, and let him go. John 11:1-45, NRSV This first Sunday in April, we hear the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. Appearing just before his own return to Jerusalem and subsequent arrest and crucifixion, the death and resurrection of Lazarus shines a light on the road ahead, foreshadowing Jesus own Holy Week journey. As we move closer to Easter, I ve been thinking more and more about our Lenten themes of reformation and transformation. If you think about it, resurrection is the ultimate transformation: what was dead is now alive. How does this transformation that we ve been praying for come about? Of course, we as individuals have a role to play, with our decisions and choices in life. But true transformation, the kind that brings death out of life, can only come about through Christ. Only God, through the Son the Living Word, can bring about new life and shut the door in death s face forever. For Lazarus, that transformation happened when the stone was rolled away and he heard Christ call to him, Lazarus, come out! Likewise, Christ calls to each and Lazarus, come out! continued 2501 SW 320 th St. Federal Way, WA office@christlutheranfw.com ChristLutheranFW.com

2 Lazarus, come out! continued from page 1 every one of us: Come out! Come out of your tombs and places of fear and death! In Christ, you have been unbound and set free. What was dead and buried is alive! 2501 SW 320 th St. Federal Way, WA ChristLutheranFW.com office@christlutheranfw.com Tues. - Thurs. 10:00am - 2:30pm Staff Pastor... Rev. Chelsea Globe pastor@christlutheranfw.com Pastoral emergencies outside of office hours: (253) Office Manager... Laura Olsen Music Director... Katie Stevenson Nursery Director... Diane Putts Custodian... Maria Reimer Church Council President... Tom Hagen Vice President... Gary Curtis Secretary... Mary Hefty Treasurer... Janeen Whitehead At-Large, Pos CJ Campbell At-Large, Pos Pam Wilson We directly experience the freedom of Christ in the waters of baptism. Our baptism is both the initiation and symbol of our new life in Christ. In Martin Luther s Small Catechism, he says this of baptism: [Baptism] signifies that the old person in us with all sins and evil desires is to be drowned and die through daily sorrow for sin and through repentance, and on the other hand that daily a new person is to come forth and rise up to live before God in righteousness and purity forever. In the water and word of baptism and each day after, Christ calls to us again, Come out! Daily, Christ transforms what was dead and broken within us into new wholeness and reconciliation with God. Like Lazarus, we all experience that ultimate power of transformation from death to life, everyday. Our community art project will be revealed on Palm Sunday. As you know, our prayers of confession and concern have been transformed and made new. On the Tree of Life, as I m calling the final piece, you ll see words reflecting our own journeys of transformation in Christ, words like peace, forgiveness, grace, love, trust, blessed. As we continually bring our concerns and confessions to God, God continues to make us new and unbind us from the false trappings of the grave. As the absolution in our Lenten liturgy says: For freedom, Christ has set you free. In Christ, you are truly set free, transformed and called out into the light of day to live in service of God and neighbor. Thanks be to God! Pastor Chelsea 2 Sundays at 10:00am Wednesday night offerings during Lent will go to ELCA World Hunger to help our global family access opportunities and earn a fair, sustainable living with dignity.

3 Palm Sunday Maundy Thursday Good Friday Easter Sunday April 9, 10:00am April 13, 7:00pm April 14, 7:00pm April 16, 10:00am Jesus triumphal A service of foot washing The Passion according + Easter Egg Hunt entry into Jerusalem and Holy Communion to the gospel of John for the kids following the service Men s Breakfast cancelled for April At the March Men s Breakfast, the attendees agreed to cancel the breakfast in April due to the conflict with the Spring Cleanup scheduled from 9 am to 12 pm. We look forward to resuming the breakfast May 13th so save the date and come out and help us clean the church on the 8th of April! See Spring cleaning details on page 3! Easter Baskets for Multiservice Center Foodbank We will be assembling Easter baskets on Palm Sunday, April 9. Drop off donated candy (individually-wrapped items only) at the church office! Sunday, Apr. 23 Note this is the FOURTH Sunday of the month! On Easter, Christ is risen, and so are the flowers! On Easter Sunday, bring blooms from your garden or your favorite storebought varieties to decorate our Easter cross. Easter Egg Hunt After the 10AM Easter service, big kids hide em......and little kids find em! 3

4 Notes from the Bench Annual Spring Cleaning April 8th Our custodian, Maria Reimer, does a great job of keeping our church clean on a weekly basis. However, just like your home, there are certain cleaning tasks that are infrequent, too hard or just come up from timeto-time that need a little extra focus. We ll take those on during our Annual Spring Cleaning April 8th from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Using our proven checklist system where tasks are pre-planned and posted strategically around the church, we ll ask for your help in sprucing up the church for Palm Sunday, Holy Week, Easter and beyond. While some projects will be outside, most will be inside this time and even if you aren t ready to climb a tall ladder to get the bugs out of the sanctuary light fixtures, we can use your help to do kitchen cleaning, dusting and the like or to just provide moral support to those better able to do the more demanding work. So come on over to the church Saturday morning, April 8th at 9 a.m. and lend a helping hand! Oh, I almost forgot we re serving a light lunch immediately thereafter that probably will involve elongated buns, mustard and relish now THAT s an incentive, huh?? See you there! Lent is a season that brings a lot of beautiful and meaningful music to our church. We have begun a beautiful new liturgy by Marty Haugen called "The Tree of Life". The music is very singable and has received positive responses from the congregants. We are also enjoying Marty Haugen's Holden Evening Prayer for our Wednesday evening services. These services require a lot of singing from a cantor each week and we are very grateful for the singers who signed up to lead the services: Christian Jaeger, Pastor Chelsea, Bill and Ellen Wells, Laura Olsen, and Mary Hefty. Special thanks also to Brendon and Liz for their recent flute and piano duet offering last Sunday. We are blessed to have such talent in our church! The choir has been working hard on some beautiful music that they will be presenting soon. They will soon sing a lively anthem called "Ain't No Rock Gonna Shout For Me" on Palm Sunday. We will have some beautiful music offerings on Good Friday, including Brendon Mix on flute and special vocal pieces. We are of course also looking forward to the music that will enliven the Easter service as well. We hope that our music will enhance the services, touch your hearts, and bring peace and joy during this special season. Blessings, Katie Confirmation classes start Apr. 19th 4

5 Thank you for your generous contributions to the Youth Bake Sale on March 26th! Our congregation raised $ to help send our youth to a retreat at Holden Village over Memorial Day weekend. Social Ministries A friend is one to whom one may pour out all the contents of one's heart, chaff and grain together, knowing that the gentlest of hands will take and sift it, keep what is worth keeping and with a breath of kindness blow the rest away Arabian Proverb Part of our commission as Christians is to love one another. Friendship in the community of faith makes the church stronger and better, and through our programs we strive to offer opportunities for this very mission. Social Ministries has just launched our first 3- month cycle of Secret Sisters, an instrument to help women support each other through prayer and connection. Everyone participating is assigned a Secret Sister. For 3 months that person is prayed for daily, and cards and notes are encouraged to bring cheer and celebration between you and your Secret Sister. If you have not yet picked up your info packet they will be available at Lenten and Sunday Worship services. See Sue Hupperten or me. When your questionnaire is complete you may bring it to church and leave in the Secret Sisters envelope in the wall box by the office door through Apr. 2. Sisters will be assigned the first week of April. For any questions please contact me at God bless ~ Liz Smith SAVE THE DATE! If you are a crafter, artist, soap maker, seamstress, knitter, etc., our annual Homespun Holidays Bazaar will be held Saturday, November 4. Start those projects you ve been thinking about. Pass the word to friends and crafters you know. If you would like to be part of the planning committee contact Liz. 5

6 Work in progress: Congregation-wide Art Project All ages enjoyed turning our Lenten prayers into new paper for the congregation-wide art project. See our prayers transformed into a work of art, to be revealed on Palm Sunday! Not to give away too much, but there may be some other special treatments involved 6 Lutheran Community Services Fund Raising Brunch McGavik Conference Center, Tacoma March 12, 2017 Attending: Pastor Loren and Ellen Leapaldt, CLC Council President, Tom and Mari Hagen, Greg and Christina Hudgins, Peter and Sue Hupperten and James and Marilynn Short

7 Outreach As I was shopping at Costco for supplies for the Reach Out Men s Shelter, I was reminded of the theme of Christ Lutheran Church s Stewardship Campaign: More than Enough. Walk into any warehouse store, grocery store or Super Mall across the country and we are reminded of how much we have and how easy it is to get. I heard a segment on NPR last week: a Syrian aid worker was interviewed about her experience working in a remote Syrian town, cut off from all supply lines. In that town, children s greatest wish was to eat an egg or drink a bowl of milk. Lacking cooking fuel, women put rice in pots of water and left it in the sun for hours so it would become a little tender to eat. The first time the aid worker visited, people had resorted to burning their furniture to keep warm. The second time, there was no furniture to burn. When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other disciples, Brothers, what shall we do? Acts 2:37 What shall we do? We can give of our abundance. It doesn t take much. I spoke with a man at Reach Out, an immigrant to this country from Portugal 10 years ago. He had nothing but praise for the United States and the generosity of its citizens to give him a place to sleep every night and an opportunity to start anew. No despair that the roof over his head was a temporary homeless shelter, no hint of concern about where the next meal or job would come from: just hope for a small piece of the American Dream. The Community Outreach Team meets on the last Sunday of the month in the classroom. Meetings start about 11:15 am and our goal is to conclude by 1:00 pm if not sooner. We welcome new members: Come and See. (John 1:39) You ll be surprised how much being a part of this group reveals to you about your own faith walk. Ann Jaeger, Community Outreach Team Leader Thank you to all who gave their Time, Talents and Treasures this Lent season to support Reach Out! CLC Members + Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts provided meals for 24 men for 7 days! 7

8 Council Corner We re off to a great start to the Spring around Christ Lutheran and looking to accelerate from here. Here s a summary of our March 14th Council Meeting at which we Discussed the sense of accomplishment and service we all felt for participating in our Reach Out week of meals for the homeless. We noted, however, that perhaps too much of our support was provided by too few of our own members and a reliance upon the help of the scout Moms to pick up where we didn t have volunteers, something we ll consider carefully as we move forward with this program. Heard about the forthcoming pilgrimage (my word) of our youth to Holden Village over Memorial Day Weekend, accompanied by Pastor Chelsea. What a cool place to retreat to and form lifelong memories! Noted with pleasure the small but fun group that enjoyed the FLY Pizza Party March 11th. Discussed building security replacement of the broken windows in the Education Wing and the bid we received for a significantly enhanced building security system. We decided to defer the latter due to higher priorities for capital improvement funds. Heard about the Lent Art Project and required congregation participation during Lent to make this both a spiritual symbol of our Lenten experience as well as produce what we believe will be a beautiful final piece of art to be displayed in our narthex. Worked on details for the semi-annual church Spring Cleaning coming up April 8th. This event will happen from 9 am to 12 pm and culminate with a light lunch for volunteers. Most of this involves light housework God s House in this case and we re hoping our turnout results in lighter work for everyone by having many hands to split the work up. Initiated plans for the Easter baskets an annual tradition to assemble and distribute these to those less fortunate in our community. Reviewed the takeaways from the Council Retreat held in February for further action as needed, one of which was the annual review of the Strategic Plan for which we decided to leave the existing metrics in place (attendance growth, Christian Education, facilities maintenance, Capital Improvement Fund, etc.). Introduced the SW Washington ELCA Synod s new campaign called Deep Roots, New Life that targets education support for ministry candidates and church renewal in the synod by direct and endowed funding. The full roll out of this activity will be at the June Synod Assembly. Agreed to move the April Council meeting to April 18th, a week later than normal, to avoid conflicts with Holy Week activities. As always, our Council meetings are open to all members and you re welcome to attend the next one on April 18th at 6:30 pm. In the meantime, peace be with you! Tom Hagen Council President 8

9 I m a Lutheran Every month we will feature members of our congregation who will share a bit about what being Lutheran means to them. Brendon Mix Occupation or vocation: Building Controls Engineer at ATS Automation, Renton, WA I found my faith: Before I can recall. I grew up in the church and my earliest related memory include learning the Lord s Prayer from my Grandmother on a camping trip. I went through catechism classes and recall the weekly struggle I had with memorizing Luther s explanations. Now looking back, I find it funny that my view point is so different, I think memorizing these wrote things are important As I look around it seems that it is an activity being done less and less. I wonder what similar memories the youth of today will have about their early church experience and I hope I remember to ask them about it when they are where I am now. My first experience with church was: I believe it had something to do with being carried down the aisle cradled on my grandfather s fore-arm between his hand and bicep at least that s what I recall being told a time or two, he would have a better memory of it than me. I used to enjoy the acolyte duties that were required as part of the conformation course at the church I grew up in. After I learned to play Flute I was involved with music during worship and have been ever since. I believe: That as the commandments reveal to us all that I am a sinner and fall short in the eyes of God, there is absolutely nothing I can do about it and I am ever thankful that I don t have to because the Grace of God and the work of Jesus is the only work that saves. I pray: Far to infrequently and ask that I hold to heart the truth that all prays are heard. I get caught up far too often in my own isolated surroundings and miss what is going on with those around me, my prayer is that all those specific needs would be continually answered and taken care of regardless of my understanding. I am thankful that God doesn t rely on my asking for the correct things for his action and work to reach those who need it (myself included). I share my faith by: By living it. I go to work each day a believer in Christ. I don t hesitate to share my faith at worked when asked. I live each day with the assurance the Spirit gives me and am glad that I am not alone. I go to Christ Lutheran because: The kindness and openness of this family. I have only been to a few congregations in my life, but this one has stuck out as being welcoming to all and supportive of all. The focus is not what have you done wrong and how are you going to fix it but instead, look at all the wonderful things and the life that has been provided to us by what God did right and how he has fixed it. Significant Events in the Life of Martin Luther and his Reform Movement April 18, 1521 Before the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, the political leadership of the German states, and papal theologians gathered in the city of Worms, Luther refuses to recant his scholarly publications and teachings; he announces that only the testimony of Scripture or reason could alter his teaching. 9

10 In the ELCA Our Daily Bread A day to celebrate and cultivate congregation hunger programs: Sat. April 22nd, 10am - 3pm, The Lutheran Church of The Good Shepherd in Olympia Join the Synod Hunger Team for this free educational event that will include worship, panels, sharing, learning, breakouts sessions and lunch (free-will offering for lunch). This Free program supported by grants from ELCA World Hunger and Thrivent Financial. Worship Offering will go to ELCA World Hunger. Register here for this free program so we know how much food to prepare. Calling all Huskys! The Sanctuary/Campus Ministry at UW Event Please join us for the Brunch Fundraiser & Introduction to The Sanctuary, Lutheran Campus Ministries' vision for how God is directing our work in the University District. Our Daily Bread: A day to celebrate and cultivate congregation hunger programs Join the Synod Hunger Committee on Saturday, April 22nd at The Lutheran Church of The Good Shepherd in Olympia from 10am - 3pm. This free educational event will include worship, panels, sharing, learning, breakouts sessions and lunch (free-will offering for lunch). Learn and share information about your congregation's current hunger program, or something you've been dreaming about starting. Breakouts include: Community Gardens, Microloans, Backpacks and Crockpots and Food Banks/Food Pantries/Clothing Banks. Worship Offering will go to ELCA World Hunger. Register here: RSVP to Jennifer Porter uwlutherancampusministry@gmail.com. What is "intergenerational ministry" and how might it work at Christ Lutheran? Let Pastor Chelsea know if you'd like to attend. Cross+Gen Ministry One-Day Conference with Rev. Dr. Rich Melheim, Saturday, May 6, 8:30am- 4pm at Sammamish Hills Lutheran Church Join Dr. Rich Melheim, curator of the Cross Generational Ministry movement within the ELCA, for a one day conference on the future of faith formation in the Post-Television, Post-Sunday School, Neo-Google World! Perfect for any church leader, parent, or church team looking to re-envision what it means to connect generations in church and grow families in faith in today's world. Go to for details and registration information, or contact Pr. Eric Hanson (preric@shlc.org) with any questions. THURSD AY, AP RIL 20 12:00 Noon, Lolli's Broiler and Pub, st Ave S N 10

11 From the Prayer Team Resting In Christ Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls Matt 11: Thanksgiving and Praises: Lynn Kuhlman and family returning home after Hurricane Matthew with no damage to their house; continued recovery of Pastor Hermstad from a stroke and broken pelvis; HAPPY BIRTHDAY! APRIL Frank Gaskill April 3 Laura Olsen April 11 Kylie Whitehead April 14 Harold Trump April 17 Stan Tiedeman April 25 Bruce O Brien April 27 Will Stone April 28 Anna Wells April 30 Health and healing: Lonnie McWilliams, recovering from knee replacement; Dorothy Wells, diagnosed with stage 3 liver disease and breast cancer; Shirley Allen; Nick Whitehead, recovering from knee surgery; Ginny Kuhlman, continued healing from a broken pelvis; Jill Curtis, healing; Marilynn Short, facing decisions with health concerns; Harold Trump and Barbara Woodworth as Harold is experiencing health concerns; Maria Riemer diagnosed with lupus Peace and comfort for those who grieve: Barbara Heist and family upon the death of her brother; Family and Friends: Kari (Nancie Russ sister-inlaw) and her doctors as they discern possible surgery; Maribeth, friend of Olsen s and scout leader, grieving traumatic loss of a student; Cheri Christensen, friend of Meredith Hernandez, at the loss of her mother and father, recovering from surgery and the illness of her husband; Kasen Berg, for Kayten, daughter of our custodian Maria; Fred V, friend of Marilynn Short; Marianne, friend of Liz Smith; Ken Wilborn (CJ s friend) with recurrence of cancer; Jan (Carol Sutphen s daughter) recovering from mild stroke; Frank Alexander (Dorothy Graham s brother-in-law) having surgery; Jean Alexander (Dorothy Graham s sister), with heart problems; Bill Owens (friend of Skau/Savini family); Kirke Sutphen (Carol s son): Lynn Kuhlman coping with the effects of a brain aneurysm; Coleen Adams and family. Interested in joining the prayer team? Contact Liz Smith If we missed your birthday, please notify the church office! WANTED: Wooden Yardsticks with advertising or not. Can be brought to the church on Sunday's or Wednesday's during Soup Suppers or I can pick them up. "Many" needed!!! Call Marilynn Short: (253) Shop at smile.amazon.com (with the same shopping experience as Amazon.com) and Amazon will donate to Christ Lutheran. Visit the link below to get started! MAY NEWSLETTER DEADLINE: 4/24 11