A LUTHERAN FAITH COMMUNITY COMMUNITY NEWS APRIL 2018

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1 WORSHIP SERVICES SUNDAY 8:00, 9:30am Christ the Victor A LUTHERAN FAITH COMMUNITY CHURCH HOURS Monday-Thursday 9:00am 12:00pm COMMUNITY NEWS APRIL 2018 EASTER SERVICES APRIL 1 Sunrise Worship 6am Traditional Worship 8am Contemporary Worship 9:30am CHRIST IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN, INDEED! That is the greeting shared by followers of Jesus for centuries, since He rose from the dead on that first Easter. It is so simple. So direct. So TRUE! It is our identity in this supernatural act of God that defines how, through one act, God has kept promises made beginning thousands of years ago to Adam and Eve. Promises made to Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Jacob, Moses, Ruth, and David. Jesus was raised from the dead and gave evidence to that upon which we base our faith. Jesus died and rose so that we would not have to suffer the consequences of our sin. CHRIST IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN, INDEED! As we share this greeting with one another in 2018, it is done with the joy and excitement that accompanies such an extraordinary event. Have you actually considered what happened on that first Easter? This is what happened. Jesus, who died by crucifixion on the Friday before (Good Friday), was placed in a tomb that belonged to a stranger. His lifeless body lay there while His disciples and others stayed together in the same upper room where they had shared the Last Supper. They remained hopeless, not comprehending what Jesus had told them regarding what would occur in the upcoming days. (Message continued on next page) Mission Statement To lead people into a growing relationship with Christ by creating environments where people are 6173 E Arizona Farms Rd., Florence, AZ / Bruce Lerum, Pastor blerum@christthevictor.net encouraged and equipped in community. 1

2 It s Time to Suit Up The Christian life is in need of protection: The Armor of God. But how does this armor protect us and how do we use it as God intends? The Armor of God found in Ephesians 6:10-18, is made up of six items: Belt of Truth, Breastplate of Righteousness, Shoes of the Gospel, Shield of Faith, Helmet of Salvation, Sword of the Spirit. Praying in the Spirit, and Putting on the Full Armor of God are essential to the best use of the armor. Our next sermon series begins April 22. Unlike modern day soldiers or even football players, this armor is different. Come along and we ll find out how to wear this armor. It s Time to Suit Up Apr 22 Apr 29 May 6 May 13 May 20 May 27 June 3 June 10 Sermon Series April 15-June 3 TIME TO SUIT UP Sermon Series April 22 to June 10 Belt of Truth John 14:1-6 Breastplate of Righteousness Romans 3:21-26 Shoes of the Gospel Matthew 7:24-29 Shield of Faith Hebrews 11:1-13 Helmet of Salvation Acts 4:8-13 Sword of the Spirit Matthew 4:1-11 Praying in the Spirit Ephesians 6:10-18 It s Time to Suit Up Romans 13:11-14 (Pastor s Message continued ) And then it happened. The angels at the tomb tell some ladies who went there to complete the burial anointing, that Jesus has risen from the dead. They tell the disciples. Peter and John run to the tomb to investigate. Now the story begins to unfold in all of God s glory. Jesus appears on Easter to those who are in the upper room. Then He continues His appearances to make His resurrection known, eating with His followers so they know it is He and not a ghost. And now this same Jesus appears in your life to bring peace in the midst of life! CHRIST IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN, INDEED! Grace & Peace, Pastor Bruce Lerum 2

3 4/1 Easter Worship 6am, 8am, & 9:30am 4/1 Reveal/Celebration Sunday 4/17 Administrative Board 6:30pm 4/18 Elder Board 1:00pm 4/28 Adopt A Highway 9:00am 4/29 Noisy Offering 8am & 9:30am 4/29 Annual Congregational Meeting 11:00am SINGING A JOYFUL NOISE Victor s Choir will only rehearse on two Wednesdays in April. April 11 and April 18 at 4pm. All are welcome! CRAFTERS ARE US W e w ill m eet on the follow ing Mondays at 9am : April 9 and May 14. All crafters are welcome! Contact LuAnn Siekas with any questions. Her is: lsiekas@hotmail.com QUILTERS w ill m eet at 11:15am on Thursday, April 5th. Please join us as we work together on many projects for our church and community Christ the Victor Directories are available to be em ailed to you. Printed copies can be picked up following services in the current Fellowship area. A $3 donation is suggested to cover the cost of printing. If you would like a digital copy, please us at office@christthevictor.net and we will one to you. SAVE THE DATE for Vacation Bible School June pm It s time again for Vacation Bible School preparations.. Our theme this year is Oh No, Noah! To successfully reach our children and those in our neighboring communities, we need team leaders, snack people, craft people, game leaders, registration person, and a shopkeeper. If you are able and willing to help with this rewarding outreach, please see Becky Hampton, Terrie Lerum or Kristi Sudrick. Please pray for all involved with serving in this special ministry and for the children. 3

4 A huge thank you to everyone who helped make our Lenten Soup Suppers a success. Your contribution of savory homemade soups; assistance with setting up, serving, and cleaning up was greatly appreciated. Forty to fifty people were renewed in mind, body, and soul as we ate and worshipped together during Lent. Opportunities to Serve! Worship Slide Developer A/V Operator for 9:30am Worship Facebook and Website Management Fellowship Area Clean Up-Sundays Contact the office if you see an area you would like to participate in. Sunday Fellowship Goodies Providing cookies or other goodies for a birthday or anniversary can be a great way to share your celebration. Our fellowship time following each service is a good way to meet new friends. Please sign up in the Nook. New Ministry Shoes for the Homeless In cooperation with St. Michael s we will be collecting slightly used shoes for the homeless. Midwest Food Bank, a faith based Food Bank, has requested our help in supporting their mission. We pick up free food from Midwest twice a month, including items we do not have the resources to purchase: i.e. baby food, paper goods, and cleaning products. As they help us feed our community, let s help them put shoes on theirs. Look for the Shoe Box on Sunday mornings. **Club 66 is also gathering slightly used shoes and socks for our Food Bank clients. They have a receptacle in the Club 66 area for your donations. Christ the Victor Culinary Delights Please gather your favorite family recipes and them to Suzanne Espelien at office@christthevictor.net Suzanne will compile all the delectable recipes into a lovely book and offer them for sale to our church family and beyond. ALL money received from the sale will go to the Capital Campaign. What a great idea and another way to Fit In at your church. ONLINE GIVING Vanco Payment Solutions is accepting Building Funds. In addition your weekly, monthly or yearly donation can be easily made through Vanco. The process is simple to set up. If you are ready to try Vanco, go to: give-online/ If you have any questions please contact Kim Odegaard. 4

5 PRAYER WARRIORS WANTED! To be added to our community Prayer Chain, please sign up in the Nook. No experience necessary. God provides on-the-job training. provides on-the-job training. AREA-WIDE PRAYER MEETING April 27 Join other Christians of our area in prayer the last Friday of every month at 7PM. Open to everyone, this is a wonderful time to come together with the common thread of Jesus as our Savior. Location TBA.. You re important to God. You re important to all at Christ the Victor. When it comes to prayer, we believe that God wants to meet your needs and reveal His promises to you. So, whatever you re concerned about and need prayer for, send your requests to: our Prayer Team at dickwaggoner@hotmail.com Our prayer and God s mercy are like two buckets in a well; while one ascends, the other descends. ~ Meet Your Elder and Administrative Board Members Vernon Fruehling Brian Maron Mary Ann Jones Rod Zabel Pat Johnson Pastor Bruce Lerum Elder Board President Worship Fellowship Admin Representative Rod Zabel Jerry Olson Bob McDonnell Bobby Sears Carroll Schlemmer Administrative Board Chairperson Finance Stewardship Building & Grounds Supplies & Materials Meetings: Elder Board 3rd Wednesday of the Month 1:00PM Administrative Board 3rd Tuesday of the Month 6:30PM 5

6 WHERE DO I FIT IN? Feed My Starving Children 6

7 Capital Campaign Launch Grayson Nobel Metz 7

8 CHRIST THE VICTOR 6173 Arizona Farms Rd., Florence, AZ SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY EASTER SUNDAY 6:00am Sunrise Worship 8:00am Men s Breakfast & Bible Study 9:00am Food Bank and 2:00pm Mahjong 8:00am Worship 9:30am Worship 9:30am Club :00am Worship 9:30am Worship 9:30am Club 66 9:00am Crafters Are Us 9:00am Food Bank and 9:00am Woman s Bible Study 2:00pm Mahjong 4:00pm Choir :00am Worship 9:30am Worship 9:30am Club 66 9:00am Food Bank and 6:30pm Admin Board 1:00pm Elder Board 2:00pm Mahjong 4:00pm Choir :00am Worship 9:30am Worship 9:30am Club 66 9:00am Food Bank and 9:00am Women s Bible Study 9:00am Victor s Men 2:00pm Mahjong :00am Worship 9:30am Worship 9:30am Club 66 11:00am Annual Meeting

9 Church Hours: Mon-Thurs, 9am-12pm Phone: APRIL 2018 THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 9:00 amfood Bank and 11:15am Quilters 9:00am Food Bank and 9:00am Food Bank and 9:00am Mahjong :00am Mahjong :00am Mahjong 9:00am Men s Bible Study Easter Worship Services Please join us on April 1st as we celebrate Christ victory on the cross. As you join us, please extend an invitation to a friend, neighbor, or relative to celebrate Easter! Sunrise 6:00am Traditional 8:00am Contemporary 9:30am 9:00am Food Bank and :00am Mahjong 7:00 pm Area -Wide Prayer Meeting TBA 9:00am Adopt A Highway He is Risen, He is Risen Indeed!

10 CLUB He is Risen!!! April showers bring lots of activities in our Club 66 Sunday School program. Easter Sunday the children will be singing at both the 8am and 9:30 services. Parents-Please have your children in the Club 66 area by 8:40am. After they sing, they will have their special Easter celebration lesson and Easter Egg Hunt. Thanks to everyone who brought candy and plastic eggs to help with this special event. Mission Project: During April and May, Club 66 will be collecting slightly used shoes and socks for children in need. If you can help with this mission, please bring your donation of children s shoes and socks to the Club 66 area any Sunday in April and May. Place them in the bin marked shoes and socks. Club 66 will continue to collect pennies for the building fund. If you have pennies, see one of the Club 66 kids. They will be happy to put your pennies in our penny box. Our last day of regular Sunday School will be the third week of May. There will be no Summer Sunday School in June. We will resume Summer Sunday School in July and August. Blessings and prayers to all. Shalom, Becky Palm Sunday Children s Choir Jesus said, Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. Matthew 19:14 10

11 WHERE DO I FIT IN? At Christ the Victor Lutheran Church? Victor s Men? Volunteering? Crafter s Are Us? Choir? Prayer Team? Food Bank &? Tithing? Quilter? Men & Women s Bible Study? Baptism? Growth? Sunday Fellowship? Alpha? Stewardship? Outreach? New Missions? New Ministries? Yard Sale? Sunday School? Special Music? VBS? We welcome you to find your place at Christ the Victor! FOOD BANK FEBRUARY SUNDAY ATTENDANCE 2017/2018 Families Served Families Served 242 February 963/1133* *Some months have 5 Sundays People Served 1078 Year To Date 2049/2161 Pounds of Food 22,880 Average Weekly 228/270 Children Served 271 Weekly Average Increase 18% 11

12 MEN S BREAKFAST MONDAY, APRIL 2, 8AM Join the men of Christ the Victor the first Monday of the month for breakfast and lively discussion of Scripture. Invite a friend! THE VICTOR S MEN WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 9AM Join us the last Wednesday of the month as we work on our facility buildings and grounds. You bring the elbow grease (tools if you want to) and we ll provide the coffee and donuts. Hoping to see you as we work together to beautify God s property. MEN S BIBLE STUDY SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 9AM Calling all men!! Bible Study meets the 3rd Saturday of the month. Christ the Victor A Lutheran Faith Community Adopt A Highway Saturday, April 28 at 9am Volunteers needed to complete our spring cleaning of our one mile stretch of the Hunt Highway from Arizona Farms Road to Copper Basin. Meet at the church for your safety vests and supplies. Contact Jerry Olson at if you have any questions. Please join us on April 11th and 25th at 9am as we continue our study, Living a Life of Worship, by Sarah Young. Contact Carol Jeffers at for more information or to purchase the $5 book. Friends and neighbors are always welcome! 12

13 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21 WHERE DO I FIT IN? Where Do I Fit In at Christ the Victor? For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11 NIV God s promise for us today is the same as it was to Jeremiah and the people of Israel more than 2,500 years ago; plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. As you read this, you now know the initial results of our Where Do I Fit In? Campaign Drive. Our Campaign Commitment Event on Palm Sunday brought generous results as we realized commitments in the amount of $373,480 toward our $600,000 goal. Our First Fruits offerings accounted for a total of $34,230 actual dollars given. Your prayers, the 21-Day Devotional, and our Campaign Leadership Teams no doubt helped you to sacrificially commit to this 30 month campaign. We are now in a position to continue on this great journey, where God will lead us to fulfill all we can towards delivering the message of Christ to our community. As Pastor Bruce said in a recent sermon, 50, 100, or even 150 years from now, future members of Christ the Victor Lutheran Church will look back on this time, and be thankful for the vision of the current congregation that brought us to this point. All of you who made a commitment to this campaign, whether financial, through your time commitments as a Campaign Team Member, or through prayer for a successful outcome, have made possible the continued growth of His Kingdom and all that promises for the future. Thank you for the many ways you have already committed and will continue in that commitment. To Christ Be the Glory. For the Capital Stewardship Campaign, Bob McDonnell Campaign Director 13

14 ChristTheVictor.net What does ChristTheVictor.net do for Christ the Victor Lutheran Church? Do you know that as you click on this web address it will take you to our website? Our website has an enormous amount of information about who we are, what we believe, and how we serve our community. For instance you can access the following: Pastor Bruce s online sermons Prayer Requests Concert and Event Information Mission Partners Online Giving Contact Info/Worship Hours ChristTheVictor.net gives you an opportunity to share our vision with your friends and family. How are we doing? At your request, a current Financial Statement is posted inside the glass bulletin board in the Fellowship area. If you have any questions regarding the finances of Christ the Victor, please contact Vern Fruehling or Jerry Olson. We are more than happy to keep everyone apprised of our financial condition. SUNDAY TOURS LEAVE AT 9 AND 10:30AM Are you curious? Have you ever ventured around our campus to experience more than the fellowship and sanctuary areas? Now is the time! Tours of the entire property will be given after each service April 1 and 8. Please exit to the rear of the sanctuary to join the tour. To all Leaders and Organizers at Christ the Victor MAY NEWSLETTER INFO DUE APRIL 15th. In order to provide current and correct information to our entire membership it is important that the office receives information in a timely manner. Sunday Bulletins and the Newsletter are prepared 10 days in advance. After that point there is usually no room to add an entire article. We are asking all leaders to their articles and information 2 weeks prior to print date. It is important to this info rather than telling someone what you want since there are four of us who go over the information. All s are to be sent to office@christthevictor.net. If you do not have access to , please place a hard copy of your article in Suzanne's file in the office. Regarding Sunday morning announcements- we ask that if you have something urgent to be added to the morning announcements that you provide Pastor with a typed copy at least 45 minutes prior to worship. Please respect Pastor Bruce s time on Sunday mornings as he prepares to lead us in worship. 14

15 "Our hope is to bridge the gap between prosperity and poverty in our community." Christ the Victor and Midwest Food Bank are working together to supply food to the hungry. Hunger and food insecurity are significant problems facing our country and communities. Midwest Food Bank is a charity with a desire to demonstrate God's love by providing help to those in need. Our values give us a roadmap to "Sharing the Blessings." Focusing On Those In Need At Midwest Food Bank, we recognize the need to know our partner agencies (food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, etc.) and those they serve. We strive to recognize demographic shifts and strategically align business resources to adapt to those needs. Putting Others First Midwest Food Bank recognizes and values every person and our differences. All leadership, staff, partner agencies and volunteers are treated fairly, with dignity and respect. Working from a broad range of ideas and backgrounds we strive to bring hope and relief to our communities. Honesty & Integrity In all of Midwest Food Bank s dealings, we strive for honesty and integrity. It is our intent to use wise stewardship in all situations. Midwest Food Bank is independently audited and our financial information is readily available to the public. Volunteer Appreciation Midwest Food Bank s volunteers are the life-blood of the organization. Work can be done by a wide array of abilities and ages. The efforts of family, church, civic and work groups as well as individuals make it possible to serve those in need. Reaching Higher Fighting food insecurity requires that we continually grow and collaborate. We strive every day to connect with donors, experts, partners, leaders and communities to attack the problem of hunger from all angles. Several times a month our Food Bank volunteers pick up food and other necessary products from Midwest Food Bank in Gilbert. They are beneficial to our service to our Food Bank clients. At this time we are also collecting slightly used shoes for their mission to help the homeless. Thank you to all who actively support and pray for our Food Bank and its partners. 15

16 Altar Guild Denise Fruehling 480/ Choir Nancy Mitchell 330/ Crafter s Are Us LuAnn Siekas lsiekas@hotmail.com 218/ Food Bank Dee Lorenzen dhouses@live.com 520/ Greeting Card Eileen Hilton aehilton@cox.net 701/ Library Denise Fruehling verden2@q.com 602/ Men s Studies Dick Waggoner dickwaggoner@hotmail.com 605/ Music Danielle Cooke dani1604@cox.net 602/ Prayer Chain Dick Waggoner dickwaggoner@hotmail.com 605/ Quilters LuAnn Siekas lsiekas@hotmail.com 218/ Sunday Fellowship Pat Johnson no 218/ Sunday School/VBS Becky Hampton nanapop3@msn.com 623/ The Dominique Salerno jst8fyd@yahoo.com 480/ The Victor s Men Jim Green jpgreen21@cox.net 708/ Women s Bible Study Carol Jeffers bncjeffers@gmail.com 507/ Worship Volunteers Mary Ann Jones maj1964@cox.net 480/ Yard Sale Maryann Mills calif1046@yahoo.com 480/ Follow us on Facebook: 16