These are words to an African American spiritual. They are

Transcription

1 Volume 68, Number 3 March 2016 Internet Web Site: From Our Pastor I want Jesus to walk with me I want Jesus to walk with me All along my pilgrim journey I want Jesus to walk with me In Christ, Pr. Karl M. Richard Easter Schedule These are words to an African American spiritual. They are a plea for the presence of the Lord to be known and felt as one travels through the trials and tribulations of this world. They are a prayer for Jesus to lead us home to him at the end of our struggles. As we continue our journey through the season of Lent, we are reminded of the difficulties of life and our struggles with sin in this world. We hear stories of people in need who cry out to Jesus, and we see how Jesus heals them, encourages them, forgives them, and sets them free. We are reminded that Jesus walked this road with his people, for his people. These stories are not just about what Jesus did long ago. They are stories into which we can place ourselves. They are our story of our journey. They are our plea, our prayer. They are encouragement to us that Jesus promises to walk with us, and Jesus walks with us not just in this season of Lent, but all along our pilgrim journey. We journey through Lent and receive such reassurance, because we also walk with Jesus. We walk his journey to the cross. We witness his resurrection from the dead. We walk with him on the road to Emmaus. We celebrate and wonder as we see him re-ascend to God the Father in heaven. The journey we take through life is made easier when we realize we do not walk alone. We walk with other people whom God gives us to know and to love. We walk with Jesus as he comes to us by his Spirit, giving us strength to carry on, giving us joy on our way. This pilgrim journey is not all struggle and worry, but joy and grace as we walk with the One who promises new life, who promises us a destination to our journey. May we be strengthened and encouraged, comforted and delighted as we walk through life with Jesus our Lord! Maundy Thursday, March 24, :00 p.m. Service of Holy Communion 7:00 p.m. Service of Holy Communion The Stripping of the Altar Good Friday, March 25, :00 p.m. Community Service sponsored by the Springfield Ministerium held at Saint Matthew 7:00 p.m. Good Friday Evening Service Easter Sunday, March 27, :00 a.m. Festival Worship Service 9:30 a.m. Easter Breakfast 11:00 a.m. Festival Worship Service (No Sunday Bible School) Our Journey in March During the weeks up to Palm Sunday, we will continue to have mid-week Lenten services on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 along with our regular Sunday schedule. Evening services are conducive to quiet reflection and prayers and we hope you will make them part of your routine this month. Palm Sunday is the beginning of the holiest week of the year. It is an emotional week as we celebrate Palm Sunday with palms and hosannas, only to travel the path into betrayal, pain and despair and then rejoice again on Easter Sunday. There is no Wednesday evening service during Holy Week. We will have Maundy Thursday services at both noon and 7:00 p.m. with absolution and communion at each service. At the 7:00 p.m. service the altar will be stripped.

2 On Good Friday, Saint Matthew will be the host for the community service for the local Springfield churches. This service will be held at noon with participation from the clergy, choirs and congregations from our neighborhoods. Saint Matthew will also hold an evening Good Friday service at 7:00 p.m. where the choir will be an integral part of the service with The Final Hours, a Suite for Holy Week. There will not be a Saturday evening Easter Vigil service this year. Rather, we will begin our Easter celebration with a service at 8:00 a.m. when we will process in with our new Paschal Candle to start this day of celebration. Our traditional Easter breakfast follows this service as we spend time with family and friends. Our second Easter service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Each service will be a celebration of the Glory of the Risen Lord with music, song, word and communion. Please travel with us on this journey and invite family and friends along as well! Musical Opportunities for Lent, Holy Week, and Easter The anthems for the season of Lent are poignant and haunting and beautiful - both the words and the music. While at times during other church seasons I may struggle to find an appropriate choir anthem, during the Lent season the problem is which of many anthems to choose. It is a meaningful journey for the choir as we prepare these anthems and sing them on Sundays to share in the worship experience. I hope that you find them meaningful in your Lenten journey as well. On Good Friday, Saint Matthew will be hosting the community service at noon. All singers (choir members or not) from the community are invited to join with our choir in the anthem for that noon service. See me if you want to check out the music beforehand. We will have a combined choir rehearsal of the anthem on Good Friday at 11:30. For our 7:00 p.m. evening service on Good Friday, the choir is rehearsing a work that is new to us. The Final Hours was composed by Lee Dengler with words by Susan Dengler. This is a suite of three beautiful anthems with narration which will be incorporated into our evening Good Friday service. In this work, we are led through music and word to reflect on Jesus final hours on earth and the realization that Surely, This Was God s Own Son. The Denglers have local ties as graduates of West Chester University. I welcome anyone to come sing with us during this Lenten season; some of the anthems are well known and well loved, while others are new. I have rehearsal CDs for The Final Hours which are extremely helpful in learning this new work. Pat McHugh Family Ministries Easter Egg Hunt Family Ministries is hosting our annual Easter Egg Hunt for children 7 and under on Saturday, March 19, at 1:00 p.m. Please join us for arts and crafts, music, refreshments, and tons of family fun! R.S.V.P. to Nicole Smith at nicolesmith6907@hotmail.com, or by signing up in the church hallway by March 12. Altar Guild The Altar Guild at Saint Matthew is a group of 20 people who are working together all year, performing a very vital ministry at our church. The following article, Spirit of Altar Guild written by The Rt. Rev. Dan T. Edwards, explains the dynamics that can shape an Altar Guild. This ministry goes well beyond just making sure the church is prepared for services. Some very strong friendships have grown while we do what we can to make sure the church is welcoming and inviting. By being a part of this group, we are connected to our church through each other. If you would like to become a part of our ministry, please contact Paulette Stark or Janice Gardner. The Spirit of Altar Guild by The Rt. Rev. Dan T. Edwards, Bishop of Nevada I have known and been blessed by a lot of altar guilds over the years. Of course, they all do the behind the scenes work necessary to make worship happen for the rest of us. For that good ministry, most of us are grateful, and should probably be more grateful than we are. Altar guild service is an underappreciated ministry. Your altar guild is far more of a force in the parish than the holy housekeeping tasks they perform. It is a spiritual community - the spirit in which it lives ripples out to affect the feel of the whole congregation - for better or worse, depending on its spirit. Some altar guilds are dominated by over functioning perfectionists surrounded by a cluster of nervous assistants. That model may get the work done but it does not build up the members of the guild. It does not grow their competence and confidence so that they experience the dignity of Christian service. Other altar guilds become real teams. The senior members are neither rulers giving orders nor doers taking care of everything themselves. Instead they are leaders and teachers, bringing along others and valuing their formation more than perfection. 2

3 Another spiritual issue is hospitality. Some are closed groups. If they have the services covered, there is no room for new members. That keeps new people at the edge of the congregation, but others welcome new members and use altar guild service as a way to build relationships. Those altar guilds make the mood of the church considerably warmer. Some altar guilds are fretful, burdened, or resentful, but others make service a spiritual discipline much as Brother Lawrence found God in the Carmelite kitchen in Practicing the Presence of God. When such altar guilds do their work, they instill a spirit of prayer in the very fair linens and the vessels. One can feel the difference at the altar. A certain spirit floats out of every sacristy the way an aroma floats out of the kitchen. It sets the tone of the worship and more than that it sets the tone of congregational life. I have known vestries that were strong leaders for good or for ill, but I have also known vestries that were not really the leaders of the congregation. They were mere placeholders. However, I have never known an altar guild that was not at the heart of the parish. My hope is that altar guilds grasp the depth and complexity of their role as spiritual facilitators of the parish. A well-set service with the corporal and lavabo bowl in just the right place is a good thing, but there are more important intangibles in this ministry - care for each other, building up another s competence and confidence, welcoming and including new members, and above all prayer. Paulette Stark Children s Corner Dear Children, Well, here we are in March - the Christmas lights are stored, the Christmas cookies are long gone, and perhaps the gifts that were so coveted now have found a space back in the closet. As you know, the seasons of the church are in a constant stage of change and we are now in Lent - not as joyful as the Christmas season. Many of you are aware that Lent began in February with Ash Wednesday and will last until Easter, which th is the 27 of March. The forty days of Lent (do not count the weekends) give us ample opportunity to remember The Easter Story and all of God s promises. Christ lived and died to free all of us from sin, and now our lives are new again without any sin and we can live with Jesus forever. Keep those promises in mind as I list a few of the many facts about Lent: Early Christians had to acknowledge their sins in public. The early Christians also had to fast and were not able to attend any joyful events. Presently some people fast (this means giving up something) during this period as this practice reminds us of the suffering of Christ. We now are encouraged to spend more time in prayer. This is a good time to study scripture to find out what God wants us to do. Christ and his disciples spent a lot of time helping others; you can do this too. Purple is the designated color for Lent; be sure to look at the vestments and paraments. Dear Parents, Lent provides a wonderful time for you and your child to discuss prayer, self examination, fasting, spiritual growth, and commitment to the Christian life. Following are a few Bible verses that will help you integrate daily living with Christ and his promises: Exodus 34: Kings 19:1-18 Matthew 4:1-2 Luke 4:1-2. What number did you see in these verses? You might want to encourage your child to give up something that he normally enjoys (vegetables don t count); increase participation in churchrelated activities; and help those who are not as fortunate as you. Sylvia Yost Men s Breakfast Our March Men s Breakfast will be held at Saint Matthew on Saturday, March 19, at 7:15 a.m. Rick Link and his kitchen cohorts will work their culinary magic as more than 100 men will enjoy the full buffet breakfast for which Saint Matthew has become famous. Our guest speaker will be Paul S. Hoffecker, Founder and CEO of Renovating Hope, an organization committed to the mission of improving the lives of our service members, our veterans, and their families. Since Renovating Hope s inception in 2008, Mr. Hoffecker has devoted himself and his career to the administration and leadership of this national nonprofit by including best in class corporate partners, philanthropic foundations, private donors, and like-minded sponsors to help fund those living in homes that are well below their honor and dignity. All of the men of Saint Matthew are invited to bring a friend to this special program. Men from other Lutheran congregations in Delaware County will be invited. Christian Education Committee Thank you to all the Sunday School youth who helped with the Souper Bowl of Caring event in February. A grand total of $244 was collected in the soup containers. We also want to thank everyone for donating food, delivering flyers, collecting bags 3

4 of food, sorting the food items and packing them into boxes, and loading boxes into trucks. Every job was very much appreciated. Parents of young children should be looking for special mailings for their littlest ones. In January we reinstituted the Cradle Roll. Families with children under age 3 will receive monthly mailings from a program entitled Splash! Each month a parent page will be mailed suggesting ideas for faith-filled play, worship, meals, and prayer. Once a year each family will receive a CD with age appropriate songs and music. This is another way our congregation can stay connected to young children and their families. Thanks to Ginger Heck for coordinating this outreach program for us. A reminder that Adult Bible Study will resume after Easter. For the early risers we have a class at 6:30 a.m. There is also another class at noon. The noon group takes turns serving light refreshments! Consider joining one of these studies led by Pastor Richard. You ll learn a great deal and enjoy Christian fellowship. There will be no Sunday School classes on Easter Sunday. We encourage families to attend one of our worship services on that day. Carol Penjuke Saint Matthew Christian Nursery School News March will be another month containing many activities appropriately developed for the various happenings of March. We will discover if March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. All classes will celebrate Saint Patrick s Day with shamrocks, rainbows and leprechauns. We will also have a visit from the Philadelphia Zoo and have our school pictures taken by Mike DiTrolio - Active Image Photography. All of the children continue to learn to recognize and print the letters of the alphabet, printing their names, doing fun activities and making new friends along the way. We will be singing new songs during music with Mrs. Heidi Starr, and the children just love coming together to sing and march with the instruments. School will be closed for Spring Recess on Monday, March 21, through Monday, March 28. We will re-open on Tuesday, March 29. Registration is now under way for the school year. We offer a 2 day class for three year olds, a 3 day class for four year olds, and a 5 day class for the five year olds. Have a wonderful, Blessed Easter season. Linda M. Maylie, Director Crop Walk Follow-Up Every Fall, CROP Hunger Walks are organized by local volunteers to raise money to end hunger. Sponsored by Church World Service, these walks help the millions of people in the world who struggle on a daily basis with hunger, by raising funds and raising awareness of the need. This past October a team from Saint Matthew participated in the Swarthmore- Wallingford 10K CROP Walk. Our seven walkers raised $967! Thank you to walkers Madison Wesley, Patti Wesley, Danielle Lazaro, Meredith Harris, Dan Lazaro, Dawn Liscom and David Liscom, and to everyone who sponsored us. The final tally for the Swarthmore-Wallingford CROP Walk was 43 walkers and $3,753 raised. There will be another CROP Walk this October. Won t you join us? Dawn Liscom First Thursday Friends ( FTF ) The First Thursday Friends will gather on March 3, 2016 at 11:30. We will be dining at Maggie O Neill s in Pilgrim Gardens Plaza, 1062 Pontiac Road, Drexel Hill, PA Please contact John Stefl if you intend to attend so he can make reservations. Please contact him if you would like a ride. Looking for Work? Are you looking for full/part-time work? Consider working for KenCrest, a top work place in Philadelphia. KenCrest is a non-profit, human services agency that supports children and adults with intellectual disabilities and autism. We offer full and part-time positions working with people of varying ages: Support Staff/Community Companions - working with individuals in their homes, assisting with life skills or activities in the community Resident Advisors/Direct Support Professionals - working in a group home setting, handling daily support and activities KenCrest has many locations in Bucks, Montgomery, Delaware, Chester, and Philadelphia counties. Applications are only being accepted online so please visit and then click on External Candidates. 4

5 Pilot of the Ships Daddy Pop and Matey, my Mom s parents, lived in a graceful Victorian house at Waikenae Beach in Gisborne, New Zealand. They had a large flower garden with a gazebo and trellises and a boardwalk which led to the sandy shore of the Pacific Ocean. I remember the ladies, my relatives all of them, wearing summer dresses and pretty sun hats gathering for family gettogethers under blue skies in that lovely garden. The grandson was a center of attention and, of course, he loved every minute. Daddy Pop had a little dog, a black and white wire-haired terrier, named Binky who accompanied him to work each day at the city harbor. (Gisborne is the first city on earth to greet the morning sun each day.) The Harbormaster and Ship s Pilot, Daddy Pop would guide the ships into and out of the harbor, often in rough seas with wind and rain. When I was a little older, he made a small wooden seat with footrests which he clamped to the bar of his bike and invited me to ride to work with him. I gripped the handlebars while Binky skipped along beside us. Wow, I m riding a two wheeler! I thought those days would never end. There were so many things to see at harbor-side and I was interested in all those activities. There were nets and ropes and cranes with cargo ships unloading alongside. Sights and sounds filled my little mind with wonder as I climbed onto the pilot boat Taketimu. Crew members, delighted to see me, helped me step onto the deck and showed me how things worked. I remember the feeling of the boat on the water. Everything was in motion as the engine came alive, the lines were cast off, and we were moving away from the wharf. Each task performed by the men on board was an important part of a choreography surely to gladden the heart. The lesson I learned from first-hand observation was the importance of working as a team to accomplish a mutual task. Each crewman was happy and proud to show me the ropes, so to speak. They were a wonderful group of men who thought the world of my Daddy Pop and were always kind to Binky, who loved them all. Memories of these times are filled with the sounds of seagulls, the flush and splash of the waves generated by the moving boat and the sunlit blue-green water glistening as it glided past. I remember how the boat smelled. Here was a combination of smells that gives a young boy new discoveries not sensed on the land. Strong delicious tea was boiled on the primus stove for the crew and served in mugs sweet with lots of sugar. Salt sea air and hemp ropes, still wet from the water mixed with the smell of the diesel from the noisy engine room. It was a whole new world! I marveled at the way my Daddy Pop handled the wheel, and how the crewmen set to each task without reading any orders. Then, as a ship loomed high above us, Daddy Pop would step lively across to the ladder on the side and climb up to guide that great ship into port. Taketimu would follow behind the ship as it entered the harbor. How many times this was repeated over the years in all kinds of weather is a tribute to those men doing their duty. Men who go down to the sea in ships, said the poet to honor such souls with wonder. I look back at their service with respect and reverence. There is so much to learn and cherish from reminiscences such as these. A legacy for us to inspire ourselves in our lives today. Tony Webb May His Peace be with us all. P. S. After 55 years, I again visited the harbor, and Taketimu was still there! Women of the ELCA News This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. As I sit down to write about our upcoming events, I m listening to the weather report for this weekend - minus numbers. You have been so generous in giving to The Welcome Church. May we all keep the homeless in our prayers as winter continues. By the time you receive this newsletter, we will have collected the writing paper, pencils, pens and colored pencils. For the month of March we are asking for reading glasses - the dollar store has a good supply. Activities for March: March 6 Display of Ronald McDonald Quilts March 9 Board Meeting March 12 Lutheran World Relief Quilting March 16 Ronald McDonald Quilting March 29 Sarah Circle March 30 Esther Circle April 3 will be Women s Sunday; and keep Tuesday, April 19, for the entire congregation to come to dinner and hear Abbas Khalif, a former refugee who now works for Liberty Lutheran - a very timely and interesting speaker. Joan Krauter It s Time to Order Easter Lilies Easter lilies that beautify our sanctuary and parlor may be ordered by signing up in the church hallway or calling the 5

6 church office. Look for the sign-up sheet in the church hallway. The cost of each plant is $10.00, and it may be taken home following the 11:00 a.m. Easter service. The last day to order lilies is Sunday, March 20. Thank you. Pastor and Saint Matthew family, Thank you for all of the love and concern shown at the passing of our dear Uncle Ed. He was a special man who will be missed by all of us. Your prayers, support and flowers were deeply appreciated during such a difficult time. Library We are in the season of Lent. Let us take time to attend Lenten services, and remember Jesus died so we may be saved, forgiven of our sins. With a grateful heart, The family of Ed Baer Dear Pastor Karl,,* * * Come Lord Jesus, Come Quickly is found on Shelf 263PAR. The book is written by Constance F. Parvey. It is Lenten meditations. Lent itself is an intense time, a limited, terminal and dying time, but Lent is not fatalistic. Suffering is present, but so is healing. Darkness pervades the time, but not without a sign of light; conflict is violent, but it is not without resolution; death is at the center, but it is not an end in itself. Come Lord Jesus! Come Quickly! is a cry of hope and affirms the divine mystery of God, using the despair, the loss, the exhaustion in our lives as new sources of strength. It is a fitting prayer for Lent. Barbara Kinsey Easter is March 27 the Resurrection of our Lord. Monthly Mailbag Dear Saint Matthew Congregation, Thank you for thinking of me in such a thoughtful way. Thank you to my church family for all the beautiful get well and birthday cards. I know without all the prayers I would not have made it through this illness. Especially, thanks to Pastor and Frankie for their visits. for me. Sincerely, Jackie Calhoun Janice, thanks for gathering all the programs and DVDs Dear Saint Matthew Family, * * * I want to thank so many of you for all your prayers and caring thoughts upon the death of my mother. The many cards and beautiful altar flowers have been very much appreciated during this difficult time. Love, Jean McGarvey On behalf of the boys and girls we serve, thank you and all our friends at Saint Matthew for once again choosing to support our work. Your December 31, 2015 gift of $125 is most welcomed and helpful to us in bringing education, nurturing, and healing services to vulnerable children from our local communities. It is only with the help of supportive congregations, individuals, and others that Silver Springs is able to help more than 1,400 children and families each year. We thank you deeply for joining us in this important ministry. We are very grateful for your ongoing partnership and count you among our blessings. Sincerely, Lynn Unipan, Development Director Silver Springs-Martin Luther School * * * Dear Pastor Richard and congregation: On behalf of over 1,250 client families and the volunteers of Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry, we want to thank all of you for your great generosity towards the Pantry. Your donations last year totaled 2, pounds of food plus fresh vegetables, turkeys, diapers, school supplies, personal care items, and kitchen items. Your ongoing generosity is so thoughtful and needed. Thank you also to Rick Link for delivering the donations each week. We have received no state aid for the past six months due to the budget impasse. Because of this, each month is more of a struggle to keep sufficient food on our shelves and in our freezers to help our clients. Also, the USDA (which had increased to about 20% of our need) has had no offering for December or January. This means we are only getting help from our donors and local food drives. This has made donations such as yours imperative to our continued operation. Each time we are open, new families come to us who have been forced to ask for help as they can no longer afford even the most basic necessities. What this means is a constant influx of new families to Loaves and Fishes. As food prices and the cost of living 6

7 continue to grow, so will our pantry as we do our best to meet expanding need. Your continued support is deeply appreciated for helping us meet our clients needs throughout the year. Thank you for seeing their need and being so generous in helping them. What you have done has had a profound effect upon our clients lives. Your thoughtfulness and generosity for our client families means a great deal. May all of you be blessed as you have continued to bless us. We are deeply grateful. We wish everyone a happy and healthy New Year. Blessings, Joanne Castagna, Director Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry Dear Saint Matthew Friends, * * * Thank you very much for the sweet, winter-themed treats and toys for the children in the Residential Treatment Program at Silver Springs - Martin Luther School. The boys and girls were thrilled to receive them! Thank you, also, for the terrific collection of toys. The puzzles, dolls, action figures, stuffed animals, books, and more will make terrific gifts that the children will love receiving. We are very grateful for your kindness toward the children and faithful support of our ministry. With your support we are able to help vulnerable boys and girls in our care heal, learn, and reach for bright futures. Thank you again! Sincerely, Amanda Bryant Development Associate Silver Springs - Martin Luther School Vital Statistics 65 Wedding th Anniversary: Stanley and Pansy Stolar March 25, 2016 The Good Newsletter, a congregational newsletter, is published monthly, September through June by Saint Matthew Evangelical Lutheran Church, 400 Lynbrooke Road, Springfield, Pennsylvania Please direct all correspondence pertaining to this publication to the Editor, Dr. Carl E. Aronson, at the above address. The deadline for submitting copy is 12 noon on the 15th of each month. 7