Lutheran Church of the Cross N Wheeling Avenue. Muncie, IN Lutheran Church of the Cross. With a heart for all people...

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1 Lutheran Church of the Cross 4401 N Wheeling Avenue Muncie, IN Lutheran church of the cross North Wheeling Avenue Muncie, IN Rev. James Bischoff Pastor Cell phone Kristie Rapp, Kids Hope USA Director Officers: Pam Kirklin, President Molly Graybeal, Vice President Doug Roebuck, Secretary Maria VanVreede, Treasurer Council Deacons Mark Kirklin, Buildings & Grounds Olaf Larson, Education Betty McBride, Social Molly Graybeal, Stewardship Allison Southerland, Worship Donna Corder, Mission Nicole Cunningham, Youth Lutheran Church of the Cross With a heart for all people... Our mission: "Together in Christ, we celebrate God s love, grace and forgiveness through worship and service. With the Spirit s guidance, we faithfully teach and learn, love and welcome, and care for each other, our community and the world." Our welcome: We are a congregation which embraces the gifts and diversity that people bring to serve God. We are a Reconciling in Christ Congregation, welcoming all people regardless of race, color, economic status, sexual orientation, physical challenge or age. A congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. If you are receiving the Lutheran Church of the Cross newsletter in error, or no longer wish to receive the newsletter, please contact the church office at: or office@churchofthecross.comcastbiz.net to be removed from the mailing list. Office Secretary, Sherry Miller office@churchofthecross.comcastbiz.net

2 March 2015 Lutheran Church of the Cross A newsletter for and about the ministry of the people of Church of the Cross This Month at a Glance: Lenten Worship -Wednesdays: Soup Supper 6p Worship 7p 3/4 & 3/25 at Holy Trinity 3/11 & 3/18 at LCC Daylight Savings Time -Set clocks ahead 1 hour on Saturday, 3/7 before bed Happy Anniversary Omitted for online posting Happy Birthday Omitted for online posting The Gift of Prayer One of the greatest gifts God gives to us is the gift of prayer. The privilege of being in communication with God, any time and any place is, indeed, pure gift. Being more intentional in prayer is also one of the marks of the season of Lent. These holy days offer us, and challenge us with, the opportunity to exercise our prayer muscles on a deeper level. There are many types of prayer some of which are: intercession prayer on behalf of others and the world with specific requests; gratitude giving thanks; centering spending quiet time turning our thoughts only to God; as well as prayers for spiritual growth, healing, peace, guidance, etc.. Recently I was introduced to a blog about a form of prayer called Examen. This form comes from Ignatius of Loyola ( ), founder of the Jesuits. The Examen prayer was to be used twice each day, at mid-day and at night. It is especially fitting to use the Examen as one is preparing for sleep. The elements of the Examen are: 1 Become aware of God s presence; 2 Think through your day with gratitude; 3 Reflect on your day emotionally; 4 Choose one thing to pray for; and 5 Look to tomorrow. I offer you the Examen as a possible way of prayer for your consideration. My prayer, for each one of us, is that we will grow deeper in our desire to pray, recognizing our need to pray, regardless of any formula, pattern, or particular structure. Just pray. Talk to God. Listen to God. Include prayer as a vital part of each day that God gifts to you. If you are still thinking about something to give up for Lent, why not give up not making prayer a priority? To paraphrase a stanza of a hymn from my youth: Prayer is the Christian s vital breath, The Christian s native air, Our watchword at the gates of death: We enter heaven with prayer. (James Montgomery, ) Blessings. Pastor Jim

3 Kids Hope March Newsletter This is Kids Hope s 20 year anniversary and LCC s 11 th year of involvement. Below is some food for thought on why we mentor. Mentors are great because 1. They give voice to the voiceless children. 2. They give kids hope by making kids feel they matter to someone. 3. They always show up, meaning they stop whatever they re doing to go meet their students, every week. 4. They make children feel special. Some children do not have a chance to show off to their peers but when their mentor comes they get that chance to show off for a caring adult who wants to spend time with just them. 5. They provide an opportunity for a child to say whatever they want and/or need to. 6. They make kids laugh who often don t have much to laugh about. 8. They give one-on-one attention in a positive way to the kids who are crying out for it or who have gone quiet. 9. They give kids a reason to be extra excited to go to school! 10. They listen to their students; many of whom are too often told to be quiet all the time. 11. They make a child who may have trouble fitting in with his or her peers feel like the most important kid in the world. 12. They are TRUE friends like the secret handshake, I ll share my last Skittle with you kind of friends. 13. They can take a bad situation like, falling on the ice on my way to school, and turn it into something worth sharing, now you have a really nice battle scar. 14. They teach kids how to shake hands, smile at someone, and to someday be President. Okay, maybe not president, but you never know what a child can achieve when someone believes in him/ her. 15. They help students reach their full potential when everyone around them is saying they will fail because they know that I believe in you helps a student try one more time. 16. They help their students move on to the next grade level when their student has already failed second grade, twice. 17. They understand, and when they can t they re still there waiting to give advice, a listening ear or whatever it is that will make their student s life better. 18. They encourage students to do their best even when they don t feel like it. 19. They speak affirming words to students that build their self esteem rather than words students normally hear that tear them down. 20. They help a student grow to be a person that gives back to society and desires to mentor their own student someday. Mentors are great because they create a legacy of mentoring that comes full circle and makes our world better for everyone.

4 Education --Olaf Larson, Education Deacon Recently, I remembered a young man I was acquainted with in college whom I admired. He was confident, adventurous, and treated people in a manner that was friendly, generous, and open. I knew all this about him before I ever learned that he was also Catholic and led a regular prayer group on campus. This new knowledge about him shocked me (at that time in my life, I'd concluded that Christianity had nothing to offer me). His character clashed with the narrow definition I had developed of "Christians." Making his acquaintance was one of the first of many events that would force me to reconsider my conclusions. What interests me about this story now, in retrospect, is the fact that this young man never told me why he was a Christian or why he believed in Jesus Christ. He made no compelling argument for the merits of his religion at least not in words. But his character testified about the truth that can be found in the Gospel message and in a life of faith. This is the same character that I discovered in all of you at Church of the Cross, which allowed me finally to open my mind to the Gospel. I share this story because I think that many of us (myself included) are intimidated by evangelism the spreading of the Gospel through personal witness. We may imagine that evangelism means mounting an eloquent defense of God or of Jesus in the midst of a hostile debate. We may picture preaching from the street corner to strangers. But when we have walked with Jesus on a path towards spiritual maturity, when we have developed that inner character of generosity and humility, then we gain the ability to preach a very powerful sermon with only a few words: "Yes, I am a Christian." The label "Christian" has been attached to some not-so-admirable things in recent decades. Perhaps the most fruitful form of evangelism is to insure that our character reflects the character of Christ, so that the term "Christian" means a person who embodies love and truth. We will be learning more during the coming months in Sunday School about just who this Christ is, as we begin our study guide The Greatest Story: Jesus. Mission --Donna Corder, Mission Deacon Thank you to everyone for continuing to donate food, cleaning supplies and clothing to our Christian Ministries cart. Other items they need are dish soap, laundry detergent, toothpaste and other personal hygiene items. Peace and Blessings! Christian Ministries Donation Totals Donated 1/20: 205 food items & 7 Bags of clothes/shoes Thank you to all who donate and to Warren for delivering the items! Needs at Christian Ministries: Deodorant Shampoo/Cond Diapers Toothpaste Toothbrushes Washcloths Toilet Paper Fem Hygiene Bath Towels Baby Wipes Socks Soap

5 Worship --Allison Southerland, Worship Deacon Hi all, Here is the list of Lenten soup supper/service places and times: Feb. 25th- Grace Episcopal March 4th-Holy Trinity March 11th- LCC March 18th- LCC March 25th- Holy Trinity Each service is at 7 pm, preceded by a soup supper at 6 pm. If you are reading that out loud, there are a lot of 's' sounds in that sentence... Anyway- Kathie and Larry Simmons are again donating flowers for Easter. I mention this now because as usual, we will be asking for a $10 (or more!) donation for said flowers. This year it will be a bit different, and a bit more colorful, as we are incorporating different colors into the decor. Each $10 donation pays for any flower. We will announce this again each Sunday during Lent, and as usual, you may take a plant home with you later. Since there is going to be an array of flowers, it will probably be like a box of chocolates, meaning you never know what you are going to end up with! Please notice the stations that are set up in the Sanctuary. They are there for you to enjoy along with each service in Lent. Feel free to use them at any time, other than during sermons. Blessings, all! Social --Betty McBride, Social Deacon The season of Lent is upon this. LCC will be hosting 2 back to back soup suppers: the first on March 11; the second on March 18. For these events, we will, of course, need a variety of soups, but will also need drinks, water, bread and some form of dessert i.e. cookies/brownies. Sign up sheets will be placed on the bulletin board for your convenience. In addition, it has been requested by Council that we begin the Coffee and What-Not early. Sign up sheets for the coming months will also be on the bulletin board. Thank you to all for your continued support and generosity. THANK YOU TO Mark Kirklin for making the round altar and altar cross for our worship space during Lent, for getting our PA speaker repaired and remounted, and for taking down the curtain track in the worship space TO Cheryl Haslitt for making the altar cloth and hangings for the round altar CONGRATULATIONS to Bill and Sarah Jenkins, and Catie, on the birth of their son/brother, Teddy, who was born this past week. We pray for God s blessings on this new life and holy gift. Thanks be to God!

6 James Davisson Where were you born and raised? I was born in Joliet, Illinois, and raised in Chicago and its suburbs. What do you like to do in your spare time? I read a lot--fiction, history, theology, comics--and play the occasional video game. Of all you ve done in your life, what has made you feel the most proud? Marrying my wife Anna, at a wedding we planned together and that everyone agreed was rad. Name one person that has had the greatest influence in your life. Author Marilynne Robinson has influenced my thought and faith for most of my adult life. If you could take a vacation right now, where would you go? To see my parents in Winnipeg. I keep hearing how terrible the winters are there, and I kind of want to experience one for myself sometime. If you could have dinner with any person alive in the world today, who would that be? New Testament historian and theologian NT Wright. In one word, what does Lutheran Church of the Cross mean to you? Community. + Crosses for Lent + Just a reminder that during these days of Lent you are asked to bring in a cross, if you wish, of any kind or size to display in the Fellowship Hall on the bulletin board. The board will be covered with pegboard and we will have hooks for you to hang your cross on the board. Be sure to put your name on the back of the cross so that it (or they if you bring in more than one) can be returned to you after Lent has ended. UNITED IN MARRIAGE James M. Bischoff and David G. Kroll were united in marriage on Sunday, February 22 at St. Paul s Episcopal Church in Indianapolis. Pr. Jim and Dave thank you for your prayers and your support for them.

7 Worship Server Schedule - March 2015 Asst. Minister Kay Roebuck 3/1; James Davisson 3/8; TBD 3/15; Donna Corder 3/22; Mike Haynes 3/29 Lector Donna Corder 3/1; Doug Roebuck 3/8; Mag Ypparila 3/15; Pam Kirklin 3/22; June Kramer 3/29 Cantor James Davisson 3/1; Olaf Larson 3/8; Doug Roebuck 3/15; Bill Kramer 3/22; Cheryl Haslitt 3/29 Acolyte Madelyn Miller 3/1; Jacob Miller 3/8; Madelyn Miller 3/15; Jacob Miller 3/22; Madelyn Miller 3/29 Ushers Kristie Rapp & Mark Kirklin 3/1; Bill Kramer & Olaf Larson 3/8; Mike Haynes & Mark Miller 3/15; Warren Groeling & June Kramer 3/22; Kristie Rapp & Mark Kirklin 3/29 Nursery Betty McBride 3/1; Janice Reddoch 3/8; Ali Reddoch 3/15; Betty McBride 3/22; Janice Reddoch 3/29 Greeter Altar Guild Mark Kirklin Allison Southerland Breadsticks & Bibles Tuesday March 3rd at the Pizza King on Wheeling Ave, Muncie 6:30pm Financial Information January Maria VanVreede, Treasurer Income, all accounts: $10, Expenses, all accounts: $ 7,855.60