Service at 7:00 pm Wednesday March 5, 2014

Transcription

1 Service at 7:00 pm Wednesday March 5, 2014 First English Evangelical Lutheran Church, 1603 Monument Avenue, Richmond, VA Office (804) Fax (804) Web pages: Rev. Dr. John T. Schweitzer, Pastor: Mr. Brian Wingfield, Parish Administrator:

2 On March 5 we will observe Ash Wednesday, which this year is rather later than usual. The result is that Easter will be in the second half of April. I ll avoid presenting a detailed explanation about how we determine the date of Easter (it has to do, in short, with Easter being the first Sunday after the first full moon of spring). A discussion of all that calendar stuff isn t what s going to get our average Sunday attendance up or generate more enthusiasm about observing Lent! Rather, we should concentrate this entire month and most of April on the passion and death of our Lord, all the way to April 19 (Easter Eve). Many of us think of Lent as a time when we are called upon to give up something as a reminder of our Lord s sacrifice of his life as a ransom for our sins. And that s a good place to start. True confessions: as a boy, I gave up buying comic books and playing pinball machines (the real thing, not computer versions) during this somber season. Yet Lent can be a very positive experience for the Christian, regardless of the past memories we might have of it as a gloomy time we did not look forward to. And those in our church who do not come from backgrounds where Lent was observed have an advantage: they can approach it with an open mind. Lent continues to remind us that it is in the cross of Christ, towering o er the wrecks of time, that we are to glory, not in our own achievements or cleverness. As Paul says in Galatians 6:14, May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Here at First English we will observe Lent, first of all, with a service of Holy Communion and Imposition of Ashes at 7 pm on March 5. On the Wednesdays following, beginning at 6:45 pm, we will gather in the church library for a series of Bible studies centering around the topic the passion of our Lord as foretold in the Old Testament. We won t simply be dealing with the suffering servant songs in Isaiah 42, 49, 50, & 53, or Psalm 22, although these two passages will be included. Rather, we will see that the promise of salvation through the redeemer goes all the way back to the book of Genesis. Bring your favorite version of the Bible and learn more about, to borrow words from the poet Milton, man s first disobedience, and the fruit of that forbidden tree, whose mortal taste brought death into the world, and all our woe, with loss of Eden, till one greater Man restore us, and regain the blissful seat This theme of the coming reversal of human sin runs throughout the Old Testament. And if this is not enough, 20th Century Fox announced that Son of God, the film based on History Channel's miniseries The Bible, will open wide in U.S. theaters on Feb. 28, That s exactly 10 years after the Mel Gibson movie titled The Passion of the Christ created a stir here in Richmond and elsewhere. I ve always been a fan of biblical epics, but also remain skeptical about Hollywood s attempts, however well-meaning, to present the Son of God on the silver screen. There s no substitute for getting to know him yourself, through prayer, meditation, involvement in a church, and above all, Bible reading, both alone and in groups like we ll have here at First English on Wednesdays in Lent. I ll reserve judgment on the movie. If one person is brought to faith in Christ be seeing it, it will have achieved its purpose. But maybe you should ask yourselves this Lent: will anyone come to faith in our Lord through my witness, through my leading him or her to the savior? Whether through film, Bible study, sermons, worship services of all kinds, discussions, meditation, prayer, trips to the Holy Lands: all our seeking ends at the cross. There we learn that God gave his very best his son to free us from death and the devil and open the gates of heaven to all believers. And to this end we need Lent, more than ever. We need to concentrate on our Lord s passion and death in order to prepare to celebrate his resurrection. I hope to see you in church on Ash Wednesday, on all Sundays in Lent, and that your Lenten experience will be enriched by Bible study, prayer, and who knows, maybe by movie going. Let s keep Lent, whatever that means to each one of us. And let s concentrate on him who alone is our source of life and salvation. ~ Pastor John Schweitzer

3 UPCOMING EVENTS Women of the ELCA The next meeting of the WELCA will be on Friday, March 14 th, beginning with dinner at 6:00 pm. The program will be Cultural India, presented by Pooja Shah. She is a Biomedical student at VCU, and has been attending First English. Her parents immigrated to this country some years ago, but she has traveled to India many times. The evening will end with a business meeting. Pastor Chris Price to preach at First English on Sunday, March 30 Many of you know Pastor Chris Price, recently retired from Epiphany Lutheran Church, at the other end of Monument Avenue, here in Richmond. On Sunday, March 30 he will preach at both the 8:15 and 10:30 worship services (including presenting a children's sermon) and also lead an adult class during the Sunday School hour about the work of the wider church. He will be present as well at the hospitality hour. All of this is part a new program of our Virginia Synod, Ambassadors for Visitation. Bishop Mauney would like to come to each congregation every year, but numbers simply do not allow that. Therefore he has asked a number of pastors with long service in the synod to be ambassadors in his place. Let's all be present to hear Pastor Price's message and also plan to attend the adult forum. Newsletter Deadline All submissions for the April issue need to be turned in to the church office no later than Friday, March 14. Thank you for your cooperation. Church Office Staff

4 (Congregations Around Richmond Involved To Assure Shelter): First English will assist St. John s United Church of Christ with the intake component of the CARITAS program from February 23 April 25, on Monday and Tuesday evenings, from 5:30 7:00 pm. CARITAS is a shelter program serving homeless in the Richmond area. Churches and other organizations in the greater Richmond area open their doors to provide shelter to homeless individuals. Since many of the overnight shelters are in the suburban areas guests gather at downtown churches (intake centers) and are bused from there to the overnight location. Do you have something about which you are passionate or a volunteer event that you want to coordinate? Social Ministry invites ideas and volunteers to help us increase the number of volunteer opportunities we have here at First English. A great example of a member creating an event and leading it is Ellie Fenerty, with her Relay for Life Event with the Youth Group. (Please contact her to volunteer or donate to her cause.) What an amazing example of a church member stepping up and organizing and inspiriting the other youth to join her in supporting a great cause! Social Ministry Committee is open to any and all ideas or assistance; please contact us with questions: Jeff Nelson: jeff289@comcast.net, Jessica Smith: reif.smith@capitalone.com, Mark Allen: allen2177@gmail.com, or Della Rucks. Contact Sheryl Finucane (h), (c) or sdgfin@gmail.com for additional information.

5 The Leisure Group has planned 4 interesting trips for The first is a trip to Riverside Dinner Theater for lunch and the play FOREVER PLAID on Wednesday, March 26. The second trip includes a guided highlight tour of the National Cathedral, lunch at Clyde s in Georgetown, followed by a relaxing ride down the C&O Canal in boats pulled by mules on Wednesday, April 23. On Thursday, September 18 we shall spend a day in Appomattox. First we shall visit the western wing of the Museum of the Confederacy and have lunch at the Babcock House. In the afternoon we shall visit the Appomattox Court House District, including the McLean House. On Monday, October 20 we shall visit the National Museum of American History and Arlington National Cemetery. At the cemetery we shall have an opportunity to see JFK s grave, the changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier, and visit the Arlington House which was home to the Custis family and the residence of Robert E. Lee for 30 years. We have put a lot of thought into these trips and tried to plan events which you would enjoy participating in. We hope that you will join us. For more details about any of these trips please call Grace Gulick at Dear Friends on May 3rd our family will join many other families in Richmond at the Walk For Wishes Walk.I would love for you to join Team Energy For Ethan.It will be a beautiful 38 minute walk around a lake to benefit local kids like Ethan receive a wish of a lifetime will you join us? Event Information: Join us for the Greater Richmond Walk For Wishes. Around the United States, thousands of men and women, along with their families and friends are joining Make-A-Wish by participating in this premier event each year. Walk For Wishes is a fun day of exercise, great food, and camaraderie all while celebrating our special wish children and your fundraising efforts. We hope to see you there! Event Location: Dorey Park, 2999 Darbytown Road, Henrico, VA Event Schedule: Registration and Check-In: 5/3/2014 8:00-9:00 am Walk Kick-Off: 5/3/2014 9:00-10:00 am Finish Line Celebration! Two laps around the lake will take you about 38 minutes...and did you know a wish is granted through Make-A-Wish every 38 minutes? Celebrate with us at the finish line as we grant wishes, one step at a time! 5/3/ :00 am - 12:00 pm Fees: No Fees To join our team click on the link below make sure you register each family member separately. ampart.asp?ievent= &lis=0&kntae =50D082C799094E0E9EC178AF8443D0E5&team = ~ Laura Hamilton

6 Worship Assistants March 9 1 st Sunday in Lent March 16 2 nd Sunday in Lent March 23 3 rd Sunday in Lent March 30 4 th Sunday in Lent 8:15 Lector Grace Gulick Pat McAfee Nancy Mondrey Kevin Murphy 10:30 Lectors 1. Cheryl Shiembob 2. Polly Brickman 1. Jim Byerly 2. Debbie Lane 1. Jake Hamilton 2. Chris Hamilton 1. Jeff Nelson 2. Carol McCue Crucifer Daniel Jovin Molly McCue Caroline Heltzel Stuart Myer Acolytes Jake Hamilton Kirk Fenerty Sydney Stricker Caroline Matawaran Michael Stricker Nate Fenerty Ellie Fenerty Cooper Hoke Altar Guild Polly Brickman Emmett Heltzel Billy Duke Linda Wallace Peggy Davis Libby Riggle Jeff Hoke Jenna Hoke Greeter Lydia English Bill Fenerty Caroline Heltzel Duke Margulies Communion Joe Thisted Linda Smith Debbie Lane Mary Elizabeth Ellis Assistants Rob Comet Sheryl Finucane Caroline Heltzel Stuart Myer Dave Northam Julie Goodman Wayne Griffin Joedy Smith Head John Ritz John Ritz John Ritz John Ritz Counter Counters Betty Cochran Betty Davidson Jennifer Gentry Mary Elizabeth Ellis Ushers Bill Fenerty Wayne Griffin Sheryl Finucane Joyce Smith Joedy Smith Hospitality Readings Gen 2:15-17;3:1-7 Rom 5:12-19 Matt 4:1-11 Suzanne Stricker Linda Smith Joe Smith Nate Fenerty Bill Fenerty Gen 12:1-4a Rom 4:1-5,13-17 John 3:1-17 Cheryl Shiembob Roger Riggle Bill Davidson Duke Margulies Stuart Myer Exod 17:1-7 Rom 5:1-11 John 4:5-42 Grace Gulick Jim Byerly Debbie Lane Lynn Heltzel Mark Crumpton 1 Sam 16:1-13 Eph 5:8-14 John 9:1-41 ** 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.

7 FELC People News Let s Celebrate March with the Following Members of our Congregation Clark Hughes Lane was born on February 18, 2014 to Fletcher and Meredith Lane. The proud grandparents are Bob and Debbie Lane. Congratulations to all celebrating a Wedding Anniversary in March! Happy Birthday to everyone celebrating a birthday in the month of March! Daylight Savings Time Sunday March 9, 2014

8 Sunday March 2 Transfiguration Sunday 11:30 am: Hospitality Congregational Life 12:00 pm: Strategic Planning Committee Meeting Wed. March 5 Ash Wednesday 12:00 pm: AA - Wednesday Noon Group Meeting 6:00 pm: Dinner 6:30 pm: Senior Choir Rehearsal 7:00 pm: Holy Communion and Imposition of Ashes Friday March 7 12:00 pm: TGIF NA Meeting 7:30 pm: AA - Not Saints Group Meeting Sunday March 9 1 st Sunday of Lent Daylight Savings Time Begins 11:30 am: Hospitality 12:00 pm: Congregational Life and Education Committee Meeting Wed. March 12 Wednesdays Together 12:00 pm: Wednesday Noon AA Group 6:00 pm: Dinner 6:45 pm: Senior Choir Rehearsal 6:45 pm: Lenten Bible Study Friday March 14 12:00 pm: TGIF NA Meeting 6:00 pm: Women of the ELCA Meeting 7:30 pm: AA - Not Saints Group Meeting Sunday March 16 2 nd Sunday of Lent 11:30 am: Hospitality 12:00 pm: Outreach Committee Meeting Tuesday March 18 7:00 pm: Congregation Council Meeting Wed. March 19 Wednesdays Together 12:00 pm: Wednesday Noon AA Group 6:00 pm: Dinner 6:45 pm: Senior Choir Rehearsal 6:45 pm: Lenten Bible Study Friday March 21 12:00 pm: TGIF NA Meeting 7:30 pm: AA - Not Saints Group Meeting Sunday March 23 3 rd Sunday of Lent 11:30 am: Hospitality 12:00 pm: Worship & Music Committee Meeting Wed. March 26 Wednesdays Together 12:00 pm: Wednesday Noon AA Group 6:00 pm: Dinner 6:45 pm: Senior Choir Rehearsal 6:45 pm: Lenten Bible Study Friday March 28 12:00 pm: TGIF NA Meeting 7:30 pm: AA - Not Saints Group Meeting Sunday March 30 4 th Sunday of Lent 11:30 am: Hospitality

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