February 2017 Hope, Action, and a Tree If I knew the world would end tomorrow, I would plant a tree. Martin Luther is sometimes attributed to sharing the above quote with the world. And while there is some doubt about the authenticity of attributing these words to Luther, I believe they can be a guide for us. I invite you to focus on the spirit of these words, and how they call us into a life of hope, faith, and action. It seems so nonsensical to plant a tree today, if you think the world will end tomorrow. And this nonsensicalness is the entire point of this quote. Life doesn t make rational sense. What we believe about tomorrow is not guaranteed to happen. What is guaranteed, and what makes sense for our lives, is to be present today AND work today so that everyone s tomorrow has hope of being better than their today. I m writing to you in the midst of a season of transition and change in our country and in the church. No matter your perspective on the events of the world, we, as Christians, are called to be people of hope. Some version of do not fear or do not be afraid or their equivalents appear over 100 times in the Bible. This is a whole lot of speaking and teaching and inspiring people to live their today and their tomorrow differently. I think that we could say that over 100 times our Scriptures tell us to live life in the spirit of planting a tree today amid the uncertainty of tomorrow s reality. Recently I ve been thinking and praying about hope and fear, about thriving and surviving. God calls to us in the midst of our fear and seeking to survive. God calls us to hope when hope seems absurd. God calls us to thrive when all we are trying to do is survive. Our God in Christ transforms our fear and survive mindset into one of hope and thriving. You probably have times when you are unsure about whether God s transformative call is meant for you as an individual and for our communal life together as Christians. In these moments, I encourage you to remember the central story of what makes us Christians. Namely that God took a means of execution (the cross) and through the power of the resurrection transformed it into a means of life. As the community of faith that is Crossroads, what will our proverbial planting of a tree be? While the future is not certain, what tangible actions will we do at this time in our life together to show that we are a people of hope? What activity will we do to show ourselves, and the wider world, that we believe and trust in a God of new creation? There are two tangible things that I want to point you to as examples of our communal, metaphorical tree planting. The first is the planned updating and redecorating of the main level of Crossroads building. You will hear more about these plans throughout the month of February to prepare for a vote about them on Sunday, March 5 during the regularly scheduled congregational meeting. The second is our continued partnership with St. Paul s Lutheran Church in Eggertsville around Saturday worship and youth activities. Elsewhere in this newsletter you will see how we will jointly offer more opportunities for worship on Ash Wednesday and during Holy Week. I invite you to also reflect on your personal life with these lenses of hope and action. What proverbial trees do you need to plant in your life to show that you believe that anything is possible? What nonsensical, powerful acts do you need to do so that you can see the world as more than the sum of its parts, as more hopeful than present reality seems to paint it as being? Let s get busy as individuals, and as a community, spreading God s hope especially when sense tells us otherwise! Ever hopeful in Christ, Pastor Adam Annual Congregational Meeting March 5 at 11:30 am Topics: Receiving 2016 ministry reports and voting on building redecorating proposal. Lunch is included.
Instructions for the Intern: Context, Context, Context! What is our context together as Crossroads Lutheran Church? How can we hear the words of Christ from 2000 years ago in new ways that apply to our lives today? Last month I traveled to Philadelphia to take two classes in person. I was there for two weeks, and each week I took one class, called an intensive, for the whole week, 8:30-5:00. My first class was on preaching and my second class was on translating Greek with computer software. These classes at first seemed like they didn t have anything to do with each other. But the more I thought about it, the more the work of these courses rely on each other. My professor for the preaching class has a phrase which she repeated throughout the week, Context, context, context. What she meant by this is that when someone is delivering a message, it is vital to take into account who you are speaking to, where you are speaking, and what you want to say in a particular time and place. For me, taking the Greek language class, it was illuminating to see the context of particular words in particular forms, and to attempt to get at the intended meaning of the Gospels in their original language. The context of which word was chosen, where a word is placed, and more importantly the form it is in, makes important differences in how the words are translated. So my task as I learn to preach more effectively is to take into account who you are, who Crossroads is, was, and will be, and to relate the context of ancient words to the context of current times. A bit daunting, but it s what I m called to do! But what about you? You may not be translating Greek (wise choice) or preaching, but you have a context as well. And while you may not be preaching the Gospel, we are all called to live the Gospel of Christ in our own contexts. So what is your context? Who is your neighbor? How can you show the light and love of God in your own life? This month the lectionary focuses on Jesus Sermon on the Mount which began with the Beatitudes the last weekend in January. In a few weeks the lectionary will focus on Jesus teaching to love your neighbor. Christ says in Matthew 5:43, You have heard it said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. Jesus does not stop there, however. Throughout the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus has taught that Christ is the fulfillment of the Hebrew Scriptures and that his disciples should go above and beyond what the Old Testament teaches to do. Jesus continues: But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you How can you live out the Gospel of Christ in your context? How can you take ancient teaching and love your neighbor in real, tangible, specific ways? What are the needs in your community, your work, your family? And if we apply Jesus teaching, how can we show the truth and love of God, even to our enemies? May we together be ever aware of our context and how we can be a blessing within our time and place. Vicar Adam Council Officers The following people have been elected by the council as officers of this congregation President Mary Mindel Vice-President Kandy Svec Secretary Arlene Eberhard Financial Secretary Neal Nesselbeck Jerry House Treasurer Souper Bowl Weekend February 4 and 5 Start saving those dollar bills and purchasing those cans of soup. We will be collecting them on Sunday, February, 4 & 5. January White Out THANK YOU to all who contributed for Threads of Hope Linen Pantry. If you still have items for the pantry you may drop them off yourself at St. Peter s Episcopal Church, 205 Longmeadow (corner of Callodine). Drop them off in the enclosed porch of the house on the corner the Threads of Hope headquarters. Backpack Program Please pick up a Crossroads grocery bag, put a paper bag in it and fill it with the foods indicated on the bag. Return the bag to the coat room by Sunday, February 19. The coordinators at Crossroads are Jan Cooper and Lois Snyder.
Youth Night Dates at St. Paul s Get your calendars ready! All Fridays, 6pm to 9:30pm. February 17th March 3rd April 7th May 5th June 2nd Organic Youth Peer Ministry Retreat Friday-Saturday, February 3-4 8th-12th grades welcome How do we as youth welcome peers, build meaningful relationships, and even help our peers who may be hurting or struggling? This Peer Ministry Retreat is a fun, Friday night-saturday afternoon of learning the skills through interactions to walk with others through all of this. We Love Winter Day Saturday, February 11, 1-4pm 1 st to 5 th Grader We ve got a new Elementary event coming soon: the 1st- 5th Grade We Love Winter Day, happening from 1-4 pm on Saturday, February 11 at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Depew! And it s FREE! There will be snow activities: games, snowman building and more. Other winter-themed activities, S mores over the fire, Valentine s Day themed craft and devotions. No snow? Come anyway! We ll adjust the fun for the weather! Organic Youth staff and senior-high leaders will make sure all youth are welcome, safe and have a faithfilled afternoon. Organic Youth Volleyball Marathon Friday-Saturday, March 17-18 It s back! Another great year of all-night volleyball supporting a local cause! Oh, and packing 10,000 macaroni-and-cheese meals for the hungry right here in our backyard! It s one of our biggest nights of the year! Ash Wednesday Worship -March 1 12 pm at St. Paul s Soup follows the 12pm service. 7pm Crossroads Buffalo Chips The Buffalo Chips will be performing at Crossroads on Sunday, February 12 at 3pm. The Buffalo Chips are UB s oldest and most prolific a cappella group. They have released seven albums and a live DVD since their inception ten years ago. Their talents have earned them honors including Best Vocal Percussion and Best Soloist at the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella over the past three years. Enjoy an afternoon of great music at Crossroads! A donation of $10 is suggested. Baby Blessings Baby Blessings Basics is looking for additional volunteers to help out with sorting clothes and packing clothes for our clients. We are asking because some of our volunteers are not able to spend as much time as before to fully operate Baby Blessings. Please contact Darleen Nesselbeck at 625-9460 if you can help. Baby Blessings is in need of plastic baby hangers. February Birthdays 3 Laura Cassata 18 Bonnie Bennett 4 Gladys Beverly 21 Alice Foeller Hunter Paul 22 Sheena Palmer 5 Raymond Rauh Cherie Rondeau 7 Leslie Garcia 23 Elsie Allyn Donald Kuhn 11 George Koch 12 Alexis Scholze Glenn Gentzke 24 Ted Myers 27 Harry Graser 15 Hailey Palmer February Birthday Lunch The February Birthday Luncheon will be held on Tuesday, February 21 at the Gate House Grill, 8220 Main Street at 12:30 pm. Everyone is welcome whether it s your birthday or not. Call the church office for reservations.
Lutheran Charities Festival Of Wine And Craft Beer Join us on the riverfront at the Tewksbury Lodge, 249 Ohio Street, Buffalo, NY 14204 on Saturday, February 11 from 7-10 pm and sample select wines, craft beers, soft drinks & hors d oeuvres! The best of Buffalo cuisine, arts & entertainment, and sports & recreation will be raffled off! Live jazz by Trio Payazzo featuring sax legend Dave Sciavone, guitarist Bernard Kunz and Andrew Peruzzini on trumpet and percussion! $45 per person inlcudes commemorative glasses, all beverages and foods. Register on-line at winecraftbeerfest.brownpapertickets.com Or contact Lutheran Charities at info@wnylutherancharities.org or 716 632 2623. Congratulations! We re excited to share that in 2016 over 335,000 Thrivent members chose to direct Choice Dollars to more than 32,000 churches, schools and other nonprofits, including Crossroads Lutheran Church, through Thrivent Choice. Based on member recommendations, Crossroads Lutheran Church received $1,813 in charitable outreach funding in 2016. The Thrivent Choice program helps members of Thrivent Financial make a positive impact in their communities. Catholic Lutheran Commemoration Of The Reformation Sunday, March 26th, 2017-4:00pm Holy Trinity Lutheran, Buffalo Join us for a very special Vespers service lead by Bishop Malone of the Diocese of Buffalo and Bishop Macholz of the Upstate New York Synod. The choirs of St. Joseph s Cathedral and Holy Trinity will provide special music. All are welcome to attend. Pastoral Acts Memorial Service for Erich Kraus January 7, 2017 Upcoming Events Saturday, February 11 5 PM Youth led Worship youth from Crossroads and St. Paul s will be the primary worship leaders Sunday, February 12 3 PM Buffalo Chips Concert at Crossroads Saturday and Sunday, February 18 & 19 more detailed informational sessions after worship regarding redecorating plans Wednesday, March 1 Ash Wednesday 12 noon Worship at St. Paul s/eggertsville soup luncheon follows the 12 noon service 7 PM Worship at Crossroads Sunday, March 5 Crossroads Annual Congregational Meeting including voting on the redecorating proposal and receiving annual reports Sunday, March 26 4 PM Joint Lutheran & Catholic Worship celebrating 500 years of the reformation -at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church (1080 Main St; Buffalo) -both Lutheran and Catholic bishops will be leading this prayer service Sunday, April 9 Palm/Passion Sunday celebrate palm/passion Sunday at Crossroads at 5 PM on Saturday or 10:15 AM on Sunday Thursday, April 13 Maundy Thursday 6 PM Dinner 7 PM Worship -both at St. Paul s/eggertsville Friday, April 14 Good Friday 2 PM Snyder/Eggertsville ecumenical worship at St. Paul s Eggertsville 7 PM Worship at Crossroads Saturday, April 15 Easter Saturday 5 PM Easter Vigil Worship at Crossroads Sunday, April 16 Easter Sunday 6 AM Easter Sunrise Worship at St. Paul s/eggertsville 10:15 AM Easter Morning Celebration of the Resurrection at Crossroads
February 2017 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 1 2 #1 3 4 Souper Bowl Weekend 5pm Worship 5 Souper Bowl Weekend 11:30 am Council Meeting 12 1:00 pm Confirmation Class @ TOL 3:00 pm Buffalo Chips Concert 6 10 am Bible Study 13 10 am Bible Study 7 8 9 10am- 12 pm Baby Blessings 14 15 16 #2 #3 10 11 5 pm Worship led by St. Paul s & Crossroads Youth 7pm Lutheran Charities Wine & Beer Event 5pm Worship More information after worship regarding redecorating plans 19 More information after worship regarding redecorating plans 20 Presidents Day Office Closed 21 12:30pm Birthday Luncheon at the Gate House Grill 22 23 10am 12pm Baby Blessings #4 24 25 5pm Worship 26 27 10 am Bible Study 28 Ash Wednesday, March 1 12 noon Worship at St. Paul s/eggertsville Soup luncheon follows the 12 noon service 7 pm Worship at Crossroads 12 noon Worship at St. Paul s/eggertsville soup luncheon follows the 12 noon service 7 PM Worship at Crossroads
Crossroads Lutheran Church 4640 Main Street Amherst, NY 14226 Address Correction Requested Caring For Others, Near and Far, Because Christ Cares For Us. February 2016 4640 Main Street Amherst NY 14226-4593 www.crossroadslutheranchurch.org Email: CLC@crossroadslutheranchurch.org (716) 839-1314 (716) 839-1691 fax Our Pastor: Rev. Adam Miller-Stubbendick PastorAdam@crossroadslutheranchurch.org Our Vicar: Adam Arends VicarAdam@crossroadslutheranchurch.org Won t You Join Us? Saturday worship 5 pm (Informal) Sunday worship 10:15 am Sunday School 9:15 am