The Envoy March 2017

What Comes Next? The Envoy March 2017 Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. - Romans 15:7 extend hospitality to strangers. - Romans 12:13b Like so many people, my daughter Abigail is obsessed with the Broadway musical Hamilton. And, since it plays or is sung constantly in our house and car, the rest of the family has had the opportunity to listen to it, enjoy it, and to a certain extent, memorize it right along with her. Because of that, one of the songs from Hamilton has been going through my head since our congregational meeting. The song is called, What Comes Next. It is sung by King George III after the Battle of Yorktown, when the British surrendered to the Americans and the former colonies had finally and inexplicably won their freedom. In the song, King George asks the Americans the question, What comes next? now that they are their own country. How will they learn to govern themselves? I have been hearing that song with regard to our congregation because I think that we have ask ourselves, What comes next? now that we no longer have our Coordinator of Newcomers and Small Groups. In spite of the wonderful work done by Heather Crisafulli in that position for eight years, we faced a difficult financial reality when we had to stop funding that position. The question now is: how will the important work of invitation and welcome get done in our congregation. We still want people in our community and in the surrounding towns to know that Emmanuel is here and is a welcoming community of faith that is involved in its community in positive ways. We still want visitors and new members to experience a warm welcome here, to know that they are valued, and to find their way into the fabric of this congregation. ~ 1 ~

At Heather s thank you party and celebration of her ministry, she encouraged us to consider becoming involved in re-forming the Welcome Witness Team as an active ministry team as a way of continuing the work of getting the word about Emmanuel out into our larger community, welcoming newcomers, and incorporating new members into the life of this community. In order to get started with that I would like to schedule a Welcome Witness Ministry Team meeting for Tuesday, May 2 nd at 7:30 p.m. I encourage all of you to prayerfully consider being a part of this ministry. There will be signup sheet in the Hallway outside of my office and a Sign-Up Genius for this ministry team on the Emmanuel website soon. If you would like to be a part of this ministry but can t make it to the meeting on May 2 nd, please indicate that on the sign-up sheet. I know that there will be a way for you to be involved. From all of you, I ask for your prayers for this ministry team as we try to continue its important work in our church and community. In Christ, Pastor Amanda We Remember in Prayer Bill Kivi Nick & Erica Helen Rezendes Charlotte David Helen Hultman Patty Holbrook Paul & Linda Turner Matt & Ella Turner Chelsea & Isabella Christine Howard Jack Gradijan Lorraine Lynch Betty Dickson Hans & Ursula Dimpel Samantha Rogers Terri Loomis Ruth Sundberg Kidder Family Jeremy Abbott Sandy Moore Remembering Our Shut-ins Ingrid Bamber, Joan Fogarty, Richard Spencer Those in the Armed Forces Christopher Rando ~ 2 ~

Thank You Notes Dear Friends at Emmanuel, Thank you so much for the box of goodies you sent in December! It was a sweet surprise and I appreciated it so much. The timing of that first class, with moving and never-ending illnesses, was stressful to say the least. It meant a lot that you thought of me during that time of my life. The boys appreciated it too I think those little monkeys ate most of the sweets! I miss you all and hope to see you again soon. Thanks again. With Love, Cameron Rogers To my friends at Emmanuel, Thank you for your support, encouragement and prayers over the eight years of my ministry as Coordinator of Newcomer and Small Groups. It has been a blessing and a privilege to serve God and Emmanuel as we worked together to become The Welcoming Church! Together we built a system to welcome and incorporate Newcomers into our church family through encouragement to become involved in a Small Group, a role in the congregation or a service ministry forming friendships and lasting ties that would help them to call Emmanuel home. My prayer is that we continue to build on the foundation that has been established so that every Newcomer who enters our doors will never stand alone. Thank you to all who participated in the wonderful celebration of this ministry it helped me to put a closer on a part of my life that has been so near and dear to my heart. Peace and blessings, Heather ~ 3 ~

Lenten Soup Suppers & Evening Prayer Lenten Soup Suppers and Evening Prayer Services will be held on five Wednesdays during Lent. Dinner will be from 6:00-6:45 and worship will be held from 6:45-7:30. If you would like to bring soup or bread for the Soup Suppers, please sign up on the table in the hallway outside of the pastor s office or on Sign Up Genius at this link: www.signupgenius.com/go/5080d4baaa82fa2fe3-lent. The worship services will include homilies on the topic Why I am a Lutheran offered by: March 22 Britton Warner March 29 Susan Lawson April 5 Rhoda Moyo Bible Study will continue throughout Lent with Bible Studies on Wednesday evenings at 7:30-9:00 p.m. and on Thursday mornings at 10:00-11:30 a.m. If you would like to write a check to donate to the Souper Bowl of Caring, you can make it payable to Emmanuel Lutheran Church and put Souper Bowl in the memo line. First Communion Classes Classes for students 2 nd grade and up who are interested in learning more about communion in preparation for receiving their first communion this spring will be held in March and April. First Communion classes are scheduled for: March 25 th 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. April 1 st 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. April 8 th 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. The first communion service will be held on Sunday, April 30 th at both worship services. If you would like your child to participate in the first communion preparation please contact Pastor Amanda at pastor@norwoodlight.com. ~ 4 ~

Book Group Meets The Book Discussion Group will meet March 17 th at 7:30 pm in the Founders Room. We read both fiction and non-fiction in a wide range of styles and subjects. March s selection is: My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman. It s a charming, warmhearted novel from the author of the New York Times bestseller A Man Called Ove. For next month s meeting - April 21st: "Lilac Girls" by Martha Hall Kelly Come join us for great reading and lively discussion. All are welcome. Spring Work Day Our Spring Work Day is set for Saturday, April 8 th. Items on the list for that day include: Clean Sanctuary (pew racks, dusting and polishing pews, etc.) Rake back & side yards; weed as possible Spread loam & seed Set up sprinklers Other yard cleanup More information will come as we get closer such as the time(s) and details of needed supplies and talents. This is an initial heads up. Any questions please contact Joy Peter joy.peter@att.net. Sign Up Genius??? What s that? You may have already seen us refer to it (for Lenten Soup Supper food providers) or even used it but for those who don t know what it is here s a little information about it. Sign Up Genius is an on-line tool used by many schools and organizations to provide a quick and convenient way for people to sign up for an activity on their phones or computers! ~ 5 ~

With Sign Up Genius signing up for an event or activity at Emmanuel is now easier than ever before! How does it work? Simply go to the Sign Up Link from our website, Facebook post, or from a link for an event in the weekly announcements to get to the online form. Select the RSVP button or select the slot you are signing up for and click the Sign Up and Submit button at the bottom of the page. You then simply need to enter your name and email address and sign up. Once signed up you will receive an email confirmation and reminder of the event. You do not need to have a Sign Up Account to sign up for an event. We will be using Sign Up Genius along with our paper signups for many of our events from now on! Psanky Egg Decorating A Pysanky Egg is a Ukrainian Easter egg, decorated with traditional Ukrainian folk designs using a wax-resist method. The word pysanka comes from the verb pysaty, "to write", as the designs are not painted on, but written with beeswax. The Sol family has learned how to do this beautiful craft and would like to share the joy in crafting these eggs with you and will be hosting an egg dyeing session on Sunday, April 9 th at 2pm. Approximate time to create one egg is 30 to 60 minutes. Creation of these eggs does involve the use of hot wax and flames and children need to be supervised while crafting these eggs. We are asking those who attend pay $5.00 which will cover the cost of supplies and eggs. Please sign up and let us know that you are coming so that we can have enough materials available. There s a sheet outside the church offices and online HERE! (See the article on Sign Up Genius above if you need directions) ~ 6 ~

Easter Celebrations Our celebration of the Resurrection includes the annual Easter Breakfast in Kask Hall after first service. Signup sheets for setup, cleanup and bringing food are in the hall outside the office. Please plan on coming; it s a wonderful celebration. Easter Flower Memorials Flower Memorials are being received for the Easter Garden that will fill our chancel on Easter day. Please use the envelopes in the pew racks, returning them by Palm Sunday, April 9 th. Women s Spring Retreat Just a little reminder to all of Emmanuel's women and their friends to sign up on the hall bulletin board (right above the ramp) for our spring retreat. On the weekend of April 22nd and April 23rd, we will be returning to Craigville Retreat and Conference Center on the Cape. Under the leadership of our trained Spiritual Director, Gayle Kerr, we will be looking at three essential prayers to help us through the hard work of ordinary life. "Now is the time to think about...pray about...joining us as we explore how these three prayers can help us make our way in this broken yet beautiful world of ours. Invite a sister, a neighbor, a friend to come with you to Craigville. Add your name to the sign-up list on the board and as soon as possible, please write a deposit check for $50 to Emmanuel Lutheran Church with "Spring Retreat" in the memo line. Drop your check in the large envelope in the Women's Retreat mail slot outside of the sacristy or mail it directly to Lorraine Lynch - 19 Winthrop Street - Walpole, MA - 02081. Lynne Krock ~ 7 ~

Spring Rummage Sale Emmanuel s Spring Rummage Sale will be Friday and Saturday, April 28 and 29 from 9:00 to 1:00. The set up days are Wednesday and Thursday, April 26 and 27. Please start collecting your good stuff to bring. We would love to have your extra clothing, linens, jewelry, knick-knacks, small furniture, sporting goods, toys, and books. If you bring electronics, televisions, or monitors, please be willing to reclaim them if they do not sell. They cost us money to recycle and Savers and the Salvation Army do not take these items. The rummage sale proceeds help provide camperships for our youth and the purchase of some items not covered by the church budget. You can start to bring your contributions after church on Sunday, April 23 rd. We also need a lot of help to make the sale a success. We have our very faithful helpers each year, but we are getting older and could use some additional and younger help on Wednesday morning and Saturday afternoon. We would love to have some more male helpers, too. This really is a fun event where we enjoy a lot of laughter and food along with the work. It s a great time to get to know folks while we work together. Coffee, snacks and yummy lunches are provided all four days. If you have any questions, please speak with Arlene Cegelis or Anne Martin. Phone No Longer The phone at Sunshine Sanctuary (the parsonage) has been disconnected in an effort to control household expenses. If you need to reach the Warners, please use their cell phone numbers: Pastor Amanda 781-856-1274 Britton Warner 203-947-3650 ~ 8 ~

Emmanuel Lutheran Church 24 Berwick Street Norwood, MA 02062 Ministers of Emmanuel The members of our congregation, working and witnessing in the world. Church Staff Rev. Amanda Warner, Pastor Gabrielle Heath, Minister of Music Diane Bragg, Parish Administrator Alice Wuschke, Administrative Assistant Bryon Sol, Church Council President Beth Donovan, Treasurer Kendra Lassen, Financial Secretary Janice McHugh, Sunday School Coordinator Lorraine Lynch, Visitation Ministry Leader Church Office Tuesday-Friday 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. 781-762-9457 emmanuel@norwoodlight.com www.emmanuelnorwood.org ~ 9 ~ WORSHIP SCHEDULE 8:45 - Traditional Worship 10:00 - Fellowship and Sunday School 11:15 - Contemporary Worship