FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH PLANO, ILLINOIS The Anchor Volume 32, Issue 4 April 2019 Jesus said, If anyone wants to become my follower, let them deny themselves, take up their cross and follow me. (Matthew 16:24) Most people have a picture in their mind of an image of someone carrying a heavy load, a heavy burden from one place to another. At times it seems like such an insurmountable task to carry all of the burdens, not to mention those that we accumulate by denying ourselves and taking up the cross. The problem of this image is that, if we are honest with ourselves, most of the crosses and burdens are crosses that we put on ourselves. We continue to carry the crosses of past words and deeds that have hurt us. We continue to carry the crosses of guilt. We carry the cross of what if and if only I had We carry the crosses of past failures and impossible futures. The crosses we carry make the hills of life into mountains, the pot holes in life into subterranean caves, the stepping stones into a chasm to get over. These are not the crosses that Jesus asks of us to bear. These are the crosses that Jesus came to destroy. Forgiveness instead of guilt, possibilities instead of obstacles, words of blessings instead of words of curses. If we can understand one thing as we journey to the cross it would be that most crosses we create for ourselves. Those crosses God is at work to destroy through Christ Jesus our Lord. Rich Bimler wrote that The crosses Jesus calls us to take up, are ones that are configured like the pain of the person near us, like the heartache of a suffering loved one, like the loneliness of the one who inhabits that other house down the street, like the tears of the child whose name we do not even know. These crosses, are burdensome when we enter into the suffering and anguish of others, when we help in carrying the burdens of others. This season tells us all that in carrying the cross because we are following Jesus, and when we enter into the suffering of others, it enables the potential of an Easter surprise of resurrection and new life to the lives of those whom you meet along your way of following. Because that is what happened to Jesus, and that is part of the plan when we follow. But to get there we need to deny ourselves, get rid of all the self-righteous crosses we place on ourselves. We need to get rid of the focus on ourselves that burdens us. We need to give back those crosses to Jesus, so that we might take up the cross of following Jesus. Jesus understands that being a disciple and following him is not an easy thing to do, and yet at the same time we don t need to make it a whole lot more complicated than it is. If anyone wants to become my follower, let them deny themselves, take up a real cross and follow me. Readings for April 2019 4/7/19 Isiah 43:16-21 Psalm 126 Philippians 3:4b-14 John 12:1-8 4/14/19 Isaiah 50:4-9a Psalm 31:9-16 Philippians 2:5-11 Luke 22:14-23:56 4/21/19 Acts 10:34-43 Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 1 Corinthians 15:19-26 Luke 24:1-12 4/28/19 Acts 5:27-32 Psalm 118:14-29 Revelation 1:4-8 John 20:19-31 Pastor Black
P age 2 V o l ume 32, I ss ue 2 Lent, Holy Week & Easter Schedule Welcome Leah! We welcome our newest member, Leah Rose Groom through the sacrament of Holy Baptism. Leah was baptized on Sunday, February 24th. Leah was born July 14, 2018. Her parents are Ronnie & Jenny Groom. Leah s Baptismal sponsors are Meghan Ahlert & Bri Groom. Grandparents are First Lutheran Member Doris & Mark Fowler. Wed. April 3 & 10 6PM Soup Supper & 7PM Lenten Service April 13/14 Palm Sunday (Services Saturday/Sunday) Procession of Palms Sunday only at 9 AM Maundy Thursday April 18 7:00 PM With First Communion Good Friday - April 19 10:00 AM Kid s Event 1:00 & 7:00 PM Worship services Easter April 21 Services at 7:00 & 10:00 AM 8:00AM Easter Breakfast 8:45AM Easter Egg Hunt COMMUNION CLASSES First Communion Classes will be held at 11:15 AM, Sunday, April 7 & 14. Fifth grade students, or older students who have not received instruction for communion, are invited. Please contact the church office at 630/5528263 for more information, or to register your child.
The Anchor Page 3 Recipe Corner Hummingbird Cake I love when a recipe has a fun name don t you? Cake Ingredients: 3 C Flour 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 1/2 C. Oil 1 (8 1.2 oz.) can crushed pineapple, undrained 2 C. chopped very ripe bananas 2 C. sugar 1 tsp. baking soda 3 eggs beaten 1 1/2 tsp vanilla 1 cup chopped pecans Frosting: 1 C butter 2 (16 oz.) bags powdered sugar 2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese softened 3 tsp. Vanilla Combine dry ingredients. Add eggs and oil; stir til moistened, do not beat. Stir in vanilla, pineapple, nuts & bananas. Spoon into 3 greased 9 cake pans. Bake 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely, frost. Sprinkle top with additional pecans if desired. For the Frosting: Beat all ingredients together. Add a little milk if necessary to get desired consistency for spreading. Store in refrigerator. There was a little restaurant in Oswego on Washington street, a stone building that still stands. They served this. They might have gotten their recipe from the Tea Room in the Jacqueline Shop that used to be in Oswego, where many a bride bought her Wedding Gown. I found the recipe in their old cookbook. I hope you ll give this a try, maybe bring it to Church. Council Highlights for February These are just a few highlights. For the complete minutes please refer to the Bulletin board at the bottom of the stairs leading into the Fellowship hall. group home. Final payment to Contractor for work on parsonage. Jennifer Brown and Staci Smith are looking into the possibility of other agencies for use as Please see Council letter on page 11 concerning giving and the budget. Dearly Beloved, Grace and Peace to you. Light and shadow, night and day, joy and sorrow, rage and serenity, cruelty and compassion in Christchurch. Light swells, breathes in, then breathes out. Earth arrives at equipoise and moves on. In Boston Spring begins, in Christchurch autumn. It is not true in God there is no darkness at all. The universe is mostly so, and beautifully. A painting without shadows is mere paste. We seek light, and to be light, and accept with grace we live in a shadowed world. Even in heaven there are shadows, and always the choice to be light, and to make of the shadows beauty. Deep Blessings, Pastor Steve Steve Garnaas-Holmes Unfolding Light www.unfoldinglight.net
Page 4 Volume 32, Issue 2 Once again we have been using Holden Evening Prayer during our Wednesday night Lenten services. Holden Evening Prayer is a beautiful service that was written by Marty Haugen. Marty Haugen was born December 30, 1950 in Wanamingo, Minnesota. He was raised in the American Lutheran Church (ALC), and became a member the United Church of Christ. Haugen holds a B.A. degree in psychology from Luther College and an M.A. degree in pastoral studies from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. His works include "Holden Evening Prayer" and settings of the Catholic Mass, including the "Mass of Creation". He has also composed other works including liturgical settings, choral arrangements, sacred songs, and hymns. Some of the hymns in the ELW that were written by Haugen include: "Gather Us In", "Awake! Awake, and Greet the New Morn", Healer of Our Every Ill, and "Shepherd Me, O God". Haugen is also a performing musician. Ruth Ann Hoehn Holden Evening Prayer was originally written for Holden Village, a community in the remote wilderness of the Cascade Mountains. Over the course of 50 years, Holden Village, originally a copper mining town, has been transformed into a place of education and worship. In 1896 a prospector by the name of James Henry Holden discovered a substantial body of ore in a little valley among the mountains above Lake Chelan. Despite ongoing attempts to raise the capital, J.H. Holden was never able to develop the mine himself. In 1938, two decades after Holden s death, the eventual developers, Howe Sound Mining Co., sent the first shipment of ore down Lake Chelan. A headline in the Wenatchee Daily World on April 26, 1939, claimed Holden to be the No. 1 Mining Operation in the State. The village itself looked more like a college campus than a mining town. The paper reported. If you have ideas of tents, miners shacks, log cabins, and what-not, dismiss them. Everything is ultra modern at Holden. At peak operation, some 600 people lived at Holden, including the mine workers and their families. Single men lived in dormitories; families of management lived in company-built chalets while other families built private homes. During the mine s 19 years of production, some $66 million worth of ore, primarily copper, was extracted. On June 5, 1957, Howe Sound announced it was closing the mine because of the falling price of copper. The Village was abandoned. 100 private homes were eventually burned to the ground because they had been built on US Forest Service land. However, fourteen chalets, a hotel, hospital building, and all other structures supporting community life remained. A newspaper report about the closing caught the attention of Wes Prieb, who was living in Anchorage, Alaska. Wes did not know quite sure where Holden Village was located, but that didn t stop him from writing to the company, inquiring about the price. Howe Sound promptly replied that the asking price was $100,000. On April 1st, 1958, Wes, now a student at the Lutheran Bible Institute (LBI) in Seattle, wrote a second time. Again a prompt reply: still $100,000. Two years later Wes wrote suggesting that the property would be desirable for use by the church or Lutheran Bible Institute. He received a telegram instructing him to call the company s office. The company offered to give the village to LBI. Wes realized that it might be time to let LBI know what he d been up to. College officials were stunned and skeptical. With Wes, they made a trip to Holden and were awestruck by the potential of the facility. They also recognized restoring and maintaining the village was beyond the tiny college s financial capacity. With start-up funding from several national Lutheran youth groups and efforts from many volunteers, the non-profit Holden Village, Inc. was formed. The first executive director was Gil Berg, referred to over the years as Mayor of Holden. Berg is credited with being the driving force in reclaiming the physical structure of Holden Village after years of abandonment and vandalism. In 1961, 41 volunteers paid their way to the village and worked on the clean-up. They wrote their own code of conduct, setting standards still in place today: daily attendance at worship, shared work and common meals. The first long-term directors, the Rev. Carroll Hinderlie and his wife Mary served from 1963-1977. They were convinced Holden Village needed to reach out to more than youth and to more than Lutherans. They put a rule in place which remains today: everyone is expected to attend the evening vesper service to welcome all who have arrived in the Village that day and bid farewell to all who will leave the next day. Holden is more an experience than a place, wrote Scott Haasarud, director from 1989-1993. Those who have had their lives shaped by Holden have also shaped what Holden is today.
The An ch or P age 5 PLEASE PRAY FOR. Paul & Cindy Alsup, Maralina Angarone, Sherry Anderson, Lori Black, Alice Crawford, Sue Hyte, Sherry Ill, Linda Landis, Marty Lincoln, Mary Olson, Karla Reinbolt, Dorella Wilson, Judy Wuchte and those serving in the military. The 5th & 6th grade Sunday school class is holding a clothing drive during Lent. Clean out your closets! There are collection bins at the back of the Church and in the Sunday school area. All donations will go to the Kendall County Food Pantry. Mark your calendar for Thursday, April 25th for another Craft Night. Bring whatever you want to work on. This is not a guided class its just a time to gather together for fellowship as you work on your own projects. Please see Ruth Ann Hoehn with questions. CONGREGATIONAL RESOURCING EVENT On Saturday, March 9th Pastor Black, Ruth Ann Hoehn and myself (Jerri Lynn Baker) had the wonderful opportunity to attend the Congregational Resourcing Event held by the Northern Illinois Synod at Kishwaukee College in Malta, IL. It is an opportunity to connect with other Lutherans from Churches within Northern Illinois. The day began with Worship, (actually pastries and coffee!) followed by a keynote Speaker. We attended 3 workshops throughout the day, with a lunch break. There were several options for the Workshops, I attended Prayer as Art, Loving Creation and one about Mission work in Tanzania. Seeing this as an all day commitment possibly made some shy away from attending, but the day flew by! For me, I wish there was more time to attend more workshops! Please consider attending when the opportunity arises March 2020! On Sunday, April 14th the Caring Committee will provide blood pressure checks for anyone who would like to have their pressure checked. This service is conducted the second Sunday of each month and the checks are conducted by Nurses. They are set up in the room behind the kitchen and will begin shortly after the conclusion of Worship. PRAYER CHAIN PARTNERS 8:30 AM - 8:30 PM 1. Jane Hyte - 630-552-7095 2. Virginia Phelps - 630-552-3434 3. Diane Schlesinger 630-552-7533 4. Bev Vilmin 630-552-3550 5. Theresa Bagg 815-786-5069 * 6. Erin Gillman - 630-715-0843 * 7. Staci Smith - 630-999-4117 * 8. Karen DeBolt - 630-546-7451 * 9. Kathy Benoit - 630-816-3366 * 10. Brenda Albright - 630-277-6314 * Those with a * use texting capabilities.
Page 6 Volume 32, Issue 2 Barefoot Weekend at First Lutheran! "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" Romans 10:13 The Stewardship Committee has designated April 27th & 28th as Barefoot Weekend and ask you to leave behind your "gently worn" shoes at the Altar, and "walk" with Jesus. Many of us take footwear for granted. Most of the world does not have one adequate pair of shoes. It's not just the kids who need shoes, but adults too. It doesn t just have to be the shoes off your feet, maybe you have other shoes laying around you are not walking in or maybe you d like to purchase a new pair. What we d like to stress is Barefoot Weekend is more than just giving up: it's also about experiencing what it s like to not have shoes. In some countries that might mean walking for miles on a dirt road to bring water back to your home, every day. Barefoot Weekend is a way to help us feel, if just for a short time, (while you worship, walk to fellowship or walk to your car), a tiny bit of time to not have shoes. On Saturday/Sunday, April 27 th /28 th we will have time set aside for you to leave your shoes at the Altar, to leave them as a sacrifice and experience life through someone else s feet. We hope you will join us. "What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one says to him, 'Go, I wish you well; keep warm and fed,' but does nothing about his physical needs what good is it?" James 2:14-16 Offering Report OFFERINGS RECEIVED 2/23 & 2/24 $2,946.97 3/2 & 3/3 $ 3,277.28 3/6 Thrivent $482.20 3/6 Ash Wed. $933.30 3/9 & 3/10 $ 4,227.57 3/13 Lent 1 $317.50 3/16 & 3/17 $ 2923.18 GENERAL FUND BUDGET Need Per week $3,957.80 (Annual Budget divided by 52 weeks) As of March 17 Received $ 36,372.70 Need $ 43,463.73 Short $ (7,091.03) 1/1 3/18 CHECKING ACCOUNT Beginning Bal. $1,961.91 Income $46,235.87 (includes $6500 from Savings) Expenses $39,923.61 Ending Balance $ 8,274.17
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The Anchor Page 9 Happy Birthday! 1 Sherry Anderson, Ryan Smith & Porter Thrall 3 Mark Fowler & Doris Fowler 4 Diane Kupp & Valerie Lincoln 6 Tammy Dettman 7 Lucas Maaske 9 Matt Papaeliou 10 Shirley Krause 16 Brian Corrado 20 Luke Englehart 22 Dale Torkelson 23 Jerri Lynn Baker 24 Mary Kay Pilmer 25 Lydia Boring 27 Billy Colbert 29 Cailee Colbert HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! 4 James & Laura Agajanian 5 Don & Martha Sampson 11 Jack & Kathy Koteles 15 Robert & Dorsi Hubbart 26 Corey & Jennifer Johnson Please set aside a little time each day to pray for your brothers and sisters. God commands us to, love one another. APRIL 1 Andy & Leah Porter 2 Jim & Kathy Porter 3 Don & Martha Sampson 4 Austi Savitski 5 Mark & Leann Savitski 6 Marshal Savitski 7 Heather, Genevieve & Adam Schindlbeck 8 Norm & Diane Schlesinger 9 Ann Sears 10 Barb Sears 11 Wilma Simms 12 Ron, Kerin, Everett & Emerson Skarr 13 Abigail Smith 14 Clare Smith 15 The Henry Pratt & Christchurch Mosque Survivors, families & First Responders 16 Conrad & Laura Smith 17 Ryan & Breanna Smith 18 Staci Smith 19 Kim Stonecipher 20 Linda Stonecipher 21 Kathy Stuttle 22 Steve, Jahni, Mya, Porter & Olivia Thrall 23 Kevin & Lisa Tierney 24 Eric Tierney 25 Mitch Tierney 26 Shannon Tierney 27 Dale & Karen Torkelson 28 Joan Triantafillou 29 Joe & Sheryll Trost 30 Shirley Tucek
Page 10 Volume 32, Issue 2 Sunday School Snippets Donations Accepted for Easter Egg Hunt Sunday School staff will be busy stuffing plastic eggs for the Easter Sunday egg hunt. Donations of individually wrapped small candy (kisses, tootsie rolls, etc.) will be happily accepted. Hard candy is not recommended, because some of the children are too small to enjoy these. Thanks!! Date Set for VBS Mark your calendar, because Vacation Bible School will be held July 8-11 from 5-8 PM. We will offer an evening meal for families, songs, lessons, crafts and more fun! Watch for more details in the Anchor and weekly bulletin. Any high school or college students who may be interested in helping, please contact Kathy Benoit. This looks great on college applications and makes you feel good giving back to the children and community! Donate to the Lenten Soup Suppers There is a sign-up sheet at the back of the church for those interested in donating soup, bread or dessert for the weekly Lenten Soup Suppers! All donations go to the Youth/Education Committee. Good Friday Kids Time! Mark your calendar for a special kids event on Good Friday, April 19 th, from 10AM-Noon. There will be music, crafts, a special kids talk by Pastor Black and more fun! Everyone is welcome and bring a friend! Sign up on the sheet at the back of the church. Summer Meals Program Anyone interested in helping with the summer community meals program in Plano, please contact Kathy Benoit. Holy Week at First Lutheran Kid Friendly! Come join us for all of the kid-friendly Holy Week festivities: Sunday, April 14 9:00 AM service Palm Sunday Processional with all children Friday, April 19 10:00 AM-Noon Good Friday Event for Kids (Families invited to stay for Good Friday service at 1:00PM) Sunday, April 21-7:00 AM Sunrise Easter Service with children s sermon Sunday, April 21-8:00 AM Easter Breakfast. After breakfast, children can help decorate the Easter cross with beautiful flowers Sunday, April 21 - Approx. 8:45 AM Easter Egg Hunt in the basement education area. All children through 8 th grade are invited. The Easter bunny usually hops in to take pictures with the children and their families. Bring your camera! There is NO Sunday School on Easter Sunday, April 21-10:00 AM Church Service with communion and children s sermon Mark Your Calendar Sundays, April 7 & 14 First Communion Classes at 11:15 AM Sunday, April 14 Palm Sunday Procession 9:00 AM Service Friday, April 19 Good Friday Events for Kids from 10 AM-Noon Sunday. April 21 Easter Sunday Children decorate Easter cross after Sunrise Service and are invited to Easter Egg Hunt at approximately 8:45 a.m. There is no Sunday School this day. Sunday, April 28 Kids sing at 9 AM Worship Service for Barefoot Sunday Sunday, May 5 Confirmation Sunday Sunday, May 19 Awards Sunday/Secret Pals Revealed
The Anchor Page 11 A NOTE FROM THE CHURCH COUNCIL If you were at the annual meeting or read through the annual report, you know that we are looking at a deficit in our 2019 budget. You would also be aware that those at the congregational meeting do not desire to use long term assets towards the annual budget. We are thankful that the giving of the congregation has increased over the past few years but we also want you to know, if you didn t already, that we are running a significant deficit due to increased obligations and costs. How do we address it? The council believes that it will be difficult to meet the needs in one year so we are looking at giving a challenge and a goal to reach the needs in the future. We are asking if the congregation as a whole can increase their giving by 5% in this coming year. The quick and obvious answer would be for everyone to increase their giving by 5%, but we know that some members are already at their max as to what they can afford. Some may be able to do more. Also, the council understands we all try to keep up with our weekly offering whether we can make it to church on the weekend or not, but try as we might some weeks are missed completely. If we were to make up for 3 of those missed weeks that would increase giving by almost 6%. If your option is to increase your weekly giving, here is what an additional 5% would cost you. If you normally give $20 per week, an additional 5% is just $1 more. If your giving is $100 per week, an additional 5% would be $105. If you find that you missed a few weeks with your offering, make up what you can. If you can afford increasing your offering by some amount, please do. Please also be aware that on-line giving at our web-site at firstlutheranplano.com is an option for your giving. We have had these challenges in the past and have always overcome them. God is faithful. I m sure that if we all do what we can we will overcome this obstacle also. May you be blessed as you continue to grow in Christ.
First Lutheran Church Plano, Illinois 200 N Center Street Plano, IL 60545 Phone: 630-552-8263 Fax: 630-552-7198 Email: churchsecretary1@ sbcglobal.net Return Service Requested Statement of Purpose Because God loves the world, we live and work together to: *Grow As Disciples *Nurture other Disciples *Make New Disciples for the Kingdom of God! Website: firstlutheranchurchplano.com Facebook: https:// www.facebook.comfirstlutheran ChurchOfPlanoIl & Hit the LIKE button! Deadline for May Anchor Easter Sunday, April 21 Please submit articles by this date or before. WORSHIP TIMES Saturday Worship: 5:00 PM Sunday Worship: 9:00 AM No Saturday service April 20th Easter Sunday, April 21st 7:00 & 10:00AM Worship times. Communion offered at all Sat/Sun Worship services RADIO MINISTRIES: Every Sunday at 10:00 AM - a partial broadcast of the weekend Worship service airs on WSPY 107.1 FM OFFICE HOURS Mon-Thur. 7:00 am 1:00 pm 2019 Pastor: Reverend Jonathan Black E-mail: firstplanopastor@gmail.com Administrative Assistant: Jerri Lynn Baker E-mail: churchsecretary1@sbcglobal.net Financial Secretary Ruth Ann Hoehn Email: secretaryflc0@gmail.com