Weekend of April 13-15, 2019 W Welcome! It is a joy to have you with us today and it is our prayer that you are strengthened and uplifted through our worship and fellowship. We especially welcome those visiting. Please pick up information about our church at the kiosk located in the entry. Also, please take time after the service to introduce yourself to our pastor. We would like to get to know you better. Prayer Preparation for Worship Lord God, I give you thanks, for you are good, and your mercy is endless. Here I stand, at the start of this holy week, this week in which your church remembers Jesus passion and death, and I am distracted by many things. Turn my eyes now to the one who comes in your name the one who opens the gates of righteousness the one who answers when we call. I bless you, Lord, for shining your light upon me, and for sending your Son to us, in human frailty. To walk the road we walk. Open my eyes that I may see him coming, and may praise him with a pure heart. May we walk in the way of his suffering, and share also in his resurrection. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever. Amen. Current Sermon Series: New Testament Nuggets During the season of Lent we focus on the Passion of Jesus, the ultimate sacrifice of his life he made for us. Through him and his work, we are forgiven, we are right with God, we are heaven-bound, and we are grateful. God has given us directives and commands in the New Testament through which we can express our gratitude to God for the grace he has given us. During this sermon series we will study some of these New Testament Nuggets and look for ways to apply them as we live gratefully for God. Let s do just that. In His Service, Rev. Scott Spaulding
THIS WEEK Please check the calendar on the back of this folder for all Bible classes and other events over the next three weeks. Monday, April 15 6:00 p.m. Mercy Ministries Meeting at BLC 7:00 p.m. Elder Council Meeting at BLC 7:00 p.m. MOPS & MOMSnext Meet at LH Tuesday, April 16 7:00 p.m. R.I.N.G. Handbell practice at BLC Wednesday, April 17 7:00 p.m. Voices in Praise (VIP) Choir Practice at BLC Thursday, April 18 Maundy Thursday 12:00 p.m. Maundy Thursday Worship at BLC 6:30 p.m. Maundy Thursday Worship at BLC and LH 7:30 p.m. Voices in Praise (VIP) Choir Practice at BLC Friday, April 19 Good Friday 12:00 p.m. Good Friday Worship at BLC 6:00 p.m. Good Friday Worship at BLC and LH 7:30 p.m. Tenebrae Service of Darkness at BLC Saturday, April 20 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Prep for Easter Breakfast at BLC 6:00 p.m. Easter Worship at BLC 6:00 p.m. No Worship at LH LOVE IN ACTION SERVERS Living Hope Bloomington This Weekend Ezekiel Hebrews Maundy Thursday Ezra Galatians Good Friday 6pm Mark Psalms Tenebrae 7:30 pm N/A John Easter Sunrise N/A Jude Easter Services Samuel Hebrews April 14 Palm Sunday April 18 Maundy Thursday April 19 Good Friday April 21 Easter Sunday UPCOMING MESSAGES Current Series: Worthy is the Lamb Upcoming Series: The Spirit Fires Lamb Selection Sunday ~ Matthew 21:1-9 The Main Course ~ Exodus 12:8, Luke 22:19 It is Finished ~ John 19:28-30 Death Passed Over ~ 1 Corinthians 15:12-20, 54-57 We Celebrate the Number of Worshipers in God s House Lent 5 & Last Weekend 1020 OUR GIFTS TO THE LORD Bloomington Living Hope Lutheran Church Weekend of April 7, 2019 Received Amount Budgeted Amount over/ (under) Plate & Envelope $31,904 $28,455 $3,448 ALL CHURCH ANNOUNCEMENTS Easter Sunrise - Special Singing Opportunity! The Voices in Praise senior choir is inviting you to sing the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah at the end of the Easter 7:00 a.m. Sunrise service at BLC. We will be running through the song a few times after the Maundy Thursday service, or just show up on Easter Sunday! If you have any questions, please contact Rachel Zahn at rzahn@bllh.org. Communion Weekend Change During April Due to Easter falling on the third Sunday in April, Living Hope will only have communion the first weekend and BLC will have communion the first weekend and the fourth weekend. Typically, communion is offered on the first and third weekends of each month. Graduating from High School? If so, plan to participate in the baccalaureate service on Sunday, May 5 at Living Hope during the 10:00 a.m. service. A portion of the service is dedicated to thanking and praising God for the high school graduates and their God-given abilities used to obtain an education. The graduates will be reminded of their confirmation and of God s love and commitment to them as they move on in their lives. Please sign up at bllh.org/baccservice. Honoring Our High School and College Grads Each May, a bulletin board of graduates is posted at Living Hope and BLC. We hope everyone who is graduating will participate! Parents or grads, please complete the Graduate Info Form and submit it with two wallet-size photos by Wednesday, May 15. (College grad photos can be from graduation day.) The Grad Info Forms are available in the church entry and at bllh.org/gradform. A picture is needed for both church locations. We are unable to print off a color photo. OWLS Organization of WELS Lutheran Seniors, 55+ We welcome everyone to attend our events! Monday, April 15 at 2:00 p.m. - For the Bingo party at The Lutheran Home in Belle Plaine. Thank you Thank you for those who donated their baked goods for the Lenten lunches. This was the best turnout of donated goodies ever! We can t wait for next year. ~ The Lunch Ladies
FOR OUR YOUTH There is a one-time sign up for 2019 youth programs. Please complete the form at bllh.org/youthregistration. Jr. High Empower (Grades 6-8) Bible Study Every Sunday BLC at 9:15 a.m. and Living Hope at 9:00 a.m. This is a chance for 6 th 8 th graders to connect, talk about relevant issues, and learn how to live out their faith. Register at bllh.org/ssconfreg. End of Year Bonfire Bash Friday, May 17 5:30-9:00 p.m. at LH Come and enjoy some campfire fun and delicious pudgie pies. We will wrap up the school year with a memorable night. Schedule of Jr. High events at bllh.org/empower. Sr. High Youth (Grades 9-12) Horizon High School Ministry 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Living Hope This is a great time to connect with other Christian teens. There will be snacks, games, and discussion of issues looming large in our lives. We do our best to blend in solid Biblical study with real-life applications on the topics in front of us each week. Upcoming Dates: May 5, 19 More info at bllh.org/horizon. Volunteer at VBS! Sign up at bllh.org/vbs for a morning or afternoon, one day, two days, or all four! We can plan around your schedule! Students who are going into 5 th 12 th grades are asked to help out at VBS June 17-20. A training day for the Jr. Crew and Crew leaders is set for Thursday, June 13 from 6:30-8:00 p.m. at Living Hope. If you have questions regarding youth events, please email joel.hansen@mybllh.org. Confirmation Sunday Approaching Just a reminder that Sunday, April 28 th is Confirmation at Living Hope during the 10:00 a.m. service. We will have an opportunity to welcome many guests into our new sanctuary. Please take this moment to make them feel welcome! Contact a friend and sign-up together! Spring Cleaning? Can't save your treasures until June... This year we will be having a portable storage unit available at Living Hope to start collecting for the annual garage sale we have in July. In years past we have had many people tell us that they had various commitments and couldn't keep their items until June. In order to try to maximize the sale we are having a storage pod available starting in April for those types of situations. Please pack new or gently used items in a closed container or bag so we can stack it to the ceiling in the unit. We are not able to accept tvs, printers, computers, mattresses, car seats, cribs or damaged furniture. The money raised this year for the school portion will be going towards replacing the boilers at Bloomington Lutheran. The mission portion is to be determined closer to the sale. For those of you who can hold onto your items we will begin having regular drop off times starting the week following VBS. Drop Off Dates: Thursday, April 18 3:30-7:30 p.m. Sunday, April 28 9:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. Sunday, May 5 9:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. Sunday, May 19 9:00 a.m. 12:00p.m. The storage pod will be open during these times for donation drop off and will be locked in between. Please do not leave any items outside of the pod. The plan is for the pod to be placed behind the school, take the gravel driveway to bring your items right up to the pod. For any questions please contact Rachel Glocke at 651-558-6568 or rglocke1@hotmail.com. Build the Dream Ignited As reported this past weekend, the Build the Dream campaign committee will be hosting cottage meetings in late April and the month of May. The Build the Dream campaign runs from May of 2018 through May of 2021 and as we approach the 1 st anniversary of the campaign, it is the committee s hope to ignite enthusiasm around the accomplishments and the opportunities of God s ministry at Bloomington Living Hope Lutheran. The committee will be inviting members of the congregation not currently participating in Build the Dream to attend one of these cottage meetings and to prayerfully consider making a commitment to Build the Dream. If you receive an invitation, we hope you are open to accepting that invitation and attending on of these meetings. If you would like to make a commitment, you can find commitment cards located near the thermometers at both LH and BLC. The cards may be completed, put into an envelope, and placed in the collection plate or given to a pastor. If you have questions or would like to request a visit from a campaign committee member, please contact the church office at 952-888-2475 or blc@bllh.org.
Worship Schedule for Holy Week and Easter Bloomington Lutheran Living Hope Lutheran April 18 Maundy Thursday Noon and 6:30 p.m. Worship with Communion 6:30 p.m. Worship with Communion April 19 Good Friday Noon and 6:00 p.m. - Worship Tenebrae Service, 7:30 p.m. Service of Darkness 6:00 p.m. - Worship Easter Saturday, April 20 6:00 p.m. - Worship Saturday, April 20 No Worship Sunday, April 21 7:00 a.m. - Sunrise Service Sunday, April 21 8:00 a.m. - Sunrise Service The Sunrise Service is different from the other services. 8:00 a.m. - Easter Breakfast 9:00 a.m. - Potluck Easter Breakfast 9:00 & 10:30 a.m. - Easter Services 10:00 a.m. - Easter Service Monday, April 22 No Worship
Enjoy Easter Breakfast at Church Join us for Easter breakfast! One of the most important ways to stay or get connected with one another as a church-wide family is to eat together. Easter breakfast is a great time for sharing and celebrating. 8 a.m. at Bloomington Lutheran Church Everyone is welcome at this sitdown, family-style meal served by Family Ministry. You may wish to help with prepping, cooking, or serving, too! Sit-down, Family-style Meal As in previous years, the meal will be rounded out by donations of breakfast pastries. If you would like to donate 1-2 dozen, pre-cut breakfast sweets (homemade is welcome), please sign up on the sheet posted in the BLC church entry or online at bllh.org/family. If possible, drop off your donation on Saturday, April 20 from 9:30-11:30 a.m. 9 a.m. at Living Hope It s a potluck! Bring family, friends, and a dish or two to share. Help our visitors feel welcome by ensuring there is enough food for everyone. Volunteers are welcome to help clean up after the meal and before the Easter service at 10:00 a.m. Volunteers are needed on Saturday, April 20 beginning at 9:00 a.m. to prep eggs, meat, fixings, and help set tables. Volunteers are needed on Easter Sunday to cook, serve, and clean up. Sign up for helping in any way at bllh.org/family. Or, go to SignUpGenius.com and use the email joel.hansen@mybllh.org to find the sign-ups for Saturday and Sunday.
Bloomington Living Hope Lutheran School News Mrs. Carol Aker Retirement Celebration To show our appreciation and thanks to God for Bloomington campus eighth grade teacher Mrs. Aker's seventeen years of service, we will celebrate on Sunday, May 19, during our Living Hope 10:00 a.m. church service. An open house with light refreshments will follow in the church commons until 1:00 p.m., there will be a box available for cards and personal letters. If you would like to show your appreciation with a special gift, envelopes will be available to place in the card box. Please join us for this special event! Let s Warm Up our School! You may not know that over the March break, 5 new furnaces were installed at the Bloomington campus at a cost of $21,000. The replaced furnaces were 40 years old! Our new units run much more efficiently and will keep the west side (PreK - Gr. 2) of the building warm and cozy. However, we are in need of 5 more new furnaces on the east side of Bloomington school (Gr. 6-8). They are also 40 years old and must be replaced before the fall of 2019. The plan is to use funds from our annual July garage sale (usually $5000), so our goal is to raise an additional $16,000 before the fall of 2019. That s a challenging yet very reachable goal. If you are planning an Easter gift for the school, are considering a matching gift through your employer, or are moved to offer a special donation of love toward this essential project, please contact either school office. Be sure to specify that your gift is toward the furnaces at BLS. For more information, contact Principal Mike Butzow at any time. Thank you for considering a donation, and for supporting Christ-centered education at BLH! With thanks, Mike Butzow, Principal Call Accepted for 5 th Grade! Mrs. Michelle Hardinger, currently at Resurrection Lutheran School in Rochester, MN, has accepted the divine call of Bloomington Living Hope Lutheran School to serve as one of our fifth grade teachers at the Bloomington campus beginning in the 2019-20 school year. Please continue to keep Mrs. Hardinger, her family, and Resurrection School in your prayers. Please also express a prayer of gratitude to the Lord for leading Mrs. Hardinger to serve among us at BLH. Calls Accepted for Kindergarten and 8th Grade! To the members of Bloomington Living Hope Lutheran Church and School, A few weeks ago, we received your Divine Calls to serve as 8th grade teacher and Kindergarten teacher. Over the past few weeks, we have been able to talk with many people from your school and congregation and learn more about your ministry. After prayerfully considering your calls and the calls we currently hold, we have decided to accept your calls to serve at Bloomington Living Hope Lutheran School. We are looking forward to getting to meet with you soon and share the love of Jesus in the Twin Cities. In the meantime, we humbly ask that you keep us in your prayers as we finish our school years and transition to Bloomington. Please also keep Westside Christian School and St. John s Lutheran School in your prayers that God may continue to bless their work and that our positions may be filled in a timely manner. In all things, Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). In Christ, Eric and Jill Wolf Call Returned Mr. Paul Kanzenbach has returned (declined) our call to serve as one of our 8th grade teachers next year. We pray that God will guide Mr. Kanzenbach in his continued service at St. John's Lutheran School in Milwaukee. The BLH Board will soon issue a call to another qualified candidate. We hold confidence that in his time the Lord will lead a called worker to join our Christ-centered school ministry.
Join us on the island this summer as we see who comes to our rescue! June 17-20, 2019 9:00 AM 12:00 PM Living Hope Registration is now open for children Age 2 4 th grade. Register your child or sign-up to volunteer at www.bllh.org/vbs Older children and adults can join the fun and volunteer for the week! Key Positions Open for VBS Leadership Team Members Planning for Vacation Bible School (VBS) has begun and we are looking for a few more individuals to serve on our leadership team. Please read the descriptions of the open positions below and contact Joel Hansen (joel.hansen@mybllh.org) if you are interested in serving or would like more information. GAMES COORDINATOR: Check out all the awesome game options in the Games Leader Manual. Collect the listed supplies for the games you plan to lead. Direct volunteers on how to help and lead VBS kids in fun (hopefully outdoor) Games each day. DECORATIONS COORDINATOR: Use your creative, artistic flair to add to the experience and fun of VBS. There is a decorating DVD to reference for ideas. Oversee and direct volunteers the weeks before VBS (and the Sunday before) as we transform our church into a shipwreck. PHOTOGRAPHER: Take pictures throughout Vacation Bible School and compile photos into a slideshow to be shown at Family Night. IMAGINATION STATION COORDINATOR: Oversee the Imagination Station Activity Area. Organize supplies and lead groups of kids as they rotate through your station. 2&3 YR OLD TEACHER: Lead music, prayer, and Bible Adventure time with the 2&3 year olds and their parents based on the curriculum and schedule provided by the 2&3 Yr. Old Program Coordinator. Oversee volunteers in your classroom as they lead a variety of activities. BLC KITCHEN COORDINATOR: Oversee the preparation of lunch for the children who are riding the BLC shuttle. Help serve food and supervise clean-up following each meal. BLC TRANSPORTATION COORDINATOR: Greet and Gather students as they arrive at our BLC campus in the mornings, and make sure they get on and off the bus safely at each location. Oversee their time at Lunch, and as they get picked up by their families. IMAGINATION STATION LEADER: Serve as a leader to groups of kids as they rotate through the Imagination Station.