13600 CASPIAN WAY, CLERMONT, FLORIDA 34711 MARCH-APRIL, 2016 Pastor Dennis Schmidt Accepts Call Pastor Dennis Schmidt has accepted the call of the congregation to be the next Pastor of Shepherd of the Hills. The Congregation overwhelmingly accepted the recommendation of the Call Committee and the Church Council at a special meeting of the congregation on February 28 to call Pastor Schmidt after almost a year of preparation, looking and interviewing candidates. Pastor Schmidt sent us this note this week: I am trying for a start date of April 16th. However, this will be a time of transition since we probably won't have a place to live until the end of the month. So I will more than likely come over on Friday evening, spend the night in a hotel, go to the church on Sat. and start getting ready for Sunday and conduct services on Sunday and possibly stay over Monday evening as well. But we will be going back and forth, packing, searching for a place to live, etc. so I hope the congregation will be patient during the transition process. I am excited to be coming to Shepherd of the Hills and I can't wait to begin our new journey together. I am confident that God has great plans for us. Please keep us in your prayers during this time as we hold all of you in ours as well. Expectantly, Pastor Dennis
Congregation votes on calling Pastor Schmidt on February 28. Some Information about Pastor Schmidt Pastor Schmidt has served in the ministry for 37 years. He graduated from Concordia Senior College in Ft. Wayne, IN with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and graduated from Christ Seminary/ Seminex in St. Louis, Missouri. He has had advanced training in courses such as Stepping Up to Supervisor, New Beginnings for Congregations, Interim/Transitional Ministry Training, Moving from Membership to Discipleship as well as many others. He has served churches in Enterprise, Oregon; Baker City, Oregon; Panama City, Florida; Eugene, Oregon; and Daytona Beach, Florida. He comes to us from Hope Lutheran Church in Daytona Beach. Congregation meets Pastor Schmidt and his wife at a Meet and Greet on February 13 Pastor Schmidt is married, has three children and is a former paramedic. Pastor Schmidt s areas of expertise include Preaching/Worship Leadership, Teaching, Evangelism/Mission, Spiritual Formation, and Ministry in Crisis. His areas of strength include, Chaplaincy, Building a Sense of Community, Children s Ministry, Social Ministry, and Participation in the Larger Church.!2
Worship & Praise Service April 3 at 10:15 am Prayer Breakfast Each Tuesday at 8:30 am at Bob Evans Restaurant Faith Neighborhood Center Building Groundbreaking Wed, April 6 at 10 am Pastor Schmidt s First Sunday April 17 INTERIM PASTOR Pastor Pete Zieg (Rev. Peter J. Zieg) Home Phone: (407)854-4170 Cell Phone: (407)873-6173 I can receive texts, if needed. EMail: pete@zieg.com It has been a blessing to be with Shepherd of the Hills congregation since mid-january "standing in the gap" between Pastor Nancy Vogel's ministry and that of Pastorelect Dennis Schmidt. I am thankful to have had this opportunity to get to know and serve among the saints at SOTH! The Florida/Bahamas Bishop conducted a Chrism service in Ocala on March 19 at Joy Lutheran Church. Joe Sandor attended as a rep from Shepherd of the Hills, to pick up a bottle of Chrism Oil (which the bishop has blessed) for baptisms and confirmations. Thank you Joe. Thanks to all the loving folks who brought in 21 cases/flats of bottled water to help fill the truck load sent to Flint, Michigan from Central Florida churches. They really filled up the back of my car as Judy and I transported them to Winter Park. In Christ's love, Pastor Pete PASTOR ZIEG WILL CONTINUE TO SERVE US UNTIL PASTOR SCHMIDT ARRIVES!3
Karissa Bursey, our VBS Director has announced our VBS plans for 2017. Vacation Bible School will be held at Shepherd of the Hills on June 27 to July1, 2016 with the theme Expedition Norway. Cost for the first child will be $25 and $20 for each additional child in a family. VBS will run from 9:30 am to 3:30 p.m. each day. Parents can drop their children off beginning at 8:30 a.m. and must pick them up by 4:00 p.m. Children between the ages of 4 to 11 are eligible to attend VBS. All are welcome registrations are first come, first served. Children do not have to be church members to attend. Registration will be open on our website beginning on April 1. Credit cards or cash are accepted and must be paid in advance. VBS fill up each year, so get your registrations in early. Spring is upon us: a time for renewal, rebirth and new beginnings. Our congregation enters this spring season with the arrival of Pastor Dennis Schmidt who will serve as SOTH's new pastor. We welcome Pastor Dennis to lead our worship community. Many thanks to Pastor Pete Zieg for his service during this interim period. We are truly a blessed congregation to have such fine pastoral leadership through the years. God bless. Joe Foryan!4
Help Us by Placing Your Last Name on Your Offering Envelope. Please help our counters by placing your name on your weekly offering envelopes. This action will help us in insuring that all monies are credited to the correct account. Also, please identify other donations such as the Building Fund by indicating this in the Other line on the envelope. Worship and Praise Service Sunday, April 3 at 10:15 a.m. Florida/Bahamas Synod Assembly June 10-12, 2016 Daytona Beach, Florida Please notify the Church Office if you would like to attend and represent Shepherd of the Hills at this annual assembly. Those who have attended in the past have given this experience high praise.!5
The Faith Neighborhood Center is pleased to announce the groundbreaking ceremony for their new building will be held on Wednesday, April 6 at 10 am on Timber Village Road in Groveland, Florida. All are invited to afend. We have many volunteers at the Center from Shepherd of the Hills. Don t forget the Volunteer AppreciaKon Luncheon on Friday, April 15 at St; MaFhias Episcopal Church on Montrose in Clermont. Please sign up at the front desk at the Center. As always spouses are welcome. Good-bye Snowbirds! We ll miss you. See you next winter.!6
Rumor has it that one of our most active and faithful church members has reached a milestone age (we can t tell you what age, but it is past the decade of 40) and just this week, crossed an item off of her bucket list. Kendal gave her mom a great gift and came with her! What s on YOUR bucket list? Can you top this?!7
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Members Have Access to Information via our Website You, as a member, have access to certain information in our database which is accessible through the church website. Go to the MEMBERS tab on the top right of each page, then click on MEMBERS DATA. The information pictured on the right will appear. You can access your data by filling out your email address and Access Code on the form at the bottom of this information. If you do not have an access code, click on the message I do not know my access code, follow the instructions, and the code will be emailed to your address. You will be able to access (and print) our Members directory) either with or without pictures, update your Member Information, view your Giving History and view the Church Calendar. If you change, address, phone number, email please use this convenient way to update your data. This information is protected by your access code (known only to you) and is availably only if your email is in our database.!9
Bishop Schaefer s Easter Message [The angels] said to [Mary Magdalene], "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him." John 20:13 Dear friends in Christ, We all have had those days when faith is only a thing hoped for. Where God seems to be missing in action and we don t know where to find him. Many will come to our congregations at Easter much the way Mary went to the tomb on the first Easter morning. That is why the church has gathered every Sunday since the first Easter Sunday to proclaim in word and sacrament the Easter message: Alleluia! Christ is Risen. Christ is risen indeed. Alleluia! We gather as God s family, all of us bearing the scars of life, living as imperfect and sinful human beings in a fallen world. In the midst of our brokenness, remember that the Risen Christ whom Mary meets in the garden, still bears the marks of the crucifixion. The Risen One seeks out his own as he sought Mary on that first Easter. The Risen One leads us to the baptismal font and to the altar where we encounter him just as literally as Mary did. This Easter at tables around the Florida-Bahamas Synod and around the world, in Holy Communion, with Mary Magdalene, the crucified and risen Jesus will call US each by name. In love and wonder, may we rise from this meal responding with Mary: I have seen the Lord! Scars and all Christ is Risen. Christ is risen indeed. Alleluia! Peace be yours, + Robert G. Schaefer Bishop of the Florida-Bahamas Synod!10
Pictures of the Month Karissa Bursey and Rebecca and Taylor Candage serve as readers on Palm Sunday. Women of the Church made and donated dresses to those in need. Nancy Humbyrd (Monzillo), Triston and Conner Fairservice clean up our Memorial Garden prior to Easter The Youth Group sponsored a Pancake Breakfast in March benefiting the Faith Neighborhood Center!11
SHEPHERD OF THE HILLS LUTHERAN CHURCH the SHEPHERD S VOICE the Shepherd s Voice Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church 13600 Caspian Way Clermont, Florida 34711 Phone: 352-394-3382 Web: www.shephillsclermont.org Click HERE to view the church calendar