From the Pastor On February 18 we observed Ash Wednesday. With all good intentions, we had planned to hold our usual service of imposition of ashes and Holy Communion, but the weather had other things in mind for us. Ash Wednesday was cancelled! Well, at least the service was cancelled, here and just about everywhere else in RVA. I won t go into a rant about the influence the media have on every aspect of life these days: but allow me to say that twenty years ago cancelling an Ash Wednesday evening service due to six inches of snow that had fallen the night before would have been quaint, to say the least. But that scrolling they provide on the local TV stations telling what churches have cancelled services tends to be contagious: one gets the impression that only an idiot would hold Ash Wednesday services under such adverse weather conditions! Be that as it may, I assume we all observed the day at home in whatever way is meaningful for us. Easter is on April 5, which means that the entire month of March will be in Lent. As I pointed out in my sermon on Sunday, February 22, the Sundays in this season are in Lent and not of Lent. The preposition is important; every Sunday is in a sense a little Easter, a reminder of the fact that our Lord rose from the dead on the first day of the week. But even the Sundays in Lent have a somewhat somber tone; for instance, there is no Alleluia in the liturgy. Many of us remember Lent as a time when we were called upon to give up something as a reminder of our Lord s sacrifice of his life as a ransom for our sins. And that s a good place to start. True confessions: as a boy, I gave up buying comic books and playing pinball machines (the real thing, not computer versions) during this somber season. Yet Lent can be a very positive experience for the Christian, regardless of the past memories we might have of it as a gloomy season of the church year we did not look forward to. And those in our church who do not come from backgrounds where Lent was strictly observed have an advantage: they can approach it with an open mind. Lent continues to remind us that it is in the cross of Christ, towering o er the wrecks of time, that we are to glory, not in our own achievements or cleverness. As Paul says in Galatians 6:14, May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Here at First English we will observe Lent, among other ways, with Wednesday evening Bible studies. We ve been working our way through the book of Jeremiah if ever there was a Lenten prophet, he s the one! and will continue with Ezekiel when we re through with Jeremiah. I d like to encourage attendance at these sessions, which are very informal, meet in the library/conference room, and are preceded by the 6 pm Wednesday Night Fellowship Meal. What an excellent opportunity to meet members of your congregation you may not know and become more familiar with the Bible! Beyond that, let s use this season as a time to draw closer to God through increased church attendance. So far this year we re running a little ahead of 2014 so far as the numbers present at the Sunday services is concerned: let s commit to come every week, which used to be the norm everywhere. Daily prayer and devotions are also very positive things we can do during Lent and continue doing thereafter. And may I insert an advertisement here for our Sunday School classes? They all begin at 9:15 a.m. In addition to the classes for children and teenagers, there is the traditional adult class meeting in the chapel, which provides in depth study of the Bible, and a non-traditional group which gets together in the Wagner room to discuss contemporary issues as they relate to our Christian faith in a nontraditional setting. (Yes, folks, I consider your informal get-together a Sunday School class!). There s even coffee available. One final suggestion: Perhaps this Lenten season could serve as a challenge to become more involved in social ministry: humble service to our fellow human beings. There certainly is no lack of such opportunities at First English; Caritas is one example; there is a sign-up sheet in the Wagner room, and still some slots open. In all these endeavors we would do well to remember the words of the prophet Micah: He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? We need Lent! A whole month of it. It shouts to us: Get right with God! Now that s not such an unreasonable demand, is it? ~ Pastor John Schweitzer
UPCOMING EVENTS Meet in the JRP headquarters parking lot at Riverside Drive and Hillcrest Road. We will walk along the south side of the river towards the City and cross to Belle Isle, circle Belle Isle then return to the parking lot. The walk is approximately 3 1/2-4 miles and is rated "easy". Join us for lunch following the walk at O'tooles Restaurant & Pub (4800 Forest Hill Ave). The next meeting of the WELCA will be on Friday, March 13th, beginning at 6:00 pm. The speaker will be Richard Ruff. Please note that the dinner for the evening will be a potluck so please bring your favorite dish to share. The evening will end with a business meeting. James River Park Walk Saturday, March 21st, 10 am
CARITAS (Congregations Around Richmond Involved To Assure Shelter): First English will assist St. John s United Church of Christ (at St. John s) with the intake component of the CARITAS program from February 16th April 14th, on Monday and Tuesday evenings. Volunteers are needed from 5:30 (5:15 if you can) until about 7:00. The job is simple: provide warm hospitality and set out and serve drinks (coffee, hot chocolate, lemonade) and snacks (provided) to individuals in need of shelter. CARITAS is a shelter program serving homeless in the Richmond area. Churches and other organizations in the greater Richmond area open their doors to provide shelter to homeless individuals. Since many of the overnight shelters are in the suburban areas, guests gather at downtown churches (intake centers) and are bussed from there to the overnight location. St. John s United Church of Christ is across the circle from First English and is one of our fellow Stuart Circle Parish congregations. Contact Sheryl Finucane 1-448-3754 (h), 8335434 (c) or mailto:sdgfin@gmail.com for additional information.
The Education Committee The Education Committee is charged with developing and carrying out ways to enhance the Christian Education of all God's children in this special place we call First English Lutheran Church. We use ELCA curriculum in our Sunday School classes. Classes are provided for all ages from age 3 to adults. We encourage all eligible youth to attend Synod events. Other activities sponsored by the Education committee are: Cradle Roll Nursery Wednesdays Together Reformation Potluck Advent Event Children's Christmas Nativity Pentecost Party We are always in need of volunteers to help with Sunday School and all other Education Committee activities. Contact Debbie Lane or Susan Fenerty if you would like to help. Newsletter Deadline All submissions for the April issue need to be turned in to the church office no later than Friday, March 13. Thank you for your cooperation. Church Office Staff
Worship Assistants March 1 2nd March 8 3rd March 15 4th March 22 5th Sunday in Lent Sunday in Lent Sunday in Lent Sunday in Lent 8:15 Lector Grace Gulick 10:30 1. Joedy Smith Lectors 2. Cheryl Shiembob Crucifer Molly McCue Acolyte Cassidy Hoke Altar Guild Libby Riggle Peggy Davis Communion Carol McCue Elements to Altar Head John Ritz Counter Counters Joe Thisted Joe Smith Ushers Roger Riggle Bill Davidson Sheryl Finucane Stuart Myer Hospitality Congregational Life Committee Readings Gen 17:1-7,15-16 Rom 4:13-25 Mark 8:31-38 March 29 Palm Sunday Marlene James 1. John Peterson 2. Jeff Nelson Nancy Mondrey 1. Molly McCue 2. Nicole Krause Laura Rice 1. Wayne Griffin 2. Mariah Hubbs Kathy Massie 1. Reni Gower 2. Sheryl Finucane Stuart Myer Jake Hamilton Lynn Heltzel Cassidy Hoke Cooper Hoke Polly Brickman Jim Byerly Nate Fenerty Jim Byerly Caroline Heltzel Ellie Fenerty Amanda Jarvis Billy Duke Linda Wallace Sheryl Finucane Polly Brickman Rob Comet John Ritz John Ritz John Ritz John Ritz Elaine Smith Cheryl Shiembob Lynn Heltzel Mark Crumpton Jim Byerly Debbie Lane Melissa Shaffer Betty Davidson Carol McCue Joyce Smith Joedy Smith Roger Riggle Bill Davidson Deborah Hubbs Julie Judge Bob Lane Caroline Heltzel Bob Lane Debbie Lane Lynn Heltzel Debbie Lane Jennifer Gentry Grace Gulick Jim Byerly Kirk Fenerty Roger Riggle Bill Fenerty Sheryl Finucane Exod 20:1-17 1 Cor 1:18-25 John 2:13-22 Num 21:4-9 Eph 2:1-10 John 3:14-21 Jer 31:31-34 Heb 5:5-10 John 12:20-33 Isa 50:4-9a Phil 2:5-11 Mark 14: 1 15:47
** Please find a replacement when you cannot serve and notify the church office at 355-9185 as soon as possible. Thank you for your time and service to the Church.
FELC People News Let s Celebrate March with the Following Members of our Congregation Congratulations to all celebrating a Wedding Anniversary in March! Happy Birthday to everyone celebrating a birthday in the month of March! Daylight Savings Time
Sunday March 8, 2015
Sunday March 1 2nd Sunday in Lent 8:15 am: Service of Holy Communion 9:15 am: Sunday School 9:30 am: Choir Rehearsal 10:30 am: Service of Holy Communion 11:30 am: Hospitality Congregational Life Wed. March 4 Wednesdays Together 6:00 pm: Dinner 6:45 pm: Choir Rehearsal 6:45 pm: Lenten Bible Study Sunday March 8 3rd Sunday in Lent Daylight Savings Time Begins 8:15 am: Service of Holy Communion 9:15 am: Sunday School 9:30 am: Choir Rehearsal 10:30 am: Service of Holy Communion 11:30 am: Hospitality Melissa Shaffer 12:00 pm: Soul Stitchers 12:00 pm: Congregational Life Committee Meeting Wed. March 11 Wednesdays Together 6:00 pm: Dinner 6:45 pm: Choir Rehearsal 6:45 pm: Lenten Bible Study Friday March 13 6:00 pm: Women of the ELCA Meeting Sunday March 15 4th Sunday in Lent 8:15 am: Service of Holy Communion 9:15 am: Sunday School 9:30 am: Choir Rehearsal 10:30 am: Service of Holy Communion 11:30 am: Hospitality Deborah Hubbs 12:00 pm: Outreach Committee Meeting Tuesday March 17 7:00 pm: Congregation Council Meeting Wed. March 18 Wednesdays Together 6:00 pm: Dinner 6:45 pm: Choir Rehearsal 6:45 pm: Lenten Bible Study Saturday March 21 10:00 am: James River Park Walk Sunday March 22 5th Sunday in Lent 8:15 am: Service of Holy Communion 9:15 am: Sunday School 9:30 am: Choir Rehearsal 10:30 am: Service of Holy Communion 11:30 am: Hospitality Debbie Lane 12:00 pm: Worship & Music Committee Meeting
Wed. March 25 Wednesdays Together 6:00 pm: Dinner 6:45 pm: Choir Rehearsal 6:45 pm: Lenten Bible Study Sunday March 29 Palm Sunday 8:15 am: Service of Holy Communion 9:15 am: Sunday School 9:30 am: Choir Rehearsal 10:00 am: Palm Sunday Procession 10:30 am: Service of Holy Communion 11:30 am: Hospitality Sheryl Finucane