St. Matthew Lutheran Church Newsletter April 2018 It has been a busy Lent at St. Matthew Lutheran Church. Midweek activities as in other years, the presence among us of Pastor Jordan Long, President of the Lutheran Church of South Sudan, the premiere of our video: They Gave Us the Gospels, the return of our replica of the Shroud of Turin, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services and Easter Eve. April will bring Easter and the celebration of the Resurrection. A lot more is happening here that isn t so noticeable to the public, and still more is coming in the near future! That is how a church should be, busy with important things. Please help us stand up for the Gospel of Jesus Christ here in this place. That is what we are here to do. I would also ask you to spread the word about the video so that it can be shared by many people beyond our community. Simply go to YouTube and type in They Gave Us the Gospels. We are already above 100 views. Frederick W. Baltz, Interim Pastor Kathy Pedersen, Pastor Jordan Long, LCSS, and Chuck Pedersen 1
Visitors and members inspecting our copy of the Shroud of Turin OUR VISION STATEMENT St. Matthew Lutheran Church will be a vibrant, welcoming and diverse Community of Believers focusing on the Word and living as a Christ-centered Congregation. OUR MISSION STATEMENT As a Christ-centered Congregation we enrich our lives through God s Word, sharing our gifts with all people. 2
President s Letter to the Congregation April 2018 Council News The Church Council members for 2018 are Wyatt Anderson, Todd Vanderlinde, Lori Fisher, David Thompson, Bryan Daniel, Nancy Hyman, Charles Marsden and Bruce Etzel. At the February council meeting these council members were elected to the following positions: President: Bruce Etzel Vice President: Charles Marsden Treasurer: Nancy Hyman Secretary: Bryan Daniel The church council is here to serve the congregation and is always open to ideas and suggestions. We have set aside a formal time at the beginning of each council meeting (15 minutes) for any members who wish to address the council. Please inform one of the officers if you wish to speak. We also welcome letters and even a phone call. At this time in the church year, my thoughts go to the last days before Jesus s death on the cross. He was left by Himself, His disciples ran away and even denied knowing Him. He was alone, falsely accused, stripped, beaten, publicly shamed, and mocked while dying on the cross. Then in agony in Luke Ch. 23, vs. 34 we read, And Jesus said, Father forgive them, for they know not what they do. So what do we do when we feel marginalized, pushed aside, our feelings hurt? We forgive. Being a Christian, this is what is expected of me, this is the example Christ set for me. We do as Christ would have us do; we love and lift up every member of St. Matthew. Have a blessed Easter! Bruce Etzel 3
Call Committee Meetings The 3rd meeting of the Call Committee met at the Church on March 1 st. Members, consisting of Tanya Vanderlinde, Wayne McIntrye, Bill Fitch, Deb Hyland, Connie Consedine and Jan Etzel were all present. The committee looked at characteristics we thought were important in a candidate pastor s view on Theology and their Biblical foundation, also perception of the Statement of Faith to the LCMC constitution. The following Call Committee members; Deb Hyland, Connie Consedine, Bill Fitch and Jan Etzel were able to attend the Call Committee Workshop to learn about the call process. This was a one day event Saturday, March 3 rd at St Mark s Lutheran Church LCMC in Marion, Iowa. The presenter was Pastor Steve Lien from Victory Lutheran Church LCMC in Meza, Arizona. Both are large congregations. The Pastor has put on numerous LCMC Call Committee Workshops; it was fast paced and very informative, covering a broad spectrum of the Call Committee process. Our committee agreed that it was time well spent. March 19 th was our third meeting this month, all Committee members were present. We discussed what we learned at the one day event in Marion. Some of the topics we addressed: Making the most of change and does the pastor we are looking for have the right mix of skills, giftedness and personality. Respectfully submitted, Bill Fitch 4
Every Tuesday 2nd & 3rd Tuesday 2nd & 4th Tuesday Wednesday EVENTS THIS MONTH 10:00 am - Bible Study at The Nursing Home 12:30 pm Quilters 3:00 pm - With Our Hearts and Hands Ministry 8:30 am - Men's Bible Study 10:30 am - Prairie Ridge Bible Study 12:00 pm - Brown Bag Bible Study Specific Dates April 5 April 11 April 12 April 19 April 29 7:00 pm - Choir 6:00 pm - Church Council Meeting 7:00 pm - Choir 7:00 pm - Choir 7:00 pm - Choir CELEBRATIONS IN APRIL BIRTHDAYS ANNIVERSARIES April 3 Marie Kempert April 14 John & Joanne Carlson 5 Alex Montgomery 21 Bill & Elaine Fitch 8 Darin Wohlers 26 Todd & Tanya Vanderlinde 14 April Oldenburg 15 Rachel Oldenburg 21 Deb Hyland 22 Ethan Baltz 25 Logan Farrey 5
Fill the Well April 2018 The need for good clean water is great in many parts of the world. Water is something we can easily take for granted, but for many, they must travel long distances just to get fresh water and sometimes they can t even find it. Please consider supporting this important ministry. Consider each time you fill a glass with fresh water from the tap; many people are thirsting around the world. We send our contributions to Lutheran World Relief, so you know that 91% of your generous giving goes to help those in need. $66.00 was collected for the Special Focus Mission of the Month in February Volunteer Hospice of Northwest Illinois 6
Weekend THOSE WHO SERVE IN APRIL 2018 # USHERS & ACOLYTES (Sat: 1 person, Sun: 2) LECTORS (1 Person) 1 Sun. 1 Sun. 1 2 Sat. 7 Jim Moser Sat. 7 2 Sun. 8 Pam & George Johnson Sun. 8 3 Sat. 14 Nancy Hyman Sat. 14 3 Sun. 15 Sun. 15 4 Sat. 21 Jeff Miller Sat. 21 4 Sun. 22 Dale & Maureen Knipschield Sun. 22 5 Sat. 28 Sat. 28 Nancy Hyman Nancy Hyman Connie Consedine Colleen Stephens Dale Knipschield 5 Sun. 29 Sun. 29 Bulletin Folders (1 or 2) - 10:00 am Sat. AM COMMUNION ( Sat: 1; Sun: 2) Sat. 7 Bernadine Anderson Sun. 1 Sat. 14 Bernadine Anderson Sat. 14 Sat. 21 Dale & Maureen Knipschield Sun. 15 Sat. 28 Bernadine Anderson Sat. 28 Sun. 29 Ken & Fabi Voigt Fran Rogers Ken & Fabi Voigt Jim Moser Connie Consedine Counting Couriers - 10:00 am Tuesday Tues. 3 Nancy Hyman Tues. 10 John Klinkner Tues. 17 Maureen Knipschield Tues. 24 Connie Consedine 7
March Financial Information March Income $ 8,213.94 YTD $32,093.77 March Expense $10,775.33 YTD $30,112.10 Please submit articles, pictures or information for the newsletter to contact.stmatt@gmail.com no later than the 25th of the month. Office News If you need to contact Stacy Meade, Church Clerk, please call the church office at 815-777-1134 or email contact.stmatt@gmail.com. There is an in box on the desk in the office for messages, notes, receipts, etc. Please include your name, phone number and instructions in case there are questions. See our website for our full calendar of events. 8