A Message From Our Pastor

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

 

This weekend in worship, our lessons assure us that we are not abandoned in life by God; the Holy Spirit comes to us each day, reminding us of the endless blessings we have already received from God. At Saturday night worship, the Sonshine Children's Choir will help lead us in worship, as they present special music.

 

Rebuilding Together – Dayton

From 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., youth and parents in the Dayton Confirmation Cluster will join Lutherans from throughout the Miami Valley in rehabbing a home as part of the Rebuilding Together project. The house captain is Doug Hammer. Anyone under 18 will need to have parental signatures on waiver forms, which can be obtained at the church office, or at the house sight. Call the church office for more details.

 

Remember in Prayer

Some of you will remember Helen Dooley as a member-disciple before moving to Florida. Helen died last Saturday, and she was Vicki Willis' mother. Please keep Vicki and her family in your prayers.

 

Congratulations

Fairmont High School's a cappella group "Eleventh Hour" (they sang at our "Peace Pole" celebration last fall) received the 2008 Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award for best high school recorded CD with its 2007 release "How Sweet It Is". Our own Chelsie Cooper is a member of this talented group of youth. The group also won the best high school song award with "When Will I Be Loved" from the same CD. Way to go, Chelsie!

 

And, congratulations to Kira Fenstermacher – she is a member of the Oakwood High School Academic Decathlon team, which recently placed third overall in the state at the Ohio Academic Decathlon State Finals. Individually, Kira also received high scores in the areas of speech, language and literature, music, essay, and super quiz. The team will represent Ohio in the United States Academic Decathlon Virtual Nationals next month. Way to go, Kira!

 

Eagle Project

To date, $170.00 has been donated toward Tyler Maschino's Eagle project, which is to build a locking storage structure at the back end of the chapel. This unit will store chairs used for Saturday outdoor worship, and garden supplies/tools. The projected goal is $500.00. To those who donated last week, THANK YOU. To those who wish to help, bring your donation this weekend, and let's help Tyler reach his goal!

 

Mother's Day Brunch

Circle May 4 on your calendar, and plan to attend the annual Mother's Day brunch hosted by the Youth Group, 11:45 a.m. in the fellowship hall. This is a fundraising event for the Youth Mission Trip to the Dominican Republic.

 

May you enjoy discovering and using the blessings God has already given you!

 

In Christ's peace,

Gary

 

 

 

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Bell Choir

The Bell Choir will resume practices this coming Sunday after the 10:30 a.m. service.

A Message From Our Pastor

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

We are an Easter people! That means we believe in and worship a God of extravagant abundance and not scarcity! Our lessons this weekend drive home that point, as we hear again the story of Jesus telling his disciples that God has plenty of blessings for everyone.

This Sunday, at the 10:30 a.m. service, we will also provide prayers and anointing for spiritual/mental/physical healing during the celebration of Holy Communion.

Sunday afternoon, the Dayton Confirmation Cluster will travel to Wittenberg University to meet with campus pastor Rachel Tune and some college students to discuss putting faith into action after confirmation.

Those of you who still have cards from the Adopt-A-College Student Program are reminded to return them to the church office ASAP!! Some colleges will be concluding for the summer in a few weeks, so the materials need to be in the mail now.

The Spiritual Journey event will resume this Friday, 10:00 p.m. at the church. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Carol Harper and some high school friends hosted a dance in our fellowship hall Saturday night. Entry fee was a canned food donation. 50 youth attended, bringing 120 cans of food and $14 – all of which has been donated to the church food pantry. Way to go, Carol!!

Tyler Maschino is working on his Boy Scout Eagle Award, and his project is to build a storage shed at the backside of the parish house chapel to house the chairs we use for our Saturday outdoor worship. Special thanks to the church Property Committee for the direction they have shared with Tyler. Cost of building materials is about $500, which he is to raise. This weekend, I invite you to bring an additional donation for Tyler's Eagle Project, so he can reach his goal. The "build" is scheduled for Saturday, May 3, with a rainout date set for May 10.

Needed – people willing to serve as ushers for the 10:30 a.m. worship service (and 9:45 a.m. service during the summer). Job description – hand out bulletins, collect the offering, direct people during communion, count heads. Age/gender requirement: none! If you would like to volunteer, respond to this email, or contact Terri Balsom in the church office. Thanks!

LOOKING AHEAD

Rebuilding Together – this annual home-rehabbing project is scheduled for Saturday, April 26. Miami Valley Lutherans will be working on two homes, and our own Terry Bruns and Doug Hammer are the house captains. Volunteers of all abilities can be utilized. Can you help? Contact the church office.

Youth Mother's Day Brunch – May 4, 11:45 a.m., in the fellowship hall. Yes, it's not really Mother's Day, but this way, you can support the youth one week, and then celebrate with your family the next. This annual event is a fundraiser for the youth mission trip to the Dominican Republic in July, where they will be working at an orphanage for a week.

I look forward to being in worship with you this weekend as we sing our praises to the God of abundance!

In Christ's peace,

Gary

A Message From Our Pastor

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

 

Last week, I was away helping our daughter Megan celebrate her 21^st birthday – so I'm officially an ol . . . I mean "well-ripened" guy. Special thanks to Terry Bruns for leading worship on Saturday night, and to the Rev. Brian Dillahunt for leading worship on Sunday.

 

This weekend in worship, we will hear again the story of Jesus meeting up with two believers on their way to Emmaus on that first Easter day. It is an account filled with hope in the midst of unfulfilled dreams and expectations, a story very appropriate for us in today's world!

 

On Sunday afternoon, our congregation will host the 7-church Confirmation Cluster, 5:00 – 6:15 p.m. For this day, the cluster pastors have created a version of Trivial Pursuit based upon the theme – What does it mean to be a Lutheran? – with the board superimposed onto the fellowship hall floor. If we can make it work, we will offer our adults opportunities to "play" at various fellowship gatherings.

 

This Saturday, I have the honor of presenting one of the workshops at "SeniorFest – a day for Lutherans Age 50 and Older". The event will be held at Epiphany Lutheran Church, in Centerville, and features 13 different workshops, including opening and closing celebrations with Lutheran musician John Ylvisaker (composer of "Borning Cry"). I will be leading two session of the workshop "I want my grandkids to know their family's history – writing your story". I am told there is still time to sign up for the event and workshops by contacting Rev. Larry Hoffsis at 435-5020 or larryhoffsis@sbcglobal.net. Cost is $15 and includes a box lunch.

 

There will be NO Spiritual Gathering this Friday, but we will resume on Friday, April 18.

 

I look forward to being with you all in worship this weekend. May the God of new life fill your week with blessings beyond your wildest imagination!

 

In Christ's peace,

Gary

 

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