Driftwood for Window Displays During Lent

Lent starts very early this year - Ash Wednesday is Feb. 6. If you have any driftwood that can be used in the window displays during the season of Lent (a depiction of a dry creek bed), please let Gary or a member of the Worship Committee know, and bring it in by Feb. 3.

Setting Nine from ELW

Last Sunday, we began using Setting Nine of the Service of Holy Communion from the ELW for the first time. This first effort went well, despite the heat (we didn't have air conditioning for one week while the new system is being put in place). Portions of this setting are familiar to the congregation because they are similar to music that appeared in the provisional setting we sampled several years ago as part of the Renewing Worship project. Also, members of the Chancel Choir gathered with Ginger prior to the service to read through the music so that they could help lead the congregation by singing confidently.

We'll be using Setting Nine for a little while so that people can learn it. In mid-autum, we'll continue our practice of seasonally rotating the settings that we know. The congregation will then be familiar with Settings Three, Four, Five and Nine from ELW, and V from WOV. The goal is to change periodically so that there is variety, but not so often that people feel unsettled. For example, we'll switch to another setting in the autum for the "festival season" which ends on the Festival of Christ the King, then use another setting during Advent.

Easter Pictures 2007

Thanks to everybody who helped make our Easter service special this year. All four choirs participated, and four brass players added to the festivity. Many people helped decorate by putting up banners, pew candles, and the lillies on their stands. A number of families volunteered to create floral arrangements along the windows.

A Message From Our Pastor

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

This is Holy Week, and below is the schedule for worship for the remainder of the week:

Maundy Thursday (April 5, 7:00 p.m. in the sanctuary)
We will celebrate the sacrament of Holy Communion that Jesus instituted on this night long ago. We also bring the season of Lent to full circle: We began Lent on Ash Wednesday by having the sign of the cross marked on our foreheads with ashes created from burning last year's palm branches. On Maundy Thursday, during the singing of our opening hymn, we will receive a special blessing of forgiveness accompanied by the marking of the cross on our foreheads with oil. The service will conclude with stripping of the altar in preparation for the next night. (Traditional liturgy from Evangelical Lutheran Worship.)

Good Friday (April 6, 7:00 p.m. in the sanctuary)
We mark the last night of Jesus' earthly life with the reading of the Passion Narrative in the Gospel cccording to John, which offers a rather different perspective to that which was read last Sunday from the Gospel according to Luke. The service will include the ancient "bidding prayer" (offered only on this night), and concludes with a procession of the cross and lighting of votive candles. (Traditional liturgy from Evangelical Lutheran Worship.)

THERE IS NO SATURDAY EVENING WORSHIP OR 8:15 A.,M. SUNDAY WORSHIP!

Easter Sunday, April 8
Intergenerational SCS Event, 9:15 a.m., in the fellowship hall – includes light brunch and a creative study of the origin of the Bible.

Worship, 10:30 a.m., in the sanctuary – our "Celebration of New Life in Christ" will bring all three worshiping communities into one glorious celebration on this most important day of the year. Once again, we will hear the good news of the Risen Christ, accompanied by our choirs. (More music details appear in a posting above.) The stark Lenten drabness of our sanctuary will be replaced with an explosion of living color! (Setting Four of the service of Holy Communion from Evangelical Lutheran Worship.)

Please keep our Youth in your prayers as they purchase and deliver Easter food to the families in our Adopt-A-Family Program this weekend, asking that God bless their ministry in our community.

And . . . . work on the HVAC project kicks off Monday, as asbestos abatement begins and the boiler is shut down. The Property Committee has secured an alternative heat source for the sanctuary that will be linked to our ventilation system, so we will have heat throughout April . . . . and given the turn in the weather, praise to God for the dedicated members of our Property Committee!!

May God greatly bless you this week as we worship the God who died and rose for us, and who breathes new life into us each day!

In Christ,
Gary

Chancel Choir - Extra Rehearsal; Maundy Thursday

Holy Week is only a month away. To help prepare, the Chancel Choir will have an extra rehearsal on Saturday, March 31 at 10:00 a.m.

In addition to its normal schedule of singing during Sunday services at 10:30 a.m., the Chancel Choir will sing during the Maundy Thursday service. Maundy Thursday is April 5.

Decorating for Lent

. . . meant to evoke images of barren land and dry stream beds.

Ash Wednesday; Lenten Wednesday Services & Meals

We will have two services on Ash Wednesday, February 21, at noon and at 6:45 p.m. The services will be traditional, including the imposition of ashes, and will use the liturgy appearing in Evangelical Lutheran Worship. Both services will be in the sanctuary, and the Chancel Choir will sing at the 6:45 service. Lunch will follow the noon worship service, and dinner will precede the 6:45 p.m. worship service. Visitors are welcome at the services and meals - there is no need to make reservations.

Beginning on March 28, we will also hold informal services at noon and 6:45 p.m. on each of the Wednesdays of Lent. Pastor Eichhorn will be preaching a series of sermons based on five of the readings from the ancient Easter Vigil. These are five of the most prominent stories that announced hope and salavation to the people of Israel. Lunch will follow each noon worship service, and dinner will precede each 6:45 p.m. worship service. Once again, reservations are not needed, and vistors are welcome.

A Message From Our Pastor

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

As we prepare for worship this weekend, please know that the parking lot is plowed and walkways are shoveled, and we are now good to go!

Due to the projected cold temperatures for tomorrow (Friday), the church office will be OPEN – it was originally scheduled to be closed due to planned electrical work that would shut off the boiler for the day. We'll let you know when the new date is set.

This weekend is the final weekend during the season of Epiphany (Festival of the Transfiguration), and the children/youth SCS classes created banner panels depicting the various names given to Jesus in Scripture. The panels are being sewn into two large banners which will enhance our "season-ending celebration" this weekend. Pictures of two of the panels are in a posting below.

Ash Wednesday is next week, February 21, which signals the beginning of the season of Lent. Literally translated, Lent means "lengthening of days", referring to the transition time between the end of Winter and the beginning of Spring, when the period of daylight grows longer each day.

From a faith development standpoint, the season of Lent is a time for prayerful discernment on the part of believers, attempting to answer the question, "What difference does it make in my life that Jesus is my Lord?" Throughout Lent, this question is lifted up for us in a variety of ways, as we seek the Holy Spirit's guidance in looking for ways to use our Baptismal identity and gifts so as to make a difference in someone else's life. To help, we will again provide mid-week worship experiences every Wednesday during Lent, using the same schedule as that of Ash Wednesday: 12:00 noon – worship; 12:45 a.m. – lunch; 6:00 p.m. – dinner; 6:45 p.m. – worship. I hope you will plan to join us. Activities for children will be available during worship.

I attended the annual summer confirmation camp planning retreat at Lutheran Memorial Camp this past Sunday afternoon through Tuesday noon. It's been many years since I have walked out onto a frozen lake! While I love the camp, especially at this time of year with snow on the ground, it is great to be home – Tuesday's drive to Dayton was an adventure, to say the least!

Thought for the week . . . "Imagination is more important than knowledge." – Albert Einstein

Hey . . . snow or no snow this weekend, let's meet in worship!

In Christ,
Gary

Evangelical Lutheran Worship - Coming to Our Pews This Month

It's been nearly six years since we first heard about the Renewing Worship Project, and the fact that the LBW would some day be replaced. That day is quickly approaching. On Ash Wednesday, February 21, we will begin using the new worship resource Evangelical Lutheran Worship. After the service on Febuary 18, we'll remove the old copies of the LBW and WOV from the sanctuary, and replace them with new copies of ELW. (I think it's going to take most people a while to get used to talking about the "ELW" rather than the "LBW"--I'll bet that before long, many people in most congregations will be just calling it "the red book.")

During Lent, we will use at the Sunday 10:30 AM service a setting of the Communion service from the ELW that was adapted from a setting in the The Service Book and Hymnal. The Service Book and Hymnal was the red hymnal that was replaced by the LBW in 1978. People who were in congregations that used that hymal will remember the melodies of this setting, and others will be able to learn them quickly.

During the Easter season, we will at the Sunday 10:30 AM service be using a setting from ELW that uses the same music as Setting II from the old LBW.

Meanwhile, we are continuing our fund drive to pay for our copies of ELW. Of the 450 copies that we have purchased, funds have been donated for 200 of them. That leaves us with 250 to go. Please consider helping us pay for these copies. Donations can be made in honor or memory of loved ones, pastors, teachers, choir directors, or anybody else who has been a part of your faith journey.

Ash Wednesday; Mid-Week Lenten Services

We will have two services on Ash Wednesday, at noon and at 6:45 PM. The services will be traditional, including the imposition of ashes, and will use the liturgy appearing in Evangelical Lutheran Worship.

Following Ash Wednesday, noon and 6:45 PM services will be held each Wednesday during Lent. These services are informal, and will feature a sermon series on five readings from the ancient Easter Vigil. These are five of the most prominent stories that announced hope and salavation to the people of Israel.

Lunch will follow each noon worship service, and dinner will precede each 6:45 PM worship service.

A Message From Our Pastor

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

Our worship theme this weekend is embodied in our Gospel lesson, which is Luke's version of Jesus' call of Peter, James, and John to discipleship. They leave behind what amounts to a fortune on the beach (remember, they were fisherman) to take up following an itinerant rabbi who just happened to be the Son of God.

After worship this Sunday, we will hold our ANNUAL CONGREGATION MEETING in the fellowship hall. Lunch will convene at 11:45 a.m. (I promise, I'll be short-winded!), followed by our business meeting. Lunch is covered-dish, with fried chicken, drinks, and place-settings provided. Activities for children will be led by Rachel Spry after lunch as the meeting is convened.

FYI . . . until the various strains of the flu and upper respiratory infections die out, we are suspending the use of the common cup in our communion celebration in worship.

On Ash Wednesday, February 21, we will worship at noon and 6:45 p.m. in the main sanctuary. Lunch (12:45 p.m.) and dinner (6:00 p.m.) will be served in the fellowship hall. This will mark the beginning of our use of Evangelical Lutheran Worship, the new red hymnal/worship book.

Let's meet in worship this weekend to praise God for all our blessings.

Yours, in Christ,

Gary

A Message From Our Pastor

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

The worship theme this weekend celebrates God’ coming to us through everyday experiences (the wedding at Cana), and call us to share God’'s gifts with others as we meet them in our everyday schedules.

During the season of Epiphany, we are keeping up the lighted trees in the sanctuary as a reminder of the light of God that leads our lives to the Source of all life.

Special thanks to all the Saturday night worshipers (kids, youth, and adults) who stayed after our Epiphany worship last week, for they removed all the candles from the pews, all of the votives from the windows, and all the poinsettias from the chancel!!

Last Sunday, we celebrated the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, and we used the new Baptismal Bowl. This Sunday, again at the 10:30 service, we will dedicate the new Baptismal Bowl to the glory of God during the prayers.

REMINDERS: our Annual Meeting will be held on Sunday, February 4, 11:30 a.m. in the fellowship hall. Lunch will be served first: – fried chicken, drinks and place settings are provided; please bring a food dish to share. Activities are planned for children. The purpose of the meeting is to: receive 2006 ministry reports, act upon the 2007 budget proposal, and act upon the HVAC proposal.

LOOKING AHEAD: The season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday (Feb. 21), which will kick-off our mid-week Lenten services and soup meals. We need Soup Chefs. If you are interested in helping to prepare one or more of the Wednesday soup meals during Lent, please let me know by responding to this email. Thank you.

As we continue our journey into the new year, let’s meet in worship to praise the One who leads us on our journey!

In Christ,Gary