Pastor Joel's Mid-Week Reminders for 1/18/2011
This entry was posted on 1/19/2011 7:32 AM and is filed under Mid-Week Reminders.
'The
Lord is
my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?' Psalm
27.1
'The people who walked in darkness have seen a great
light; those who
lived in a land of deep darkness--on them light has
shined.' Isaiah 9.2
'For those who sat in the region and shadow of death
light has
dawned.' St Matthew 4.16
For the second week in a row, our Sunday
readings
speak of darkness and light. The season of Epiphany
occurs in the
darkest time of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. Once
Christmas
and New Year's have passed, the mood of January descends
into a grim
time of waiting for more hours of daylight from a sun that
limps across
the far southern region of the sky. This is the time of
year when many
people suffer from a medical syndrome called SAD--Seasonal
Affective
Disorder. The lack of sunlight contributes significantly
to this
depressive-type mood disorder, and light treatment seems
to help lift
this syndrome.
The Sunday readings for Epiphany--a
word that
means 'revelation' or 'appearing'--announce that the light
of the
world, Jesus, has come to shine on all nations and
peoples. In the
shadows of our lives, the powers of darkness--sin,
suffering, death,
etc.--can at times overpower us. In just those times,
people of faith
are tested and called to trust in God's presence and
promises. I like
the little proverb that holds much truth: 'Behold the
flower, which
follows the sun even on cloudy days.' The sun will
strengthen. That
we know. The Son will strengthen us. That we know and
believe even
more.
FOCUS
GROUPS CONTINUE THIS WEEK: During the
week of
January 16 - 23 our Natural Church Development Team is
hosting
Focus
Groups. These Focus Groups are a critical part of the
process in
determining strategies to strengthen our current
congregational minimum
factor, Passionate Spirituality. Here are the
opportunities for you to
participate:
January 18 Women's Tuesday Bible Study from 12:45 -
1:45pm
January 20 Single Youth / Young Adult, 7pm
January 21 Friday Morning Bible Study, 10am
January 23 Young Married, following worship (12
noonish)
**PLEASE NOTE:
You
may participate in any one of the above times.
You do not need
to be a member of, for example, the Women's Bible Study
group. We have chosen these times because a small group
is already
accustomed to meeting at that time. Choose a time
and day that
fits
your schedule and participate in this guided
discussion. With the
different time slots and days available, we hope you will
be able to
find one
that you can attend. Two members of our NCD team will
be at each
of the Focus Groups to guide and record the discussion. Questions:
contact any of the members of our NCD Team--Rick Crawford,
Lorene
Bartell, Earl Dixon, Pam King, Kathy Lisle, and me.
2011
OFFERING ENVELOPES and 2010 FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION
STATEMENTS ARE READY
FOR YOU TO PICK UP IN YOUR MAILBOX HERE
AT CHURCH
PASTOR
JOEL'S
ADULT SUNDAY CLASS:
On January
23,
our ongoing
topic, "Practicing Our Faith", resumes with a
discussion of
'Testimony'. Please join us in the Commons Room
for this discussion
class based on ancient Christian ways of living
out our faith in the
world. We meet from 8:50 - 9:45am. Coffee and
refreshments are
available.
NEEDED: PEOPLE TO HELP
COUNT OFFERINGS: If you can help count Sunday
offerings right after
worship, please talk with Pat Haneberg.
ANNUAL CONGREGATIONAL
MEETING AND LUNCH:
Following worship on January 30, we hope you will
enjoy lunch and
fellowship as we gather for our Annual Meeting. It
looks like the menu
will include a baked potato bar with lots of
toppings. The meeting
itself will take about an hour. Please let
us know you are attending by signing up on the
sheets posted on the
main bulletin board, so that we know how much
food to prepare.
Thanks!
DATES
AND EVENTS TO NOTE ~
Saturday, January 22..........1 - 2:30pm,
Redeemer Gardeners' Lunch and
workshop
Sunday,
January 30 after
worship.......Annual
Meeting and lunch
Wednesday, March
9...............Ash Wednesday:
Lent begins
Sunday, April
24....................Easter
**Please see the weekly
bulletin and master
calendar for a complete listing of dates and
events.
~ In 2011,
Redeemer celebrates our 50th
anniversary as a congregation. A special
Anniversary planning
committee is being
formed. If you are interested in participating,
please talk with Fred
Gargiulo or Paul Schutz.
