'For God so loved the world that he gave
his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but
may have
eternal life.' St John 3.16
Basic
theology 101: GOD LOVES THE WORLD. Out of that love comes
everything
that God has done for humanity, crowned in the life, death,
and
resurrection of his Son, Jesus Christ.
Ponder that for a moment...and for a lifetime: 'God so loved
the
world...' What 5 simple words could be more appropriate to
remember as
we continue to hear news from and view images of the
devastated nation
of Japan? God loves the people of Japan. Because God loves
them, how
can we not? We are the vessels of God's love in the world,
and crises
such as the one Japan is facing provide us with
opportunities to show
our love in the same way God showed his love for the world
in his Son.
We at Redeemer want to open our hearts with help for the
suffering,
shocked, and traumatized people of Japan. Together with
God's people
all over the world, we can show our love. Here's how...
SPECIAL
OFFERING
FOR JAPAN BEGINNING THIS COMING SUNDAY, MARCH 20,
AND
EXTENDING THROUGH SUNDAY, APRIL 3 ~
**Make your checks
out to Redeemer Lutheran
Church and mark them clearly for 'Japan relief'.
**Place your checks in the offering plate on any Sunday.
**All money received for Japan will be forwarded by
Redeemer to
Lutheran World Relief and / or Mercy Corps International.
Questions? Please contact any member of our Social Ministry
Board:
Etta Mae Hitchcock, Verna Dixon, Lorene Bartell, David
Gerecke, and
Carmen Seglem.
"God is able to provide you with every
blessing
in abundance, so that by always having enough of
everything, you may
share abundantly in every good work." 2 Corinthians 9.8
MIDWEEK LENTEN VESPERS AND SOUP
SUPPERS:
Beginning tomorrow, Wednesday, March
16,
we
invite you to join us for a 6pm Soup
and Bread Supper, followed at 7pm
by
Lenten Vespers using
the Holden
Evening Prayer service. We will need your help with the soup
suppers,
so please offer that help on the sign-up sheet posted on the
main
bulletin
board. My preaching theme for these Vespers is "From
Brokenness to
Healing". We'll be looking at stories of healing from the
Gospels,
stories that cover the breadth of the healing we all need in
body,
mind, and spirit.
PASTOR
JOEL'S
ADULT SUNDAY CLASS: We continue
our ongoing
topic, "Practicing Our Faith", with a discussion of
'Healing'. Please join us in the Commons Room for
this guided discussion
class based on powerful Christian ways of
living out our faith in the
world. We meet from 8:50 - 9:45am. Coffee
and refreshments are
available.
WEEKLY
WOMEN'S BIBLE STUDY: All
women are welcome to
participate. The group meets each Tuesday
from 12:45 - 1:45pm in the
Library here at church. Come for good study,
discussion, prayer, and
fellowship. Questions: contact Elva Binder.
FRIDAY MORNING
BIBLE STUDY will
be suspended until April. Those of you who
attend, please help to
spread the word. We thank Roy Tulee for his
many years of leading this
class. Roy is retiring from teaching and we
will be searching for a
new leader for this class.
ALL OFFICER POSITIONS WILL BE VACANT
at the time of our Budget and Election
Congregational Meeting on June 26. A nominating committee has
begun
work on finding candidates for these positions: President,
Vice
President (currently vacant), Treasurer, and recording
Secretary
(currently vacant). After many terms of
service, both our Treasurer (Etta Mae Hitchcock) and President
(Paul
Schutz) are moving on to other areas of service. So please
begin to
think and pray for candidates to fill all these offices.
VOLUNTEER
LABOR
NEEDED UPSTAIRS: Our permits
expire
in early May, and there is still much work to be done upstairs
before
that deadline. If you can help, please talk with Al Binder,
Randy
Giesbers, Eric Westerfield, or others on our Properties
Board. You
don't have to be skilled--much of the work can be learned and
mastered
quickly. Our thanks to all who have put in many hours of work
helping
to complete these projects!!
REDEEMER PIE SOCIAL
will be
held on Saturday, March 19, at 6pm. Join the fun,
entertainment, and
fellowship as lots of tasty pies are auctioned off to the
highest
bidder. If you are willing to provide a pie (or several) for
auction,
please contact Pat Haneberg. Donated pies may be either
home-made or
purchased.
DATES
AND
EVENTS TO NOTE ~
Wednesday, March 16......6pm
Soup Supper; 7pm
Midweek Lenten Vespers
+++ Midweek Lenten Vespers on Wednesdays of
Lent, 7pm +++
Saturday, March
19........6pm, Redeemer
Pie Social
Monday, March
21..........Deadline for
submissions to April newsletter
Sunday, April
17............Palm Sunday
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, or have
some ideas
about how we can celebrate this special year, please talk
with Fred
Gargiulo or Paul Schutz.
