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March 2006 Newsletter
    
Deadline for Newsletter Articles for next month is the 15th of the month.
Email the Church Office or fax the office at 330-836-8872
Use Newsletter submission form here on the website or place in church office newsletter mail box.
Lent Schedule
Ash Wednesday - March 1 - Worship at 12:15 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. - in the Sanctuary - Holy Communion and Imposition of Ashes
Singers Needed - For Mid-Week Worship Choir - ALL SINGERS ARE INVITED to form a "Mid-Week Worship Choir" that will assist the congregation in singing portions of the Evening Prayer Service during Wednesday evening worship in Lent. (This service is found on page 142 in the front of the LBW, the green hymnal.) Please come to practice with Bob Mollard at 6:30 p.m. on March 1, before the Ash Wednesday Service, and on March 8, before Lent mid-week worship.
Holy Communion Celebrated Weekly In Lent
On Sundays during the season of Lent, Holy Communion will be celebrated at all worship services. The Sacrament also will be offered at all services on Palm Sunday and Easter as we prepare for, and celebrate, the most important day of the year for Christians.
First Communion Class
Sunday, March 12 - 4-6 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall
All children in third grade or older who have not yet participated in First Communion Class are invited to attend with at least one parent.
Parents of children younger than third grade may request that their children be allowed to participate in the class by contacting Pastor Jean. The congregation's policy is that the Pastor will determine whether or not a child younger than third grade will be accepted to the Lord's Table.
First Communion will be celebrated during 9:15 a.m. worship on Sunday, March 19 for all those who have participated in the class.
I Love to Tell the Story
Lent Mid-Week Gatherings - Offer Meal and Worship. Lent is a time when Christians focus on spiritual growth and renewal. The theme this year is: Faith Reflections by People of Faith. Members of the congregation shared their faith reflections in the Lent Daily Devotion Book that will be distributed on Ash Wednesday, and some individuals also will share during Wednesday evening worship.
The beautiful Evening Prayers liturgy from the Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW) will be used for these mid-week services. Also worshippers may submit, in writing, first names of people who have particular needs and they will be mentioned during the prayers. Wednesdays, March 8, 15, 22, 29 and April 5
Soup Suppers
6-6:50 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall - Menu: soup, bread, dessert, Worship - 7-7:45 p.m. in the Sanctuary
Childcare will be provided for children age 5 and under during worship. Parents are encouraged to bring older children to the services.
Lenten Devotional Books
The 2006 Lenten Devotional Books are here! Expect to enrich your Lenten journey with prayers, poems, lyrics, visual arts and commentary on the daily lectionary readings for the season.
Many thanks to every Faith member who was willing to share their interpretation of a Lenten scripture passage. We had a wonderful response, with members of all ages contributing. You will read reflections from young Faith Explorers, youth, and adult members. Every one of your Church Council members accepted the challenge to participate! Special thanks to Faith friend Michael Sayre for coordinating the copy and assembly of the booklets.
We will distribute the devotionals on Ash Wednesday, March 1. One copy per family, please! In addition to our wonderful Lenten Devotion Book, those of you who like to surf the web can have additional devotion time!
Holy Week
Palm Sunday - April 9, 9:15 a.m. - Traditional Worship, Blessing of the Palms - Special Music by the Handbell Choir, Combined Explorers' Club, (9:15 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. groups meet together.) -- 10:15 a.m., Palm Procession around the church; led by the Explorers' Club (weather permitting) 10:30 a.m., Contemporary Worship, Explorers' Club Singers open the service with a song!
Maundy (Holy) Thursday - April 13, 7 p.m. worship in the Sanctuary, Holy Communion and the Stripping of the Altar
Good Friday - April 14 - 7 p.m. worship in the Sanctuary - We will worship with our neighbors from St. Hilary Catholic Church. Meditation on the Cross
Easter Sunday
Worship - April 16 - 7:30 a.m.
This meditative service is something new and will differ from the other two services. Worshippers will enter in darkness and experience the transition from the gloom of death to the arrival of day and of the Risen Lord. Holy Communion will be celebrated.
9 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. - These festival worship services will be identical and will feature special music as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. (More details next month!)
Holy Communion will be celebrated. All three services will be held in the sanctuary.
Easter Breakfast
Served by the Youth - Seating from 8 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. - Fellowship Hall (There is no Christian Education for children, youth or adults on Easter Sunday.)
Visitors, What Visitors?
Almost every Sunday we have visitors in both worship services. Sadly, our visitors often don't return. The Church Council wants to turn that trend around! Beginning March 1st we will begin a new program to welcome visitors and get to know them better.
At each worship service a "guest ambassador" will be introduced. First time visitors will be encouraged to completely fill out a visitor card and turn it in to the ambassador after the service for a free gift and welcome packet. The ambassador will be able to chat with the visitor for a moment and then introduce them to someone else.
The free gift for the first few months will be a gift bag containing two ice cream toppings and an ice cream scoop. The attached card will read: "Our Sunday was better because you were here! Hope your next sundae is better with this gift."
Special thanks to Paula Gresock for coordinating this effort. Please remember, every member of Faith should be an unofficial guest ambassador. Don't forget to look for unfamiliar faces and introduce yourselves!
Bible Study
The Women's Bible Study that meets every other Thursday morning is currently reading and studying C.S. Lewis' book The Screwtape Letters. We have been intrigued by Lewis' account of the human condition and the presence of evil in the world, written in the form of correspondence between a junior demon, Wormwood, and his uncle and mentor, Screwtape. As we gather for study, we found that reading this book aloud captures so much more of Lewis' brutally honest and at times even comedic look at the problem of temptation and the struggle for faith. If you are interested in learning more about this book that is considered a Christian classic, speak with any of the women who attend our study: Dana Singer, Linda Latham, Flo Mackall, Maxine Heldridge, Dineen Dowling, Julie Magons, Anita Sears, Lorna Schnell, Kathy Zbinden, and Denise Henkel.
Learning to Pray
We are blessed at Faith to have Bill Pope as part of our congregation. Not only does Bill try to live his faith every day, he has really learned and embraced the art of praying. Bill will be offering a class about prayer beginning Sunday, March 19 at the 9:15 worship time. This informal discussion will explore some of the facets of praying, different ways to pray, and how to become more effective at intercessory prayer. Remember, praying is your chance to chat with God; anyone can do it anytime and it's FREE!
Marching" into Spring!
Faith Youth are "Marching" into Spring! First off, we want to take a moment to thank all of the youth (and their parents!) who made our return to Faith such an amazing experience! Our "Welcome Home" party was wonderful and we can't tell you how much all of your hard work meant to us. We also want to thank the entire congregation for all of your prayers and well wishes throughout our adoption journey. We don't know what we would have done without you! We are hugely blessed to be surrounded by such an awesome "Family of Faith!" (We will put together pictures of the Christmas project ASAP!!!) - Leo and Wendy Boes (and Charlie)
High School Youth - Sunday Classes on the 5th & 19th at 9:15 a.m. in the Youth Room. Join us for discussions on the daily readings and sermon and how they pertain to our everyday lives. Join us on Wednesday, March 8 for our next "2nd Wednesday Series." Instead of our normal discussion group and team building activities we'll be working on an early Lenten Service Project. Join us from 6:30 p.m. -8:00 p.m. for this special event.
Middle School Youth/Confirmation Class - Sunday Classes on the 12th and 26th with our discussion on the Lord's Prayer. We will also take a "rock climbing" trip on the 12th following the 10:30 a.m. service and lunch (approx. 12:30 p.m.). Parents will be required to transport all students to & from the trip. More info to come!
Join us on Wednesday, March 22 for our Lenten Service Project from 6:30 p.m. -8:00 p.m. Attendance is REQUIRED!
Calling All Youth…
Calling All Youth… Our traditional Easter breakfast is just around the corner and we need your help! We'll be working on set-up and pre-food preparations on Saturday, April 15 from 1-3:00 p.m. On Sunday we'll need help with serving & clean-up from 7:45-11:30 a.m. Please complete the sign-up sheet below and return to Wendy or Leo BY SUNDAY April 2. Remember, this is a REQUIRED event for Confirmation students! All slots listed leave time available for you attend an Easter Sunday service!
Easter Flowers
This year, in addition to the traditional lilies decorating the altar area on Easter Sunday, there will be a choice of tulips and hyacinths. The cost will be $7.50 each.
EASTER BASKET PROJECT
Faith Lutheran Church will be collecting donations of completed Easter Baskets for the Summit County Children Services Board. Baskets for teenagers are especially needed. Please wrap the baskets in cellophane and label the basket with the age and gender of the child.
If you would rather not make up an entire basket, but would like to bring in items for the baskets, that can be done also. We will be collecting personal items for boys and girls ages 1-18.
Crayons; Coloring books; Combs/brushes; Toothpaste/brushes; Clear wrapping/bows/ribbons; Fast food certificates; Shampoo/conditioner; Disposable cameras; Picture frames; Card games; Keychains; Nail polish; ; Books *Donations of candy is needed for all baskets.
Please place the finished Easter baskets, and items for baskets we will make, on the table provided in the narthex no later than Sunday, March 26. Summit County Children Services is also hoping to provide 250 of their most needy families a $25 grocery store gift card. Donations of grocery store gift cards or money to purchase the gift cards (checks made out to Summit County Children Services) are also welcome.
Space Task Force
These are the voyages of the Space Task Force... It is difficult NOT to hum the theme from Star Trek when writing about the Space Task Force, especially now that I am about to report on the status of our efforts. It feels like we have indeed been on a few "voyages" of late. Members of the task force have attended three field trips to northeast Ohio Lutheran churches that have recently undergone expansions which included a new entrance and gathering space. On our whirlwind tour, we learned a great deal from seeing their spaces, hearing about the process, and considering the possibilities for Faith.
You may remember that our task force was commissioned after the Space Utilization Survey and Report was completed last June. Initially we were intended to be two task forces, one to focus on the Entrance/Gathering Space and another to focus on Education/Youth Space (two areas identified in the Utilization Report that warrant attention). But at our first meeting in November we decided that it was more important to work together and keep lines of communication open, especially as some space concerns may overlap, so we agreed to form one task force. Our hope is to compile a list of needs for the two areas mentioned above and present a report in the Spring.
Members of the Space Task Force include: Randy Cole, co-chair, Kathy Miller, Ruth Simpson, Bill Post, Judy Vernon, Mark Christoff, Diane Christoff, and Wendy Boes. Respectfully submitted by Dineen Dowling, co-chair
WELCA's
WELCA's Lenten Challenge - To act BOLDLY on our faith in Jesus Christ!
The Women of the ELCA are asking for your help to raise money for basic health and sanitary needs for 24 communities in Nicaragua . . . Please participate in our outreach project sponsored by Lutheran World Relief. BE BOLD!
During the month of March, temple talks will be presented describing medical and sanitary conditions in Nicaragua. On March 26 a free will offering will be collected and we've applied for matching funds from Thrivent. BE BOLD!
So...what can we do? We can use our gifts and step forward BOLDLY to help families and children in Nicaragua to achieve healthier communities, healthier lives.
Thank You
I want to thank the ladies at Faith Lutheran Church for the beautiful prayer shawl that you made for me and all of the prayers of healing and love woven into it. I have never had anything so beautiful as the shawl. I also thank the congregation that this shawl was blessed during worship services. Thank you so very much. God bless all of you at Faith Lutheran Church. Dorothy Slabaugh
Boy Scout
Troop # 390 - 12th Annual - Spaghetti Dinner - Saturday, March 4
Our Boy Scout Troop # 390, based here at Faith, will have their annual spaghetti dinner on Saturday, March 5 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Meals are $6.00 for adults, $4.00 for children and senior citizens, and kids under 3 are free. Please support our young men and come and enjoy a spaghetti dinner. Call Mary Zbasnik with questions. (Home 330-666-7307; work 330-344-6019).
Baby Shower
You are invited to a Welcome Baby Shower - WELCA - Wednesday March 8 10:00 a.m
Betty Barlow and members of the staff of Oaks Family Care Center will tell us of their ministry to families in difficult situations. The mission of their programs is to focus on building and strengthening families and promoting a lifestyle of integrity.
We will support their ministry with items for layettes. Please bring an unwrapped gift for the Welcome Baby Shower. Suggestions are clothing, blankets, diapers, wipes, diaper rash cream, towels and washcloths.
Oaks reaches out in many other areas including Bible Study. Gifts of Bibles are also welcome. Devotions: Jean Butler, Hostess: Marian McHenry
Team Leader Meeting
If you are a team leader of ANY group or team in the church, please plan now to join Pastor Jean, Carolyn, and Church Council members for a very important Team Leader Meeting. The meeting is scheduled for Saturday, March 11 from 9:30 to 11:30. Please make every effort to attend. Child care and refreshments will be provided.
Taste of Faith
A Taste of Faith is coming !
After many discussions and serious brainstorming it has been decided that Faith Lutheran Church will be hosting a big Bake Sale to benefit Open M. Of course this is more than just your typical bake sale! More details will follow as we approach the day of the event. This outreach event will be Saturday, July 15, 2006 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. If you would like to help out in any way please contact Stephanie Short at (330) 835-3883.
Daylight Savings Time - Begins on April 2
Get out your palm pilots! Open your calendars! Save these dates for important events at Faith which you won't want to miss.
Saturday, March 4 - 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m - Boy Scout Spaghetti Dinner
Wednesday, March 8 - 10:00 a.m. - WELCA
Saturday, March 11 - 9:30 a.m. 11:30 a.m - Team leaders meeting
Sunday, March 19 - 9:15 a.m. - Prayer class begins
Saturday, April 8 - 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. - Easter Egg Invitation
Sunday, April 9 - 10:15 a.m. - Palm Sunday Procession
Friday, April 28 - 7:00 p.m.- Volunteer Appreciation
Friday/Saturday May 5-6 - Couple’s Retreat – Holiday Inn
Wednesday/Thursday, June 14/15 - Pastor’s Summer Study begins
Monday-Friday - June 19-23 - Vacation Bible School
Saturday, July 15 - 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. - A Taste of Faith: boldly baking for Open M
In Our Prayers:
Health Concerns: Faith member Arlene Birdsell; Faith member Bill Dobkin; Faith member Jean Falor; Faith member Martha Gruetz; Faith member Bishop Marcus Miller; Faith member Milan Rolick; Faith member John Scheetz
Special Prayers: For all military personnel who have been deployed to Iraq and surrounding areas, and for their families, with special prayers for those who have endured injury or loss.
In Thanksgiving: For the baptism of Leo Charles Cruz Boes, son of Leo and Wendy Boes, on February 26.
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