Pastor Darcy
March 1, 2017
Throughout 2017, LCOC, along with other Lutheran churches, will be commemorating the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. As we learn about the people, the places, the experiences of what led to the Reformation and how that informs our understanding of scripture and faith today, we are reminded how important it is to spend time in the Word. For Martin Luther, it was important that ALL people of have opportunity to read, to explore and to understand God's love for all. He demonstrated this through translating the Bible into German and through creating the Small Catechism so parents could explain the most important things of the Christian Faith to their children.
This Lent we are offering several experiences to explore the Small Catechism and also to spend time in the Word.
For the Small Catechism:
- Please take the special devotional called "Free Indeed". Each day during Lent, you will be able to explore a teaching of the Small Catechism.
- On Wednesday evenings, the worship services will include a monologue by "Martin Luther" to explain the Small Catechism.
For time in the Word:
Several years ago, LCOC experienced the congregation wide study of the Bible through "The Story". Together we grew in our understanding of God's story and how we each are a part of God's story. LCOC is excited to offer another congregation wide study this Lent, as we explore
John: The Gospel of Light and Life by Adam Hamilton.
Sundays at 9:45 for all ages begins March 5
Wednesdays at 10:00 am begins March 1
Please read through this newsletter for more information about the various ministry opportunities to Gather...Grow...Give...and Go!
Growing in faith together!
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Council President
Sharing in God's Mission
at
Lutheran Church of the Covenant
Dear brothers and sisters-in-Christ
,
Your Church Council Members and Pastor Darcy will be going on Retreat from Friday afternoon February 24 through Saturday afternoon February 25, 2017. As we prepare to serve God, you and our community, we will be focusing on, among other things, what it means to be part of a team. You, my brothers and sisters-in-Christ are part of our team.
In Mark 6:7 Jesus is commissioning the 12 disciples to go out two-by-two. Individually they could have reached more areas of the country, but this was not Christ's plan. One advantage of going out by twos was that they could strengthen and encourage each other. Our strength comes from God, but He meets many of our needs through our teamwork with others. As you serve Christ, don't try to go it alone! Please consider signing up to be part of a team as we come together to be Christ's disciples and carry out His ministry here at LCOC and in our community.
Please know that I will continue to pray for all of you, and I ask that you pray daily for all your brothers and sisters here at LCOC and that we are carrying out God's will for us in this place, in the community, and in the world. I ask that if you have any questions, concerns, suggestions, comments, etc. that you feel free to talk to me (in person, by phone (703-670-8365), or through email
roger.jo@verizon.net
). But more than anything, I ask that we all remember never to limit what God can do through us in carrying out our mutual missions!
May God bless you all as you are a blessing to me and many others.
Love,
Jo Ann Rudy
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GATHER
to worship God and fellowship with the community
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| Thanksgiving Service 2016 |
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Worship
Free Indeed
This is the title of a small booklet that is a daily devotional for the days of Lent, beginning on Ash Wednesday, March 1. Based on Luther's Small Catechism, it begins with the ten commandments and each day features a reading from the catechism, an evocative image, a quotation to ponder, the writer's personal reflection and a prayer. This booklet reflects Luther's intention of bringing his teachings on the basics of Christian faith and practice into the home, and celebrates the 500th anniversary of the reformation.
Holden Evening Prayer Mid-week Services
The six Lenten Wednesday evening services will celebrate the work and role of Martin Luther in the reformation, highlighted through monologues by "Martin Luther" to reveal his motivation for advancing the small catechism, followed by the congregation's brief review of the catechism through a dialogue.
March 1 - The Ten Commandments
March 8 - The Apostles Creed
March 15 - The Lord's Prayer
March 22 - Holy Baptism
March 29 - The Office of the Keys
April 5 - The Sacrament of the Altar blessings,
Phil
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| Tilli's Birthday Celebration |
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We hope you enjoyed our Martin Luther Movie Night on February 11th.
We are so thankful to have been honored to be with Tilli as she celebrated her 90th birthday on February 12th.
Our Lenten Soup Supper will begin on Wednesday, March 8th this year. Please come enjoy some soup and fellowship before you go to the Lenten Evening service.
blessings,
Tricia, Ray & Cindi
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| Prayer Breakfast |
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Our next meeting is March 11th
at 7:30 am
in the DFH.
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| LCOC Prayer Garden |
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Community Prayer Group
The LCOC community prayer group meets the second Saturday of each month from 7:30 am to 9 am in the Work Room. We share prayers of concern and numerous praises along with a strong cup of coffee. We offer this time to the community and congregation to join us for prayer, openly or privately. We will meet again on March 11th, at 7:30 am.
Matt. 21:13 - my house will be called a house of prayer,.....
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GROW
in our relationship with God through prayer, Bible Study, and service
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Adult Education
Special Lenten Series - The Gospel of John
Special Congregation-wide study this Lent:
You are invited to be a part of this dynamic study on the Gospel of John!
The study will begin on March 1st for the 10:00 am Wednesday Morning Bible Study
and on March 5th for the 9:45 am Sunday Education classes for all.
Join us, the coffee is ready!
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Education
- LCOC will hold Vacation Bible School for children ages 3 through 11, Monday, June 19th to Friday June 23d from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM each day based in the Upper Fellowship Hall of the church. In addition to LCOC families, we will invite families from the Cloverdale neighborhood and local churches to participate. The LCOC Vacation Bible School program will begin with a supper meal for children and their parents, then move to stations which will include spiritually-based lessons, crafts, and other activities. The Education Committee is currently reviewing themes and lesson content for a decision within the next month, so please let Stacey R, Diane D or Wilbur S know if you have any creative ideas. In addition to LCOC Education and HS Youth, we will need 10-15 adult volunteers to make 2017 Vacation Bible School a success, so please prayerfully consider an offering of your time and talents. A sign up sheet will be placed on the bulletin board in the narthex or respond to Wilbur at wilburrsnyder@live.com.
- In addition to great the food and matinee ambience by Fellowship, the Luther Movie Night on Saturday, February 11th included both a 'Preview of Coming Attractions' video prepared and presented by the LCOC High School Youth to highlight Shekinah and Chrysalis before the Rick Steves DVD, and youth-led live interviews with a slide show about the original home towns of our 'Germany ladies' in the congregation after the DVD. Youth and Education assisted in this program. Many thanks to Daniel O- our 'Hollywood' videographer, Katie B- Executive Producer/Director, Jon S- Producer, Rachel R & Ryan S- Screenwriters/actors, along with Sydney R, Kassidy R, Emily D, and Jessica R- the 'LCOC Players'. If you missed it, just wait until the sequel!
- In addition to support for Vacation Bible School, Education continues the search for volunteers to team teach with or substitute for Diane D, Stacey R, and Wilbur S on Sundays at 9:45 AM, and especially for an overall leader/coordinator for our Confirmation class next September when Ray S moves into a well-deserved (but hopefully not permanent !) retirement. Additionally, LCOC will be implementing the two-person (adult) policy as required by ELCA and the Synod for both Youth and Education activities, so once again, please prayerfully consider giving of your time and talents.
Wilbur S.
You are invited to be a part of the Sunday learning
opportunities for ALL ages at 9:45.
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Confirmands participate in Stop Hunger Now 20,000 Meals Event 2017
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Confirmation Corner
Confirmation is continuing its education in the Old Testament with the book of Psalms. What are Psalms, what is the purpose and how many are there? Some good questions that now the confirmands know. The book of Psalms contains 150 prayers and songs and poems (most of them function as all three), but is so much more than the shape of its content. The Psalms are a collection of different prayers, each evoking different emotions and experiences of what it means to be human. Some express outrageous joy and praise to the God who created and gives us life. Some give shape to ways of being that instruct and form us as people of faith. Some emerge from the darkness of life, honestly grappling with what if means to live faithfully when suffering and sorrow are all around. Some are situational, written down to be used during festivals that marked important moments in the story of God's people. Some appear to be intimately personal, others overwhelmingly communal. Reading the Psalms, we hear the account of raw humanity of God's people, and the enduring faithfulness of God to this people in their raw humanity. The Psalms take prayer and thrust it right into the middle of our lives.
Who wrote the Psalms? Here is a breakdown: David (80), Solomon (2), Moses (1), sons of Korah (11), sons of Asaph (11), Ethan the Ezrahite (1), and the Anonymous (44).
After Psalms we talked about the five books of the Bible that are traditionally labeled "wisdom literature." Can you name them? Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon. "Wisdom literature" is not meant to imply that the other books of the Bible are not wise, but rather to indicate that the goal of these books is slightly different than other genres of biblical writing. Wisdom books aren't meant to teach us history or to relay prophetic observations or religious laws. Rather, wisdom literature is designed to help us think more deeply about what it means to be human and how we ought to live our lives.
Two of our first book reports have been completed. Remember we are doing reports on People of the Protestant Reformation. This month's reports are from Sarah and Seth Sutton; I hope you enjoy and learn something new.
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Ray Sutton
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Prayer Opportunities
Prayer Chain Ministry:
Please send an email to prayerchain@lcocdalecity.org
or call the Prayer Chain Lead at 571-210-1979
Free Ceaseless Prayer App:
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Youth Group
We are really excited for the coming year. We'll be focusing a lot of attention towards the Youth Gathering in Houston in the summer of 2018. There are some set activities planned and fundraising is off to a great start. Our hoagie sales and the Luther Movie night were very successful. Stacey Rosenquist and Katie Boivin recently attended a Youth 101 session on the Youth Gathering, which was a tremendous help for planning and motivation.
We are also planning events outside of the Youth Gathering preparation including ice skating, paint ball, and movie nights. We are excited to be partnering with a few other ELCA churches in the area for these events as well. Our youth have made some great friendships at their ELCA retreats over the years so reconnecting with these friends is an awesome aspect of being a part of a great synod.
Thank you for your continued support of the LCOC youth group!!
--
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GIVE
of our resources, time, and talents in response to God's extravagant generosity towards us
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| Stop Hunger Now 2017 |
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Stewardship
The gospel reading and message from the February 5th service really seemed to capture what stewardship is all about. The text from Matthew 5:13-20 really touched my heart and clarified it for me. Jesus tell us to be the salt flavoring the earth and to put our light on a stand, sharing God, not keeping Him secret. But the part that struck me most says, "Keep an open house; be generous with your lives." (The Message). There are many opportunities for that here at LCOC and in our lives in general.
Thank you also for your continued support of ministries and service projects such as providing for Neabsco Elementary. In order to connect people and their gifts to the many opportunities for service, please take the time to fill out the Gifts Ministry Survey Form if you have not already done so. (If you have done so-thank you!) We will have hard copies available, but it can also be accessed on the church website at:
http://files.constantcontact.com/f9ff9a02301/da457a95-247d-4780-af50-2b0d63540bc7.pdf
Just download and print the form, fill it in and turn it in at the office or in the offering plate. Knowing the gifts and interests of everyone will help Council Members and project leads to form teams. There are ongoing opportunities and needs for one time projects. Some upcoming events include Breakfast with the Easter Bunny and Vacation Bible School. Lots of chances for fun and fellowship while serving God in our community!
Remember, God commands us to be good stewards of our time and talents as well as our finances and resources, so continue to look for ways to do that with projects like those mentioned above. What is the result of this? "By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven." (The Message) In all our service areas, many hands make light work and the joy and blessings from being part of something greater than ourselves are many fold.
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Amazon Smile:
Amazon members can help support LCOC while you shop! Click on the link below and pick Lutheran Church of the Covenant as your favorite organization and start shopping! We will receive a percentage of the sale.
Good shop:
Support Lutheran Church of the Covenant when you search the Web at goodsearch.com or shop online with Goodshop.com.
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Property
I thank God for an unseasonably warm winter. The property folks have taken advantage and have been hard at work clearing years of built up of debris from the church grounds like:
- Clearing dead and down trees in the back of the LCOC parking lot.
- Topping and trimming trees that block church lighting.
- Clearing downed trees and dead wood from the sidewalk area between LCOC and Nikkis' Daycare.
- Removing excess lumber and yard waste from the pond area and keeping the pond fence clear.
On the inside, We continue to look at new ways to repurpose old space by relocating the library to LFH. This effort frees up a lower level classroom and provides an open and inviting space for study, research or reflection. Stop by and visit.
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GO
forth to serve others and share the story of God's love for all
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| I WALK for ACTS |
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February 28th the Evangelism team hosted a Hospitality 101 session. Some food for thought as we welcome others:
God welcomes us into
"a wide-open, spacious life"
(2 Cor 6:11 - The Message)
People want to hear "God's welcome is at hand!"
"You are God's precious, beloved child. Welcome"
God has welcomed each of us. We live in the abundant life of God's welcome.
You don't need to become someone or something else.
Just live in the welcome you already know.
You have it.
Now, claim it share it, and give thanks to God.
SAVE THE DATE:
Breakfast with the Easter Bunny April 8, 2017
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Happy Birthday to you!
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MARCH
4 Meredith L.
5 Lilo S.
9 Ingrid S.
12 James S.
13 Dick Z.
14 Carla K.
14 Pat R.
17 Kelly C.
17 Emily D.
18 Joyce G.
18 Debbie H.
20 Betty J.
20 Maira S
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20 Darcy T.
21
Stacey R
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21
Brian S.
26
Shannon R.
27 Brian M.
29 Susan P.
31 Jean J.
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Happy Anniversary
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Mel & DeLoris B.
March 21, 1959
Evan & Nicole M.
March 26, 2011 |
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Baptism Anniversaries
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Rick B.
Julie H.
Brayden J.
Eliana M.
Joseph M.
Amber R.
Cooper S.
Mary S.
Kyle S.
Walter T.
Erika Z.
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Homebound Members
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Ruth J.
Jean J.
Mary S.
Virginia S. |
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Members in the Military
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Tyler R.
Tom M.
Ryan L.
Samuel B.
Please remember to keep our service members and their families in your prayers as they serve our country. If you have someone to add to this list, please contact the office.
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Flower Calendar
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The altar flowers for this month are given to the glory of God and contributed by:
March 5
Doug S. in celebration of Lilo's birthday
Susie R in celebration of
Great-grandson Brody's birthday
March 12
Roger & JoAnn R. in memory
of Roy S.
Warren R. in memory of Cathi
March 19
Mel & DeLoris B. in celebration
of their 58th anniversary
Diane D. in honor of Stacey and
Pastor Darcy's birthdays
March 26
Stacey R. in memory of Dad's birthday
Susanna R. in celebration
of Shannon's 20th birthday
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OPPORTUNITIES TO USE OUR GIFTS
AT LCOC AND BEYOND
We are fortunate to be able to use our gifts that God has provided us through a variety of ways. Ongoing ways to use your gifts are to sign up to be a part of supporting Neabsco Elementary in many ways and in being a part of the gardening team at LCOC to help keep our landscape beautiful. Future experiences involve Breakfast with Santa and Mrs. Claus, Breakfast with the Easter Bunny, (If you have questions, please see Jo Ann Rudy), and helping with Vacation Bible School - (all at LCOC).
When we choose to give our time, energy and talents to serve others, we are taking part in God's work to share the love of Christ and give God glory. With God working in us and through us, we can make a difference!
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OTLWB Book Club
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The Book Club is meeting on March 13th
(at 12:30 p.m. in the workroom)
to discuss
The Rosie Project
by
Graeme Simsion
If you would like more information,
please see Sandy S. or Diane D.
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Mend-A-House
October 8, 2016 |
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Project Mend-A-House
Would you like to participate in the next project?
contact Ralph Morse
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Thanks to everyone who continues to bring food in for the students at Neabsco Elementary. It is a wonderful feeling to be able to deliver so much to the children and to know that they will have food to eat on the weekends and holidays. Thanks for your kindness, thoughtfulness, and generosity.
JoAnn R.
Dear LCOC Family,
Thank you all so much for my lovely Valentine's Dy care packages! The treats were so yummy. It means a lot knowing you all care and think about me. Love you guys so very much.
love and peace to you all,
Arianna R.
Dear LCOC,
I was extremely overwhelmed by the thoughtful Valentines Day Care package that I received from you all! That was so sweet and just what I needed this Valentines Day! I appreciate every single one of you and hope you are doing well.
much love,
Sarah Sweatman
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In Nature at LCOC
Dear LCOC Family Member ~
If you've never spent time in any of the outside sanctuaries surrounding our church, you are missing an opportunity to feel God's awesome peace and His presence. Even though it may be winter, there is still lots going in the LCOC landscape that will delight you in a variety of ways. Allow me to take you on a walk through some of the gardens as we explore what happens in late winter:
- Recently, one special morning, the gardens were blanketed with snow and the trees were all trimmed in white. What a spectacular sight!
- As the weather seems to be switching from winter to spring (even summery on some days), you may see that the daffodils, hyacinths, and lilies are confused as they peek out of their winter beds.
- You can see the birds flitting to and from the feeder. You may see many of these feathered beauties going in and out of the bushes, especially those who have berries.
- The resident hawk who soars high above the tree canopy may, on occasion, have a partner circling with him.
- As we pause for a moment on our walk, we may feel that we are on a farm in the country when we hear the neighborhood rooster crowing in mid-morning.
- Some of the shrubs and trees in the landscape are in need of a haircut as spring approaches. We'll look for those two eager beavers who may also have some barber skills.
- As we pass by the children's corner, we'll see the angel standing guard, ready to welcome the miniature daffodils, scillia, and other spring bloomers as soon as the weather permits.
You are encouraged to take a self-guided tour through our wonderful landscape here at LCOC. But be ready - you are going to experience God's peace and presence - so enjoy this special time with our Creator! Next month, we'll see what's happening as the days grow longer and spring draws nearer.
"Kindness is like snow - it beautifies everything it covers."
Kahlil Gibran
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Take a look at our web site
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Office Hours:
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Monday - Friday
9:00 am - 1:30 pm
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