March 2020 Newsletter

  

Welcome to the monthly news. There are many ways for you to connect with God and with our neighbors at LCOC and beyond.  You are invited to share this news with new neighbors and others who may be interested in hearing what God is doing through the people and ministry of LCOC. Also bring others to come and be a part of these various ministry opportunities!  

GATHER    GROW    GIVE    GO






Pastor Darcy

 
This Lent you are invited to:
Pray:
  • The Ash Wednesday prayer vigil from noon- 6pm. The prayer booklets will be available for your use throughout the season.                                                             Lent Prayer Devotional
  • Attend the Men's Prayer Breakfast and the Women's Prayer gathering on March 14th at 7:30 am.
Worship:
  • Wednesdays at 7:00 pm we will gather for Holden Evening Prayer
    • Sermon Theme: Open My Life, Lord
  • Sundays at 8:30 and 11:00 am
    • Sermon Theme: Jesus meets you...
Serve:
  • March 28th at 9:00 am - Help pack 40,000 meals for Rise Against Hunger
  • Bring soup and to help set up and clean up after the soup suppers
  • Sign up to go on the summer mission trip to North Carolina
        Learn and Grow:
  • Tuesday mornings at 10 am: explore the Gospel readings for the following Sunday
  • Sunday mornings at 9:45: Entering the Passion of Jesus
        Build relationships:
  • Soup Suppers on Wednesdays at 6 pm
  • Intentionally have a conversation with someone that you do not yet know or know that well
        Invite or bring:
  • A friend, neighbor, or family member to any of these Lenten opportunities
  Give
  • Your time, talent, and financial resources to support God's work through the ministry at LCOC
  To be present and open to God's love, forgiveness, and mercy...
 
These are just a few ways for you to connect with God and with each other throughout this season of Lent. Please read through this newsletter for more details on these and other ministry opportunities.
 
Praying for you and LCOC as we journey together this Lent.
  ______________________________________________________________
 

Ideas? Questions?  Email the council  


Council news
On Sunday, February 23rd, LCOC enjoyed some delicious food and fellowship as we explored the wows, assets, and needs of LCOC.  The following is a general overview of the themes that were shared:
Wows: God is doing some awesome things through the ministry of LCOC 
  • Serving the community, sharing our building with others, providing opportunities for prayer, worship, learning, connecting and caring for each other and those in need in the community
Assets:   LCOC has some incredible assets for ministry
  • People, facility, passion, compassion, tech-savy people, a desire to help others, generosity, love for others, welcoming others
Needs: There are some wonderful possibilities for growing in ministry
Diversity, use of technology (i.e. an electronic sign) reach out to young people, prayer opportunities, engagement, caring ministries

Thank you all for your input! Your prayers, participation and engagement in the planning and implementation of these ideas are needed as we move forward in    God's mission through LCOC!

*****************
Leadership News:  Denise Wilder will temporarily serve as the acting president while Randy Beattie cares for some family matters.  Please keep Randy and Patti in your prayers.
********************

                  We give thanks for Doug Strack and his leadership to facilitate                                  the refinancing of the LCOC mortgage. 
We give thanks for Patti Beattie, her leadership, energy, passion and ability to connect people within LCOC and with the community.   Due to health issues, Patti has stepped down as the evangelism chair on the council.  Please keep Patti and Randy in your prayers.

GATHER
to worship God and fellowship with the community


Men's Prayer Breakfast

Striving each week to look to the past, present and future watching and waiting for the return of our savior.  The next Prayer breakfast is scheduled for March 14th at 7:30 am. All are welcome!


Community Prayer Group
The LCOC community prayer group meets the seco nd Saturday of each month from 7:30 am to 9 am in the Work Room. All are welcome to this time when joys, concerns and hopes are lifted in prayer.
Next gathering: March 14 at 7:30 am.


Matt. 21:13 - My house will be called a house of prayer,.....



Worship Committee  

Midweek Lenten Series: Open My Life, Lord - 7:00 PM
 

Lent is a time to return to God and to be opened to life with God.  To support you in this journey, you are invited to our special mid-week series:  Open My Life, Lord.  We will, again, use the beautiful and contemplative Holden Evening Prayer. 

This year LCOC joins Bethlehem Lutheran Church and Lord of Life Lutheran Church (both their Fairfax and Clifton campuses) in sharing this series. The pastors of each of these congregations will rotate among the churches to share the message each week with the pastors preaching at their home church on the first and last Wednesdays of Lent.
               March 4             Open My Hands, Lord
                                                Preacher: Pastor Darcy, LCOC
               March 11           Open My Eyes, Lord
                                                Preacher: Pastor Dan, Bethlehem
              March 18           Open My Ears, Lord
                                                Preacher: Pastor Nathan, Lord of Life
               March 25           Open My Heart, Lord
                                                Preacher: Pastor Julia, Lord of Life
               April 1                Open My Life, Lord
                                                Preacher: Pastor Darcy, LCOC

The search continues for a new choir director. If you know of anyone who may be interested in this position please have them send their resume to resume@lcocdalecity.org

NEXT WORSHIP PLANNING SESSION:  March 7th at 9 am

LENT SERMON SERIES

                              March 1           Temptations
                              March 8            Questions
                              March 15          Brokenness
                              March 22          Healing
                              March 29          Grief

GROW
in our relationship with God through prayer, Bible Study, and service
Adult Education:
You are invited to dive deep into the history of the last days before the crucifixion with this study by author, professor, and Jewish New Testament scholar Amy-Jill Levine.


Jesus' final days were full of risk. Every move he made was filled with anticipation, danger, and the potential for great loss or great reward. Jesus risked his reputation when he entered Jerusalem in a victory parade. He risked his life when he dared to teach in the Temple. His followers risked everything when they left behind their homes, or anointed him with costly perfume. We take risks as we read and re-read these stories, finding new meanings and new challenges.

March 1:         Jerusalem: Risking Reputation
March 8:        The Temple: Risking Righteous Anger
March 15:      Teachings: Risking Challenge
March 22:      The First Dinner: Risking Rejection


You are invited as together we explore the
Gospel lessons for each Sunday in Lent.
       February 25       Matthew 4:1-11
March 3              John 3:1-17
March 10            John 4:5-42
March 17            John 9:1-41
 March 24            John 11:1-45
                 March 31            Matthew 26:14--27:66
       April 7                Matthew 28:1-10

GIVE
of our resources, time, and talents in response to 
God's extravagant generosity towards us
STEWARDSHIP
Learn more about how LCOC is already making connections and the plans to make more connections over the next 3 years...







GO
forth to serve others and share the story of God's love for all
   Youth Group

Hosting the Shove Pancake Supper

Evangelism
 
March 28 at 9 am
The goal is to pack 40,000 meals


SUMMER 2020 MISSION TRIP


Treasurers Report

 
This month at a glance
Birthdays
                 
4 Meredith L
5 Lilo S
13 Dick Z
14 Carla K
17 Emily D
18 Deborah H
20 Rev. Darcy T
21 Stacey R
21 Brian S
26 Shannon R
27 Brian M
29 Susan P
30 Shannon M

Anniversaries
21 Mel & DeLoris B
Baptisms
   
10 Cooper S
12 Joseph M
15 Erika Z
25 Brayden J
26 Amber R
29 Kyle S

Members in the Military
Tyler R
Tom M
Ryan L
Samuel B
Xavier  D

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.

Flower Calendar
The altar flowers for this month are given to the glory of God and contributed by: 

March 8
Doug Strack  in celebration of Lilo's birthday.

March15
The  DeGroodt family in celebration of Emily's 18th birthday and 
Georgiann Thompson in memory of Ted Smith's birthday.

March 22
Mel and DeLoris Bellinger in celebration of their 61st anniversary and
Sheila Kober in memory of her mother's birthday.

March 29
The Rose family in celebration of Shannon's birthday.
Create a family blessing jar

 

March 28 - Rise Against Hunger Even
July 12 - Mission Trip to Wilmington, NC with Lutheran Hands


 

Lent Soup Suppers
Groups to bring soups:
                                     March 4           Choir
                                     March 11         Men's Prayer Breakfast
                                     March 18         Church Council
                                     March 25         Worship Committee
                                     April 1              Congregation               



 FELLOWSHIP
One way that we connect and have fun at LCOC is through Fellowship opportunities.  Dale Gallentine and I are developing a Fellowship team and we invite YOU to come, have fun and meet to plan some upcoming events. Sign up in the Narthex to be a part of this team or email us at fellowship@lcocdalecity.org with questions or ideas. We would greatly appreciate your support for this team!  We look forward to working together to create new connections through fellowship. Thank you!

Blessings on you,
Darla Ferris
Ministry Quick Links



OTLWB Book Club
 

On March 9th, we're meeting at 12:00 p.m. to watch "A Town Like Alice." In April, we'll meet on the 20th and we chose a new book to discuss - The Devil in the White: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair the Changed America by Erik Larson.


If you would like more information, 
please see Sandy S. or Diane D.
Contact Us
Office Hours:
Monday - Friday 
9:00 am - 2:00 pm

Thank you to all of you who have continued to support the Hilda Barg Homeless Shelter with your generous contributions. We fed 19 adults and 6 children in February. This group was one of the nicest we've served, and they were very appreciative.

In God's love, 
Sandy Strychowski
Prayer Opportunities

              Prayer List Ministry                 

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: 

LCOC Celebrates Tilli's 93rd Birthday


Sharing God's Love With Care Packages to
Neabsco Elementary