Faith's Friday Update

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“Gathered faithfully to love and serve God and all others.”

Faith's Friday Update

March 4, 2022

Sunday, March 6, 2022

First Sunday in Lent

8AM & 10:15AM, In Person & Live-Streamed

Worship Bulletin

Readings:

Deuteronomy 26:1-11 - The Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand

Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16 - God will give the angels charge over you, to guard you in all your ways. (Ps. 91:11)

Romans 10:8b-13 - If you confess that Jesus is Lord, you will be saved

Luke 4:1-13 - The temptation of Jesus in the wilderness for forty days

SPECIAL OFFERING THIS SUNDAY

PASTOR'S DISCRETIONARY FUND - Our pastor is in the unique position of being able to speak to members of the congregation or the community about specific needs and aid they might require. This fund provides him the means to help financially when necessary.

A MESSAGE FROM DR. JOSEPH HOLT

Dear Faith Lutheran Family –

Many thanks for a wonderful celebration this past Sunday observing my ten years as Music Director for the church. I was extremely touched by your comments regarding my musical contributions to our community and I appreciate all of the efforts that you undertook in creating a meaningful event for my ‘retirement’ from working Church Life. This community is very special to us and we look forward to being active members in the coming years.

As the new Artist in Residence, I’m pleased to announce that our first event will be upcoming on Sunday, March 27 when two professional singers in the operatic world will be singing for us during the 10:15 am service. Catherine Wethington, soprano and Todd Thomas, baritone will be singing the Prelude and a special Anthem that morning.

In grateful appreciation - Joe

LENT & HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE

CALLING ALL SOUP MAKERS & SANDWICH BUILDERS! This Lent season, we will enjoy Soup & Sandwich Suppers prior to each Midweek Service.

On each Wednesday during Lent, we are looking for 3 people who will bring soup and 3 people who will bring sandwiches.

Sign up today! If you would like to provide soup and/or sandwiches on a given Wednesday, please sign up by CLICKING HERE or on the signup sheet in the church narthex.

LENT SERVICES will be offered Wednesdays on March 9, March 16, March 23, March 30, and April 6:

12PM - Prayers at Midday

6PM - Soup & Sandwich Supper

7PM Evening Holden Prayer Service

HOLY WEEK SERVICES

April 10 – Palm Sunday 8 a.m. and 10:15 a.m.

April 14 – Maundy Thursday:

12:00 p.m. Spoken Service

7:00 p.m. Eucharist Service

April 15 – Good Friday:

2:00 p.m. Stations of the Cross

7:00 p.m. Tenebre Service

April 16 – Easter Vigil Part One:

7:30 p.m. Meet at the Fire in the Parking Lot

April 17 – Easter:

7 a.m. Easter Vigil Part Two in Memorial Garden

8:30 a.m. Easter Breakfast

10:15 a.m. Worship Service in the Sanctuary

EASTER LILIES

Help decorate our Sanctuary for Easter while honoring a loved one or special occasion by dedicating one or more Easter Lilies!

The lilies will decorate the church on Easter Sunday and dedications will be listed in the bulletin. After the service, we invite you to take your plant/s home with you.

Order yours now by completing an Easter Lily envelope at church or online by CLICKING HERE. The cost of each plant is $12. Please make checks payable to Faith Lutheran Church and indicate ‘Easter Lilies' in the memo.

Thank you for making Faith Lutheran’s altar beautiful for Easter!

MARY CIRCLE MARCH GATHERING

Please join us for a Mary Circle meeting on Tuesday, March 8 at 12 p.m. Bring your own lunch - dessert will be provided.

We are very honored to have two guest speakers, Karen Berwick and Paula Harris. They will discuss our Memorial Garden and the work they do to beautify and preserve it. A tour of the garden will be given at the end of the meeting for all interested.

A free will offering will be taken with all collections going to the Memorial Garden Fund.

MEN OF FAITH - UPCOMING EVENTS

This Tuesday, March 8 at 9:30 a.m., the Men of Faith are invited to join together to explore ways to witness to our Lord through service. We will meet in the narthex.

MEN OF FAITH PRAYER BREAKFAST – Tuesday, March 15 at 8 a.m. at Skillets!

MEN OF FAITH BIBLE STUDY, led by Pastor Eric, begins Tuesday, March 22 at 9:30 a.m. in the Chapel. All Men of Faith are invited and encouraged to join us!

CHOIR NEWS

After a long hiatus we are happy to announce the return of the Voices of Faith Choir to the 10:15 a.m. Sunday Worship Service! Please make note of the following schedule:

Sunday, March 27, 2022, Rehearsal, only, at 9:15 a.m.

Sunday, April 3, 2022, Rehearsal, only, at 9:15 a.m.

Sunday, April 10, 2022, Palm Sunday, Rehearsal at 9:15, Worship at 10:15 a.m.

Sunday, April 17, 2022, Easter Sunday, Rehearsal at 9:15, Worship at 10:15 a.m.

All are welcome!

BEREAVEMENT GROUP

The psalmist declares to God, “You have turned my mourning into dancing” (Psalm 30:11).

If you are experiencing a period of mourning in your life, please know you are not alone. Consider joining Pastor Eric and Pastor Bob for a new Bereavement Group.

The next meeting is on Wednesday, March 9 at 1:00 p.m. The group meets in the old Pastor’s office off Fellowship Hall.

JOAN'S SOUP

Although the weather is beginning to warm up, a comforting bowl of soup is always good for the soul! So, we would like to fill JOAN’S SOUP freezer.

Please share soup you’ve made by placing a container of it in Joan’s Soup freezer in the kitchen. Please label containers with the type of soup and the date it was made. Feel free to take some soup for yourself or a friend who is in need.

REGISTERATION TODAY FOR THE LADIES' RETREAT!

SATURDAY, MARCH 26, 8:45AM-1:00PM

The last day to sign up is March 20.

We request a $10 donation to cover lunch and the Lemonade “Memory Book”.

Please bring, if you are able, new or gently used pillowcases and a sharp pair of scissors for our Servant Project. We will make dresses for Third World Countries. Rickrack, lace and bias tape would also be appreciated.

We will explore how God helped several women in the Bible face challenges in their lives so you will want to bring your Bible.

Please see Gwen Schell, Peggy Ragan, or Carole Inkrott to register.

NOTARY SERVICE AT FAITH

Notary Public service is now available at Faith Lutheran during office hours, Monday-Friday between 9AM-3PM. There is no charge for members, but donations to Faith are always welcome!

If you have any questions, please contact Tami Page at officeadmin@faithlutheransrq.com or (941) 924-4664.

BUILDING WISH LIST

The Property Committee has identified needs that are not currently in the regular budget but are needed to maintain and improve our church.

Current needs:

1. Upgrade Narthex Restrooms to ADA (cost TBD)

2. Electronic Sign Upgrade on Beneva (cost TBD)

3. Touch-Up/Repaint the Gym (cost TBD)

4. Reseal the Parking Lot

Please consider supporting the church building by making a special offering. Any amount, small or large, is appreciated! To contribute by check, please indicate “Improvement Fund” in the memo. To contribute electronically, please visit our website at www.faithlutheransrq.com/online-giving or using via the Vanco Mobile app (be sure to select “Improvement Fund”).

ALTAR FLOWERS

ALTAR FLOWERS are a beautiful and meaningful way to honor/remember someone or a special occasion, while decorating our altar for worship. The 2022 Altar Flowers signup poster is available in Fellowship Hall.

The next available date is Palm Sunday, April 10!

When you purchase altar flowers, your name and dedication will be published in the bulletin on your selected Sunday and the flowers are yours to keep after the service!

To make a dedication: At church, complete an 'Altar Flowers' envelope with your payment, and place it in the offering plate; By mail, send payment with a note indicating your desired date and dedication; or CLICK HERE to order online. The cost is $60, which is for 2 vases. Please make checks payable to Faith Lutheran Church and indicate ‘altar flowers’ in the memo.

Thank you for making Faith Lutheran’s altar beautiful!

EMPTY INK CARTRIDGES COLLECTION

Please consider donating your empty ink cartridges to help the church and environment! When we bring the cartridges to Staples, we receive store credit from Staples to help offset office supply costs.

The ink collection bin is on the counter in Fellowship Hall.

DAILY PRAYER

VENTURES

The ELCA offers daily Prayer Ventures, which may be found on their website, https://www.elca.org/en/Resources/Prayer-Ventures. The prayers for this weekend are below. Visit the website if you would like to follow the daily prayers!

4 Praise God, who is boundless, awesome, merciful, pure and attentive, and who loves justice and peace.

5 Remember in prayer refugees from Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria who have been stuck at the Belarus-Poland border since last November; pray for the Lutheran Church in Belarus as it assists refugees with translation services, food, clothing, hygiene items and other essentials; and give thanks for the support and assistance we are able to provide through Lutheran Disaster Response.

6 Give thanks that we know Jesus as the son of God, who did not give in to worldly temptations of power or serving his own needs but humbled himself and demonstrated God’s sacrificial love for the salvation and healing of humankind.