This Sunday's Theme:

9:00 & 10:30 AM Services

"Listen to the Women!"

Luke 24:1-12

In-person Only at 9:00 AM

In-person and Live Stream to Facebook and YouTube at 10:30 AM

Dear friends,

Today, I am reminded of this Scripture. “In Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.” 2 Corinthians 5:19 What a beautiful word to describe these final days of Holy Week.

This is Holy Week! As followers of Jesus, how will you spend your time this weekend?  We have some opportunities for us to be a part of the body of Christ as we prepare to celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior…

Tonight at 5:00 pm we will remember the Last Supper that Jesus had with his disciples, where he washed his disciples’ feet. We refer to this day as Maundy Thursday, because of the mandate (Maundy) to love one another as Christ Jesus has loved us. Join us at 5pm for a potluck of food to share. We will follow with some singing and some teaching on the call to love one another and the meaning of the Last Supper for us today. We will finish the night by sharing the Lord’s Supper with one another.

Tomorrow is Good Friday, and we will have our Tenebrae Service at 7:00 pm. This is a quiet and reflective service of Scripture and music. Candles are lit and gradually through the service they are extinguished, leaving us in greater darkness as we remember the suffering and death of Jesus from the Cross, according to the Gospel of St. John.

On Saturday, you are invited to join us as we go Easter caroling to some of our homebound members. We will meet at the church at 4:00 pm and return before 6:00 pm.

Then join us on Easter Sunday for one of two services, 9:00am and 10:30am. The Bell Choir will be with us at both services and the children’s choirs will join us for the 10:30am service. Our scripture will come from Luke 24: 1-12. Our theme for the morning will be, “Listen to the Women!”

As we enter the final days of this Holy Week, let me share how appreciative I am for you and for your partnership in the Gospel of Jesus. Patti and I pray for you with thanksgiving to God. Thank you for your prayers for us, your support and love that you show to all of God’s people!

Pastor Steve

Each week I feel blessed to have the opportunity to share stories about my life and experiences as a parent, leader, daughter, sister, friend, and Christ follower. Openly sharing challenges, victories, obstacles, and successes is such a joy. I treat it as though I am journalling, which I am sure is fairly evident. It is such a gift to stream my thoughts to this page and hope that they touch the hearts and souls of those who read them. If even one sentence is something that hits home for someone, then every ounce of the weekly writing is worth it.

This week is the holiest of weeks. This week is a week of celebration of our Lord and Savior, His sacrifices, and His miracles. This week we reflect on everything Jesus went through in His final Earthly days, and express gratitude as we lift our hearts and hands in praise of Him. It truly is the most important week in the biblical calendar. Jesus is the hope provider. He is the everlasting conqueror of all that is evil. He is my backbone. He is the ruler and commander of how I walk, talk, and interact. He loves each and every one of us for all that we are, whether it is pure and holy or unsettled and sinful. He still loves us. This promise of forgiveness and lifelong, never-ending love is all we need to feel hope in a hopeless moment, direction in the times we are lost, and answers whenever we question.

So, as we interact with one another for the remainder of this Holy Week, I encourage you to think before you speak and let His Holy Spirit form your words. Hold your tongue and heart before you judge and remember Jesus will never judge us. Finally, pray before you act so that your actions depict a true disciple of our Lord and Savior. Most importantly, parents, I hope that you will take the time to explain the significance of this Holy Week to your children and help them to understand how incredibly special it is that we are loved unconditionally by such a powerful God. Help them to correct their wrongs and love one another without fail. This is the most important thing you can do for them to lay that foundation of faith. Teach them love without judgement. God bless you all and let us praise Him together!

Happy Easter!



💗✝️ Ms. Dana

School Calendar

• Be with Gil Kleweno and protect him from any complications from his outpatient surgery this week.
• We pray for complete healing for Avery Quiner, a former student at Oak Grove Lutheran High School, who suffered a brain bleed from a motorcycle accident, as well as your loving presence and guidance as there are some impending charges he will have to face.
• We pray for God's healing presence and full recovery for Joan Oetjen, who suffered a brain bleed, and give her daughter Michelle Grabenstein strength.
• Restore the health of and strengthen Eileen Unruh, sister-in-law of George Unruh, as she recovers from intensive chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer.
• We pray for strength and encouragement for Jack Jenson, and protection from side effects as he begins his long journey of intensive chemotherapy. We also continue to pray for strength for his family who is his support system.
• Please help Renee to continue healing from her setbacks from open-heart surgery and from her brain bleed.
• We pray for peace and comfort for Marsha Vanderwerff following the passing of her mom.
• We pray for the Mychajliw family after the tragic loss of their 17 year old son/brother Adam this week.
• We pray for comfort for Gordie and Karen as well as their families as they mourn the death of their mother (Pastor Steve's aunt), Arlyne Thompson.
• Prayers for a successful heart valve surgery next week for Terri.
• Please Lord, be with Mary Campbell and her family as she enters hospice care. Bring comfort to them all, and our sister in Christ, Pat.
• Surround the family of Leann Burmeister as they mourn the death of her son, Jackson Wirth.
• Thanks to God and His Body of Christ from New Covenant and its Congregation for their prayers for Isabella's return. It takes a community to raise a child- something we talk about for child baptisms. A special thanks to Jodi and Maddie for their active role in bringing Isabella home.
• We pray for the family and friends of Paul Nelson as they mourn his death.
• We pray for complete healing for Pat who is living with long Covid.
• Kurt Keiser is suffering from high blood pressure and other health issues. We pray that he would experience healing.
• We pray for Tiffani Scott, niece of Sheri Hanchar and granddaughter of Ann McDonell, during her ongoing breast cancer treatment and next phase of chemo.
• We pray for strength and healing for Christina, daughter of Kim, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2020, and now has recurrence in her liver and brain.
• We pray for healing for Kevin Bunn, brother-in-law of Max Duarte. Kevin has been diagnosed with cancer of the liver and began chemo.
• That the Holy Spirit would come and fill us and our church with its Pentecost power, love and grace.
• Prayers for Sandee that she is able to experience healing for her depression as well as other health struggles. Prayers that she would find a renewed sense of purpose.
• Prayers for all young parents, for patience, peace, and overflowing love in their homes.
• Prayers for healing for Troy's brother in Colorado who suffers from Parkinson's.
• Prayers for Carol McNulty, Aurien Preiss' mom, as she continues with therapy.
• Prayers for Bonnie Straley’s brothers, Len and Larry and also his wife, Ann, for healing; and also Daphne and Cassidy for God’s guidance.