Called by Christ through the Holy Spirit, our mission as a



Saint Andrew Lutheran ChurchMarch 2018Called by Christ through the Holy Spirit, our mission as a Lutheran community is to share the good news of God’s grace through prayer, worship, witness, and service.508768011223300788670050800001401 Fancy Gap Road Mount Airy, NC 27030lutheransinmountairy336-789-4315 -144145142875For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we will certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His.Romans 6:500For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we will certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His.Romans 6:566450517676Pastoral CareShould you have a pastoral emergency during the week, you may contact one of two pastors in Winston-Salem: --the Rev. Don Murray, (336) 409-0897 drdjmurray@--the Rev. John Beeg (336) 414-0997 jfrev2@00Pastoral CareShould you have a pastoral emergency during the week, you may contact one of two pastors in Winston-Salem: --the Rev. Don Murray, (336) 409-0897 drdjmurray@--the Rev. John Beeg (336) 414-0997 jfrev2@Visit with Our Pastoral Candidate – March 4An invitation has been extended to our pastoral candidate to meet the congregation on Sunday, March 4. This is an important step in our call process, and the Call Committee is excited for the congregation to meet this pastor. We will have our monthly potluck meal after worship so the congregation and the candidate can get acquainted.Called Congregational Meeting – March 11There will be a called congregational meeting on March 11 after worship to discuss issuing a pastoral call.Holy WeekMarch 25 – Palm/Passion SundayMarch 29 – Maundy Thursday Worship at 7:00 pmMarch 30 – Good Friday Worship at 7:00 pmApril 1 – Easter Sunday Sunrise Worship at 7:00 am Potluck Breakfast after WorshipHospitality CommitteeThe Hospitality Committee met on February 8 and made plans for fellowship and service activities for 2018. The minutes from this meeting are posted in the fellowship hall. There will be a potluck meal each month after worship and the dates are included in the minutes. The first potluck will be March 4 when our pastoral candidate will be visiting. There will be a potluck breakfast after our Easter Sunday Sunrise Service on April 1.Fellowship time on Sunday after worship helps members stay connected, and, of course, everyone enjoys the food that is provided. Please check the sign-up sheet and consider volunteering to help. A suggestion from the Hospitality Committee is for groups of 2 or 3 people do the fellowship food together. Winston-Salem Dash BaseballBaseball season is almost here! In past years a group from the church has gone to Winston-Salem to attend a Dash game. This is a great way to kick off the summer and enjoy good fellowship. It is not too early to make plans, and Larry Wiley has provided a list of dates for home games. Sign-up in the fellowship hall for the date that would work best for you, and we will get together for a night of All-American fun.Clean-up Day March 17A clean-up day is planned for March 17 to work around the church grounds to prepare for Easter. We will get started around 9:00 am. If there is inclement weather the clean-up will be postponed until March 24.Church House ProjectThe Property Committee has been studying the costs involved in removing the church house, and concerns have been raised about the old fuel oil tank in the basement. If this tank leaked oil into the soil, the cost of meeting EPA standards for the clean-up would be far more that the church could afford. Since the actual cost cannot be determined without removing the oil tank, the committee has recommended that the proposal to do away with the church house be set aside at this time. At the March 5, 2017 called congregational meeting when this project was proposed, there were numerous questions and the meeting was continued. Based on the Property Committee recommendation, that meeting is now officially closed.13144520246Music CampRyan Singleton is planning to attend music camp at Lutheridge this summer. If you would like to contribute to help with his camp expenses, please indicate your donation on your envelope. Our congregation will benefit from his camp experiences through his leadership in all areas of music for worship.00Music CampRyan Singleton is planning to attend music camp at Lutheridge this summer. If you would like to contribute to help with his camp expenses, please indicate your donation on your envelope. Our congregation will benefit from his camp experiences through his leadership in all areas of music for worship.Congregational Council 2018Larry Kessler, Gay Matthews, Judy Park, Terry Park,Lisa Singleton, Larry Wiley, Patty Wiley2018 Congregational Council OfficersPresident – Larry WileyVice President – Patty WileyTreasurer – Terry ParkSecretary – Gay Matthews“I Was Hungry Sunday” – March 11Food offerings for Yokefellow will be collected during worship.Peanut Butter and CrackersMarch BirthdaysMarch 3 – Larry KesslerMarch 7 – Debbie ShorttMarch 18 – Jan AtkinsJanuary 2018 Financial StatementGiving $5.032.75 and Expenses $3,510.06Dates to Remember in March 2018EACH TUESDAY – Truck Ministry(4:00 pm – prepare meals and 5:30 pm – distribute them)March 1 – Community Outreach Committee Meeting at 2:30 pmMarch 4 – “Meet and Greet” our Pastoral Candidate Potluck Meal after WorshipMarch 11 – Daylight Saving Time Begins“I Was Hungry Sunday”Called Congregational Meeting after WorshipMarch 15 – Council Meeting at 6:30 pmMarch 17 – Clean-up Day at 9:00 am (March 24 – rain date)March 25 – Palm/Passion SundayMarch 29 – Maundy Thursday Service at 7:00 pmMarch 30 – Good Friday Service at 7:00 pmDates to Remember in April 2018April 1 – Easter Sunrise Service at 7:00 am Potluck Breakfast after WorshipCalled to Serve in March 2018Lector – Don EashAltar – Donna Eash and Gay MatthewsUshers – Wayne Matthews and Betty WillisCommunion Assistant – Jenny WhiticarTellers – Larry Kessler and Gay MatthewsAcolyte – Terry Park1719580316865Sundays in MarchSunday School and Choir at 9:00 a.m.Worship at 10:00 a.m.Fellowship after WorshipHand Bell Practice Noon – 1:00 pm00Sundays in MarchSunday School and Choir at 9:00 a.m.Worship at 10:00 a.m.Fellowship after WorshipHand Bell Practice Noon – 1:00 pmReflections on Lent from Bishop Tim SmithThe penitential seasons of Advent and Lent have always been renewing for me. They are headed somewhere, for all their reservation, to something hopeful and joyous. Even more appealing to me is their invitation to discipline. Sometimes, I fear, we Lutherans are so steeped in the absolute grace of God, the ultimate inefficacy of our works, and the freedom of the Gospel that allows us to “sin boldly”—our justification—that we neglect the spiritual disciplines to which the Gospel calls us, or else we set them aside as one optional part of our whole life rather than the essence of our whole life in Christ, i.e., nurturing that relationship with Jesus as he freely comes to us.“Lent” actually comes from an old Anglo-Saxon word “Lencten,” as in “lengthen,” referring to the lengthening of days or springtime. It begins on Ash Wednesday, 40 days (not counting Sundays—always days of resurrection) before Easter. Easter on April 1 this year, and Ash Wednesday is February 14: April Fools’ Day and Valentine’s Day! The sermons practically write themselves this year! The date of Easter fluctuates, determined as the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox, which means the first Sunday after the first full moon in spring. Lent is about spiritual renewal and growth. For me, spiritual renewal boils down to paying attention to the truth of God’s claim on us in baptism, paying attention to God’s presence in our lives, and paying attention to opportunities we have each day to be the presence of God for others.The word “Christian” appears in the New Testament only twice. The word “disciple” occurs 269 times! “Discipline” and “disciple” come from the same root. To be a disciple is to be a person of discipline. To pay attention. To focus. ELW’s “Invitation to Lent” announces to the congregation on Ash Wednesday, “As disciples of the Lord Jesus we are called to struggle against everything that leads us away from love of God and neighbor. Repentance, fasting, prayer, works of love, self-denial, quiet meditation—the disciplines of Lent—help us to wage our spiritual warfare. I invite you, therefore, to begin on this solemn first day of Lent to recommit yourselves to this struggle.”Many find that “giving something up” for Lent is a helpful and tangible practice of such discipline and a constant reminder of the ultimate sacrifice of Christ to which this season is heading. Some prefer to take something on instead of giving something up, but, let’s face it—it’s the same thing! Every “yes” is a “no,” and every “no” is a “yes.” If we add something to our plate, something else, therefore, won’t fit on the plate. One year I wrote a short thank-you note each day during Lent to people whom I really appreciate but whom I had never really adequately told. In any case, the disciplines of Lent are never intended to imply earned righteousness; they are meant to be our response to God’s great love for us in Christ. They do not bring God closer to us. They bring us closer to God.Lent is intended not as morbidity but as the Church Year’s dose of reality therapy. In our introspection, the deeper we look inside, the more darkness we discover. We are mortal, and in the meantime we are sinful. Lent drives us inward so that the ugliness we find in there drives us outward to the saving work of Christ, accomplished in the cross and resurrection. The core of the Christian message is the gospel (“good news”), which presupposes the bad news of sin and death and the power of the devil. Ash Wednesday reminds us of our mortality, that we are dust, and its extended confession and lack of absolution reminds us of our sinfulness, calling us to repentance, to turning back to God. Our own life of suffering servanthood as we live in this relationship is our discipleship in the world.May Lent’s call to discipline and renewal to you be less of a heavy burden and more of a gracious invitation to “return to the Lord your God.” It’s where we belong and where we are most authentically the beloved ones we are created and redeemed to be!Walking with you,Bishop Tim Smith ................
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