Clover Sites



Sean Ewbank, Pastor ST. THOMAS LUTHERAN CHURCH

Edward R. Aller, Pastor Emeritus

9393 Church Road

Grosse Ile, MI 48138

(734) 675-0005; (734) 675-8807

Fax: (734)675-5068

Pastor Sean: (734) 250-1655

Emails: pastorsean@ office@ Website:

FEBRUARY 2013

Happy February, Everyone!

In a month filled with holidays dedicated to weather forecasting rodents, presidents, and love itself, the church begins its annual journey toward the cross and the empty tomb. Lent begins this year on February 13th with Ash Wednesday.

The season of Lent marks the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. Lent is a time for reflection and activities and practices that help our faith to attain depth. Here are a few things that might help you during your Lenten journey:

1. The practice of giving up something for Lent is an old one. The idea is that we give something up that we will miss. Hopefully there are two benefits. First we can hope that what we give up was perhaps a negative or time consuming habit. We reap the benefit of not suffering its negative influence. Also, the change in our life itself becomes a benefit as the absence gives us time and space to perhaps replace what is missing with something better. Possible things to be given up might include a particular food, time sinks on the internet or television, or even a potentially destructive habit or addiction such as smoking or alcohol.

2. Adding something for Lent is a newer concept, but no less valid. The idea here is to add a behavior to our lives that is positive. Writing notes, speaking words of kindness, or performing acts of politeness once each day are possibilities. The one caution I offer here is that for many of us, our lives are very busy already and seeking to add things, even good and wonderful things, can push us toward an unhealthy stress point. Perhaps the best idea is to combine these first two steps.

3. Devotional practices are often brought to the forefront in Lent. Beginning or strengthening an existing practice of daily Bible Reading and/or Prayer are excellent ideas. Here at St Thomas we will be offering a daily reading guide for Lent that will cover 4 books of the Bible by reading one chapter each day. Care to commit to that challenge?

The sermons during our Lenten season will focus on us deepening our faith and the living of it on a daily basis. May this Lenten season be one filled with blessings for you.

Peace, Hope, Love, and Joy,

Pastor Sean

ASH WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13

Our Lenten journey begins with ashes (for those who desire them) and communion for all. Worship is at 7:00PM

following a 6:00PM Soup Supper

sponsored by St. Thomas WELCA.

SCHEDULE FOR MIDWEEK CLUSTER

LENTEN WORSHIP SERVICES

BEGIN FEBRUARY 20

[pic]

6:00 PM SOUP & SANDWICH MEAL

7:00 PM HOLDEN EVENING PRAYER WORSHIP

EVENING PRAYER SCHEDULE

 February 20 at ST. PHILIP LUTHERAN

1714 Fort Street in Trenton

Preacher: Pastor Rick Hogan

February 27 at IMMANUEL LUTHERAN

17125 Fordline {south off of Pennsylvania} in Riverview

Preacher: Pastor Ted Aller

March 6 at FAITH LUTHERAN - 25402 Arsenal (south off of Van Horn) in Brownstown

Preacher: Pastor Troy Jacobson

March 13 at PEACE LUTHERAN, 12250 Fort St in Southgate

Preacher: Pastor Sean Ewbank

March 20 at St. Thomas – 9393 Church Road at Meridian, Grosse Ile

Preacher: Pastor Kirstin Tannas

Host congregation supplies the SOUP,

beverages, place-settings, and dessert

The “visiting congregations” supply the SANDWICHES

ST. THOMAS WELCA

The WELCA group of St. Thomas will hold their next business meeting on Thursday, March 14 at 10:00am in the fellowship hall. All ladies are invited to attend. Please join in!

FEBRUARY MEN’S LUNCH GROUP

                         

Getting tired of the cold weather?  Let's start thinking summer.  Come Wednesday, February 5, at 12:00 noon for a summer lunch.  We'll have Coney dogs and whatever tasty treat that goes along with them.  At that time we'll talk about the planning of the March wild game lunch.  I received a phone call from a high school friend, Frenchie.  He has moved to northeastern Ontario in the village of Hoot.  How did the village get the name of Hoot?  It was named Hoot because the area is over populated with Hoot Owls.  This does not bother the population of 18 residents because they are known as the village where the men are good looking and the women strong.  Frenchie says the Muskrat trapping is doing very well.  He will be sending us some shortly and I will be storing them in our church kitchen freezers.  We will be reporting about the rest of the menu in our next newsletter. Write down on your calendar Wednesday, May 15 for the Women and Girls Dinner.  Men will arrive at 4:00 to help set up.  Dinner will be served at 6:00 PM.  A program will follow.  Here we are talking about the middle of May and the January cold spell will be a passing pleasant memory.  Looking forward to seeing you, bring a friend.

 

Dick Withey

BEGINNING GUITAR LESSONS

SUNDAYS FEBRUARY 10 & 17 7:00PM

(After youth night)

Several people – all different ages – have expressed an interest in learning to play the guitar. Join us as we begin with some basics and how to tune it. Bring your own instrument. If you have questions, ask Karen Skrocki 675-4827.

BAPTISM

On January 13

St. Thomas welcomed

Margaret(Maggie) Dewey Arndt

into God’s Family

by infant baptism.

Parents are Bob & Becky Arndt

Maggie joins sisters Bridget, Delaney and Monica

Godparents are Matthew and Katherine Landis.

SCOUT SUNDAY FEBRUARY 3

On February 3 St. Thomas will observe Scout Sunday.  We have Boy and Girl Scouts in our congregation, and we are proud to highlight their community service and faith on this special Sunday.  Our Scouts will be serving as greeters, ushers, and in other capacities during our worship service.  

TIME TO ORDER EASTER FLOWERS!

Available are: 5+ Bloom Lilies - $8.50, Double Lilies - $16, Daffodils - $6.75, Hyacinths - $6.75, Tulips - $6.75, Mums - $7.00 to place on the altar for Easter Sunday. Hydrangeas and Azaleas are also available for $14. 25 each. Please sign up on the bulletin board if you would like to provide any of these. We need to order by March 11. (Please place payment for flowers in the offering basket marked ”For Easter Flowers.”) Your flowers may be picked up after the 10:30 a.m. Easter worship service.

GAME NIGHT

[pic]

Saturday March 2 at 6:30pm

Join us for an evening of games and fun. This will be an evening of playing simple games and

enjoying social conversation. Please invite your friends to this adult only event. Cost $5 for beverages and pizza. Bring a snack or a desert if you want. Please call Marge Noyce at 734-671-5969 or e-mail her hapidrjack@ if you are coming or you have any questions. There will also be a sign-up sheet in the hall.

BIRTHDAYS

During the month of February we wish the

following a very Happy Birthday!

Aaron Bickel 2/03

Sonny Ouellette 2/06

Cheryl Shelton 2/06

Greg Brown 2/09

Paul Smolak 2/13

Courtney Gluski 2/19

Anne Holmes 2/20

Maggie Holmes 2/21

Collin Bammer 2/21

Camden Finazzo 2/22

Stephen Shelton 2/23

Christopher Shelton 2/25

George Nelson 2/29

CAMP REGISTRATION

Register for our week at MichiLuCa, July 14-19, by following our links on the website!  Look under the "YOUTH" tab.

Elementary camp (completed grades 3-5)

Confirmation camp (completed grades 6-7)

High School camp (completed grades 8-12)

Mission Camp - everyone else! 

Children too young to help with our building renovation projects will be supervised by camp staff.  Mission camp will include service work time, as well as worship, fellowship, hiking, swimming, campfires and more!

Student campers can complete their registrations on line.  Families and individuals registering for Mission Camp can print out the paperwork and turn it in to Krista Ewbank.  Talk to Krista or Pastor Sean for more information, or pick up the printed paperwork in the office.

[pic]

Celebrating 50 Years

This year we celebrate 50 years of ministry for St Thomas. We were formed back in 1963. This month I would like to share with you some things that happened that year.

• January 1963 - George Wallace becomes governor of Alabama, with a fiery speech about segregation. African American student Harvey Gantt enters Clemson University in South Carolina, the last US state to hold out against racial integration.

• February 1963 - NWA flight 705 crashes in Florida. Betty Frieden publishes The Feminist Mystique.

• March 1963 - Singer Patsy Cline is killed in a plane crash. Alcatraz Island Prison is closed with its last 27 prisoners transferred elsewhere.

• April 1963 - US nuclear submarine Thresher sinks in the Atlantic. Martin Luther King Jr. issues his Letters from a Birmingham Jail.

• May 1963 - The Coca-Cola Company releases its first diet drink—Tab Cola. Mercury 9 launches, the last of the Mercury missions.

• On the 13th of May St Thomas is chartered with 60 adults and 41 children. 74% of today’s membership, including Pastor Sean, has not even been born yet.

• June 1963- Medgar Evers is assassinated in Mississippi. President John Kennedy delivers his famous speech in Berlin.

• July 1963 - ZIP codes are introduced for the first time.

• August 1963 - The US, UK, and USSR sign a nuclear test ban treaty. Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his famous “I have a dream” speech in Washington, DC.

• September 1963 - The Pro Football Hall of Fame opens in Canton, OH with 17 charter members.

• October 1963- A gas explosion at the Indiana State Fair during a Holiday on Ice performance kills 74

• November 1963 - President Kennedy is assassinated in Dallas, Texas. Lyndon Johnson becomes president.

• December 1963 - I Want to Hold Your Hand and I Saw Her Standing There are released in the US marking the beginning of full scale Beatlemania.

A SPECIAL THANK YOU

Dear Church Family,

Thank you so much for all your prayers, cards, phone calls, flowers, visits and

the food! All of your positive energy,

love and support have encouraged me

to work hard at my rehabilitation from

hip surgery. Thanks to all of you, I am recovering quickly. May God bless you

as much as you have blessed me.

Freida & Dr. Bob Dickason

Sympathies of the congregation are

extended to Cheryl Beuther and family

for the loss of Cheryl’s son, Jason Beuther

and her mother, Gerry Hoff in January.

αβαβαβ

Sympathies of the congregation are extended to Kate Lafayette and family

Whose father passed away on January 12.

Kate has been co-leading our current sermon series (Light into Darkness) with Pastor Sean.

ANNUAL MEETING

The annual meeting of St. Thomas took place on Sunday, January 27.

Joining current council members Paula Riley, Jay Blackburn, Gayle Mitchell, Erin Shelton, John Shelton, Lori Bartos, and Tim Perry is Bob Arndt. The youth representative is Morgan Bammer. Karen Kujala continues to serve as treasurer.

Council President John Shelton presented the 2012 annual report. The 2012 budget of $271, 269 was presented for approval last December and was

included in the annual report. Committee Reports were presented with no questions being raised. St. Thomas looks forward to another blessed year ahead.

FEBRUARY SERVANTS OF ST. THOMAS

DATE |SERVICE |GREETERS |USHERS |10:00 AM COFFEE HOST |LAY READERS |ALTAR CARE |COMMUNION ASSISTANTS |ACOLYTES |5:00PM YOUTH MEALS | |February 3

Epiphany 4 |9:00am |  |Corey Bammer, Paul Smolak, Adam Bickel, Aaron Bickel

  |  |Marcia Aller | 

Marge Noyce

 

and

 

Libby Rowe

 

  |Darcie & Corey Bammer |Kate Bickel |Becky Arndt | |  |10:30am |Pete & Sandi Loso | |  |Bob Arndt | |Al Skrocki & Marcia Steger |Ryan Blackburn |  | |February 10

Epiphany 5 |9:00am |  |Judy Cemer, Sonny Ouellette, Bob Arndt

  |  |Art Wahl | |Sal & Cheryl Finazzo |Kiernan O'Connor |Cheryl Finazzo | |  |10:30am |Agnes Kujala and Elke Malcomson | |  |George Thompson | |Mark & Nancy Graver |Allie Graver |  | |February 13

Ash Wednesday |7:00pm |  |  |Soup Supper - Doris Nissley & Ethel Yops |Pastor Sean | |Stuart & Denise Keeler |Katie Graver & Danielle Thompson |* | |February 17

Lent 1 |9:00am |  |Matt Shelton, George Thompson, George Nelson

  |  |Ethel Yops | |Judy Cemer & Dan Sanquist |Need Volunteer |Judy Cemer | |  |10:30am |Harvey & Doris Nissley | |  |Diane Bloetscher | |Carol Viazanko & Erin Shelton |Maddy Davis |  | |February 24

Lent 2 |9:00am |  |Fred Karn, Elke Malcomson, Carol Viazanko, Gayle Withey

  |  |Grace Biggar | |Sal & Cheryl Finazzo |Haley Swamey |Susan Vergowven | |  |10:30am |Sonny & Debbie Ouellette | |  |Erin Shelton |  |Darcie & Corey Bammer |Matt Graver |  | |

COFFEE HOSTS NEEDED: Please sign up on the bulletin board to host a Sunday Coffee time following the 9:00am service. You need only to provide a sweet and a non-sweet snack, keep coffee going and simple clean up.

COORDINATOR NEEDED FOR LENTEN SOUP SUPPER MARCH 20

ST. THOMAS’ TURN TO SPONSOR THE LENTEN WORSHIP SERVICE AND SOUP SUPPER IS MARCH 20. A COORDINATOR IS NEEDED to ORGANIZE set up, soup and dessert providers and clean up help. The visiting churches will supply the sandwiches. If you are interested, please speak to Carol in the office or indicate so on your connection card.

THRIVENT MEMBERS

CHOICE DOLLARS

Thrivent Financial for Lutheran has $40,000,000 Choice Dollars designated for qualifying members to donate. You may qualify to choose a recipient for a portion of these funds. St. Thomas Lutheran Church, and many other charities are on the list. The 2012 money will expire on March 31, 2013.

There are 3 ways to join this program and find out if you qualify

1. Call Thrivent at 1-800-847-2836 and say “ Thrivent Choice”

2. Online – visit thriventchoice

3. Contact your Thrivent Representative to help with your request

This process, to select the recipient, needs to be done annually. Previously, only 36% of these funds were designated.

FEBRUARY 2013

[pic]

LOOKING AHEAD

• Game Night is Saturday, March 3 @6:30pm

• Daylight Savings begins March 10.

• Holy Week begins March 24 with Palm Sunday. Easter is March 31.

[pic][pic]

-----------------------

[

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download