Announcements for March 9: 1st Sunday in Lent

EXTENDED, PLEASE HELP: National Youth Gathering Auction: Request for Donations to Support Our Youth!

This auction is our largest fundraiser in support of the National Youth Gathering. We invite you to offer items for auction in one of three categories: food, service, or miscellaneous. Food examples: cake or cookies baked to order, jar of homemade applesauce, etc. Service examples: yardwork, errands, tutoring, photo session, computer help, etc. Misc. examples: hosted game night with cooking for 4, pool party, boardgame basket, movie night basket, skilled hand-made jewelry, etc. Ultimately, anything you are good at, or any common interest, can be turned into a service or other item! Please click here to sign-up to donate.

National Youth Gathering Auction: Sunday, March 23 after worship

Please plan to attend and purchase items in support of our youth. Lunch provided, more info coming soon.

Lenten Small Groups

Be on the look out for an email from Pastor Clark!

Emergency Prayer Team Up and Running

The new Emergency Prayer Team is now up and running. Call this team for instant prayer when there is a life-threatening emergency (ONLY). This team will serve alongside our regular prayer list and procedure for all other prayers. To reach this team, you may call any of the following: Mary Jo Dubie (574-298-1432), Marion Mueller (920-378-775), or Sharon Csaszar (574-904-1411). Thanks to all on the team for the service to the Body of Christ!

Sunday Adult Bible Study, 9am: Confessional Lutherans in the Wider Body

We continue our pilgrimage into the Protestant traditions. This week we hear the “Anabaptist Story” before turning more directly to the theology and the further “branches” we see today (Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist, Mennonite, Pentecostal, etc.). Never too late to join us!

Updated Directories – *Update*

Renee goofed. The “new” directories last week did not include new members. So you have two options.

1. Keep the new directory you picked up last week, but grab the single page INSERT from the back table at church this Sunday. It has all the info on the new members, plus an additional update.
2. If that’s just not going to work for you, we printed a limited quantity up updated versions with all the additions and corrections, and you can grab one of those.

As Pastor Borger said Sunday, the great thing about printing these in-house is that we can run updates pretty frequently. So, do not let your hearts be troubled. A full run of freshly updated directories will likely be forthcoming before you know it. Let Renee know if you have updated contact info, so we can keep all our data accurate!

Food Pantry Plea

Our MAC Food pantry has a desperate need for toilet paper, paper towels, and feminine hygiene products. If we could each bring in one package of one of these things, that would be a great help to the folks they serve. Thank you!

Call for Christmas Trees!

We are STILL LOOKING for artificial Christmas trees for our VBS program in the summer of 2025. If you have one that you are ready to get rid of, please let Krista Hunt know. We’d be happy to collect it now or anytime before summer if you don’t plan to keep it for next December. Another option would be if you have a tree you would be willing to loan us for the week during VBS, consider packing it up and leaving in an accessible location to make a quick grab from your storage area in June. Green trees in all sizes, styles, and shapes would be welcomed. Thank you for keeping us in mind!

Save the Date! Family Game Night, Friday, March 14

Thank You – and Thanks be to God!

• For Krista Hunt, who did a great deal of advance planning and prepping to have our Lenten resource bags available for families ahead of Ash Wednesday.
• For Dave Homann, who is carrying a lion’s share in getting things ready for the National Youth Gathering.
• For Matt Rockwell, our custodian, who is doing an amazing job keeping the floors clean (especially in mopping the fellowship hall floor – what a job that is!) from all the salt being tracked in.
• Thanks be to God for these humble servants.

Resurrection Lutheran Academy (RLA)
News, Info, and Ministry Opportunities

Bible Studies & Ministry Updates and Opportunities

Sunday Servants Gather Before Worship

All who help lead the Divine Service gather promptly at 10:05am to take 3 minutes to prepare their hearts and minds for worship. If you are serving as altar guild, usher, crucifer/acolyte, lector, greeter, tech person, elder, musician/dancer, doorkeeper or other HEART member, etc. on a particular Sunday, please come together for quick introductions and short prayer led by Deaconess Amy Smessaert. Together, we will ask God to bless our service to God’s people as we live connected in spiritual formation in Christ. All confirmands and parents are encouraged to participate, whether or not you are serving on that Sunday.   

Winter Mid-Week Bible Studies

THURSDAY MORNING, 9am at church: we meet in the “library area” of the narthex. Our next study on the book of James begins late February. We’d love for you to join us! Connect with Paula Ryan or call Renee in the office (574-255-5585).

FRIDAY NIGHT: 1st and 3rd Fridays 6:30pm: we meet in the fellowship hall. Hosts offer dinner from 6:30-7, with study beginning at 7 and lasting about an hour, usually. We begin this new year with a study of Isaiah! If you’ve never been part of this group and would like to join, please see John Schroeder or Mike Fonck. All are welcome!

Pick Your Next Usher Date!

Thanks to everyone who has served as an usher or part of an usher team. It’s time to pick another date to serve! Please sign up on the Sunday Servants sheet on the slat wall. You can see the specific list of duties, with video demos, here. A veteran usher will assist you and teach you one extra duty beyond communion each time you serve.

Offerings
General Fund: $7799
RLA: $55

Worship Attendance
Sunday 3/2: 123
Ash Wednesday: 83

M.A.C. Food Pantry
• 56 pounds this week
• most needed right now: TOILET PAPER and PAPER TOWELS, plus feminine hygiene products, are desperately needed; CRACKERS; jelly/preserves; Jello-O; Rice-a-Roni; bags of rice; pasta: noodles, bow-tie, elbow, spaghetti; boxed potatoes; canned tuna; toilet paper; feminine hygiene; adult diapers; Jiffy; side dishes
Contact Cindy Matthews (574) 855-3504 for more information.

Braille Bible Team
• 14 copies of Galatians-Philemon in Spanish this week
Contact Sharon Csaszar (574) 904-1411 or Sandy Ellis (574) 220-3636 for more information.

Sewing Quilt Team
• 5 quilts this week
Through the program year, the sewing group meets Tuesdays to cut squares, size sheets, assemble backs and fronts of quilts, iron sheets, sew and pin quilts. Participants of ANY skill level from the least to the greatest are welcome. If you are interested in this human care ministry, contact Helga Platz (574) 514-3751 for more information.

Prayer Requests may be submitted by:

• Using the convenient on-line Submit New Prayer Request Here Link
• Adding written prayers to the “Our Gathering Prayers” form on Sunday morning