April
Newsletter 2015
THE SEASON OF EASTER
Easter Vigil 5:00 PM; Easter Sunrise 6:30 AM; Easter Day 10:00 AM
Ebenezer Lutheran Church – Port Hudson
The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod
9100 Highway YY Leslie, Missouri
Parsonage 573-459-6432
Church 573-459-6431
Rev. William F. Zastrow, Pastor
Mary Sprick, Secretary
[email protected]
ebenezerlutheranchurch.wordpress.com
From the Pastor’s Desk:
Don’t Be Afraid
So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled
with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Matthew 28:8
"What will Jesus think!" Is that the thought that was going
through the heads of the women? After all, they had brought
burial spices! They were planning to bury him, even though
he had said to them that he was going to rise from the dead.
And, by the way, he had said it enough times and publicly so
that even his enemies knew about his promised resurrection!
And what had the women done?
They'd failed (refused?) to listen! Can we understand why
they hurried away "afraid"? I can understand because I've
failed to listen too! I've failed (refused?) to listen to what my
Savior says to me about ... life, about death, about
forgiveness, about salvation, about how to treat my
spouse/kids/parents/neighbors, etc., etc. I can empathize with
these women! My sins have brought fear to me too!
So it's really important for us to see how Jesus treated his
fear-filled followers: "Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,”
he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped
him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell
my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me”
(Matthew 28:9-10). Wow! Such love! Such assurance! No
words of condemnation. Not even a teasing, "Hey what were
you planning to do with those spices?" :-)
No. Instead, it's wonderful good news! "Do not be afraid!"
Why do they not need to be afraid? Why do they not EVER
need to be afraid? Because they have a Savior who had risen
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from the dead! They have a Savior who has won forgiveness
for them!
Indeed, they never needed to be afraid again because they
have a Savior who loves them dearly! THAT'S how Jesus felt
about them.
And that's how he feels about you too.
Prayer: Risen Savior! Drive my fears away, by assuring me
that you, the risen Savior, love me dearly! In your name I
pray. Amen.
The Parables of Maundy Thursday and Good
Friday
MAUNDY THURSDAY & GOOD FRIDAY SERVICES
10:00 AM and 7:00 PM
Join us for The Parables of Lent, a special series of services
for the season of Lent. Each service in this series focuses on a
biblical parable that connects to Lenten themes.
April 2 – Maundy Thursday, “Receive the Meal” Welcome to Maundy Thursday service based on the parable
of the Great Banquet. In this parable, those in low positions
are invited to a place of honor by the host. We who are
humbled by our sins and outcast by the world are welcomed
by Christ to dine at his Holy Supper. The service includes
readings from Scripture, a children’s sermon, a sermon,
thematic hymns and a celebration of Holy Communion that
help us to remember that we receive the meal as humble
partakers of our Savior’s generosity, being nourished and
sustained by it.
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April 3 - Good Friday, “Receive The Sacrifice”
Welcome to a special Good Friday service based on the
parable of the Landowner and the Tenants. In this parable
tenants in a vineyard kill the son the master sent to gather the
harvest. We are reminded in this service that the Son of God
is killed that we might receive the kingdom. The service
includes readings from Scripture, a children’s sermon, a
sermon and thematic hymns that help us to remember that
when we receive the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, our place
in his kingdom is preserved.
April 4 – Easter Vigil with Holy Communion – Keep
Watch! Stay Awake! The New Light Dawns! 5:00 PM
The Vigil of Easter, celebrated at the end of Holy Saturday
ushers in the celebration of the Resurrection of Our Lord on
Easter Sunday. The Vigil of Easter connects the days of Holy
Week, especially Holy Thursday and Good Friday, with the
ultimate celebration of the resurrection of Jesus from the
dead. In some places throughout the early centuries of the
Church’s life, the people of God would hold vigil, which
means “keep watch,” through the night in expectation of
Christ’s return. A vigil in expectation of the Lord’s return at
Easter became a common feature of the celebration of His
crucifixion and resurrection. The vigil consisted of prayer,
psalms and hymns, and readings, especially from the Old
Testament, culminating in the celebration of the resurrection
at dawn with the Lord’s Supper. As the Church gathered in
vigil, she waited in hopeful expectation for the appearance of
the resurrected Christ in those most recently born in Him, the
newly baptized. During the vigil, those who had prepared
throughout Lent to be joined to Christ were baptized. At the
dawn of the new day at Easter sunrise, the newly baptized
joined the entire Church in the chorus of alleluias at Christ’s
resurrection from the dead.
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April 5 – Easter Sunrise 6:30
With darkened hearts, through gloomy haze,
They faced the morning’s growing rays:
Their Master’s body to adorn,
Not knowing this was Easter morn.
While it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb,
finding it empty. Not knowing that her Lord had been raised,
she ran to Simon Peter and John, panicking that His body had
been taken. They, too, ran to the empty tomb, soon believing.
As Mary wept outside the tomb, Jesus revealed Himself to
her, assuring her of His resurrection.
What joy and what relief Mary must have had! A turn from
thinking her Savior was dead to believing and understanding
the promises He made. What joy and what relief we have.
Our Savior has fulfilled His promises, conquering sin, death,
and the devil, giving us pardon and peace through His death
and resurrection.
The Son of God has conquered night
And reigns in everlasting light!
April 5th – Easter Divine Worship with Holy Communion
10:00 AM.
Of all the things in life, one is number one. Of all the teachings in
the Bible, one is primary. Of all the things in the world, one is
prime. The apostle Paul names what this is in today’s Epistle. He
calls it “of first importance”: “For I delivered to you as of first
importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in
accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was
raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1
Corinthians 15:3–4). The Gospel of Jesus, our Savior, is what is of
first importance. This Easter, celebrate that Jesus’ death, burial,
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and resurrection was all done because your forgiveness and
salvation was of “first importance” to your loving Savior.
April 5 - Easter Breakfast 7:30 AM – The Education
Committee will again host the Easter Breakfast after the
sunrise service on Sunday, April 5, 2015. Plan to join us for
rolls, donuts, ham, breakfast casseroles, juice, coffee and
milk. A free will offering will be taken for the Light of Christ
Chinese Mission in St. Louis, Missouri. Hope to see you
there!
April 5 - Easter Egg Hunt 11:15 AM – Our annual Easter
Egg Hunt will be following the 10:00 AM service on Easter
Sunday. Donations of pre-decorated hard boiled eggs or
plastic eggs would be greatly appreciated. If you choose to
send plastic eggs, please avoid chocolate inside the eggs. If
the weather is warm, it melts! Please bring them on Holy
Saturday or Easter Sunday morning to the kitchen. The hunt
is open to children from birth to age 10 or fourth grade.
April 5 – New Haven Care Center Easter Service – Pastor
Zastrow will have a Holy Communion Service at 1:30 PM at
the New Haven Care Center.
THURSDAY BIBLE STUDY – RESUMES APRIL 23 –
10:00 AM and 7:00 PM
Regrets, Reality, Restoration
The simple truth is life is full of regrets. Imprinted on our
psyches, some resist all attempts at erasure. What do we do
when the condemning memory of past offense(s) won't be
silenced? Is there a way out beyond our backstory? Regrets,
Reality, Restoration shows there is, by sharing the life stories
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of those who have found resolution and victory over the
heartache of their pasts.
Who among us wouldn't like to redo or undo something from
our past? A brief glance backwards is sometimes all the
reminder we need to stop us in our tracks with the sobering
realization that we, too, have been less than decent human
beings. Was it dope? Was it booze? Was it pride and
selfishness? Was it violence? We're all capable of producing
mind-boggling disasters in our lives and the lives of others.
In Regrets, Reality, Restoration you will hear heartfelt stories
from people who have experienced regret in deep and
profound ways. What took place previously in their lives -substance abuse, shunning God and family, a series of highlevel career missteps, taking a life --weren't unpardonable sins
to God. Self-forgiveness and moving forward, however, was
another matter. Depending on your past, you may know
exactly what this means.
See how, even in these individuals' most tormented moments,
it was God's love in Christ Jesus that brought hope to despair
and light to crack the darkness.
Rev. Greg Seltz, Lutheran Hour Speaker, has just concluded a
four part sermon series on the Lutheran Hour on this topic.
Lutheran Laymen’s League Men’s Network has made this
Bible Studies available to all congregations. It is Pastor’s
prayer that many will join this wonderful, informative Bible
Study.
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It’s Cook Book Time!!!
We welcome present and former Church members to submit up
to 5 recipes per person to be included in the Church cook book.
If you have recipes from Church members who are no longer
with us, please submit them along with their picture, if you have
one
If you have any old Church related photos, (picnics, Ladies Aid,
luncheons/dinners, Church or buildings, etc….) and don’t mind us
possibly using them in the book, please submit with a note about
the photo. If you would like your photo returned, please include
your name and address.
There are 2 ways to submit recipes/photos: you can put them in
the red box in the back of Church marked RECIPES or you can
email them to [email protected].
The deadline to submit is April 15th. No recipes can be
accepted after that date.
If you would be interested in buying a cookbook, please
indicate that on one of your recipe submissions. We are trying to
get an idea of how many we might need to order. The price will be
given at a later date.
If you have any questions, you can call:
Nancy Quinn 573-459-3344
Dana Kasman 636-583-8516
Mary Wesche 573-459-2046
Julie Crego
636-358-3010
Family Game Night
Do you like board games, card games, Wii games? Join us for a
Family Game Night, April 18th at 6:30 PM (following the evening
service). Bring a dish to share for a light supper and enjoy an
evening of fun and fellowship. There will be games and cards
available but if you have a favorite, please feel free to bring it
along! For more information, please give Mary Wesche a call at
573-459-2046.
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Notes of Appreciation
THANK YOU to all who came to the dinner for the American
Cancer Society. Over $2200 was collected to aid in cancer
research. Your help was appreciated so much!
THANK YOU to all those who helped cook chili on Saturday,
brought desserts on Sunday and especially to those who came to
enjoy the good food on Sunday, March 15th. The free will offering
totaled $300 which was delivered to Leslie Food Pantry last week.
New! Thrivent Member Network
Thrivent Financial proudly presents the Thrivent Member
Network. As a fraternal benefit society, we have local member
groups all over the country. As a member, you’re part of one.
Today that member group is call a chapter system and in the future
we are transitioning members to the Thrivent Member Network.
It was created based on member input, in order to appeal to and
engage more people in a way that is meaningful to them as
member-owners of Thrivent. And in a way that supports the
misson of Thrivent to help more people be wise with money and
live generously so that more families and communities thrive.
We listened to our members who said the chapter system is too
complex and we are responding by reducing the administrative
burden placed on so many members. This means chapters in your
region will close on June 30, 2015. Beginning on July 1, members
will be part of the Thrivent Member Network where a regional
board of three to ten members will provide governance,
accountability and strategic insight and monitoring of operations
and initiatives to help Thrivent leaders achieve its mission in the
region. We’ve transitioned members in other regions from the
chapter system to the Thrivent Member Network and the response
from members has been overwhelmingly positive.
We’ve also made it easier for you to make a difference in your
community through a new member program called Thrivent Action
Teams. All members can volunteer to lead a one-time project team
to support a cause they care abou through a fundraiser, service
activity or educational event. As a member of Thrivent, you will
continue to have the opportunity to participate in Thrivent Builds
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with Habitat for Humanity, direct Thrivent Choice dollars and
attend financial workshops and other events within the region. To
learn more about these programs and all the benefits of
memberships, visit Thrivent.com.
You’re invited to a Virtual Member Meeting – Want to know
how Thrivent Financial did in 2014 and where we’re headed in the
future? Join us online for our Virtual Member Meeting on April
23 at 7:30 PM Central time.
For more information contact Cathy Quillin
[email protected].
April Birthdays
Jennifer Huellinghoff
4/1
Jane Schroeder
4/7
Paul Kassebaum
4/8
Tim Huellinghoff
4/10
Kathleen Monzyk
4/10
Mia Louise Gardner
4/12
Marvin Kassebaum
4/13
Cody Brunkhorst
4/13
Jeff Hohlt
4/13
Lowell Kassebaum
4/14
Danika Donatti
4/14
Pat Cardwell
4/15
Aiden Harter
4/16
Wilma Helling
4/17
Donald Hoemann
4/21
Janette Bauche
4/21
Michael Glosemeyer 4/23
Roy Brunkhorst
4/23
David Brune
4/25
Lloyd Kassebaum
4/28
Brandi Brune
4/28
Alyssa Bopp
4/29
Aubree Southerland
4/29
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April Anniversaries
Charles and Diane Luechtefeld
Robert and Donna Kirschenmann
Jeff and Dawn Brunkhorst
Eugene and Kathy Scheer
Warren and Janette Bauche
Felix and Rosemary Frye
Anthony and Becky Allmeroth
Douglas and Ashley Compton
Albert and Marilyn Bade
4/8
4/9
4/16
4/20
4/21
4/21
4/26
4/26
4/27
We wish all of you a very Blessed Birthday and Anniversary!!!
If your birthday or anniversary is not listed or listed incorrectly, please let Mary Sprick know.
Little Boy’s Explanation of God
Someone sent this to Karen Sprick. We hope you will enjoy
this….This was written by an 8 year old boy who lives in
California. He wrote this for his third grade homework
assignment, to explain God.
EXPLANATION OF GOD: “One of God’s main jobs is making
people. He makes them to replace the ones that die, so there will be
enough people to tae care of things on earth. He doesn’t make
grownups, just babies. I think because they are smaller and easier
to make. That way he doesn’t have to take up his valuable time
teaching them to talk and walk. He can just leave that to mothers
and fathers”.
“God’s second most important job is listening to prayers. An
awful lot of this goes on, since some people, like preachers and
things, pray at times beside bedtime. God doesn’t have time to
listen to the radio or TV because of this. Because he hears
everything, there must be a terrible lot of noise in his ears, unless
he has thought of a way to turn it off.”
“God sees everything and hears everything and is everywhere
which keeps Him pretty busy. So you shouldn’t go wasting his
time by going over your mom and dad’s head asking for something
they said you couldn’t have.”
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“Atheists are people who don’t believe in God. I don’t think there
are any here where I live. At least there aren’t any who come to
our church.”
“Jesus is God’s Son. He used to do all the hard work, like walking
on water and performing miracles and trying to teach the people
who didn’t want to learn about God. They finally got tired of him
preaching to them and they crucified him. But he was good and
kind, like his father, and he told his father that they didn’t know
what they were doing and to forgive them and God said O.K.”.
“His dad (God) appreciated everything that he had done and all his
hard work on earth so he told him he didn’t have to go out on the
road anymore. He could stay in heaven. So he did. And now he
helps his dad out by listening to prayers and seeing things which
are important for God to take care of and which ones he can take
care of himself without having to bother God. Like a secretary,
only more important”.
“You can pray anytime you want to and they are sure to help you
because they got it worked out so one of them is on duty all the
time.”
“You should always go to church on Sunday because it makes God
happy, and if there’s anybody you want to make happy, it’s God”.
“Don’t skip church to do something you think will be more fun
Like going to the beach. This is wrong. And besides the sun
doesn’t come out at the beach until noon anyway.”
“If you don’t believe in God, besides being an atheist, you will be
very lonely, because your parents can’t go everywhere with you,
like to camp, but God can. It is good to know he’s around when
you’re scared, in the dark or when you can’t swim and you get
thrown into real deep water by big kids.”
“But…you shouldn’t just think of what God can do for you. I
figure God put me here and he can take me back anytime he
pleases.”
“And….that’s why I believe in God.”
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Usher Schedule for April
1: Donald Hoemann
2: Adam Brune
3: Lawrence Pelster
4: Alan Hilkerbaumer
5: Elmer Kellmann
Alternate: Paul Brune
Head Usher: Marvin Kassebaum
Altar Guild for April
Barb Gilbert and Mary Adams
Bell Ringer Schedule for April
April 5: Corey Adams
April 12: Paul Kassebaum
April 19: Jeff Hohlt
April 26: Corey Adams
Recyle Report
We are pleased to report the addition of $29.50 for recycle
aluminum, $32.00 for recycle paper, and $15.00 for cash
donations from the Sunday School birthday bank.
This brings our grand total for recycle aluminum to $4742.20
and the grand total for all recycle to $9,091.85. Thank you for
your help and support for our recycle program to help our
missionaries.
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Monthly Treasurer’s Summary
February 2015
Beginning checking balance
Receipts
Disbursements
Ending checking balance
$26,414.41
$8,266.50
$10,803.48
$23,877.43
LCEF savings balance
Thrivent FPDA balance
$35,020.38
$20,416.18
Pledged to Missouri District for year
Paid to Missouri District this year-to-date
$4,800.00
$800.00
Year-to-date income less expenses
-$9,545.96
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APRIL 2015
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
1
Friday
2
Maundy Thursday
Worship with Holy
Communion 10:00 AM
& 7:00 PM
Confirmation 6:30 PM
Choir 7:45
5
Easter Sunday
Sunrise Service 6:30 AM
Easter Breakfast 7:30 AM
Sunday School 9:00 AM
Worship w/ Holy Communion
10:00 AM
Easter Egg Hunt 11:30 AM
Worship at Nursing Home 1:30
6
Pastor Vacation Lake of
the Ozarks
8
3
Good Friday
Service 10:00 AM and
7:00 PM
9
Pastor Vacation Lake of
the Ozarks
13
Pastor & Margaret
return from St. Paul
Concordia
10
Ladies Aid 1:30 PM
19
26
Sunday School 9:00 AM
Worship 10:00 AM
11
Worship 5:00 PM
14
Elders 7:00 PM
15
Confirmation 6:30
PM
16
17
18
Worship with Holy
Comunion 5:00 PM
Officers Meeting 7:00
PM
Pastor & Margaret to St. Paul Concordia leaving in the PM
Sunday School 9:00 AM
Worship w/ Holy Communion
10:00 AM
4
Resurrection of Our
Lord: Vigil of Easter
Worship with Holy
Comunion 5:00 PM
No Confirmation
12
Sunday School 9:00 AM
Worship 10:00 AM
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Pastor Vacation Lake
of the Ozarks
Saturday
Game Night April 18 at
6:30 PM
20
Voter’s
Meeting 7:30
PM
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Education and
Sunday School
Teacher’s 7:00 PM
28
22
Confirmation 6:30
PM
29
Confirmation 6:30
PM
23
Bible Class 10:00 AM
& 7:00 PM
30
Bible Class 10:00 AM
& 7:00 PM
24
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St. Mark, Evangelist
Worship 5:00 PM