August 9th, 2020

NAZ NEWS

ANNOUNCEMENTS

♦ Please join us for in-person worship services at Nazareth

every Sunday at 9 a.m. and 10:45 a.m.

♦ The Nazareth Church Offices are open from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00

p.m., Monday through Thursday, and from 9:00 a.m. to noon

on Friday. The Naz Food and Essentials Pantry continues to

serve clients...and donations may be delivered to Door #1

during office hours.

Grace and peace be with you!

For the remainder of the summer, we will be taking a journey together through the book of Romans. In essence, this book is a

Love Letter. The theme running through Paul’s letter to the Romans is the revelation of God’s righteousness - His love-filled plan

for salvation through Jesus Christ.

Be well! Be loving! Be courageous! Be The Church!

In Christ,

Pastor Brian King

“DRIVE-UP” COMMUNION

Nazareth will begin to offer Drive-up Communion for those

who are not yet coming back to face-to-face worship.

Please call the Naz office at 319-266-7589 to reserve a

time (between 9-11 a.m. each Wednesday). Communion

will be provided outside Door #7 near the Chapel. Those

who are serving Communion will wear gloves and a mask.

Home Communion is also available on a limited basis up-

on request.

With any questions, please con-

tact Andy Walser, Naz’s Director

of Visitation Ministry, by calling

him in the church office at 319-

266-7589 or by sending him an

email at andy.walser@naz.org.

CONNECT WITH US Address: 7401 University Avenue, Cedar Falls, Iowa 50613 Phone: 319-266-7589 Email: info@naz.org Website: www.naz.org Facebook: www.facebook.com/MyNazareth Instagram: www.instagram.com/mynazchurch

YOUR GENEROUS SUPPORT IS APPRECIATED! As we deeply desire to continue to do the ministry God has called us to do here at Nazareth, your continued generous support of prayers, service, and financial gifts is so im-portant. Even while we are apart physically, giving is still possible online at www.naz.org/give. You can also mail your donation to the church office or use the free GIVE+ Mobile App (by searching “GIVE PLUS CHURCH” in the app store). We truly cannot do this without you and are deep-

ly grateful for your continued partnership!

Stay Tuned for Fall activity updates at Nazareth as CHAOS, BigHouse, and BASIC kick off the school-

year in August, and KidzRock in September!

WORSHIP

♦ "Beautiful Are the Feet That Bring Good News"

FLOWERS

♦ Altar: The flowers at the altar are in celebration of Don and Nadine Lilleskov’s wedding anniversary.

♦ Pulpit: The flowers at the pulpit are in celebration of David Duncan’s 80th birthday (June 8th).

GO BEYOND…

Use the “Read It”, “Watch It” and “Live It” recommendations to apply

this Sunday’s sermon to your everyday happenings. And/or, gather

with a small group to discuss the sermon and do life together! Not

connected with a Naz small group yet? Email Pastor Bob Ericson at

bob.ericson@naz.org to learn more or join a group.

DIGEST THE WORD...

Read the scripture passages from the week’s Sunday’s Worship Ser-

vice and reflect on the sermon and on these questions to help

you live out God’s Word in your everyday life. Or, use these ques-

tions in your Naz Small Group to discuss and apply each week’s

scripture and sermon!

Digest the Word Cont...

How did this passage and sermon challenge or encourage

you?

What questions do you have about this topic?

What does this passage teach you about who God is?

What are the personal implications (for you)?

What does this mean for the Church as a whole?

READ IT! Please continue to read and re-read Paul’s letter to the Romans. I would also encourage you to think about your own journey of discipleship as you read a book like John Bun-yan’s Pilgrim’s Progress. This 1678 allegory is regarded as one of the most significant works of religious, theological fic-tion in English literature.

WATCH IT! Watch the Bible Project’s two-part video sum-mary of the Book of Romans. For a longer, more dramatic video to set some of the context under which the Book of Ro-mans was written, consider watching Paul, Apostle of Christ from Affirm Films in 2018.

LIVE IT! Though there is some debate over his actual author-ship of each of the 13 New Testament letters attributed to Paul, his letters were powerful witness to the faith and teach-ing of the early followers of Christ and have profoundly shaped the lives of millions of believers. In the spirit of Paul, take time this week to write a personal letter to a friend or loved one that expresses something of your own faith journey and your care and concern for the one to whom you choose to write. Let them know how valuable they are to you and to God, and ex-press your care for them and your prayers for them. Your let-ter is apt to be a special blessing to the one who receives it!

PRAYER AT THE CROSSROADS Please join the Pastors and others every Monday at 12:00 noon for “Prayer at the CROSSroads” this summer—10-15 minutes focused on sharing God’s Word and praying for the healing, strength, and peace of our community, nation, and world. This is a great opportunity to begin your week in prayer, and anyone is welcome to join us! “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

We express our deepest sympathies to these members as they mourn the recent deaths of loved ones:

♦ Jacques Dubois and family following the death of his wife, Kathy, on June 30 ♦ Brad Brown and family on the death of his mother, Joyce Fitkin, on July 4 ♦ Nadine Lilleskov and family on the death of her brother, Donald Kuch, on July 14 ♦ Larry Brown and family on the death of his mother, Geri Calvert, on July 17 ♦ Bill Bright and family on the death of his wife, Maxine, on July 21 ♦ Family and friends of Sharon Thayer who passed away on July 21

Masks for Highland Elementary

WHO: Partner School of Nazareth, Highland Elementary School, Waterloo WHAT: Our partner school, Highland Elementary, will be requiring masks for their 500-600 students. Since back-to- school backpack projects are not happening, this is a project you can help with. HOW: You can sew masks (pattern directions available on-line or attached) or purchase some. The masks will need to:

• Be solid colors or simple designs. No licensed characters (like Disney, cartoon characters) or words. • Have adjustable elastic bands since we will have a variety of ages and sizes of kids. • These bands will be available at the Church office in packages of 100 (makes 50 masks) while supplies last.

WHEN: NOW! School is scheduled to start August 24th. • Masks need to be at the Church office by August 16th. • Please place in a bag according to size - Student Small or Student Medium or Student Large. We will need mostly student small and student medium sizes.

Questions or in need of material? Call Marty Mullnix at 319-269-7176 or email at mapanix@cfu.net.

Thank you to all who participated in the recent Blood Drive at Nazareth Lutheran Church! The American Red Cross and Duane Rippe, coordinator for Naz Blood Drive, appreciates the outpour of support! During these uncertain times, giving blood is more important than ever! Stay tuned for the next Blood Drive sched-uled for Thursday, December 17 at Nazareth.

“Love thy Neighbor as Thyself”

Matthew 22:39

FALL SIX-WEEK SERMON SERIES AND SMALL GROUP STUDY

The Good and Beautiful LIFE:

Putting on the Character of Christ

“I have never met a person whose goal was to ruin his or her life. We all want to be happy, and we want it all of the time.” So be-gins James Bryan Smith in The Good and Beautiful Life. The problem is we have bought into false notions of happiness and success. These self-centered decisions lead us further into the vices that cause ruin: anger, lust, lying, worry and judging. Eventu-ally we find ourselves living a beautifully packaged life of self-destruction.

Beginning the week of September 13, congregation members will have the opportunity to study this book which is a sequel to the previous study we had in Lent, The Good and Beautiful God. Following the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), this study will compare false worldly narratives about where abundant life is found with Jesus’ narratives that deliver on his promise, “I came that they might have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). The sermons each Sunday will be based on the same words of Jesus which each chapter examines.

Sunday, September 13 The Good and Beautiful Life

Sunday, September 20 The Gospel Many People Have Never Heard

Sunday, September 27 The Grand Invitation

Sunday, October 4 Learning to Live Without Anger

Sunday, October 11 Learning to Live Without Lust

Sunday, October 18 Learning to Live Without Lying

We will cover the first 6 chapters of this book this Fall and the remaining 6 chapters during Lent 2021. Books will be available as the Welcome Desk (Sundays) and at the Receptionist Desk (Weekdays). Cost is $15.00.

“Less is More” – As we live through this unusual time, rather than offer a number of classes, we encourage as many of our con-gregation as possible, to study this book together. It will be a unifying factor when we are limited in being together in-person and when together we are “socially distanced.”

It would be wonderful if, in addition to reading the book, many of our congregation members would participate in a small group dis-

cussion, either in person or via Zoom. We currently have 20 leaders who are willing to lead on a variety of days and times of the

week. You may sign up using the signup form on naz.org (select “Connect”; then select “Small Groups” to find the signup form for

The Good and Beautiful Life) or you may call Terri Packard, Receptionist, at 319-266-7589 (Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4

p.m.). Please sign up by August 31.

To learn more about The Naz Next Steps Path...

Contact Pastor Bob Ericson, Director of Discipleship and Small Groups at bob.ericson@naz.org

Face-to-face worship services have resumed at Nazareth!

As cases of Covid-19 decrease and in keeping with our three-phased plan to resume face-to-face

worship services, we are committed to making our space as safe as possible!

Here’s our plan: ♦ Worship services will be held in the Nazareth Worship Center. The time frame for the services will be abbreviated to allow for sanitizing

between services and increased social distancing. The times of the worship services are:

♦ FIRST SERVICE: 9:00-9:45 a.m. ♦ SECOND SERVICE: 10:45-11:30 a.m.

♦ We will adhere to a touch-free environment by greeting you with smiles and waves. ♦ We will not pass Bibles, pens, or hymnals - these will be removed from the pews.

♦ We will not pass the offering plates; however, giving is still possible in a variety of ways (see below for more details). ♦ We will not pass paper bulletins.

♦ Please sign up to receive the weekly Naz News - you can get this weekly newsletter via email or postal mail. ♦ Call the church office at 319-266-7589 or go to www.naz.org/naz-news to sign up.

♦ A limited number of the printed Naz News will be available at the Welcome Desk to take with you as you leave, if desired. ♦ We will offer Communion on 1st and 3rd Sundays

♦ Communion will be the final part of the worship service. ♦ All communion servers will wear gloves and masks.

♦ Pre-filled, individual cups will be used rather than a common cup. ♦ While wearing masks, we will sing hymns and worship songs together.

♦ For the remainder of the summer, no coffee or treats will be available. ♦ Our staff and volunteer teams will wear masks.

♦ Greeters and ushers will assist you in finding a socially distanced spot in the worship center. ♦ Hand sanitizers will be located throughout the building.

♦ Our facilities team will regularly sanitize high touch areas between services and will do a deep cleaning following each Sunday. ♦ Our Education Hallway, Blessed Beginnings Classrooms, and Family Life Center will remain closed for the time being.

♦ Small groups will not meet in the church building for the time being.

Here’s what you can do: ♦ If you’re not feeling well, have known exposure to Covid-19 or are at high risk, please stay home and enjoy our online or broadcast

services. These will continue - even after face-to-face worship services have resumed. To connect...

♦ Click the “WORSHIP ONLINE” icon at www.naz.org any time after 9:00 a.m. on Sundays. ♦ Check out our television screening times for worship as well (See page 1).

♦ When joining us for worship, please use Doors # 2, 3, and/or 7. ♦ When joining us for worship, please use social distancing by remaining six feet away from those not in your household.

♦ Frequently wash your hands. ♦ Out of care and concern for others, we highly encourage you to bring and wear your own mask. We will have masks available for

those who need one. ♦ We deeply desire to continue to do the ministry God has called us to here. Your continued generous support of prayers, service, and

financial gifts is so important. You can still give:

♦ By placing your offering into the receptacle at the exits or the Welcome Desk. ♦ By going online at www.naz.org/give.

♦ By mailing your donation to the church office - 7401 University Avenue, Cedar Falls, IA 50613 ♦ By using the free GIVE+ Mobile App (by searching “GIVE PLUS CHURCH” in the app store).

If you have any questions at all...

please do not hesitate to reach out to us via email at info@naz.org or by phone at 319-266-7589.