Ebenezer Lutheran Church

1301 Richland Street

Columbia, SC 29201-2578

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Non-Profit Org

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Columbia, SC

Permit # 724

Interim Senior Pastor

Rev. Melvin E. Amundson

Pastoral Associate

Rev. Gary Dreier

Director of Music &Worship

David E. Turner

Administrative Associate

Diane M. Oliver

Accountant

Wendy B. Isgett

Reaching out to draw others to Christ.

Office Hours

8:30 am to 4:30 pm

Monday-Friday

803.765.9430

Visit us on the Web

http://www.ebenezerlutheran.org

and Facebook

Church Council

Ebenezer Staff

Buddy Bateman

Brian Baucom

Roger Davis

Sarah Dixon

Fred Fellers

Ian Grant

Karen Hardy

Rosemary Jones

Beth Mays

Lois Park Mole

Emma Claire Revere

Linda Smith Shealy

Mike Siomacco

James Thomas

Tom Tuten

Faith Formation - Elisa Strickler

Finance - Phil Bingenheimer

Member Care - Linda Davis

Outreach - Chris Brown &

Mimi Wortham Brown

Personnel - Rich Roberson

Property - Jay Metts

Worship- Karen Hardy

Ministry Teams & Team Leaders

Sundays

9:15am Sunday School for All Ages

9:30am Gathering Time, Reception Room

10:30am Worship*, Church

Wednesdays

12:10 pm Mid-Week*, Chapel

*Eucharist at each service.

The deadline for the next issue of the Parish News

is 12 noon, Saturday April 15.

To have an item included in the newsletter, please submit in writing

to Diane Oliver or e-mail to doliver@ebenezerlutheran.org

monthly calendar of events

on line at

www.ebenezerlutheran.org

OFFICERS

Lois Park Mole, President Buddy Bateman, VPres

Beth Mays, Sec Phil Bingenheimer, Treas

COUNCIL MEMBERS

Parish News The monthly newsletter of Ebenezer Lutheran Church

Volume 45 Number 3 April 2017

HOLY WEEK

Palm Sunday - April 9

10:30 am, Church

Service of the Word

April 10, 11, 12

12:10 pm, Church

THE THREE DAYS Maundy Thursday - April 13

7:00 pm, Church

Good Friday - April 14

12:10 pm - Stations of the Cross, Church

7:00 pm, Church

Holy Saturday

The Vigil of Easter- April 15

8:00 pm, Church

Easter Sunday we will not meet in our regular Sunday school classes.

Instead we will all gather in the Parish Life Center for a special breakfast and lively fellowship.

The kitchen crew will begin serving at 9 am.

Then we all move to the church for worship and a joyful celebration!

Alleluia! Christ is alive!

Everlasting God, in your endless love for

the human race you sent our Lord Jesus

Christ to take on our nature and to

suffer death on the cross. In your mercy

enable us to share in his obedience to

your will and in the glorious victory of

his resurrection, who lives and reigns

with you and the Holy Sprit, one God,

now and forever. Amen.

EASTER SUNDAY April 16

Festival Worship

10:30 am, Church

2

Pastor’s Page ...

Almighty God, your Son came into the world to free us all from sin and death. Breathe

upon us the power of your Spirit, that we may be raised to new life in Christ and serve you in righteousness

all our days, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever. Amen ELW page 28

Dear Ebenezer Friends,

It’s really good to be back! I hadn’t realized how much I had

missed you all until I began seeing you again.

This year I began my time with you on Ash Wednesday.

What a great day to “jump back in”! My first days with you

will be on our Lenten journey together.

We think of Lent as a time of self-reflection, confession,

repentance, and well we should. But we also (perhaps

mistakenly) think of it is a dark, perhaps, dreary time.

The word “lent” comes from the Old English word “lengten”

which translates into our modern English “lengthen.” It

referred to the time of year when the days were lengthening. It

meant “springtime.”

Lent is not a dreary time. Rather self-reflection,

confession, and repentance can lead to the spring time of

our souls.

May the remainder of Lent lead you into the bright morning

of Easter.

It’s spring time!

God is with you all.

Gary Dreier

Pastoral Associate

SELF-REFLECTION

CONFESSION

REPENTANCE

Thank-you…

7

Dear Ebenezer,

Amanda, Sophia and I wanted to take a moment to say

thank you for the incredible love and support that you all

showed to us as we left Ebenezer to begin our new life in

The Woodlands. From the reception, to the gift, to the

very generous love offering we have been overwhelmed by

your encouragement in this process. We have settled into

our new home, managed to sell our home in Columbia,

and are feeling like we will be here in The Woodlands for

a long time to come. We cannot say thank you enough for

all that Ebenezer has done for us over the past two and a

half years. You will all hold a special place in our hearts!

As a part of the wonderful sending you all requested that

I use a portion of the love offering to purchase a com-

munion set for myself. I have found one that I am very

excited about and will think fondly of Ebenezer every time

I get to use it. Thank you again!

Finally, also as part of our sending I was gifted with the

cross from my first summer at Disciple Camp. I was in-

credibly touched and even overwhelmed by this gesture.

However, after consulting with the Disciple Camp team I

asked that the cross remain at Ebenezer. I have many

precious memories and mementos to carry with me. My

prayer is that kids and adults from that summer can see

the cross at Ebenezer for years to come and remember the

love of Jesus that they experienced at Camp Kinard.

Thank you once and again. And God bless you all.

With everlasting hope

in the empty tomb,

Pastor David Bauser

Pastor Bauser's new communion set.

*****

Thank you, Pastor Dreier, for your visit and sharing the

Eucharist with me. Also thanks for your visit Ruth

Counts and Euenla Sloan.

I miss worship and being with my Ebenezer Family.

Renate Moore

MEMBERS IN CARE

FACILITIES & HOMEBOUND Deepwood Estates Mary Hallman

Heritage at Lowman Julian Wise

National Health Care, West Cola Birdie Culp

Palmettos at Parklane Bernice Folsom

Presbyterian Home Betty Cagle, Joyce O'Sheal

Rice Estate Eddie Moore

Homebound Ruby Ford, Lodd & Marilyn

Havird, Bob Hennies, Ione Hildebrand, Louise

Hydrick, Sandra Lewis, Gertrude Metze,

Marilyn Minick, Renate Moore, Helen Sanders,

Leesa Smith, Sonja Zagata.

Remember these special members with an

occasional greeting card, a telephone call or even

better a visit. They love hearing from their Ebenezer

family!

MEMBER UPDATE

JOINED THE CHURCH TRIUMPHANT

Mary Eargle, March 18

FINANCE MINISTRY TEAM REPORT We continue to celebrate in the generosity of

God’s people, and gladly report that in late

February, our BB&T line of credit loan was

paid off in full, in the amount of $27,840.

185/1830 DEBT RETIREMENT CAMPAIGN:

$388,550 Goal

$153,191 Received as of March 10, 2017

$185,359 Remainder to meet Goal

OUR DEBT OBLIGATIONS AS OF MARCH 10,

2017:

$526,364 2007 Parish Life Renovations

$107,889 Marion Street Property

Mortgage

$634,253 Total Debt

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THRIVENT ACTION TEAMS If you are a member of Thrivent Financial, you have access to something called Thrivent Action Teams. A Thrivent Action Team

starts with an idea powered by your passion. Bring a team together to make an

immediate impact on a cause you care about. It's easy! FOR EXAMPLE, did you know

that the most recent Marion Street Highrise Christmas Dinner hosted by your

Outreach Ministry Team was a Thrivent Action Team? If you are a Thrivent Member or would like

to be and have questions about doing an Action Team, please contact Dawn Hyatt at 803-957-

3073 or dawn.hyatt@thrivent.com.

Cooler Summers. Warmer Winters.

The outside unit of the

new HVAC system being

dropped into place by a

very large crane.

Part of the new system

down in the boiler room

under the church.

THE FAMILY PROMISE PROGRAM AT

EBENEZER benefits from the involvement of so many

in our church family. And involvement does not always

take the shape of serving a meal or camping out in a

Sunday school classroom. Some have found other ways

to provide a practical benefit to the outreach program.

Recently, FP benefitted from generous donors who have

utilized an option given through their Thrivent

Financial Services account to apply for and award mini

grants as 'seed money' for outreach activities. Family

Promise received two such grants from Doris Harrington

and her family earlier this year. One was used to supply

non-perishable food for the guests that will stay in our

facility the week of March 27. The other paid for new

gym equipment such as basketballs, volleyballs, soccer

balls and pop-up soccer goals.

As we prepare to welcome families to our facility, please

consider how you can play a part in this important

ministry, whether you can also provide financial support

or join other volunteers in showing God's love. �

3

EGG HUNT

SATURDAY

APRIL 15

10 - 11:30 am begins in the Parish Life

Center

This fun Saturday will

have Easter crafts, an egg

hunt on the lawn (separated by age groups

for maximum fun!), and a special

children's Easter story.

Invite your friends! HOSTED BY THE FAITH FORMATION

Sunday, April 30, Patrons and Friends of the

Arts at Ebenezer will present a performance

entitled, "BBQ and Blues" featuring The Catfish Po' Boys

in the Ebenezer courtyard.* Concert begins at 4:00 pm, followed by a BBQ

dinner, provided by The Southern Belly BBQ.

THE CONCERT IS FREE.

DINNER CAN BE PURCHASED for $12 per person

($10 for children under 13, free for 3 & under). Bring your lawn chair and some friends, and join

us for the sweet harmonies and story telling from

The Catfish Po' Boys as they take us on a tour of

blues through the United States! Dinner will include pork, chicken, two sides, and

water/tea/lemonade. Dinner can be paid for in

advance by check to "Patrons and Friends of the

Arts at Ebenezer, Inc", dropped off at the church

office, or David Turner at 803-765-9430 ext. 17 for

over the phone credit card reservations.

*If raining the event will be moved indoors

to the Parish Life Center.

EBENEZER

SPRING GENERAL MEETING

11:30 AM SUNDAY, APRIL 9

PLC DINING ROOM Participants are asked to bring a salad or

dessert to share, beverages provided.

Remember, all women are considered members

and are encouraged to take part. Join us!

Joe Jones & J Michael King

The Catfish Boys’ repertoire consists of songs that

have "stood the test of time" and songs that they

"like," regardless of era or genre. "We don't play

anything that we aren't crazy about," King said.

"We don't do songs just because they are popular.”

COMMUNION

MILESTONE CLASS

SATURDAY, APRIL 8 10AM-NOON PARISH LIFE CENTER DINING ROOM

This class is open to any and all who are

interested in instruction around the

practice of communion. The time is

designed especially for children who either

have never communed or have never been

formally instructed about the communion

practice. Please register your child by

calling the church office - 765.9430

4

REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT ~Pastor Mel

With immigration and refugee resettlement so

much in the news these days, there are some things

I’d like to share with the followers of Jesus at

Ebenezer. The first is “context.” As long as

there’ve been wars, political oppression, religious

persecutions, or extremely difficult living

conditions, there have been persons leaving house

and homeland seeking shelter and safety. The

problem is not new, but the problem is real.

Political and societal circumstances change, the

basic human need for safety and survival is always

with us. I have learned that “refugee resettlement” became

very personal at Ebenezer when a family fleeing the

turmoil of Viet Nam, and another family escaping

danger in Bosnia, were resettled in Columbia with

Ebenezer’s assistance. It wasn’t just safety and

security they needed, it was self-sufficiency. You

made a difference in their lives. In fact, Ebenezer

received a letter in April, 2016, from the

Vietnamese family resettled in April, 1975, 41 years

earlier! Dao Hoang Nguyen remembered the fear

and trembling soon giving way to your grace and

peace. Hear again her powerful words of thanks in that

letter last spring: “Sundays were a time for us to

experience the warm acceptance of the congregation

and for our children to learn the brilliant stories of

the Bible in Sunday School. With time and

support…we would not only adjust to life in

America, we would become Americans…. Ebenezer

helped us heal old wounds so that we could pursue

new dreams.” Stories like this are waiting to happen anew.

Refugees are still in the news! Here in the

Carolinas, Lutherans have pooled their resources to

minister to refugees through Lutheran Services

Carolinas based in Salisbury, NC, with a branch

office here in Columbia. A former Lutheran

parsonage is a resettlement house! Lutheran

Services Carolinas needs our support as it ministers

to provide self-sufficiency to refugees already in

America, while expecting as many as 75 more to

arrive. LET’S DO THREE THINGS:

Pray that all persons of goodwill fleeing

oppression and seeking security will be

resettled safely by other persons of

goodwill.

Donate by clicking LSCarolinas.net or send

a check to Lutheran Services Carolinas,

PO Box 947, Salisbury NC 28145 marked

for Refugee Services.

Advocate for understanding and compassion

for people willing to leave house and

homeland seeking refuge, and, if the

opportunity comes, volunteer to help them

adjust to a new life in America. �

NEW GENERATION A ministry for adults 55 & older, but everyone is welcome to

join the group on outings, meetings & trips.

New Generation

will not meet in April.

Next Gathering: Fri, May 12

for a day trip to Santee State Park for their

FishEagle Wildlife Tour. We will leave from

the church parking lot at 8:15 a.m. Cost $25.

(Pay upon arrival by credit card, cash or

checks payable to "Santee State Park"). We

plan to take a picnic lunch to enjoy after the

boat ride. Space is limited so please contact

Linda Davis (772-7690) to make a reservation.

SPECIAL GIFTS TO EBENEZER as of March15

Capital Campaign-Debt Reduction

*In memory of James Bell, Sr by Rose Mary Bell

Chapel Cupolas

*In memory of Joe & Katie Shealy, & Glenn Mirosavljevich

by Gwen & Joe Shealy

HVAC System for Church

*In memory of George M Lee, Jr & David A Epting, Jr

by George M Lee, III

Music Ministry

*In honor of Kathy & Dick Coolidge

by Pat Wertz & David Wertz Thanksgiving & Memorial

*In memory of Jack Sharpe by Harold & Betty Park

5

COUNCIL CORNER Feb 21 Meeting �Engaged Pastor Gary Dreier to serve

as a part-time Pastoral Associate beginning

immediately. �Selected members of the church to be

contacted about serving on the Call Committee

for a new Senior Pastor. �Approved paying off the entire line of credit

loan in the amount of $27,800 using funds from

Phoebe Callahan’s gift. �Approved making a contribution to the SC

Synod in the amount of $8,000 using funds from

Phoebe Callahan’s gift. �Approved closing out the separate checking

account originally established as a Pastor’s

Discretionary Fund, transferring the remaining

funds of approximately $2,400 to the existing

Designated Pastor’s Fund and establishing

written policy and procedure for the Pastor to

access the Designated Pastor’s Fund. �Accepted the Listening Post report prepared by

Dr. Tony Everett. Copies of the report are

available on the table just outside the church

office. � Accepted Pastor Bauser’s exit

interview. Copies of the report are available on

the table just outside the church office. �Rejoiced about the wonderful service of

celebration and dedication of the cupolas! �Rejoiced in the receipt of the 2015 financial

audit which had no significant findings! Full minutes for every meeting are available by request.

Council meets on the third Tuesday of each month at 5:45

pm in the PLC Dining Room. All Ebenezer members are

welcome to attend and observe Council meetings.

WOMEN’S BOOK GROUP REVIEW We had an exceptional meeting as we

discussed Atonement by Ian McEwan and watched the

2007 filmed version of the novel. Experiencing both

made us appreciate the genius of the novel’s author

and that of the film’s director. The movie and book are

complimentary and experienced together make it much

easier to understand a complex story brilliantly

written. Atonement is a novel about love and war,

childhood, guilt, forgiveness and atonement. It is set in

the time around World War II. The war scenes were

graphic and the content portrayed in both novel and

movie were factual and well documented.

The novel is essentially an autobiography of Briony, the

main female character, but mostly written in the third

person. We marveled that a male could so effectively

portray the thoughts and actions of this character both

as a child and adult. The story moved between reality of

events and Briony’s perception of those events, making

the story difficult to follow at times. The novel

contains effective use of figurative language and

beautiful prose. After discussing the book, we watched

the brilliant and powerful movie, which closely

followed the text of the novel. The cinematography was

amazing and made clearer the distinction between

“reality” and Briony’s interpretations which negatively

impacted the lives of others. The story was also

enhanced by audio in the film, especially the beautiful

classical music and the hymn, "Dear Lord and Father of

Mankind".

In discussing guilt, forgiveness and atonement, we

agreed that forgiveness is impossible in some situations,

depending on the magnitude of the damage done. As

Christians we understand that God forgives our sin but

we often find it impossible to forgive ourselves.

Regarding atonement, “the condition of being at one”

with those wronged" that often cannot be achieved

despite sincere effort.

Next Meeting: 10 am April6- Parlor We will discuss House

Made of Dawn by N. Scott Momaday Diane Jones

SUMMER EVENTS FOR CHILDREN,

YOUTH & ADULT VOLUNTEERS

Save the dates now!

June 11-15 Vacation Bible School

July 16 -21 GraceWorks

July 23 -27 Disciple Camp