the shepherd’s scroll april 2017 the shepherd’s scroll around grandpa’s large dining room...
TRANSCRIPT
The Shepherd’s Scroll ________ April 2017_
The Shepherd’s Scroll G O O D S H E P H E R D L U T HE R A N C HU R CH , E L CA
2101 S. Prospect Avenue, Champaign, IL 61820
Phone: 217-352-1732 Fax: 217-352-4807 www.gslc-cu.org
“God’s Work. Our Hands.”
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Pastor’s Perspective
W hen I was a young boy, I used to enjoy listening to family stories. Dad, Grand-pa, and other family members would gather around Grandpa’s large dining
room table, sharing family stories. They would share memories of family members who had passed away. They would share stories of family holiday gatherings. They would share funny stories and they would share some painful stories and of course they shared fishing stories of the “big one that got away.“
Dad would also share jokes; the same jokes over and over again. Like the joke when he would place both his hands on his ears, then act as if he was turning his head and press on his ears while sticking out his tongue. It was his imita-tion of a tube of toothpaste. Even though I had heard and seen Dad’s tube of toothpaste joke dozens of times, I wanted to hear it again. It made me laugh, and years later is a fond memory I have of my dad.
Another thing I remember about those stories and jokes is this — if I missed the beginning of the story and re-turned to the table after the story’s start I would ask the storyteller to begin again. I wanted to hear the whole story. Not hearing the whole story left something out. The story just wasn’t the same.
In a few weeks, we’ll hear again the greatest love story ever told.
On Palm Sunday, we gather to hear the story of Jesus’ entry into the city of Jerusalem to shouts of “Hosanna,”
meaning “save us.” However, the tone quickly changes from shouts of Hosanna to shouts for crucifixion. Just a few days later, we gather on Maundy Thursday (Maundy meaning “Command”). Jesus models servant leadership in the washing of his followers’ feet and we are given the command (command, not a suggestion) to love one another as Jesus first loved us. On Good Fri-day, we hear again the story of the crucifixion — this time the story comes to us from the gospel writer John.
Finally, we gather on Easter Sunday. After having tucked the alleluias
away for over 40 days, we joyful-ly sing “Jesus Christ has risen
today, alleluia!” and together we boldly and joyful proclaim, “Christ has risen indeed, allelu-ia!”
The stories of Holy Week and Easter Sunday are the root of
our faith; these stories are our shared stories. Just like I wanted
to hear the whole stories shared around my grandfather’s table, we
need to gather together to hear the entire story — the story of Christ’s death and the story of resurrection. Hearing bits and pieces of the story just isn’t the same. That’s why I encourage you to gather during Holy Week with family and to invite friends and neighbors.
Peace and blessings,
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W ire mesh becomes almost a necessity when growing a garden. We use wire mesh to keep things out and to hold things up. It is often used as the shell over which something more beautiful will be displayed. I believe
wire mesh can also remind us of the resurrection. Take for example artist Edoardo Tresoldi, who uses hundreds of yards of wire mesh, not only to build, but to combine the fields of contemporary art and ancient archaeology. Some 900 years ago a medieval Basilica once stood on the grounds of Siponto in southern Italy. After an earthquake the building was abandoned and it wasn’t until recently that Tresoldi was given permission to “rebuild,” and reinterpret what the ancient Christian church may have looked like. Using wire mesh Tresoldi incorporates domes and columns that would have been common during that era. New life is given to what was once there, what had been buried could be put on display once again.
On the first day of the week, around dawn, Matthew’s gospel tells us that two women named Mary went to the tomb of Jesus. They experienced an earthquake physically and emotionally. Then an angel of the Lord appeared from heaven, rolled away the stone, and sat on it while telling them that Jesus had risen. While the men who stood guard were struck dumb with fear, these brave women went on to tell others that Jesus was not dead but alive! The
cross was merely the wire mesh, the scaffolding, of a much more beautiful life.
If artists today can use the re-sources and technology at hand to resurrect entire cathedrals, imag-ine what the Creator of the Uni-verse can do with our bodies in this life and the next! As you dis-cover people who once thrived, but whose lives have been rocked by physical or emotional earth-quakes, allow the Holy Spirit to help you reimagine what their new lives could look like in Jesus Christ. Happy Easter!
—Jason Fisher
From the Youth & Family Director’s Desk
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Saturday, April 8, 9am—1:30pm
All families have an opportunity to sign up to help pack over 150,000 meals at Memorial Stadium as the Univer-sity of Illinois celebrates its 150th anniversary. Hourly slots are open from 9am to 1:30pm on their website: dayofservice.cuvolunteer.org.
Hunger for Justice Lock-In
Fri. April 7 – Sat. April 8
This event will take place at Grace Lutheran church and be an overnight expe-rience. High school youth will reflect on hunger is-
sues locally and globally, then find ways to feed others in Jesus’ name.
Cost is only $1 so kids of all ages can bring their friends and family to enjoy this movie. Jason will provide a de-votional afterwards to study at home.
Monday, April 17, 6-8pm ArtMart
Join Jason as we celebrate Haiku Poetry Day. Middle & High School youth can learn how Haiku helps us reflect on our world and our lives. Paper and pen provided or you may bring your own.
Wednesday, April 26, 6-8pm Auntie Anne’s
Middle & high school youth can celebrate National Pret-zel Day with Jason. We will meet at Auntie Anne’s in the Mall at 6pm then work our way to Old Chicago and Red Robin for MORE PRETZELS! Bring $5, a friend, and an empty stomach.
Youth Events
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Youth Events continued...
Date: May 26-29, 2017 Where: St. Louis - sleeping location to be deter-mined Cost: $45/person, includes event access and 3 meals Info: pilgrimageoftruststl.com
I am so excited for this and so excited to share it with my GSLC family! — Mary Corkery
Informational meeting May 4th 6pm in the Choir Room
Students in 7th – 11th grade right now will be elgible to attend our Nation-al Youth Gathering in Houston Texas June 27th – July 1st 2018. This will be a great meeting for any parents and adult leaders who hope to attend as chaperones for this trip. We will get preliminary information about the city, transportation and housing options, along with costs for the trip.
July 24 – 29 Augustana College
You can pick up registration information in the hallway by the youth room or go online and register at leadershiplab.net. Youth currently in 8th grade – college are able to attend. Students in 8th grade being men-tored can attend for FREE their first year. Contact Jason for more info or to register.
Family Camp July 2-7 Lutheran Outdoor Ministries Center, Oregon IL
Family camp is a wonderful way to introduce your children to the wildness of God’s creation without it being TOO wild. Sometimes referred to as “CUSH” Camp, families stay in one of two retreat center buildings that have 8 separate bedrooms all adjoining a commons area. Programming is led by camp staff and all activities are flexible so as to provide time and space for families to recon-nect and discover God together.
Cost is $430 for a family of 4, or $215 per adult and $125 per child 11-18. This includes all meals, lodging, and activities for your family. Contact Jason if you think your family might be interested in attending.
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Cross-Generational Sunday School Sunday April 9, 10:30 - 11:30am
fellowship hall
Come join us as we practice the FAITH5 and share about what God is doing in our lives. We will play with the Gospel reading for Palm Sunday, pray for and bless one another. All ages welcome.
for Middle & High School Students
Sunday, April 23, 5-7:30pm Grace Lutheran Church
and
Sunday, April 30, 5-7:30pm Hessel Park
Meet at Hessel Park for a cookout and games before we crisscross the neighborhood playing Bigger & Better! Bring good walking shoes and a sense of adventure.
Sunday, April 16
Round One will be after the 8am worship service starting at 9:30 am.
Round Two will be before the 10:30 worship service starting at 10:00 am.
Youth are encouraged to bring their own basket and we will provide baskets for those who need them. The church will be divided up into age appropriate areas so that all youth can experience the joy of discovery.
THANK You!
On behalf of our youth, we would like to thank WELCA for their generous gift of money to both the Good Shep-herd Youth Fund and to the Carol Manley Endowment Fund for Youth. Your support of our youth is very much appreciated! Sincerely, — the Youth Committee
Youth Events continued...
DID YOU KNOW THAT…
Lutheran World Relief will be offering LWR Farm-
ers Market Coffee, a new line of coffee this sum-
mer sourced directly from farmers participating in
LWR projects? For more details, visit [email protected]
or call (800) 597-5972.
The ELCA World Hunger has produced a resource
entitled “Backpack Buddies: How to Guide”,
which gives step-by-step instructions on how to
start a backpack ministry? This free resource is
available at ELCA.org/Hunger Resources under
the “Hunger Ed” tab.
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Y ou can’t see God. I have never seen God, and neither have you. Okay. Maybe you think you have. But I’m going to bet it wasn’t actually God. More than likely you were staring too long at a cloud formation,
or you drank too much Nyquil. The point is there are no tangible, verifiable images you can hold up and say, “This is God.” It’s too bad social media didn’t exist thousands of years ago. It would have settled a lot of issues for skeptics. Imagine if . . . Moses sent a pic of God writing the Ten Commandments. Peter uploaded images of Jesus walking on the water. John posted video of Jesus ascending into heaven on YouTube.
Instead, you probably spend a lot of time trying to convince kids or teenagers to pursue a God they have never seen. It’s tricky. God doesn’t have a Twitter account or a Facebook page. So, how do you invite people to follow someone they can’t touch, or see, or hear? And how do you move them toward an authentic and personal faith in a God who may seem distant, vague, and unpredictable?
You don’t shape a kid’s faith by teaching them doctrine.
(Whatever you talk them into, someone else can talk them out of.)
You don’t shape a kid’s faith by persuading them to have better standards.
(They may ultimately give up if they feel like they can’t measure up.)
You don’t shape a kid’s faith by getting them to attend your events.
(They will compare the quality of your production to what culture produces, and you will probably lose.)
BUT YOU CAN SHAPE A KID’S FAITH BY CONNECTING THEM TO CARING ADULTS
WHO WILL BE PRESENT IN THEIR LIFE.
PEOPLE CAN’T SEE GOD. PEOPLE CAN’T SEE JESUS. PEOPLE CAN’T SEE THE HOLY SPIRIT. BUT PEOPLE CAN SEE PEOPLE WHO FOLLOW GOD. PEOPLE CAN SEE THE CHURCH. That’s why what you do is so important. The church has been part of God’s strategy for a long time. Regardless of the size or style of your church, your greatest as-set to building faith in the next generation is not your Bible study, worship style, facilities, or budget. The most valuable resources you have to help people see God are the people in your church who know God.
And if you hope to help a generation of kids and teenagers know God, then you have to be strategic about how you connect them to adults who believe in God and who believe in them. So if you want kids to know God, may-be one of the most important things you can do is to give them someone who will talk with them, hang out with them, and do life with them. The best way to help kids know God is to connect them with someone who knows God. This excerpt is adapted from the book Creating a Lead Small Culture: Make Your Church a Place Where Kids Belong, by Reggie Joiner, Kristen Ivy, and Elle Campbell. Copyright © 2014 by Orange.
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This & That
Women’s: Anna Circle meets the first Wednesday of the month in the choir room. Next meeting: Wed., March 29, 4:30pm. (Please note the change of date.)
Ruth Circle meets the third Tuesday of the month in the choir room. Next meeting: Tue., April 18, 9:30am.
Rachael Circle meets the fourth Monday of the month. Next meeting: Mon., April 24, 4:30pm.
Men’s:
Men’s Bible Study meets every Friday at 7:00am at The Original Pancake House.
All men and women of Good Shepherd are welcome to join any of the Bible study circles.
April 13 at 9:30am, in the Choir Room
April book: The Nest by Cynthia Sweeney.
Every family has its problems. But even among the most troubled, the Plumb family stands out as spectacularly dysfunctional. This is a story about the power of family, the possibilities of friendship, the ways we depend upon one another and the ways we let one another down. The author brings a remarkable cast of characters to life to illuminate what money does to relationships.
A sneak peek at May: Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger.
Contact: Jan Nuss at [email protected] or 356-1298. New members are always welcome!
60-SOMETHING Luncheon
All members and friends around the age of 60 and above - please join us on Wednesday, May 3, from noon to 1pm, in the fellowship hall for the 60-Something Luncheon. Anna Circle will be serving & providing the main dish. We ask that you bring a side dish or dessert to share. We hope you can join us for this fun event.
Interfaith COMMUNITY BUILD
Greetings! We will continue to work on building the 2 homes we have been working on during the Interfaith Community Build. Please see the links below, & sign up when you are able. We will be building with many other groups instead of being assigned with one or two other groups. Please keep an eye out as we will provide meals for those building again this spring.
The links: http://cerv.is/m?0048gJ7McTb for 1212 W. Hill or http://cerv.is/m?0048gxkvwSj for 1203 Beslin.
We have fulfilled our $3,000 church commitment to this project, but more funds are needed. If you would like to donate, checks can be made to Habitat with Interfaith build in the memo line.
There will be a morning of projects for the kids to do on April 29th. Kids will plant flowers and do finishing pro-jects at the homes. There will also be a community wide dedication date to be announced this spring. Ques-tions? Please contact Jenelle at [email protected].
WORSHIP Reminder
Beginning Wednesday, April 19, at 6:30pm, an addition-al worship service will be offered at Good Shepherd. Holy Communion will not be offered at the Wednesday evening service and all the assigned Sunday readings will not be shared.
Easter Sunday FELLOWSHIP
There will be two worship services on Easter Sunday — 8am and 10:30am, and we would love for everyone to join us for fellowship from 9:30am to 10:15am in the library. Bring your favorite pastry, muffins, or fruit to share.
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Church Staff
Pastor…………………………………...Thomas Hillertz
Pastor Emeritus…………....Edward D. Schneider
Youth & Family Minister………….....Jason Fisher
Office Manager.………...……………....Yvona Vlach
Office Assistant……………………….....Nancy Olson
Treasurer…………………….Dana VanDeveer-Jones
Organist………………………………………....Linda Pein
Choir Director………………………….…...Jill Crandall
Parish Nurses………………………….....Sandy Rueter Elizabeth Kakoma Celeste Coverdill
Office Hours
Mon-Thu: 7:30 am to 3:30 pm (lunch: noon—1 pm) Fridays: 7:30 am to Noon Scroll Deadline
The deadline for the May Scroll is Tuesday, April 18, at noon. Bulletin/Announcements Deadline
Wednesday at noon, each week.
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church 2101 S Prospect Ave Champaign, IL 61820 www.gslc-cu.org
Come Worship the Lord!
S u n d a y s a t 9 a m (Holy Communion served at all services)
Christian Education for All Ages:
Sundays at 10:15am
Mark Your Calendar!
WELCA Project Day & Brunch
Saturday, April 1, 9-11:30am
Palm Sunday
April 9, 9:00am (with HC)
Maundy Thursday Worship
April 13, 7pm (with HC)
Good Friday Worship
April 14, 7pm (no HC)
Office Closed
Friday, April 14, in observance of Good Friday
Easter Sunday
April 16, 8:00 & 10:30am (with HC) Easter Egg Hunt
April 16, 9:30am & 10:00am Easter Sunday Fellowship & Refreshments
April 16, in the library between services El Salvador Dinner & Auction
April 22, 6pm, fellowship hall New Member Orientation
Sunday, April 30 60-Something Luncheon
Wednesday, May 3, noon-1pm
GSLC Committees and Chairs
Education Kristine Scheu
Evangelism Agatha Barnes
Fellowship Jodi Davis
Property Tom Holm
Service Jenelle Keene
Stewardship Tori Corkery
Worship & Music Tim Smith
Youth Ruth Meyer