From Interim Pastor Michael Meranda

February 5, 2023, brings a nice event for Northeast Ohio Synod Lutherans.  The Rev. Heidi Holst will be installed as pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Warren.  The service is at 3:00 pm.  For me, that will be an especially nice day.  After Holy Communion at Living Lord, you have your monthly healing prayer time.  After the prayer time is over, I will head over to the Packard Museum.  That is a special place in my memory because my dad was a huge Packard fan.  His favorite was a 1937 convertible with the special storage under the seat designed for golf clubs.  As he advanced in age, he and I took several nostalgia trips together.  Among them was a visit to that Packard Museum.  After my time there, remembering my dad, I will head over to St. Paul for the installation service.

February 20 brings an American holiday that tends to be forgotten, Presidents’ Day.  The Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day dominate February holidays, but I have a specific memory stemming from Presidents’ Day.  It prompted me to think thru for the first time the doctrine of the Trinity.  I was in second grade.  Schools had pictures of George Washington, white haired and wise looking Father of our Nation.  Schools had pictures of Abraham Lincoln, who seemed to have a pained expression; he was assassinated for having saved the union.  In my early prayer life, I confused Washington and Lincoln with the Trinity.  Was Washington God the Father?  No, he was only father of our country.  Did Lincoln die for our sins?  No, Jesus died for our sins; Lincoln was murdered.  I recall consciously telling myself that Washington and Lincoln were presidents, they were not God.  They may be in heaven with God, but they are not God.  I am not sure why I still recall the satisfaction I felt at coming to that realization.

February 22 brings Ash Wednesday.  Your Council has approved a nice outline for Lent 2023.  A single Ash Wednesday service will be held at 4:00 pm.  This follows the success of a single Christmas Eve service at 4:00 pm.  We receive ashes on Ash Wednesday.  Because it is a fasting and not a feasting day, there is no meal at church on Ash Wednesday.  But when Lent mid-week services begin the following week, there will be weekly Soup Suppers followed by a brief Lenten service in the Fellowship Hall.

Writing about Ash Wednesday reminds me what a privilege it is to share in the liturgical cycles with you at Living Lord.  A concern I had for myself heading into retirement was how would I observe the church’s cycles?  Advent-Christmas-Epiphany is a cycle.  Lent-Holy Week-Easter is a cycle.  Even before ordination, those cycles informed a lot of my living and scheduling.  I am grateful to be your interim pastor for many reasons.  A main reason is I am assigned to a community of faith where I can continue to celebrate the church’s worship cycles.  So, thanks for enabling me to participate in the liturgical rhythm that has fed and fueled my faith life for decades.

While I am giving thanks, thank you so much for the unexpected “Pastor’s Purse” you presented to me on Christmas Eve.  As I am only an interim pastor, I did not expect that.  Your generous gift to me is much appreciated.

 

Wednesday Bible Study…Pr. Meranda leads weekly bible study every Wednesday at 11:00 am in the Activity Room.

 

Interim Pastor Meranda’s Office Hours…Interim Pastor Michael Meranda will be in the office on Wednesdays from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm.  If you need to reach him at times other than on Wednesdays, please call his home phone of 440-998-7321.

From the President, Robert McKinney

Well, here we are in 2023 and what happened to 2022?  We should have two new Council members as I am writing this before our Annual Meeting.  I want to thank Karen Bandy on Fellowship, Lorraine Bell on In-Reach, and Judy Shaffer on Outreach for the great job they have done during their terms on Council.  I look forward to working with our new Council this year and continue on with our pursuit of a new pastor.  We will have other goals of continuing our outreach in our community, building our membership base, and shoring up our finances.  We look forward to our membership and Council working together for a continued presence in our community and a bright future.  Happy New Year to all!

 

Installation of Council…All Council Members will be installed on Sunday, February 5, at the 9:30 am worship service.

 

Church Information…Please remember that you can obtain church information from the monthly Lamplighter Newsletter, the Constant Contact emails you receive, on the church website (www.lllc.org), on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/Living-Lord-Lutheran-Church-493806727349110/), and postings on the church bulletin board.  Church Council Meeting minutes are posted on the bulletin board and sent out via Constant Contact.  We would like to see a better “open rate” when we send information to you via Constant Contact so that we know you are being informed of the activities that are occurring at the church.  If you have any other suggestions on how best to reach out to our parishioners, please see a Council member.

 

From the Fellowship Committee Chairperson, Karen Bandy

I want to take this time to thank ALL the wonderful ladies here at Living Lord for all their help over the years with Fellowship.  And I would be remiss if I did not thank all the men who have moved tables, carried heavy pots, and put up with me.  It has been a great partnership, but the time has come for me to step down from being a chief and become an Indian for all branches of the workings of our church.  (I am good at rain dances, pow-wows, and peace pipes.)  Blessings to all in 2023.

From the In-Reach Committee Chairperson, Lorraine Bell

Prayer Chain…Our prayer chain consists of six members:  Camille Allen, Karen Bandy, Pam Boothe, Karin McKinney, Rose Zavatsky, and Lorraine Bell.  Please call one of the women with the name needing prayer and any concerns you feel are relevant.  Be sure to have the permission of that person.  That person will pass it on to the next one and it will go on to the next person, etc., so that we are all praying.

From the Worship Committee Chairperson, Karin McKinney

Prayers for Healing…We will have prayer time for healing after church on the first Sunday of each month (February 1).

Ash Wednesday…We will have one worship service with imposition of ashes on Wednesday, February 22, at 4:00 pm.

Lent Mid-week Services…We will have Soup Suppers at 6:00 pm with Lenten Mid-week Services at 6:30 pm in the Fellowship Hall beginning on Wednesday, March 1.  We need volunteers to make and bring soup each week.  Please see the sign-up sheet on the main bulletin board.

From Interim Pastor Michael Meranda

Our English word “January” comes from the Latin word “Janus”.  Janus was one of many pagan Roman “gods”.  His profile is unique.  He is seen as having two side-by-side faces.  One face looks ahead; the other face looks behind; both at the same time.

That is what we do during the unique month of January.  We look back and we look ahead.  As you look back over the recent 12 months, how was your 2022?  Did it bring relief from a difficulty, or did you find yourself mired down more deeply?  Did you finally resolve a difficult relationship or did the problems persist?  Did your health take a turn for the better or did it worsen?

Your congregation at Living Lord looks back on 2022.  In May, Interim Pastor Klinker concluded his faithful 18 month tenure among you.  In June, you welcomed me as your current interim pastor.  In 2022 I’m sure the Property Committee resolved many issues around the building.  You maintained many of your programs, especially Outreach activities, with a lot of competency and joy.  You moved forward with the Synod in your long process of calling a new pastor.

We are on the cusp of a new year and so we look ahead.  What trips do you anticipate taking in 2023?  What hopes for health have you for 2023?  Who do you anticipate seeing for the first time in a long time in 2023?

What will 2023 bring Living Lord?  You will advance even further into the call process.  Who knows, your current plans to work with St. John may bring a candidate sooner than expected.  You will continue to rely on your Fuchs Fund to subsidize special mission-minded projects.  You will continue your good fellowship experiences.  You will continue to gather regularly to hear the Word and be fed with the Sacrament.

So, in early January, we look back and we look ahead.  We do so knowing a gracious God looks over us as we look to past and future.  Whatever sin we have fallen into in the past, God forgives.  Whatever need in order to remain a faithful follower of Christ, God will provide.  We can look both ways, past and future, with confidence.  God was there in our past, blessing us and transforming us thru events and experiences.  God will be there in the future, calling us to care for neighbor and creation.  Time belongs to God.  Because God is there for us – in past, in present, in future – we need not fear time but gladly embrace it.

 

Wednesday Bible Study…Pr. Meranda leads weekly bible study every Wednesday at 11:00 am in the Activity Room.

 

Interim Pastor Meranda’s Office Hours…Interim Pastor Michael Meranda will be in the office on Wednesdays from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm.  If you need to reach him at times other than on Wednesdays, please call his home phone of 440-998-7321.

From the President, Bob McKinney

Annual Congregation Meeting…We will hold our Annual Congregation Meeting on Sunday, January 29, 2023, at 10:30 am, immediately following the worship service.  Mark your calendar and please plan to be in attendance.

 

Church Information…Please remember that you can obtain church information from the monthly Lamplighter Newsletter, the Constant Contact emails you receive, on the church website (www.lllc.org), on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/Living-Lord-Lutheran-Church-493806727349110/), and postings on the church bulletin board.  Church Council Meeting minutes are posted on the bulletin board and sent out via Constant Contact.  We would like to see a better “open rate” when we send information to you via Constant Contact so that we know you are being informed of the activities that are occurring at the church.  If you have any other suggestions on how best to reach out to our parishioners, please see a Council member.