Hallelujah He Is Risen!  April brings us the celebration of the resurrected Lord.  We all love to remind ourselves of the miracle of this wonderous day.  We celebrate the end of our time of fasting, walk with an extra bounce in our step, and cherish the great gift of salvation we receive with a little more joy.

How often do we really think about what happened in the days that followed Jesus’ return from the grave?  It was during this time that Peter was told to “feed my sheep”.  Jesus’ sheep are His followers.  And through Peter the Church was established to feed the sheep.  Note that Christ never said if it is convenient for you, or if others don’t mind, or if you’re not too busy.  No, He just said do it!

That is still what the Church is called to do today.  Feed the sheep and bring them to Christ the Good Shepherd.  To do this we must have a mindset of service and urgency.  Not waiting for someone else to do it, but volunteer to do it ourselves and follow through.  Our little church is no different.  We are part of the universal church instituted by Jesus.  We are called to feed His sheep.  We are to do what needs to be done to sustain the church and all those that are part of it.  We all have gifts we can contribute to the flock.  We all can build the church up through our actions, giving, prayer, and time.

But to do this, we must commit to it.  And we must remember that when we do, we not only commit to this church, but He who instituted it!  Maybe we have busy schedules, maybe we don’t want to have church activities interfere with our leisure time, maybe we just don’t like some of the people we would have to be involved with.  Jesus’ command wasn’t given with options.  Feed my sheep!  As Christians and part of His church, we are all called to this.  We are all expected to spread the love of Jesus to others and to care for them spiritually.

Some feel that they have nothing to offer.  Others try to take on more than they are capable of because they feel no one else will do it.  This leads to people getting overwhelmed and not being productive.  (At times it can cause roadblocks for others, and opportunities can be missed.)  The old adage “Lead, Follow, or get Out of the Way” applies to serving the Lord and church too!

Let us take some time and ask ourselves where we might improve serving.  How can we help feed the sheep?  Can we find better ways?  Can we be more supportive of those who are answering the call?  Are we willing to change when called to for the greater good?

Have we become stumbling blocks or are we building blocks?

We feed the sheep here.  We spread the Good News of the Gospel and live out the love of our Lord.  Let us also make every effort to feed not only those currently in our midst, but also those to come to Jesus in the future.

Hallelujah He Is Risen!

God bless each of you, and may you always be filled with His Spirit!
Pastor Gerry

Monthly Men’s Breakfast…Please join us for our monthly men’s breakfast the second Wednesday of each month at 9:00 am at Eat-N-Park.  All are welcome!

Well, this year is marching along!  We are rapidly approaching our Easter Holiday.  We are midway through the Lenten Season, and we have had a good response to our Wednesday Lent Mid-week Service and Soup Suppers, which I am very pleased with.  Pastor is doing an excellent job with his message each Wednesday.  Our weekly Sunday attendance is averaging between 40-45 and as the weather gets better and our snowbirds return to us that will help these numbers.  Holy Week will be upon us soon.  Maudy Thursday and Good Friday services will be at 5:00 pm.  Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday services will be at our regular service time of 10:00 am.  Don’t forget that Fellowship is sponsoring a Palm Sunday Breakfast at 8:30 am on March 29.  Please plan to attend if you can!  Our new Director of Youth Activities, Niki Baringer, has been hired and is at work with our first planned youth and family event on Friday, April 24.  She is working on other events coming throughout the summer.  This is all very exciting here at Living Lord.  We are still working on plans for some church projects that will be funded through the Fuchs Fund this year, and we are in the process of getting estimates to help us choose which ones to do.  You can be sure that a building of this age also seems to need work to keep it going.  I will wrap this up, and I have probably left something out I wanted to say, but it can wait until next month.  Have a blessed Easter and please remember to love each other as God loves us.

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.

Is the snow really finished?  I hope so, since the snow drops and daffodils are popping their sprouts above ground calling for spring.  I think I am also calling for spring and some warm weather.  The Evangelism/Membership Committee is back at work.  If there are any new or renewed ideas that you have for us, we would be happy to give it a try.  Your support of the Howland Schools Paw Pantry has been amazing!  In January, February, and March, we collected all sizes of T-shirts, socks, and undergarments for younger students in the primary grades.  The Outreach Committee is also now collecting for our Easter Food Basket distribution.  Thank you for your generosity and caring.  We resumed our communion visits to our homebound members in mid-March.  Don’t forget there are members who will help with transportation if you are in need.  Information is posted on the main bulletin board.  God’s blessings for your help and welcome spring!

Wow!  March has been a busy month!  We have had snacks every Sunday and five Wednesday Soup Suppers.  Thanks to all who have made soup and snacks and all of the helpers who set up, served, and cleaned up each time.  We couldn’t have done this without the volunteers.  As of this writing, we have not yet had our Palm Sunday Breakfast (March 29 at 8:30 am).  The sign-up sheet is filling up so it looks like we will all get fed!  Rollie and I will be gone most of April (going south for a few weeks), but I will be ready to go for the month of May.

Monthly Women’s Breakfast…Please join us at our monthly breakfast at Vasilio’s in Cortland on the second Thursday of every month (April 9) at 10:00 am.  All are welcome!

The Outreach Committee would like to thank everyone who donated to and/or helped with the Easter Food Baskets.  We were able to provide 15 food baskets to multiple individuals, including families with children, single moms and their children, grandmothers with grandchildren, and senior citizens.  Without your generosity, this would not be possible.  Thanks to all of you and may you have a blessed Easter!

As we travel through the Lenten Season, our Lent Mid-week Services and Soup Suppers have been very well attended with approximately 30 people.  Thank you to all who participated to make it a success.  Thanks to all the soup makers, bakers, and people who helped set up and clean up.  Fellowship Breakfast on Palm Sunday will be at 8:30 am.  Palm Sunday starts the beginning of Holy Week.  We are always looking for volunteers for Worship Assistants, Altar Care, Communion Assistants, Crucifers, Greeters, Lectors, and Ushers.  Any help is appreciated.  The pay is heavenly!

Holy Week  Schedule
March 29 – Palm Sunday 10:00 am – Breakfast at 8:30 am/Return Lent Boxes
April 2 – Maundy Thursday 5:00 pm
April 3 – Good Friday 5:00 pm
April 5 – Easter Sunday 10:00 am

Join us for Games, Grub & Grace on Friday, April 24, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm in the Fellowship Hall for a fun-filled evening of board games, minute-to-win-it challenges, and bingo, complete with exciting prizes and delicious food.  This is our first family-friendly youth event, so bring a friend or two and enjoy laughter, connection, and meaningful time together—because life’s ups and downs are always better when shared.  Volunteer sign-up sheets will be posted soon!

March!  That is the order from our Lord Jesus Christ!  We are to march into the world and share the Good News of the Gospel and spread the love that our Gracious God has bestowed upon the world.

It just so happens that March is also the name of the third month of the year!  During this month we are fully into the season of Lent.  A time of preparation for us to be ready for the Resurrected Lord.  It seems that it all came so fast!  Wasn’t it just yesterday we were celebrating Christmas?

As we continue to prepare ourselves for Resurrection Sunday, let us take inventory of our habits and day-to-day life.  What might we do to better prepare ourselves for Christ?  Are we loving as we should?  Do we give ourselves and resources to others and His church?  Are we spending time with the Lord in prayer, reflection, and praise?  Are there distractions or barriers that limit us from being holy?

We are called to the cross through Jesus.  No, we don’t have to be physically crucified on a tree of despair, but we are called to carry our burdens in life to realize that sacrifices may be necessary to better prepare ourselves for what is coming.  Lent is a season of sacrifice.  We are called to do without the things that sometimes comfort us, to do without the things that sometimes distract us from not only our problems but also from spending time at the foot of the cross of our Lord.

For instance, we can limit ourselves from watching television so much, and trade that time we spend with the tube for spending more time in prayer.  Maybe instead of watching television for two hours, we spend one of those hours volunteering to help others.  Instead of going out to dinner as frequently as we might, perhaps we can increase our support of our church or a charity.  We can also get rid of things like anger, jealousy, spite, etc., that might prevent us from having space in our hearts for things like joy, laughter, empathy, etc.

We can surround ourselves with people of like minds.  Fellowship isn’t just for Sunday mornings!  Participating in gatherings of Christians is good for the soul!  It helps us to be around others that share our faith and we in turn can help them too.  Sharing meals, experiences, and praise of our Lord brings us closer to one another, strengthening the Body of Christ here on Earth.

While there are many ways to the cross, there is but one to Heaven.  JESUS!  Let March be a month of focusing on not just believing in Him but knowing Him.  Let us find ways to give ourselves over to Him completely.  In our comforts, our sorrows, our hearts, our minds, our goodness, and our failures.  Jesus wants us in totality, let us work to give Him that!

God Bless You ALL!
Pastor Gerry

Monthly Men’s Breakfast…Please join us for our monthly men’s breakfast the second Wednesday of each month at 9:00 am at Eat-N-Park.  All are welcome!

I must tell you some months I find it very easy to write this article and other months I cannot think of anything to write down!  I know that it is hard to believe knowing how much I seem to talk, but it is true.  So, when I am late getting this article to Lynn, it takes her longer to get the Newsletter to you all.  So, I will try to get better, but Lynn has been working on me for years and you can see how much that has helped.  So anyway, back to my article.  We had a good Council Retreat on February 14 at church.  We discussed many ideas on how to move forward as a church and build our numbers.  We also discussed the possibility of bringing on a part-time youth director to shake the bushes for younger families with children.  We decided as a Council to move forward with the idea of a one-year trial period to see how it works and to fund it outside the budget.  We will use the Mission Endowment Fund to cover the salary for one year.  And by the way, if you take a look at the MEF By-laws, number 2 mentions projects like this.  We also talked about some projects for the church this year funded through the Fuchs Fund.  Nothing has been finalized until the Property Committee meets and figures all of that out.  We hope to be active as a Council this year with more ideas to be active outside of our building and into the communities around us.  I again want to thank all who came out on a cold wintry day to come to church for our Annual Congregation Meeting.  We had a good turnout, and I and Council appreciate your support for us with all the changes we have asked for your approval throughout the year.  One last thing, Lent season is here with Ash Wednesday and the following five Wednesday Lent Mid-week Service and Soup Suppers.  If you can, please come out and join us for this.  We have been having great participation over the last few years and hope that will be the case this year also.  May God bless all of you and remember God wants us to love one another as he loves us.

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.

The Evangelism/Membership Committee thanks the church family for their support of the Howland Local Schools Paw Pantry for those in need.  This has been a very “wintry” winter and has been a challenge for attending meetings and church with difficulty and safety.  Our collection of all sizes of socks, T-shirts, and undergarments for younger students in the primary grades needs to be continued for the month of March.  One more month will help.  Many thanks for your generosity and caring.  Watch the church newsletter and bulletin board for the items (personal care items) to be collected in April and May.  God’s blessings for your help and caring.