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.

Due to the Lent Mid-week services and Soup Suppers, there will not be a regular Fellowship Sunday in March.  There will be a Palm Sunday Breakfast on March 29.  There will be a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board for food donations needed.  I would like to thank Joyce L’Amoureaux and Bonnie Smith for covering for me on the February Fellowship while I was ill.  They are awesome!

Monthly Women’s Breakfast…Please join us at our monthly breakfast at Vasilio’s in Cortland on the second Thursday of every month (March 12) at 10:00 am.  All are welcome!

We will be offering Easter Food Baskets with initial donation sign-up sheets to be posted by Sunday, February 22.  The last day for donation drop-off is on Sunday, March 22.  Food basket pick-up will be on Palm Sunday, March 29, after the worship service.  Please contact Pam Boothe at 740-395-3564 if you are interested in reserving a basket.  We are limited to 15 available food baskets.  Happy Spring wishes and Easter Blessings to you!

Adult Forum continues each Sunday morning at 9:00 am.  Pastor Gerry and Christian Scheiner share the teaching duties.  The study of the Gospels continues and how they impact our faith for witness and actions.  Come join us!

Soup Supper & Lent Mid-week Service…Please join us for our Soup Supper & Lent Mid-week Services every Wednesday at 5:00 pm during Lent.

Lent Boxes…Please return your Lent Boxes on Palm Sunday, March 29.

February is upon us!  And so are the colder temperatures!  (All of you who escaped to Florida and other warmer climates quit smiling!) We aren’t going to let cold weather keep us from sharing in fellowship and praising our Lord.  No, in fact we are gearing up to do these things more so.

The Lenten Season begins on Ash Wednesday, February 18.  Our service will take place at 5:00 pm this year to give those who are still employed a better opportunity to join us after work.  The following Wednesday, February 25, is the start of our Lenten Soup Suppers, which will also take place at 5:00 pm.  It is my great hope that we have a great turnout for these events, and we can enjoy each other’s company, good food, and the praise of our Lord.

Another event that will take place in February is a more contemporary worship service which will be held on February 8.  (We hope to do these services on a monthly basis.)  While we will still worship our Lord, we will focus more on praising Him and hopefully get closer to Him.  These services will include the use of recorded music and maybe eventually live musicians.

Since the weather isn’t that inviting, many of us will hunker down in our homes.  While doing so, let us make time to pray, read scripture, and ask for God to send His Spirit upon us as we prepare ourselves for the coming celebration of the Resurrected Lord.

Please remember those who have been ill in your prayers.  Also, be mindful of those who we don’t see on a regular basis.  Reach out to them and let them know that they have not been forgotten.  You just might be the miracle they have been waiting for!

I also ask that we give thanks for our Church Council (outgoing and incoming).  We are truly blessed to have such wonderful people willing to give of their time and talents to help our church continue the mission of Jesus.

I close with this prayer:
Lord God, creator of all that is, please look into the hearts of your people and find what might be distracting them from Your will.  Help them to remove all obstacles that keep them from fully enjoying Your love and help them all to be better conduits of the love expressed to us in Jesus, we pray in His most holy name,  amen.

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!

The 2026 Council will be installed on Sunday, February 8.  The Council Retreat and Meeting will be on Saturday, February 14, at 9:00 am in the Fellowship Hall.

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 wishes our church family a prosperous and God’s blessings year of 2026.  Your generous support of Howland Local Schools Paw Pantry is greatly appreciated!  If you have other ideas where we might be able to help others in some way, please let us know.  Current members are:  Rose Baringer, Bonnie Sanzenbacher, Drena Smith, Denise Scheiner, and Barb Wright.  After talking with Charisse Mayhew, the coordinator for Howland Local Schools Paw Pantry, we will continue collecting in February 2026 all sizes of T-shirts, all sizes of socks, and all sizes of undergarments for younger students in the primary grades.  Many thanks for your past generosity and caring.  Our Committee will resume taking communion to our homebound members soon.  Don’t forget we have volunteer members to help getting our members in need of transportation to appointments or other necessities.  Cards with transportation information are available on the narthex bulletin board.  God’s blessings for your help and Happy New Year!

I hope everyone is coping with Old Man Winter safely.  We have been on a roller coaster this winter of snow, then rain, then cold, and then warm.  Nature has thrown us a mixed bag this year.  This is my last report for a while.  I hope everyone has enjoyed our various foods and Fellowships.  My undying love to my team and my husband, Ernie, for all of their hard work.  All I had to do was ask and they were right there.  Those kinds of friends are priceless.  Ernie didn’t really have a choice.  LOL.  Please welcome the next chairperson and I will be there to support her when I get through with this health issue.  We are a special group of Lutherans and Ernie and I are so thankful we found this church.  God’s blessings to all.

Monthly Women’s Breakfast…Please join us at our monthly breakfast at Vasilio’s in Cortland on the second Thursday of every month (Feb. 12) at 10:00 am.  All are welcome!

Fellowship Sunday…Nancy Walters, the new Fellowship Chairperson, will host Fellowship on Sunday, February 15.  It will have a Valentine theme.  Please plan to attend.