Experience a new kind of worship - RE:new!

Join us on Saturday evenings at 5 pm in the Fellowship Hall as we worship God together.

Featuring contemporary music with our RE:new! worship band, teaching time by Pastor Dana including discussion time, Communion and our RE:juvenate coffee bar.

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~Worship Foretaste~

April

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I have just finished reading Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Prophet, Martyr, Spy by Eric Metaxas, a marvelous book if you are interested in twentieth century history or theology. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a young pastor from a privileged family in Germany as Hitler came to power in 1932. The book tells the story of Bonhoeffer's life, culminating with his imprisonment and subsequent murder at the hands of the Nazi SS on April 9, 1945. He was 39 years old.

During his development as a theologian, Bonhoeffer witnessed the undoing of the Church in Germany, and he visited America during the heyday of the liberal protestant movement in this country. He was dismayed by what he saw in both churches, especially as the Nazis systematically attempted to replace the gospel of Jesus with their own fiction.

Bonhoeffer's courage in the face of German power is inspiring; he continued throughout his life to speak the truth about salvation in Christ and to work for the undoing of National Socialism. From the very beginning, he was a part of the secret resistance to Hitler and was even a member of the group which worked to assassinate him. He was inspiring for more than his wartime courage; his relentless desire to be a disciple of Christ and to help others to follow Jesus in the midst of suffering and evil is perhaps his most amazing quality.

In Bonhoeffer's way of thinking, the church, both in Germany and in the US, had deserted the core of the gospel and replaced it with teachings that were more culturally palatable. His worry was that the powerful work of Jesus on the cross would be forgotten, and replaced with what he famously called "cheap grace." In his book, The Cost of Discipleship, he wrote "cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus living and incarnate." Only by eschewing cheap grace and seeking to be a disciple, could one truly follow Jesus. And Bonhoeffer didn't just talk the talk. Throughout the 1930's and 40's, as Europe was crumbling under the Nazi boot, Bonhoeffer wrote, preached, taught, cajoled, negotiated and encouraged his students and other Christians to remain firm in their faith. As the SS soldiers came to escort him to his death, he was finishing leading a worship service with other prisoners.

One of the reasons Dietrich Bonhoeffer touches me is that he spoke the gospel of Jesus and his call to us to be his disciples into a world that wanted to listen to all kinds of false, destructive "gospels." His voice breaks through the muddled cacophony of falsehoods, half-truths and outright lies to call us to unwavering faith in the person of Jesus as the one whom God has given as the salvation of humankind.

His legacy is far too large for this column but as we approach the 66th anniversary of his martyrdom, in the midst of Lent, perhaps we too might listen for the voice of one who points us unfailingly toward the cross where our Lord died, in order that we might live. He calls us to follow Jesus, to become his disciples, no matter what the cost. May God give us the courage and the grace to answer the call.                        ~ PD

What is your favorite Bible story?

My favorite story is the Easter story. It was when the three girls including Mary went to the place where the stone was rolled away. They talked about who would roll away the stone for them because it was so big and heavy but they didn't have to. An angel told them that Jesus was not there. Jesus was Risen.

What are your favorite memories/parts of Sunday School?

I like in the classroom when we do crafts. I also like when Janie brings some food and drinks to act out the lessons like the time we turned water into wine. We mixed Kool-Aide and drank it. It was really good. I also liked when we used electronics to make a slide show of us acting right there.

What do you like to do with your extra time and with your family?

I like when my family plays Apples to Apples Junior after dinner. I also like to read. Right now I am reading Tum Tum & Nutmeg. It's about a mouse family who goes on adventures. They are rich but the house they live in is poor. Another thing I do is make beads. I put them in a box when I am done making them.

Don't know what to get your mother for Mother's Day? You're in luck! The Kayla Foundation is hosting a plant and bake sale on Saturday May 7th, 2011 at 9:00am at Rocky Mountain High School. What is the Kayla Foundation you might ask? Well, the Kayla Foundation is a foundation that provides support for Poudre School District students with financial needs who are interested in participating in music related programs at their schools. The Foundation also supports other local non-profit organizations who want to start or strengthen their own music programs. If you want to learn more, please visit their website at http://thekaylafoundation.org. Please come join us in buying something special for your mom, eating some delicious baked goods and enjoying some fantastic music!

New Orleans or Bust! Yes, that is right. The 2012 National Youth Gathering is going back to New Orleans! Any teenager going into ninth, tenth, eleventh or twelfth grade or having just graduated from high school at the time of the Gathering is eligible to register as part of a congregational group. The Youth Gathering will be July 18th - 22nd. The theme of the National Youth Gathering is Citizens with the Saints and we will be focusing on Ephesians 2:14-20. "...so then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone."

After a one year hiatus Thrivent is sponsoring the building of another Habitat home this summer. Thrivent is providing 55% of the funding, Habitat 35% and the remaining 10% will come from the Lutheran churches in Fort Collins. The key to Thrivent funding is that 50% of those working on the house need to be Lutherans and 25% Thrivent members. So the big push is to get volunteers to work on the house and provide food for the volunteers. They will not be assigning specific Saturdays to each church to work this summer. Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 8-3:30 will be volunteer work days. You can sign up on-line for any day that is convenient for you at www.fortcollinshabitat.org. If you want to sign-up as a group to be sure you are working together just sign-up at the same time or contact me and I can get a group space held for you. The ground breaking is April 17th. The first big work days are what is called Blitz Build days. They will be April 29th & 30th. On these days 50-70 volunteers will all be working at once in a barn raising fashion. It is an exciting day to go from foundation to framed walls and roof all in two days! The rest of the days usually have 10-15 volunteers. Children must be 16 to work at the site, 18 to use power tools. No experience is required (but is welcome). They always have skilled folks around that are great at teaching people what needs to be done. If you have any questions, please contact Jim O'Grady at 484-7168 or jogradyco@aol.com.

Habitat for Humanity and Senior High Youth Teaming Up!

On Saturday April 30th, the senior high youth group and I will be teaming up with Habitat for Humanity for this year's Thrivent Build. Debbie Pyles, the Volunteer Program Manager from Fort Collins Habitat for Humanity, and I will be meeting on Wednesday March 30th to discuss in further detail what the youth and I can and cannot do during this build. The youth and I are so excited to be a part of this wonderful experience in helping a family have a place to call their own. Submitted by Jane Homann, Youth Director.

Anyone who has met our new member Phil Purdy (with his wife Andrea and son Cole) has probably noticed that Phil has a runner's build.  What you might not guess is that he is actually an "ultra-runner" (someone who covers distances longer than a standard marathon), and that his passion for running is matched by a passion to bless others through that avocation.

I had a chance to get better acquainted with the Purdys when the whole family participated in the most recent CROP Walk for hunger.  That was truly a "walk in the park" by comparison with Phil's plans for this August.  He is going to run the 200-mile Wild West Relay from Fort Collins to Steamboat Springs-except that instead of being part of a large team running it in 24 hours, he's planning to run the whole distance alone, hoping to complete the race in 60 hours.  Wife Andrea will be his pacer and crew boss.  More importantly, he's running for a purpose.  He is dreaming of raising $3750 for the Larimer County Food Bank, enough to feed 5000 people 15,000 meals.

Donations are anonymous, so Phil won't know who gave what, or how much, but gifts to the Food Bank specified as tribute gift to Team Wounded Bear will be added to the running total (no pun intended!) on his web site.  There, at https://sites.google.com/site/teamwoundedbear/  you can read in depth about his purpose and plans.  It's a beautiful testimony (with quotes from Pastor Dana and Pastor Connie Eulberg) to faith in action.

Your fellow Shepherd of the Hills members wish you well, Phil!

Kathy Wendland

Sylvia Adolph passed away on March 22, 2011 at Good Samaritan. A date/time for the memorial service has not yet been determined by the family.  Please keep them in your prayers.

From Sewing Circle:  Thank you to whoever recently donated the bags of fabric for our quilting projects.  Your gift is greatly appreciated!

A HUGE THANK YOU from Jenny:  The Fellowship Hall is almost done!  Lighting will be coming soon and the remodel will be complete.  This project would not have been possible without the support of the congregation.  Thank you for your support in your kind words, your helping hands, and your flexibility as we have been painting and then painting some more.  I want to acknowledge all of those who have lent a helping hand from painting to lending ladders to shopping for lighting.  Thank you to; Myron Lloyd, Sue and Harlan Fretheim, Nino Baietti, Sam Walker, Marie Jones, Jane Homann, Tom Deines, Nicolle Kuester, Carrie and Ian Cole, Sue Peterson, Cody Kalous and Jim O'Grady.  I also want to send a thank you to the council for their unanimous support for making this project possible.  Pastor Dana, Amy Toomey, Kari Fedde, and Jane Homann; thank you for being there during the highs and lows of such an enormous undertaking.  I feel blessed to be a part of this congregation and to work as a staff member at Shepherd of the Hills!  Thank You!

SOTH's Events and Opportunities

Shepherd of the Hills Presents:  '100 White Flags' this coming Sunday, April 3rd. 

Click here to view the flyer for more information. 

Monthly Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America Fellowship Circles:

Ruth Circle:

All women from the church are welcome, even if you don't regularly attend. We meet the 3rd Monday of each month at 6:30 pm at members' homes. Contact Lois Lawson, 226-1046, for more information.

Lydia/Miriam Circle:

We meet the 3rd Wednesday of each month at 9:30 am at the church. Theme: The people of God: Unity in the Midst of Diversity. Join us! Contact Janet Haferman, 221-1677, for more information.

Mary Circle:

We meet the 3rd Wednesday of each month at 1:30 pm at the church. Theme: The People of God: Unity in the Midst of Diversity. Join us! Contact Carleen Thorn, 223-8151, for more information.

Sewing Circle:

Meets the 2nd Wednesday of each month from 9-Noon at the church. Contact Nancy Wick for details.

The Book Club will meet again on April 26 at 1pm at the church. The book: Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson. Reviewer: Sue Fretheim.

Silver Singles: Our Silver Singles meets 2nd Thursday of each month @ 11:30 am. We will meet at Black Eyed Pea located at 4312 College Ave on April 14th. Kathleen Hadenfeld is our hostess this month (970-482-8705).

Crocheters, Knitters and Wannabes... Our Prayer Shawl Ministry has begun in the Narthex area. We meet the 2nd & 4th Thursday of each month. We would love to have anyone who is interested! Come for fellowship and a cup of coffee! Contact person: Pat Madson: 970-282-9205.