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Weekly Event Calendar
Wednesday, April 6
6:30 p.m. Welcome Wagon
7:15 p.m. Hope & Healing Alanon
Thursday, April 7
9:30 a.m. Eucharist
7 p.m. Vestry
Saturday, April 9
8 a.m. Men's Group
Sunday, April 10
7:30 am Eucharist
9 a.m. Eucharist
10 a.m. Sunday School Tuesday, April 5 6 p.m. Super Tuesday Dinner, Living Compass Upcoming Events
Youth Sunday
April 10
9 a.m. service
First Communion Class
Saturday, April 16
10-11 a.m.
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Who's on this Sunday?
7:30 a.m.
Server: TJ Ross
Lay Reader: Jim Barber
Lector: Bob Kelley
Servers: Lindsey Siefert, Patrick Cornelius
Crucifer: Kirsten Scheels
Eucharistic Minister: Cathy Kortendick
Lector: Youth Sunday
Greeters: John and Rose Adamski
Refreshments: Rose Adamski, Nancy Catrine, Carrie Bratton-Lock
Coffee Server: Marge Pederson
Coffee Clean-Up: WE NEED VOLUNTEERS |
Flowers
Do you have a special occasion coming up? Would you be willing to donate flowers to beautify our church for that occasion? The cost is only $40.
Please follow the PayPal link below, or you can drop a check in the collection plate on Sunday. Thank you.
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 Rector's Ramblings
Neither meat cleavers nor spear guns are allowed!
Last week I was browsing on the TSA Web site to remind myself of the 3-1-1 rule for flying, and I stumbled upon the list of restricted items which you can't have in carry-on luggage. Imagine that you have to announce that meat cleavers and spear guns are inappropriate carry-on luggage! I found the whole list of restricted items rather reasonable, and common sense tells us that TSA got this right. I'm not so sure about the 3-1-1 rule (3 oz of liquid, 1 pint clear plastic bag, 1 bag per passenger). And you guessed right, I was going on a trip. My family and I traveled to Florida for my father's 80th birthday, and by the time you read this I will have already returned. But as I thought about the restrictions put upon air travelers for our own safety and security, I was reminded of God's suggested restrictions, also known as the 10 Commandments. God has given us these guidelines for living, and when followed, they will afford our lives a certain level of safety and security. They will by no means insulate us from the trials and tribulations of life but they will certainly help us cut down on our self-inflicted wounds.
Let me take a moment to remind you of the 10 Commandments. Remember, they are all about relationship. Four are focused upon our relationship with God and six are about our relationships with each other. Take a moment and crack your Bible to Exodus 20:1-17 or the catechism from the Prayer Book page 847. The 10 Commandments are right there. Let me suggest that you take some time here at the end of Lent and reflect upon those commandments in conjunction with your relationship with God and others. Often times we can see strain and strife directly related to the breach of one of those commandments. When you boil it all down, we are called to love God with all that we are and to love each other as we love ourselves. The 10 Commandments give us practical direction in how to do that as gracefully as possible. Remember, it's not about keeping rules and regulations. It's about relationships and living and loving each other as gracefully as possible.
Bon Voyage |
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The Story of Wildflowers
There is a true story told by Dr. Howe, a story of an experience when he was young.
Dr. Howe said, "I learned from my mother when I was about 15 years old, how there can be hope in the midst of despair, power of recovery in the midst of falling."
He said, "After a devastating fire that wiped us out, except for the clothes on our backs, my father and I were returning through the woods from a distant village where we had gone for supplies. When we came back to what had been our home, which now was smoking and smoldering ruins, we found my mother had prepared a lunch. She had gotten a big log to use as a picnic table. In the middle of the log she had set a rusty tin can filled with wildflowers. That rusty tin can filled with wildflowers has always symbolized my mother, symbolized her faith and hope. It has become for me a sign of the Christian faith and Christian hope. It has always said to me that in the midst of despair there is reason for hope; in the midst of falling there is the power of recovery."
After Dr. Howe told this story he asked the question, "Do you have any wildflowers in a rusty tin can not far from your smoking runs?" Notice the question is not, "Do you have any smoking ruins?" We all have those. We wish we would not, but we do.
The question is not, "Do you have any smoking ruins?" Rather the question is, "Do you have any wildflowers in a rusty tin can not far from your smoking ruins?" That is, "Do you have any sign of faith and hope that is yours?
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Campaign Corner
Outreach Matters
The 40 days of Lent provide a time to slow down, reflect on our Christian faith and prepare ourselves for the celebration and season of Easter. Lent is traditionally a time of prayer, reflection and fasting. It also gives us an opportunity to consider our relationships with our neighbors and the world, and find the resolve to make them whole.
It is just this sort of outreach to our neighbors that is the final (and arguably the most important) initiative of the 50th Anniversary Campaign. Through the campaign we hope to raise $50,000 of "seed money" to be used for future outreach efforts by St. Michael's Church. Seed money will allow us to apply for matching grants and join in other initiatives already bearing fruit in our community. Your Vestry is engaged in a strategic planning process that will put into place the infrastructure to review and approve outreach opportunities. You see, we want to be deliberate in our outreach efforts. We want to make sure that through our actions we are making a difference and helping our neighbors. Funds raised through the 50th Anniversary Campaign will allow us to dream big and to truly have an impact.
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First Communion Class on April 16
A First Communion class will be held Saturday, April 16, from 10-11 a.m. at St. Michael's Church. You can register your child for formal training by Fr. McGugan by calling the church office at 639-2507, or sending an e-mail to info@stmichaelsracine.org.
We need to know your child's name, age and whether they will be a "dipper" or "sipper." "Dipper" means they will be trained to dip the host in the chalice (intinction). "Sipper" means they ingest the host from their hands and sip from the chalice.
Following the First Communion class, we encourage you to have your child take their first communion on Easter morning, April 24.
Please register so we can order the appropriate amount of books and don't forget to indicate "sipper" or "dipper."
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Nursery Needs
Our nursey needs supplies for the Annual Easter Egg Hunt. We are looking for egg cartons, wrapped candy and stickers.
Please leave them in the Nursery Room by April 22. Thanks!
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Easter Sunday Child Care
The nursery will be staffed and accepting children 2 and younger during the 9 and 11:30 a.m. services.
The Lambs' Room will not be staffed. The room will be available for parents to use with their children.
Just a reminder that Sunday School ends on Palm Sunday, April 17.
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Holy Week
Holy Week is the week preceding Easter which begins on Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday is a celebration of the day that Jesus entered Jerusalem to the praises of the people who said, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!"
On Wednesday, we have Stations of the Cross. This is a solemn, prayerful time when we remember Jesus' journey from the court of Pilate to Golgotha (the place of the skull) where he was crucified.
Maundy Thursday is when we remember the Last Supper Jesus shared with his disciples. He also washed his disciples' feet and told them to wash one another's feet. At the service, a sufficient number of hosts are consecrated for use also in the Good Friday service, and at the conclusion the Reserve Sacrament is carried in procession to the chapel to the altar of repose. The altar of the church (except the one used for altar of repose) is stripped bare and the crosses in the church are covered with purple cloth. A prayer vigil is kept all night until the Good Friday service.
Good Friday is the day that Jesus was condemned and crucified. His body was taken down from the cross and laid in an empty tomb. The reserve sacrament is brought from the altar of repose and consumed entirely. This reminds us that Jesus died for us and was no longer present in the world.
Easter Sunday is the great feast day and culmination of not only Holy Week but the whole year. We celebrate the glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord who is the true Paschal Lamb, who was sacrificed for us, and has taken away the sin of the world. Easter Sunday is the main reason why Christians keep Sunday as the primary day of religious observance.
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Holy Week Schedule |
Celebration |
Services | |
Sunday, April 17 |
Palm Sunday |
7:30, 9 a.m. | |
Tuesday, April 19 |
Evening classes canceled |
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Wednesday, April 20 |
Stations of the Cross |
7 p.m. | |
Thursday, April 21 |
Maundy Thursday Liturgies |
7 p.m. | |
Friday, April 22 |
Good Friday |
1 p.m. | |
Sunday, April 24 |
Easter Sunday |
7:30, 9, 11 a.m. |
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Please Help Feed the Hungry
St. Pat's Meal Program will be on April 14, and we still need five more casseroles. You can sign up on the bulletin board across from Fr. Terry's office or e-mail kpfaffle@stmichaelsracine.org. Thank you for your generosity.
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Classifieds
Echo Lake Foods Inc is looking to fill several positions for their Burlington and Yorkville locations including: Production Supervisor, Maintenance Mechanic, Purchasing, Warehouse Supervisor and more!
Please visit https://jobcenterofwisconsin.com for more details. |
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