Grain for the Sheep  
Newsletter  
March / April, 2016

Jesus Lives!  Praise God With Us! 
Sundays at 9:30 AM

The Season of Easter Continues . . . 
through May 15 (the day of Pentecost) 
A Message From Our Pastor

"Jesus Christ is ris'n today, Alleluia! Our triumphant holy day, Alleluia! Who did once upon a cross, Alleluia! Suffer to redeem our loss. Alleluia!" (ELW 365)

Easter Greetings!!! I love this season and I love this hymn. Yet this has not been a regular season, at least for me and my family. Lent this year closed with a very poignant reality with the sudden death of my father Robert Egtvedt. After entering hospice March 8th, Dad let out his last breath on March 12th. You can follow the rest of the events that week if you want check out my Facebook page but that is not our focus here. Robert Egtvedt died, his remains were buried with honors, but like the women who went early that Easter morning to properly prepare Jesus's body, we have been gripped with both sadness & gloom. Yet despite the gloom and anguish these events leave in our human lives, Easter through the lens of the cross, shows us hope. Hope in how the empty tomb shows us how death no longer as the final say; how death is no longer the end, but ... rather... a new beginning!

Very soon congregation members will be receiving a financial update with their quarterly statements. Having lost several members earlier this year, our numbers have been lower than we would like, yet as Christ has shown us with death, numbers also do not have the final say. Just today we had a couple from Madison, WI stop in at the church to get information for their children who have a vacation house at the lake. We have been blessed with visitors whom have not been seen since the move from the Garrett 8 Theater. We have had new permanent lake residents join us for Prayers around the Cross and worship. We have one new associate member and two families who have said they will be retiring to the lake this spring. Easter reminds us not just of what we have lost, but more importantly of what we have won through Christ.

The cross has the power to turn hopelessness into hope. Dad may be dead, but he is with Christ and as we celebrate Christ's resurrection, we know that our loved one(s) will also be resurrected. This is the hope of the empty tomb - this is the message of Easter.
     
CHRIST IS RISEN!!! ALLELUIA!

Pastor Rick
 
   
Lent... Maundy Thursday...Good Friday...Easter Vigil...

 
The Resurrection of Our Lord ~ Easter Sunday
Easter Day, March 27, 2016  
Luke and Ella Making Resurrection Cookies with Beth Johnson

 

Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church
The Rev. Richard T. Egtvedt
301-501-8218 
  

  

Sand Flat Plaza  
Route 219 and Sand Flat Road 
17869 Garrett Highway  
Oakland, Maryland 21550 
301-387-0400  
 
Mailing Address: 
P.O. Box 374,
McHenry, MD 21541
 
 
Pastor Rick 



 The 98-yr-old hand of Cherie Myers, holding the cross near and dear to her heart.
Worship Service for HEALING
Wednesday, April 13  
at 6:30 p.m.
 
Relief from pain and suffering,
For those seeking comfort in distress,
Hope in the midst of brokenness,
Wholeness in mind, body and spirit,
Through music, song and prayer,
Come and experience God's healing touch.
 
Offered by  Rev. Rick Egtvedt, Rev. Ted Bessey and the Prayer Ministry Group 
 
Rev. Jim Luedeke
Many thanks to Rev. Jim Luedeke for offering to lead worship on Sunday, March 20,while Pastor Rick was in Wisconsin with his father's funeral.

Jim and Linda Luedeke have recently retired and moved full-time to Deep Creek Lake.  We are thrilled to have them as regular attendees of Shepherd of the Hills.
 

DINNER CLUB - April 12
 
Tuesday, April 12, 5:30 p.m.
(above Garrett Eight Cinemas)
 
Celebrating the joy of the Resurrection, we will gather for fellowship, fun and food. Each month we explore a different local restaurant.  Invite family and friends.
 
DINNER CLUB meets the Second Tuesday of each Month at 5:30  
 
Annual Synod Assembly
June 3-4, 2016
Bridgeport, WV
Many thanks to our delegates
Beth and Scott Johnson.



 
"... as many as one in three of Garrett County residents are Veterans ...."
  

The above statement was made during a recent meeting of the Western Maryland Veterans Providers Network. Your experience may be different than this statistic, but this is supported by the fact that during the Second World War Friendsville, MD, carried the "honor" of suffering the largest number per capita of combat deaths in this nation. Military service has been and still is a common experience in Garrett County, MD and in many places throughout Appalachia, yet there are not always many resources to support the old or new Active Duty, National Guard, and Reserve warriors who are coming to grips with their combat experience.

That's why a two day "Train-the-Trainer"Rural Clergy Training Program (RCTP) is planned for
May 24 and 25, 2016 at Garret College in McHenry, MD.

This RCTP program responds to the reality that clergy and houses of worship serve as important contact points for Veterans throughout this area. Yet sometimes clergy members aren't aware of the veterans in their congregation or how they might help a veteran and their family following deployments and combat service. Clergy may recognize Veterans who are struggling since their return to civilian life, but not know how to support them. This "Train-the-Trainer" session is designed to establish a trained cadre of clergy, mental health specialists, and veterans to help train and educate others about veteran challenges, in addition to the various national and local resources that can be brought to bear as needed.

This program is encouraged by the: Veteran's Administration (VA) National Chaplain Center, VA Office of Rural Health, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Federal Bureau of Chaplains, West Virginia - Western Maryland Synod of the ELCA, and Garrett College Office of Continuing Education.

Rev. Richard Egtvedt (retired Air Force) of Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church will serve as the leader. Shepherd of the Hills will provide project supplies, promotion, and refreshments for the volunteers during the two-day event. A THRIVENT GRANT will help make this possible.




 Storefront on the outside
Holy Spirit on the inside 

 

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