Faith E-news    March 18, 2016  

Quick Notes and Reminders    

Please check the calendar for more information.


Food Pantry Item for March is Peanut Butter

Faith Feast or Faith Night 
There will not be Faith Feast or Faith Night activities on Wednesday, March 23, due to Holy Week. They will resume on Wednesday, March 30.
  
This Week's Ministry Blog 
 Our Duty and Our Joy

Luke 19:28-40

When we gather this Sunday for worship we have work to do! We call the patterns and movement of weekly worship our liturgy. Liturgy, as defined from the Greek, is the "work of the people." This means that we are invited to act; we get to do something. In other words, we have work to do. This Sunday, we will walk, we will sing, we will pray and we will listen. We will wave our palm branches and we will shout "hosanna!"
 
Hosanna is translated as "O save now!" The cry was used in the procession of the feast of Booths (Psalm 118:25-26), which was a thanksgiving ritual in the temple. We associate this with the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem from the New Testament. "Save us now!" is a fundamental truth for a community of faith at worship.

Our worship this Sunday heightens the significance of our gathering and entrance into worship. We will begin outside the church building to signify that we come from the world to share in thanksgiving and praise. We will process to the ancient practice of drumming. We will cry "hosanna". When we hear the biblical account of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, it is not that we are propelled back in time, but rather we give witness that TODAY Jesus enters our city, our worshiping assembly, and we laud him as king.

So Sunday of the Passion/Palm Sunday takes work - a faithful participation. It takes action from us all across the generations. Passion/Palm Sunday should be impactful as it draws us into the days of Holy Week. Our pastors will be preparing their words and actions around this work.

This Sunday without a doubt brings us into the drama of the good news of God's saving ways. Know that in your shouts of hosanna you share in the proclamation of God's endless love for the world!

Dr. David Johnson, Director of Music 
 

Building Update 



The flooring work has started and should be complete next week. Once that is done, the plumbing fixtures can then be installed. 
 

24th Annual United in Prayer Day

All are invited to share in this world-wide morning of prayer at Faith Lutheran Church on Saturday, March 19, from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. in Faith Lights Room. They will be practicing silent prayers for the world and viewing a video entitled: Centering Prayer, a Way of Life with Fr. Carl Arico, followed by a discussion. All are welcome! or any questions please call Jan Stegeman at 556-5587. This event is sponsored by Contemplative Outreach of Central Iowa.
 

Sunday School
  
Intergenerational Sunday School
 
Sunday, March 20, is Palm Sunday Intergenerational Sunday School. All ages will gather in St. Michael's Hall between services for hands on learning activities, refreshments, and fellowship
 
No Adult Sunday School
On Sunday, March 27, there will not be Adult Sunday School however Easter Breakfast will be provided by the Youth of our congregation. Freewill offering will support the upcoming mission trip.
    

Eggs Needed for Intergenerational Sunday School 
  
The entire family is invited to join the festivities in St. Michael's Hall at 9:30.  Children can decorate Easter eggs to be donated to the Salvation Army. If you can, please bring one dozen hard boiled eggs (labeled with the date they were boiled).  
 
 

Dinner Church

Join us on Maundy Thursday, March 24, at 6:00 p.m. for Dinner Church. Like the earliest Christians, people of all ages will gather for a simple meal and worship in St. Michael's Hall and the sanctuary. Please respond to the church office if you plan to attend so we can have a place at the table for you.
 

Join Us for the Annual Easter Breakfast
Youth Fundraiser!
 
Our youth, parents, and volunteers are hard at work preparing Faith's Annual (and delicious!) Easter Breakfast. On, Sunday, March 27, we invite you, your family, and your friends to dine like royalty in St. Michael's Hall any time between 7:30 and 10:30 a.m. We'll be serving pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, fresh fruit, muffins, and cereal. All proceeds from the free-will offering breakfast will support our mission. We hope to see you there! 
 
Faith Hosting Family Promise Families
 
Our congregation will be hosting Family Promise - homeless families with children - at the Gathering House from Sunday, March 27- Sunday, April 3. There will again be opportunities to prepare and/or serve meals, to host during the evening or overnight, and help set up and take down needed supplies. Sign-up sheets and additional information will be available in the Commons between services during the next several weeks. Please help us in providing for our guest families.
 

Guys Night Out 
 
Give yourself a break and join Guys Night Out. They are meeting at Iowa Tap Room at 215 East 3rd Steeet, Des Moines, on Monday, March 28, at 7:00 p.m. Please let Dave Eppert (710-8558) or Tim Tessier (707-0880) know if you will be attending by sending a text. Hope to see you there!
 

Spring Clean-Up Day  

Saturday, April 2, from 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. will be our annual spring clean-up day. We will be doing outside cleaning work around the church property as well as touch up painting in the Commons and cleaning of the pews.  If you have a free Saturday morning, please plan to join us. Confirmation students can count this as an in-service activity. Please email Mike Gaul at gaul.mike.a@me.com or text at 515-971-1504 if you plan to help.
   

Children and Family Ministry     

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Save the Date
VBS at Faith 2016
 

Vacation Bible School at Faith will be Sunday, June 12 - Thursday, June 16, from 5:30-8:00 p.m. for campers ages Prekindergarten thru Junior High. Registration for campers and volunteers will be released after Easter.
 

Youth and Family Ministry     

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  • Current 6-8 Graders: Join us for SURGE, a local, two-night service-learning event scheduled for June 13-15. More information is available online at http://bit.ly/SURGEinfo , including registration information.
  • High School Seniors: Save the date! This year's Baccalaureate worship service and lunch is scheduled for Sunday, April 17! Fill out the online R.S.V.P. form at http://bit.ly/FLCgrad and be on the lookout for a letter in the mail with more instructions!
  • College Retreat: Registration is live for the College Retreat in Steamboat Springs, CO from July 28-August 1. It's open to all current college students and costs $200/person. Much more information is available online at http://bit.ly/FLCcollegeretreatFAQ, including an itinerary and registration information.
  • 6-12 Grade: A reminder that confirmation and SHYG will not meet during Spring Break and Holy Week (March 16 and 23). We will resume on Wednesday, March 30.
 

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Do you have questions or comments regarding this publication?  Please contact Miranda at mirandakurtt@faithlc.org or 225-8334.  We welcome your feedback.