Lutheran Life the congregational newsletter of

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TogetherTogetherTogether by Rev. John Tirro

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The Lenten color is a penitential

purple. The Lenten discipline may

involve abstaining or taking on for the

sake of perspective. The Lenten music

slows; “Alleluias” fall from the liturgy.

The Lenten pace moves intentionally

so one can reflect on Christ’s turn

toward Jerusalem, ponder Christ’s

journey to the cross. Sharing the

journey beckons personal reflection.

Frederick Buechner offers the following

invitation:

After being baptized by John in the

river Jordan, Jesus went off alone into

the wilderness where he spent forty

days asking himself the question what

it meant to be Jesus. During Lent,

Christians are invited to ask…what it

means to be themselves.

Consider these questions:

When you look at your face in the

mirror, what do you see in it that you

most like, and what do you see in it

that you most deplore?

If you had only one last message to

leave to the handful of people who are

most important to you, what would it

be in twenty-five words or less?

Of all the things you have done in your

life, which is the one you would most

like to undo? Which is the one that

makes you happiest to remember?

Is there any person in the world, or any

cause, that, if circumstances called for

it, you would be willing to die for?

If this were the last day of your life,

what would you do with it?

To hear yourself try to answer

questions like these is to begin to hear

something not only of who you are but

of both what you are becoming and

what you are failing to become. It can

be depressing, but if sackcloth and

ashes are at the start of it, something

like Easter may be at the end.

What is Lent? Lent, from an Anglo-Saxon word meaning “lengthen,” for the

lengthening of days as winter loses its hold and spring draws near, is

a time of preparation for rebirth and new life, for the Easter

resurrection of our Lord.

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Leap Into Lent A Wednesday evening program for

preschool - fifth grade students.

6:30 pm March 12 - April 9

(Does not include Ash Wednesday or Holy Week)

for lessons led by Anita Barker

in the Kindergarten Room (classroom by the stairs)

Children will join their families

in the sanctuary for Communion

at the end of each service.

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Our February Meeting was a great success. Kaye Williams provided delightful table

decorations and a treat for each of us. Judy McCarter provided a meaningful devotion

which touched all of our hearts. John and Mary Cole and Tracie Lefler cooked

homemade soups along with fruit salad, cheese and crackers, chocolate brownies and

lemon curd cake. Herta Olive provided tea, and John made coffee. Our program was

about The Walker Sisters of Little Greenbriar in the Great Smoky Mountains National

Park. Robin Goddard, a volunteer for the GSMNP, presented the Walker sisters’ story

from her personal experience of knowing the sisters. Last January, in Washington,

D.C., Robin was presented the Hartzog Award for her Outstanding Volunteer Service

by the National Park Service. She was recognized as an excellent interpreter, teacher,

storyteller, and trainer who has provided more than 12,000 hours of outstanding

volunteer service for the last 43 years for the GSMNP. If you have ever been to Little

Greenbriar School, Robin is the “schoolmarm” who tells the story.

At the March 5th Meeting, we will gather at 11:00 am for a wonderful lunch

provided by Rosa Nussbaumer, a member of of St. John’s and the Senior Adult

Ministry. This will be a treat for all of us. March 5 happens to be Ash Wednesday. As

Lutherans, we know this as the beginning of Lent when we intentionally take time to

draw closer to God through prayer, fasting, reading the bible, giving up something, or

taking up something which will help us reflect on the life of Christ and the sacrifice He

made for us. Lent allows us time to prepare our hearts for the Easter joy of Christ’s

resurrection. Join us for lunch and worship with us at the 12:00 noon Ash Wednesday

service.

The Senior Adult Ministry is a gathering of God’s older

children on the first Wednesday of each month, (September—May), beginning at 11:30 am.

It provides an opportunity for

fellowship, a good time, laughter, prayer, a great program and a

delicious lunch.

by Mary Cole, Senior Adult Ministry Coordinator

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It’s Lent … So What Do I Do Now? Adapted by Pastor Amy from a blog by Rachel Held Evans…

Ponder these questions:

1. When I wake up on Resurrection Sunday morning, how will I be different?

2. From what do I need to repent?

3. Is there one particular sin in my life that repeatedly gets in the way of loving God

with my whole heart or loving my neighbor as myself? How do I address that sin

over the next 40 days?

4. Is there anyone in my life from whom I need to ask forgiveness or pursue

reconciliation?

5. What distractions most commonly interfere with my time in prayer and Scripture?

6. What spiritual discipline do I need to improve up or want to try?

7. What are some things in my life that I tell myself I need but don’t?

8. Why am I giving this particular thing up? How does giving it up draw me closer to

God and prepare me for Easter?

9. What am I going to tell myself when self-denial gets hard?

10. Is it necessary or helpful for me to share the nature of Lenten discipline with others or

should I keep it private?

Consider these opportunities

1. Choose to drink only water for 40 days between March 5 and April 20. Commit the

money you save to an organization working to providing clean water around the

world.

2. Eat porridge for one meal for 40 days. Commit the money you save to an

organization working to address global hunger.

3. Give up eating out for 40 days and donate the money you save to Lutheran World

Relief (LWR), an organization working to address issues of social justice around the

world.

4. Do a 40-day purge of all your excess stuff and donate the best of it to a local thrift

shop that benefits our neighbors.

5. If you are giving up social networking, commit the next 40 days to getting to know

your neighbors better and meeting any needs you perceive.

6. Give up your favorite “splurge” for 40 days and explore ways to invest the money

you save in a mentoring program.

7. If you are really brave, try living on $2.00 a day for 40 days, the way millions of

families around the world live every day.

8. Give up your favorite “luxury” purchases for 40 days and send the money you save

to ELCA Malaria Campaign.

9. Give up your Saturday mornings during the 40 days of Lent and volunteer

somewhere in your town.

10. Ask your pastor how you can become more faithfully involved in the ministries of

SJLC!

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Come celebrate with WOW Urban Ministry! Shrove (or “Fat”) Tuesday marks the end of the Epiphany season and prepares us for Lent and the journey toward the cross.

Why pancakes, you ask? Pancakes are a simple way to use up rich foods like milk, eggs, sugar, etc (especially when we load up on the syrup and toppings)! Lent is traditionally a time of

simple food and fasting, meaning meat, dairy, and eggs would be removed from the diet. The traditional food for Shrove Tuesday and the day of Mardi Gras, pancakes help indicate the end of a celebratory season and the start of an intentionally contemplative season.

Join us Tuesday, March 4, 2014 from 5:00pm-7:30pm in the St. John’s Fellowship Hall. This annual fundraiser for WOW that is vital in supporting us as we serve in the summer. Tickets are sold for $5.00 per person for an evening of all the pancakes you can eat. For an entire family, we will ask no more than $20 for the whole gang! Look for tickets sold in the Welcome Center in the weeks approaching Lent. We hope to see you there. Laissez les bon temps rouler! Let the good times roll!

Changing Perceptions. Changing Communities. Changing Your Mind.

by Nancy Friedrich, WOW Urban Ministry

by Liza Hawkins

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Leadership Retreat: “Finding Ourselves in the Story”

Concert and Dessert with Kyle Matthews and Pastor John Friday, February 28, 7:00-9:00 pm

This will be a night of songs and stories-behind-the-songs, with Kyle and Pastor John taking turns back-and-forth. Kyle is a Dove Award-winning songwriter with recordings by Vince Gill, Take Six, Ginny Owens, and many others, plus six CD’s of his own. “We Fall Down,” recorded by Donnie McClurkin, was a hit on Urban radio and sung live by Stevie Wonder! Pastor John, before he was a pastor, used to write songs for Universal and Sony Music Publishing, with recordings by LeAnn Rimes, Rascal Flatts, Bryan White, and Diamond Rio, two of which “So Much for Pretending” and “Imagine That,” were hits on country radio. Along the way, he wrote CD’s of songs for church, Journey to the Jordan and These Are the Gifts, as well as a good bit of music we use in worship at St. John’s. The title track of that last CD, “These Are the Gifts,” was written by Kyle and Pastor John together. The two have been friends and mutual fans for a long time. It should be a very relaxed and enjoyable evening. We hope you can come!

Workshop Led by Kyle Matthews

Saturday, March 1, 9:00 am-2:00 pm As wonderful a songwriter as Kyle Matthews is, he is every bit as good a teacher, with twenty years’ experience leading retreats across the country. At 9:00 am, we will have a sung service of Morning Prayer. Then Kyle will guide us through “Finding Ourselves in the Story,” a time to think about how our individual stories and our communal story meet God’s story.

Sunday Morning worship

Kyle Mathews Preaching Sunday, March 2, 8:45 & 11:00 am

Sunday morning, we’ve asked Kyle to preach. We will also be singing a new hymn, with music written by Pastor John.

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Leadership Retreat: “Finding Ourselves in the Story”

Concert and Dessert with Kyle Matthews and Pastor John Friday, February 28, 7:00-9:00 pm

This will be a night of songs and stories-behind-the-songs, with Kyle and Pastor John taking turns back-and-forth. Kyle is a Dove Award-winning songwriter with recordings by Vince Gill, Take Six, Ginny Owens, and many others, plus six CD’s of his own. “We Fall Down,” recorded by Donnie McClurkin, was a hit on Urban radio and sung live by Stevie Wonder! Pastor John, before he was a pastor, used to write songs for Universal and Sony Music Publishing, with recordings by LeAnn Rimes, Rascal Flatts, Bryan White, and Diamond Rio, two of which “So Much for Pretending” and “Imagine That,” were hits on country radio. Along the way, he wrote CD’s of songs for church, Journey to the Jordan and These Are the Gifts, as well as a good bit of music we use in worship at St. John’s. The title track of that last CD, “These Are the Gifts,” was written by Kyle and Pastor John together. The two have been friends and mutual fans for a long time. It should be a very relaxed and enjoyable evening. We hope you can come!

Workshop Led by Kyle Matthews

Saturday, March 1, 9:00 am-2:00 pm As wonderful a songwriter as Kyle Matthews is, he is every bit as good a teacher, with twenty years’ experience leading retreats across the country. At 9:00 am, we will have a sung service of Morning Prayer. Then Kyle will guide us through “Finding Ourselves in the Story,” a time to think about how our individual stories and our communal story meet God’s story.

Sunday Morning worship

Kyle Mathews Preaching Sunday, March 2, 8:45 & 11:00 am

Sunday morning, we’ve asked Kyle to preach. We will also be singing a new hymn, with music written by Pastor John.

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Children and families are invited to

participate in this annual celebration

which addresses God’s meal of Love;

instruction will include three group

sessions with Pastor Amy and family faith

activities. Our Family Communion

Celebration will be Sunday, April 27 at the

11:00 am service.

Please contact Pastor Amy at:

amy@sjlcknox.org to express interest in

your family participation, to coordinate

shared meals, and to prepare for your

family’s faith activities at home.

March 9 at 12:30 pm

April 6 at 12:30 pm

April 17 at 6:00 pm

Sparks Fellowship Hall

FIRST COMMUNION FAMILY CELEBRATION

Sunday, April 27 St. John’s celebrates this experience on the

Sunday after Easter, April 27. Please contact

Pastor Amy if you are interested in your child

participating in the preparation activities. On

April 27, the children who have completed

Communion instruction with

Pastor Amy will be honored

on this special day. Please

join us as we celebrate with

these special children as

they take this very important

Stepping Stone of Faith!

& BLESSING CHEERING

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Running a marathon begins long before race day.

Crossing the finish line is the culmination of months of preparation; speed drills, hill repeats and long runs require dedication and hours away from friends and family, the sacrifice necessary to be physically and mentally prepared for race day.

Time must be given up. Favorite foods sometimes have to be given up or changed to keep the body properly fueled, especially as the mileage required for long training runs grows and grows. New habits also have to be acquired, like getting adequate sleep, drinking plenty of water to stay hydrated, and learning how to fuel your body while running.

In many ways, crossing a marathon finish line is like Easter Sunday, when we celebrate Christ's resurrection after a 40-day period of sacrifice or acquiring new habits.

During Lent, we often plan on "giving up" something, whether chocolate or meat or television or social media. Our intention is to fill the spaces left by the things we've given up with meditating on God's word, praying or even committing acts of kindness for others.

It's in the spirit of acts of kindness that I invite the St. John's family to join me in offering Radical Hospitality to the more than 7,000 people, many from out of town, who will participate in the events of the 10th running of the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon. The CHKM includes a 5K, half marathon, marathon relay and, of course, the marathon. It is an event growing in popularity, in large part because of the challenging, hilly, one-of-a-kind course that finishes on Neyland Stadium's 50-yard line.

Offering our hospitality makes perfect sense. After all, the marathon takes place during the Lenten season. Roughly 1,200 marathon athletes will run past St. John's welcoming red doors, as our church is located between miles 13 and 14 on the course.

Here's how you can get involved:

Blessing of the Runners Service. On Saturday evening, March 29, the day before the marathon, we will hold a service to bless runners, pray for their safety and health, and offer communion. I invite you to attend the service and make runners feel welcome.

Red Doors Cheer Station. I said earlier that St. John's is on the marathon course. As a past marathon participant I can tell you that athletes don't see a single smiling face between World's Fair Park and the 4th and Gill neighborhood. We can change that by cheering on the marathon athletes with our voices and with cowbells, and offering water and sliced oranges as runners kick off the second half of their race. You can help by volunteering to cheer. We'll need you during the early service and through the Sunday School hour on Sunday, March 30. Yes, we will be noisy outside the church during the service, but I have a feeling Pastor John can work the sound of cowbells into the sermon.

Look for more details to come in the worship bulletin, or at the entryway cheer station during the month of March.

Radical Hospitality:

& BLESSING CHEERING

by Michael Holtz

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ADULT CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

SUNDAY SCHOOL OPPORTUNITIES

Bridges – Join the Journey of Parenthood! Bridges is back! Parents of children….babies through teens….Please join us during the season of Lent! The Bridges room is located upstairs, first door on the right.

Fellowship Group Lenten Study New Lenten Series.....Giving It Up. Sylvia Countess

begins this new devotional, along with other facilitators from the Fellowship Class.

Every Sunday, 10:00 am, you’ll find Emily Skaar, Nancy

Friedrich and Jim Friedrich upstairs ready to welcome

any and all middle and high school students!

Sometimes we meet together, sometimes we split in

middle and high groups. We talk and share. We build

relationships. We open the Bible. We pray. YOU are

always welcome.

Sunday School Topics for YOUTH:

Lenten Introduction

Praying In Color – a Lenten journey in which we’ll

discuss prayer and practice praying in color (really!).

Crayons provided. Based on the book Praying in Color

by Sybil MacBeth.

Preparing our hearts for Easter: Reading the Gospel

stories of Christ’s final week.

– EASTER!

Questions about Middle or High School Sunday School?

Contact: Emily Skaar: 540-797-1233 or Nancy Friedrich: 659-0161

Youth Ministry Lenten Calendar

Please mark your calendars with these

amended Youth Ministry events! In

addition to weekly worship, Christian

Education opportunities, and Confirmation,

we look forward to seeing the St. John’s

teens (and their friends) at these

gatherings!

March 2 2:30 – 4:30 pm Ice Skating at the Ice

Chalet

4 5:00 – 8:00 Fat Tuesday Pancake

Supper

7- 9 WOW Leadership

Academy #1

9 2:00 pm Mission Project

28- 30 WOW Leadership

Academy #2

April

13 12:15 pm Mission Project

19 6:00 pm Youth-Led Prayer

Labyrinth for SJLC

Members and Friends

23 6:00 pm Youth Sunday

Planning

30 6:00 pm Meeting with Seniors

who will preach for

Youth Sunday

May

11 Youth Sunday and

Graduate Reception

Looking Ahead:

April 20: Easter Sunday Celebration Flowering of the Cross -No Christian Education- The Flowering of the Cross is an annual tradition! Don’t forget to bring a few flowers from your garden or yard to place on the cross in the courtyard.

Summer Camp Preparing for

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Summer Camp &

Campfirmation

June 15 - June 21* Lutheridge in Arden, NC

Mark June 15-21 as: The Week of St. John’s at Lutheridge!

Campfirmation: Pastor Steve will accompany our first year Confirmation students, plus a few second year folks, for an incredible week of faith formation at Campfirmation. Together with other teenagers and pastors from across the southeast, our St. John’s teens will explore the life and ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ through the Gospel of Luke.

Summer Camp: At Summer Camp, your child will be part of a small cabin or adventure group with a college-age counselor always present. There are summer camp programs available for children in grades 1-12. With active Bible study and creative devotions, campers draw closer to Jesus.

Throw in new friends, fun games, swimming, crafts, hikes, and a special outing in the Pisgah Forest, and you have a week with life-changing potential! *Other dates are available. Visit www.llmi.net for more information.

Affirm Youth Camp The Southeastern

Synod's Leadership and Discipleship

Event

June 15 - June 20 Berry College in Rome, GA

Grounded in Word and Sacrament, Affirm develops discipleship skills, leadership skills, and teaches Lutheran theology. We follow Christ; we live in a Christian community; we teach participants how to be God's hands in this world.

What makes Affirm unique from other camps is the experience of Christian community, nurtured through Word and Sacrament. You will start your day with Morning Chapel and end our day with Worship. Additionally, you will spend about 6 hours a day in our large and small groups, exploring topics such as discipleship, creative worship, the life of Christ, leadership, and the call to address social issues like racism, sexism, and ageism. To help build relationship, you are invited to participate in community activities, including a concert, a talent show, a volleyball tournament, and swimming just to list a few.

The staff members volunteer their time to this event; many take a week off from work to share their faith with those who attend. Some staff participants are former youth participants; some are parents; some are youth directors and leaders in their congregation. And last year, over 30% of the staff members were pastors. Even Bishop Gordy serves on staff!

Affirm 2014 will be held at Berry College in Rome, Georgia June 15-20. For more information, please contact Pastor Amy or check out details at www.sesyouth.org/affirm-2014

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The 2014 Lenten theme draws from the wisdom of Maggi Dawn, a professor at Yale Divinity School, who wrote “Giving It Up.” The overview noted below will shape our Adult Christian Education, facilitated by Sister Sylvia Countess, and our midweek Lenten worship services: The idea of 'giving something up for Lent' is widely known and discussed today—yet how many know that the ancient discipline of the Lenten fast had several purposes? It was designed as a reminder of our daily dependence on God for all our needs, to draw us closer to God in prayer, to reconnect with the idea of community, and to help us follow Christ's journey through the wilderness and on to Jerusalem. How many of us simply abstain from some treat or other for a few weeks and fail to engage with this deeper meaning of Lent? This book shows how Lent can be a time for exploring a different kind of 'giving up', one that can transform our lives. If we are to draw closer to God, we have to be willing to give up some of our entrenched ideas about him, in order to see him more clearly. In a series of daily studies, Maggi Dawn shows how, throughout Scripture, people were radically changed by encountering the true God. If we follow their examples, we can allow the Holy Spirit to shed his light on our ideas of God that are too harsh, too small, too fragile, or too stern. Then God will graciously reveal himself to us and bring us to an Easter joy that is richer and more profound than ever before. Contents includes: •Introduction •Section 1: Giving up (Ash Wednesday to Saturday) •Section 2: Jesus in the wilderness and beyond (First week of Lent) •Section 3: Other wildernesses (Second week of Lent) •Section 4: Changing perceptions (Third week of Lent) •Section 5: Changing communities (Fourth week of Lent) •Section 6: Changing your mind (Fifth week of Lent) •Sections 7: 'The end of all our exploring' (Holy Week) •Easter Sunday Copies of the book are available for purchase; the cost is $15.00.

Lenten Book Study by Rev. Amy Figg

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Happy, happy Birthday!

May your birthday be filled with sunshine and smiles, laughter, love, and cheer.

March Birthdays 3 Kris Hepler

4 Rachel Rogers

5 Elissa Glibbery

6 Jim Ley

7 Joel Forker Angela Long Joe Brown

8 Virginia Shaffer

9 Amy O’Hatnick Ashley Kessler Lindsey Kessler

10 Charles Robinette Connie Burkhalter Angie Hamstead Aaron Maxwell

11 Anna Wood

12 Fred Perkinson

13 Karen Rieger

15 Cora Lynn Bamberg Kelley Westphal Elizabeth Menendez

16 LaReau Carlson Mary Kline

18 Linda Godden Rob Rieger Kristen Stancher

19 Asha Warren

20 Jared Eisenhower

21 Bob Metelka Ella Gibson

22 Michael Holtz Brad Gibson Lucy Page

24 Emily Sousa

25 John Jessel Emily Bast Anna Elizabeth Lee

26 Laura Stancher

28 Katha O’Hatnick

29 Beverly Martin Blair Demmink

30 Bill Larson Larry Seivers Katie Brooks Matthew Glibbery

31 Graham Ley

1 Rob Woodward Tony Brewer

2 Nancy O’Callaghan

5 Kira Ellis

6 Valerie Anderson Katherine Pellek Elizabeth Gibson

7 Herm Gerbig

9 Chris Brooks

10 Doris McCay Susie Hansen Kurt Zinser

12 Joan Holladay

14 Landry Thrasher

15 Sandy Cantrell Andrew Ley

ChaiNa Jade Parton

16 George Perkins JD Chapman

17 John Cole Bill Wittenberg Sydney Parman

18 Audrey Brown

19 RuthAnn Henry Martha Nelson Laura Morgan Ragan Holloway Kristin Williamson

20 David Pegel

21 Marcia Power Jennifer Martin Ethan Zinser Trevor Tirro

22 David Chapman

23 Ray Collins

24 Calvin Chappelle

25 Sandy Bender Jeffery Welch

26 Jody Thomas Taylor Fields Daniel Rieger Andrew Glibbery Evan Ellis Andrew Cooter

27 Rob Walker

29 Robert Bast Matthew Callo

30 Jonathan Burkhalter

April Birthdays

St. John’s Lutheran Church

544 Broadway, NW

Knoxville, TN 37917

Phone: 865-523-3330

Fax: 865-524-7895

E-mail: INFO@sjlcknox.org

Website: www.sjlcknox.org

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

Contact Information

St. John’s Lutheran Church—544 N Broadway—Knoxville, TN 37917— tel: 865-523-3330

Website: www.sjlcknox.org

Senior Pastor— J. Stephen Misenheimer: Steve@sjlcknox.org

Pastor of Family Ministries & Christian Caregiving—Amy C. Figg: Amy@sjlcknox.org

Pastor of Congregation Life and Campus Ministry—John Tirro: John@sjlcknox.org

Minister of Music – Deborah Dunne-Sousa: sousa@esknoxville.org

Kids Hope USA Director – Thea Peterson: Thea@sjlcknox.org

Director of Christian Education— Krista Lee: kblee123@aol.com

Minister of Administration and Finance – Claudia Wise: Claudia@sjlcknox.org

Communications Specialist – Mindy Abell: Mindy@sjlcknox.org

Administrative Assistant— Toni Denton: Toni@sjlcknox.org

Concert & Workshop February 28 and March 1