1

April, 2020

Memorial Lutheran Church Mission Statement

“to share God’s love, word and grace with all people”

Due to COVID-19 all events noted in this Newsletter are cancelled unless you are other-

wise notified. We present them here to keep us connected in service to our Lord and one

another. Some classes and worship will be offered on line. Email blasts will give details.

March 29 Readings and Psalm

Ezekiel 37:1-14 The dry bones of Israel brought to life Psalm 130 I wait for you, O Lord; in your word is my hope. (Ps. 130:5) Romans 8:6-11 Life in the Spirit John 11:1-45 Baptismal image: the raising of Lazarus April 5th (Palm Sunday) Readings and Psalm

Isaiah 50:4-9a The servant of the Lord submits to suffering Psalm 31:9-16 Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit. (Ps. 31:5) Philippians 2:5-11 Humbled to the point of death on a cross Matthew 26:14--27:66 The passion of the Lord April 12th (Easter Sunday) Readings and Psalm

Acts 10:34-43 God raised Jesus on the third day Jeremiah 31:1-6 (alternate) Joy at the restoration of God’s people Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. (Ps. 118:24) Colossians 3:1-4

Raised with Christ to seek the higher things (Cont’d)

Acts 10:34-43 (alternate) God raised Jesus on the third day Matthew 28:1-10 Proclaim the resurrection April 19 Readings and Psalm

Acts 2:14a, 22-32 Christ’s resurrection: the fulfillment of God’s promise to David Psalm 16 In your presence there is fullness of joy. (Ps. 16:11) 1 Peter 1:3-9 New birth to a living hope through the resurrection John 20:19-31 Beholding the wounds of the risen Christ April 26th Readings and Psalm

Acts 2:14a, 36-41 Receiving God’s promise through baptism Psalm 116:1-4, 12-19 I will call on the name of the Lord. (Ps. 116:13) 1 Peter 1:17-23 Born anew through the living word of God Luke 24:13-35 Eating with the risen Christ

While we are apart...As you are reading this, I’m still remembering what it was like to conduct the last two Sunday worship services before our congregation went into quarantine. Part of the new weirdness was taking a moment to tell you about Christ’s peace, but not share it. When will we be able to do that again?

In the early church, St. Paul mentioned many times that prison or distance kept him from the congregations he so loved. Now we know how it feels. But he encouraged them all the time, so that being separated wouldn’t let the light of their faith dim. And it worked. He said things like “So I run straight toward the goal in order to win the prize, which is God’s call through Christ Jesus to the life above.” (Philippians 3: 14). I’ve always wished I could be more like Paul. Now is that chance. We encourage each other as he did. We pray for each other. We will worship and serve together soon. Keep moving toward the goal.

In Christ’s love, Pastor Dow

Below are the scripture readings from services March 29th through April 26th. Please read through these so we keep our hearts and minds focused on what is important. Additionally, we have some copies of the book “Roots of Our Faith” available in the church office. This book is about our Lutheran Faith described by things like the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer and the 10 Commandments. If you are interested in reading this book, please contact the office Mon-day, Wednesday and Friday between 8 and Noon to be sure we still have copies available.

2

March, 2020

1. Linda Chambers has a growing Youth Group. 3 of her teens are going to Lutherock Camp, 5 will go to Confirmation Camp at Luther Springs and 2 will go to the Youth Gathering in MN in 2021. The March and April 2nd Sunday offerings will go to Youth Ministry

2. Church Bus is not for sale at this time. We can use it for Church activities

3. Sound System will be redone soon. We need up to $25,000 for a new system.

4. The Church is putting in a new well as the old one does not work

5. We need a committee to lead our 95th Anniversary celebra- tion.

Please mark your calendars for Dining with Dignity—the next chance we have to serve the homeless in St. Augustine will be Sunday, April 12th, Easter Sunday. We look forward to working with you to help bring some Easter Joy to the homeless and their meal with be fantastic, as always. If you have any questions, please see Alain Hentchel.

I want to thank the members of the congregation that attended the spe-cial congregational meeting on March 8th. We called Pastor Dow to be our full time pastor starting May 1, ratified his compensation package and approved the revised budget that included the compensation pack-age!

I also want to thank all the individuals that spent a great deal of time developing the compensation package that worked for everyone! Now we can get back to our normal routines.

On another note, I would like to give kudos to John Blythe for restoring the “Dove of Peace” that resides in our church steeple. John spent countless hours removing, sanding, and painting the Dove, and then constructing the background and re-mounting it. If you haven’t had the opportunity, please look up and see how beauti-ful our Dove of Peace looks.

Sincerely,

KC Kramer Treasurer

Mary Nell Prince and her husband Dr. John G. Lane send love

to all their MLC family and hope to be worshipping with us

soon!

3

Continued on next page

Since returning to school after Christmas, we have been learning all about our friend Jesus during daily Chapel. His life, his miracles, his messages of love, peace, and forgiveness. The children LOVE Jesus, and they know they are LOVED by him as well. During Lutheran Schools Week, each day we had a different story and activity from the Bible to demonstrate the theme - This Changes Everything.

And as we approach Easter, we begin opening our Resurrection Eggs. Each year I am amazed how quickly the children learn about the events of Holy Week by using this simple tool. The following is an excerpt of what I’ve written before, and I’m sharing this again be-cause the effect of this good news on our students is truly profound.

Each morning before Chapel Time, I say a quick prayer asking God to give me the ability to share His word with our students in a way they will understand and remember. This is especially important to me at East-er. Our Lord is RISEN - ALLELUIA!!! What an amazing message for children to hear. To get to the Easter joy, however, we must deal with the sadness and pain of Good Friday. That is the tough part for me work-ing with preschoolers.

To help them understand, I use a wonderful resource called Resurrection Eggs. They are a set of 12 plastic eggs filled with items from the Easter story. Leading up to Easter, we opened eggs every morning in Chapel. Each new egg I would take out and shake - they all sounded a little different. The first egg contained a don-key - and we talk about how Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and he was treated like a king, the peo-ple shouted “Hosanna” and waved palms. But not everyone was happy with Jesus and his message of peace and love. The second egg really made some noise - inside were 3 coins representing the money paid to Judas for his betrayal. The reason Jesus and his disciples traveled to Jerusalem was to celebrate Passover and in-side the third egg is a little communion cup that Jesus used when he asked the disciples to remember him. Because Jesus knew what was to happen, he felt worried and sad - I then ask our students what we should do when we’re worried or sad, they know the answer - PRAY!! Inside the fourth egg are praying hands and we talk about the garden where Jesus went to pray and was arrested by the Roman soldiers.

This is where the sad part of the story begins, and since I am working with very young children, I constantly remind them that even though the story becomes sad - it is not the end of the story - this story has a very happy ending!!! Inside the fifth egg is a piece of leather and I explain to them that Jesus endured much pain after he was arrested. In the sixth egg there is a crown of thorns and I explain that the soldiers mocked Je-sus after they beat him and put this crown on his head causing him to bleed. In the seventh egg we find the saddest part of our story - the nails used on Jesus’ feet and hands to place him on the cross.

I then ask the children if they own any toys - everyone raises their hand. Do you have lots of clothes in your closet - again everyone raises their hand. Then I explain that Jesus didn’t own a thing - only the clothes on his back. I open the next egg and show them a small dice piece and explain how the soldiers took the only possessions Jesus had and played games to divide them. The ninth egg holds a tiny spear and I explain that the soldiers wanted to make sure Jesus was really dead, so they pierced his side with the spear. The next egg has a small linen cloth which they wrapped Jesus’ body in when they took him from the cross and put in his tomb. The next to last egg makes a loud noise when I shake it - it contains a rock. The soldiers used a huge stone to close Jesus’ tomb - a stone as big as the car they rode to school in.

Our last day of school before Easter, the children are very excited to see what is in that last egg. I’ve remind-ed them that the story has a very happy ending and I’ve prayed that they will understand this wonderful news. I shake the last egg - no sound at all. What could be inside? I tell the children that 3 days after Jesus died on the cross - the women came to prepare his body and were shocked when they arrived at the tomb. I open the egg . . . and it’s EMPTY!! Then I tell them the good news - JESUS IS ALIVE!!!!!! Spontaneous ap-plause from the children - SUCCESS - they get it!!!

Each year we also take them into the sacristy to view the crucifix hanging on the wall. They point out all the things they remember from the story - the cut on his side, the blood from the crown of thorns, the nails in his feet and hands - even his skinned knees from falling while carrying his cross. I remind them God loves all of us so much that he gave us his son Jesus, and that no matter what God will always love them. When we read our Spark Bible Easter story - we read that Jesus wants us to tell everyone the good news - His is risen - Alleluia!! I ask the children who they’re going to tell - some say their parents or grandparents, some say their friends and neighbors.

4

As I see former Chapel School kids and their families around town, I am often told

by parents and grandparents how their kids remember Chapel, and especially

Easter. Some even tell me that their kids still tell others the good news - Jesus is

ALIVE!!! It’s always wonderful to hear of our littlest disciples of Christ.

March was a very big month for us at Chapel School. We celebrated Lutheran

Schools Week. On Sunday, March 8 we invited our children to sing during the

joint service and had about almost 20 children and their families come to worship.

Following worship we enjoyed a bounce house and a huge cake. Everyone is invit-

ed back to join us on Sunday, April 5 for the big PALM SUNDAY PICNIC! After

the 10:30am service, we will have a fun potluck and a huge Easter Egg Hunt. We

are celebrating our 30th graduating class by inviting ALL our former Chapel School kids back to celebrate.

Please join us in welcoming these families to our church.

Our church and Chapel School will participate in the Easter Parade again this year. Old Town Trolleys

has generously donated a trolley for us to decorate and ride in. It will be so much fun to ride along and

shout, HAPPY EASTER to everyone! This is the first time they are doing the Easter Parade on Saturday

instead of Easter Sunday. Please join us - Saturday, April 11!! Meet us in the parking lot behind

Dunkin Donuts on San Marco Blvd. by 8:00am!

This month you and your family are invited to walk the red carpet with us as we premiere an exciting new

movie by our Chapel School kids! Join us Friday night, April 24, for dinner by Mojo’s Old City BBQ, a fabu-

lous Silent Auction, and then watch our show. We need donations of items for the Silent Auction, volun-

teers to help serve, and volunteers for babysitting - please prayerfully support our school’s mission in our

community. Look for the flyer in this newsletter with ticket information.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve our church. Please keep Chapel School, our families and our staff in

your prayers.

In Christ,

Linda Chambers, Director

5

APRIL 5TH: Palm Sunday after 2nd

service with Potluck lunch

There will be a potluck lunch and a huge Easter Egg Hunt after 2nd service on April 5th. Please bring your favorite potluck dish to share and invite your family and friends to this fun event. Chapel School is celebrating their 30th year graduating class by inviting all former Chapel School kids back to celebrate. Please be sure to come celebrate and welcome these families to our church. This will be a great time of fellowship and celebration! Be sure to mark your calendars for this wonderful event.

6

4/3 Barbara Mattingly

4/10 Ron Scott

4/16 Richard Sorrentino

4/18 John Amrhein

Marjorie Ayo

4/19 Cindy Chapman

Rob Helfer

4/29 Trudy Cilar

Celebrating Each Other

STEEPLE TALK BY EMAIL

If you are interested in receiving Steeple Talk by email, please contact the Church Office at 904-797-4377 with your e-mail address and you will be placed on the mailing list. To those who wish to continue to have a printed copy, they will be available on the last Sunday of every month in the Narthex.

The next council meeting will be on May 11th, 2020 at 6:00 p.m.

If you have a birthday or

anniversary this month

and your name is not listed,

please contact the church

office.

There are always opportunities coming up to get involved

either through fellowship, outreach or service to the

church and congregation. Please prayerfully consider

stepping out of your normal routine to increase unity

within our church body and share the love of Christ with

the community.

4/23 Irv & Carol Stockdale

7

PLEASE NOTIFY THE CHURCH OFFICE WHEN:

• You or a member of your family is hospi-talized.

• You have a change of address.

• Your phone number has changed.

• Your email address has changed.

Your help with all of the above is very much appreciated!

The second collection should not replace your regular giving in the first collection. It is only for the funds cho-sen. Additionally, if you place money in the second col-lection for a fund other than the one being collected that money will be placed in the general account.

Because all money collected on Sundays (other than the 2nd and 5th Sunday) goes into the general account, if you would like to give to a fund other than the fund chosen,

please be sure (a) it’s an approved fund and (b) to bring or mail the check in-to the church office with the name of the approved fund noted on the check and your envelope number. Do not place it in the giving basket or it will be placed in the general account.

Approved Funds/Projects to date:

+Chapel School +Dining with Dignity

+Food Pantry +FL Bahamas Synod

+Gamble Rogers Food Drive +Sound System Project

+Church Parking Lot

8

April Gunness

Raul Baldrich

Cheryl Huffman

Steve Stephens

Lois Hill

Richard Sorentino

Mark Flamino, Sr.

Annie Stewart

Scotty Parker

Joe Tarinelli

Roland Hecht

Jeff Canova

Karen Hatzell

Lisa Nickel

Collin Kirk

Marissa Zagorski

Donna Anderson

Josephine Lenhart

Kitty Shay

Patty Kuykendall

Joy Lohr

Jean Schoenweiss

Jim Smith

Vera Upenieks

Ken Barnard

Kathleen Schaeffer

Wayne Leviska

Jill Richey

David Dininny

John G. Lane

PLEASE NOTE: Names on the congregation prayer list are removed each month unless the church office is notified they should remain.

If you see a name on either list (congregation or military) that should not be there, please let the church office know that as well. Thank you for your help in keeping these lists accurate.

Loving Lutheran Ladies Luncheon, (L4)

Join us on the last Thursday of every month for fun,

food and fellowship. We also do a short Bible study.

All women of the congregation are invited (and

please bring a friend)! L4 meets at 12:00. Please

check bulletins for upcoming locations.

GOOD FOOD * GOOD FELLOWSHIP * GOOD

BIBLE STUDY! See Eleanor Loseke for more details.

“Take time. Study God's Word. It will change you.” Gail Davis

• L4 Luncheon does a short Bible study the last Thurs-day of every month. Watch the bulletin for times and loca-tion

• Pastor’s Bible study Fridays at 10:00 a.m. in the con-ference room!

Please contact the church office at 904-797-4377 if you are interested in joining a study. We’d love to have you!

Join us the last Monday of the month at 6:00 p.m.

Please watch for announcements in your weekly bulletin for locations!

All are welcome for an evening of fellowship and fun.

PARENT’S NIGHT OUT (PNO) starts back in February 2020 and runs through May. We meet in the fellowship hall from 6-8p.

Volunteers are needed, and so are donations of snacks. Please let Linda Chambers know if you can help. It’s a fun evening for all.

Luke 6:38: Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be

poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

9

Mike Kappelmann

Delaney Luna

Johnny Kelly

Joseph Flores

Chad Kutlik

Eddie Davis

Reginald Best

Rick Rometty

Mark Chamberlin, Jr

Justin Rae

Sara Melnick

Kyle Melnick

Tyler Woodard

Maghan Blanton

Cody Holms

Courtney Kelly

Carl Seim

Molly Prins

Alex Carames

ELCA

Faith

Practices

Easter Sunday is in all ways the center of the church: who we are, what we believe, and how we hope.

You are looking at pictures of a hidden door for just that rea-son.

In John’s gospel, Jesus appears for the first time saying “come and see.” In the middle of the gospel story, Jesus tells those who“came to see” that he is the door. That means that he protects the sheep. That’s who he is. That’s what the disciples and all humankind are supposed to see. It’s

Now Jesus is resurrected, back again with his disciples in the flesh, but for only a little while. So, time is important.

Jesus uses that time to ask Peter (sort of the head disciple, if you please) “Do you love me?” He asks this three times. When Peter tries to answer, Jesus helps. He tells Peter, “ If you love me, feed my sheep.” Aha! Jesus coming to us, showing God’s love and glory, dying and rising? It was about creating Jesus-like people who would feel Je-sus’ sheep.

Now, the doors. One Easter Sunday, I remembered a secret door behind the altar in the Louisiana church where I was pastor. The room behind the door was empty. For the children’s sermon I popped open the secret door and took the kids into the dark, empty space. I told them it was the tomb of Jesus and we were going in to see if Jesus was still there. The last question I asked, as their Easter Day reporter, was “What’s next for us, now that Jesus is resurrected?”

At the end of John’s gospel, after the resurrection, Easter gets its

full meaning as we finally see who Jesus is, the son of God present

for us in service, suffering, and glory.

That door in the picture is pretty well hidden when closed, isn’t it? In a way, that’s what makes it so cool. The secret door! But it’s the door for the sheep that Jesus told us about. How will people know anyone’s going to open it, or where it is, or how to get in so Jesus can give them eternal life?

You already know the answer. It’s you. Be the open door. Love Jesus/feed His sheep. Each of us at Memorial has a God-given way to do this. What’s yours? What’s your gift, talent, calling? Jesus gave it to you so that the Easter door would always be open, never closed. Jesus has a message for us from the empty tomb, as God pops open the secret door again this Easter Sunday. How will you show people where that door is, and that it was opened for them by our Lord’s resurrection? It’s a lifelong task Jesus knew we could handle, because his “back from the dead” lordship gives us the faith we need. Pastor Dow

10

“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

If services are to resume before the end of April, all participants (readers, greeters,

ushers, etc) will be notified of the schedule.

Psalm 28:7 “The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.

11

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1

4:30 Youth

5:30 Choir

5:15 Dinner

7:00 Service

2

6:30AA/ACA

3

10:00 Bible Study

12:00 L4 Lunch Palm Crosses

4

5 Palm Sunday

7:30 Choir

9:30 Service

Exec Council

10:00 Chapel School

10:30 Service

Noon Potluck/Easter

Egg hunt

6

5:00 AA

6:00 Chapel School Board Mtg (Applebee's)

7

5:00 Orchid Society

6:30 BBSS

8

No Confirm

5:30 Choir

9

6:30AA/ACA

10

10:00 Bible Study

11

9:00 Easter Parade

12 Easter 7:30 Choir

9:30 Service

Exec Council

10:00 Chapel School

10:30 Service

13

Church Office and Chapel School Closed

6:00 Council Meeting

14

6:30 BBSS

15

4:30 Youth

5:30 Choir

16

6:30AA/ACA

17

10:00 Bible Study

18

19 7:30 Choir

9:30 Service

Exec Council

10:00 Chapel School

10:30 Service

4-6p Orchid Society

20 1:30 Orchid

Society Board

Mtg

21

6:30 BBSS

22

4:30 Confirm

5:30 Choir

23

6:30AA/ACA

24

10:00 Bible Study

6:00 Movie Night fundrais-er—Chapel School

25

8-5 EDM

26 7:30 Choir

9:30 Service

Exec Council

10:00 Chapel School

10:30 Service

27

6:00 Ladies Night Out

28

6:30 BBSS

29

4:30 Youth

5:30 Choir

30

6:30AA/ACA

L4 Lunch

Apr i l 2020 ALL CALENDAR EVENTS ARE CANCELLED

UNLESS NOTIFIED

12

COUNCIL MEMBERS

Ex officio, Pastor Richard Dow 904-955-9966 r.warren.dow@gmail.com

President, Rob Helfer 904-806-1120 usc8385@gmail.com

Vice President, Cindy Chapman 904-671-2090 cchapmanalliance@gmail.com

Secretary, Sheryl Gifford 352-283-2665 giffors@hotmail.com

Treasurer, KC Kramer 904-797-9943 kcgailstaug@gmail.com

Anthony Ardito 904-794-7397 anthonyardito@aol.com

Marie Bates 904-861-8674 mgb6112@gmail.com

Judy Caputo 904-615-1116 caputo343@gmail.com

Tim Goxem 904-729-9303

Sara Waters 904-819-9428 sarae1080@gmail.com

MEMORIAL LUTHERAN CHURCH 3375 US 1 South

St. Augustine, FL 32086 PH: 904-797-4377 FX: 904-794-5083

Email: mlcstaug@gmail.com Web: www.memorial-lutheran.net

CHAPEL SCHOOL

Ph: 904-797-8777 FX: 904-797-5083

Web: www.LutheranChapelSchool.com

MLC Staff:

Pastor: Rev. Richard Dow

Minister of Music: Barbara Mattingly

Chapel School & Family Ministry

Director: Linda Chambers

Sexton: Barbara Howerton

Parish Administrator: Kim Mickey

Financial Secretary: Carole Follett

Admin & Web Assistant: Debi Wood

May Steeple Talk Newsletter Deadline: April

14th. If you would like to submit an article or other

information for inclusion in the newsletter please

send it to mlcstaug@gmail.com no later than the

deadline date. Please also submit Worship Assis-

tants: Readers, Altar Guild, Greeters, etc. by the

deadline. Information or Articles arriving after the

deadline will not be included.

Information for inclusion in the Sunday bulletin

is due by close of business each Tuesday. Please

send any announcements or other information you

wish to put in the bulletin via email to:

mlcstaug@gmail.com by Tuesday of each week.

If you have any questions, please contact Kim in the

Church office.