THE MESSENGER

Monthly news for Emmanuel Lutheran Church – Menominee, Michigan

_____________________________________________________

MARCH 2018

Holy Week & Easter at Emmanuel

Sunday of the Passion/ Palm Sunday – March 25

Worship at 8:00am and 10:00am

Maundy Thursday Worship – March 29 10:00am and 6:00pm

Good Friday Ecumenical – March 30

First Presbyterian Church in Menominee Noon to 3:00pm

(Emmanuel’s Senior Choir to sing at 1:00pm)

Tenebrae Service at Bethel - 7:00pm

The Resurrection of Our Lord – April 1

Holy Communion – 8:00am and 10:00am

This month’s Messenger is sponsored by

Thank you Nathan for sponsoring the Messenger

Emmanuel members who own or operate their own business or

members who would like to recognize a significant event in their

lives are invited to sponsor the Messenger. Full sponsorship of the

Messenger is $100. This covers a portion of the cost of mailing the

Messenger each month.

From the Pastor

Brothers and Sisters in Christ;

We entered into Lent on Ash Wednesday this year with the sobering

news that a gunman had entered into a school in Parkland, Florida, and

had killed 17 persons.

In the following days as I reflected on this horrendous and cowardice

act, and as I watched and listened to the news coverage of talking

heads, politicians, and resolute Americans trading barbs and pointing

fingers as to who or what is to blame for this incident, it dawned on me

that this is not a political issue as much as it is a generational one.

What I mean is this. Two weeks after my oldest son, Jacob, was born,

the school shooting in Columbine, Colorado transpired. Two days after

the Parkland event, my niece, Hannah, Jacob’s cousin, gave birth to her

first child, which means that this generation of young people went their

entire school careers living under the reality that these types of

incidents do happen in schools, and continue to do so. What this also

means is that for this entire generation, politicians and those alike who

have voices (myself included), have failed to effectively address this

crisis situation by choosing to look the other way and to hope that it

doesn’t happen again. The sad truth, though, is that as long as we

continue along this same trajectory, nothing will change for the better

in the immediate future. This has become our norm.

This is also the purpose of Lent. Lent reminds us that if we continue in

our sinful ways, we will not be changed for the better. Lent is all about

a change that happens within us. Lent is not so much about what we

give up or what we take on as it is about opening ourselves up to God

and exploiting ourselves to changes within us that only God can make. I

cannot stress that enough: that only God can make these necessary

changes. Our norms are sinful ones. We hate, we cheat, we steal, we

blame. We point the finger at the other and in doing so completely

close ourselves off from God working within us. By refusing to

acknowledge our own sin and our own sinful intentions, we simply will

not be changed because we simply don’t want to be to be changed.

But I think if this generational norm is to change, that change needs to

start within ourselves. The first place we need to look to is the mirror

and Lent gives us exactly this opportunity. Jesus came into our world

because we couldn’t make the change happen within ourselves that was

necessary to make us righteous to stand before God’s throne. When He

went to the cross on Good Friday, He didn’t go for anything that he had

done wrong, but went for the incredible sin that was upon you and me.

Giving our sin to Jesus was the only way to right the wrong, for as much

as we try on our own, we will always come up short in doing what is

right. If left to ourselves, sin will always win out. Always.

But Jesus has taken that away from us by putting it on the cross and I

propose now to put this generational wrong of school shootings upon

that same cross as well. I don’t have the answers of change within me

and I really don’t believe that any one person does. But Jesus is the

answer, and by turning to him and to the cross instead of turning to our

favorite 24-hour news station or to a partisan political view, we will

welcome the necessary change that needs to happen within us to begin.

My friends, I ask you to allow Jesus to work within you this Lenten season and let this generational change that needs to happen begin with the change that needs to happen within you first. I know that I sure will. It’s not easy or always comfortable, but it’s necessary that we talk with one another and encourage one another and that we turn to the cross. The cross has the power to change our world, but as long as we stubbornly refuse to allow the cross to do its work by willingly looking to other saviors, it won’t work and the necessary change that has to happen, won’t, and the next generation of kids in our schools will suffer just as this one has. Is that the norm we want? I know it’s not. In Christ,

Pastor Mark

From the Director: Patti Treptow

Our Lenten journey will soon be coming to an

end and we will be looking forward to the meaningful events during

Holy Week and the celebration of our risen Lord on Easter Sunday.

During these final weeks of Lent, our 5th graders will be receiving

instruction in the sacrament of Holy Communion, and on Maundy

Thursday they will have their final instruction, participate in a symbolic

Seder meal, and receive their first Communion. During Lent, our

Confirmation students are taking a break from classes, but are giving of

themselves by serving at the weekly Lenten Soup Suppers. And, our

Sunday school students are looking forward to Palm Sunday and the

traditional Palm Procession where they will help us remember the joy

and excitement the people had as they waved palms when Jesus entered

Jerusalem on the first day of Holy Week.

Through the examples of discipleship and joy that our children

show, they remind us that Jesus is with us and that He continues to enter

our lives every day. May the remaining days of Lent be meaningful and

deepen your faith, and the blessings of Easter bring you and your family

great joy.

Confirmation classes are on break through Lent.

Classes resume on Sunday, April 15th.

Our confirmation students participated

in the MARKED! event on Sunday,

February 25th

at First Lutheran in

Gladstone, Michigan. We joined

other Confirmation students in our

synod for an afternoon of music,

service, worship, learning, food, and

fun! Thank you to our congregation

for your donations of food for our service project that will benefit our

local schools back pack food programs.

Confirmation students

continue to serve at the Lenten Soup

Suppers. This year, the suppers and

services are at Bethel Lutheran Church in Menominee. Students

are to report to Bethel's kitchen at 4:45 p.m. Serving is from 5:00-

6:00 p.m. with worship service to follow. Please check the

schedule below to see which supper you will be working.

February 21st Aidan Bellisle

Seth Johnson

Rachel Magrane

Emma Aichner

Ryan Demmith

February 28th

Gabe Davis

Molly Knutson

Laura Magrane

Rylee McCarthy

Beau Anders

Gavin Hansen

March 7th

Alex Engman

Collin Engman

Nicholas Kriedeman

Brennen Barrette

Avery Johnson

Ava Slawinski

March 14th

Mason Heckel

Max Heckel

Brea Leow

Matt Mellinger

Olivia Stewart

March 21st Marisa Camps

Lindsay Johnson

Kade Lesperance

Layla Weissgerber

Dylan Ziemke

Kaden Starzynski

5th Grade

First Communion Instruction

Holy Communion instruction for 5th grade

students and any 6th grade students who were not

able to participate last year, will be held on:

Sunday, March 4th

, March 11th

, March 18th

, & March 25th

The classes will be taught by Patti Treptow during the regular Sunday

school hour. Students should go directly to the conference room, located

at the end of the office wing, at 10:00 a.m. for class.

Final instruction will be provided by Pastor Laatsch on Maundy

Thursday, March 29th starting at 4:00 p.m. with a symbolic Seder meal at

5:00 p.m. involving their families, ending with the Maundy Thursday

worship service at 6:00 p.m. where the children will receive their first

Holy Communion with their family.

SUNDAY SCHOOL

The Sunday school children will be participating in the

traditional Palm Procession on Palm Sunday, March

25th

during the 10:00 a.m. worship service. Parents,

please remind your children to go directly to the

fellowship hall that morning to prepare for the procession. Following the

children's sermon, the children will be dismissed to their classrooms.

Palm Sunday, March 25th

11:00 a.m. All children from toddlers to 6

th grade are welcomed to join in an egg

hunt immediately following the 10:00 a.m. worship service.

More information on this fun event will be sent home with the Sunday

school children and be printed in the Sunday worship bulletins.

Please note that there will be no Sunday school on Easter Sunday,

April 1st so our families can worship together for the entire Easter

Sunday service.

ADULT CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

WEDNESDAY MORNING MEN’S GROUP

Join us each Wednesday, 7:30 a.m., at the Serving Spoon for a time of

fellowship with friends, sharing stories and enjoying a cup of coffee.

Bring a friend!

WOMEN’S MINISTRIES

The Sarah Circle will meet on Tuesday, March 13 at 1:00 p.m.

hosted by Carolyn Haglund

Seeking Enlightenment Group will be meeting on Thursday,

March 22, at 6:30pm. It is a time of sharing and encouraging each other

on our Christian journey, contact Robin Gustafson at 906-290-1003 for

location details.

Don’t forget to direct Choice Dollars Eligible Thrivent Financial members who have available Choice Dollars have until March 31, 2018 to direct them. Don’t miss this opportunity to recommend that Thrivent Financial provide outreach funding to Emmanuel. Go to Thrivent.com/thriventchoice to learn more. Or call 800-847-4836 and say “Thrivent Choice” after the prompt

Easter Baskets

The Outreach Committee will be putting

together Easter baskets for our shut-ins. The

baskets will contain treats and fun items that will

lift the spirits and let our members who can no longer attend our

worship services or church activities know that we are thinking of

them. The baskets will be delivered during Holy Week.

Emmanuel's Outreach Projects

On Sunday, February 11th

our youth who

will be attending the 2018 ELCA Youth

Gathering this summer provided a youth-

led worship service at 10:00 a.m.

The youth, parents, and

chaperones also provided a

Potato Bake luncheon

fundraiser immediately

following the worship

service that Sunday.

Thank you to the

congregation for your participation in our Potato Bake Fundraiser.

We had a great turnout and are closer to our goal of getting to

Houston!

2018 ELCA Youth Gathering

Members of GLOW hosted a Valentine Party for the

children of Abundant

Life Mission on

February 4th.

GLOW is open to all of

Emmanuel’s high school youth and is a

great way to grow in faith and engage in

fun and meaningful activities.

Please contact Youth Council

Representative Anna

Magrane or Patti Treptow at

the church office for more

information or join us at

our next meeting on

Sunday, March 4th at 12:15

p.m. in the Friendship

Room to learn more about

what we do and how you

can participate!

From the Bishop Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, It used to be that Palm Sunday was a day of celebration. The better part of the worship service was hosannas and palm branches waving. Children and Adults looked forward to

this upbeat worship, especially after 40 days of somber, penitential Lent. And the service acted as a sort of reprieve, before the intensity of Holy Week began. But then, attendance during the Great Three Days began to decline. Maybe Holy Week was too intense for some. Maybe it was too sad. Maybe these three days somehow were no longer given the focus and attention due them as the central worship of our faith. Whatever the reason, missing Holy Week meant that folks were experiencing the “happy happy joy joy” of Palm Sunday and then leaping over Holy Week to the “happy happy joy joy” of Easter Sunday. They would completely skip over death, and suffering, and sadness. They would miss the betrayal, the last supper, the crucifixion of Jesus. And I guess, who can blame folks for wanting to avoid all that grim darkness. We would much rather celebrate and be joyful than sad and somber. But worship that only considers the happy hosannas and the empty tomb misses the whole point of Christ on the cross and the sin of the world that put him there. There is value in looking at the death of Jesus, in pondering his suffering, and in dwelling on his last hours of life. Because you know and I know that life is not all “happy happy joy joy.” To worship in Lent, and to dive in to Holy Week is to admit the truth to ourselves, no matter how unpleasant – that life can be hard, and death can be harder. We live in the shadow and fear of death. We suffer. We sin. We die. And we need saving. So I am glad that our Lutheran tradition dwells in the darkness, if only for a little while. It is good that our worship reflects the truth of life and the truth of our faith. Constant joy is not the way things are. And worship that only celebrates feeling good, soon seems hollow, no matter how upbeat the music.

So during Lent and Holy Week we take the time to consider the suffering and death of Jesus. During these 40 days, we sit in the knowledge of our sinfulness and consider our need for God. And we take this time, not so that we feel condemned and sad, but because death is the only way to new life. Jumping from Palm Sunday to Easter is like jumping from fall to spring with no winter. Fall and winter are necessary before spring can come. And Jesus must suffer death before he can rise again. There is no resurrection without the crucifixion. There is no rising without dying. Easter joy is real when we admit that death is real. We receive the freedom of forgiveness with relief and gladness if first we understand our need for God’s grace. So Palm Sunday is now Passion Sunday and our hosannas quickly fade. During Holy Week, we will pause in Jesus’ final hours and give them their due. In our Lutheran tradition there is no escaping the sacrifice and death of Christ. But then neither do we miss the new life of resurrection and the fullness of Easter joy… in this life, nor in the life to come.

~Yours in Christ, Bishop Katherine Finegan

This is a correction from last months’ Messenger.

Kathy Bero is Vice President

Church Council Debbie Villas President

Kathy Bero Vice President

Ronda Pedersen Secretary

Dave Anderson Treasurer

Anna Magrane Youth Council Member

Council Members Mike Bellisle Stacey Hansen

Darrell Eland Ronda Pedersen

Boni Nerat-Heckel Matt Vanni

Adam Starzynski Jim Zobel

Midweek Lenten services, a joint venture between Bethel and

Emmanuel congregations in Menominee, will be held at Bethel on

five consecutive Wednesdays at 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.

March 7 “To PROCLAIM the good news of God in Christ”

Preacher: Rev. Doug Schoen, Retired

March 14 “To SERVE all people following the example of Jesus”

Preacher: Rev. Mark Laatsch, Pastor of Emmanuel

March 21 “To STRIVE for JUSTICE and PEACE in all the earth”

Preacher: Rev. Scott Ehle, Pastor of Bethel

March 23-25, 2018

Marinette Civic Center Dome In partnership with

Proceeds support Thunder youth hockey Interested in Playing or Sponsoring?

Call or email for more information: 715-587-3969 (Alex) uiginssq@hotmail.com (Alex)

715-587-7456 (Nancy) nmcdonald1@new.rr.com (Nancy)

Lyle “Chummy” McDonald Memorial Hockey Tournament

The New Member Reception took place

during our February 25, Sunday worship

services.

We welcome the following members:

Judith Bockoven

Floyd Leslie

Bret & Shannon Jones along with their children, Oliver and Calvin

* * *

Financial ending January 2018 Our offerings totaled $28,551.

Expenses for the year totaled $22,055, Leaving us with a positive balance of $6,496

EASTER Memorials

As you prayerfully consider your Easter Memorial contributions, please

know that all of your gifts are appreciated and used to further various

ministries of our congregation and wider church.

The gifts given to the ELCA National Youth Gathering will be put into

a fund in which we will evenly distribute to all of Emmanuel’s high

school youth who will be attending the Gathering in Houston in June

2018. This is a faith affirming opportunity for Lutheran youth from

across the country to come together to work and worship in unique ways

in unique settings.

In order to make Emmanuel more visible in our community, we would

like to upgrade our current 13th Street reader board to be an electronic

one. The upgrade would provide for greater flexibility in sharing our

mission as well as empowering us with a quicker messaging response to

more immediate information.

Your designations to the ELCA World Hunger appeal go directly toward

the church’s call to justice in response to those who do not have food.

The money is used to provide farm animals and garden plants, to dig

wells, and to pack healthy and sustaining food.

EASTER Memorial All Easter memorials must be received by

Sunday, March 18th to be included in the

Easter Memorial booklet. Your gifts are greatly appreciated.

I would like to : ______Place a lily on the chancel ($10.00) My/Our gift to the church’s mission at home: To: $_____ELCA National Youth Gathering

$_____Electronic reader board in front of church

$_____Undesignated Memorial Fund –or- for the following purpose:

______________________________________________________

My/Our gift to the wider mission of the church: To: $_____ ELCA – World Hunger Appeal

$_____The following: ________________________

______________________________________________________

Given ___In memory of _________________________________ ___In honor of ___________________________________ ___In thanks to God_______________________________ By ______________________________ Envelope Number_____

SUNDAY MORNINGS AT EMMANUEL Worship at

8:00 & 10:00am Nursery care provided at 10:00am

Sunday School at 10:00am

CONTACT US:

Phone: (906) 863-3431 Fax: (906) 863-4193

Email: mail@e-mmanuel.com Council President, Debbie Villas

Email: elcpresident@e-mmanuel.com or

Visit us on the Web at www.e-mmanuel.com Follow us on Facebook at

Emmanuel Lutheran Church Menominee Michigan ELCA

STAFF: Pastor

The Rev. Mark Laatsch

Director of Youth & Family Ministry Mrs. Patti Treptow

Church Secretary Mrs. Judy Raygo

Custodian- inside Mrs. Carol Parrish Custodian – outside Mr. Lee Parrish

We are a congregation of the Northern Great Lakes Synod Evangelical Lutheran Church in America