Current News and Events at Hope Lutheran Church
  • Seasonal News
  • Pastor Hills's "Vision of Hope"
  • Xtra Years of Zest
  • Anchor Nursery School News
  • Holy Week Schedule
  • Concert & Fellowship Events
  • Sunday School News
  • Youth News



  • HOLY WEEK AND SPRING DRAW NEAR

     On the final Sunday in the month of March, Holy Week will begin with a full schedule of activities for our members and others who share with us in worship.

    Our Palm Sunday services will again feature the processions with palms that are a Palm Sunday tradition. Services begin outdoors, and the congregation enters the church together bearing palm braches commemorating the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into the Holy City of Jerusalem.

    The last three days of Holy Week are called the “Triduum,” Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. A full schedule of the services can be found on page 5.

    In addition to the Triduum, we will include final Lenten Services on Wednesday at noon and 7:30 p.m. At that evening service we will conclude the seven-part play, “Following God’s Pathway.”

    For those who wish to see the play, there are videos posted on Youtube.com under the play’s title.

    During the Easter season there will be several other important events here at Hope including a Children’s Easter Musical on Sunday, April 11. On Friday-Saturday, April 20-1 there will be a Teen Ministry retreat, and on Saturday evening April 21, at 5 p.m. we will have an evening concert by Bill Cooper.

    The Easter Season will conclude with a very special event planned by the Stewardship Team called “Consecration Sunday.” More information is included on page 2 about this.

    Although Spring is just coming later this month, plans will also begin for summer programs including VBS and Drama Camp. In addition, we will offer a weekly Summer Sunday School during the 9:30 service with the help of parent volunteers.

    Read all about these in the pages that follow.



    SNOW FUND NEEDS YOUR HELP


    It is no understatement to say that since December we have accumulated a great amount of snow because of recurring snowstorms.

    Unfortunately for us, these storms have had a great impact on the ordinary operation of our church, not only in terms of church activities but also in the amount needed to pay for the removal of the snow from our church parking lot.

    Because we all share together in the use of the church building and parking lot, we are sending out with this newsletter self-addressed “Snow Fund” envelopes to every household with the hope that if we all send or bring in an additional offering using these envelopes we can lessen the negative impact of the snow on our church ‘s budget.

    Please use the enclosed envelope to help pay for this seasonal expense. If many send in gifts of $20-$50, we will have enough money to cover these expenses. Please respond right away if possible.

     




    “A Time of Personal Transition”


    Many of Hope’’s members may not be aware of the fact that my term as Dean of the Peconic Conference will end on Sunday, March 14th when our conference meets here at Hope and elects a new dean. But the day is coming when I will no longer hold that position, a post I have served in for the past eight years after a two-year hiatus following four years as dean. After 14 years of monthly meetings and annual 2-day Deans’ retreats, I’ll be “done.”

    I’m not in a mood right now to try to evaluate my service as dean. I may never really be. But what matters to me right now is that I realize that I am coming to the point where I will be making a transition in the way I carry out my ministry, both at a synod level and here at Hope, and I’m wondering what it will be like when I am no longer a dean.

    One thing that has become clearer to me is that I want to review the overall pattern of ministry I provide as pastor of Hope. Most of what I do will probably continue to be done exactly the same as before, but without the external outlet for my energy, I will look for new ways to invest myself in various aspects of our congregation’s work.

    I share these thoughts with you because I trust that you will have thoughts to share with me about how I can strengthen and improve my service as pastor of Hope. In the past I have asked leaders to answer three simple questions for me:

    1. What would you like me to do MORE of?

    2. What would you like me to do LESS of?

    and

    3. What should I keep doing about the same?

        Although I’ve been pastor here for more than 27 years, many of you have not been around here that long. Many have joined over these years, and all of our members have gifts and needs that need to be shared. At the same time, all of our lives are constantly undergoing changes, so what we need today may be quite different from what we once needed.

        So, consider this an invitation to share your thoughts and suggestions with me. I want our church to be the very best church it can be for all our members, and I am willing to work at new challenges if you are. Because this is a time of transition for me personally, it may also become a time of transition for our whole church. What do you think?

           With Love,

           


           Pastor Hill



    Xtra Years of Zest Fellowship Marks 12 Years of Activity


    This is our 12th year of meeting. We are an active group of people who are long term members and who are active participants in the life of Hope. We enjoy each others company and support each other in joy and times of trial. We invite all of you youngsters over 50 years of age to join us.

    Our next meeting will be Wednesday, March 10th. At 11 a.m. we will participate in the Lenten Study with Pastor Hill. At 12;30 we have lunch after the noontime service. Bring your own lunch from home. Coffee, tea and dessert will be provided. We also discuss future activities and plans. We will continue to attend the Lenten study and noontime service each Wednesday throughout Lent.

    XYZ fellowship is also continuing to collect items for the Health Kits for Lutheran World Relief. Please remember the kits when you are shopping and bring the articles to church.

    Please check the bulletin board in the narthex for upcoming events.

                Thank you




    Stewardship Team Plans Consecration Sunday May 16


    Hope’s Stewardship Team has been meeting regularly since last fall to discuss ways to help our members grow in their understanding of and commitment to biblical stewardship.

    The team is focusing on an effective resource that has been used in many churches around our nation called “Consecration Sunday,” and they have chosen Sunday, May 16th as the date for this special emphasis.        

    This approach to financing the operational ministries of a congregation teaches stewardship from a spiritual perspective rather than from a fund-raising perspective. Consecration Sunday is based on a biblical/spiritual theology of the need of the giver to give for his or her own spiritual benefit rather than on the need of the church to receive. Directed toward raising the level of stewardship rather than toward raising the church budget, its no-gimmick approach focuses on the question, "What is God calling me to do?" rather than on the question, "What does the church need in order to pay its bills?"

    On May 16 we will being having only one service followed by a dinner for the whole congregation. The time has not been decided yet.

    More details will be coming soon about the special activities and plans being made for this exciting program. For more information, or to offer your time to help with the work of the team, speck with Brian Steck or you can send an e-mail note to him at msteck@optonline.net.


    WHEN THE PASTOR VISITS . . .

    Beginning this month I will be adding a feature to the ANCHOR that will focus on the “lost art” of pastoral visitation. Please share your thoughts about the ideas expressed here.

    “ROUTINE HOME VISITS”

    I can recall from my early days as a pastor in Braintree, Massachusetts, that I was able to boast about knowing by memory not only every address of the families in the church, but even their phone numbers! That was true because there once was a time when pastors routinely visited members of their flock as an ordinary part of their pastoral ministry.

    That was possible in those days for two reasons. First, we had a rather small congregation—maybe 50-60 families at most. But more importantly, in those days many families had only one full-time wage earner, and there usually were people around in the afternoon if I decided to drop in for a visit.

    Times are different now, some thirty years later. I don’t make any ““routine” pastoral visits. In fact, I wouldn’t know where many of our members even lived without our church photo directories, and even they are somewhat outdated.

    Add to that the fact that we have on our membership rolls over 400 families, some of which have perhaps moved away or started attending other churches without letting us know. Where would one start such a project these days?

    Yet, having said that, I must confess that I think we have lost an important dimension of congregational life because I haven’t visited in many homes for quite some time, if at all.

    Honestly, I probably don’t need to look for additional work for myself. I seem to have enough to do without trying to spend time visiting people just because they are there. But I think it would be helpful, at least in some cases, if we could figure out how to make time to get better acquainted on a more personal level.

    Give this some thought. Have there been times when a visit from me as your pastor might have been helpful to you and your family? How might it have been helpful to you? Let me know what you think about this.

    Pastor Hill

    Next month:

    “HOSPITAL VISITATION”


    Lutheran Disaster Relief For Haiti and Chile

    On Sunday, January 17th, our Congregation Council launched an effort to collect funds to be used to support the efforts of the ELCA Disaster Relief workers in Haiti in the wake of the devastating earthquake.

    A total of $1,144 has already been collected and additional gifts will be added as they come in. We will send in the gifts we receive by February 1st.

    Lutheran World Relief is the lead agency in coordinating the religious organizations in providing assistance in Haiti. Our regular offerings to the ELCA provide the administrative support for the ongoing work of LWF, so a full 100% of our relief offerings will be used for direct assistance for earthquake victims.



    Concerts & Fellowship Events

    Nightsong Music

    Bill Cooper & Bette Kron

    Concert—Saturday, April 17 5:00 pm

    Pot luck supper after concert

     

    Talent/Variety Show

    Planned for Late Spring

    All members and friends are invited to participate in this fun time of OUR talent
    — whether in song, dance, musical instrument, comedy .

     

    SOUP-ER BOWL SUNDAY

    Soup is Good Food

    Soup Drive a Big Success!!!

    We collected 477 cans of soup!

     

    Thank you all for your continued support and generous donations!! We well exceeded our goal of 250 cans of soup.


                       The Worship & Music Page

                              Weekly Worship Services:
                               Saturdays 5:00 p.m.
                               Sundays 8, 9:30 & 11 :15 a.m



    LENTEN MIDWEEK SERVICE

    Noon & 7:30 p.m.

    Following God’s Pathway

    Our Evening services during Lent began with Ash Wednesday will focus on Romans 12 “Marks of the Christian—Seven Steps to Wholeness” with plays written by Pastor Hill about the struggles of a young pastor in her spiritual life. As part of your Lenten growth join us every week and follow the story and grow in your faith The series continues until the Wednesday in Holy Week, March 31st.

    This theme ties into the daily Lenten Devotional booklets. Reflection groups have been formed to share about your devotions. All are welcome to join a group any week:

    Sundays at 11:15 a.m.            Wednesdays at 11 a.m.          Thursdays at 12:30 p.m.


    HOLY WEEK/EASTER CHOIR

    Hope’s choir is rehearsing for Holy Week and Easter with special music for Good Friday. If you’ve thought about singing with us now is the time even if it’s only for this special week of the year. Rehearsals begin on Wednesdays at 8:15 pm after the Lenten Midweek Service.


    EASTER PLAY—Children/Teens

    ALIVE FOREVER!

    All children and teens are invited to be part of the cast for the play, Alive Forever! To be performed on Sunday, April 11th at the 9:30 a.m. service. With lively songs and speaking parts the children will be tell of the wonder of Jesus’ resurrection.

    Rehearsals begin on Sunday, March 7th after the 9:30 a.m. service from around 10:30 to 11:15 a.m. And on Wednesdays from 5:30 to 6:15 p.m. Come to as many rehearsals as you can. You can still be a part just come to a rehearsal.

    Thanks to all our help, Diane DeNicola, Michelle Knauer, Teresa Varela, and Joyce Stahl.

                


    NIGHTSONG MUSIC CONCERT — Bill Cooper and Bette Kron

    Saturday, April 21st at 5 pm

                On Saturday, April 21st join us for a special concert by Bill Cooper and Bette Kron at 5 pm. Our Saturday evening service will be shortened and begin at 4:30 pm before the concert. After the concert join us for a pot luck supper, dessert and fellowship.

                Bill & Bette provide music ministry through concerts, worship services, coffee houses, retreats. But the core of this ministry goes beyond the music. It's the compelling testimony of the grace, hope and wonder of a God who loves us -"just the way we are." Don’t miss this fabulous sharing of faith through music.





    HOLY WEEK AND EASTER 2010

    PALM SUNDAY/THE SUNDAY OF THE PASSION

    On Saturday, March 27 and Sunday, March 28 we begin outdoors with the blessing of the palms and procession into the church reminding us of Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem.

                                THE TRIDUUM—APRIL 1-3

    The heart of the week we call Holy Week is the Triduum, the three days preceding Easter: Maundy Thurday , Good Friday and Holy Saturday. All three services at 7:30 p.m. form a single celebration.

     

    MAUNDY THURSDAY

    Services at Noon and 7:30 p.m. At 7:30 p.m. the service also includes the footwashing ceremony along with Holy Communion and an order of Confession and Forgiveness. The service ends with the solemn stripping of the altar to prepare for Good Friday.

     

    GOOD FRIDAY

    Good Friday is the most solemn day of the Christian calendar.

    Our Good Friday observances begin at 6 a.m. with a Prayer Vigil that continues throughout the day. Members take turns keeping the vigil by coming to pray at selected times during the day. Members are asked to sign up on the Prayer Vigil chart for 20 minute prayer periods. You are welcome to come any time to pray even if you cannot sign up.

                At 10 a.m. there will be a Devotional Service.

                At Noon we will worship the Stations of the Cross at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Island in Eastport on Eastport-Manor Road. If you wish to car pool we leave the church at 11 a.m. or you may meet us at the shrine.

                At 3 p.m. at Hope there is a service of the Stations of the cross. We hear lessons, pray and sing together as we move around the church to the various stations that commemorated Jesus’ final hours leading to his death.

                Finally at 7:30 p.m. we continue the Triduum service with the Adoration of the Cross.

     

    HOLY SATURDAY

    Holy Saturday concludes the Triduum as we gather at 7:30 p.m. for the Easter Vigil. The Service of Light starts outdoors with the lighting of the New Fire and continues into the nave with candles that signify Jesus as the Light of the World. The service continues with Bible readings recalling the stories of God’s mighty acts, affirmation of baptism and Holy Communion

     

    EASTER SERVICES OF THE RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD

    7:30, 9:30 AND 11:15 a.m.

    Easter Breakfast 8:00—11:00

            

    DECORATING FOR PALM SUNDAY AND EASTER

    All are welcome to help decorate the sanctuary for Palm Sunday and Easter on Saturday, March 27 at 9 a.m. and/or Saturday, April 3rd. With more hands the work is easier and faster so come down and help out.


    EASTER PLANTS

    Help to beautify our sanctuary for the Easter services by donating Easter plants: Easter lilies, hyacinths, tulips, daffodils, azaleas at a cost of $6.00 per plants. Just use one of the forms, fill it out and put it in an envelope with your check and place it in the offering plate or hand it to an usher.



    Sunday School Plans for Active Spring and Summer Seasons

    Sunday School has some exciting events planned. The children will be learning about the season of Lent and Holy Week with activities such as a Seder meal and Palm Sunday parade. We will be having a parade on Palm Sunday from the Walgreens parking lot to church. We will meet at 8:45 and begin the walk at 9 a.m.

    Sunday School will finish up with the regular schedule on May 23rd.

    On May 30th we will begin Summer Sunday Fun for children ages 3- 5th grade. Each Sunday children will have a short lesson, craft and outdoor play time and then join their parents in church. Volunteers are needed to lead the group at least one Sunday per month. Training and materials will be provided. A sign up sheet will be posted for volunteers. If you are interested in helping please speak with Laura Laza.


    New Orleans’ Teens to Host Easter Breakfast

                Easter Breakfast will be held on Easter morning from 8 a.m.–11 a.m. Join us for a delicious Sunday brunch including eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes and pastries. Food will be served buffet style and people may join us anytime between 8 and 11. This event is a fundraiser for the teens who will be going to New Orleans in 2012. They will be cooking and serving all of the food. The cost is just $7 per person or $25 per family. Tickets will be on sale on Sunday mornings and at the door.

                The Easter Bunny will be there! Join us!




    Dates Set for This Summer’s Programs


    Vacation Bible School Dates Set

    Mark your calendars. VBS will be held August 16-20 from 9 -12. VBS is for children ages 3-5th grade. Volunteers will be needed to help. Registration will begin soon and forms will be sent home through Sunday School, Kid’s Club and Anchor Nursery School. Children from the community are invited to join us as well.

    Drama Camp

    L.O.S.T. BUT NOW I’M FOUND


    August 23-27 9 a.m.—3 p.m.

    Keep these dates open for this fun camp!Camp puts on a musical
    production including building sets and making scenery, learning lines,
    singing songs, making costumes .Plus lots of fun activities!
    Play is performed on Friday night at 7 p.m.Look for registration
    forms and more information soon!




    Anchor Nursery School Fall Registration Opens

    Registration is now taking place for the 2010-2011 school year. Anchor Nursery School is a traditional preschool which provides a nurturing environment that teaches three and four year olds appropriate social skills as well as kindergarten readiness skills.

              Anchor Nursery School will be offering the following for the upcoming school year:

    Tuesday and Thursday mornings for $175 per month

    Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings for $195 per month

    Classes are from 9:15-12:15

    Early Registration Bonus:


    There is a $75 registration fee which will be waived if the child is enrolled by April 1st and the non-refundable June tuition is paid.




    Preparations Begin for Youth Gathering 2012

    The ELCA Youth Gathering will be held in New Orleans again in 2012. This is an event for teens who will have completed grades 9-12 in 2012. The cost is between $1,200 and $1,500 per teen. Teens who are interested in attending should plan on helping with the Easter Breakfast fundraiser. Fundraising will continue until the gathering and registration will take place in September of 2011. If you are interested in attending and or helping with the fundraiser please email Laura Laza at llaza@optonline.net.







    Teen Ministry Retreat Planned

    Teen Ministry dates for March are the 6th and 13th. Following teen ministry on the 6th there will be a concert and international potluck supper. Teens should sign up if they are planning on attending the dinner. On March 13th we will be going to Friendly’s for dinner and dessert following teen ministry. Each teen should bring $20 to cover the cost.


    Camp DeWolfe Retreat for Teens

    A retreat is scheduled for April 23-24 at Camp DeWolfe in Wading River for teens grades 6-12. The cost is $75 per person and includes meals. To confirm our reservation we will need a deposit of $30 per teen by March 13th. Teens can bring in checks for the deposit made out to the church. Activities will include group games, Bible studies, hiking, outdoor games and crafts. We will meet at the church at 4:30 on Friday, the 23rd and teens should be picked up at the camp at 6 p.m. on Saturday. For more information please speak with Laura Laza. Teens who need to arrive late or leave early are still welcome but must still pay the $75 fee.


    Serving God is the right thing to do

    There's a true story of an older couple visiting an enormously successful church in Los Angeles. Between services, they peeked into one of the Sunday school classrooms and saw the pastor's wife picking up used coffee cups from the table and even the floor, by herself, before the next class came in. Immediately, the couple decided that this was going to be their church home because there was clearly no pretense about "rank and privilege" in this house of worship. People served God because it was the right thing to do, not because they were assured of a pat on the back, or a plaque on the door.

                

    Similarly, there's a small church in Georgia that can't afford a janitor, and so everyone pitches in when it comes to cutting the grass and cleaning the bathrooms -- even former president and Nobel Laureate Jimmy Carter (and his wife, former First Lady Rosalynn). For these folks, servanthood knows no privilege.




    MailArt Stahl (hopewebmaster@optonline.net)


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