Emmanuel News · 2018-02-02 · Jesus Christ bridged the gap of sin and death to en- ......

Our Mission Statement:

“We are called by the Holy Spirit and

therefore commit ourselves to invite,

nurture, and equip everyone with

faith for daily living and Christian

service that all may know God’s sav-

ing love through Jesus.”

Emmanuel

News Vol. LVII, No. 11 February 2018

Sunday Worship Schedule: 8:30 - Traditional Worship

9:45 - Sunday Bible School

11:00 - Praise & Joy Worship

Special Events Coming Up

Shrove Tuesday Supper - Feb 13, 4:30-6:30

Ash Wednesday - Feb 14, Noon & 7PM

Lenten Bible Study Starts Feb 15, 11AM, 6:15PM

Bull & Oyster Roast - March 17, 7PM

Palm Sunday - March 25

Maundy Thursday - March 29, 7PM

Good Friday - March 30, Noon

Easter Sunday - April 1

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling

to what is good. Be devoted to one another in

love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spir-

itual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in

hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Share with the Lord’s people who are in

need. Practice hospitality.

Romans 12:9-13

http://www.EmmanuelLutheranMD.org

Emmanuel News February 2018

day of love while at the same time remember that we

are nothing but “dust, and to dust [we] shall return.”

Yet, St. Paul tells us in Romans 5:8 that God shows

love for us in Christ dying for our sins even before

we were born or knew Him. This is the message we

find when we focus on God: that we are dearly and

passionately loved, desired, and cherished by God.

In fact, the point in reflecting on God in Lent is to

reflect on the fact that He loves us so much that He

would Himself become the full payment for any and

every one of our sins. This is the message of Lent.

So, as it turns out, Valentine’s Day this year may not

be as bizarre as we might think by simply looking at

the calendar. Because whether we’re celebrating

Saint, I mean, uh, Mister Valentine, a couple of

brothers bringing Christ’s love to those in need, or

Ash Wednesday the message is the same: each of us

are dearly loved and deeply prized by God, Who in

Jesus Christ bridged the gap of sin and death to en-

sure we never have to live without Him again. I’d

say that’s a love completely worth celebrating.

At least, that’s the view from here,

Rev. Ben Umberger

Youth Confirmation Class

Confirmation Class for youth in seventh and eighth

grades began last month. We have two students this

year: Alex and Aiden Treff. In our regularly sched-

uled time each week we are studying our way

through the Lord's Prayer understanding what we

mean when we pray each phrase of it. We also have

received new English Standard Version (ESV) Bi-

bles and the new 2017 Small Catechism. These

greatly enhance our study of the Lord's Prayer, and

we would like to thank the congregation for purchas-

ing these items for us. We would like to thank Carl

and Angie Treff for helping us through our study

time as well. The conversations are enjoyable, and

we'd welcome any time to talk with other members

of the congregation about what we're learning. See

you in worship!

Message from Pastor Ben

The View

“But God proves his

love for us in that while

we still were sinners

Christ died for us

(Romans 5:8, NRSV).”

Saints of Love

Here we are, in Febru-

ary again. As winter

drags on through this

month I often find joy

in the holiday right in the middle: St. Valentine’s

Day. We call February 14 “Valentine’s Day,” yet I

have often been puzzled by the fact that Lutherans do

not accept St. Valentine as a saint. Thankfully, we

don’t let that stop us from having at least one day to

focus on love of others. However, according to Phil-

ip Pfatteicher (Festivals and Commemorations:

Handbook to the Calendar in Lutheran Book of Wor-

ship, Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1980, 76-77) Luther-

ans do have two saints that we do recognize on the

14th of February: Cyril and Methodius.

These two brothers were missionaries to the Slavs in

the mid-late ninth century AD. One of their lasting

contributions was to develop an alphabet on the lan-

guage spoken by these peoples so that the Bible

could be translated into Slavonic. The modern Rus-

sian alphabet is based on this alphabet. What a won-

derful work of love to celebrate on February 14—the

giving of the good news of Jesus Christ in a way that

people in need could understand.

A “Weird” Year

A former parishioner of mine recently posted on Fa-

cebook pointing out that Ash Wednesday, the first

day in the reflective season of Lent, is also on Valen-

tine’s Day this year, and that it’s weird to both cele-

brate love while also beginning the process of disci-

plining ourselves to focus more on God. I will admit

that it is a bit of an oddity to celebrate a bright holi-




Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper

The Shrove Tuesday annual

pancake supper is scheduled

for February 13th, 4:30 –

6:30 p.m. in the Fellowship

Hall. Also known as “Fat”

Tuesday it is a time set aside

for one last celebration before we begin our Lenten

observance. Check out the weekly Extra for ticket

prices and availability. Look for the signup sheet at

the Information Center in the Lobby.

Souper Bowl of Caring

Unleash your Souper power,

catch hunger in the act! The

Souper Bowl of Caring is a

youth-led, grassroots move-

ment of caring—the result of

thousands of young people

joining together to fight hun-

ger and poverty in their

communities. More than 140 million Americans

watch the Super Bowl Game, imagine the impact

we’d have on hunger if each of those people gave

just one dollar to help those in need. On February 4,

2018, we will have the chance to join thousands

around the world to help put an end to hunger and

poverty. We are asking each member of our congre-

gation to give a monetary donation and/or canned

goods during the weeks in February. Look for the

big soup pot in the lobby area and place your dona-

tions there. “Lord, as we enjoy this Super Bowl

football game, help us to be mindful of those who are

without even a bowl of soup to eat.”

Winter Relief Hosting

We will be helping to host the Winter Relief again

this year on Thursday March 1st, 4:30 pm., at Com-

munity UMC. We will prepare dinner, serve the

guests, and clean up. Bring a servant heart and atti-

tude. If you can help please sign up at the Infor-

mation Center.

Bull and Oyster Roast

Our annual Bull and Oyster Roast will be held on

Saturday, March 17th this year starting at 7PM. It

will be held at Kurtz’s Beach with the usual great

food, dancing and games of chance. The ticket price

is only $45 with a table of 10 at $425. Bring family

and friends for a great fun filled evening on St. Pat-

rick’s day. We need volunteers to work the games

and to donate baked goods and stuffed animals for

the prizes.

The Church Triumphant

The Christian sympathies of Emmanuel’s church fami-

ly are extended to the family of Marie Leary. Marie

was born on September 26, 1943 and passed away on

Wednesday, December 20, 2017. Marie was a resident

of Pasadena, Maryland at the time of passing. A gradu-

ate of Brooklyn Park High School, class of 1961, she

was a "Queen Mum" and member of the Red Hat Soci-

ety and the Just Country Dance Club. A Memorial ser-

vice was held at the church on Saturday, January 6, of-

ficiated by Pastor Ben.

Lenten Bible Study

On Thursday February 15, we will begin our annual

Lenten Soup and Study sessions. There will be two

sessions (lunch and dinner), both sessions will have

the same lesson:

• 11:00am Bible Study with Soup at noon

• 6:15pm Soup with the Study at 7:00pm

We hope to see you there!

Our Youngest Member

On Sunday, January 14, Madeline

Rose Rounceville, daughter of Josh-

ua & Amy (Slichter), was received

by Rite of Holy Baptism by Pastor

Ben. We rejoice with her and with

her family as we welcome Madeline

into the life of the Church and pray

for her continued growth, both physical and spiritual.




Message from Cam

The month of Febru-

ary is renowned for

being dark, cold and

short. But it is also

known for Presidents

Day, St. Valentine’s

Day and Groundhog

Day.

Based on this winter,

so far, I don’t think I

need to say anything except this winter isn’t short

enough. The car dealers, mattress and appliance sales

ads will take care of Presidents Day. St. Valentine's

Day has become a holiday for card, flower and candy

companies.

What I want us to think about is Groundhog

Day. Not February 2, where we wait for a large ro-

dent to tell us how long winter will last, but the mov-

ie. We made our daughters watch this every year on

Groundhog’s Day. Then gave them their own copy

when they left home.

This 1993 comedy/romance movie stars Bill Murray

as a self assured and very pompous weatherman

named Phil and his news station’s producer, Andie

McDowell, as Rita.

Phil is forced to relive the same day (Groundhog’s

Day) over and over again. After his initial confusion

of waking up on the same day every day, he realizes

that he can do whatever he wants. Since no one else

notices the day keeps repeating, there are no conse-

quences. He becomes even more despicable and he

obnoxiously pursues Rita. After a while he becomes

disgusted with himself and the situation and repeat-

edly kills himself, but wakes up on the same day

with the same sad situation.

He turns to Rita and asks her what she would do if

she kept re-living the same day. Rita tells Phil if she

had to re-live the same day over again she would try

to learn new things and do good. Phil works day af-

ter day to make sure no one gets hurt, no one dies

and that everyone has a wonderful Groundhog Day

in Punxsutawney, PA.

Finally he lives the “perfect” day. In the end, he

makes the transformation to a genuinely good and

caring person. As a bonus, Rita falls in love with

him. Phil re-lives the same day innumerable times,

until he gets things right in order to be redeemed.

We could try, day after day, to live the perfect life in

order to present ourselves to the Lord as redeemed.

We would probably become as frustrated and filled

with despair. There is nothing within our power that

we can do to redeem ourselves.

It is only through the grace of God and the sacrifice

of our Lord and Savior that we are saved. All we

have to do is repent and believe.

Like Phil though, we need to care for those around

us. We need to help people from being hurt, going

hungry and being abused. We need to try each and

everyday to make it a “perfect” day. Not to be re-

deemed, but to show that we are redeemed and are

genuinely good and caring Christians.

Yours in Christ,

Cam

Ash Wednesday Service

Ash Wednesday services will be at Noon and at 7PM

with the imposition of ashes and Holy Communion.

Financial Challenge – 2018

At the end of 2017, the church’s income exceeded its

expenses by $397.10. However, our income was

down almost 11% from last year, approximately

$20,000. Our challenge for 2018 will be the need to

put together a competitive pay package for a pastor

and church administrator. Please prayerfully consid-

er how you can help our church accomplish this goal.

Financial Statements

The 2017 financial statements are now available and

can be picked up in the Lobby.




News from Social Ministry

We’re planning some changes in the library over the

next couple of months, with plans to paint, clean out

bookcases, and add some cabinet space with a nice

countertop and outlets on the wall, that can be used

for serving. We will also be adding a large pantry

sized kitchen cabinet to house the safe, up off the

floor. Once the safe is moved, we’ll be adding shelv-

ing to the Bread of Life food pantry.

Marilyn Trout is planning to lead this project for her

Girl Scout Gold Award.

In order to prepare for this work, we need to find a

home for the sofa, side table and lamp, and the book-

case on the far left (the one that doesn’t match). First

come, first served – if you want it or know someone

who wants it, please let me know and make arrange-

ments to take it. If it’s still in the library at the end of

February, it will be donated to charity.

We’ll also be cleaning out the bookcases. There are

books and tapes in those cabinets that haven’t been

touched in 10 years or more. Old books and VHS

tapes will be donated to charity. The plan is to main-

tain a library of current contemporary Christian

books and CDs. If you know of a special book or bi-

ble study that we should keep, please let me know

and I’ll make sure we keep it.

Blessings, Liz Downes [email protected]

Helping Hands Wishing Well

Emmanuel’s Women of the NALC invite you to par-

ticipate in saving pennies for their Wishing Well

located in the Lobby. We ask that you bring any ex-

tra pennies you may save during the week. Our goal

is to collect “miles of pennies” which turns out to be

83,321 per mile. Pennies are counted and we keep

you informed in our Emmanuel News. All pennies

received are used whenever a special appeal comes

to our attention. As of January 21, 2018 we are trav-

eling toward our 14th mile with 11,912 pennies.

Thanks to you!

Birthdays

2/2 – Jeff Adler

2/4 – Anthony Glorioso,

Paulette Vitkauskas

2/5 – Keith Beckner

2/7 – Shaun Snyder Jr.

2/10 – Ben Roe

2/14 – Pat Couture

2/16 – Bonnie Phelps,

2/18 – Dorothy Cockrell,

Cliff Stoffel

2/19 – Robin Stern

Rhonda Moore

2/21 – Susan Beckner

2/22 – Clarice Krammer

2/24 – Mike Trout

Anniversaries

2/15 – Nancy & Russell Phelps

2/16 – Dorothy & Dennis Cockrell

Inclement Weather Policy

The following policy will be in effect should inclem-

ent weather arrive in our area at the time of a church

activity. In order to protect the safety of our mem-

bers, the following will apply:

If Anne Arundel County Public Schools are closed or

close early, all church activities are cancelled. On

non-school days, such as a Sunday, if Anne Arundel

County Phase I or II Snow Plan is in effect, all

church activities are cancelled. If there is inclement

weather and the snow plan is not in effect, members

with limited mobility should plan on coming to the

later (11:00) service. This gives us time to clear and

salt the sidewalks and driveways.

If there are any questions, please call the church of-

fice at 410-255-4141. If there is any doubt about

your own personal safety, please stay in the safety of

your home.




EMMANUEL NEWS is the parish paper of

Emmanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church, Stoney

Creek, MD. It is published monthly, except Au-

gust, for the purpose of informing members of

worship and meeting schedules, special events

and concerns of our church family. Most of this

information can also be found on our website.

Pastor- Rev. Ben Umberger

Church Office Phone - 410-255-4141

E-mail: [email protected]

Website: http://www.emmanuellutheranmd.org

News Editor - Carville Downes

Phone - 410-255-4141

E-mail: [email protected]

Lay President Cam Stickley

Vice President Gregory Kline

Rec’d Sec’y Charles F Grey

Corr. Sec’y Charles E Grey

Treasurer Renee Roth

Financial Sec’y Tina Jones

Other Councilpersons:

Weezer Allen, Jr. Dennise Stickley

John Roth Michael Dausch

William Beckner Rhonda Moore

Ed Messersmit Trinity Gray

The deadline for the March issue of Em-

manuel News is Sunday February 18th.

Please email anything you would like to

share with the congregation (pictures, reci-

pes, community events).

Thank you!

Recipe of the Month

Cowboy Butter - Great for a Super Bowl Party

1 c. butter, melted

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small shallot, minced

2 tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 tbsp. prepared horseradish

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp. paprika

2 tbsp. Freshly Chopped Parsley

1 tbsp. freshly chopped chives

2 tsp. minced thyme

kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a small bowl, combine butter, lemon juice, garlic,

shallot, mustard, horseradish, cayenne, and paprika.

Whisk to combine.

Stir in parsley, chives and thyme and season with

salt and pepper.

Serve with grilled meats, like steak or chicken, for

dipping. It also tastes delish with cornbread!


mailto:[email protected]

http://www.emmanuellutheranmd.org/

mailto:[email protected]



If you as a volunteer cannot serve when you are assigned, contact the coordinator listed below .

USHERS - Mike Glorioso: 443-520-0789 LAY READER - (8:30AM) Bonnie Phelps: 410-437-0092

GREETERS - Bill Tayman: 410-437-1665 NURSERY—Tina Jones: 410-437-9076

ACOLYTES, AUDIO/VISUAL, WORSHIP ASSISTANTS (11:00AM), CASH COMMITTEE– Office Administrator: 410-255-4141

Sunday Servants Schedule


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