Pastor's Weekly Message

Dear Friends in Christ,

 

Between the busyness of Easter and the downtime of my vacation last week, it's been a while since my last e-mail!  So, it's time to catch up a little.  Thanks to the efforts of many, we had a wonderful celebration of the Resurrection of Our Lord.  A big THANK YOU to all who helped spruce up the church inside and out, to those who helped feed us a wonderful breakfast, to those who cleaned up afterward, and to our musicians of all ages who made worship sparkle!

 

Our gospel lesson for this coming Sunday is one of my favorite Bible stories.  It begins with two disciples walking to Emmaus, a small town not far from Jerusalem.  They are overcome with sadness, loss, and disappointment, because they were hoping that Jesus, who was crucified, would be the one to redeem Israel.  As they walk along, they are joined by the risen Christ, but they do not recognize him until he opens their eyes in the breaking of the bread.  Similarly, when you and I gather for worship each Sunday our hearts burn within us as the scriptures are proclaimed, and Christ appears to us as bread is broken and wine is poured.  The story of Emmaus becomes the pattern of our worship each Lord's Day!

 

Prayer of the Day

O God, your Son makes himself known to all his disciples in the breaking of bread.  Open the eyes of our faith, that we may see him in his redeeming work, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen

 

Congregational announcements

• There will be a Prayer Vigil at Shepherd of the Valley this Thursday, April 3rd, from 11 am to 2 pm, and also on Saturday, April 5th, from 11 am to 2 pm.  All are welcome to participate!
• Mark your calendars!  Sunday, April 13th we will kick off SOV's Capital Campaign by celebrating with ONE WORSHIP SERVICE at 10 am; a special fellowship time for all ages will follow.
• Pastor John Cross from Kairos will be our guest preacher at worship on April 20th, as we focus on our stewardship of God's gifts.
• Warm up your voices and put on your dancing shoes!  It's time for SOV's Variety Show:  Sunday, April 27th at 6 pm.

Easter Breakfast

Remember fellow SOV'ers, there will be a delicious Easter Breakfast served this coming Sunday, March 23rd at 9:30 to 10:45.  There is a suggested donation of $5.00 per person or $20.00 per family.  All proceeds will go toward upcoming youth events.

 

Please come and enjoy this wonderful meal and help support our youth!

Easter Breakfast Opportunity

Hello everyone - Easter is fast approaching and we will be having our annual Easter breakfast on that Sunday morning, March 23rd from 9:30am - 10:45am.  If you are able to help with food preparation, cooking or serving for the breakfast, there will be a meeting this coming Sunday, Palm Sunday, March 16th immediately after the 2nd service.  Also, there will be an opportunity to help on Saturday, March 22nd around 4:00 p in the afternoon.  If you and/or your family can help out, please contact Brenda Plinke at (503) 648-4092 or e-mail:  bprn@verizon.net.

Food Drive for Vernonia

Social Concerns is raising funds and food for our neighbors in Vernonia in the wake of December's flood.  The Vernonia Cares Food Bank is particularly in need of canned meats (Tuna, Chicken, or Beef), canned chili or stew, coffee, shampoo, laundry soap, and baking mixes.  Small to medium sized containers are preferred as food is given out to individual households.  If you would like to contribute, please bring your donation of food or money on Palm Sunday, March 16th.  Checks can be made out to SOV with "Social Concerns - Vernonia" in the memo line.  More information on the Vernonia Cares Food Bank is available at:  http://www.vernoniacares.org/. 

Pastor's weekly message

Dear Friends in Christ,

                 This coming Sunday we mark the beginning of Holy Week by celebrating the Sunday of the Passion a.k.a. Palm Sunday.  Worship begins with a palm procession commemorating Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem.  Quickly the tone of the service changes as we meditate upon Jesus' passion and death (Matthew 26:14-27:66).  Though Jesus is obedient even unto death on the cross, he is exalted by God.  We gather to remember his offering for the life of the world and to be fed by his life-giving mercy.  This holy week will culminate in the celebration of the Three Days of Jesus' death and resurrection.

 Prayer of the Day

 Everlasting God, in your endless love for the human race you sent our Lord Jesus Christ to take on our nature and to suffer death on the cross.  In your mercy enable us to share in his obedience to your will and in the glorious victory of his resurrection, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever  Amen

 PLEASE READ ON FOR PRAYER REQUESTS AND IMPORTANT CONGREGATIONAL ANNOUNCEMENTS! 

Please keep these sisters and brothers in prayer:

Aggie Wagemann, prayers for successful knee surgery this Wednesday;

Jacob Tabor, prayers for continued healing, that he will be able to gain weight, get some sleep, and adjust to his medications;

Lorna Hodgin and family, prayers for comfort and peace, following the death of her mother, Inez Arnson.

Bob McFall, prayers for comfort and peace, following the death of his friend, Baron Garcia;

Rachel Flath, prayers for healing and encouragement, as she has continues chemotherapy;

Sharon Graalum, prayers for continued healing and for safe travel, as she and Gary leave for Germany this week;

Arlene Kruse (Dean's mother), prayers for continued healing as she continues recovery from a stroke and adjusts to a new living situation;

Elodis LeBon and family, prayers for comfort and peace following Stan's death;

Cyndi and Les Peterson (regular visitors at SOV), prayers for healing for Cyndi's foot, which has been surgically reconstructed, and prayers of healing for Les, who has faced heart problems recently;

Don Roach and family, prayers for comfort and peace following the recent death of Don's sister;

Daisy Steele and family, prayers for comfort and peace following the death of Daisy's mother, Helen;

Sheila Voss, prayers for healing, as she recovers from a severe flu.

Darlene Anderson, prayers for healing from the flu.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

·         You are invited to join us tonight, Wednesday, Mar. 12, at 6 pm for a super soup supper, which will be followed by the service of Holden Evening Prayer from 6:30-7 pm.  Food for body and soul! 

·        Pastor John Cross of Kairos will be here at Shepherd of the Valley Thursday through Saturday this week.  He will be holding Team Leader meetings, Focus group assessments, and individual assessments in order to get ready for the Capital Campaign.  You should have received a mailing regarding your opportunity to meet with Pastor Cross.  Don't forget to write your faith stories and turn them in to the Spiritual Life Team leaders, Corinne Gilbertson and Ann Smith!

·        Spring Cleaning alert!  This Friday, March 14^th from 1 pm on and Saturday, March 15^th, from 9 am to 12 pm, there will be a work party here at church to make both the inside and the outside look nice for Easter. BYOGT:  Bring your own garden tools if you're planning to work outside.

·        BYOB—Bring your own basket!  Things will be "hopping" this coming Sunday at 9:45, as the Sunday School holds SOV's annual egg hunt.

 

NOTE:  Lent is a very busy season in any church, and this year there are many extra things going on at Shepherd of the Valley.  It is wonderful and exciting to be in the middle of the call process and to be kicking off a capital campaign, but these activities will likely require support from SOV's secretary, Nancy Shetterly.  During the next couple of weeks there will be extra worship bulletins to prepare, and there are various project going on around the church during the week (painting, cleaning up the grounds, finishing the upstairs office space, etc.).  All these wonderful activities tend to impact on Nancy's halftime work schedule, making it more challenging to get things done in a timely manner.  Please be patient with our secretary and respect her work space and her need for quiet time.  Thank you!

 

Faith Stories - Capital Funds campaign - Building on Christ our Foundation

Corrine Gilbertson and Ann Smith are collecting Faith Stories for the Capital Funds campaign. Corrine and Ann will be collecting these stories either in written form or they may be emailed to either of them by March 21st.

Once collected they will be given to Tammy McDonald, Director of Capital Funds campaign, for assembly by the Executive Committee, and put in a booklet to be given to the entire congregation of Shepherd of the Valley with additional copies available as gifts for others.

This booklet is one of many items being developed by the SOV Capital Funds committees in conjunction with our consultant John Cross of KAIROS.

Tammy, John Cross and I are looking forward to our meetings this Thursday, Friday and Saturday with everyone.

Bob McFall

Pastor's Weekly Message

Dear Friends in Christ,

In the gospel lesson for this coming Sunday, Jesus reveals his power over death by raising Lazarus from the dead(John 11:1-45). In our Old Testament lesson, the prophet Ezekiel prophesies God breathing new life into dry bones(Ezekiel 37:1-14). To those in exile or living in the shadows of death, these stories proclaim God's promise of resurrection. In baptism we die with Christ that we might also be raised with him to new life.

Prayer of the Day

Almighty God, your Son came into the world to free us all from sin and death. Breathe upon us the power of your Spirit, that we may be raised to new life in Christ and serve you in righteousness all our days, through Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

PLEASE READ ON FOR PRAYER REQUESTS AND IMPORTANT CONGREGATIONAL ANNOUNCEMENTS!

Please keep these sisters and brothers in prayer:

Jacob Tabor, prayers of thanksgiving for Jacob's homecoming and prayers for continued healing;

Lorna Hodgin and family, prayers for comfort and peace, following the death of her mother, Inez Arnson.

Bob McFall, prayers for comfort and peace, following the death of his friend, Baron Garcia;

Rachel Flath, prayers for healing and encouragement, as she has continues chemotherapy;

Sharon Graalum, prayers for healing and good results, as she goes in for an MRI tomorrow and receives test results next Tuesday;

Arlene Kruse (Dean's mother), prayers for continued healing as she continues recovery from a stroke and adjusts to a new living situation;

Elodis LeBon and family, prayers for comfort and peace following Stan's death;

Cyndi and Les Peterson (regular visitors at SOV), prayers for healing for Cyndi's foot, which has been surgically reconstructed, and prayers of healing for Les, who has faced heart problems recently;

Don Roach and family, prayers for comfort and peace following the recent death of Don's sister;

Daisy Steele and family, prayers for comfort and peace following the death of Daisy's mother, Helen;

Sheila Voss, prayers for healing, as she recovers from a severe flu.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

· During Lent you are invited to join us on Wednesday evenings (Mar. 5, and Mar. 12) at 6 pm for a super soup supper, which is followed by the service of Holden Evening Prayer from 6:30-7 pm. Food for body and soul! J

NOTE: Lent is a very busy season in any church, and this year there are many extra things going on at Shepherd of the Valley. It is wonderful and exciting to be in the middle of the call process and to be kicking off a capital campaign, but these activities will likely require support from SOV's secretary, Nancy Shetterly. In addition, we have recently had two memorial services and numerous pastoral care situations here at SOV; of course, these take priority over routine matters, and they require attention from the secretary, as well as the pastor. Nancy works 20 hours per week, so additional duties such as these tend to make her schedule very tight. Please be patient with our secretary and respect her work space and her need for quiet time. Thank you!