PILGRIM LUTHERAN CHURCH

44 CHAPEL ROAD – KENMORE, NY 14217

(716) 875-5485

A Congregation in Mission, Community and Service

PILGRIM’S PROGRESS APRIL 2014

PASTOR: Rev. Ben Eder SUNDAY SCHOOL: 9:00 AM

EDITOR: Mary Werth TUESDAY BIBLE STUDY: 9:30 AM

ASSOC. EDITOR: WORSHIP: 10:00 AM

From the Pastor

Some Lessons from Malaysian Flight # 370

(For background please read John 11:17-27; 1 Corinthians 15)

As of this writing, there is still uncertainty regarding the fate of Malaysian Airlines Flight 370. As Easter

approaches, I have a couple of observations I would like to share with you:

It’s worse not knowing than knowing. From our point of view, the unknown is worse than the known. If

we did know what happened to the flight, at least there would be a sense of closure. As Easter approaches, we

followers of Jesus Christ have the blessing of knowing: we know who our Savior is and we know where we are

going (heaven) when our time comes. The teachings of our faith stress assurance, not uncertainty.

My second observation about the flight is that we do not grieve as a people without hope. The reaction of

the passengers’ families in regard to their missing loved ones is hard to watch. Yet, it also strikes me as I watch

the coverage that many of these family members seem to be grieving as a people without hope. They appear to

be grieving as if this is the only life and therefore their shrieks of grief and tears seem to be expressions of

despair, not confident hope in the life to come. As believers in Jesus Christ, we also grieve when we lose a

loved one through death; we also feel the pain of that personal loss. But we are also assured that when our loved

one dies in Jesus, he/she remains in the presence of the Lord until the Day of Resurrection. Though we die, the

believer in Christ also lives.

Finally, in the midst of mystery we search for answers. Some of the news coverage has been non-stop on

the cable networks. Many will not be satisfied until they get the answers to their questions. One news anchor

even posed the question if there was a “supernatural” cause to the disappearance of the plane (Don Lemon,

CNN). Isn’t it funny how many will disregard the Bible but be open to the possibility of miracles and

“supernatural” events in this day and age? In this life, we don’t always get the answers to our questions. Only

God knows everything, and He may choose to give us the answers to our questions in eternity.

The blessing and joy of Easter is that we have The Answer – “Christ is risen!” Up to 500 believers saw

the resurrected Jesus and some wrote about their encounters with him in the Gospels. This life has many

mysteries but He is not one of them. On Easter Sunday we celebrate Christ’s resurrection from the dead as truth,

not wishful thinking or fallacy. This conviction comes from the Holy Spirit and not from the headlines of the

day. When confronted with the uncertainties of this life let us ground ourselves in the certainty of God’s

promises which never fail us.

+ Pastor Ben Eder

SUNDAY SERVER SCHEDULE

APRIL 2014

DATE Apr. 6 Apr. 13 Apr. 17 Apr. 20 Apr. 27

READER Wes Wiers Colvina Colvin

Wes Wiers Mary Werth

Karen Smith

USHERS Naomi George

* Harvey Caldow

Peggy Clark

* George Alessi

Pat Watkins

* Roger

Watkins

Eric Fellner

* Beverly Cravak

Gary Smith *

Colvina Colvin

COMMUNION ASSISTANT

Gary Smith Jack Hambridge

Gary Smith George Alessi

Frank Alessi

Preparation for worship

Lord, thank you for leading me to worship today. Help me hear what you have to say. Amen.

[Palm/Passion Sunday] Teach me your humility, Jesus, as you lead the procession of my life for the sake of

God’s glory

[Maundy Thursday] Dear Jesus, when you offer to wash my feet — or to do anything for me — help me be an

eager recipient of your goodness and love.

[Good Friday] “Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world. Grant us peace.”

[Easter] You greet me by name, risen Jesus, as you greeted Mary outside your tomb. I proclaim you my

Teacher, my Savior, my Lord, my God.

Jim Rodgers

Apr. 6

Eric Alessi

Apr. 15

Melody Keef

Apr. 20

Jeanette Donnelly Apr. 21

Adam Keef

Apr. 22

Kevin Rodgers

Apr. 25

As you celebrate with family and friends, may God continue to shower you with

blessings from above.

The Pilgrim Active Laymen (P.A.L.s) will meet on April 19th at 8 a.m. at church.

All men are welcome to join us!

Come and join us on April 11th at 6:30 p.m. for an evening of fun and friendly competition. It’s

a great way to “unwind your mind”. If you have a favorite game, bring it along. Variety is the

spice of life – and games!

The perks of giving

Although National Volunteer Week is officially observed in April, every week thousands of volunteers

help people in need. As volunteers can attest, sharing one’s time and talents leads to many intangible benefits.

New research shows that volunteering and giving also provide physical and emotional advantages.

Givers report an improved sense of well-being, lower stress levels, better physical health, an enriched sense of

purpose in life and increased happiness.

As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “It is one of the beautiful compensations of life that no man can

sincerely help another without helping himself.”

The Esther Circle met on March 10th. We are looking into starting a Youth Ministry.

Anyone interested or having questions should contact Amber Groeller or Rhonda Mohr.

There are already some students at Kenmore Middle School who said they are interested.

The date and venue has been set for this year’s basket auction:

Friday, September 26, 2014, at the Eldridge Bicycle Club, 17 Broad Street, Tonawanda

We are looking for volunteers to help put together baskets, or serve on one of the

associated committees: Food, Advertising, Donations, and Tickets. Please consider helping

out with this exciting function. A sign-up sheet is on the bulletin board. Monetary donations

for supplies are also welcome.

Nursery Update:

The Nursery committee has decided on a design as well as new furnishings for the

nursery. The work will begin later in the year. Options for the flooring are still being

discussed.

We are still collecting the following: Dash’s tapes – give to Sue Holway, used postage

stamps and used ink cartridges – give to Pat Watkins. (Mary Werth is still collecting the

pennies for the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League.)

The next meeting is April 14th at 6:30 p.m. All women are invited to join us. As Joan

Weir used to encourage us, “BRING A FRIEND!”

The Women’s Book Club will meet Monday, April 21st, at 7 p.m. at church. Please join

us to discuss books read this winter and suggest books for the coming months. If you have

questions, please call Sue Holway at 773-3625.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE ELDREDGE BICYCLE CLUB - TONAWANDA

Current building dates from the post-war 1940s. Parts of the original

building, including the bar area, were incorporated into structure.

Eldredge Bicycle Club

ADDRESS 17 Broad Street, Tonawanda

PHONE 693-3589

HOURS Open Monday-Saturdays; Sunday during football season only.

MEMBERSHIP New members pay $50 for the year, plus a $25 initiation fee, which provides them with use of the facilities and special rates on club events, although the bar is open to the public.

During the late 1800s, bicycles were all the rage in America. Thousands of companies,

including Buffalo’s Pierce Arrow, produced bikes to feed a demanding consumer need. Across the country, clubs were formed to center on the pastime, just as automobile clubs would organize a few years later. Tonawanda’s Eldredge Bicycle club was formed in 1898 and named after the “Eldredge” model of bike produced by the National Sewing Machine Company of Belvidere, Illinois. The model was named after the company’s founder, Barnabas Eldredge.

In 1898, 12 men who rode bikes decided they wanted a place to meet. They purchased a

former residence at Broad Street near Delaware. For years the Club held annual bicycle races

under the auspices of the amateur Bicycle League of America that drew cyclists from across

the country and from such places at Belgium, Australia, Canada and England. At their annual

race in 1951, Francois Mertens, a 19-year-old from Belgium, set a new national record time of 1

hour, 19 minutes & 15 seconds when he came across the finish line of the 35 mile race that

snaked around Niagara County. In 1955, the club’s membership peaked at 2400. Current

membership is around 300 with many members able to trace their family’s involvement in the

club back for generations. At one time the Eldredge had a cross-canal softball and basketball

rivalry with another Forgotten Buffalo featured club, the 3rd Warders in North Tonawanda.

A Voter’s Meeting was held after the service on March 23rd. Among the various

reports, the Elders are looking into getting pew Bibles and starting up the acolytes again.

All of the paperwork for the new outdoor sign has been submitted to the Kenmore

Village Building Department. Mike Burns will notify Carolyn Alessi as to when the next

meetings (variance and Zoning Board) will be held. We are encouraged to attend these

meetings to show support.

ADA Lift Project (elevator) – this committee met with the architect on March 17th and

the construction drawings are completed. Invitations to bid will be sent to construction

companies the week of March 24th. Walk-throughs will be done by them and the bids must be

returned by April 9th. Then the building committee will review them. Bid specifies work to

begin in late May with completion by mid-August.

Amber Groeller and Jim O’Brien (head Elder) are looking into starting up a Youth

Ministry. (See below.)

*** HURRAY!! The new directories will be shipped to us on March 26th! Distribution will

follow soon after. HURRAY!! ***

The Altar Guild now has 2 co-chairs: Sue Holway and Mary Werth.

Gary Smith thanked the Esther Circle for taking on the nursery update project. (See

Esther Circle article.)

The next meeting was set for June 22nd and we closed with the Lord’s Prayer.

UPDATE from Amber Groeller: “We will be starting a Youth Ministry here at Pilgrim. We are

working on which day and time, but will make a decision soon and let everyone know. The

Youth Ministry will focus on educating youth on the Bible and helping them to create a

stronger bond with God, all while having fun in a comfortable, accepting environment. We

will be looking for support from our congregation as we move forward with this. More details

to come. If you have any questions, please contact me at 604-6633. Thank you.”

Daffodil hope

In Lisa Genova’s novel Love Anthony, Olivia lives on Nantucket Island, where winter is long but

daffodils bloom even while it’s still cold. In one scene, she watches the flowers “shivering in the wind,

impossibly bright and fragile and brave against the cold grayness.”

Struggling with deep grief, Olivia finds hope in the bright yellow blooms after a long, bleak winter. She

embraces the daffodil as a sign that summer will come again — and that “life will return to her as well.”

In Christ, God gives us hope that sometimes appears vibrant against the grayness of earthly life. We

cling to it because we’ve seen the promise made good before — winter yielding to summer, a new beginning

granted — and we trust that new life will return to us, as well.

Why Palm Sunday? Palm branches are mentioned in only one of the four Gospels (see John 12:12-15). So why do we call the first day of Holy Week Palm Sunday? Tradition plays an important part in church history. During Jesus’ time, Rome was the world’s leading power. Whenever the Romans were victorious in battle, citizens traditionally threw palm branches in the returning heroes’ path. This was the accepted custom of reception. So when Jesus rode into Jerusalem, it was appropriate that he receive a hero’s welcome. One week later, he would be victorious over death.

Maundy Thursday What is Maundy Thursday, the Thursday of Holy Week all about? The word “Maundy” is a shortened version of the Latin word mandatum, which means commandment. At the Last Supper, Jesus gave his friends a new commandment. He told the disciples, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another” (John 13:34, NRSV). As Christians gather to eat and share Holy Communion on Maundy Thursday, we should make a special effort to exhibit our love and respect for one another. Let us seek out people whom we don’t naturally have affection for and express our wish that the living Christ may dwell in them and bless them.

Roadblock “We can depend on God to fulfill his promise, even when all the roads leading to it are closed,” wrote Bible commentator Matthew Henry about 300 years ago. For the disciples on Good Friday, all the roads had closed and the gates were barred shut. Jesus was dead — and with him, their hope. In fear and grief, they locked themselves in an upper room. But soon they discovered the tomb was empty. The grave wasn’t the end. Even death wasn’t strong enough to thwart God’s plans. Easter is proof that no situation is hopeless. God offers a way through every type of roadblock. —Kari Myers

Holy Saturday What’s compelling about Holy Saturday for me is that Jesus’ disciples surely descended into their own kind of hell — one to which anyone who has lost a loved one to death can relate. Death’s finality and wrenching silence strike fear in us. The silence of Holy Saturday reminds us powerfully that death isn’t something to be circumvented or avoided. The truth is that we need to go through a Saturday of death, recognizing its power, before we can realize the power of a Sunday of resurrection, when death is defeated. —Bob Kaylor, Homiletics

THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS FOR THE MAY NEWSLETTER IS

APRIL 27TH.