Advent Lutheran Church

Newsletter

Advent Lutheran Church April 2013

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Food for Thought Pictures

1

Pastor Matt’s Corner

2

Thoughts from Pastor Steve

3

Advent Lutheran Preschool, Visitation Ministry

4

Advent Lutheran

Child Center News 5

Worship & Music Worship & Hospitality, Ministry of the Month

6

From the Bishop 7

Message from Pastor Helga Jansons

8

Income & Expense

Information 9

Happy Helpers 10

Ronald McDonald House, Upcoming Events, Council

11,

12

Community

Outreach

13

Recycling, Announcements, Prayer Concerns, Thank You

14

Worship Schedule 15

Every Thursday the food that has

been sorted for the Weekend Food

Program is transported to Barker

Center. Individual bags/packs are put

together by students and volunteers

from Liberty Lake Kiwanis and our

church. There is a standard list of

food to include in a weekend pack for

kids. We are currently assembling

120 bags each week. Volunteers

are always needed! If you are

interested and available to assist,

please contact Raeann Ducar at

921-1126.

Every Friday the bags are delivered from Barker Center to local Central Valley Schools. Our volun-teer drivers currently deliver bags to Broadway Elementary, North Pines Middle School, and University and Central Valley High Schools. This is a much needed ministry and it takes many volunteers to make it run efficiently; from people who donate the food, to the volunteers who pack and assemble the food and back-packs, to the drivers who make the deliveries. Thank you Advent for all your participation in assisting this ongoing ministry!

“FOOD FOR THOUGHT PROGRAM”

2

PASTOR MATT’S CORNER

Happy Easter!! What a great time of year! The days are getting longer, summer is around the corner (I hope!), and it’s about time to start planting a garden. I know many of you have gardens of various sizes and take great pride in the produce and flowers that emerge. I have two raised beds that were built by my step-father last year and we used every square inch of soil in those beds. I love planting, tending, watering, and watching the plants as they break the ground and make their way up and out. There’s nothing better than eating something from “your” garden, right? And then the second best thing is to give some away for others to enjoy, yes? I like the idea that we here at Advent have planted something new, something that will take root and grow. But it will take a lot of love and careful tending to its new shoots. There is new life! We must be mindful of the gifts we have been given and strive to share this new thing with others. It is not ours to hoard, but it is ours to give. Jesus did not keep what was most valuable to himself, his life, but gave it to all the world so that the world would know that God is love and life! We have set before us a new course…a new garden that needs your support, your love, and your tending. Let us give thanks to God for all that God has done. Thanks to you all for your continued support of this new thing….Advent Lutheran. Let us produce good and abundant fruit! Blessings, Pastor Matt Thank you to everyone for their participation and support during Holy Week. I know it can be a hectic time for families.

Confirmation

Confirmation will be on April 14th

and 28th

at 3pm here at Advent. We only have a few clas-ses left before we see our 2

nd year students get

confirmed. Pentecost Sunday is on May 19th

.

VISITING PASTORS Some familiar faces will be filling in on two Sundays this month while Pastors Matt and Steve enjoy some time off for spring break and our synod assembly. It happens every once in a while where spring break is not holy week, so both pastors will be enjoying time with their families (for the whole week). On April 7

th our

campus pastor from EWU, Pastor Shelly Wee, will be preaching and presiding and then on the 21

st Pastor Neal Buckaloo will be here to

preach and preside while our voting members (Mark and Cindy Thompson) and Pastors will be attending the Synod Assembly in Boise.

3

THOUGHTS ON FAMILY LIFE FROM YOUR FAMILY LIFE PASTOR

By Pastor Steve “I don’t think I can go there! Ok I’m not sure I want to go there. I’m just not comfortable there. It’s unfamiliar territory. Do I even have the range? Can’t we just sing a song I know.” That was the summery of an internal conversation between my voice and I, as we tried to learn a new liturgy and some songs this Lent. But the composer had a mind of his own (and I am now blessed because of it!). It was his gift to God and the church to “Sing to the Lord a new song.” Psalm 96.1 And he longed to bring others on that journey too, and he must have known it wouldn’t be easy. Taking us someplace new never is. After Jesus was crucified on that Friday, the disciples must have not felt like singing. Their lives were out of sorts, to say the least. Their whole world had been turned upside down. For three years, they were on top of the world, at the right hand of God’s Son. It all changed in a couple of days. God’s plan meets human devices. Love meets hate. And for the moment it seemed hate had won the day. When it seemed as if all hope was gone forever, God wrote a new song: a Resurrection Song that the world is still singing! “He is Risen, he is risen indeed!!!” Amen and Alleluia. Death could not hold him. God would not allow it. The tomb is empty, the stone has been rolled away. Talk about a strange journey. Talk about unfamiliar territory. Can this be true? What do we do now? They must have wondered. And the Spirit whispered: “Just what he said before. All that and more will come to you, my disci-ples, whom I love.”

Here and Now, God says to each one of us: expe-rience the new song that I sing through my RISEN SON, JESUS THE CHRIST! Follow him, love him, know him, show him, seek him out. Serve him. And never be afraid again. Remember: “You are my beloved.” You are my Easter people. NEVER FORGET and... Sing along Happy Easter God loves you Amen

4

ADVENT LUTHERAN PRESCHOOL

By Kristin Larson

Advent Lutheran Preschool is doing very well these days, we have had a very busy year with 14 kids and done a lot of fun things! We had a visit from a fire truck in December and made a donation of stuffed animals for the Santa float. In February we had a fun Valentine's day party and a teddy bear picnic where we ate our snack with our teddy bears on blankets on the floor! This past week we had a very special snack with all the quilting ladies. They brought us some treats and we ate our snacks together and then they told us all about how and why they make the quilts! We plan to visit a local farm this spring, do a day at the jump and bounce, and are looking forward to our annual last school day at the park where we honor all of our friends moving on to kindergarten in the fall! Enrollment is almost buttoned up for the fall. We are waiting for a few families to tell us what their plans are and with some new comers we will be full for the fall and ready to go! Thank you, again, to everyone who has prayed for us and supported us for the past four years, it is much appreciated!

VISITATION MINISTRY Do you know how wonderful it is to have some dedicated people in our congregation who are willing to go and visit our homebound and hospi-talized members and friends? These people bring loving hearts, gentle hands, and powerful words to those who can’t be with us on a regular basis. They bring communion to those who wish to receive, they asses how they are doing, and they listen to their struggles and joys. If you think God may be nudging you in this direction the group will be meeting on Saturday April 13

th at 10am here at Advent for some reflection

and discussion on their visits. Also, our Parish Nurse, Debbie Martin, will be there to be a resource for the group. PS – We are putting together a new prayer chain via the telephone. For those who would rather be on a phone tree then on an email alert could you please let Cheryl know in the office. We want to combine the existing phone trees from the churches and combine into one. Thanks!!

5

CHILD CENTER NEWS By Alisa Gergawy

Spring has sprung at Advent Lutheran Child Center. We are very near full capacity and are gearing up for Kindergarten Graduation, summer activities and the 2013-14 school year. Enrollment continues for Kindergarten, Advanced Pre-K and our AM ONLY Pre-K program for the 2013-2014 school year - space is limited. Date change for our Annual Spaghetti Mystery Dinner Theater - it will now take place on Thursday, April 11

th at 6:30 PM. Mark your

calendars for the Annual Mother’s Day Brunch–we will be serving a lovely buffet style menu and like always have some great raffle and auction items available. The classroom baskets are as follows: Infants – Scrapbooking Ones – Family Fun Movie Night Toddlers – Gardening, Pre-School – Mexican Pre-K – Summer Fun and Kinder/School – Mama Mia (Italian) Night. We plan on having some date night packages also available. See you all there! We are making continued progress on the Early Achievers/QRIS program. Our staff has had many training/continued education opportunities made available through the program. And we value the support, coaching and technical assis-tance we receive while promoting the program to other centers in our area. Working with our coach to overcome obstacles, we plan to have our first rating in fall of 2013. As always thank you for your commitment to the child center ministry – it touches many lives in many different ways and makes ordinary miracles possible every day at Advent Lutheran Church/Child Center. The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious.

-Albert Einstein

6

WORSHIP & MUSIC By Paula Kenney

We are constantly striving to determine how our worship services (both 8:45am and 11:15am) can be welcoming and meaningful; a place where we can express our praise and thanks to our gracious and loving God. Advent's Worship & Music Committee is a small, dedicated group of individuals; however, we would love to wel-come new members to this committee. I ask you to search your hearts to determine if your spe-cial gift might be in the area of worship and mu-sic planning. The current meeting schedule is the 1st Tuesday of every month at 6:30 p.m. I would also like to extend an invitation to all interested in joining the following musical groups:

Traditional Choir offers special music on the 1st & 3rd Sundays at the 8:45 a.m. worship service.

Praise Team (singers/musicians) offers special music on the 2nd Sunday of each month at the 8:45 a.m. worship service. Song Leaders/Musicians participate in the 11:15 a.m. worship service. If we have enough folks participating, we could rotate Sundays so that this could be a shared commitment and not require 'every Sunday' involvement.

WORSHIP & HOSPITALITY By Carol Gerdts

Here we are into the month of April and some of you may be off to enjoy a week of spring break and richly deserved vacation. Now that Easter is behind us, we can all turn our hearts and minds to spring and a different kind of “New Life”. We get to watch the flowers bud and burst into color as our hearts begin to burst with new feelings of what Christ sacrificed for us. May we all be up to where that path leads us? And speaking of leading us, Team #2 are very appreciative of all the people who helped them in March. As you are probably aware, Team #3 headed by Babs & Rick Velategui have been busy recruiting people to help them in April. With the additional need of more people to help with communion at both services, we hope you all will help when asked. WE NEED YOU!!!

MINISTRY OF THE MONTH

By Debbie Martin

American Heart Association "Women In Red Event"- Outreach Program: We are collecting purses for the American Heart Association. See the collection box in the Narthex. At a later time, they will sell the purses and the proceeds will help to support the American Heart Association. Thank you for your donations! I would love to hear from members regarding input for an upcoming Health Fair. No dates are set, I'm waiting to hear back from other congregational members. Please check the bulletin board near the West entrance for bits of information. Also I will be available Wednesday mornings 9-12 through April 6th. Thank you!

7

FROM THE BISHOP By Bishop Martin Wells

God’s Beloved People, In just a few days we’ll be gathering for our Synod Assembly in Boise, Idaho, and I look for-ward to this annual gathering of the synodical church. We have much to do as the regional church that is dedicated to the vitality and health of congregations throughout our beautiful territory. For those of you not attending the Synod Assembly, I ask for your prayers that we would be faithful, wise, courageous, and tenacious in our calling as the church of Jesus Christ. Many, many thanks to all who serve on the planning committee in Boise! Under the leadership of Mary Rickerd and Karla Olson this committee has planned rich days for us and we can expect to be inspired, encouraged, and informed for the life of ministry ahead. Other important meetings have characterized the last few weeks. I’m just back from the spring meeting of the Conference of Bishops. It was a solid time of conversation over the plans for our church, readiness for the Churchwide Assembly in August, concern over the violence in our country expressed in a pastoral letter, and the melancholy reality of saying goodbye to 10 colleagues who leave the conference this sum-mer. In all there will be 27 bishop elections this summer, four in our Region. We give thanks for the partnership of Chris Boerger in the Northwest Washington Synod and Rob Hofstad in the Southwestern Washington Synod, and look forward to meeting the new partner-Bishops who will be elected at their synod assemblies. This last weekend was the semi-annual meeting of the Deans of our synod ministry clusters. We rely on these Deans to convene local congrega-tions for mission and offer pastoral care for the leaders of the congregations. In addition, the Deans offer a sounding board for conversation about the health of ministry across our territory and assist me when pressing needs pop up and I’m not able to be physically present. As conver-sation continues about our Way Forward in ministry the Deans may be asked to take a

more significant role in the future. Thank you to Barbara Condon, Dick Sansgaard and Tom Christensen, Gail Hart, Dean Stewart, Paul Anderson, Dave Olson and Bob Albing, Duane Anderson, Steve Gutzman, Mary Daniels, Dave Haven, Gary Rohde, and Joel and Margaret Ley for their leadership as Deans. Finally, the third meeting of The Way Forward Task Force is just complete. This special task force has been asked to assist us with our organizational foci and forms of leadership as we address the reality of a shrinking budget for synodical ministry. Along with partners from our abutting synods, this group of leaders held solid conversation that resulted in a list of the bare-bones priorities for our synod ministry. All this, and the work from their fourth meeting, will be reviewed at the Synod Assembly. We’re looking at this as a time of exciting opportunity to confirm the work of regional (synodical ministry and arrange the leadership for this ministry in a way that honors your local stewardship. For those of you who won’t hear the report of this group at Assembly, we’ll dedicate space in the Cross Connection in May and June to bring you the results. Christ is Risen! Risen Indeed! Pr. Martin Wells, Bishop

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The Elevator Speech By Pastor Helga Jansons,

Director for Evangelical Mission

There aren’t many tall buildings in our synod and so we don’t spend much time in elevators. However when I was in Seattle accompanying PR Kimmy Meinecke in her Mission Developer training, I had to wait for an elevator to get down to the hotel lobby. There was a woman waiting with me and by the time we reached the lobby I knew about her divorce, son’s career, and her plan for where she was to live. She in turn learned about the Lutheran church and Mission Development. A few months ago Bishop Martin Wells encour-aged us to have an elevator speech so as to be prepared for a conversation where we can share our faith or ministry in a simple and concise way. In our own words we can be ready to share with those who do not know about our church. Some of mine include: Describe the Lutheran church: The Lutheran church began with Martin Luther in the 1517 based on the belief that people are able to be in an intimate relationship with God by faith in Jesus and this is a gift of grace. The church Values Christian education, and an interpreta-tion of the bible that takes into account historical and cultural context. We tend to have a tradition-al worship based on scripture; a liturgy passed on over centuries. We value connections to our past as well as connections with other faith traditions. ELCA Lutherans are bridge builders who value relationships and can respect differ-ences. God’s grace includes everyone. Lutherans enjoy music and fellowship; especially potlucks. Our theology of the cross means that we see Christ in places of suffering and human need, and when we live out our faith we do not expect it to be easy nor do we expect success as the world would see it. Particularly through the church-wide ELCA body we are involved in social justice issues. What is the synod and what is its function. The Christian life is not lived in isolation. Churches also need support, resources and a connection with others.

Our synod is one of 65 geographical areas in the ELCA (Eastern WA, Idaho and a little of Wyoming) within which are 93 ministries with around 27,000 members. We have synod staff, a synod council, 12 clusters each with a dean, synod wide ministries such as college campus ministry, 4 outdoor camp ministries, Lutheran Community Services and chaplains. We also have a companion synod; Tanzania. We stay connected through Synod Assemblies, cluster meetings and through the Synod office. What I do as Director for Evangelical Mission: My role is to equip and resource congregations as they seek to reach out to the community and share their faith. I encourage churches to be clear about their identity, strengths, and purpose and to be intentional about their direction and goals. I engage people who are interested in working in synod wide ministries particularly in the area of stewardship, congregational renewal and Latino ministry. I am part of the synod staff, as well as churchwide staff. Why go to church? The church is the place where a faith community gathers to worship and praise the God who created and loves us all. We hear the word of God, and receive God’s direct presence through the sacraments, we pray together and for one another, grow in faith and share our sorrows and joys. We learn to love and serve others. The church can do more for the community than we can do alone. What is Evangelism? It is when we have the courage to tell other people about the love of God and how being part of a faith community

makes a difference in our lives, and we listen to their story too.

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INCOME /EXPENSE INFORM ATION

Advent General Fund Income/Expense

February Year to Date

Income 31,191.86 65,670.13

Expense 37,157.86 74,070.48

Net -5,966.00 -8,400.35

Child Care Center Income/Expense

February Year to Date

Income 53,562.91 104,037.48

Expense 58,081.26 108,999.74

Net -4,518.35 -4,962.26

March Services Average Attendance

8:45 am - 170 11:15 am - 40

Notes for Advent Lutheran Church In February, expenses exceeded income by

$5,966. This was due in part to the payment of one-time expenses for the year (ie. Synod Assembly registration and a medical reim-bursement), as well as a drop in expected income. Expenses included the budgeted disbursement of benevolence dollars for the ELCA, Spokane Valley Partners, Grace Min-istries, Lutheran Community Services and the Ministry of the Month (Lutheran World Relief). Planned benevolence is 10% of con-gregational giving.

When comparing budget to actual: Average actual monthly income is $3,710 less than budgeted monthly income.

The current reserve is $19,265. It is the total of the current net balance (-$8,400) plus the 2013 beginning reserve ($27,665). The 2013 beginning reserve consists of the 2012 end of year net reserve ($19,435) plus 2011 net reserve ($8,230).

Notes for Advent Lutheran Child Center In February, total expenses exceeded total

income by $4,518. This was due mainly to a recent federal mandate requiring the replace-ment of eight cribs in the infant room ($2,655), plus tuition for a state required con-tinuing education class for teachers ($1,050).

However, the state will reimburse the child center for the cost of the class once its com- pleted and funds for the cribs will be partially offset by a special fundraiser that is currently underway in the child center. As of 3/12/13, $520 has been donated toward crib replace ment. When comparing budget to actual: Average

actual monthly income is $1,857 more than average monthly budgeted income. Average actual monthly expenses are $5,296 more than average monthly budgeted expenses. Expenses have exceeded expectations due to one-time unplanned costs. It is expected that future expenses will be more in line with the budget barring any future unforeseen costs.

The current reserve balance is -$4,244. How-ever, when the accounts receivable balance is considered, the adjusted reserve balance is -$7,519. Currently, clients are making small payments on past due accounts from 2012 or earlier. Note the loans receivable balance above*. Once clients receive their tax refunds, past due accounts are expected to be made whole for both accounts receiva-ble and loans receivable.

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HAPPY HELPERS By Forrest Diehl

The end of March brings the first quarter of 2013 to a close. Hard to believe that we are looking at the first day of Spring and Easter Sunday in the rearview mirror. I feel obligated to write – and thank everyone for their work and contributions in making Easter Sunday Worship a special celebration during our Church Calendar Year. But, I find it difficult to be as specific as I want to, because I am writing this article before celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Let it suffice to thank those who signed up for the Worship & Hospitality Team #2, led by Chuck & Sue Nurvic / Darrell & Francie Shoquist and aided in the Easter Service; thanks to all who aided and helped in providing the Easter Break-fast led by Gene & Tess Strunk – including the Youth Group; and thank the Youth Ministry and Child Care Center for planning, organizing and providing the Easter Egg Hunt. We are truly fortunate to have the leadership, talent, and volunteers to provide such a grand Easter Worship Service and associated activities. Christ has Risen!...... He has risen indeed! The month of March also brought us the Iditarod Race, the 1,049 mile dogsled race from Anchor-age, (actually Willow) Alaska to Nome, Alaska. As you probably know, this race begins the first week-end each March and usually lasts 8 - 14 days, depending on the weather and trail conditions. This year, Mich Seavey won the race in 9 days, 7 hours and 39 minutes. Seavey is from Seward, Alaska, the oldest musher to ever win the race at 53 years of age, and beat Aliy Zirkle and her team by 24 minutes. Aliy came in second last year also. I think in future years, she will be a favorite to win. Hey, and thanks to the Praise Hymn choir for helping us get through the time-change that the month of March gave us. Their “Time Change Song (Spring)” song led by Paula Kenney, was both delightful and uplifting as all our biological clocks were trying to adjust. Thank-You!!

In past years, I have attended several St. Patrick Parade events in Spokane and enjoyed it thoroughly. However in recent years, I have not. I am grateful for those organizers who sponsor Spokane’s St. Patty’s Parade and their continuing efforts. Thanks to you, in this readership, who supported or attended this year’s Parade! And writing of St. Patrick’s day, I am reminded that during the month of March, a new Catholic Pope was elected. Pope Francis, formerly from Argentina, is the church’s new Pope. Last, but certainly not least, the month of March brought us March Madness. This year, Gonzaga University has made the NCAA Basketball Tournament special for Spokanites. I just hope the Notre Dame team doesn’t wear their lime green uniforms. The Happy Helpers wish you all the best in your Bracket selections! Go Zags! April 6, 2013 is the Day! This month the Happy Helpers hung bulletin boards and shelving in the Child Care class-rooms; stenciled “Advent Lutheran Church” on tables and tools; replaced light bulbs; discussed church roofing plans; performed operator mainte-nance on buses; made food bank deliveries; etc. The Happy Helpers are looking forward to the month of April. We meet each Thursday morn-ing, 8:00 A.M., at the church. Coffee, tea, and “goodies” are provided. Visitors and new members are always welcome. If you can’t make it by 8:00 A.M., come anytime. Usually, we finish talking by 9:00 A.M. and working by 11:00 A.M.

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RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE For the month of April, the Child Center children will be serving lunch at the Ronald McDonald House on Tuesday, April 2nd, 1015 W. 5th Avenue, Spokane. We invite you to join us! Please arrive at the Ronald McDonald House at 10:00 am. If you have any questions, please contact Sara Yochum at 953-8342 or syochum@jcwrightlighting.com.

SPOKANE VALLEY PARTNERS FOOD BANK DONATIONS

By Douglas Lee THANK YOU to all who have so generously donated to the Spokane Valley Partners Food Bank. In March a total of 98 lbs of food was donated.

SPOKANE VALLEY PARTNERS FOOD BANK NEEDS

Peanut butter and tuna fish are ESPECIALLY NEEDED Cans of soup Protein foods Individual portioned food items for homeless

teens Canned fruits Canned vegetables For more information, please contact Audrey Knuttel at 922-1727.

BASKETS OF PROMISE APPEAL

By Sue May The Baskets of Promise Appeal is not quite over yet, but you, our generous congregation, have donated needed items steadily in the last few weeks. Our collection basket has often been overflowing! In addition, you have donated funds so that we can purchase anything needed to round out the needed supplies. The kits will be assembled by Sunday School kids mid-April as part of their Serve on Sunday event. They will be very happy to find so many kits awaiting them for assembly! We will let you know exactly how many kits have been assembled later in April. Thank you so much and God Bless You!

UPCOMING EVENTS The Chocolate and Champagne Gala, April 6 at the Mirabeau Park Hotel. Sponsored by Lutheran Community Services NW. This will be Spokane’s best indulgence of decadent chocolates, champagne, appetizers, silent and lie auctions and dancing until midnight. Proceeds benefit the Sexual Assault and Family Trauma Response Center, where victims of military trauma, human trafficking, sex-ual assault and violent crimes find hope and healing. Call Stephanie at 343-5053 for more information or to reserve your tickets. St. John’s Lutheran Church of Sprague invite you to their annual Sausage Feed: April 7, 2013: 11:00 AM-3:00 PM. Menu: smoked sau-sage, mashed potatoes, vegetables, sauerkraut, applesauce, dessert. Sprague Community Hall in Sprague, WA. Sponsored by Thrivent. Advent Lutheran Child Center is once again having their Annual Spaghetti Mystery Dinner Theater! Please join us on Thursday night, April 11, at 6:30 pm. (The children are in the process of auditioning and practicing for their speaking roles and are very excited!). Please come out and support them! Spring 2013 Tri-Cluster Meeting and Celebration of 25 Years of Grace as the Women of the ELCA at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Medical Lake on April 13 beginning with registration and reception at 9:00 am. Cost is $4 for lunch and registration. 9:00 am-registration and reception. 9:45 am-Program and meeting. Physical offering: cereal, pasta, egg oodles to the Medical Lake Food Bank. General offering: EWAID SWO. For more information, contact Joanna Williams at 509-714-1150.

LADIES SALAD LUNCHEON Now that Spring has arrived and the weather is turning nice out, we are resuming our monthly salad luncheons. We invite all the ladies to come join us for our monthly salad luncheon. This month we will gather on April 20 at noon here at the church for great conversation, wonderful food, and fellowship. We hope you can bring a friend and join us! If you have any questions, please contact Shirley Roraback at 892-4016.

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UPCOMING EVENTS—Continued

The next Tri-Parish meeting will be held here at Advent at 4:15 pm on April 17.

GOLDEN AGERS DAY OUT

Join the Golden Agers for a fun day at Camp Lutherhaven! May 1 from 10am to 2pm. Details will come later on the details of the program. Cost is $10 per person. We will take one van from the church and sign up sheet will be available after Easter. If anyone has ques-tions, contact Joani Nelsen (509) 922 2901.

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL It’s not too early to start thinking about Vacation Bible School! This year the Tri-Parish VBS will be held June 24-28, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church from 9:00 am-Noon. Contact Kristin Larson at 481-1228 or Pastor Steve if you would like to help. Every little bit of help is appreciated! We need volunteers to assist with decorations, science gismos, snacks, games, music, registration, publicity, technolo-gy, photographer, actors, costumes, etc. This year’s theme will be Kingdom Rock.

FROM THE COUNCIL The Word Search

By Dana Foster

Advent is in the midst of a great word search! A search for a short, yet meaningful phrase that captures the essence of our mission. Recently, Pastor Matt shared Romans 12 to in-spire us to use descriptive words that come to mind when we think of Advent Lutheran Church. This task was immediately followed by our town hall meeting where the conversations continued and individual contributions were gathered. Since that time our various church leadership teams have been working to distill the input and craft an appropriate phrase. It’s interesting to consider the word count and common themes. Here’s a sampling of the word frequency Beloved/love/loving – 22 times Serve – 21 times

Caring/Compassionate – 17 times Community - 11 Fellowship/Family - 10 Worship/Hear God’s Word - 8 Grace – 5 Our work continues. At our next town hall meeting (April 14), we will come together in conversation again to examine the recommen-dations and suggestions carried forward from our ministry team leaders. This process stands as a clear example that the fellowship experi-enced as we study together is the true value of our efforts. We trust that the resulting mission statement will be succinct and capture the essence of Advent Lutheran Church. Our guiding principles will follow and create a set of filters from which to operate. It has been a prayerful, inclusive and thoughtful process. Your participation has been the foundation of our collaborative action as we continue our search to develop our mission/vision statement and complete the word search!

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COMMUNITY OUTREACH By Raeann Ducar

Place your donation of non-perishable food in the box at the church entry and we will be sure it is delivered to the SVP food bank. There are some specific food items needed for the Food for Thought Program (Weekend Food Pro-gram). These include single serve oatmeal or cream of wheat packets, pop tarts, granola bars, other snack items, and macaroni & cheese pack-ets. Spokane Valley Partners and the Feinstein Challenge is the Ministry of the Month What is the Feinstein Challenge? For the past 15 years, Alan Shawn Feinstein has been giving away $1 million each year to anti-hunger agen-cies through the Feinstein Challenge. Why does he do this? He believes each of us was put here on earth to do what we can to help those in need. The Feinstein Challenge takes place in March and April. Mr. Feinstein will match all donations (food and money) received through this challenge. Food is calculated in pounds ($1 per pound). We are proud to say that our church will meet the goal of matching the $1,000 already desig-nated for the Feinstein Challenge. With the Lenten offerings and designated moneys we are already at over $600! And that doesn’t count the food that is donated. We will be giving over $2,000 to Spokane Valley Partners Food Bank which is then eligible for matching funds through the Feinstein Challenge. Last year Spokane Valley Partners raised over $24,000 for the Feinstein Challenge and they hope to raise more this year. We are helping them reach their goal but more importantly we are helping to feed needy families in our neighborhood! Thank you Advent Lutheran!

On Saturday May 11th

we will be serving a Mother’s Day Brunch for those families stay-ing at the Ronald McDonald House. Arrive at the Ronald McDonald House at 9:00am to help with preparation and service. Please contact Sara Yochum at 953-8342 to sign up or for more information. Those members who have served in this ministry have found it very rewarding. Do you have a gently used or new purse lay-ing around that you would like to donate? The American Heart Association is collecting for “Purses For A Purpose”. Purses can be dropped off in the designated box in the Nar-thex. The American Heart Association will have a purse sale the first of June to raise funds in conjunction with their “Women in Red” event. Get Involved and Be “the Hands that Do God’s Work”!

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RECYCLING NEWS Please note the two black plastic recycling barrels we now have for your recycling needs. You will note one in the fellowship hall and the other in the Narthex. We are doing our best to recycle all we can and reduce the waste that goes to our landfills. Thank you for doing your part and helping us out on this endeavor!

ANNOUNCEMENTS

This year’s Lenten offering went to the Spokane Valley Partners Food Bank. Advent matched your donations up to $1,000 using funds from the 2013 Advent Lutheran endowment distribution. The goal was to raise $2,000. $1,000 from our members plus $1,000 from church matching funds which will be submit-ted to the Spokane Valley Partners Food Bank as part of the “Feinstein Challenge”. The Feinstein Foundation will provide $1 for each donated dollar up to $1 million dollars. As a result, Advent’s donation could potentially generate up to $4,000 in support for those in need in Spokane Valley. Thank you all for your generosity! A total of $1,380.11 was donated!

THANK YOU! Thank you to everyone who generously donated the Easter Egg candy and the plastic eggs to make our Easter Hunt such a success! Thank you so much to everyone that came to see Little Shop of Horrors! It has meant so much to me to have all that love and support from this wonderful congregation! I feel very special! Thank you again! Emma Larson

PEOPLE IN OUR PRAYERS

Larry Butler as he faces hip surgery on April 1st Frank and Myrna Rehn, Gerry O’Rourke, Tim O’Rourke, Sarah Jensen, Astrid Hildahl, Belle Campbell, Florence Wilson, Sue Nurvic, Linda Ingebritsen, Shirley Kjos, Ginny Besemer, Spencer Leonard, Harry & Eloise Lorentz, Steve Cook, Patty Richmond, Daniel Baker, Eldon and Molly Barr, Andrea Corn, Bryce, and Steve & Sue Rademaker, Nance Trutner-Mummert, John Semmen, Joanne Wold, Sarah Poe, Robert Rankin, Don Nicol, Jaylan Renz, Don Barr, Nick Damascus & family, Katie McIntyre, Renee and Dell Powell, Tony and Nancy Chacon, Joan McKeon, Wick Family with the loss of their Grandmother, Harry Lorentz as he recovers from a heart procedure, Joan Gunby as she recovers from hand surgery, Wava Jacobsen and their family as they grieve the death of Ron Jacobsen, and Beverly Lee as she recovers from knee replacement surgery.

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WORSHIP SCHEDULE

HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE

Maundy Thursday, March 28, 6:30 pm: Worship with Holy Communion Good Friday, March 29, Noon: Ecumenical Service/Stations of the Cross at St. Mary’s Catholic Church Good Friday Worship at Advent-6:30 pm Easter Vigil, Saturday, March 30, 6:30 pm: Worship with Holy Communion Easter Sunday, March 31: Sunrise Worship at Saltese Cemetery-6:30 am Worship with Holy Communion: 8:45 am & 11:15 am* Easter Breakfast: 7:45 am– 11:00 am Easter Egg Hunt: 10:00 am 8:30 am-A liturgical setting with Holy Communion *11:15 am-A contemporary setting with Praise Band

SUNDAY

8:45 am-Liturgical Service

10:00 am-Sunday School 10:15– High School Bible Study at Starbucks on Sprague 11:15 am-Contemporary Worship Service with Praise Band

NONPROFIT ORG.

U.S. POSTAGE PAID

VERADALE, WA

PERMIT NO. 19

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

Advent Lutheran Church

13009 E Broadway

Spokane Valley, WA 99216

Church Phone: 509-928-7733 Child Center Phone: 509-928-0231 Fax: 509-892-5219 www.adventlutheranspokane.org