First Impressions

“That which we have seen and heardconcerning the Word of Life, we

proclaim to you.”

First Lutheran Church April 2015 * Volume 35: Issue 4

Rev. Timothy W. OlsonCell 517-231-2396

revtimolson@gmail.com

Daniel LongdenDirector of Youth & Family Ministry

Phone 517-543-4360 ext. 229daniellongden@gmail.com

First Lutheran Church550 E. Shepherd St.,Charlotte, MI 48813Phone 517-543-4360

Email: flcchurchoffice@gmail.comweb: firstlutherancharlotte.org

Worship TimesSundays 8:30 & 11:15 a.m.

Contemporary Worship 2 & 4 Sundays - nd th

11:15 a.m. with live praise bandCommunion 1 , 3 , & 5 Sundaysst rd th

Mid-week WorshipWednesdays 7:00 p.m. during Advent & Lent

The Lutheran Church Missouri SynodLutherans are part of the Christian Churchestablished by Jesus Christ. We trace our

history back to the time of the Apostles and theNew Testament Church. While we take our namefrom Martin Luther, the 16 century reformer ofth

the Church, our faith is in the Triune God(Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) and centers inJesus Christ as the only Savior of the world.

Daniel McCune. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 2Tre’Lee Wood. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 2Earl Schneider. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 2Kyra McCune. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 3Brett Wood. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 3Sara Collins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 4Heather Morris. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 5Laraine Owens.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 6Luke Berends.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 7Nicholas Stoner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 8Jerrold Shafor III. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 9Meagan Lietzke. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 10Carrie Creger. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 11Katelyn Creger.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 11Sebastian Youngs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 11Brantley Hamilton. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 13Hannah Whiting.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 13Ashton Whiting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 13Levi Stoltzfus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 14Jaymie Walters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 14Doug Buck. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 15Dacey Cook. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 16Eloise Lea. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 16Cameron Youngs.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 16Emily Light. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 16Patricia Comrie. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 17Kim Longden. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 17Bryce Locke. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 17Mary Heightchew. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 18Bryan Mitchell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 18Brooke Lahr. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 19Erica Morris. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 19Sharon Partridge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 21Evelyn Carr. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 22Christie O’Dell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 22Tina Dietrich. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 22Brantley Hamilton. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 24Randy Knickerbocker. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 25Kathleen Smith. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 25Andrew Morgan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 26Ken Trusty. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 26Paul Creger. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 27Violet Aho. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 28Mary Jo Huver. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 28Logan Gingrich.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 28Mary Jo McClane. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 28Janet Weber. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 28Lorraine Couchman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 29Russ Berends. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 30Paul Locke. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 30Alyssa Murray. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 30

FLC Statistics for April 2015Confirmed Membership. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 402Baptized Membership. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 569Child Baptisms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (0)Adult Baptisms.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (0)New Confirmed Members. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (0)New Baptized Members.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (0)Transfers Out (Confirmed).. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (0)Transfers Out (Baptized). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (0)Releases (Confirmed).. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (0)Releases (Baptized). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (0)Deaths. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (1) Eric OlsenWeddings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (0)

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^

*Please make a note of the following address/phonechanges in your membership directory:

Wedding Anniversaries for AprilMike & Leslie Dybas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 4Larry & Vickie Gingrich. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 11Clyde & Janet Hamilton. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 12Eric & Christi Whiting.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 12Bob & Mary Ensign. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 14Dave & Mary Huber. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 23Derrick & Jodie Morgan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 24Jim & Barb Fiser. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 28Garland & Tommie Root. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 28Dick & Patricia Greene. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 30

Please note: if you move, change your phonenumber, or have changes to your family status

such as a birth, divorce, marriage, etc. please letthe church office know so that we can keep our

records up-to-date. Thank you.

If you have a birthday or anniversary inDecember and you do not see your name listed

here - please let the church office know so we canupdate our records.

Church office: 517-543-4360 ext. 221

First Lutheran Schedule and Events forAPRIL 2015

SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICES, CLASSES, AND REHEARSALSSunday Worship at 8:30 & 11:15 a.m. (Communion on the 1 , 3 , and 5 Sundays)st rd th

Contemporary Worship Featuring Live Praise Band - 2 & 4 Sundaysnd th

Coffee Hour - Sundays at 9:45 a.m.Adult Bible Studies - Sundays at 9:45 a.m.Sunday School - Sundays at 9:45 a.m. Children’s Choir Rehearsals - Sundays at 10:35 a.m. Youth Choir Rehearsals - Sundays at 10:35 a.m. Worship Service at Eaton County Medical Care Facility - 4 Sunday only at 1:30 p.m.th

WEEKDAY BIBLE STUDIES, CLASSES, AND REHEARSALSMen’s Bible Study at the Eaton Place Restaurant - Mondays at 7:00 a.m.Bell Choir Rehearsal - (suspended until a director can be found)Youth Confirmation Class - (concluded for this school year)Adult Confirmation Class - *See Pastor OlsonThe Family Project Small Group Study - Tuesdays, 6:00 p.m. @ FLC Adult Choir Rehearsal - Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. Wednesday Bible Study at FLC - Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. (Resumes on April 8, 2015)Women’s Bible Study at FLC - Thursdays at 9:30 a.m. (Recessed)

OTHER EVENTS/SPECIAL WORSHIP SERVICES FOR APRIL

Elisabeth Guild Meeting - Thursday, April 2, 1:30 p.m.Maundy Thursday Worship - Thursday, April 2, 7:00 p.m.Good Friday Worship - Friday, April 3, 1:00 & 7:00 p.m.Make Easter Baskets for Shut-ins - Saturday, April 4, 9:00 a.m.Easter Worship - Sunday, April 5, 7:00 & 10:00 a.m.Easter Breakfast - Sunday, April 5, 8:30 a.m.Children’s Holy Treasure Hunt - Sunday, April 5, 9:20 a.m.FLC Providing the Community Dinner at the F.O.E. - Wednesday, April 8, 4:00 p.m. at F.O.E.FLC Council Meeting - Thursday, April 16, 7:00 p.m.Worship Service at Sensations Memory Care, Charlotte - Thursday, April 16, 11:00 a.m.Youth Group 30 Hour Famine - Friday, April 17 - Saturday, April 18FLC SWAP Day - Friday, April 17, 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. for church membersFLC SWAP Day - Saturday, April 18, 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. for church members and the publicFLC Board of Elders Meeting - Tuesday, April 28, 6:30 p.m.

Directory of Staff and Groups

Church and Preschool Daycare StaffPastor: Rev. Timothy Olson Preschool/Daycare Director: Cindy VanNesteFamily & Youth Director: Daniel Longden Preschool/Daycare Administrative Assistant: Carol VasquezOffice Manager: Amy Garnsay Adult, Youth, & Children’s Choirs Director: Patricia GreeneCustodian: Scott Marshall Bell Choir Director: VacantOrganists: Patricia Greene & Christine Olson

Committee and Group ChairpersonsCongregational President: Brad Gingrich Congregation Vice-President: David CarterCouncil Secretary: Donita Firman Church Treasurer: Erica MorrisFinancial Secretary: Tina Lietzke Elder Chairman: Bob SchlueterEducation Chairperson: Deb Reinbold Trustee: Cleo CortrightOutreach Chairperson: Stacey Gingrich Stewardship Chairperson: Shawn McKellarAltar Guild Chairperson: Wendy Jorgensen Fellowship Chair: Marj HuvaChristian Care Chair: Jill Withey

Groups at First LutheranAltar Guild: A group of women from First Lutheran who take turns preparing the altar area for worship. All women are invitedto join. For more information please contact the Altar Guild Chairperson.

Council: The church council is a group of communicant members that are elected by the voters assembly to act on behalf of thecongregation in the management of the church. The council is directly responsible to the congregation. For more informationplease contact the Congregational President.

Elders: A group of men who are appointed by the council to oversee the spiritual welfare of the pastor and the congregation,individually and collectively. The chairman of the Elders is not appointed but elected by the voters assembly. For moreinformation please contact the Elder Chairman.

Elisabeth Guild: A ladies group that meets on the first Thursday of the month (see schedule) giving all women in thecongregation opportunities for Christian fellowship as well as Christian service through mission projects and preparing meals.For more information contact Elisabeth Guild President, Marj Huva.

FLC Quilting Group: A group of members that makes quilts for Lutheran World Relief (LWR). All are welcome to join thisgroup - no sewing skills are necessary. Donations of thread, material, clean good-condition sheets and blankets are alwaysappreciated. See calendar for meeting dates. For more information contact Karen Bursley.

Greeters: A group of members who volunteer to greet both members and visitors at the doors before worship services. Men,women, couples, and families are encouraged to volunteer to be greeters. For more information please contact the church office.

Prayer Chain Ministry: A group of members who individually pray on behalf of those who are troubled, ill, or in need. Prayernotices are sent via email to prayer members. To join the prayer ministry, please contact the church office.

Ushers: A group that helps prepare the church for worship, greets people, hands out bulletins, and assists in seating whennecessary. Men, women, and couples are encouraged to serve as ushers. For more information contact Cleo Cortright.

Voter’s Assembly: The voter’s assembly is made up of all FLC communicant members over the age of 18 that are gatheredtogether for a voter’s meeting to make decisions concerning the matters of the workings of the congregation. Please see yourcalendar for voter’s meeting dates.

Stewardship Newsletter ArticleApril 2015

“And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, saying, ‘These last worked onlyone hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and thescorching heat.’ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you notagree with me for a denarius? . . . I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you? Am Inot allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge mygenerosity?” (Matthew 20:11–15).

Entry into the Kingdom of heaven is by grace not by works. And this is the point of theparable. Those hired first received the same wage as those hired last. Those hired first, even

though they bore the heat of the day, received the same wage as those hired last. Entry into the kingdom comes bygrace, by the gracious call and invitation of the owner of the vineyard.

And we chafe against this. We, like those hired first, object to the master’s decision. We begrudge him because of hisgenerosity. We think that those who labored longer should receive a greater wage. And we protest that it’s not fair. Butthat is precisely the point. It’s not fair. It’s by grace. It’s given from God’s undeserved love and kindness, not by merit.So we should rejoice. For to ask for fairness, to ask to be treated by what deserve and have earned, is simply to ask forhell.

For God owes us nothing. For by grace you are saved, by his undeserved love and mercy. And even though it wasundeserved, that doesn’t mean it was cheap. It wasn’t cheap, but costly. It cost God the Father His own Son. It cost theSon, our Lord Jesus Christ, His very life. God’s grace is costly grace. It costs us nothing but the cost for God was great.For it was achieved by the shedding of the holy and precious blood and the innocent suffering and death of Jesus. Andit is by that shed blood that God, by grace, calls us to be His own. It is by that death that God, by grace, gives usentrance into His kingdom.

He doesn’t owe us. We’re not entitled to anything from God. He is not indebted to us. We are indebted to Him. Forwe have not lived as He mattered most. We have not loved Him with our whole heart, body, mind, and soul, with allthat we are and all that we have. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We justly deserve his temporal andeternal punishments. But unlike us, He doesn’t hold this debt over our heads. He has instead placed our debt upon thehead of His Son, and His Son has taken it willingly so that we would be forgiven and free.

For reasons all His own God has determined to love us. He has taken the punishment we deserve upon himself. He hasgiven gifts to those whom He knows would take it for granted. This is grace. He is kind, forgiving, and steadfast. Heis slow to anger and abounding in love. For the kingdom of heaven is entered by grace, by His giving not our earning.

He is allowed to do what He chooses with what belongs to Him. But it doesn’t work the same way with us. For whatbelongs to us? Nothing. We belong to Him, by water and His Name. He purchased and won us from sin, death, andthe devil by His holy, precious blood and His innocent suffering and death, so that we would be His own specialpossession. Thus, we have nothing of our own, it all belongs to Him. We are stewards of what He has given to us. Andso we give of ourselves, all that we are and all that we have, to those whom God has placed us to care for in ourvocations of members of a family, society, and the church.

And if He has done all this for us, how can we not do with everything that He gave us likewise?

Holy Week Schedule...

Maundy Thursday Worship ServiceThursday, April 2, 2015 - 7:00 p.m. First Lutheran Church

Good Friday Worship ServicesFriday, April 3, 2-15 - 1:00 & 7:00 p.m. First Lutheran Church

Resurrection Sunday WorshipSunday, April 5, 2015 - 7:00 & 10:00 a.m. First Lutheran ChurchEaster BreakfastSunday, April 5, 2015 - 8:30 a.m. First Lutheran ChurchChildren’s Holy Treasure HuntSunday, April 5, 2015 - 9:20 a.m. First Lutheran Church

*First Lutheran Church Offices will be closed on Good Friday.

` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `

Easter BreakfastSunday, April 5, 2015 - 8:30 a.m.

Everyone welcome

A sign-up sheet is located on the FLC welcome center.Please sign up if you plan on attending Easter Breakfast

so that we know how many to plan on.

You may also sign up to provide items for breakfast.

Questions? Please speak with Marj Huva.

Swap Day and Thoughts on STUFF by Kim LongdenI hope everyone is feeling accomplished with spring cleaning! There have already been loads of stuff

dropped off for Swap Day--we are looking forward to more stuff rolling in! (Don't worry if you haven't startedspring cleaning yet--you still have until April 15th to drop stuff off!)

If you're like me, cleaning and purging always draws out this question in my mind: "Where did all thisSTUFF come from?!" Stuff. We have a lot of it here in our blessed, abundant country. Our houses are full--sofull of STUFF!

It's only been in recent years that my eyes have been opened to the plight of many people in othercountries--to the reality that this land of stuff we live in is not the way it is in most of the world. I've wrestled with what to dowith this knowledge--I've been tempted to feel guilt and condemnation over having so much when people elsewhere have so little.However, Christ put me here in this place and he does not call me to walk my life in condemnation...so what does that mean?

I'm reminded of the parable of the talents, where the Master gives each servant a certain amount of money before he leavesfor a trip and then requires a full account of how they used that money when he returns from the trip (see Matthew 25:14-30).There is no apology over the fact that some servants were given more than others--the point is that they were supposed to usewhat they had been given to serve him.

It's clear when we look at our country compared with the rest of the world that we are servants to whom much has beengiven. God has not given us so much so that we can simply enjoy these comforts for ourselves, nor does He expect us to beparalyzed by a feeling of guilt over the fact that we have all of these comforts while others do not. God has given us so muchso that we can serve Him and glorify Him--and what an opportunity we have to serve Him in this land of freedom and plenty!

With this in mind, I hope you will consider joining us on Friday, April 17th for a time to rejoice in the abundance God hasgiven us as we celebrate the church-wide Swap Day. This year, by partnering with the high schooler's "30 Hour Famine", we aretaking things one step further--we are turning our gratitude into action. The high schoolers will be putting on a presentation withinformation on how we can get involved in ending world hunger. They have also been busy contacting local agencies to learnhow we can be helping those within our community and will be presenting those opportunities as well.

May we be a people who make serving God and others our way of life, not something we tack on to our forever long to-dolists. May we glorify God in all we do and with all we have been given!

Bible Study Groups at First Lutheran...First Lutheran offers a variety of adult Bible study groups including:

_ Sunday Morning Adult Bible Studies 9:45 a.m._ Men’s Monday Morning Bible Study - 7 a.m. Mondays at the

Eaton Place Restaurant, Charlotte._ The Family Project Small Group Study - Tuesdays, 6 p.m. at

First Lutheran._ Wednesday Evening Bible Study led by Pastor Olson - *resumes

on April 8._ Women’s Bible Study - 9:30 a.m. Thursdays at First Lutheran

Church - “Golden Fruit: Living the Fruit of the Spirit Throughthe Best Days of Your Life”

*Note: if you have an idea for a Bible study group or if you would like to lead a Bible study, please see Pastor Olsonor Director of Youth and Family Ministry, Daniel Longden.

We grieve with the family

of Eric Olsen at his passing - March 15, 2015Please continue to pray for comfort for the Olsen family

Elisabeth Guild News... Thursday, April 2 will be a busy day at First Lutheran! The Ladies Bible Study will take placeat 9:30 a.m. on this morning.

At 1:30 p.m. the FLC Elisabeth Guild will meet for a quick meeting before our guest speaker,Carrie Burch - Charlotte City Mayor, arrives. The men of First Lutheran are welcome to join us for our guest speakerat 2:00 p.m. Please come listen and ask questions to better learn what is happening in the Charlotte community.Refreshments for the meeting will be served by Shirley Lea.

The LWML Spring Rally will be held on Saturday, May 2, 8:30 a.m. at St. Matthew Lutheran Church - 2418 AureliusRd., Holt, MI. The speaker for the rally will be from K9 Comfort Dogs.

The May FLC Elisabeth Guild Meeting will be held on Thursday, May 7, 1:30 p.m. here at the church.

FLC Quilting Group...The First Lutheran Quilt Group will be meeting on the Wednesday, April 8 & 22, 9:00 a.m.Anyone who would like to help make quilts is welcome to come join the group - no sewing skillsnecessary and men can help too.

Donations of new or clean, good-condition used material, blankets, and flat sheets are alwaysneeded. You may drop donations off to the old preschool room in the church. Thank you toeveryone who has donated items in the past! If you have any questions, please see Karen Bursley.

Coffee Hour...Everyone is welcome to attend the First Lutheran Coffee Hour every Sunday at 9:45 a.m. Thisis a time to enjoy coffee, juice, etc. and some goodies while visiting with other members ofyour church family. Volunteers are needed every Sunday to provide and serve refreshments.These refreshments can be store-bought or homemade and may include items such asdoughnuts, coffee cake, cookies, fruit, bagels and cream cheese, veggie pizza, etc. Volunteersproviding goodies will also be in charge of making coffee on their day and setting up the cups,plates, etc. The coffee, juice, plates, napkins, etc. are provided by the church. Thank you.

Altar FlowersPlease consider signing up for flowers to decorate the Sunday altar. A sign-up sheet is locatedon the bulletin board. Cost per bouquet is $12. Please make checks payable to FLC ElisabethGuild and place in Shirley Lea’s mailbox. Please state the reason for your flowers, such asanniversary, birthday, in memory of a loved one, etc. If you do not state a reason for yourflowers, we will assume you are grateful and publish that in the bulletin. (

Just a Friendly Reminder...The deadline for newsletter articles and information is the 15 day of the month th

prior to the month in which your article is to appear.The deadline for Sunday bulletin and Sunday announcements information is

Thursday mornings at 8:30 a.m. unless otherwise advertised.PLEASE be sure to meet these deadlines to help prevent the office manager from having

to re-do work she has already done, and so she doesn’t have to start over again. Thank you! È

Volunteers are Needed to Make Easter Baskets for Shut-ins...First Lutheran is in need of volunteers to dye Easter eggs and put together Easter baskets for ourshut-ins, as well as residents of a couple of local nursing and adult foster care homes, on Saturday,April 4, 9:00 a.m. For questions, please speak with Tammy Mullins or Candy Wood. If you wantto help, please sign up on the bulletin board.

Donations of individually wrapped candy (including sugar-free candy) are needed for thebaskets. A donation box for candy is located in the old kitchen. We will also need donations offresh eggs and fresh fruit the week of April 1 - 4. Thank you.

Use of Church Building or Tables and Chairs...Use of building - First Lutheran may be used by members for private events such as baby or weddingshowers, anniversary parties, birthday parties, etc. The cost for members is a $150 deposit. Use is limitedto the kitchen, fellowship hall, and old preschool room. Please sign-up through the church office bycontacting the office manager (517) 543-4360.

Use of tables and chairs - tables and chairs located in the church garage are available for use by membersof First Lutheran and must be reserved through the church office. Tables and chairs from inside the churchbuilding are NOT for use off-site, only tables and chairs from the garage are available for use off-site.

Please do not take tables or chairs without reserving them through the church office as someone may have alreadysigned up to use them and is counting on them to be there, and also so we know who has them if they are not returned.Please return tables and chairs promptly after your event. Thank you.

Please Note: our church custodian will no longer be working on weekends. Anyone using the building, especiallyanytime after Friday morning, will be responsible for cleaning up after themselves. This includes both private eventsand church group events. A list of cleaning responsibilities is located in the church kitchen and in the fellowship hallfor your convenience. Thank you for your help.

Youth Group 30 Hour Famine!Friday, April 17, 7:00 p.m. - Saturday, April 18

Adult volunteers to help out are needed (especially female chaperones).If you can help, or for questions, please speak with Director of Youth

and Family Ministry, Daniel Longden (517) 543-4360 ext. 229.Thank you!

FLC now has a multi-passenger van that can pick up and drop off individuals for church and other events.

If you need a ride, please contact the church office at (517) 543-4360 ext. 221 to schedule a ride (Monday - Friday).

If you are unable to reach the office manager in person, please contact Matt Firman at 543-2691.

New! Thrivent Member Network... Thrivent Financial proudly presents the ThriventMember Network. It was created based on memberinput, in order to appeal to and engage more people ina way that is meaningful to them as member-owners ofThrivent and in a way that supports the mission ofThrivent to help more people be wise with money, livegenerously so that more families and communitiesthrive.

We listened to our members who said the chaptersystem is too complex, and we are responding byreducing the administrative burden placed on so manymembers. This means chapters in your region willclose on June 30, 2015. Beginning on July 1, memberswill be part of the Thrivent Member Network where aregional board of three to ten members will providegovernance, accountability, and strategic insight andmonitoring of operations and initiatives to helpThrivent leaders achieve its mission in the region.We’ve transitioned members in other regions from thechapter system to the Thrivent Member Network andthe response from members has been overwhelminglypositive.

We’ve also made it easier for you to make a differencein your community through a new volunteer programcalled Thrivent Action Teams. All members canvolunteer to lead a one-time project team to support acause they care about through a fundraiser, serviceactivity, or educational event. As a member ofThrivent, you will continue to have the opportunity toparticipate in the Thrivent Builds with Habitat forHumanity, direct Thrivent Choice dollars, and attendfinancial workshops and other events within the region.To learn more about these programs and all thebenefits of membership, visit Thrivent.com.

First Lutheran is seeking a Bell Choir Director. If you or someone you know of are qualified and may be interested in this position,

please see Bob Schlueter.

LFL “Life” Leadership Summit: April 18, 9:30am - 2:30pm, St. Paul Lutheran,Fowler, MI. Anyone who desires to be a voice for LIFE is encouraged to come discuss

goals and activities of Lutherans For Life of MI, and ideas to help educate congregationalmembers to be Gospel motivated voices for LIFE. Please RSVP to lflmi@comcast.net or

call 517-949-9261 before April 10.

Another Great Old Hymn“There is Power in the Blood”

Would you be free from the burden of sin?There’s pow’r in the blood, pow’r in the blood;Would you o’er evil a victory win?There’s wonderful pow’r in the blood.

Would you be free from your passion and pride?There’s pow’r in the blood, pow’r in the blood;Come for a cleansing to Calvary’s tide;There’s wonderful pow’r in the blood.

Would you be whiter, much whiter than snow?There’s pow’r in the blood, pow’r in the blood;Sin-stains are lost in its life-giving flow;There’s wonderful pow’r in the blood.

Would you do service for Jesus your King?There’s pow’r in the blood, pow’r in the blood;Would you live daily His praises to sing?There’s wonderful pow’r in the blood.

Chorus - There is pow’r, pow’rWonder-working pow’rIn the blood of the Lamb;There is pow’r, pow’r,Wonder-working pow’rIn the precious blood of the Lamb.

Amen.

~ L.E. Jonessubmitted by Norene Fell

Volunteers Needed to help with the Charlotte Community DinnerWednesday, April 8, 2015

at the Fraternal Order of Eagles Hall, CharlotteThe Charlotte Community Dinner provides a hot meal free of charge every Wednesday for the needy in our community as well as anyone else who would like to attend

First Lutheran will be providing, cooking, and serving the meal on April 8.Cooks to help prepare the meal ahead of time are needed (please contact Marj Huva with questions).Volunteers to serve the meal and clean up are needed at 4:00 p.m. at the Eagle’s building.A sign up sheet for those who would like to help is located on the bulletin board.Thank you.

You Can Help the Needy in Our Community!There are a variety of ways you can help the needy in our community and in our congregation...

The Good Samaritan Fund - this fund helps members of First Lutheran Church who find themselves in need of financial aid.For an application and explanation of requirements, please see the church office manager. All requests for help will go beforea small committee for approval. All requests for help will be kept confidential. To donate to this fund, please mark “GoodSamaritan Fund” on your envelope and the dollar amount you wish to contribute.

The Esther Fund - this fund is used by First Lutheran to help provide housing for the homeless in our community. Help fromthe Esther Fund is limited to two nights emergency lodging in a local hotel or $50 towards rent or rent deposit to keep familiesin housing or to keep them from becoming homeless. All recipients of help from the Esther Fund must be working with eitherDHS, SIREN Shelter, Charlotte Housing Services, or CACS to resolve their homeless situation and be residents of Eaton County.To donate to this fund, please mark your envelope “Esther Fund” and the dollar amount you wish to contribute.

Helping Hands of Charlotte, MI - located at 600 S. Cochran Avenue, Charlotte, Helping Hands Food Pantry helps the needyin our community with emergency food and supplies. First Lutheran collects food and supplies for Helping Hands on an on-goingbasis. Food donations should be of a non-perishable nature and must be in-date and unopened. The most sought food itemsinclude: pasta, pasta sauce, peanut butter, jelly, canned soup, canned meat, canned fruits and vegetables, rice, cereal, and anyother dry or canned items that would be suitable for feeding a family. Donations of in-date baby food and formula, diapers,hygiene products (soap, shampoo, feminine products, etc.), bathroom tissue, cleaning supplies, and over-the-counter painmedication etc. are also very much appreciated. You may drop off donations to the Helping Hands tote located in the FirstLutheran Church lobby or coat room, OR you may drop donations off to helping hands directly. Helping Hands also acceptsmonetary donations and can turn each dollar donated into three dollars worth of food. Please mail donations directly to HelpingHands at 600 S. Cochran Ave., Charlotte, MI 48813.

SIREN/Eaton Shelter - SIREN, our only local shelter, primarily helps homeless families with children, and victims of domesticviolence, by providing them with temporary housing. There is a waiting list for SIREN Shelter. Families waiting for housingthrough SIREN depend on help from local churches and agencies to house them in a local hotel until a space is available forthem. SIREN Shelter has an on-going need for financial assistance as well as donations of non-perishable food items, blankets(can be used but must be clean and in good condition), pillows (must be new), infant supplies (diapers, formula, baby food),cleaning supplies, toiletries, paper products, etc. SIREN Shelter is located at 520 Robinson St., Charlotte, MI. You may dropdonations off directly to the shelter at that location, or you may mail financial contributions to that address.

A New Beginning Pregnancy Center - this Christian center located in Charlotte encourages women to seek an alternative toabortion by providing them with counseling and help. Donations of new-born sized diapers, sleepers, and Onezies are neededas well as in-date baby formula. A donation box for these items is located in the First Lutheran lobby or coat room.

Crosswalk Teen Center - Crosswalk Teen Center is an after-school program in downtown Charlotte that allows teens toparticipate in activities that focus on educational, everyday life, community connections, and expressive art to support andencourage teens between school and home. First Lutheran has helped support the center and you may help support them as well.To make a donation please go to http://www.crosswalkteencenter.org/ or to their Facebook page athttps://www.facebook.com/CrosswalkTeenCenter .

Misaligned Assignment by Daniel LongdenHow did we get here? Have we always been here, but could it be that I’ve been too blind to see it? Am I the only one who seesthis as more than a religiously moral issue?

What I’m talking about is Transgender Identity. Maybe you are unfamiliar with this identification – if so, this article may bea great discovery into the world we live or it will make you cynical to those around you. Either way, one can’t be indifferentto the growing acceptance to this identity. So what is transgender anyway? Simply put, transgender is “the state of one’s genderidentity or gender expression not matching one’s assigned sex.” If you are unaware of today’s trend, transgender identity hasbeen pervasive in the United States for the last 50 years. This is not something, like many trends, that I believe will go away anytime soon, or ever. So how do Christians respond to this newly embraced lifestyle? Before I give my thoughts on the matter,let me paint the current cultural norms as they are developing.

One can’t help but notice Bruce Jenner these days. His frequent appearances in the tabloids have been preeminent. Jenner ismost notably known for winning the Olympic Decathlon Gold Medal in 1976 in Montreal. Since then, Jenner has been seen ontelevision, auto-racing circuits, owning an aviation supplier and an aerobic center. Jenner has had 3 wives (his 3rd divorce toKris Kardashian was finalized on March 23, 2015), 6 biological children, not to mention being a stepfather to Kourtney, Kim,Khloé and Rob Kardashian. The point of all this detail is that it is readily available to anyone looking at what a transgenderlifestyle could look like. Now I don’t know Bruce Jenner and am not an authority to judge his faith, so I can not say where hestands with Christ. I can say however that we are all accountable to God for our actions. “You then, why do you judge yourbrother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. It is written; ‘As surelyas I live,’ says the LORD, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.’ So then, each of us will give anaccount of himself to God.” (Romans 14:10-12 NIV)

What are we to make of the popularity and acceptance of transgender identity? Bruce Jenner is NOT an isolated incident. Ifyou’ve been on Amazon lately, you more than likely saw their TV Show, Transparent (now in its second season). In its firstseason, this show won a Golden Globe Award for Best Televison Series (Musical or Comedy). In fact, Jeffery Tambor won theGolden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Series (Musical or Comedy) for his portrayal (of a retired college professorwho identifies as a woman). Have you heard of RuPaul, Laverne Cox or Tiq Milan? Each of these individuals are heralded inthe media as brave and noble pioneers for their public transgender identity. As colleges and gyms change their bathroom andlocker room policies to reflect this lifestyle, we are left scratching our heads. So back to the original question; How did we gethere?

I believe this all stems from a thing called original sin. Let me be clear here, I am not saying that one sin is greater than another,nor am I attempting to highlight one sin while discarding other sins as insignificant. All sin is deserving of death (Romans 6:23),conversely, all sin has been defeated by the work and person of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:25-26). I, just like any otherhuman being to walk the earth stand condemned under the Law of God (Galatians 3:10-11). God help us.

Back to my point. If Adam and Eve desired only what God had given them, which was everything good from His hand and notgiven into temptation of what was forbidden, would today’s desires of the world be any different? Just like Adam and Eve hadthe choice to willingly disobey God, we too have the choice to live outside of His good and perfect will for our lives. The Biblesays, “Take delight in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). I think the disconnect with eachof us comes when we skip the “take delight in the LORD” and go automatically onto the “desires of your heart”. Most peoplebelieve that the emotions that come from the heart are good and pleasing, but if those desires omit taking delight in the LORD,they will lead to sin. Scripture makes this clear when Jesus says, “It is what comes from inside that defiles you. For from within,out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires,envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you” (Mark 7:20-23)

My sin falls under Jesus’ list of heart issues as does every other human being, young and old alike. Where do we go from here?We go to the cross of Christ, we run to His mercies for our daily lives, we embrace our Savior and not our carnal heart’s desires.In a post-Christian America, We (Jesus following disciples) are faced with a challenge to either affirm our faith in Jesus Christor to play the sacred/secular game as we embrace the folly of our Godless hearts and become part of the growing secularnationalism we see reshaping our nation. May we learn from the fall of the Roman Empire as well as those people living on thecontinent of Africa today. May we guard our hearts from its godless desires. May we take delight in the things He has orderedfor our daily living and may we find our new identity in Jesus Christ, as fully redeemed, fully saved, and fully loved by the Godof the universe.

“I am a church member BUT…” (Part I) by Rev. Timothy Olson

“For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:12).

I have been reading a book entitled “I Am A Church Member” by Thom S. Rainer. It has helped me to understand whywe are a church and why we are church members. It is not that I did not know this before I read this book, but Thom Rainerhas allowed me to see church membership in a whole new light. Recently, I gave a copy of this book to each of our elders. Ibelieve it is a good reminder to all of us as to why we are part of the Christian church.

Rainer states: “Based on our research of 557 churches from 2004 to 2010, nine out of ten churches in America aredeclining or growing at a pace that is slower than that of their communities. Simply stated, churches are losing ground intheir own backyards. Another way of looking at it is generationally. About two-thirds of the Builder generation, those bornbefore 1946, are Christians. The Millennials are the largest generation in America’s history with almost eighty millionmembers. They were born between 1980 and 2000. And we have all but lost that generation. We can blame it on the secularculture. And we often do. We can blame it on the godless politics of our nation. We do that as well. We can even blame it onthe churches, the hypocritical members, and the uncaring pastors. Lots of Christians are doing that. But I am proposing thatwe who are the church members need to look in the mirror. I am suggesting that congregations across America are weakbecause many of us church members have lost the Biblical understanding of what it means to be a part of the body of Christ.We join our churches expecting others to serve us, to feed us, and to care for us. We don’t like the hypocrites in the church,but we fail to see our own hypocrisies” (Pages 4-5).

This is tough stuff. I don’t know if I like it, but I believe there is some real truth to it. You see, we are church members,“BUT” we have all kinds of reasons for not really fulfilling what that means. Rainer goes on in his little book and explainsthe commitments that one makes to the body of Christ when they join a Christian church or take on church membership. Ioften have thought of church membership in this way in our secular world: “I am a church member “but”, (you fill in theblank). There are all sorts of things in this life that can become more important than our relationship with the body of Christ.You name it and people are doing it right now in place of being fully committed to their brothers and sisters in the body ofChrist. But why?

It is the world in which we live and the low standards that we have set for ourselves as the body of Christ. Thestandards of who really cares. I can miss church on a regular basis and it doesn’t matter. Well, I suppose you would beright if you were talking about Kiwanis, Rotary or some other civic club, but we are talking about the body of Christ.This is eternal business of which a spiritual battle is being waged against us for our very eternal lives. “For we do not wrestleagainst flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness,against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). How are you going to do battle with the spiritualforces of evil if you cannot even make a commitment to the body of believers that you see before you? If your faith is notbeing nourished on a regular basis in the Divine Worship service, where you meet together with fellow brothers and sisterswho struggle and rejoice in the same ways that you do or have, how will you be able to overcome the tempter and the evilthat will assault you on a daily basis? As it says in Hebrews 10:24-25, “And let us consider how to stir up one another tolove and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all themore as you see the Day drawing near.”

The body of Christ is a gift to us. St. Paul makes it clear that each member of the body of Christ is needed. Wecannot do it without you. We are one in Christ and yet very different in our various roles and gifts. “But as it is, Godarranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the bodybe? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body…If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member ishonored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it” (1 Corinthians 12:18-20,26-27).

In chapter 13 of 1 Corinthians, Paul explains that all of this is because of love. Without God’s love we cannot doanything. It is the love of God in Christ Jesus that makes us whole. “Love never ends” (vs. 8a). We cannot be the body ofChrist without Christ being the bridegroom and dying for the church (us). “…as Christ loved the church and gave himselfup for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he mightpresent the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy andwithout blemish” (Ephesians 5:25-27). The chapter after this (Ephesians 6:10-20) speaks about spiritual warfare. We needeach other in the body of Christ.

You are a church member but even more you are a member of the body of Christ. The next time you think that youare a church member, “but” you have something else more important, think about the spiritual implications of what you aredoing. In Christ, may we set our priorities for the body of Christ ahead of our self-centered plans.

Next month in part II, I will talk about what a greater commitment means to the body of Christ.