Newsletter T i t le Volume 6, I ssue 3 Living Lives for Christ

All Ladies

Welcome!!

Meeting ~ March 16

Monday @ 1:00 pm

(Fellowship Room)

Program: A Chat with the Elders

Mite Box and Devotion: Irene Puccio

Hostess: Edna Ohlund

New DVD-based class beginning Sunday, March 22

THE CASE FOR A CREATOR

In recent years, a diverse and impressive body of research has increasingly supported the

conclusion that the universe was intelligently designed. At the same time, Darwinism has

faltered in the face of concrete facts and hard reason. Has science discovered God? At

the very least, it's giving faith an immense boost as new findings emerge about the

incredible complexity of our universe.

Join Lee Strobel as he reexamines the theories that once led him away from God.

Through his compelling account, you'll encounter the mind-stretching discoveries from

cosmology, cellular biology, DNA research, astronomy, physics, and human

consciousness that present astonishing evidence in The Case for a Creator.

Meeting at 9:30 AM in the Fellowship Room — led by Joanna Parks.

SENIOR ADULTS

Friday, March 27th

We’re riding the Light Rail ~ Lunch @ Sky Harbor!

Meet at church @ 10:00 AM

[We will carpool to the station.]

Questions? Contact Jane Ott @ 480.641.9344

Watch for the sign-up sheet at the Info Center!

I would like to say a special “thank you” to the Team of “Love Our City”. Terri Ewert, Lindsey Ivey, Bonnie Temme, and Pastor Luke. These folks worked really hard to come up with some great

venues this year that we will be able to connect with, serve faithfully, and, hopefully, create long-lasting relationships.

Thank you to the congregation. Thank you to everyone that has signed up. After two weeks, we have 138 people signed up and still opportunity for many

more. We do this for so many reasons, but praising God, developing friendships, and serving our community to make an

impact are just a few. So thank you all for working as a community and making Love Our City a huge success for the

second year in a row.

~ Kathleen Hoffmann


Our I-Help (Interfaith Homeless Emergency

Lodging Program) volunteer teams have kicked the

year off to a great start! March is a unique month with

an extra Sunday – we will host the I-Help ladies on

both the 4th and 5th Sundays. We are looking forward

to the opportunity to connect with these women two

weeks in a row!

We are still in need of a few people who may be willing

to serve on the laundry team. These individuals help

out by washing a load or two of linens once a month,

which are picked up from the church office after

St. Luke hosts I-Help. Please contact Terri Ewert

(308-249-1911) or Lindsey Ivey (505-264-6830) if you

can help.

MIDWEEK LENTEN SERVICES

10 am & 7 pm

Wednesdays

March 4, 11, 18, 25

(Supper served at 6 pm)

Holy Week

You can help decorate the Worship

Center with lilies and/or spring

flowers on Easter Morning. The cost

for the flowers is $10. Watch for the

sign-up sheet in March.

House of Living Stones by Katie Schuermann is a novel about members of Zion Lutheran Church in a

small town in Illinois. Though it is fiction, it includes much truth about living as a body of believers,

and touches on ordinary events of life, misconceptions, and forgiveness. It will make you smile, and

sometimes laugh out loud. It was advertised in the November 2014 issue of Lutheran Witness and is

available at CPH. A follow-up book is entitled The Choir Immortal. The series seems to resemble the

Mitford books by Jan Karon. From Kathy Paulson

Words on Worship

“Free Presents” ~ Kip Fox ~

I’d like to start my monthly, “Words on Worship”

articles by asking you a series of odd questions.

Ready? Here we go. Does God need our praise?

Does He need to be reminded of our feelings for

Him? What about us…does our church attendance

record count for something? Does it determine our

salvation? The answer to all of the above is no. This

leaves us with a follow-up question - why worship?

The short answer is that worship is a gift from God.

Worship is not meant to be a burden or just another

task. When we gather together for worship, we are

gathering, first and foremost, to receive God’s gifts of

His Word and Sacraments. Our songs and prayers are

a response to those gifts. Next time you come to

church, think of it as coming to receive free presents!

Palm Sunday ~ “Hosanna Save Us”

Worship w/communion

Saturday, March 28th - 5:00 PM

Sunday, March 29th 8:00 & 10:30

April 2th - Maundy Thursday

Worship w/communion 10 AM /7 PM

The Rite of First Communion

April 3th - Good Friday

Worship - 10 AM/7 PM

Easter Sunday ~ April 5th

Sunrise Worship (outdoors) - 6:15 AM

Festive Worship w/Communion

Worship Center - 8:00 & 10:30 AM

Breakfast

Serving after Sunrise & 8 AM Service

Easter Egg Hunt ~ 9:30 AM

Families w/children up to 4th grade

are invited to join us!!


Don’t forget to direct Choice Dollars®

Have you directed all of your 2014 designated Thrivent Choice Dollars®?

Eligible benefit members of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans have

until March 31, 2015, to direct any remaining 2014 Choice Dollars. After

that date, the unused Choice Dollars expire.

Choice Dollars are part of Thrivent Choice®. Through this Thrivent

Financial charitable grant program, members can recommend where

Thrivent Financial distributes part of its charitable grant funds each year.

Choice Dollars can be directed among thousands of 501(c)(3) nonprofit

organizations, including St. Luke's Lutheran church.

Act soon, before 2014 Choice Dollars expire!

Help support what matters most to you by directing Choice Dollars. Visit

Thrivent.com/thriventchoice today.

Or contact:

Jeff Rodemeyer, CLTC®, FIC, Financial Representative, or

Jeff Kolzow, RICP®, LUTCF, FICF, FIC, Financial Consultant,

at 480-396-5333, (480-396-JEFF)

Directing Choice Dollars is subject to the terms and conditions of the Thrivent Choice

program. Visit Thrivent.com/thriventchoice for complete terms and conditions.

Appleton, Wisconsin ● Minneapolis, Minnesota ● Thrivent.com ● 800-847-4836

Senior Luncheon Thanks to all the seniors who attended the

luncheon on January 23. It was a great time of

fellowship and food. As promised, here is the

recipe for the carrots and contact info for the

seasoning.

PORK SEASONING

www.martincountypork.com

Martin County Pork Producers

Box 628

Fairmont, MN 56031

507-236-2670

CARMELIZED CARROTS

1 lb carrots

1 medium onion

1 cup chicken broth

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp (heaping) curry powder

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

Garlic/salt/pepper

Peel and dice the carrots, turning them into

medium-size matchsticks. Coarsely chop onion

and grate garlic glove.

Heat butter and oil to sizzling. Add onions, stir,

then add garlic. Add cumin, curry, thyme, and

carrots. Stir until coated. Add chicken broth.

Season with salt and pepper.

Bring everything to boil over medium to high heat

uncovered until broth has vaporized.

When liquid is gone, the carrots and onions will

caramelize. Stay close and flip to prevent burning.

Make Donations Easier with Electronic Giving through “Simply Giving”

St. Luke has an electronic option for making regular offerings. Contributions may be

debited automatically from your checking or savings account. Our electronic giving program

offers convenience for you and provides much-needed donation consistency for our congregation. You may set up donations

for weekly or monthly withdrawals and you will no longer need to write out checks. And, when travel, illness, or other

circumstances prevent you from attending services, this program will allow your offerings to continue on an uninterrupted

basis. An authorization form is available at the Info Center. You may turn in this completed form to the Information Center,

the church office, Bonnie Puckett - St. Luke Treasurer, or Kathy Paulson - Business Director.

Shepherd’s Canyon Retreat Ministry is urgently in need of

construction volunteers in March and/or April at their Standing

Stones Retreat Center near Wickenburg. Volunteers need to have

their own RVs; we have hookups. If you can help us for a week

or more, please call Rex Dawson ASAP! (928.685.5211)

http://www.martincountypork.com


Council Minutes Highlights - February 14, 2015

The council discussed pages 131-149

from the book Deep and Wide by Andy

Stanley. Discussion was primarily about

t h e co n cep t o f P ro v i d en t i a l

Relationships, which tied in nicely with

the previously selected St. Luke’s focus

area of intentional relationship building

in our church ministries.

Pastor’s Report–

Young Family Ministry Position

Update – two current applications

and possibilities for more. Hire

team will be reviewing applications

and will be meeting Feb. 18 before

setting up interviews.

Young Family Ministry Position –

Motion was made by Bruce and

seconded by Rick that starting

February 1, 2015, the church

compensate Kathleen Hoffmann

while she fills in as Young Family

Minister.

Pastor reviewed policy 1.1.1 about

the reason for our existence as a

church – “To help non-Christians

become fully engaged believer-

disciples of Jesus.”

Reminder - Bes t Pr ac t i ce

Conference is February 26-28 at

Christ Lutheran in Phoenix. No

cost to attend and encourage

council members to attend as

much of the conference as

possible.

Elders- 22 guests visited and 16 prayer

cards will be contacted. Two elders

volunteered to help with the new

confirmation final exam on April 26th.

Directors Report-

The UBS investment representative

will be meeting with the director and

the financial team.

O t h e r - M i k e I v e y p r e s e n t e d

information about The Scrip Gift Card

Program-Pastor will discuss the

information with staff about possible

implementation.

Month at 1/31/2015 YTD at 1/31/2015 2015 Annual

General Fund: Actual Budget Actual Budget Budget

General Fund Ordinary Income 47,855 48,533 47,855 48,533 680,044

General Fund Ordinary Expense (46,794) (47,650) (46,794) (47,650) (576,017)

Net Ordinary Income 1,061 883 1,061 883 104,027

LCEF Mortgage Principal Paid (8,775) (8,500) (8,775) (8,500) (104,000)

Net Income (Loss) (7,714) (7,617) (7,714) (7,617) 27

St Luke Lutheran Summary of 2015 Actual & Budget Totals - Month, YTD & Annual

Calling all those that would like to serve the Lord by

serving others. Become a Befriender.

What is a “Befriender” you may ask? A Befriender is a “Listening Presence” in Care

Ministry, a volunteer lay person who helps people in difficult situations through

listening. They embody the caring presence of God and our church community and

serve as a living reminder of God’s love. They are trained to provide a listening

presence to others, not to be experts in whatever situation they might encounter.

The core concepts are skills learned which enable a Befriender to enter into any

situation and provide compassionate, empathetic care. They are individuals that accept people as they are without telling

them how they should be, listen with compassion without giving advice, and allow others to make their own decisions

without trying to decide for them. A Befriender is someone that provides spiritual and emotional care, even if it is just

holding that person’s hand. Befriender classes will begin on Sunday, March 15th at 9:30 AM (during the Bible Study

hour). Please contact Kathleen Hoffmann and/or Dorothy Johnson if you are interested in attending. For more

information, please pick up a brochure from the Information Center.

3/12 Christopher Temme

3/13 Danlyn Skalsky

3/15 James Allen

Ken Strouf

3/16 Erica Heller

Jayden Smith

3/18 Jeff Kolzow

3/19 Kristie Weibley

3/20 Dieter Foerstner

Walt Hayes

3/23 Brinja Rohr

Warren Schwengels

3/24 Verdine Bergling

Linda Scharf

3/1 Brian Kolden

Judy Leech

Veronica Montalvo

Dan Schlag

3/2 Jim Clark

3/3 Melinda Halsey

3/4 Steve Cramer

3/5 Triston Sulley

3/6 Miley Perez

3/7 Hannah Buckwalter

3/9 Mary Smith

3/10 Ryan Brooks

Harlan Weeden

3/11 Danielle Yackle

3/24 Arnette Weeden

3/25 Herb Boyd

Gavin Foerstner

Arielle Neterval

Don Schesso

Walt Temme

3/28 Richard Glock

3/27 Kurt Hartung

3/29 Allison Kolsrud

Dane Lunginbill

3/31 Ruth Glock

Kevin Kelsey

Valerie Strouf

Aaron Tellez

Happy Birthday!!


Learning Foundation students will be on Spring Break March 16th-20th, 2015.

The last day of school for the students will be May 29th, 2015.

3/12/65 Dennis & Judy Ray

3/16/01 Ken & Valerie Strouf

3/16/74 Richard & Joyce Wood

3/18/72 Herb & Ella Loy Boyd

3/18/67 Jim & Pat Clark

3/20/04 Kevin & Paula Kelsey

3/21/70 Chuck & Kathy Paulson

3/24/62 Donald & Sandra Korte

3/28/59 John & Carol Edwards

3/30/02 David & Deb Minton

WOMEN’S MINISTRY NEWS

Joyfully Connect, Support, and Serve Through Christ

Women’s Ministry Calendar ~ 2015

Saturday/Sunday, March 7th/8th -- The Women’s Ministry supports the Love Our City

weekend and encourages you to sign up for at least one activity.

Saturday, March 14th -- Join us as we spend a morning at the Desert Botanical Gardens. We will meet at Church at 7:15 AM

so we can get to the DBG at 8:00 AM and beat the heat. We are working on a group rate, so sign up at the Information Center as

soon as you can. If you haven’t made it to the Gardens, here’s your chance. Dress comfortably and wear a hat and sunscreen.

Friday, April 17th -- Join us in the Fellowship Room for a Pizza and Movie night. We’ll start at 6:00 PM. Bring your own drink

and we will provide the pizza and popcorn. We haven’t yet chosen the movie, so give us your suggestions.

Friday, May 15th -- It’s our famous Bunco Night. We’re trying something a little different this time. We will have a Pot Luck at

6:00 PM with the games starting at 7:00 PM. Come prepared to laugh a lot and win a little. Lots of fun competition and great prizes.

We are not planning any activities for June and July, but be prepared to gather in August to plan September through December. All women of the congregation are welcome to join us for one or all activities. Let us know what activities you would like to do.

Women’s Ministry Contact: Karen Jacques - [email protected] or 480.857.1749

mailto:[email protected]


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St Luke Lutheran Church

807 N Stapley Drive

Mesa, AZ 85203

NON-PROFIT

U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

MESA. ARIZONA

PERMIT NO. 21

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

SENT WITH BLESSINGS TO...

stlukemesa.com Living Lives for Christ

807 N. Stapley Drive

Mesa, AZ 85203

Phone: 480-969-4414

Fax: 480-969-4801

Email: [email protected]

St. Luke Lutheran Church

See Our Web Site

The Lord is my light and my salvation – so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? Teach me how to live, O Lord. Lead me along the right path, for my enemies are waiting for me. Psalm 27:1, 11

You should each have confidence that the Lord is with you every single day. He watches over your steps and protects you from danger. You are at such a critical point in your life; a variety of enemies are everywhere trying to lead you away from God. As we enter this Easter season, I pray you feel the rebirth and renewal of your faith, and the excitement of the resurrection of our Savior! I also hope that you feel comfort and strength to stand up for your love of Jesus and that you bask in the presence of God every day. Another great way to combat the distractions pulling you from God is to fellowship with other St. Luke Youth members. We have events almost every Sunday for high school students, and 5th-8th graders get to join in on certain Sundays. Make sure you are “friends” with Luke Youth-Group on Facebook to stay up to date with activities. I look forward to seeing you at our events. Also, if you ever need to get in touch with me for any reason, please don’t hesitate to give me a call or text (928.241.8038) or email ([email protected]).

March 15 – No Plugged In.

March 22 – All Youth (5th-12th) – Game time in the Youth

Room!

March 29 – All Youth (5th-12th) – It’s 5th Sunday Serve time! We

are doing church-based service, so bring your workin’

clothes! We will also finalize Easter breakfast plans.

March 1 – High School – Let’s take a trip back to the medieval

times! It’s the Renaissance Festival! We’ll leave at 10:30,

so please attend the 8:00 church service! We’ll return to

church around 6:30. This will be a long, FUN day!

March 8 – Love Our City weekend! Make sure you’re signed up to

serve!

March Plugged In Calendar

**Most events begin at 11:45 with lunch**

mailto:[email protected]

A WORD FROM PASTOR - Clover Sites

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