As We Gather for Holy Week: Our theme for mid-week Lenten services this year has been “Let My People Go!” based on the book of Exodus. The culmination of the sermon series comes during Holy Week, which begins with Palm Sunday March 24. We will have special worship services at 7 p.m. Maundy Thursday; 7 p.m. Good Friday; and, of course, we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord at 9 a.m. Easter Sunday. The messages and their texts are:
March 24 (Palm Sunday) “A New Beginning” Exodus 34:1-8
March 28 (Maundy Thursday) “Access!” Exodus 24:1–11
March 29 (Good Friday) “Agnus Dei” Exodus 12:1–13
March 31 (Easter Sunday) “Against all Odds!” Exodus 15:1–18
Please, let nothing keep you from gathering with your brothers and sisters in Christ at Concordia to observe this most solemn, yet most joyful, time of the Church year.
Stewardship Standard: Zechariah 9:9 says, “Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” No king ever rode to war like this. But no king had ever come to wage battle by dying. In his Passion, our Lord Jesus gives everything he has and is. He does this to bring us from death to life, to make us his people, and show us an example of self-giving love that we should follow.
Small-group update: “Concordia Sings” will gather to rehearse at 6 p.m. Monday, March 25, and at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 28, in preparation to sing at the Maundy Thursday worship service. Also, there will be no small-group Bible class on Wednesday, March 27. Both the morning (9 a.m.) and evening (7 p.m.) groups will resume on April 3.
Now is the time to direct your Thrivent CHOICE dollars! Thrivent members, please direct your CHOICE dollars by Sunday, March 31, in order to capture any remaining 2023 dollars. Where to direct them? How about Concordia and our Hall renovation project? As of this week, we have raised $51,718 toward our $55,000 goal. We are so close! Let our treasurer, Derek Miesner, know if you’d like to direct your CHOICE dollars towards the Hall renovation, and he will make sure that happens.
I want to remind you as to the “why” of this project. Two of our congregation’s core values are Christian education and sustainability. For CHRISTIAN EDUCATION, we said, “We are called by God to train our adults, young adults, and children to know and love God.” For SUSTAINABILITY, we said, “We continue to honor our heritage by stewarding our time, talent and treasures for future generations.”
The vision for a renovated Hall is that it would serve as a permanent gathering place for our youth (Lutheran Youth Fellowship); a gathering place for our small groups, for Bible study and fellowship; a place for lectures and small receptions; a place to hold funeral lunches, etc. In other words, a place that could serve all generations at Concordia! This renovation project was begun years ago but was never finished. Let’s finish it now. Let’s get the job done, Concordia! If you haven’t yet contributed to the cause, I encourage you to get out your checkbook today and make a gift. And if you have questions about directing your CHOICE dollars, contact your Thrivent representative, Carol Duggan, at 573-824-6060.
Time to SHINE! This year, for our participation in the LCMS—Missouri District SHINE event, our congregation will be picking up garbage along the roadway from the crossroads all the way into Frohna, and possibly doing some home clean-up projects in the community. SHINE 2024 will begin at 11 a.m., Sunday, April 14. Lunch will be provided, along with a SHINE T-shirt. Plan to participate, as we share Jesus’ love by serving our community.
Continue to pray for the vacant congregations in the Altenburg Circuit: Trinity, Altenburg; Trinity, Friedheim; and Immanuel, New Wells. Also keep our need for a 5-6th grade teacher at UCLS in your prayers.
Order in the order—why we do what we do in Lutheran worship: In the PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, all of life is presented to God; our thanks and praise; the specific needs of the Church and its leaders; the governments and nations of the world; the poor and needy; the sick; and those who cannot defend themselves. This prayer lays before God the needs of all people everywhere.
Our Concordia Endowments—Saxony High School Scholastic Fund: This fund is to assist congregation members with tuition at Saxony Lutheran High School. Funding is from gifts and offerings from individuals earmarked for this fund. If you’d like to make a contribution, please speak to Todd Petzoldt, chair of the endowment committee.
Lutherans for Life Quote for March 24: “So let us be sober, putting on faith and love as our breastplate and the hope of salvation as our helmet, encouraging one another and building each other up as together we faithfully wait, expectantly wait, joyfully wait—for Jesus.” Rev. Dr. Anthony Cook, guest speaker on “The Lutheran Hour” – A Life Quote from Lutherans For Life • lutheransforlife.org
Attached for your reading pleasure is the March 2024 issue of The Voice, the LCMS-Missouri District newsletter.
I will see you on Palm Sunday at Concordia!
Pastor Paul Hoemann
The mission of Concordia Lutheran Church is to gather, teach, and inspire all generations to share the Good News.
file:///home/chronos/u-1d6c2133be090ef35869f40bb86604b65b582fd8/MyFiles/Downloads/VOICE-March%202024.pdf
March 24 (Palm Sunday) “A New Beginning” Exodus 34:1-8
March 28 (Maundy Thursday) “Access!” Exodus 24:1–11
March 29 (Good Friday) “Agnus Dei” Exodus 12:1–13
March 31 (Easter Sunday) “Against all Odds!” Exodus 15:1–18
Please, let nothing keep you from gathering with your brothers and sisters in Christ at Concordia to observe this most solemn, yet most joyful, time of the Church year.
Stewardship Standard: Zechariah 9:9 says, “Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” No king ever rode to war like this. But no king had ever come to wage battle by dying. In his Passion, our Lord Jesus gives everything he has and is. He does this to bring us from death to life, to make us his people, and show us an example of self-giving love that we should follow.
Small-group update: “Concordia Sings” will gather to rehearse at 6 p.m. Monday, March 25, and at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 28, in preparation to sing at the Maundy Thursday worship service. Also, there will be no small-group Bible class on Wednesday, March 27. Both the morning (9 a.m.) and evening (7 p.m.) groups will resume on April 3.
Now is the time to direct your Thrivent CHOICE dollars! Thrivent members, please direct your CHOICE dollars by Sunday, March 31, in order to capture any remaining 2023 dollars. Where to direct them? How about Concordia and our Hall renovation project? As of this week, we have raised $51,718 toward our $55,000 goal. We are so close! Let our treasurer, Derek Miesner, know if you’d like to direct your CHOICE dollars towards the Hall renovation, and he will make sure that happens.
I want to remind you as to the “why” of this project. Two of our congregation’s core values are Christian education and sustainability. For CHRISTIAN EDUCATION, we said, “We are called by God to train our adults, young adults, and children to know and love God.” For SUSTAINABILITY, we said, “We continue to honor our heritage by stewarding our time, talent and treasures for future generations.”
The vision for a renovated Hall is that it would serve as a permanent gathering place for our youth (Lutheran Youth Fellowship); a gathering place for our small groups, for Bible study and fellowship; a place for lectures and small receptions; a place to hold funeral lunches, etc. In other words, a place that could serve all generations at Concordia! This renovation project was begun years ago but was never finished. Let’s finish it now. Let’s get the job done, Concordia! If you haven’t yet contributed to the cause, I encourage you to get out your checkbook today and make a gift. And if you have questions about directing your CHOICE dollars, contact your Thrivent representative, Carol Duggan, at 573-824-6060.
Time to SHINE! This year, for our participation in the LCMS—Missouri District SHINE event, our congregation will be picking up garbage along the roadway from the crossroads all the way into Frohna, and possibly doing some home clean-up projects in the community. SHINE 2024 will begin at 11 a.m., Sunday, April 14. Lunch will be provided, along with a SHINE T-shirt. Plan to participate, as we share Jesus’ love by serving our community.
Continue to pray for the vacant congregations in the Altenburg Circuit: Trinity, Altenburg; Trinity, Friedheim; and Immanuel, New Wells. Also keep our need for a 5-6th grade teacher at UCLS in your prayers.
Order in the order—why we do what we do in Lutheran worship: In the PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, all of life is presented to God; our thanks and praise; the specific needs of the Church and its leaders; the governments and nations of the world; the poor and needy; the sick; and those who cannot defend themselves. This prayer lays before God the needs of all people everywhere.
Our Concordia Endowments—Saxony High School Scholastic Fund: This fund is to assist congregation members with tuition at Saxony Lutheran High School. Funding is from gifts and offerings from individuals earmarked for this fund. If you’d like to make a contribution, please speak to Todd Petzoldt, chair of the endowment committee.
Lutherans for Life Quote for March 24: “So let us be sober, putting on faith and love as our breastplate and the hope of salvation as our helmet, encouraging one another and building each other up as together we faithfully wait, expectantly wait, joyfully wait—for Jesus.” Rev. Dr. Anthony Cook, guest speaker on “The Lutheran Hour” – A Life Quote from Lutherans For Life • lutheransforlife.org
Attached for your reading pleasure is the March 2024 issue of The Voice, the LCMS-Missouri District newsletter.
I will see you on Palm Sunday at Concordia!
Pastor Paul Hoemann
The mission of Concordia Lutheran Church is to gather, teach, and inspire all generations to share the Good News.
file:///home/chronos/u-1d6c2133be090ef35869f40bb86604b65b582fd8/MyFiles/Downloads/VOICE-March%202024.pdf