The Grapevine
Church of the Redeemer United Church of Christ
23500 Center Ridge Road Westlake, OH 44145
440-331-0834
February 2015
The Grapevine
Church of the Redeemer United Church of Christ
23500 Center Ridge Road Westlake, OH 44145
440-331-0834
February 2015
February Mission Envelopes
UCC Outdoor Ministries
Mission offering this month will be used to support the UCC Ohio Conference Outdoor Ministries. UCC Camps and Retreat Centers serve local congregations, non-profit groups, families, individuals and other business groups year round. Camp programs are a compliment and extension of the Christian Education Mission of the local and wider church, and embracing diversity and understanding.
- The Mission Outreach Team
February In-Gathering
Super Sunday
We will be collecting soup and crackers throughout the month of February for local food banks. Please place your donations in the wagon in the hallway, under the bulletin board. Thank you for your generous contributions.
- The Mission Outreach Team
Community Meal
Our next Community Meal will be Saturday, February 28, 2015. Volunteers are needed. Please sign up on the bulletin board in the hallway by the office.
Bring a Friend Sunday
February 22, 2015
This is the first of four
“Bring a Friend Sundays”.
Up coming dates: May 24th, August 30th, and November 29th Special Fellowship Hour with your friends following worship.
Installation of
Rev. Damien J. Lake
Sunday, February 22, 2015
4:00 p.m.
Music Music Music
Here at Church of the Redeemer
Friday, February 13th 10:00 a.m.
A variety of Classical and Contemporary Music will be performed by pianists, organists, vocalists, and other instrumentalist as solos and duets.
Members of Chopin Musicale
see/call Char Robertson 216.221.0993
All About Us
Please keep the following people in your thoughts and prayers:, Irene Twohig, Michael Moore, Gordon Belmont, Dale Andrews, and John Haberman.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Lois Schultz. Lois’s husband, Arthur Schultz, died on the 19th of January.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Helen DeCesare who died the 24th of January.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Russ Portman who died in January (brother-in-law of John Haberman.)
February Birthdays
3 Jean Badger
5 Barb Morgan
Tonola Branch
6 Janet Denk
9 Dan Zerbey
Jeanne Long
Amanda Lee Earl
11 Barb Zaugg
Deborah Bracy
Karen Farmer
14 Julie Miller
15 Sally January
16 Kirk Suhart
17 Megan Carney
18 Edie Nakatsuka
Chad Bernard
Brienna Earl
19 Ben Miller
22 Amy Reitz
John Forristal
24 Martha Brown
CANDLEMAS
Sunday, February 1, 2015
On Candlemas we celebrate Jesus as the Light of the World.
It was a tradition to bless the candles of the church and recognize the lengthening of the days as we move towards spring.
We will be making a CHRIST CANDLE for our homes.
Please purchase a pillar candle or a waxed electric candle and bring it with you to decorate.
We will have a work station set up in the Gathering Room where you will find supplies and someone to help you decorate your candle either before or after worship.
The official date of February 2nd places the Candlemas celebration forty days after Christmas and continues the religious cycle that leads up to Easter Sunday. Additionally, it is also the mid-point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox, which is the basis for various ancient European celebrations that commemorate the annual beginnings of the agricultural season. Also of note concerning Candlemas is its connection to Groundhog Day, which occurs on the same date. This tradition also finds its origin in European folklore, as a prediction for the coming spring.
For the Church, however, Candlemas remains a day of hope and light. It is a time to honor the Lord as the Light of the World and to remind us that we too have that light within us.
February 1
Installation & Renewal during worship
ACOLYTES
Aaron Barnes
Zachary Banres
Jessica Barrick
Erin Black
Tonola Branch
Jackie Branch
Elizabeth Carney
Katie Carney
Maggie Chapman
Nola Foote
Andrew Hille
Elizabeth Hille
Bella Lake
Jacob Miller
Kenna Mistler
Austin Negray
Alivia Negray
Consistory
Elders:
John Bouhall
Marsha Kushner
Diane Kvasnick
Chuck Mealy
Ray Salco
Lisa Thomas
Deacons:
Paula Deal
Christina Foote
Donna Greenwell
Barb Morgan
Virginia Stepler
Russ Williams
Bible Study
Wednesday Bible Study began at 1:30 p.m. on January 28th. Wendell Brooker will be teching a class on the topic “Seven Ways to Approach the Bible”. All are welcome!
Journeying
through Lent
We journey to Bethlehem during Advent, but the journey doesn’t end there. Lent is a forty-day period of preparation that ends in Holy Week and builds to the joyous celebration of Easter. This is a time of increased penance, prayer, and service to others. It is a traditional time to pay increased attention to God in your life. Join us for the upcoming events to deepen your experience of journeying through Lent.
WEEKLY PRAYER WITH THE STAFF
EACH TUESDAY at 9:30 AM, the staff gathers in the sanctuary before their weekly meeting for a half hour of prayer. This time previously has been spent in silence. Starting in Lent, this time will include some music and spoken prayer and readings as well as silence. As before, congregants are invited to join with the staff in the sanctuary or pray with andfor them and the church while at home or at work.
RITUAL OF BURNING
OF THE PALMS
Saturday, February 7
Traditionally, the ashes used on Ash Wednesday are made by burning the palms from the previous year’s Palm Sunday.
We will be burning the palmsat 4:00 PM on the front lawn of the church.
Come dressed for the weather to be a part of this meaningful ritual.
ASH WEDNESDAY
February 18
7 & 7
During this moving time of worship on WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18TH, the ashes—from which Ash Wednesday gets its name—are placed on the foreheads of the faithful with the words from Genesis: “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
Two opportunities—come at 7:00 PM for a more traditional service which includes the Sacrament of Holy Communion.
OR, come between 7:00 AM and 9:00 AM for an abbreviated worship every 15 minutes.
FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT
February 22nd
Bring a “Friend” Sunday
WEEKLY COMMUNION AT WORSHIP
You will notice some changes to our Sunday morning worship during Lent. One will be the inclusion of the Sacrament of Holy Communion each week during Lent.
PALM SATURDAY
On SATURDAY, MARCH 28TH from 3:30-5:00 PM, we will continue our annual tradition of all ages gathering together to prepare for Holy Week by baking bread, creating greeting cards, and making banners to carry in our Palm Sunday procession.
PALM SUNDAY
Worship on SUNDAY, MARCH 29TH, will still begin with a procession while waving the palms, but we will add to the fun by gathering outside of the sanctuary before all processing in together. Stay tuned, you will hear more details later.
MAUNDY THURSDAY
Our worship time on THURSDAY, APRIL 2ND at 6:30 PM will be a recreation of the Last Supper as we gather for a meal in the Fellowship Hall which will include scripture readings in between courses of the meal. The evening will end with journeying to the sanctuary for the tradition of stripping of the altar in preparation for Good Friday.
GOOD FRIDAY
Worship on FRIDAY, APRIL 3RD at 7:00 PM will include a moving retelling of the last hours of Jesus life with the sights and sounds of the cross. The mood is solemn but also one of hope as we anticipate the great Easter Celebration.
EASTER SUNDAY
We will gather on SUNDAY APRIL 5 at 10:30 AM to celebrate the resurrection our Lord Jesus Christ.
Pastor’s Ponderings…
Let the work begin. Well let me assure you that I have jumped into the work here at Redeemer and am fully submersed in the daily activities and duties of my office. I have enjoyed worshiping with you as your Pastor and have started the process of getting to know you as individuals and families. Life is always a little bit hectic when you begin a new call to serve, there are meetings to attend, people to visit, funerals to officiate, and worship to lead. These times for me although challenging are also exciting. I love new things, and new routines that evolve out of a new call to serve.
Change is around every corner, it happens every day, even when we are not prepared for it. I know there has been a lot of change in my life over the last few weeks and months, a new place to serve, a new house to live in, a new state to move to, and new places to discover. All of these changes cause stress, anxiety, and worry, but my faith in God reminds that in these moments repeating the prayer…Help Me, Help Me, Help Me God works. God is always there, but sometimes I just need to ask for God to remind me of Her presence. I have great faith in knowing that God is with me as I experience these changes and continue on my journey.
Faith can be tough to keep firm when we are experiencing change in our lives. I believe that faith grows in these times of our lives when struggle, anxiety, and stress occur, as long as we reach out to God for help. I know I am a bit of a change from your previously called Pastor’s. I am
grateful for the work they have done here at Redeemer and know their time with you involved change, worry, and maybe even doubt. In these times we need to turn to God in prayer, asking for help to deal with these new things in our lives.
I know my time with you will also involve change and for some of you it will be a welcome change, while for others it will be more difficult to accept. Please know change is important for growth, and that change is not done without careful thought and without love. Jesus taught us a great deal about love, and it is the love we carry with us that will allow us to change the world. I can say that I have already experienced that love of Christ here at Redeemer and I look forward to sharing more of it with the rest of the world.
I pray you will share your love with others and that you will embrace change together and not apart, trusting that God is guiding us all on our journey together…
Peace and blessings,
Rev. Damien J. Lake