At the end of this month of February we will begin the celebration of Lent. This is the season in the church year when we talk about walking with Jesus to the cross and then to the celebration of his resurrection from the dead on Easter Sunday. For most of us Lent is a time of introspection, of examining our faith as we walk the way to the cross with our Lord. It is often seen as a time of denying ourselves the things of this world that stand in our way of being faithful Christians.
Lent can also be a time of adding things that make our journey to the cross more meaningful and faithful. So in that light, I would like to offer you four blessings I have discovered, sent to me by a dear friend, that may help to make your journey of Lent more full. I recommend that you take each blessing and put it someplace where you can read it as you go about your day. Perhaps you might put one beside your bed to read at night, or on your refrigerator to read as you prepare your meals, or maybe on the dashboard of your car where you can read it at stoplights or as you start and stop your car. However you use these short blessings, it is my hope that they might enrich your life during the month and into the coming days of Lent.
Here are the blessings. They can be originally found in a book entitled, I’m Thinking of You and they are written by Herbert Brokering.
I bless you with a Polish blessing! Here are the first lines of this old blessing – prayer:
May the land be fertile
Beneath your feet.
May your days be gentle
As the sun-kissed dew.
May your hand be outstretched
To all you meet.
Those words have inspired me to write a blessing for your health:
May this night hold you softly
As a cotton purple quilt
And dawn wake you kindly
With a kiss of morning sun.
Night and morning are your family. They rocked you and woke you at your birth. My blessing to you continues:
May the Spirit of God
As wind from east to west
Purify you inside out
And as water,
Bathe you from feet to face.
The Spirit or Breath of God is your parent. There is one Spirit which all may breathe. God’s Spirit is our life.
May you be sung to by Cherubs
Who come when your heart needs a song,
And may you be attended by Seraphs
Who bring foods that delight and heal.
There are always the angels, messengers of God’s blessing. Angels sing. You sing. Music has been your blessing.
Herbert Brokering
Blessings to you in February!
Wanda
Teaching the Word...
FEBRUARY LECTIONARY TEXTS
Here are the Lectionary texts for the month of FEBRUARY. Rev. Mello’s preaching texts are in Bold print. You are invited to read the texts ahead of each Sunday service as you prepare to hear God’s word.
Deuteronomy 18:15-20
1 Corinthians 8:1-13
Mark 1:21-28
Psalm 147:1-11 & 20
Isaiah 40:21-31
February 15, 2009
Psalm 30
2 Kings 5:1-14
1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Psalm 50:1-6
2 Kings 2:1-12
2 Corinthians 4:3-6
WORSHIP READERS NEEDED…
We are in need of our worship readers for the months of March and April. If you are interested in serving as a worship reader please sign up on the sheets in the Social Hall or speak to Rev. Mello. May you be blessed as you read God’s word in worship.
WEEKLY BIBLE STUDY
You are invited to attend our weekly Bible Study on Friday mornings at 9:30 AM. At these studies we take a look at the scriptures for our Sunday worship service and ponder their deeper meanings for our lives. Everyone is invited to attend.
ASH WEDNESDAY WORSHIP
We will celebrate the beginning of Lent with a worship service on February 25 here in our sanctuary at 7:00 PM. At this service or worship you will be invited to participate in the celebration of Holy Communion and the Distribution of Ashes. Everyone is invited to attend this special worship service on Ash Wednesday.
LENTEN SOUP AND STUDY SESSIONS BEGIN
Our annual Lenten Soup and Study session will begin on the first Thursday of March, March 5, 2009. and will be held on the following Thursdays: March 12, March 19, March 26, and April 2. We will begin our time together with a light supper of soup. You are invited to bring other foods to compliment the soup, such as crackers, bread, fresh veggies, cookies, etc. A sign up sheet for volunteer soup makers will be posted in the social hall where you may sign up if you wish to make a pot of soup on a particular Thursday evening. Soup will be served at 6:00 PM.
The study will follow the supper at 7:00 PM on the lounge. This year’s topic will be “7 Ways God’s Word Works”. You are invited to attend both the soup supper and the study sessions during Lent this year. Come and add a new dimension of fellowship and learning to your faith journey.
Touching the World...
FOOD PANTRY NEEDS
It has been decided by our Church Cabinet to suspend the food pantry for the present time. In place of the food pantry, we will be giving food cards in the amount of $25.00 each from our local Ranch Market to people in need. This way, the people will be able to purchase food they will eat and really need.
If you have been a regular contributor to our Food Pantry, we would ask that you consider giving a monetary gift to our Assistance Fund to help defray the cost of the food coupons. And we thank you all for helping to feed the hungry people of Arvin through this mission. We have seen a dramatic increase in the number of people coming to the church in need of food in the past few months, so your gifts are very important.
You are invited to give a gift for mission to our Assistance Fund. We have been utilizing the money from this fund to help several people with their rent and utility costs in the past few weeks; and we have used some to purchase food gift cards from the Ranch Market for people in need. Thanks so much for your continued support of this fund! Your gifts to this fund do indeed help those in our community who are in need!
Our next monthly Church Cabinet meeting will be on Saturday, February 7, 2009 beginning with breakfast at 8:30 AM and continuing with a time of information gathering and exchange with our Interim Conference Minister, Rev. Jane Fisler Hoffman. All members of the Church Cabinet are urged to attend, and this meeting is also open to all church members. If you wish to attend please speak to Judy Chase or Birthe Stenderup so that they can plan on how much food to prepare for the breakfast.
REMEMBER YOU CAN FIND ALL OF OUR NEWS ON OUR WEBSITE: www.arvinucc.org
Check it out!
Church Family News…
As our world remains in a time of war, we ask that you continue to remember in your prayers all of our young people serving our country all over the world. Especially pray for Jason Brand, John & David Phillips, Isaac Philips, Dylan Wakeland, and Tracey Farris.
Please keep our homebound members in your thoughts and prayers. Especially remember Lucille Barkley at home.
WELCOME TO OUR NEW CHURCH MEMBERS
We are happy to announce that on January 11, 2009, we received two new members into our family of faith. Joining us by confession of faith were John (Jack) Goetz and Patti Villalovos. Jack has already made himself a part of us by singing in the choir, helping with Christmas food baskets, and regularly attending Bible Study and worship. Welcome Jack! Patti has been our organist for the past 30 plus years and finally (to our great joy!) decided to join us officially. Blessings to you both as you join us in ministry! We are glad you are with us!
FAREWELL
With saddened hearts
we bid Fred Krauter farewell as he moves to
Fred will be missed greatly, but we know he will be close to us in thought and prayer…and we hope he will visit us often.
Blessings to you Fred as you start a new
phase of your life closer to your family in
CONGRATULATIONS
Congratulations to Patti and Johnny Villalovos at the birth of their newest great-grandchild,
Cassidy Pearl Booker, who was born on Christmas day in
CONGRATULATIONS
Congratulations to the Mellos who welcomed a new grandson, Nicholas Charles
Howard, on January 20, 2009 in