FIRST DAY NOTES March 2, 2008
St. Thomas Lutheran Church
135 Salmon St .
Brick , NJ 08723
Worship Sundays at 8:00, 9:15 and 11:15 AM
Saturdays at 5:30PM Holy Days as announced.
The doors and hearts of St. Thomas are always open to welcome both members and guests as we come together on the occasion of worshipping the living God who has made us his own through Baptism and continues to aid us through the preaching of the Word and the gifts of his Holy Table. Week by week throughout the year, as we gather at the appointed times to share together what God offers us in our gathering, we invite you to be with us.
ST. THOMAS LUTHERAN CHURCH
Invites all as we
gather in hope,
Reach up in praise and
reach out in love.
Stanley E. Ellison, Pastor
Annemarie Cook, Associate Pastor
Reylene Starego, Director of Music
MusicDirector@StThomasBrick.org
Dave Fischer, Praise Team Leader
Regina Nycz, Secretary
Phone: 732-477-5533
Fax: 732-477-5013
Iihongo Lutheran Church, Ondangwa, Namibia, Partner Parish
WEEKLY ATTENDANCE CARD
Please fill out a weekly attendance card with your first and last name. Please write clearly. Ifa family attends, please write LAST NAME, including children’s names and family’s lastname. Write the names on the “communing” or “non- communing” line whichever isappropriate. This information is put in our database to record the weekly attendance. We thank you for assisting us in keeping the church records up-to-date.
St. Thomas Christian Academy
Phone: 732-477-5335
Fax: 732-477-8885
St. Thomas Christian Academyoffers academicexcellence in the context of Christian teachings from pre-school and Kindergarten through Grade 8. Instruction includes international languages, fine arts and computers. The school provides extended care before & after school.
St. Thomas Lutheran Church
2007 Congregation Council
Pastor Stanley E. Ellison
Pastor Annemarie Cook
President-Marty Sommerfeld
Vice Pres. John Sutton
Treasurer-Norbert Star
Secretary-Linda Layton
Curtis Dunn
Corinne Olsen
Jan Rohn
Pam Rourke
Vincent Silvestri
Janice Spirio
Ray Starego
Fred Zimmerman
Altar Flowers
There are no altar flowers during Lent.
Sanctuary Candle
The Sanctuary Candle today is in honor of the Commissioning and Installation of Reylene Starego as an Associate in Ministry given by The Choirs and the Bell Choirs.
Flowers and Sanctuary Candle
Place flowers to bring beauty to our worship services! Dates for the coming months are still open for anyone who would like to remember someone special. Sign up on the new colorful boards in the narthex for a Sunday to give flowers in memory of a loved one, in honor of a birthday, an anniversary, or another event or a friend or relative. An envelope is available by the signup for your donation of $20. (Please be sure to put your name and/or envelope number on the envelope sanctuary light and/or the flower envelope. You can also sponsor theSanctuary Light to burn for the week in memory of a loved one, in honor of a birthday, an anniversary, or another event or a friend or relative. There are openings throughout the year for your selection.
Lent
We are preparing for the Great Three Days, the Triduum, celebrating the suffering, death and raising of Jesus from the dead. We have been called to repent, to turn from sin and toward God; we have been invited to the disciplines of Lent: fasting from our excesses, almsgiving—deeds of helpfulness to the poor and prayer—personal, and together on Saturday/Sundays and Wednesdays at 10 am and 7 pm. Above all, put the liturgy of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Vigil of Easter on your calendars. This three-day service celebrates and proclaims in powerful ways the central message of salvation, and actually give to you the benefits of Christ’s death and rising. You will find the schedule elsewhere in this newsletter.
Landscape Ministry
We are forming St. Thomas' own Landscape ministry!!! This is a two fold ministry that invites anyone and everyone in St. Thomas that loves to beautify His earth. Two fold in the sense that it will reduce expenses to the general budget, but more importantly create fellowship among all that participate. Contact Marty Sommerfeld to join this new and exciting ministry.
First Communion Instruction
First Communion Instruction will be starting on March 30 at 10:25am. The class schedule is as follows: 4/5, 4/13/ 4/20, 4/27, 5/4 and 5/11. The date of First Holy Communion will be 5/18. If you or your child is in need of First Communion instruction, please contact Nadine Dunn or Pastor Cook at 732-477-5533. A letter has gone out with details.
Mommy & Me
Mommy & Me will be Thursday, March 6, 2008. Introduce your preschooler to Jesus in a fun way. Join us and the children for a short Bible story, make a simple craft, have a snack and have fun with the children. For additional information, please contact Jennifer Cubelo .
Sunday School
Sunday School is back in session today. There will be no Sunday school Easter Sunday, March 23. The last day of elementary Sunday school will be May 18, 2008.
Come One….Come All to the Community Safety Fair sponsored by the St. Thomas Safety Task Force on Saturday, April 19 from 9 to 3 PM. Free safety infor-mation and safety demonstration by Brick Police, Brick Fire and others are planned. For more information or to volunteer to help out the day of the fair, please contact Nadine Dunn.
Kindred Sisters…
With the season of Lent, we are adjusting our schedule. We will meet March 12 th at 7:30pm after worship. We hope that you can join us for our DVD series by Beth Moore. If you have any questions, please contact Lori Sommerfeld.
Food Drive
We accept donations for the Food Pantry all year long. All donations are appreciated and here are some suggestions: Soups, canned fruits, canned vegetables, hot chocolate, shelf safe milk, peanut butter, jelly, crackers, stuffing, hot and cold cereal, pasta sauce, pasta, chocolate syrup, Jell-O, tea, mustard, ketchup and salad dressing.
Looking for a Few Good People
Can you believe that the Lent and Easter seasons are upon us! Again we are planning a reading of the Passion Narrative for the weekend of Palm Sunday. We will have readers at each of the four services with at least two rehearsals. If interested, please contact Curtis Dunn. We also need people for participation in the foot washing which takes place on Maundy Thursday (3/20 at 7 PM) and also anyone wishing to affirm their Baptism during the Easter Vigil (3/22 at 8 PM). If you can lend your talents to support these services please contact Wendy Newcomer. There is no age requirement.
BASICS OF FAITH CLASSES
We are inviting families of Sunday school children, people who have been at St. Thomas worship either regularly or infrequently, and family members of individuals who are members to our next series of Basics of Faith classes. They are as follows:
Sunday 3/9/08 2:00PM
Wednesday 3/12/08 7:30PM (after Lenten Vesper Service)
2008 Holy Week Schedule
Every Wednesday in Lent 10am & 7 pm Holy Thursday 10am & 7 pm Good Friday 12 Noon & 7 pm Easter Vigil 8pm Easter Sunday 8:00am, 9:15am, 11:15am
World Day of Prayer
You are invited to World Day of Prayer at Pineland Reformed Church
Route 37W
Toms River, NJ
Time: 10:00am Friendship
10:30am Worship
Amount needed to meet
ESTIMATE OF GIVING:
$6,056.10
Total Offered week ending 2/10/2008
$3946.66
Total Attendance week ending 2/10/2008
202
Needed weekly for zero deficits:
$8,797.03
Vine and Branches
In an effort to use our financial resources most wisely, we are offering you the options to read Vine and Branches online, to receive by email, pick it up in the narthex or continue to have it mailed through the postal service. The most efficient is online and email because that saves not only postage but also paper, printing and supplies. It is on the web at www.StThomasBrick.org.
Tear this off and put it in the offering plate.
_____Send to my email address, which is: _____________________
_____I will pick it up in the narthex
_____Continue to mail it to my home.
_____I do not receive it. Please add me to the list of recipients.
_____I will read it on the web.
__________________________________ ( Name)
___________________________________ (Address)
What’s an AiM??
. Here is how the ELCA defines it:
Associates in ministry are called to serve in one of the officially recognized lay ministries of this church. Associates in ministry shall be persons whose commitment to Christ, soundness of faith, aptness and ability to serve in programmatic ministries which equip and support the people of God, and whose educational and personal qualifications have been examined and approved in the manner prescribed in the documents of this church; who have been called and commissioned, who accept and adhere to the Confession of Faith of this church; who are diligent and faithful in the exercise of the ministry to which they have been called; and whose lives and conduct are consistent with the Gospel. Associates in ministry shall comply with the constitution of this church.
--- from Visions and Expectations,Commissioned Associates in Ministry
(Please see http://www.elca.org/candidacy/vision_aim.html if you would like to read more.)
In the ELCA, there are 4 areas in which one may serve as an Associate in Ministry: education, service, music, or administration. Reylene‘s chosen area, of course, is music. In order to become an AiM, a person must go through much of the same candidacy procedures as an ordained minister. This procedure includes candidacy interviews, psychological testing, a prescribed program of Master’s level theological courses for the chosen area, and approval by the synod before a call can be issued by a congregation. In Reylene’s case, a call as an AiM does not change her job or her role on the staff here at St. Thomas. It does, however, allow her to be a rostered leader in the ELCA, which will give her more opportunity to serve the greater church. If you have any questions, please free to talk to Reylene about this process at any time.
Today! March 2, 2008
Join us today at 3:00pm in the Commissioning and Installationof Reylene Starego as an Associate in Ministry (AiM). She has completed her studies and is being called by St. Thomas into her particular call of Music and the Arts (and education.) The service will be followed by a reception in Luther Hall. We will serve hors devours and desserts.
THANK YOU!
A sincere ”thank you” to the Holy Hobbies Ministry for their donation of the new chair racks AND the lovely colorful ribbon dividers that now appear in the new ELW Worship books. These were generous gifts and the members of the church want to extend their appreciation.
Remember in Your Prayers
Please remember to keep in your prayers all those on our Prayer List, found in the narthex. If you have someone you would like to add, please complete the form found in the narthex. If there is someone in your family who is unable to attend services and would like to receive the Holy Eucharist, please see Pastor Ellison, Pastor Cook, or contact the church office at 732-477-5533.
Pray For Our Military
“Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect and care for them and their families, as you protect and care for the families in the places they serve. Grant soon the day when war shall give way to your peace. We ask this in the name of our Lord and Savior. Amen.”
PLEDGES
*If you haven’t turned in your 2008 pledge, there’s still time! The Stewardship Committee reports that 262 households have made financial commitments for 2008 totaling slightly over $500,000. Thanks for a strong response. * From English Lutheran Church, LaCross, Wisconsin
Children at Worship
Children are welcome and invited to be part of worship at all our services, especially at 9:15 and 11:15, just before or after the Education Hour. So many are hearing Jesus invite: “Letthe little children come to me!” that we hardly need the paid child care on Sunday mornings. This coincides nicely with the need we have to reduce expenses this year. So…paid child care during the 9:15 and 11:15 services will be discontinued starting March 1. The ushers will be providing a welcoming space in the narthex just outside the sanctuary windows. If a parent needs to take a child out of the sanctuary for a few minutes they can have a chair and a “play area” and still see and hear the service. Also, if anyone sees the need for child care in a separate nursery room, please see one of the pastors, Marty Sommerfeld or Wendy Newcomer (Worship & Music) about joining with others to volunteer.
BRUNCH BUNCH NEWS
A reminder to all Brunch Bunch members: Our next meeting (Monday March 3) is our “special invitation” meeting at which we hope to have guests for coffee and cake. Please remember to bring goodies if you signed up to do so at our last
meeting. Also bring your kitchen items for our kitchen gift basket. Please try to make a special effort to attend this meeting. Thanks!!
We would like to cordially invite all the women of St. Thomas for coffee and cake on Monday, March 3 rd at 7:30 in the meeting room. We want to take this opportunity to get to know you and let you in on our little secret, that serving on a committee at St. Thomas and doing something worthwhile can actually be fun!!
Discounted Movie Tickets
The Sunday school office has discounted movie tickets for Lowe’s/AMC Theaters. The price is $6 per ticket and they are good for any movie after it has been released for ten days. Don’t pass up this fantastic offer! Contact Nadine Dunn.
Growth in Giving
Please read carefully the president’s page in the newsletter this month. It gives very important details about the financial position of St. Thomas at this time.
What is the key to the financial well-being of the ministry of this church? Commitment! Commitment to the Lord, to this church and itswork, expressed in financial generosity. 134 people made Estimates of Giving for this year greater than last year. This is great, but not adequate to meet the needs of ministry.
Very many of our members and fellow worshipers have not yet made a decision to grow in their financial response to the grace of God. Several who have grown in their giving may find that they have been blessed and can grow even more. Some on very limited incomes may be called to stay the same.
But all of us are called to reexamine our stewardship of our income and wealth. If you find that God is calling you to grow in this way you can use the tear-off below. Please indicate your new weekly amount, your name and the date, and return it in the offering plate, in person to a pastor, by mail, or email to pastor@stthomasbrick.org.
Stanley E. Ellison, Pastor
I believe God is calling me to give a larger percentage of my income for the work of St. Thomas Church.
My new weekly amount is: $__________
Name______________________________
Date___________________
BLOOD DRIVE
Wednesday, March 5 th
From 2:30 – 7:30
Veterans Memorial Middle School Library
Blood Banks in our State need Blood.
The Blood Center of New Jersey supplies blood and blood products to approximately 30 New Jersey hospitals and conducts more than 225 blood drives per month in 12 New Jersey counties with a total resident population of approximately 5.8 million.
It is estimated that one out of three residents will require a life saving blood transfusion sometime during their life. However, an estimated 2% of the eligible New Jersey population donates blood as compared to the national average of 5%. As a result of this low donation rate, The Blood Center of New Jersey is required to import approximately 25% of its blood supply from other states in order to effectively supply our New Jersey hospitals.
The need for blood increases every year but the donations decrease every year.
Any interested in donating may contact us at 732-458-1221
You can make an appointment or Walk-Ins are welcome.
We need help getting the word out.
VMMS PTA
JOIN US ONE AND ALL
TO CELEBRATE
ST. PATRICK’S DAY
WHAT: CORNED BEEF AND CABBAGE DINNER
DATE: SATURDAY, MARCH 15, ‘08
TIME: 4:00PM – 5:00PM
WHERE: LUTHER HALL
COST: $6.00 PER PERSON
PLEASE CONTACT THE CHIEF LEPRECHAUN FRED ZIMMERMAN
