The VoiceThe VoiceThe VoiceThe Voice

The Lutheran Church of Our SaviorThe Lutheran Church of Our SaviorThe Lutheran Church of Our SaviorThe Lutheran Church of Our Savior February 2015 Volume 37, Number 2

Dear fellow disciples of the Lord,

Carol and I wish to thank you for your gracious welcome and warm hospitality as we join you in

the ministry that Lord has given us to share. We are honored to spend this time of transition with

you as you continue to share this ministry you have already begun, search for new ways to min-

ister, and work faithfully in the Call process to seek and Call the next Pastor. It is a privilege for

us to be a part of this community of faith.

In an article I read last week by Karoline M. Lewis, Associate Professor of Preaching and Alvin

N Rogness Chair of Homiletics, on Epiphany Expectations, she asked the pointed question -

What does epiphany actually mean? In all her possible definitions - some very traditional, her

attention was caught by three words - Surprising. Sudden. Profound. Epiphany is about the rev-

elation of Jesus. It's about finding Jesus, witnessing Jesus in various epiphanic moments. Yet,

could not finding Jesus in these revelatory moments also be when you find yourself - who you

are, and who you are called to be. Maybe epiphany season should take on the mirror effect -

not only see Jesus but also something about yourself.1

I believe there is similar truth to be found in what I will call Transitional Expectations. What does

transitional actually mean? How do you describe the time experienced by a community of faith

as it experiences the loss of one Pastor and the anticipation of a new Pastor. Maybe even the

three words that caught the attention of Professor Lewis fit - Sudden, Surprising, Profound. All of

which have their own personal effects on each of us, as well as the Our Savoir community of

faith. Maybe as Epiphany is about the revelation of Jesus , transitional is about the revelation of

the community of faith. Not only are we talking about a Pastor and People or People and Pastor

but also People and People. Is that not what the church, ecclesia, is about - an assembly of dis-

ciples who are gathered together to proclaim and live the Good News of Jesus as they care,

love, and support each other in ministry, within and outside their community of faith? Cannot

these transitional moments also be about finding yourself - who you are and who you are called

to be? Time to take on the mirror effect - not only see Jesus, ministry and others, but also

something about yourself?

As Jesus said to His first followers, "come and see." This Transitional time, see Jesus, see God,

see ministry, see the community of faith, but also see yourself. I am guessing you will find things

you did not expect.

Blessings,

Pr. Lester Stano, Vacancy Pastor

1 "Epiphany Expectations," Dear Working Preacher, Karoline M. Lewis, WorkingPreacher.org, January 18, 2015.

THANK YOU It is hard to find the right words to express how grateful we are for all the cards, calls and prayers. Your loving care has really helped us through this time of grief. The Memorial Service and Luncheon were excellent. Thanks to Pastor Mordhorst, Sister Deb, Jerry Birl and the Women from Sand Dollars. Thanks again The Jones Family-Louis, Karen, Kay, Ian and Aaron

THIS NOTE OF THANK YOU, is to all of you who came on Sat. Jan. 3, 2015, To celebrate the life of Leatrice Egolf, with a Memorial Service and Memorial luncheon. Many Thanks for the caller, help set up tables, prepare food, prepare and set up buffet tables, dishwashers, clean up, and monetary gifts, also the beautiful bouquets of roses adorning the tables. And Thank You for the help I received to help with the laundering and folding of the tablecloths. A sincere Thank You to all of you for giving of your time, with a great job well done. -Shirley Nester

THANK YOU Your generous response to our first fund raiser in over 10 years has been overwhelm-ing. Thanks to your donations for our CD, and a generous memorial gift, we are now able to pur-chase one of the three lower bass bells we still need. Thank you so much on behalf of all the ringers! The reviews of the CD have been beautiful; not only from the congregation, but from families out-side, who received them as gifts. For those of you interested in still in obtaining a CD, or if you should want to dedicate a memorial in a loved one’s name, there is always the Bell Fund. Feel free to contact any ringer, or Meldene Gruber. Our bells are now entering their 15th year, and will soon have to be returned to the foundry for refurbishment. We have been conducting routine repair and replacement of wear parts, but are now approaching a point where most bells will require factory overhaul. This to allow us to maintain the quality of music we strive to present. Again, thank you for your loving support, as we, the Deo Gloria Ringers continue to serve LCOS in worship, through mu-sic. -THE DEO GLORIA RINGERS - Meldene Gruber

A SINCERE THANK YOU to the LCOS Family for all of the sympathy cards and the love and pray-ers shown to us and our families in the loss of Leatrice. Also, a big, big thank you for the exceptional job that Sister Deb, Pastor Mordhorst, and the Congregational Life crew did for us. We received many compliments on how nice the service was and many people were amazed by the wonderful luncheon. –Bruce & Donna Egolf

MANY THANKS for all the cards, prayers and calls before and after my shoulder surgery. I am re-covering well and hope to be back at church very soon. Jim McDonald

THANK YOU The cards, calls and visits from our sisters and brothers at LCOS were greatly appreci-ated and comforting. A special thanks to those who attended the memorial service for Paul DeVilbiss that was held at the home of his daughter, Christine King and co-hosted by his son, Paul.—Sally DeVilbiss

THANK YOU, church family, for all the prayers and calls during mom’s recent convalescence. -Marilyn Davis.

FROM OUR PARISH NURSE: SUGAR The average American consumes 64 pounds of sugar a year. The average American teenage boy consumes 109 pounds of sugar a year. Sugar is often a hidden ingredient which, while enhancing flavor and promoting food preservation, may lead to Type 2 Diabetes and contribute to metabolic syndrome and

excessive weight gain when consumed in excess. Sugar is empty calories with NO nutritional benefit. Beware of deceptive labeling in that sugar is only listed in the ingredients list and only in decreasing weight order and NOT in percentage of calories. A SHORT list of names for sugar are: fruit juice lactose caramel galactose malt syrups dextrose glucose maltose invert sugar sorghum syrup high fructose corn syrup brown sugar sucralose palm oil 6 healthy sugar alternatives are: Stevia Raw honey Coconut palm oil Molasses Artichoke syrup Lucoma powder (rich in B2 and B1, a powerful immune system booster) Overuse of ANY sweetener overwhelms the liver and turns to fat.

-Submitted by Darlene Botts SOURCE: CSPI (Center For Service In Public Interest).

UPDATE FROM THE CALL COMMITTEE (Scott Freber - Chair) Your Call Committee has been hard at work continuing the steps re-quired to make a permanent Pastor call and completing the district-required Congregational profile. Briefly, this profile is a written narra-tive as to who we are as a Church and what we view as our needs going forward. This will very valuable to prospective permanent pas-tors. Now that we have done that, we are soliciting congregational feedback from a random sample of members via phone or face-to-face interviews. The results will be presented at the State of the Par-ish meeting in early February. I thought it would be helpful to reiterate what I talked about at the

last Congregational meeting regarding the entire matter of pastors for LCOS. The original plan was to find, with the District’s help, an Interim Intentional Pastor (IIP) who would serve 2 basic roles during the interim until we call a new permanent Pastor. The first role was for him to be our vacancy Pastor, conducting worship services, performing all pastoral duties and basically all the functions that a day-to-day Pastor fulfills. The second role was for him to assist the Call Committee in its deliberative pro-cesses to get to the point of calling a new permanent Pastor. Unfortunately such an IIP that fills both these roles was not available so we now will have 2 separate individuals, one for each role. Pastor Les Stano has accepted our call to be our vacancy Pastor and Pastor Art Umbach will assist the Call Committee in its work. Pastor Umbach will not be in residence in Rehoboth Beach the entire time but will be available as your Call Committee requires. In summary then, we now have the benefit of two very capable Pastors who will serve us will during this interim period.

SUNDAY SCHOOL MINUTES Seven Youth from LCOS went to the Masterpiece Youth Rally in Ocean City on January 9th and they had a great time! Youth ministry can play a vital part in the revitalization in the life of a congregation. Mark Cannister, Christian ministries professor at Gordon College, Boston, has written a new book: Teenagers Matter: Making Student Ministry a Priority in the Church (Baker Academic Books). The very first paragraph of the preface makes the case for youth ministry: “Teenagers matter! When teenagers matter, the church comes alive! Teenagers bring life and vitality to nearly every sector of society when they are valued. Have you ever been in a nursing home when a group of teenagers arrive to sing Christmas carols to the residents? The place comes alive. Have you ever wit-nessed teenagers playing with children in an orphanage? The place comes alive. Have you participated in a Youth Sunday when teenagers lead the whole congre-gation in worship? The church comes alive! When they feel valued, young people bring an innate vi-tality to every setting.”

SHROVE TUESDAY PANCAKE SUPPER FEBRUARY 17

TH 430 – 7 PM in the Fellowship Hall hosted by the Sunday School and Christian Ed. The cost for this meal will be $5 per person. Watch the bulletins for more information. Shrove Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) The name "Shrove Tuesday" comes from the word shrive, which means to con-fess and receive absolution. Shrove Tuesday is observed by many Chris-tians, including Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists and Roman Catholics. Tra-

ditionally, Shrove Tuesday was a day of cleansing and penance, but it has evolved into a day to in-dulge in decadent food and drink before the austerity of Lent. Eating the foods that we traditionally eat on Shrove Tuesday (Pancakes with syrup, and sometimes fasnacht (donuts)) offers a perfect oppor-tunity to use up the last of our rich, fatty foods before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season. In German-speaking countries Shrove Tuesday is called Faschingsdienstag (Carnival Tuesday), in French-speaking countries (and New Orleans) it is called Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday), and in Brazil it is

Carnival and is celebrated with parades and big street parties. * Remember to stop in Room 1-2 and make a pinecone bird feeder for the birds!

SOCIAL MINISTRY will be collecting paper products and cleaning supplies for the Im-manuel Shelter located on Oyster House Road. The shelter needs paper towels, hand sanitizer, toilet paper, facial tissues, feminine hygiene products, cough drops, bathroom cleaning spray and disinfecting wipes. Large tubs will be in the Narthex to collect these items on February 8th. For more information, or if you have questions, please contact Linda Crawford at 644-1629.

GREAT JOB LCOS! We are excited to report that at the end of our fiscal year 2014, our income has exceeded our expenses for the first time in the last several years! Also, our average attendance has increased. Your church leadership wants to thank you for your faithfulness in giving and in attending during this time of transition and we encourage that to continue through 2015 as Pastor Stano leads us forward. These results are a testimony that God is with us and will continue to walk with LCOS as we enter a new chapter in our ministry.

Seven youth pictured le� to right standing Wade

Parziale, Ryan Powell , Nate Price, Riley Finnegan,

Enoch Jacobson-Haga, si"ng Sarah Benne$ , Liz-

zie Finnegan, also si"ng chaperone Zach Duvall.

THE BRIDGE GROUP is looking for new members to join them on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Tuesday of each month at 12:30 in the Library. If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Willa Jones.

A GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING You may be asking how you can make a gift to LCOS that keeps on giving and returns to God a portion of what He has generously given to you. The perfect answer is the LCSO Servants All Endowment Fund. The fund uses only the income generated to benefit LCOS. The major portion that you contribute creates a permanent stream of charitable dollars for years to come. The LCOS Endow-ment Fund is placed in high-quality long-term investments. You can contribute to the fund with cash, appreciated stock, IRAs or other assets. If you choose to add to the fund annually, it guarantees that you won’t be scrambling for tax-deductible charitable donations at the end of the year! Perhaps you are planning to make a serious New Year’s Resolution to ‘get your affairs in order’; consider including the Endowment Fund in your Will or Trust. As always, we recom-mend consulting with your Tax Advisor or Tax Attorney. For more information, please contact Louise Dasler, Jack Lynch, or Joan Oeffner. LCEF HISTORY: PAST AND PRESENT Church Extension Fund (CEF) was founded in 1902 when

members of several congregations pooled their funds together and raised $400 for a new church. This sharing of God’s blessings and investing to ex-pand Lutherans’ ability to share the Gospel continues now through Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF), incorporated in 1978. Over 100 years later, LCEF’s primary focus is to provide loan dollars for minis-

tries. Additional ministry resources and services are available to assist organizations to grow their capacity for mission and ministry to the churched and unchurched in their communities. LCEF part-ners with LCMS congregations, seminaries, colleges, universities, elementary and high schools, partner churches around the world, and Recognized Service Organizations (RSOs). Many of these ministries would not be possible without LCEF support. LCEF has a variety of investments to serve the financial needs of individuals, ministry organizations and businesses affiliated with the LCMS, including: term notes, retirement and education IRAs, en-dowments, emergency funds and a Young Investors (Y.I.) Club. These investments provide the funds needed to empower ministries through loans for construction or renovations , to manage cash flow or to upgrade systems or equipment. Rostered church workers also have access to custom loans for housing, debt consolidation, and, for pastors, for education loan repayment. To ensure ministry organizations operate efficiently and in a healthy manner, our expert consultants provide assistance with organizational development, demographics, stewardship, and facilities plan-ning and construction. God has blessed our efforts, and today, LCEF’s assets exceed $1.8 billion. We are thankful for God’s blessings on the ministry of Church Extension and for those who support LCEF with prayers, encouragement and the resources given to them by God. For more information on the LCEF, or if you would like to invest, please contact Nancy Turner at 329-9455 THRIVENT VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR 2014

Congratulations to Karen McDonald for being named the 2014 Volunteer of the Year for our local Thrivent chapter. This award is presented to an indi-vidual in recognition of his or her service to their congregation and their community. Karen volunteers in many ministries at LCOS and in the Reho-

both area, including the ISOP dinners, the Community Resource Center, social ministry activities, the Bread Ministry, and many more. Thank you, Karen, for your servant heart!

HAVE A HEART February: the month devoted to love. Stores are filled with heart-shaped boxes of candy and heart-shaped cards and vases of flowers with heart-shaped gift tags. All this is avail-able for the consumer so that they can find the appropriate expression of their devotion to their loved one. If that expression of love has been preceded by a year of thoughtful and

loving words and deeds, it is welcomed and cherished by the recipient. If not, it is just an empty ritual, done out of duty rather than true devotion. Our relationship to the Lord is similar. He, too, desires our sincere devotion, not empty lip service. “The Lord says: ‘These people come near to Me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me’ ” (Isaiah 29:13). Stewardship is serving, helping, giving, but love is the basis for stewardship. Without love, our good deeds are empty and without merit. The first act of true stewardship is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:5). Jesus called this the most important commandment (Mark 12:29, 30). With that love for the Lord in us, we are enabled to be good stewards. Then we can do acts of good stewardship, acts of true devotion. We are enabled to . . . •“Give generously to Him and do so without a grudging heart” (Deuteronomy 15:10). •“Carefully observe [His decrees and laws] with all your heart and with all your soul” (Deut. 26:16). •“Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality” (Romans 12:13). •“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men” (Colossians 3:23). God, through Ezekiel, promised, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws” (Ezekiel 36:26-27). This promise He has fulfilled in His Son, Jesus, Who has followed His Father’s decrees and kept His laws for us. As we strive to live fruitful lives of stewardship, at the same time, we rest in Christ Who has been the perfect steward for us. God’s work at LCOS is not just a Sunday morning ministry. One only needs to look at our weekly calen-dar to see the wide variety of activities and ministries that take place throughout the week. ALL of these ministries serve God’s people and they need to be supported by the financial resources of ALL our mem-bers to the best of their abilities. Many thanks go out to those (98 to date) who have made their 2015 pledges. If you have not made your financial pledge for 2015, please pray about this matter and let your heart respond to the love of God and His Son Jesus Christ.

LOL Women’s Ministry News (Ladies of LCOS)

LCOS Book Club News The weather put a damper on our January meeting, but we encourage you to join us on February 23 for a discussion of Proof of Heaven by Eben Alexander, led by Jim & Karen McDonald. The book is written by a neurosurgeon and is his case for the afterlife. He suf-fered a rare illness that put him in a coma. His recovery is a medical miracle but also a spiritual one. He describes his encounter with what he believes was God and how he

came to faith and belief in the afterlife. We will meet at 4:30pm – all are welcome to join us! Women’s Bible Study We have begun our study of the book of Psalms, and there’s still room for you to join in! We gather on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of each month for about an hour to study God’s Word and to share time together as women of LCOS. New members are always welcome at any time. February’s dates are the 3rd and the 17th. Prayer Shawl Ministry Join us on Tuesday, January 10 at 9:30am for our Prayer Shawl meeting. Perhaps you’ve always wanted to learn to crochet or knit, but never did? Here’s your chance! Or, just come and share in our devotion time and fellowship with our group. You’re al-ways welcome to attend.

ADULT BIBLE STUDY Sundays at 9:45am in the church library, our Adult Sunday School meets. We are currently discussing the Gospel of Mark, which will continue until February 15. Beginning February 22, we will be working through a series called “The Parables of Lent”, which will correspond to the Wednesday night Lent services. Everyone is welcome to attend, we have a lively time of discussion and learning each week! Comments from the LCOS Prayer Event Thanks to all who participated in the time of prayer for the call process. Here are some comments and thoughts from our members: -We must look up to the Lord. He will lead us to the final decision. He alone created all things and is our greatest help. He will lead us through this call process and though we may seek and receive help from other sources, we must ultimately trust in Him. He already has our answer. -We must assume a leadership role and stand firm together. We cannot let the congregations' impa-tience and grumblings force us into a quick or thoughtless decision. The Lord's will shall be done, but we must be willing to trust Him and the process, even if the way seems long and the people complain. -The Lord knows our needs as a congregation, and He is already preparing that person for our service. When the time comes for us to begin interviewing we must not let impressive credentials and outward ap-pearances impair our judgment. We must trust that God will allow us to see the true character of the can-didates and enable us to feel the presence of the Holy Spirit. He will lead us to our final choice, just as He led Samuel to anoint David. -For the call process to work, we must trust in God's guidance, wisdom and infinite love that He will help us choose wisely and his will for us will be done. -“The Lord does not see as mortals see - he looks at the heart not the outward appearance.” This is an example set by Jesus in his time on earth which we should all follow in our daily lives. It will be especially important that the Call Committee and all members of LCOS adhere to this manner of “seeing” as poten-tial pastoral candidates are interviewed and when congregational consensus is requested. A prayer for the congregation: Dear God, we are an impatient people; wanting things the way we want them and right now. We find it hard to let go and let God. We need to be constantly reminded that it’s God’s will, not our will that is most important. We need to confess our sins of impatience and self-centeredness and accept with strong faith that God has already chosen the next pastor to guide His people at LCOS. Help us Lord God to hear your voice and follow your will this day and every day of our lives. Amen.

WHY DO WE DO THAT? Why do we worship the way we do at LCOS? Why do we pray the prayers we pray, repeat the creeds we recite, work through the liturgy, and sing the songs we sing? All of the elements of our Sunday services replicate acts of worship found in Scripture and in the historical development of the Christian Church. Seeing what we do in this light

can help us see our traditions as more than “we’ve always done it that way.” Instead, we can see that the Church has been “doing it that way” for a sacred reason for a long time. Each month in 2015, we will explain a portion of our worship service. When you understand the “why”, hopefully it will add a new level of meaning to the often repeated words and give you a renewed sense of peace and connectedness with God when you participate in worship. Kyrie, Hymn of Praise, Salutation & Prayer of the Day (Collect) As we move toward the reading of Scripture, we join with all believers through the ages, in heaven and on earth and ask the Lord for mercy. The Kyrie is the first prayer of the gathered congregation. It is a cry for mercy that our Lord and King hear us and help us in our needs and troubles. The word Kyrie is a short-ened form of the Greek words Kyrie Eleison, which mean “Lord, have mercy”. “In peace let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy”.

Confident that the Lord is merciful, we join in singing the Hymn of Praise. There are two versions commonly used at LCOS. The first is based on Luke 2:14 and John 1:29, “Glory to God in the high-est, and peace to His people on earth.” In this hymn, Christmas is celebrated all year long and we are invited to go along with the shepherds and see Jesus in the Scripture readings that follow. The second, “This is the feast of victory for our God, Alleluia” celebrates the victory Jesus won over death and the grave through His resurrection on Easter. It is based on Revelation 5:12-13 and 19:5-9. The Salutation is a special greeting between the congregation and its pastor. The salutation an-nounces the Lord’s coming to us in the readings that follow and makes us aware that important things are about to happen. “The Lord be with you. And also with you.” (taken from 2 Timothy 4:22) The prayer or collect of the day “collects” in a concise manner the Gospel message for the day. Most of these prayers have been in use in the Church for more than 1500 years. In the collect, we join with the whole body of believers, the communion of saints, and with generations yet to come. The congregation declares, “amen”, stating that what has been said is true and worthy of agreement. ABOUT ASH WEDNESDAY Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the penitential season of Lent. The primary ob-servance on Ash Wednesday is the Imposition of Ashes in which the pastor makes the sign of the cross on your forehead in ashes and says, “Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return.” These words are an echo of what was said to Adam and Eve when they were cast out of the Garden of Eden and are meant to remind us of our mortality. The ashes that pastors use on Ash Wednesday usually come from the remains of burned palms that were blessed on the previous year’s Palm Sunday. They symbolize death, mortality and sorrow for sin. The marking of ashes on foreheads in form of a cross also symbolizes that sins are forgiven through Jesus’ death and resurrection. The first record we have of the observation of Ash Wednesday is from about 1,000 years ago when Anglo-Saxon abbot, Ælfric of Eynsham, suggested that one pour ashes on their body as a visible sign of their grief and sin and need for repentance. The Bible does not mention Ash Wednesday, however, the practice of repentance and mourning in ashes is found in many passages: 2 Samuel 13:19: But Tamar put ashes on her head, and tore the long robe that she was wearing; she put her hand on her head, and went away, crying aloud as she went. Esther 4:1: When Mordecai learned all that had been done, Mordecai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went through the city, wailing with a loud and bitter cry. Job 2:8: Job took a potsherd with which to scrape himself, and sat among the ashes. Daniel 9:3: Then I turned to the Lord God, to seek an answer by prayer and supplication with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. Matthew 11:21: ‘Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ash. The Revised Common Lectionary Gospel reading for Ash Wednesday is Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21, and it speaks about not being demonstrative in your piety: “And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites; for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” The ashes on our foreheads, however, are not a boastful sign that we are penitent, but rather a witness to the fact that we could all benefit from salvation. Every time you look in the mirror on Ash Wednesday, you will see that cross and be reminded of that. Perhaps others who see the mark will also be remindedU

Prayer Ministry Thanks to those who partici-pated in our prayer workshop on January 24. February marks the beginning of sever-

al prayer initiatives at LCOS. Please consider where you can join in this important ministry for the spiritual life of the congregation and its mem-bers. 1) Monday Mid-Day Prayer: Mondays at 12pm we will gather for a brief litany and a time of group and individual prayer. Prayer requests will be gathered from the congregation on Sundays and prayed over at this service. We will also pray for each member of our congregation, as well as the churches in our area and circuit. The service will last no more than 30 minutes and will be an infor-mal setting. Services will begin on February 2. 2) Email Prayer Chain: Receive urgent prayer requests via email. The request will be listed along with a brief prayer. Your email will not be visible to anyone and you can opt out of receiving the requests at any time. Sign up using the form in your mailbox or by contacting Sister Deb at lcosdeac@gmail.com. 3) Telephone Prayer Chain: Receive urgent prayer requests via telephone. The request will be called in to you, then you are responsible for call-ing the next person on your chain (a list will be provided to you). This ministry already exists at LCOS – we are looking for more members to form new chains and requests are to be called in to the church office or Sister Deb to activate the prayer chains. Sign up using the form in your mailbox or by contacting Sister Deb at lcosdeac@gmail.com or 227-3066. 4) Small group Bible study on prayer: A 6-session study called “When God’s People Pray” to be held at a time that is convenient for the majority who are interested. Sign up using the form in your mailbox or by contacting Sister Deb at 227-3066 or at lcosdeac@gmail.com with the time/times you could participate: Mondays at 10am, Mondays at 6:30pm, or Thursdays at 10am. The study will begin the week of February 22. Please fill out the form in your mailbox to sign up for any or all of these prayer opportunities. Of course, please keep LCOS and the call process in your personal prayers as well.

LCOS SHEPHERDS MINISTRY Do you have a heart for people? Are you looking for a way to get involved at LCOS on a deeper level? Have you been told you're a good listener or have the gift of compassion and caring? Consider volunteering for the Shepherds Ministry. Our goal is for each member of LCOS to have a shepherd. This means we need approximately 25 shepherds. We currently have 10 individuals serving, so obviously we need more. We ask that if you feel called to this type of ministry, get in touch with one of the people listed and ask for more information. You will be asked to enter into a one year, renewable covenant, signed by you, the elders, and the pastoral staff, demonstrating your commitment to the minis-try. A detailed description of shepherd duties and the covenant is available from Barbara Morris, Darlene Botts, or Sister Deb. Contact information can be found in the church direc-tory. We also ask the members of the congre-gation to be patient with the process - not everyone will have a shepherd right away un-til we get our full complement of volunteers. Rest assured that the pastoral staff and el-ders are always here if there is a concern or crisis. Shepherds can be male or female, even some couples are serving as shep-herds. Please pray about this opportunity and see where God leads you.

Those Who Serve - February 2015

Recovery Margaret Pearson Suzanne Sanford Debbi Combs Kurt Fetterman Angelo Delapo Kathleen Mirarchi Amanda Williams Harry "Bud" Blanchard Cathy Spross Kyle Hamm Duke Slusser Marge Dutt Evelyn Long Joe Eibling Tom Olsen Edward Fleming Barbara Kuntz Jim McDonald Al Snapp Keri Davis Gloria Jacobson John Walsh May Powell Cancer Bob Kardash George Hutzelman Jane Richter

Fred Oeffner Brooke Steinle Candy Todd Jean Kiefer Josh Lord Moe Lewis Francis Heck III John Fierick Frank Neimzack John Malkus Ron Pokoyski Armed Forces Brian Akerstrom Richard Ashton Robert Ashton Brandon Bartlett Ryan Botts Taylor Botts Robert Canario Freddi Foster Fred Gellert John Gellert Kyle Hamm Christopher Howard Levi Jacobson-Haga Matthew Hubbard Brad Leary Davonte Lilly

Dan Lorenz Franklin Messick Shawn Morgan Matthew Murray Tessa Myers Justin Webb Shut-ins Melly & Linus Adams Jean Bitting Fred & Kris Dorka Deanna Haines Ron Johnson Mike & Eleanor Kar-dash Betty Lou Cassell Nancy Friedl Carole Garwood

February’s Prayer Calls February’s Baptismal

Birthdays Vicki Miller,

Brooke Steinle, Terry Flores,

Riley Finnegan, Elizabeth McClain,

Bernie Nelson, Herman Johnson,

Marilyn Deckmann, Nancy Cox,

Ethan Lennox, Karl Zoric,

Phyllis Parker, Linda Thomas,

Anna Wolf, Joe Eibling,

Barbara Freeman, Wynn Freeman,

Karen Fricia, Ken Palmer,

Teresa Paulsen

Readers Worship Assistants

Feb-01 8:00 Bernie Nelson Feb-01 8:00 Lou Jones & Barbara Morris 9:45 Jim McDonald 9:45 Gwen & Tom Harden 11:15 Kimberly Skelly Feb-08 11:15 Mel Ettinger & Larry Purdy

Feb-08 8:00 Darlene Botts Feb-15 8:00 Deb Lennox & Darlene Botts 9:45 High School 9:45 Jim & Marge Kunkle 11:15 Linda Gonder Feb-22 11:15 Marge Kunkle & Ken Palmer

Feb-15 8:00 Barbara Morris

9:45 Bill Martin Altar Care

11:15 Marcia Pokoyski Feb-01 Hester Chinchar Feb-22 8:00 Shirley Fleegle Feb-08 Marcia Pokoyski

9:45 Hilary Nelson Feb-15 Darlene Botts 11:15 Nancy Turner Feb-18 Al & Kathy Verratti

Feb-22 Elaine Glisson

Crucifers

Feb-01 11:15 Pat Campbell-White

Feb-08 8:00 Jan Effinger

Feb-15 11:15 Marcia Pokoyski

Feb-22 8:00 Pat Campbell-White

Acolyte

Feb-01 Enoch Jacobson-Haga Feb-08 Colby Skelly Feb-15 Riley Finnegan Feb-22 Conor Tomlin