Blog – Page 12 – St. Philip Lutheran Church

The Wilderness of Lent

Post author By Alice Lebow
Post date February 26, 2020

Lent is a season of the church year that begins on Ash Wednesday and culminates on Good Friday where we remember the crucifixion of our savior, Jesus Christ. Lent is an important time in the church year, because it’s a time set apart for us to acknowledge our sinfulness and all that draws us from God while at the same time, giving thanks for the immense love, mercy, and faithfulness of God displayed in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

As we celebrate the season of Lent this year at St. Philip, we will be embracing the theme of wilderness. Lent begins in the wilderness. The Spirit guides Jesus into the wilderness where he comes face to face with temptation and struggle. Yet, in his forty days of fasting, resisting, and wandering, Jesus is shaped and formed for ministry. Similarly, through the wilderness of Lent, we are invited to surrender to the wild leadings of the Spirit. We rarely enter the wilderness willingly, but hopefully through our wandering we remember who we are and whose we are.

There is no wilderness space too harsh or threatening for God’s love. This Lent, we welcome you to the journey. We pray that your Lenten journey through the wilderness will be holy, enriching, and draw you more deeply into relationship with God.

News

Holy Week Schedule

Post author By Alice Lebow
Post date February 26, 2020

Palm Sunday, April 5, 8:30a.m. & 11:00a.m.

This worship begins as the congregation gathers in front of the church (weather permitting) with the Procession of Palms, remembering the triumphal entry of Jesus into the city of Jerusalem.

Maundy Thursday, April 9, 2020 – 6:00p.m.

Gather in the fellowship hall for wine, cheese, and hors d’oeuvres. This night remember the disciples gathered in the upper room for Passover and the Last Supper. After the meal, move to the sanctuary for Holy Communion and the Stripping of the Altar.

Good Friday, April 10, 2020 – 7:00p.m.

Gather in the sanctuary for the service of Tenebrae which means darkness. This service involves the reading of the Passion Story and the extinguishing of candles to remember our Lord’s suffering and death, as well as the disciples’ denial and flight.

Easter Sunday, April 12

Easter Sunrise Service, 7:00 a.m. at the Outdoor Chapel

Easter Festival Service 8:30 a.m. & 11:00a.m.

Easter Breakfast, 9:45 a.m.

Worship Assistants

March 2020 Worship Servers

Post author By Alice Lebow
Post date February 26, 2020

March-2020-Servers Download

Congregational Life

Mid-Week Lenten Worship Services

Post author By Alice Lebow
Post date February 19, 2020

Fear is a formidable force. It has power to shape responses, to color conversations, to create barriers, and to form not only individuals but whole communities. Fear is formidable yet not ultimate. Fear left solely in the hands of humanity may actually have enough power to make a world defined by itself.

BUT God, God in Christ Jesus of the cross demonstrates and gifts love in such a perfect way that fear can be relegated to a place of inconsequence. Love then, and particularly God’s love then is the defining character of response, conversation, people, and communities. Fear is formidable, God’s perfect love is ultimate.

Explore on each Wednesday of Lent how this promise comes to be with a soup/salad meal at 6:00pm and worship at 7:00pm (except for Ash Wednesday). See below for the location each week.

February 26, 2020, Ash Wednesday Worship, St. Philip Lutheran Church

March 4, 2020, Trinity Lutheran Church, Rev. James Davis

March 11, 2020, Glade Creek Lutheran Church, Rev. Laura Dunklin

March 18, 2020, St. Philip Lutheran Church, Rev. John McCandlish

March 25, 2020, St. Timothy Lutheran Church, Rev. James Armentrout

April 1, 2020, St. Mark Lutheran Church, Rev. Ken Lane

Worship Assistants

Help Wanted: Worship Assistants

Post author By Alice Lebow
Post date January 29, 2020

Worship is central to who we are as people of God. We gather together each week to give thanks and praise to God for God’s love and faithfulness to us. We Hear God’s word proclaimed and receive the gift of Holy Communion. Worship assistants are an important part of our worship life here at St. Philip, and we are so grateful for all those who serve.

Worship assistant roles include: acolyte, reader, sound board assistant, clicker, usher, communion assistant and altar guild. Each of these roles are essential to our worship life together and we need people to serve in those roles. If you are interested in serving in any of these roles, please let our coordinators know. The worship assistant coordinator for the 8:30 service is Carol Dillman, for the 11:00 service Mary Jo Sahm, and Liz Leonard for the altar guild. Thank you for your consideration and your willingness to support the worship life of our congregation.

Ministries

Celebrate My Life Events

Post author By Alice Lebow
Post date January 29, 2020

Life is a beautiful gift, one that we treasure deeply. St. Philip is hosting a three-part event to learn more about how we can celebrate life as aging adults. In March, there will be three sessions covering many important aspects of caring for elderly adults, including hospice care, legal processes, funeral planning, and legacy gift giving. These sessions will be held on March 1, March 15, and March 29. Each session will follow the 11:00 service on Sundays and include a light lunch. Please RSVP to the church office if you would like to attend these informative sessions! If you have questions, please see Pastor Laura.

Ministries

Anti-Scamming Seminar

Post author By Alice Lebow
Post date January 29, 2020

In recent years, there has been an unfortunate increase in scamming attempts. It is important to understand what these scams can look like and how to avoid becoming a victim of scams. On February 15 from 12pm-3pm for a seminar and light lunch will be will be hosted by the League of Older Americans and St. Philip Lutheran. Lunch will be provided through a Thrivent Action Team. Please RSVP for this free event to the church office by February 9. All are welcome to join – invite your friends and neighbors so that we can all be better equipped.

News

Open Doors – Digital Worship Experience

Post author By Alice Lebow
Post date January 29, 2020

Open Doors has lift off! On January 8 St. Philip launched an interactive digital worship experience. It was a grand experience both for us as hosts and those who participated. One participant was a neighbor close by whose church home is some distance away. We were reminded of the incredible accessibility of this format.

Our mission together as disciples is to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ to the world. The digital worship service is a recording of our Sunday worship service in an online interactive online format. Pastor Laura and Pastor David will host a chat for faith conversation and answer prayer requests as viewers converse and worship together.

Research suggests that a significant portion of the population is either apathetic to Christianity and practices of faith or even distrustful about conversation with people of faith about the faith.

YOU CAN HELP! We very much want to explore every avenue possible to publicize Open Doors. You can share the Facebook Event that communicates the next service. You can direct co-workers or acquaintances who are not quite sure about church or Christianity by directing them to the St. Philip website. You can send an email with the link below and an invitation to come and see. The service can be accessed at https://stphiliplutheran.churchonline.org