SIERRA LUTHERAN CHURCH

NEWSLETTER
APRIL 2012 PRESIDENTS MESSAGE
The Lost Key Several weeks ago I joined my Tuesday Bible group in the church work room at 6 am. I know, it is early, but it works. I unlocked the office door, made coffee and was shortly joined by Dave and Edwin. When we finished I locked up and thought I put the key and chain back in my jacket pocket. I was wearing my favorite blue fuzzy jacket which iS not only warm, but very soft. When I go home I reached into my jacket pocket for the key so I could return it to the locker. It was not there. I checked my jeans and shirt pockets. Not there. I checked again in my jacket pockets. Nothing. I went to my car and searched around the seats and floor. The key was lost. I went back into the house and asked Fran if I could have laid the key down somewhere else. She searched the house, as well as my jacket pockets. She could not find it. I went back to the church and looked everywhere that I had been. It was still lost. I rechecked my pockets nada. Over the next week I wore my jacket almost every day and each time I put it on, I carefully felt for the key, thinking it may have gotten stuck in the lining. Fran also checked that jacket several more times. I was positive the key was not in my jacket. I was convinced that it was really lost and the more I thought about it, the more worried I got. I was the responsible party for that key. It unlocked the business office, the class rooms, the narthex, the kitchen, the rest rooms everything! And I lost it! I was frazzled! I was distressed! I borrowed Frans key for the following Tuesday mornings Bible study. As I sat down at the table in the work room, I put my hand in the jacket pocket and, you guessed it. The key and chain were right there, sitting in the bottom of the pocket. No searching was necessary. When I told Fran about finding it, she said that she was certain the key had not been in the pocket during the numerous times she checked for it. So just how did the key get back in my pocket?
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The incident made me think about God looking out for all of us, when we are lost and confused about an issue. The more we try to solve the problem by ourselves, the more frazzled and useless our thoughts become. By finding the key back in my pocket I heard God telling me; Dont try to solve problems all by yourself Trust in Me. For me, finding the key in my pocket was a true miracle. I do not know how it got back, and I do not care. The true miracle was the message that I got from God: Trust in Me. Thank you Lord, for everything you do for us.

Jerry Garwick Your Brother in Christ

From the Administrator:

In case you were unaware, our church was once again host to the Sierra High School hosted Choral Festival this past month. We had 800+ students from our own Sierra High as well as several valley schools participate in a non-competitive festival designed to help students learn and grow in their respective areas of vocal groups. Although it rained on the first of 2 days, the festival was a success! We are blessed to have this annual event on our campus! Personally, John and I had the privilege of taking a vacation to Mazatlan the same week as the festival. We had many great experiences and saw cultures and communities in another area of Gods creation. We went to church on the Sunday we were there and enjoyed an awesome service in a church that is so focused on serving outside their own body. It reminded me of our own church family! As we traveled around the area, we saw many churches and cathedrals. Because of the richness of the cultural experience and beauty of the structures, I wanted to share a bit of it with you. Im including a few photos for you to enjoy. In His Service, Lori

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YOUTH DINNERS
Monday Night Youth Dinners are still cruisin' along! We are in need of paper goods (plates, cups, plastic utensils) if anyone would like to donate a stack or box. We are all very grateful to all who support us! Thank you sooo much! Tami Wright

HOPE & JOY

Join the ladies of Hope and Joy when they meet, at the church, Saturday April 14, at 12 noon for a potluck luncheon and bible study. Bible study will be Ruth 1 and 2. Mary Ann Price is the hostess...Please call Mary Ann and let her know if you will attend...8556392. Outreach for April is a bake sale Sunday April 1st to raise funds for the July 2012 Vacation Bible Study. Please support this worthy cause.

Choir Updates
Choir Rehearsals are held on Tuesday evening at 7 pm in the Sanctuary. Our rehearsals will continue into May when we will pause for the summertime. We will resume rehearsals in September. The Choir will sing with CD accompaniment for Palm Sunday, Holy Week and Easter. Our new accompanist is Fatima Martin and was recommended to us by Bruce Weinberger. Fatima is very talented and will be a great addition to our choir Music. Unfortunately, she did not get her music in enough time to accompany us for Holy Week & Easter. Please join us on Tuesday evening for a onehour rehearsal, fun & friendship. See you at 7 pm!

Fran Garwick

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SUNDAY SCHOOL (3RD 6TH GRADE)

On Sunday- April 29th (a one service Sunday) myself and the young men in our SS class will be giving the message at church. We have been studying the Old Testament, starting with Genesis and have been concentrating lately on the Ten Commandments as given to Moses who was leading the Israelites while wondering in the desert looking for the Promised Land. The boys have also come up with some commandments that would help in the everyday life of young people their age and would like to share those with the Congregation. Hope to see you there- David Bookwalter and Becki La Voy-Jordan, Sunday School Teachers

Coming Soon To SLC

Vacation Bible School

AND WE NEED YOU!!!!!!
How can you help? PLEASE Support Hope & Joys Bake Sale Sunday April 1 (Proceeds support VBS) We need you to help the week of VBS! (Join us at our first meeting for VBS dates.) VBS has many different stations to work around your special talent. Cant work we will always take donations! PLEASE ATTEND OUR FIRST VBS MEETING April 30 at 4:30 pm

In Gods Grace, Cathy

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Easter Greetings from the Outreach Team Ministry - Christ has Risen! He has Risen indeed!!!
The Outreach Team Ministry has now officially had two meetings! Each meeting has been blessed with wonderful fellowship and prayer. The best part is the action and idea sharing that has resulted from the team's prayers. I am very grateful for the ladies on this team and shout out a BIG thank you to each and every one. We are always looking for new "official" members and encourage you to consider how you too could join this important and fun ministry. We are happy to report that the Wood Ministry Team has been working hard to gather wood for people in need, but we are also happy to report that this team has taken the measures necessary to ensure that the wood is safely stored so that the people who really need the wood are the ones who get it. If you need wood or know of someone in need contact the church office and the office staff will take it from there! The wood is no longer stored at the church property for safety reasons. Along with the needs of the Wood Ministry we are in the process of finding ways to help the Senior Center with the increased costs they are soon to experience. Starting in June they will owe the school district for their share of electricity costs. They did not have to pay this before, but with the super tight budget the district is trying to cut costs wherever they can. We are planning our first Outreach FUN EVENT by getting as many church members and friends to attend their dinner and Bingo Night on Sat. April 7th. Dinner is served from 5-6:30 p.m. and Bingo starts at 7 p.m. Some may want to just come for dinner or just come for Bingo, but some of us wild party people may want to stay for both events! You get to decide, but try to come out that evening! What a great way to show support and have fun at the same time! Call Lynda Qualls at 855-2686 if you plan to attend. It is the night before Easter but what a nice way to relax before all the family comes! Speaking of Easter, the Outreach Team pitched in to provide egg dye and plastic eggs for the children of the families coming to the Food Bank. These "extras" were given out on March 28th along with an invitation to come to Easter Service! Every act of kindness is noticed by the Lord. As always I encourage each of you reading this to find ways to reach out to people in need wherever you see them. See how many people you can serve in this season of Lent. April 7th will be busy for me, but I still plan to attend the fund raiser at the Senior Center that night. I am already preparing for the 33rd annual Qualls Easter Egg Hunt which is also on April 7th at our home on Qualls-Prather Rd. Everyone is invited to attend this fun family event. Arrive around 10:45 ready to participate in various relay races. Bring a picnic for your family plus one dozen eggs to hide per hunter, along with a basket or bag to collect those eggs. The Easter Bunny will make his appearance and all hunters will win prizes. Feel free to invite friends, neighbors, family, or house guests. This is a wonderful outreach tradition that has given years of memories to literally dozens and dozens of families in this foothill community. Don't forget your cameras too. Everyone wants to get their photo taken with the Easter Bunny, even me!! The Outreach Team is reaching out to the elders and children of our community but we also have a plan to serve dinner to our youth on Monday, April 16th. Each member is bringing a part of the meal. We all believe that serving and sharing starts right here at Sierra Lutheran so our project for April is feeding our youth and letting them know we care about them. We are so proud of how Tami Wright has taken on this role of feeding the youth on Monday nights and mentoring our young people along with Robert and Sam Dupree. Great things are happening here at Sierra Lutheran. If you want to join in this growing ministry come to our next meeting at 3:30 on Monday, April 30th in the church office. We welcome each new member with open arms. Lynda Qualls

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Keep You Fire Burning Ministry

The Keep Your Fire Burning Ministry is cutting firewood for this season and next season. If you need firewood to make it through the winter, please contact the church office. Several of us met and cut 2.5 cords of live oak at John and Joyce Valesquez place. The snow storm knocked several trees down all over their property. Thanks John. This wood was green, so we are curing it for next winter. Do you have trees that need to be cleaned up? We are planning a woodcut on April 14 on some property on Black Mountain. We need people to load the trucks or run the log splitter. Please join us for fellowship and a little hard work. If you want to help in this ministry by donating your downed trees or helping on a wood cut, please contact Alan Gallegos at 855-3951. Yours In Christ Alan Gallegos

KITCHEN CORNER
The kitchen has been busy helping with this and that. We did a couple of grab and run meals for the Sunday services. We have helped with the Lenten Wednesday services. If you have not been at the services you have missed some real great soups and services. To those of you who have been bringing the soups, we do thank you for being a part of our family gatherings. Pastor John said in the Newsletter of April 2011Fight for unity its our best defense against the enemy, and its our greatest testimony to the LOVE OF CHRIST in a world that is so polarized and divided. So, let us fly united and enjoy the ride! WE WISH YOU ALL A HAPPY EASTER Shirley Markus PS: REMEMBER TO BE A PART OF THE PICK A PARTIES. Give a party or sign up to go to these events. You will enjoy having fun with people that you have not had time to say more then hello or good by to on Sundays.

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Health Matters by Fran Garwick, NP-C

My wonderful husband and I went on a ski trip to Utah with some friends a few weeks ago. We had a great time and stayed in a very Bistro-type modern house, no drapes, curtains or carpeting. Lots of shiny surfaces! After 24 hours, I discovered a new rule for travel, one that may rise to the top of my trip list. There were 6 men and 5 women on the trip, all between the ages of 45 to 75 years old. I noticed that the severely modern designer touches of the house caused each guy to talk louder and louder when having friendly discussions. The hard, shiny surfaces in the house bounced the sound around so they had to raise the voices to be heard! So, I made a tentative diagnosis: the men probably had some level hearing loss! What are the symptoms of hearing loss? WebMD lists some of the symptoms:

Trouble understanding phone conversations Trouble hearing above background noise

Trouble following a conversation when more than one person speaks at once Perception that people are not speaking clearly or mumbling Often misunderstanding what people say and responding inappropriately Often having to ask people to repeat themselves Frequent complaints by others that the TV is too loud Ringing, roaring, or hissing sounds in the ears, known as tinnitus

What are the causes of hearing loss? No matter what your age, earwax in the ear canals can cause hearing loss because sound may not be getting to the ear drum. Instead of putting Q-tips in your ears, get your ears checked out by your care provider. Noise exposure caused by machinery, ear buds & headphones, rock concerts, jet takeoff, gunshots and hair dryers can damage the structures of the inner ear, the tiny hair cells that line the cochlea. Unfortunately, some people are born with a hearing loss. Other causes are trauma, drugs, viral infections, tumors, acoustic neuromas, Menieres disease and chemotherapeutic agents. Types of hearing loss? As you can imagine, hearing loss can be mild, moderate, severe or profound. Mild means you can talk to an individual but harder to hear with background noise (restaurants, parties, etc). Moderate means you ask people to repeat themselves either in person or on the phone. Severe means you cant participate in conversations without a hearing aid. Profound means you cant hear other people speaking without a hearing aid or implant. The real problem: increased isolation. The problem with hearing loss is the person becomes increasingly isolated. Those of us who live in the foothills are somewhat isolated from larger communities. Aging often changes participation in activities, meeting with friends all of which can lead to other problems. So, if you value your family and friends, get your hearing checked and see if you have a hearing loss. Rule: What's my new rule for travel? Make certain all the people in your group have good hearing OR make sure the destination has drapes, carpet and other sound-absorbing touches. Call me if you have any questions: my home is 323-6603, cell 765-7364.

HOW CAN WE HELP OUR COMMUNITY?

One way is to Support our Senior Center! Bingo/Dinners: They will be on the first Saturday of the month from now until September when it will be on the 2nd Saturday because of labor day. Dinner is from 5 - 6:30 @ $7 per person, and they usually out do themselves on dinners. Bingo starts @ 7 and usually goes until 10. Our pots run around $35 and we also have a hotball and blackout which is worth $150, as long as we have an average turnout. April's dinner will be Aunt Tillie's indian tacos...yummy! Join the association for a $20.00 per person annual membership fee, or $30.00 for a 2-person household. Regular members must be 50 years or older; associate members are anyone under 50.

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ATTENTION ALL SCRABBLE LOVERS!!!

A small group of us at Sierra Lutheran have discovered that we love to play Scrabble, so we thought we would try a once-a- month Scrabble get together starting this April 20th at Lynda Qualls' home on Qualls-Prather Rd. We will meet at 1p.m. and play to approximately 3 p.m. This is a "just for fun" group. No real experience or expertise is needed. After all, it all depends on the letters that are drawn. If you are interested, call Lynda at 855-2686 or talk to her at chruch. The more the merrie!!. Refreshments will be provided. Those in attendance can help to decide when and where the next games will be played. All ages welcome! Should be a lot of fun! Thinking of tiles, give me a J E S U S!! What does that spell out? JESUS!!!

The Transition Team has completed their duties and presented a slate of recommendations to the council for our new Administrative and Elder Boards as described in our new constitution. Youll be hearing more about this from the council. I wanted to share a personal note.I want to thank you for allowing me the honor and privilege of being a part of this team. Those that I served with were exceptional in our groups corporate desire to put God first as we made our way through the process. We interviewed all applicants and it was such a wonderful experience to spend time with each one of them as they shared Gods call on them to serve. As this chapter closes, I just wanted say THANK YOU! Your Sister in Christ, Lori

DID YOU KNOW?

Palm Sunday is the beginning of Holy Week. We have spent 40 days in Lent, preparing ourselves physically and mentally for the celebration of Christ's redemption. On this day, Christ set his face toward his holy city, knowing that within the week, it would be finished. During Holy Week, we observe not only the Sundays, but the entire week-long event of Christ's passion. We see him parade into the city amidst the cries of "Hosanna to the Son of David!" and "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!", knowing that in just a few days, those cries would change to "Give us Barabbas!" and "Crucify Him!" During this week, we watch as his people betray him, his apostles abandon him, his own temple defies him and falsely convicts him of crimes, and turn him over to the Romans for crucifixion and death, all to atone for our sins and to redeem us from death and the devil. Palm Sunday is the festival that begins this week-long drama that climaxes in humiliation and defeat, but culminates in victory and life. Like the 40-day cycle of Lent, Holy Week prepares us for the celebration of Easter.
(Written by a Lutheran Pastor from the LCMS) Page 8 of 10

April 2012 Worship Assistants April 1

Altar Guild Greeters 8:30am 11:00am Ushers 8:30am Shelley Pam & Joyce R. Stan Dave & Joni & Fern Stan Chris David B ---Shelley Shelley

April 8

Easter Sunday
Shelley/Susan Alan & Sue Jerry & Fran Chris & Bob & Edwin Jerry & Fran Nordine David J ---Sam Shelley John & Lori & Fern Fran Yes

April 15
Shelley Gloria & Fern T. George Jerry & Fran & Joyce R T. George Pam Stan ??? Sam Shelley

April 22
Shelley/Susan Chris & Bob David & Becky Alan & Sue & Chris David & Becky Jennifer Jeanie ---Sam Shelley Dave & Chris & Joyce R T. George Yes

April 29
Shelley

One Service Sunday

David & Jeanie one service @ 8:30am Joyce & John & David B. (offering) --Lori --??? Sam/Shelley

11:00 am Readers Gods Word Computer Communion Assistants 8:30am 11:00 am 8:30am 8:30am 11:00am 8:30am 11:00 am Prayer Stations 8:30am

If you are unable to serve when scheduled please ask one of the other assistants to trade dates or provide a substitution for you, and notify Worship Coordinator Shelley Telles (855-5703) of the change.
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~ April 2012 ~
Sun 1
PALM SUNDAY

Mon 2 3

Tue 4
6:00am-Mens Bible StudySimpson 12:30pm-Womens Group-Karp & Sanders 7:00pm-Life Group- Bookwalter (Jumps) BIRTHDAY- Ron Zindars

Wed 5
12:00 noon-Mens Prayer meeting-Big Ds 5:30pm-Worship Committee meeting 7:00pm-Life Group-Pape 7-8:00pm-Beginning Guitar T. George

Thu
MAUNDY THURS. 6:30AM-Youth Bible Study (Boys)-Youth Rm 6:30pm-Praise TeamSanctuary 7:00pm-Maundy Service 7:00pm-AA Meeting-Rm.2

Fri 6
GOOD FRIDAY 7:00pm-Good Friday Service

Sat 7

3:15-7:30pm-Free Falling 8:30am-Celebration Service (Middle & Senior High 10:00am-All Church Sunday Ministry) School 5:15pm Youth Dinner 10:00am-Life Group-Velasquez 7:00pm-AA Meeting Rm.2 11:00am-Heritage Service

EASTER SUNDAY 8:30am-Celebration Service 10:00am-All Church Sunday School 10:00am-Life Group-Velasquez 11:00am-Heritage Service BIRTHDAYS Fern Martin Shelley Telles

9
3:15-7:30pm-Free Falling (Middle & Senior High Ministry) 5:15pm Youth Dinner 6:00pm-Team Leader Meeting 7:00pm-AA Meeting Rm.2

10

11

12
6:30AM-Youth Bible Study (Boys)-Youth Rm 6:30pm-Praise TeamSanctuary 7:00pm-AA Meeting-Rm.2

13

14
9:00am-Joseph Store House 9:00am-Clothes Closet 12:00 noon-Hope & JoyMary Ann Price-Church BIRTHDAYMichelle Stevens

6:00am-Mens Bible Study12:00 noon-Mens Prayer Simpson meeting-Big Ds 12:30pm-Womens Group-Karp 7:00pm-Life Group-Pape & Sanders 7:00pm-Life Group- Bookwalter (Jumps) BIRTHDAYPam Amundsen

15
8:30am-Celebration Service 10:00am-All Church Sunday School 10:00am-Life Group-Velasquez 11:00am-Heritage Service

16
3:15-7:30pm-Free Falling (Middle & Senior High Ministry) 5:15pm Youth Dinner 7:00pm-AA Meeting Rm.2

17
6:00am-Mens Bible StudySimpson 12:30pm-Womens Group-Karp & Sanders 7:00pm-Life Group- Bookwalter (Jumps)

18
12:00 noon-Mens Prayer meeting-Big Ds 7:00pm-Life Group-Pape BIRTHDAYAlexandra Mathews

19
6:30AM-Youth Bible Study (Boys)-Youth Rm 6:30pm-Praise TeamSanctuary 7:00pm-AA Meeting-Rm.2 7:00pm-Council Meeting

20
BIRTHDAYDennis Cooper Gregg Jordan

21

22
8:30am-Celebration Service 10:00am-All Church Sunday School 10:00am-Life Group-Velasquez 11:00am-Heritage Service

23
3:15-7:30pm-Free Falling (Middle & Senior High Ministry) 5:15pm Youth Dinner 7:00pm-AA Meeting Rm.2

24
6:00am-Mens Bible StudySimpson 12:30pm-Womens Group-Karp & Sanders 7:00pm-Life Group- Bookwalter (Jumps) BIRTHDAYLinda Winkenbach

25
9:00am-Food Bank 9:00am-Clothes Closet 12:00 noon-Mens Prayer meeting-Big Ds 7:00pm-Life Group-Pape

26
6:30AM-Youth Bible Study (Boys)-Youth Rm 6:30pm-Praise TeamSanctuary 7:00pm-AA Meeting-Rm.2

27

28
BIRTHDAYDoreen Pickering

29

ONE SERVICE SUNDAY 8:30am-Celebration Service 10:00am-All Church Sunday School 10:00am-Life Group-Velasquez BIRTHDAYBecki La-Voy-Jordan

30
3:15-7:30pm-Free Falling (Middle & Senior High Ministry) 3:30pm-Outreach Team Meeting 4:30pm-VBS Meeting 5:15pm Youth Dinner 7:00pm-AA Meeting Rm.2

Notes:

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