March 2017 Volume 28 Issue 3 Join us for Worship!

8:00 and 11:10 a.m.

Traditional Services

9:15 a.m.

Sunday School

10:25 a.m.

Contemporary

Service

Inside this

issue:

Call Committee

Update 2

Lent/Holy Week

Schedule

3

LWR Quilt Day

3

Calendar 4

Service

Participants 5

Don Jose

Night 6

Birthdays & Anniversaries

7

Advent Lutheran Church • www.adventhouston.org

VOLUME 29 • March 2018 • ISSUE 3

A Community of Hope…

Making Christ Known.

Why aren’t Churches growing?

I get his question frequently as I do interim ministry for our Synod. Last week I

was asked by Peace Lutheran, Pasadena, if I would give a 2 hour seminar on

Evangelism to their “E-Team”. I wasn’t sure at first if I wanted to do this as most

of our churches don’t even have Evangelism teams anymore. But I decided to

tackle this head on.

Here is the deal. The way we have done evangelism in the past no longer works.

We have tried “marketing” techniques but they no longer work yet committees

spend an inordinate amount of time trying to make our old understandings work.

And, I keep forgetting my favorite theme “If the horse is dead, dismount!” We

just can’t let go of our old ways of doing things. My research in the last week was

very enlightening.

The world around us has changed so fast, that we as a church no longer

understand the people we are trying to reach. The ways Jesus did it 2,000 years

ago has to be revisited with new eyes on old passages. It turns out he wasn’t very successful in the statistic department. In John 6:60 “On hearing it, many of his

disciples said ‘This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” Then in v.66 “From

this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.”

For Jesus it wasn’t about numbers or church growth, but about mission. It turns

out that today, people are doing all kinds of mission stuff without the church!

They believe, without creeds and the church.

Friends in Christ, the sad truth that I discovered from reputable Christian

sociologist (Baylor, Duke, St. Olaf and others) is that the world we are trying to

reach considers the church irrelevant. We insiders believe we are relevant, but

those we are trying to reach don’t share our belief.

What to do? I would like to give this seminar at Advent when possible to as

many of you as possible. I am looking for a good time to do this.

Meanwhile, we are observing Lent and by the time I write for April’s newsletter,

Easter will be upon us. Please be in prayer and careful thought about Advent’s

future. I know I am!

Blessings In Christ,

Pastor Kelly (PK)

Message from Pastor Kelly

2

Call Committee

Update

The call committee conducted their first meeting January 14th. The

committee members are Ryan

Zander, Judy Hohne, Sidney Cassens,

Linda Holmes, Rodney Leonhardt Jr.,

Keith Tyson and Wayne Norden. At

the 1st meeting Wayne Norden was

elected as chair and Linda Holmes

was elected as Administrative

Secretary and Keith Tyson as

Recording Secretary.

The committee meets weekly and

has met w/ Pastor Blair and work on

the Ministry site profile has begun.

Pastor Kelley and Pastor Blair were

very impressed because Advent is

the 1st church they have worked with

where the call committee has 4

millennials on it that is over 50%.

The ministry site profile is a document that serves as an

education tool to educate prospects

about Advent and our numerous

Ministries and countless community

happenings!

Now at week 4 we realize how

much work there is to do and how

much more work we have to do

beyond the Sunday discussions! We

are making progress but, have a lot more to do.

Please feel free to talk with any of

the Call Committee members about

what your thoughts are about the

work of the call community.

Wednesday, March 7

12 noon & 7:30 p.m.

5:30 - 7:00 p.m. supper served by Youth

Wednesday, March 14

12 noon & 7:30 p.m.

5:30 - 7:00 p.m. supper served by Volunteers

Wednesday, March 21

12 noon & 7:30 p.m.

5:30 - 7:00 p.m. supper served by Council

Palm Sunday, March 25

Choir Cantata Service

10:30 a.m.

Maundy Thursday, March 29

Serving Hands

Holy Communion 7:30 p.m.

Good Friday, March 30

Pierced Hands

Tenebrae Service, 7:30 p.m.

Festival of Easter, April 1

7:30 - 9:30 a.m. Brotherhood Easter Breakfast

served (freewill offering)

8:00 a.m. Easter Worship

with Holy Communion

9:15 a.m. Sunday School

Easter Egg Hunt

10:25 a.m. Easter Contemporary Worship

with Holy Communion

11:10 a.m. Easter Worship

with Holy Communion

Lent/Holy Week Schedule

3

Thank you! Advent raised $315

for Souper Bowl of Caring!

Saturday, March 10, 2018 will be a quilt day for Lutheran World Relief. We will begin at 9:00

AM until ????? We will sew, bind and tie quilts. Saturday will give everyone an opportunity to

join in making quilts for LWR. There will be pastries, coffee, and juice in the AM. A light lunch

will be served at noon. Please join us for fun and fellowship in a project that helps people all

over the world in times of disaster and poverty.

After we finish quilting for the day, all of the quilts that have been made since last April will be

displayed in the sanctuary and ALC for blessing Sunday, March 11th. Monday, March 12th, the

quilts will be packed for shipping to the Maryland LWR warehouse - then distributed when/

where needed. Monday, April 2nd the quilts will be taken to Epiphany Lutheran Church and

loaded on 18-wheelers that the Synod has provided along with bath soap and several kinds of

kits. Last year Advent shipped 117 quilts.

The quilts are not only used for covers in times of disaster but are also used as dividers in a

tent when a "tent city" has been set up for living quarters until people can get their lives back

together. Quilts are also shipped to missionaries when spreading the Good News of Jesus

Christ. Stories have been told that some quilts are taken apart and made into a wedding dress

then put back together for a cover. Our quilts are used for many things and are a cherished

gift for the receiver. Please take a moment and look at the LWR poster on the bulletin board

in the F/H hall way. It tells where the LWR quilts are shipped to. Our quilts have been

shipped Dubai, Tanzania, Nepal and Syria It cost approximately $2.25 per quilt to ship

overseas.

March 10, 2018 - LWR Quilt Day

Thank You

Thanks to Patty McCann for organizing

the Women's "Chill Luncheon" January

27th. It was a great time of conversation

and meeting new friends with Advent's

women and friends. Every one loves good

fried chicken. Also many thanks to Jimmy

Cassens, Bobie Pieper and Terry Rodgers

for serving and cleaning the kitchen.

Easter Lilies

The Easter Lilies will be sold from March 4

- 18. The price is $10/plant. No orders

will be taken after March 18th. Beginning

Sunday, March 4th, order forms will be

available in the ALC foyer and the

sanctuary foyer. Please return order forms

to George Johnson, Connie Cassens,

Kathy Zander or James Zander.

4

5

Time Asst.

Minister Lectors

Comm. Asst.

Greeters Ushers

4

8:00 Angie

Cassens

Wayne

Tschoertner

Connie

Bathe, Terry

Holmes

James &

Connie

Cassens

Terry & Pam

Rodgers, Zack & Nita

Arriola

11:10 Keith Tyson Barbara

Jopplin

Keith

Tyson

Dorothy

Preuss

James & Cathy

Tiemann

11

8:00 Tyler

Cassens

Michele

Smith

Mike &

Sally

Knerr

Travis &

Lavina

Oevermann

Travis Hunt,

Marilyn Marek, Curtis & Yvonne

Wendler

11:10 Keith Tyson Wanda

Robinson

Keith

Tyson

Virginia

Scott,

Debbie

Scott

James & Cathy

Tiemann

18

8:00 Ellie Tyson Lavina

Oevermann

Sally

Knerr, Patti

McCann

Curtis &

Yvonne

Wendler

Cassens Family

11:10 Rod

Leonhardt

Scott

Wieding

Rod

Leonhardt

James &

Cathy

Tiemann

Leonhardt Family

25 10:30 Lavina

Oevermann

Terry

Holmes

John

Cassens, Tyler

Cassens

Sam &

Michele

Smith

Travis & Lavina

Oevermann, Mike & Becky

Schultz

6

Join us for our monthly Game Night

on Friday, March 9th at 6:00 p.m. in

the fellowship hall.

Bring a snack and invite your friends

and neighbors to join us as we gather

for food, fellowship and fun.

If you have any questions, please

contact Lavina at 713-468-7443. We

look forward to seeing you on

Friday, March 9th!

Saturday, March 10th

Quilting

Sunday, March 11th

Blessing of the Quilts

Monday, March 19th

Quilting

Contact Angie Cassens for more

information.

Stewardship Spotlight

Month of

January Year–to-Date

Total Income $20,584.21 $20,584.21

Total Expenses $19,357.79 $19,357.79

Total Net Income $1,226.42 $1,226.42

Come Party With Us! Greetings everyone! It's time to

gather with your fellow Advent

friends at Don José Mexican

Restaurant (on Antoine at

Pinemont). Join us March 5, at 6

pm for a great meal, some laughs,

and who knows, maybe more

door prizes! We might have a

surprise guest this month! (Feel

free to arrive before or after 6

pm.) At our last evening members

and their friends and families

enjoyed wonderful fellowship, a great meal and a few "adult

beverages." Since February 2017 our meals have earned about

$625 for Outreach ministries, courtesy of Don Jose's 15% church give-back program.

We have "tickets" available in the narthex and also the Advent

Life center that you turn in with your dinner check. (Don't

worry, if you forget yours, we'll have some available that

night.)

Gary Mertz and Cathy Tiemann, Board of Outreach

7

3/4 Keith Tyson

3/5 Susan Mays

3/6 Patti McCann

3/7 Marty Oeser

Trenton Rogas

3/8 Bob Grimes

Judy Roesler

3/9 Lindsey Cavazos

3/10 Bryant Jopplin

3/11 Lacey Pieper

3/12 Michele Smith

3/13 Reyna Rogas

3/14 Larry Petershagen

3/19 Chris Beck

Gloria Eaves

3/23 Chris Winkelmann

3/24 Maggie Smith

Jody Steck

3/26 Anna Dell Marth

3/27 Evelyn Miley

3/30 Ricky Thornton

3/31 Marilyn Marek

Val Smith

3/2 Larry & Sally Dresch (22)

3/10 Dale & Corinne Pieper (12)

3/13 Glenn & Connie Krebs (59)

3/28 James & Cathy Tiemann (50)

Altar Guild Cleaning Day

“Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.”

—St. Catherine of Siena

All Altar Guild members are needed to be at church on

Saturday, March 31st at 9:00 a.m. to clean the church

and help decorate the fellowship hall and church

sanctuary in preparation of Easter.

Daylight Savings time begins on

Sunday March 11th. Remember

to “spring forward” your clocks

on Saturday Night. See you

bright and early at church!

8

ADVENT LUTHERAN

CHURCH

5820 PINEMONT

HOUSTON, TX 77092

713/686-8201 WWW.ADVENTHOUSTON.ORG

A Congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Advent Ministers .................................. All Advent Members!

Advent Staff

Interim Pastor Pastor Stephen Kelly

ABC Learning School Director Tarita Smith

Admin. Assistant Chris Ray

Chancel Choir Director Scott McAdow

Church Sexton Jose Amaya

Church Council President......................................................... Bobby Leonhardt ..................... 281/213-9494

Vice-President ............................................... Carsten Alsguth ....................... 713/849-8594

Treasurer ....................................................... Judy Hohne ............................... 713/682-8934

Deacons .......................................................... George Johnson ....................... 281/999-6528

Education ........................................................ Nathaniel Johnson ................... 281/999-6528

Organizations ................................................ Josh Leonhardt ......................... 281/795-9626

Outreach ........................................................ Cathy Tiemann ......................... 713/681-1883

Property ......................................................... Tyler Cassens ........................... 713/204-4554

Stewardship ................................................... Pam Rodgers............................. 832/306-1810

Council Secretary ......................................... Melanie Hatch .......................... 713/822-2209

Are you Moving?

Please notify the Church

office of your

address change.

Phone: 713/686-8201

Fax: 713/686-9144

office@adventhouston.org

www.adventhouston.org

8:00 and 11:10 a.m.

Traditional Services

9:15 a.m.

Sunday School

10:25 a.m. Contemporary

Service

SUNDAY WORSHIP

Deadline

for April

Adventure:

March

18th

THE ADVENTURE MARCH 2018