www.stmichaelsweb.com

March 2008 Volume 2, Number 3

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March 16 - Palm Sunday Worship 8:30 and 10:30 am with Holy Communion

March 20 – Maundy Thursday Women’s Breakfast at St. Michaels U.C.C. 9:00 am

Evening Worship at St. Michael’s Lutheran – 7:15 pm March 21 – Good Friday Community Service at Trinity

United Methodist in Marshallville – 7:00 pm March 23 – Easter Sunday Worship

7:30 and 10:30 am with Holy Communion. Breakfast from 8:30-9:30 am

Sunday School at 9:30 am

Don’t Forget Sunday, March 9, 2008

St. Michael’s Lutheran Church

7404 Coal Bank Road Marshallville, OH.

44645

www.stmichaelsweb.com Phone: 330-855-1313

Ministers:

The People of St. Michael’s Pastor: Timothy J. Keeler

Home: 330-745-7787 Email:

pastor@stmichaelsweb.com

Staff: Organist: Neil Jackson Organist: Cathy Pamer

Choir Dir: John Robinson Secretary: Laura Groves

Office Hours:

Wednesday 9-12 noon Friday 9-12 noon

For the April 08 Issue of “The Trumpeter” March 23, 2008

Parson Ponders………………………….…….……3, 4 Worship Assistants…..……………….………….…....5 Birthday’s Anniversaries and Prayer Requests.…....6 Church Happenings……………………………….7, 8 Kid’s Page……………………………………………..9

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The Parson Ponders: Lent Again

I don’t particularly like Lent. I can’t remember ever looking forward to it, either as a clergy person or before I went to seminary. It seems to come around so quickly every year, especially this year. It comes at a dark, cold, sloppy time of the year. You never know for sure whether Lenten plans can be carried out because the weather may turn ugly. And it leads to Holy Week. And that takes me through some very uncomfortable places.

By nature, I am a happy-go-lucky kind of guy. I’m pretty upbeat. I love making people smile. And I love to smile. Sometimes people look at me in a funny way because I smile so often. They wonder why I’m smiling. What can I say? It’s just what I do. I’ve been doing it since I was a little kid. Shortly after we moved back here to our home area, we were in a restaurant in Barberton when another restaurant patron called out to me, “Say, is your name Tim Keeler?” “Yes,” I replied, even though I didn’t recognize him. “I thought so,” he said. “I’d know that smile anywhere!” For him: my defining characteristic.

He told me his name. I recognized who he was then. I hadn’t seen him since the day we graduated from Barberton High School 40 years ago in 1965! I guess I’ve always loved smiling. Maybe that’s why you’ll rarely see me going to a movie built around someone’s terminal illness, or reading a book that requires having a box of tissue next to my chair. I’d rather smile.

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So coming to Lent and starting down a road that shows us how fickle we are and which convicts me of having far too much in common with the disappointing and misbehaving characters of scripture makes me cringe. And watching Judas running from the table and then later planting the kiss on Jesus turns my stomach, something I would rather avoid.

Then too, who can abide the picture of nails driven through flesh, spear jabbed into an innocent man’s side, and the life ebbing out of our friend, Jesus? It’s hard to smile about that.

Like I say, immersing myself in this kind of gut wrenching experience goes against the basic flow of my life. I avoid these gastro-intestinal pangs whenever possible. Even so, Lent has been a part of my life every year of my life. Maundy Thursday, Good Friday: I can’t get to spring without them.

So here we go again. Time to put my smile on the shelf for a while.

Maybe you feel like I do. There must be a lot of people who do, because Maundy Thursday and Good Friday aren’t exactly pew busting days in the church. Seems like they can’t hold a candle to the happy vibes of Easter morning.

The stripping of the altar at the close of the Maundy Thursday service is like God stripping your own defenses and pride from you. It definitely leaves you in a somber mode.

All smiling aside, I will say this, however: when Lent and Holy Week are coming to a close I don’t regret the banishing of my smile. Though I don’t look forward to going through Jesus’ agonizing story again and finding out that I’m part of the problem that made it all necessary, I am more at peace for having experienced it.

Already this year, the dust of Ash Wednesday reminded me that my stay here on earth is temporary. I need to keep that perspective to really live life fully.

Sometimes going to the Good Friday service is about the same struggle as gearing up to go to calling hours at the funeral home. You’ve got to work at it a little bit.

Still, I have to say that there is a sense of peace and even an inner joy in going through these things and entering into Christ’s struggle. And the smiles of Easter are broader and longer lasting with the trials of Lent and Holy Week as a foundation.

I may not particularly like Lent, but because of my journey to the cross, the end result is not only my smile, but the knowledge that God is smiling back at me! See you at Holy Week services.

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March 2 Assisting Minister: Early – Millie Fetter-Baker Late – Kim Galehouse Lay Reader: Ellen Douglass Greeters: Gary and Nancy Eggeman Acolytes: Katelyn Thut, Alyssa Gwin Communion Assistant: Trish Berg Organist: Neil Jackson

March 9- Assisting Minister: Early – Myrt Martin Late –Rafe Eggeman Lay Reader: Kim Galehouse Greeters: Harry and Corrine Sheets Acolyte: Mark Bell Communion Assistant: Organist: Neil Jackson

March 16 Assisting Minister: Early – Art Martin Late – Bob Kapper Lay Reader: Trish Berg Greeters: Roger and Dottie Wertz Acolytes: Gordon Marshall, Harrison Gwin, Sean Krall Communion Assistant: Wendell Douglass Organist: Cathy Pamer

March 20- Maundy Thursday Assisting Minister: NEEDED Lay Reader: Betty Ralph Greeters: Noretta Yoho Acolyte: Kayla Nelson Communion Assistant: Mike Berg Organist: Neil Jackson

March 23 Assisting Minister: Early – Kim Galehouse Late – Mary Ann Berg Altar Guild: Marcia Reichard Lay Reader: Early – Mary Ann Berg Late – Heidi Brillhart Greeters: Early – Thurston and Betty Ralph Late: Don and Jerri Forrer Acolyte: Early- Dillan and Megan Kanya, Chase Thut Late – Christina Linder, Bailey Edgell, Mallory Bell Communion Assistant: Early – Art and Myrt Martin Late – Jerry and Mary Ann Berg Organist: Neil Jackson

Lay Readers for Mid-Week March 5- Bob Kapper March 12- Lisa Gwin

March 30 Assisting Minister: Early –Millie Fetter-Baker Late – Robin Eggeman Lay Reader: Robin Eggeman Greeters: Dean and Millie Baker Acolyte: Breanna Beyler Organist: Neil Jackson

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12- Richard and Luanne Power 14- Bob and Mary Jo Kapper 16- John and Nedra Bucher 19- Matthew and Kathy Madigan 19- Tim and Martha Keeler 25- Larry and Lois Ott 27- Glen and Donna Smucker 31- John and Jeanne Wasson

Elnora Frase Kathryn Neitzelt Mid Butzer Ellen Brillhart Jake and Irene Garman Richard Power Vern and Mary Musser Jim Brillhart Charleen Sandmann Gene Forrer Mary Butzer Dallas Stacy Don Weygandt Matt Weygandt Sylvia Koch Don Brillhart Patty Galehouse Brandon Edgell

and our friends… Seth Miller- nephew of Steve Miller Donna Bednarz- mother of Dan Bednarz Spencer Mason- friend of Betty Ralph Karen Henderson- niece of Noretta Yoho Merle Grosjean – relative of Hazel Calame Beth Jones – granddaughter of Hazel McKee Dawna Menuez – daughter of Dave Berger Bessie McKee- friend of Ada Napier Sina Yang – friend of Bob and Mary Jo Kapper Monica Fisher - sister of Mark Warren Ila Stevic – friend of Noretta Yoho Sharon Bucher – friend of Susan Eggeman Dan Davis – son of Jim and Donnadale Davis Bob Napier – relative of Ada Napier Pam Lemon – neighbor of Dean and Millie Baker Glenn and Maxine Byler – parents of Marcia Brueck Don Uhler- Father of Debbie Rehm Vicki Shaffer – friend of Alyssa Yoho Victor Viotto – friend of Susan Eggeman Paul Pucci – friend of Susan Eggeman Darline Martell – friend of Betty Ralph Eric Small – friend of Dolores Senart

These in the Military… CPL Peter J. Akers son of Norm and Sharon Akers

Airman 1st Class Andrew Akers son of Norm and Sharon Akers

Pvt. Matt Rehm son of Carl, Jr. and Judy Rehm

6- Clara Forrer 6- Mallory Bell 6- Wyatt Gray 8- Jarret Richard 13- Chris Armentrout 14- Jennifer Berger 17- Andrew Rehm 17- Hazel Calame 19- Molly Marshall 21- Michael Berg 22- Tori Collins 23- Grace Berger 26- Luanne Power 29- Rachel Simmerman 30- Macie Bell

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The family and friends of Dale Milton Eggeman

Birth: June 24, 1925

Death: February 14, 2008 Married Mary Helen: July 16, 1948

will gather March 6, 2008 for our Prayer Partner Reveal. Meeting will be held in the Fellowship

Hall with officers serving as hostesses. Join us for this fun and spiritually rewarding evening. It is a very powerful experience when you know someone is praying for you! Time: 7:00 P.M. Our heroine this month is Ellen Brillhart. She has been our Mission/Community chairperson for countless years! Many mailboxes have held messages from Ellen, sent in the name of WELCA, to cheer, encourage and lighten hearts. Thank you, Ellen, for doing such a wonderful job. New programs will be distributed at our March gathering. ALL women of St. Michael's are welcome to attend WELCA---.Ellen Douglass

I I I I want to thank the 17 members who participated in the Care Giver 6 week class. Our facilitator, Sandy McLachlan, did a wonderful job guiding the class through this series of topics. We will have a Care Givers Checkup in May, so watch for

the date. If you are interested in volunteering for Hospice of Wayne County call Becky McCurdy 330-884-4899 or 800-884-6547. This class was very helpful in my personal situation and I appreciate the support of each one who attended. ---Marilyn Boes The Service Committee is hosting the Easter Egg Hunt March 22 at 11:00 a.m. for the children of the congregation, their friends and relatives. The committee is requesting help from the congregation to provide items to put into the plastic eggs that are hidden. School supply items, stickers, charms, individually wrapped candy, gum and others that you can think of that will fit into the eggs would be appreciated. Donations need to be at the church by March 16 and given to Kim Kanya, Dave Berger, Kathy Berger or Noretta Yoho.

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WOW!!! What a bowling party! There were 64 bowlers and 10 observers. Everyone had a good time and 50 of the group enjoyed their evening meal at East of Chicago Pizza.

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TTTThere are still quite a few unclaimed boxes

of offering envelopes on top of the mailboxes at the back of the Sanctuary. If yours are still there, please pick them up by March 15th. I will collect any that remain after that date. Thanks! --- Marcia Brueck, Financial Secretary ********************************************************************************************

Easter is early this year. Easter is always the 1st Sunday after

the 1st full moon after the Spring Equinox (which is March 20). This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that Hebrew people used to identify Passover, which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar. Based on the above, Easter can actually be one day earlier (March 22) but that is pretty rare.

Here's the interesting info.............. This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of our lives! And only the most elderly of our population have ever

seen it this early (95 years old or above!). And none of us have ever, or will ever, see it a day earlier!

1) The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now). The last time it was this early was 1913 (so if you're 95 or older, you are the only ones that were around for that!). 2) The next time it will be a day earlier, March 22, will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now). The last time it was on March 22 was 1818. So, no one alive today has or will ever see it any earlier than this year! To find what date Easter will fall upon for any year, check out this web site: http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/easter.php

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Worship 8:30 and 10:30 am

Celebrate Holy Communion each

week at 8:30 am

Children’s Choir 9:15 am

Sunday School 9:30 am

March 2 – Fourth Sunday in Lent

March 9 – Fifth Sunday in Lent

March 16 – Palm Sunday

March 20 – Maundy Thursday

Worship at 7:15 pm

March 21 – Good Friday

Community Worship at Trinity United Methodist

in Marshallville at 7:00 pm

March 23 – Easter Sunday

March 30 – Second Sunday of Easter

www.stm

ichaelsweb

.com