Looking toward Palm Sunday & Easter
Matthew 6:25 — Therefore I say unto you, do not be anxious about your life, …26 Behold the fowls of the air for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much better than they? 27 Which of you by being anxious can add one cubit unto his stature? 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow: for tomorrow will worry about its own things; Let the day's own trouble be sufficient for the day.
John 6:67 - Then said Jesus to the twelve, Will you also go away? 68 - Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? you have the words of eternal life.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
These are anxious times. Many of us are unsettled by Church decisions that puzzle and perplex, that challenge beliefs and traditions we have grown up with. And then there is the uncertainty – for much of the past year – about who will be our permanent pastor. What should we do and to whom should we turn for advice? As we sort through our feelings about these troubling matters, it is comforting to consider the advice of someone in whom we can have absolute trust: Jesus Christ.
The Bible passages above remind us that turmoil and confusion have been with Christ-followers from the very beginning. All of us would like to be free of strife and uncertainty yet life rarely works out that way. But Jesus tells us NOT to be anxious, that our Heavenly Father knows our needs and will look after us. Jesus also asks us whether we will surrender to the temptation to leave Him, as others have done. In this time of confusion and hurt we need to remember Simon Peter’s reply: Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
As our Council leaders have recently emphasized, we – all of us together — are Nativity Lutheran Church. Our overriding goal must be to stand together and pray for a brighter future. Nativity has faced challenging times in the past and has not only gotten through them, but has flourished afterwards. We can do it again and we will. Let’s say ‘NO’ to being anxious. We have a Heavenly Shepherd to guide us. Let us all trust in Him - as we remember, appreciate and affirm the bonds of warmth and love among our longtime members, new members, associate members, friends and prospective members. We are one family.
God’s Peace and Blessings Linda Griffis From the Desk of Nativity’s Director of Congregational Life Women’s LOVE CIRCLE
Come join us for our next meeting, Monday, March 8, at 9:30 am in the loggia.
Band of Brothers
Band of Brothers, a men’s group, meets at 7 am, the first and third Thursday of every month at Nativity Lutheran Church. Men of all ages are welcome to gather for Eucharist, fellowship, discussion of Scripture and other topics of interest. The group is exploring the many challenging aspects of being a Christian man in the 21st Century. This month’s meetings are March 4 & 18.
Sandwich Making
Meet in Nativity’s Fellowship Hall to make sandwiches and bag cookies for homeless ministry the third Saturday of each month. Next get together, March 20.
Tabitha’s Hand
Meets in Pastor’s study on Fridays at 10 am (except on newsletter days) to share fellowship while crocheting or knitting lap blankets for nursing home patients.
Bible & Bagels
Thursday 9 am, meet in the loggia with Pastor Miller and friends for coffee, bagels and fellowship as we read together the coming Sunday’s scripture lessons and pray for each other’s needs.
Rummage Sale Be a part of a miracle. Turn your unwanted items into Animals for Lutheran World Relief and/or Heifer International. Collect your rummage for our annual rummage sale on April 17 and Nativity’s Love Circle will use one half of their profits to purchase animals from these charities. You may bring your donations to the church on Thursday and Friday, April 15 & 16. If you are interested in helping with the sale or would like to rent a space to sell your own items, please contact Ceil at cjthomas@aol.com or 746-8730. Spring Book Fair! Our Spring Book Fair is scheduled from the 15th through the 19th. It will be held in our loggia and we are so excited to have our “little store” back. Supporting our children's love for books and reading is emphasized during this special time. We will have classroom wish lists available if you would like to donate a book for your child's class. You help is needed from set-up to take down of the fair. Please let our book fair coordinator Candace Buddemeier or Ms. Pia know if you can help.Looking forward to filling our Easter baskets with great books LAST DAY FOR THE EARLY BIRD SPECIAL GLEANING- SAT. MARCH 6. Leave Nativity parking lot at 7:30 a.m. to carpool to a field where we will GLEAN corn or tomatoes. The fresh produce is distributed to local needy families by the end of the weekend. On Jan 23 our group of 9, together with other volunteers, picked more than 5,000 pounds of corn. That equals at least 12,000 ears of sweet corn! Enjoy a half day in the country, help feed the hungry, relish a picnic, and maybe sing along with John Bauer’s guitar at the shore of Lake Okeechobee. Questions? Contact Julius or Linda Roehl 561-493-8873. Look for the signup sheets in the Loggia. Big push this month! Check your kitchen drawers and cupboards and your friends for “Boxtops & Labels for Education.” Bring in by March 22 for March bonuses. Boxtops: Look for “Bonus Boxtops.” Some Pillsbury products have Triple Worth. Labels: We need the entire UPC code. If you’re unsure, bring in the entire label. Look for bonuses and five point labels.Put all boxtops and labels in an envelope or zip bag with your child’s name or teacher’s name of the class you want to support.For more info check www.labelsforeducation.com and www.btfe.com. Thank you for all your help. Peggy Cox Nativity Lutheran Boxtops & Labels for Education Coordinator GoodSearch/GoodShop This is fundraising the easy way, no effort. Simply download our customized Nativity Lutheran toolbar by going to http://www.goodsearch.com/toolbar/nativity-lutheran-church-and-school and following the instructions. Any time a search is created on this toolbar, Nativity earns a penny. As you shop on the internet, a notice will show when that company is participating and Nativity will earn a percentage of that sale. Want to earn a large and regular stream of donations from GoodShop? Simple, just ask your office manager at work to download our toolbar. As they order their office supplies from Office Depot, Staples or Office Max, they will receive special coupon notices along with our receiving our percentage. If you have any questions please contact Kari at 622-4998 or nativitypbg@bellsouth.net. The toolbar can also be downloaded by going to www.pbnativity.com and clicking on the link. Property Work Day As we begin our Lenten spiritual journey and look forward to Easter Sunday, the Property Committee would like to have our campus looking beautiful for our congregation and visitors. Please mark your calendars for March 20 at 9 AM. We are planning another work day and as usual, breakfast and lunch will be served. Please plan to stop by, if even for an hour. We are counting on a big turnout for this project. Not only will it be appreciated by everyone, it's fun working together. The Property Committee would also like to thank the people who have donated time according to their own schedule and did so much work around the campus. It is so much appreciated.