Side-by-Side Ministry

sidebysideminstry.com

March 2013

St. Paul Lutheran and St. John Lutheran, Lakeside-Marblehead, Ohio Our vision: To be a vibrant, Spirit-filled people, participating in Gods work in the world Our mission: Loving God and loving neighbor, we witness to Christs saving grace, that others may believe and find life.

From Pastor Chris

In the story of creation in the book of Genesis, what does God create on the 7th day? I hadnt thought about it this way before, until I was reading Sabbath Presence by Kathleen Casey, but she makes an interesting point. She says that on the 7th day God created rest, a day set aside to enjoy what God has done, a Sabbath time. This gift is so important that God commands that we observe it. How many of us try to keep the commandments like dont kill, dont steal, dont commit adultery but gloss over the 3 rd commandment, Remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy? I wonder why we dont give it the same weight as the others? Many of us are so busy, that a day off becomes a catch up day for all the things on our To do list that didnt get done. During this season of Lent, meant to be time for reflection and renewal, perhaps it is time to recognize Gods great desire for our rest, for time to just be present to God, for time to tune-in to all the ways God is active and present in our lives. Its not that work is bad, but dont we do our best work when we have had a chance to step away and re-charge. Sabbath is not something for our To Do list, but rather it is time to stop doing. We are not human-doings, but rather we are human-beings. To fully be human we must take time to just be. I have to be intentional about this, to actually schedule time apart on my calendar sometimes an hour, sometimes a morning, sometimes a whole day. 90% of our relationship with God is just showing up. So if it has been awhile since you have shown up for God, why not start today. (If some of this sounds familiar, its because you have been hearing it on Sunday mornings during Lent, and because I have been told we need to hear something at least 7-8 times for it to sink in.) Now, where is my calendar?

Special Events
Regular Blessing Cup Team Visits are 1st week in February Traveling Easter Party Visits are 1st week in March If you would like to join any of our Blessing Cup Team visits, or know of someone who would like a visit from one of our teams, please contact Marge Bridgett, coordinator, at 419-503-1261. Traveling Easter Parties will be organized by having 2 Blessing Cup Teams combine their visits and schedule visits for the first week in March according to what works for team members and those being visited. Each set of 2 teams together will visit approx.. 3-6 people when combining their 2 lists. Saturday, March 16, 1:00 p.m. Hop right up to Lunch with the Easter Bunny on Saturday, March 16th, 1:00 p.m. at St. Paul. Greet the Easter Bunny and Miss Easter Lily as they come to delight little ones with songs and a story, with crafts and photo opportunities, and with lunch. Once again, Netties is providing their famous hotdogs, along with rootbeer floats. This annual event is an outreach of the TGIF group (Team Grandparents Influencing Faith) of the sideby-side ministry of St. John and St. Paul, and is offered at no cost to the community. Call 419-734-1662 for reservations or friend John-Paul Lutheran on Facebook and respond to the invitation. Bring your own camera, please. If you would like to help, there is a sign-up sheet in the fellowship hall at St. Paul or contact Fran Chapman.

Traveling Easter Party

Lunch with the Easter Bunny and Miss Easter Lily

An Invitation for you to interrupt your busy schedule and come Lenten Worship
Sundays In Lent, Starting February 17th 8:45 a.m. at St John; 10:30 a.m. at St. Paul Sabbath Presence Setting aside time to just be in the presence of God is so counter-cultural for us today. Our to-do lists are so long, that God-time, both individually and with others, often never gets to the top of the list. Yet, the blessings that flow from the intimacy of our relationship with God through such time is what strengthens and empowers us for fullness of life here and now. In the Sundays of Lent, we will encounter a shift of focus from human-doing to human-being. We hope you will take this journey with us, and come to know our source of life and hope more deeply.

Midweek Lenten Meal and Worship

Feb. 20 @ St. Paul***Feb. 27 @ St. John***March 6 @ St. Paul***March 13 @ St. John**March 20 @ St. Paul Overheard Conversations by the Cross Did various people who were involved in our Lords Passion ever have an opportunity to talk with one another about it? People such as Malchus & Mark, Barabbas and Caiaphas, Pilate and his wife, Simon of Cyrene and the centurion, Mary and John, and the two thieves. If you could have listened to their conversations, what might you have Overheard? Come and listen

Holy Week
March 24th, Palm Sunday, Dramatic Reading of Passion Story 8:45 a.m. at St. John & 10:30 a.m. at St. Paul March 28th, Maundy Thursday, Seder Meal, 6:30 p.m. at St. John (Call 419-734-1662 for reservation by March 21st) March, 29th, Good Friday Community Service, 12:00 noon, Lakeside United Methodist Church Good Friday Tenebrae, 7:00 p.m. at St. Paul

Easter Sunday
Sunday, March 31st 7:00 a.m. Sunrise Service at St. Paul 8:00 10:30 a.m. Easter Breakfast for all, at St. Paul 8:45 a.m. Worship at St. John 10:30 a.m. Worship at St. Paul

Facebook
If you are on Facebook, please friend us at John-Paul Lutheran and get the lastest updates and reminders. If you have information or pictures to share, please contact Jenna Sandvick at Jennasandvick@gmail.com.

Bible & Discipleship Studies

The Bible 5 week TV Miniseries starting 3-3-13
The Bible is an epic five-week, 10 hour television miniseries premiering March 3, 2013, on the History Channel from Emmy Award winning husband and wife team, Mark Burnett and Roma Downey. For two hours each Sunday night millions of viewers will see the Bible come to life in a way never before seen with the series concluding on Easter Sunday. (PG-13 rating) From Pastor Chris I encourage you to gather family and friends together, pop some popcorn, and make it a Sunday evening event. And what better way to lead into our Whole Church study of the Bible through a new publication entitled, The Story (see below)

The Story Whole Church Book Study

Beginning the Sunday after Easter!
Do you want to read the Bible, but have trouble understanding what you are reading. Beginning Sunday, April 7th, you are invited to be part of a 31 week journey through The Story, a book with an easy-to-read format, that will take you through the major stories of the Bible that will flow together as a big picture narrative. A schedule of reading will be available (1 chpt./wk) for all who want to follow along. Sundays Worship at both churches will explore the scriptures behind the reading, and Sunday Mornings Adult Class at St. Paul will have discussion over coffee at 9:00 a.m. If you are interested in forming a discussion group at another time, please talk to Pastor Chris. Roland has a few books available for $7, first come, first served. Others may purchase the book at most stores that sell books, or on-line, or by signing up on the events board. Max Lucado and Randy Frazee write: This book tells the grandest, most compelling story of all time: the story of a true God who loves his children, who established for them a way of salvation and provided a route to eternity. Each story reveals the God of grace the God who speaks; the God who acts; the God who listens; the God whose love for his people culminated in his sacrifice of Jesus, his only Son, to atone for the sins of humanity. Whats more: this same God is alive and active today still listening, still acting, still pouring out grace on us.

Womens Bible Studies (WELCA Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America)
All women are invited to participate! St. John Women usually meet on second Wednesdays at 2:00 p.m. Next. Meeting is Wed. March 13th. St. Paul WELCA will meet 3rd Thursdays at 1:00. Next date is March 21st.

Monthly Small Group Bible Study

The group is on break until March. Contacts are: 419-341-9811 (Paul Lee) and 419-341-9144 (Patrice Lee). Weekly Wednesday Bible Study The Womens Wednesday Bible Study will begin the study of The Names of God. Books are available for $11.00. We meet on Wednesday morning at St. Paul at 11:00 am. All are welcome we are a very welcoming group join us whenever you can. Sandra Reep 419-732-7846.

Serving Others
Red Cross at St. Paul Monday, March 11th, 12:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m.; Please call 800-RED-CROSS to
schedule an appointment

Celebration Chorus Please join the group for practices on Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. at St. John or St. Paul
following our Lenten Midweek Service at the Church . Voices from both churches are invited. We sing at both churches on the 2nd Sunday of each month, and we will sing at both churches on Easter Sunday. Noisy Offering is for Cherish Our Children, a group organized through the Women of the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church of America) for the purpose of prayer, education, and prevention of Human Trafficking for Sexual Slavery which is targeting our youth. Go to www.elca.org Cloth bags for the Food Pantry! Cloth bags with the list of monthly donations are available at both churches to help us remember to bring your items to church for the 3rd Saturday of each month. (Thank you Iantha, for making these! Pick up a bag in the narthex (entrance) at St. John or by the Welcome Center at St. Paul. For March, St. John is to bring peanut butter and jelly and St. Paul is to bring soup (tomato, chicken noodle, or vegetable) Church Councils St. Paul Council meets Thursday, March 14th at 6:30 p.m. and St. John Council meets Thursday, March 21st at 7:00 p.m. Team Grandparents Influencing Faith (TGIF) - Fran Chapman has agreed to, again, head up the Lunch with the Easter Bunny this year hurrah! The date will be Saturday, March 16th, 1:00 p.m., so mark your calendars now and sign up to help on the events board in the fellowship hall. Internship Committee - The excitement is building! Our Side-by-Side Ministry has been approved as a desirable site for training interns. We should hear by the beginning of April whether or not we will be offered a Seminary intern this fall. In preparation, there will be a congregational meeting at St. Paul on March 24th following worship to vote on the approval of supporting this project and the fund-raising efforts to follow. So far we have a commitment of over $17,000, and will need to raise approximately $10,000. Prayer Chain Help Needed If you have someone to put on the prayer chain, you may call Joan Harris at 419-734-3971 or 419-341-6373 for St. Pauls prayer chain. The St. John prayer chain contact is Myra Prokop at 419-798-5101. God promises that our prayers are heard! You may also contact Joan or Myra to be added to our group who pray. Prayer Shawl Plus Ministry - Meets Wednesdays after Bible Study at St. Paul, around noon. This groups latest project provided Red, White and Blue shawls for our armed forced families; Also needed are White shawls for Baptism; Misc. shawls for our Church family and outreaches. Contact Sandra Reep at 419-732-7846 for patterns and yarn. PSM will take any donations of yarn, hooks, and needles. Lutheran World Relief Project Please bring toothbrushes, blunt scissors, unsharpened #2 pencils, cloth diapers & pins Mission Sundays for Northwest Ohio Synod - The third Sunday of each month is Mission Sunday and an offering basket is set out for donations to assist the ministries of our Synod, which includeTrinity Lutheran Seminary, Lutheran Outdoor Ministry of Ohio, Lutheran Disaster Relief, Global Mission, ELCA World Hunger, and others. Volunteer Opportunities -See www.sidebysideministry.com for more opportunities for serving.

Building Friendships
Dartball Games start at 7:30 p.m.; 3/4 at Zion; 3/11 at Venice 3; 4/1 Tournament at Zion; 4/15 Banquet

Building Friendships, Continued

By Still Waters - Care for the Caregiver
Tuesday, March 12th , 6:30 p.m. at the home of Kay and Jack Tibbels, 6965 East Harbor Road If you are a caregiver of another (or one who wants to offer support), we want to create a safe place for you to come and take a break by still waters. An hour of restoration through conversation, sharing, support, and maybe even a little pampering will greet you, as we encounter a God who cares for the caregivers. Any questions? Please contact Kay Tibbels at 419-656-5093.

Not Older, Just Better - This singles group will meet Monday, March 11th at the Island House in Port
Clinton for lunch at 11:30. Call Marge at 419-798-8816 if you have questions, or need a ride.

Hospitality Lunch Last Sunday is March 31st which is Easter. Easter Breakfast is 8-10:30. Tuesdays at the Danbury Senior Center
Come Tuesdays at 5:00. Call in your reservation in to Paula by the Friday before at 419-798-4101.

Picture Directory Updates - One of our goals is to keep updating this directory with contact information
on new members and changes or corrections on existing members. It is so important that you report any change in the present information to Margaret Stellhorn at St. John or Louise Rogers at St. Paul.

Youth
Senior High B&B - Bible Study and Breakfast First Sundays at 9:00 p.m.; Come April 7th! Confirmation, Sundays at 9:00 a.m. and
Wed., March 27 Holy Week, no class; attend Maundy Thursday Seder Meal and Good Friday Service Sunday, March 31 Easter; Help with 7:00 Sunrise Service; Help with Easter Breakfast (8-10:30)

DYO (Danbury Youth Organization), Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. at St. Paul

Sunday, March 31 Easter; Help with 7:00 Sunrise Service; Help with Easter Breakfast (8-10:30) Any questions, please contact Chrissy French, chrissy.french74@gmail.com or 419-341-4653 (cell)

Sunday School 9:00 every Sunday at St. Paul

Sunday School Opening in the Church for Preschool through 6th grade. 7th & 8th grade meet in basement in Youth area. Senior High meets the first Sunday of each month in Pastors office for Breakfast and Bible Study. Adults meet in fellowship hall at 9:00 over coffee.

Thank Yous
Semper Fidelis, St. Jacob A Mautz To all the lovely people who put together deployment boxes for military members. THANK YOU. Its always nice to get boxes year round but especially at Christmas! My name is Sergeant Jacob A. Mautz. I am a United States Marine. Ive been in the military for 8 years and this is my 3rd deployment. I went to Iraq twice and now am in Afghanistan. During these deployments I have gotten numerous packages from different churches and organizations throughout America. Theyve all been appreciated but I never said THANKS.SO Im turning over a new leaf and Im actually taking the time to finally thank these people and Im starting with your the ladies, gentlemen, and kids of St. Paul Lutehran Church. The letters from the kids who wrote Christmas Cards were awesome. I know my Aunt Dee Warren and Uncle Jim go to the church there and possibly other family. Having got this box from the church though, you are now all considered family. I love all of you and God bless.

Thank Yous, continued

Dear St. Paul Members We are so thankful for your noisy offerings. And most importantly you are giving a gift (French Bibles) that can change a persons heart for eternity. Heaven and earth will pass away but my words will never pass away. Matthew 24:35. Thank you for remembering our Cameroon mission. Pastor Claude loves your church! You are a blessing to all of us. Sincerely in Christ, Sara Dear St. John Members Thank you for thinking of the Cameroon ministry at Christmas. You are such a thoughtful and giving church. There is a Pastors conference in January and money is needed for food and gas to travel to Abong Mbong, about 4-5 hours away. Pastor Claude now has a van and can travel with many thanks to you for providing for gas and food. Sincerely in Christ, Sara

Misc. Stuff
Vacation Bible School at Tall Timbers Campground
Mark your calendars for the week of July 22nd. Watch for more information and planning meetings.

Lutheran Outdoor Ministries of Ohio

Register now for 2013 Summer and Retreat Programs at www.lomocamps.org