April 2008
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Easter is like awaiting the birth of a child or counting the days before an awesome vacation. There is much anticipation as we wait! Easter Sunday the church was full and we were filled with anticipation. The hymns announced Christ is risen! The choir blessed us with fantastic hymns of joyful celebration! We had mountain top experience.
Easter is now past and the lilies are beginning to wilt. The choir anthems of Easter are filed away until next year. It is just another day. Or is it? God's word echoes with the theme of Easter. God raised Jesus from the dead. There is nothing usual about that! Jesus suffered, died, and rose on that glorious Easter morning so we can walk in the newness of life.
Easter is over so what do we do now? Unlike Cadbury eggs that are gone so quickly, Easter is a season that continues the joy of Christ's resurrection every day of our lives. God has given the church a great gift called the church calendar. It is a powerful tool to assist us in remembering the life and times of our resurrected Lord. The church calendar has been used by Christians for centuries to provide daily and seasonal signposts of hope throughout the year. There is so much to celebrate about our Lord. Every season of the church year is important as it unfolds the richness of what God has accomplished for us in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
May God continue to bless us as we work together to build the kingdom of God here at First Lutheran. May God empower each of us to encourage and care for each other as we walk together with Christ. May God always empower us to encourage each other to attend worship, Sunday School, and Bible class. The Holy Scripture and the Confessions teach us that worship is vial to the life of God's people. Worship is not an option for us as Christians or for the Church. It is the very substance, the essence of Christian faith and life.
Communion with God through His Word and holy sacraments is essential to us as people of God. The worship of the Lutheran Church is a celebration of the victory of our Lord Jesus Christ. We celebrate our Lord opening the gates of heaven for us through his life, death, and resurrection.
To God be the Glory!!
Your Servant in Christ,
Pastor Dean M. Bauer
John 4:10
First Lutheran, under the leadership of the Christian Education Board, is revitalizing our participation in the Tracky savings program of the LCEF. Lutheran Church Extension Fund is a financial institution that lends money for the construction of churches, schools, and to pastors. By investing our money with them, we not only earn interest, but also help to further the work of God's kingdom. We will be encouraging the children and youth to start a savings account by offering the tracky stamps. The Sunday School will be giving savings stamps as rewards for perfect attendance and for other special occasions. Parents and Grandparents can also buy stamps for birthday gifts, etc. We feel that this program will benefit our children and the church as a whole. For more information or to purchase stamps, see Virginia Kindervater or Joanne Holmes.
Thank you for your support!
Christian Education Board
Ah, springtime! The new green leaves and flowers blooming bring us joy in April after a cold winter, while reminding us of the new life we have in Christ. Because of Jesus' death and resurrection we celebrate Easter every day in April. As one of the children said when arriving in Sunday School on Easter, "where are the black candles?" The black candles of Lent have been replaced by the white candles, flowers and joy of our Easter salvation!
Bible stories for the children this month include "Jesus Appears on the Emmaus Road", "The Good Shepherd", "Peter and John Heal the Lame Man", and "God's Servant Stephen". Every Sunday the children sing songs and enjoy a hands-on project. All children are invited to join them at 9 AM.
Thank you to the children and you for singing on Palm Sunday. Their sweet voices always add to the joy of worship that day. Also thank you to the older youth for filing eggs and organizing (with Lisa Fray's help) the Easter egg hunt. It was a great success! (We appreciate everyone who donated candy or money for the candy for the hunt!)
Adult Bible Classes meet every Sunday for education, inspiration, and fellowship. A complete list of topics and locations is found in every Sunday's bulletin. During the past month, many classes have started new topics so it's a good time to join a class!
Find a class that interests you and use this beautiful weather to "Spring into Bible Study!"
Adult classes include:
Genesis, taught by Tom Calder in the Luther Building main floor;
Revelations, taught by Paul Cheek in the office building conference room;
Confession taught by Pastor Bauer/Steven Goodrich in Pastor's Office;
"Our New Life in Christ" taught by Tim Schultz in the Luther Building main floor.
All classes begin at 9am and they welcome new members!
Coffee and fellowship follow at 10am.
The Day Guild will meet on Thursday, April 3rd at noon for potluck luncheon, Bible Study and short business meeting. Hostesses are Yvonne Baker, Val Zeh and Virginia Kindervater. Clara Erickson will have the Bible study.
Bring items for LWR health kits: wash clothes, hand towels, soap, combs, toothbrushes and nail clippers.
Spring Zone Rally will be at Christ Lutheran on Saturday, April 19th; registration is $600, which includes lunch. Guest speakers are Bruce Schrader, principal of Christ Lutheran School and Chris Lawrenz, director of Lutheran Camp on Petit Jean. There will be an ingathering of craft items for summer camp. Please tell Sandra Hoff or Jo Anne Holmes by April 1st if you can attend.
Small group Bible Study in the Conway area continues every other Sunday of
each month at 5pm at the home of Steven and Beth Goodrich. They are
currently studying The Augsburg Confession.
Please call
Steven at 501-733-6136 for additional information.
Ladies small group Bible
Study, Women of the Word, meets the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month at
11am at the church. Please consider coming to this group if you don't have
to work during the day. They are currently continuing the series, "Forever
Touched: Significant Women in Jesus' Life".
Call Sandra Hoff at 501-224-7393 for more information.
Please consider being a part of one of these Bible Studies. It is a great opportunity to learn more about God's Word and about your fellow church members.
Our LConPJ is hosting a women's retreat the last weekend in April - Friday night, April 25th through Saturday day, April 26th. The workshop features Tina Cope, founder of Home Improvement Ministries in Conway, Arkansas. Study topics include meal planning, house cleaning, time management and daily prayer time. The cost of the weekend is $65 and includes a night's lodging, three meals, a 50 page manual to take home and lots of FUN! Registration forms are in the narthex; the weekend is filling rapidly! Questions - see Peggy Shultz or call 804-4903.
Sunday, April 27th, join us for a behind the scenes tour of the Old State House Museum with the museum's curator, Jo Ellen Maack. We will view the museum's newest exhibits, First Families of Arkansas (personal items of Arkansas Governors, First Ladies, First Children and First Pets!) A Circus Hitched to a Tornado (a look at twelve elections that defined our stat) and Sparkle and Twang (Music legend Marty Stuart's private collection featuring outstanding pieces as Patsy Cline's makeup case; an Elvis Presley sweater; Johnny Cash's first "Man in Black" suit; Hank Williams, Sr.'s handwritten lyrics to "Your Cheatin' Heart;" and an early Elton John custom cowboy-inspired sparkled suit.
We will leave from church, lunch together at noon and then visit the museum! For more info, call Jo Ellen at 324-8637 or Peggy Schultz at 804-4903.
Your Heartland Chapter, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, is once again participating in JOIN HANDS DAY! All across the country, groups get out and do something good for their community on JHD. It is called JOIN HANDS DAY because EVERYONE is working together! Not only are so many different groups working together BUT all ages are working together - children, parents, grandparents, everyone!
This year on Saturday, April 26th, we will assemble "WE CARE" packages for our veterans who find themselves inadvertently admitted to the local VA hospitals without basic toiletries. On May 10th, we will assist our LConPJ with a spring facelift! Chris has a whole list of projects-painting interior walls, building benches, re-roofing a cabin, raking leaves from the Lutheran cemetery in preparation for Memorial Day, etc! We urge everyone to participate in both mission efforts, if at all possible!
With money provided by Thrivent for JOIN HANDS DAY activities, we will purchase basic travel-sized toiletries - soap, toothpaste, toothbrush, deodorant, etc. In addition to the toiletries, the kits will also include a card letting the recipient know that he/she is "Loved by a Lutheran" and that "WE CARE!" On Saturday, April 26th, we will meet at Grace Lutheran's Parker Hall at 5:30 PM with our children and grandchildren to help assemble these hospital kits for delivery the following week! Gina Junkans at 501-455-9245 of Grace Lutheran will coordinate this mission effort.
Chris Laurenz, the Director of our Lutheran Camp on Petit Jean has again graciously offered us overnight accommodations at no charge. We will also receive breakfast and lunch. Arrive anytime after 5 PM (no supper served) on Friday, May 9th. Bring bed linens, pillows and toiletries. Last year, the people in sleeping bags were happier than those of us in the bed linens! It is just about 10 degrees colder up there on the mountain! Guys will be in one cabin; gals in another. Also bring work clothes, gloves, rakes, etc. Later that evening, we will gather around the campfire for some singing and prayer before retiring for the evening! Peggy Schultz at 501-804-4903 of First Lutheran will coordinate this mission effort.
1. This is ONLY for Thrivent members? No, No, No! This is for all Lutherans and their children and their grandchildren AND all their friends., Thrivent members or otherwise!!!
2. How many Lutheran congregations are participating in the JOIN HANDS DAY? Hopefully, eight congregations (LCMS, ELCA and Wisconsin Synod) here in the Little Rock area will all pull together once again to make JOIN HANDS DAY a real EVENT, make a real impact in our community!
3. We are to choose only one of these activities? No, No, No! We hope everyone will participate in BOTH activities!
4. What's in this for me? You get a warm feeling knowing you have done something good for others who need it. You get the benefit of meeting and laughing with, and enjoying other like-minded Lutherans from the many congregations here in central Arkansas!
5. What do I do next? Call Gina 501-455-9245 to see how you can help with the WE CARE packages in your congregation! Call Peggy 501-804-4903, to see how you can help the Camp in your congregation AND to reserve you bunk on May 9th! Start getting your family members lined up, as well! It is so very important that we involve persons of ALL AGES! We each have something to offer!