We're building a bigger heaven and better lives!
Life Beyond Regret
We don’t measure up, but when we confess our shortcomings, God’s grace comes through in a big way. Find out how this Sunday, March 21 at 10:45 a.m. 101 Pecan Drive, in Schertz [map and directions].
Nursery (infant to age 4)
A nursery is available for children infant – age 4 at any time during the worship service on Sundays in the Mother’s Room, to the left as you exit the worship area. The audio of the service is broadcast into the room. Interested in helping with Nursery? Sign up at the Info Table or contact Chris Stemmermann at 566-1401.
J.A.M. (ages 5-8)
Children ages 5-8 are invited to join us for J.A.M., our age appropriate worship/learning experience for children, just after the Children's message this Sunday! Interested in helping with J.A.M.? Contact David White at 650-3166.
Just for Tweens (ages 9-12)
Kids ages 9—12 are invited to be a part of Tweens, a group specially designed for them. Join them this Sunday during the LifeLesson portion of worship for this fun learning experience. Want to know more? Call Becky Peterson at 945-7952.
Grace Prayer Team
Know the miraculous power of prayer. Word of Life has a team of prayer warriors ready to pray for you. The team meets on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. [map and directions] to pray for the morning worship and other needs. Also, prayer partners will be available to pray with you or for you after worship. Just come to the right side of the worship area.
If you would like the team to pray for you throughout the week, just let Pastor Ken know (566-2237 or Ken@WordofLife4u.com), and he will share your request with the team.
The team is compiling a quarterly newsletter and they would like to add your story of answered prayer. Please share YOUR story and/or become a part of this exciting prayer team. Contact Betty Tolsma 659-8107 or bettytolsma@sbcglobal.net.
Building a Bigger Heaven in Brazil
In our prayers this week, we’re lifting up the ministry of Holy Trinity Institute in Moreira, Brazil as they reach out to children experiencing the emptiness of broken homes and a corrupt society and fill them with physical care and the love of Jesus. We support their work through the gift of 10% of our Sunday morning offerings to Brazil Mission Society. To find out more, visit www.BrazilMissionSociety.com.
Daily Devotions
Daily devotions for the season of Lent are available online in print and audio formats at: www.lentendevotions.net/dailydevotions.asp.
Join a LifeGroup
Tuesday Youth Group
7:00 p.m. at the Weissmann's
108 Rustic Trail, Cibolo
Questions? 314-3754
New!
Tuesday LifeGroup
7:00 p.m. at the Goeke’s
21927 Paseo Corto, Garden Ridge
Questions? 651-3075
Wednesday Morning Women’s Group
9:00 a.m. at Sherri Smith’s home
3309 Dusty Crossing, Schertz
Questions? 659-2585
3rd Wednesday Reading Group
Meets Wednesday, April 21 to discuss “Wuthering Heights" by Emily Bronte.
6:45 p.m. at the Schertz Library
798 Schertz Parkway, Schertz
Questions? 566-1650
Thursday Men’s Group
7:00 p.m. at Ken Mitschke’ home
1531 Jasmine, Schertz
Questions? 218-3685
Living Free Women’s Group
Some members of this group meet on Saturdays at 9:00 a.m. for coffee and discussion. Others of this group meet on Sundays at 9:45 a.m. in the mother's room at church. For info, contact Becky Peterson, 945-7952
God Sightings Group
Go to www.MyGodSightings.com and click on “Sign up now.” Once you have created your profile, use the search box to search for the “Word of Life Fellowship” group.
NEW!
Group for Adults
A new evening LifeGroup for adults starts this week! Join us at 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, March 23 at the Goeke’s, 21927 Paseo Corto, Garden Ridge, for dessert and socializing. No study yet, just a time to get to know one another. No need to bring anything except yourself... and maybe a friend, neighbor or relative! We will study the Book of Acts, using the material produced by Max Lucado. After a month or two of Bible Study, or when we are ready, we will begin spending the 4th Tuesday of the month putting our newly gained insights and enthusiasm to work by doing some "hands on" ministry. We plan to switch meeting locations every three or six months. Questions? Call the Goekes (651-3075), Gibsons (945-7915), Lynn Herr (530-8293) or Carole Kowta (888-5256). All of us are really excited about the group and the possibilities it creates. Join us!
Resurrection Celebration Donations Needed
There will be a box in the lobby this Sunday for donations of plastic eggs and individually wrapped candy for this year’s egg hunt. We will collect these donations through Sunday, March 28.
Experience the Passion
This Easter season experience a fresh expression of Jesus’ love for you! Join us for a journey through seven hands-on prayer stations on Good Friday, April 2 at 7:00 p.m. at 101 Pecan Drive, Schertz. [map and directions]
Touch a wire crown and thank Jesus for enduring the pain on the cross.
Hammer nails into wood and seek God’s forgiveness for the sin in your life.
Write your name in red paint and remember the cost Christ paid to save you.
It’s called “The Passion” for a reason. It’s intense! It’s hopeful! It’s invigorating! Pray about who you will invite to share this experience.
Resurrection Celebration
Sunday, April 4
Breakfast
9:30—10:15 a.m.
Easter Activities for Children
9:30—10:15 a.m.
Egg Hunt for Younger Children
(Toddler—Age 6)
10:15 a.m.
Egg Hunt for Older Children
(Age 7—12)
10:30 a.m.
Resurrection Celebration Service
10:45 a.m.
Parking
To accommodate increased numbers of guests and attendees at our Resurrection Celebration, please consider parking in the grassy area beside the church building or on the street on Sunday, April 4. Be sure to invite and bring your neighbors, friends, fellow students and co-workers!
Egg Dye Kits & Invitations
Door knob hanger bags with invitations and egg dye kits will be available on Sunday, March 28. Be sure to pick up a supply and use them to invite your neighbors, friends and family to the celebration!
Invitation Distribution
All door knob hanger bags not picked up that Sunday morning will be distributed that evening by the youth and other volunteers. If you would like to help with the distribution, meet at Greater Randolph church on Sunday, March 28 at 5:00 p.m. We’ll distribute the invitations in some of the newer neighborhoods, then work together to stuff Easter eggs for the egg hunt. (Location for egg stuffing: TBD)
Fourth for Fisher House
On the 4th Sunday of every month, we will collect donations for Fisher House. Fisher House is a home-away-from-home for the families of seriously ill or injured patients receiving treatment at area military medical facilities. Donations of cleaning supplies, paper products, shelf-stable food, etc… are always appreciated. Bring your donation with you to church on Sunday, March 28, and place it in the Fisher House basket by the door.
$100,000 + $100,000 + Interest!
For every dollar you give to our Building Fund until the end of 2010, the Texas District LCMS has generously offered to match it up to $100,000. As a bonus your donation will receive a high rate of return in the coming year through our Texas CEF Building Fund which is currently paying 2.78% apy. Just write "Building Fund" in the memo line of your check or place your gift in a Ministry Facility Fund envelope.
Camp Lone Star
Ready to experience God in the great outdoors through a faith-based camping experience? Then Camp Lone Star is for you! Supported by Lutheran Outdoors Ministry of Texas, Camp Lone Star is a year-’round facility with retreats, seminars and camping experiences for all ages. Located near LaGrange, TX, Camp Lone Star is less than a 2 hour drive from Schertz. Registration for the camp’s popular summer program is open now. The theme for this year is, “Mighty to Save” from Zephaniah 3:17. For more information, review the flyer or visit www.lomt.com or talk to Mitschkes, Petersons, Osgoods or Molinas.
Missional Worker Training
San Antonio Missional Worker Training is this Saturday, May 15 at Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church, 5323 Blanco Road. LINC San Antonio is sponsoring this training opportunity for lay people. This one-day seminar, 8:30a.m.-3:30p.m. will begin a 12-month journey for people who are ready to serve God and His people. Cost for the workshop is $15 for lunch and materials. Take a look at the FAQs about Missional Worker Training at the Missional Worker Training Blog http://missionalworker.blogspot.com. For more Missional Worker information and resources go to www.missionalworker.org.
Worship at Word of Life
You can listen to audio streams of recent worship services at Word of Life through the internet or download a recording of the service to your mp3 player and listen whenever you'd like. Click here! and you'll be directed to our Worship at Word of Life page. Left-click on "Stream" to listen to a service right away or click on "Download" (some require a right-click) to download a service to your computer and/or connected mp3 player to listen to later. You can view, save or print a copy of the LifeLesson notes too.
You can also subscribe to our Podcast/RSS Feed of Worship at Word of Life. To subscribe to the podcasts and LifeLesson notes, click on Subscribe. To take advantage of this feature you may need to update your web browser or get a free RSS reader. For more information about RSS subscriptions and readers go to www.WhatIsRSS.com.
Online Calendar
You've read through the WordofLife4u. You sense what God wants you to do, but how do you keep track of events to invite your friends and neighbors to, groups where you can grow and ministries where you can use your gifts to make a real difference? Check out our online calendar at: www.WordofLife4u.com/calendar.
"Better Life" Links
The Campus Confession Booth by Don Miller - "What I considered a horrible idea turned into a moment of transformation..." [more]
What About... Confession and Absolution by A.L Barry - "Thank God for the gift of confession and absolution!..." [more]
No More Mr. Nice Group by John Ortberg - "Five practices that take small groups beyond polite sharing to the disciplines that change lives..." [more]
Prayer Requests and Thanksgivings
We Thank God…
for the opportunity to confess our sins and receive forgiveness, healing, blessings and strength, for His kindness and His Holy Spirit that bring us to confession and repentance
for Jim and Liz Leible, celebrating 40 years of marriage
for healing Dan Ebert and for the gift of good health
for our nation and our leaders
for standing guard over our troops and their families
for those who have sacrificed life and limb defending us
for all the resources God has entrusted to our care
for almost $43,000 given toward our Ministry Facility (Building) Fund
for His promise to multiply our tithes and offerings to help build a bigger heaven and better lives.
We Ask God…
to inspire and empower us to take steps toward honest and complete confession
to bless the ministry of Holy Trinity Institute in Moreira, Brazil as they reach out to children experiencing the emptiness of broken homes and a corrupt society and fill them with physical care and the love of Jesus Christ
to direct the various processes necessary for purchasing a property to help us reach our community with the Gospel
to comfort the victims of persecution, terrorism and disaster, especially those in Chile
to bless our leaders with godly wisdom and guidance that they would lead according to His will
to bless David & Ana Koester, Paulita (Koester), Jim Smith, Harold Toomey, Jeff Conley, Joe Curry and Chuck Tolsma with employment
to bless Daniel Sanchez & Justin Krueger
to bless and protect our troops abroad, especially Tom Hermel & Erik Moore in Iraq, Juan Pizarro (Molina) in Indonesia and Jason Leible, Elizabeth Grossart & Jason Lieber in Afghanistan
to bless Monte Stewart, Shirley's son, who appears to be near death
to comfort the family and friends of Elaine Stuffel’s mother as they mourn her death
to heal John Bowden, Archie Wortham, Lisa Flowers, Debra Gutierrez, Monte Stewart (Stewart), Carey (Tolsma) and Ken Carnathan and to heal those battling cancer: Dr. Sauri, Cathey Edgington, Pastor Linderman, John Dury, Rachel Midgett, Kayla Nunnery, Sadie Norris, Matthew Provencio, Manuel Coloura, Zach Vangundy, Amanda Conniff, Pam Smith, Kurt Bickel, Susan Doering and to comfort and strengthen their families
for financial and people resources to enable His vision to come into being through us
to empower us to build a bigger heaven and better lives.
Join us in prayer wherever you are! You may leave prayer requests at 566-2237 or Ken@WordofLife4u.com.
Poking Fun
A man goes to the confessional, "Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned."
"What is your sin, my child?" the priest asks.
"Well," the man starts, "I used some horrible language this week, and I feel absolutely terrible."
"When did you do use this awful language?" asks the priest.
"I was golfing and hit an incredible drive that looked like it was going to go over 250 yards, but it struck a phone line that was hanging over the fairway and fell straight down to the ground after going only about 100 yards."
"Is that when you swore?"
"No, Father," replies the man. "After that, a squirrel ran out of the bushes and grabbed my ball in his mouth and began to run away."
"Is THAT when you swore?" asks the priest again.
"Well, no," says the man. "You see, as the squirrel was running, an eagle came down out of the sky, grabbed the squirrel in his talons, and began to fly away!"
"Is THAT when you swore?" asks the amazed priest.
"No, not yet," the man replies. "As the eagle carried the squirrel away in his claws, it flew toward the green. And as it passed over a bit of forest near the green, the squirrel dropped my ball."
"Did you swear THEN?" asks the now impatient priest.
"No, because as the ball fell, it struck a tree, bounced through some bushes, careened off a big rock, and rolled through a sand trap onto the green and stopped within six inches of the hole."
The priest sighed, "You missed the putt, didn't you?"
Just a Thought
"Anybody who has once been horrified by the dreadfulness of his own sin that nailed Jesus to the Cross will no longer be horrified by even the rankest sins of a brother. Looking at the Cross of Jesus, he knows the human heart. He knows how utterly lost it is in sin and weakness, how it goes astray in the ways of sin, and he also knows that it is accepted in grace and mercy. Only the brother under the Cross can hear a confession." - Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Joy & Peace,
Pastor Ken Mitschke
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P.S. For past issues or to subscribe [WordofLife4u].
Word of Life Fellowship-LCMS
1531 Jasmine Dr
Schertz TX 78154-3738
www.WordofLife4u.com
210-566-2237
Ken@WordofLife4u.com
We're building a bigger heaven and better lives!
Word of Life Fellowship LCMS
1531 Jasmine Dr
Schertz TX 78154-3738
Pastor Ken Mitschke
210-566-2237
Ken@WordofLife4u.com