Special Announcements
Christ is Risen! Alleluia!
Wow. How exciting to sing the Easter song of celebration again. Coming from our hearts and voices, we sing or shout it with the great cosmic chorus of new life, “Christ is Risen, Alleluia!" It is a breath of fresh air, a comfort and a new foundation to build our lives upon.
“Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying…she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but did not realize it was Jesus…Then he said to her, “Mary”. And she turned and cried out, Rabouni! (Teacher!). John 20:11-18
New life in Christ is a powerful reality for all who believe and sometimes it takes a while to accept and absorb all of the implications. When Mary Magdalene came to the empty tomb, she was first scared and confused. She had lost her Lord to death and suffering and now it seemed like someone was disrespecting his body after death. But then everything changed. He called her name. She was not alone. He stood with her in all of life’s challenges and confusion.
The powers of hatred, fear, jealousy or even death could not drive away the compassionate presence of Jesus and God’s commitment to bring healing, hope and new life to Mary and each of us. He calls us by name and says, “I am here, you are not alone, your life is precious in my sight. We will stand together in this world and the next, chasing life." This is the final word right now, for all time, for all of creation, for each of us.
It has been a rich and meaningful Lenten journey with you, considering and strengthening our practices of discipleship. Your witness has been inspiring to me and our conversation has opened us to grow and gain confidence in living our own authentic path of following Christ. The Lenten journey has led us to this joyous moment once again: we are Easter people, invited to experience the transformative power of new life in Christ. Jesus calls us by name. We walk with him by faith to discover the importance of hope, forgiveness and new life. We have the opportunity to be his good news to the world. Christ is Risen! Alleluia! Amen.
In gratitude,
Pastor Soren Flessen
Redeemer’s Family,
Greetings and Happy Easter to all!
Christ has risen! He has risen indeed!
I hope this newsletter finds everyone in good health and kindred spirits. Let us all welcome spring and new beginnings. Take in the beauty and the promise of new life. We can all be grateful that our winter was not too harsh. It’s great to watch my grass and gardens looking more green and alive day by day.
Looking back on our Lenten season and journey, I was very impressed and grateful on our
Faith and Life series and discussions. We had tremendous participation and sharing by much of the congregation. Pastors preparedness and leadership, along with the treats, made our time together very uplifting and insightful. Thank you to all for your time and efforts. I was particularly moved with Erica’s personal story and sharing of her experience of evangelism. I am always impressed with our young people’s connection to God and His presence in their lives.
Thank you to Marilyn and her “team” for providing another wonderful and delicious meal along with Easter baskets to families in need. Keep in mind that the pantry is always in need of donations. Talk with Marilyn to see what the needs of the pantry shelves are and help out as you can.
Finances are doing O.K. this past quarter. We are in the middle of looking for some new quotes with our liability insurance to try and save some money. Like everything else in the world, insurance rates are going up also. We will keep you up to date as things progress. Please remember with summer coming up, if you are traveling on vacation how important it is to the church to stay current with your giving.
Hopefully in the next couple of months we plan on having another “clean-up” day. More to come on that subject! Till next time…….
In His service,
Steve
Save the Date:
WATCH FOR IN APRIL
- April 1 April Fool's Day
- April 22 Earth Day
- April 23 Book Club 7pm
- April 25 Council Meeting 7pm!
WATCH FOR IN MAY
- May 12 Happy Mothers' Day
- May 19 Pentecost
- May 20 Book Club 7pm
- May 27 Memorial Day
🥂🎉🎊🎆🎈🥂🎉🎊🎆🎈
APRIL BIRTHDAYS
- April 4 Deb Peloquin
- April 16 Michael Stephens
- April 16 Shirley Aggen
- April 28 Steve Nowlan
- April 30 Pastor Soren
ALTAR FLOWERS FOR APRIL ARE GIVEN BY:
- April 7 The Strojny’s who are thankful for life & each day
- April 14 In celebration of Lucia’s first birthday!
- April 21 Jim Woolard in loving memory of James F. Woolard, Sr. & Wilma Woolard
- April 28 The Ogarek family who are “loving life”!
🥂🎉🎊🎆🎈🥂🎉🎊🎆🎈
MAY BIRTHDAYS
- May 8 Gary Rickert
- May 12 Ida Mae Walsh
- May 13 Bill Cummens
- May 19 Winnie French
- May 24 Linda McHugh
- May 25 Sophie Mueller
✝️ 📖 🙏 🕊️ ✝️ 📖 🙏 🕊️
MAY ANNIVERSARIES
- May 18 Gary & Patti Schoenbeck
- May 26 Jennifer & Jeff Kanacki
ALTAR FLOWERS FOR MAY ARE GIVEN BY:
- May 5 STILL AVAILABLE
- May 12 Pam Walsh in celebration of her mom, Ida Mae’s 99th birthday!
- May 19 Deb & Steve Nowlan for blessings received.
- May 26 Linda McHugh in celebration of Rylan’s birthday!
Please consider signing up for altar flowers. They are $28 for 2 beautiful bouquets.
📚 📙 📖 👨🏫 🎒 📙 📔 📘
APRIL READERS
- April 7 Dan Frawley
- April 14 Jerry Marquardt
- April 21 Tony Ogarek
- April 28 Gary Rickert
MAY READERS
- May 5 Steve Nowlan
- May 12 Bob Hecht
- May 19 Art James
- May 26 Deb Nowlan
Updated per newsletter; Birthdays, anniversaries, readers updated monthly.
Upcoming. . .
📚 📙 📖 👨🏫 🎒 📙 📔 📘 🔖 📕 📖 📗
BOOK CLUB
In APRIL we will be reading:
This one's an oldie but deserves a re-read and discussion. Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns is about a 14 year old boy in 1906 Cold Sassy, Georgia. The book centers on Will Tweedy's relationship with his grandfather and the small town scandal that begins when his grandfather remarries a young woman two weeks after his wife's passing. Think about that time in history in the south and what the problems this situation could stir up.
We will get together on April 23 at 7 pm at Jan Strojny's. Hope to see y'all!
In MAY we will be reading:
“Mad Honey” by Jodi Picoult & Jennifer Finley Boylan
Beekeeper Olivia McAfee fled her abusive husband in Boston for New Hampshire with her six-year-old son, Asher. Twelve years later, Asher is charged with murdering his high school girlfriend, Lily, a newcomer to town.
Join Linda McHugh, at her home on Monday, May 20 at 7pm for discussion and refreshments.
Woman to Woman
So, I was thinking the other day (which happens a lot) and remembering Pastor talking about a special code of sorts that he has with his daughters. A special phrase that they say under certain conditions that only makes sense to them. I don't remember the phrase exactly but it seems to me the certain condition was updating his wardrobe.
My family also has a phrase that would make no sense to anyone if they heard it. It's been going on for a good 20 years now and hasn't worn out yet.
So, here's the background. My Uncle Ted and Aunt Betty had 3 children. The first two came within years of each other and then the big surprise came 15 years later. This one is Chuck. Now the oldest got married, moved away and started a family. The second got married, moved to Wisconsin and enjoyed the outdoors and fishing. The surprise child went to school, graduated from college and stayed at home. Eventually my uncle passed away and Chuck took it upon himself to stay with Aunt Betty. They were a couple and showed up for all family events together.
Years went by and Chuck still took care of his mom. Needless to say, she looked after him (or so she thought). So now picture a family event with about 20 of us and we're all going to the pot luck table, making our plates and finding a place to sit. And all the while Aunt Betty is asking Chuck if he took some turkey, did he take potatoes, doesn't he like the jello - he should try some and Chuck has steam coming from his ears because he's 45 years old and capable of fixing his own plate and that's when he turns to her and says, "Betty's plate! Betty's plate."
That phrase stuck for every get together since but it doesn't just refer to a plate of food. If anyone gets too pushy with their opinion on how something should be done, we simple say, "Betty's plate! Betty's plate"! In other words, mind your own business. And I've even said it to friends who have no idea why I'm talking about Betty and her plate but in my mind, I know that I've just told them to mind their own business.
So if you ever want to tell someone off without them knowing it, by all means, use our cute little phrase. It works well in all circumstances and keeps them guessing..
Til next month-----------------nice chatting with you Jan Strojny
Altar flowers: 2024'S SIGN UP SIGN UP SHEET STILL HAS OPENINGS FOR YOUR CELEBRATION OR EVENT
Call or email the office with your request or sign the sheet in the Narthex.
The cost of the flowers is $28 for 2 beautiful bouquets.
THRIVENT MEMBERS Please contact Deb Frawley or Marilyn Fisher to find out how you can help the Pantry and/ or church out financially!
The South Suburban Crisis Center is an ongoing project for the Women’s Group. During these trying times, women and children need help more than ever. Please keep them in your prayers.
Domestic Violence Outreach Services
(Crisis Center for South Suburbia)
- 24-hour hotline~ 708-429-SAFE (7233)
- Live Safe Patient Advocacy
- Law Enforcement Victim Outreach
- Community Education
All services are free and confidential
WWW.crisisctr.org
Redeemer’s Little Free Pantry
I’m excited to write this because I will be talking about Spring while Im sitting here on a cold windy day. Easter falls on the last weekend of March and once again I will be doing ham dinners and family Easter baskets. The Easter baskets are always a fun project. I’ll be looking for donations for the baskets and the dinners. Also, if anyone is a Thrivent member, I would love you to sponsor an Action Team to help pay for the bulk of the hams, if you are unsure how to do one, I would be happy to walk you through it. It is really quite easy and the $250 would go a long way with purchasing the hams.
I want to thank everyone for putting all your pocket change into the noisy offering. The church collected $172 and that money will go towards Valentines Day treat bags for a couple of organizations. Thank you!
If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one,
Marilyn
OUR CURRENT SELF HELP GROUPS’ MEETINGS
- SUNDAY~ AA 7pm/ NA 7pm every 4th Sunday
- MONDAY~ AA 10:30am/ AA 7:30pm/ NA 7pm
- TUESDAY~
- WEDNESDAY ~AA 10:30am/ OA 7:30pm
- THURSDAY ~TOPS 5:30pm/ NA 7pm
- FRIDAY ~ CANA 2nd Friday/month
- SATURDAY~ NA 10:00am
God's blessings on the congregation at Redeemer's, and their families throughout the spring season and throughout 2024!
AMAZON RETURNS
If you are returning something from Amazon, you can drop it off at Staples, and they will give you a coupon for $10 off of $30. If you get the coupon, and don’t know what to buy with it, please don’t throw it away. The church office could put it to use!! Just drop it on the desk in the office. Thank you in advance for helping out!
Thank you to:
- All those who made our Lent special: those who brought treats, contributed to our discussion group, special music, Pastor, Amy, Tony & Jan.
- Those who put together, cooked, set up, cleaned up and attended the Meal in the Upper Room/ Good Friday service and meal.
- To Gary Rickert, whose “spidey” sense saved the boiler once again!
Please remember to donate food, money and other resources to your local organizations who are supplying those in need.
Also, don’t forget-- to help Marilyn in supplying her pantry. Any large donations, please put in bag and leave by the back door, or contact Marilyn at 708-687-2432 and she can meet up with you. Monetary donations are always accepted and can be sent to church. If you are sending a check, please make it out to Marilyn Fisher.
Please Pray for:
PLEASE PRAY FOR:
Dolores Sheputis, Shirley Aggen & family, Fern Schara, Pat Kropack, Mary O’Malley, Gus Scott, Joanne, Eddie McDermott, John, Ryder Conrad, Pete & Debbie Animagi, Tom Stormer, Carole, Bridgett Arista, Dave Murphy, Lottie White, Noah Coyle, Tammy & John, Kevin, Nick, Kevin H, Percy, Tom DeLeeuw, Tommie, Steve S, Theresa Bentley, Ralph, Richard Coyle, Trisha Williams, Lisa Byrom, Robert Ogarek, Virginia Drogula, Carol Burge, Bev, Audrey, Keith Buhs, Silvia Magana, Howard Doyle, Linda McDonald, Chris McAuliff, Harold Carver, Mike, Bob Brennan, Bob Graniczny, Kris Neumann, Len Schaafsma
🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏
Please inform the office for any name removals or additions. Thank you
Kind Words
Dear Redeemer’s Lutheran Church,
Thank you for your gift of $300 to help individuals and families escape homelessness this Spring season. As you know, we sheltered in place and followed CDC and State government guidance in response to the COVID 19 pandemic. Your support helped us pivot services to keep homeless individuals and families safe at local hotels, as all congregate shelters closed, while continuing to provide essential lifesaving services. Thank You!
Sincerely,
Rohit D’Souza,
Philanthropy Manager, PADS
I pray this letter finds you and your congregation hopeful and enjoying the waning weeks of summer during these unprecedented times. As always, thank you for your generous support of the ELCA, the synod, and our shared ministry. The impact that our congregations have in the world is truly amazing! I am proud to be a part of this effort and look forward to working with all of you in finding new, faithful ways to continue this inspiring work of Kingdom Building.
Many blessings of thanks!
Heather Haynes,
Executive Assistant to the Bishop
Dear Redeemer’s Lutheran Church
Thanks be to God for YOU! Your support through your benevolence and other giving is a blessing.
Please keep Bishop Curry and the MCS staff and all congregations of the synod in your prayers as we continue to press through this new way of being.
In Christ, Heather Haynes (Executive Assistant to the Bishop)
To the Redeemer's Family!
EASY CHEESECAKE LOG
2 cans (8pks) crescent rolls
1 8-oz pkg cream cheese
1 egg separated (save white)
1 T. lemon juice
½ c. granulated sugar
Mix all ingredients, but the rolls (which are laid out as sketch below on parchment paper or greased sheet/ tray) Make 2 logs.
Use ½ filling on each log and seal ends.
Fold edges over in a crisscross pattern. Brush with egg white (or save white for after cooking for powdered sugar and/ or sprinkles). Bake for 15 min. at 350. Cool. Slice down middle and then side to side for more pieces
New to Redeemer's? Here are some common questions
You’ll find everything from jeans to casual clothes to business suits at our worship experiences. At Redeener's, we don't care about what you look like or what you wear. We want you to be comfortable.
If you are visiting us for the first time, we will not ask you to stand up or ask you to give money. Many people want to check out a church and “be anonymous” for a while. That's ok by us!
It can be a intimidating visiting a church for the first time. So we will do our best to welcome you. We are dedicated to making sure you feel right at home. We'll answer any questions you have and make sure you get a hot cup of coffee and know exactly where to go.
When you get here, just head straight upstairs (or take the elevator) to our narthex to sign in! Your family is in good hands!
Giving is entirely up to you. If this is your first visit, we don't want you to feel any obligation to give. You are our honored guest. Also, if you start attending regularly, you'll only be expected to give what you feel you should.