Lent 2017 Previews of the Passion The Prophet Zechariah

March 8

What’s the Price?

Zechariah 11:8-12

March 15

The Flight of the Faithful

Zechariah 13:7

March 22

The Temple of the Lord

Zechariah 6:12-13

March 29

“Throw it to the potter…”

Zechariah 11:13

April 5

In a Single Day

Zechariah 3:8-9

Lenten Midweek services are held each Wednesday at 12:15 p.m. and 7 p.m. A light meal is provided before the evening service.

March 2017

February 24, 2017 Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! The blessed season of Lent begins March 1, Ash Wednesday. During the time of these forty days, we as followers of Jesus are urged to deeper devotion, greater hearing of God’s Word, and increased self-denial. During the season of Lent, a special devotional booklet from Lutheran Hour Ministries will be available in the Narthex of the church. This same booklet is available online at lhm.org. Also during the season of Lent, Pastor Jennings has as part of his Lenten devotions the aim of providing frequent devotional prayers based on the Small Catechism. Videos of these devotional prayers will be sent via email and will be available on Mt. Olive’s Facebook page and at youtube.com. The season of Lent provides more opportunities to hear God’s Word. Ash Wednesday services are offered March 1 at 12:15 p.m. and 7 p.m., with both offering Holy Communion. After Ash Wednesday, on each Wednesday in Lent, Lenten services are offered at 12:15 p.m. and 7 p.m. The 12:15 p.m. service is based on Responsive Prayer 2 from Lutheran Service Book. The 7 p.m. service begins with a hymn sing and follows the order of Evening Prayer in Lutheran Service Book. Also, before the evening service, a special Lenten meal is provided in the Fellowship Hall beginning at 6 p.m. There is no meal on Ash Wednesday. This year’s Lenten sermon series is Previews of the Passion, based on the prophet Zechariah. Finally, self-denial can become somewhat misleading. It’s not just fasting and that’s it. The practice of fasting is to give up something and, in place of what is denied, use the time for prayer and devotion. The praying of the first three Chief Parts of the Catechism is very helpful in a time of prayer and devotion. Meditation on the Psalms, especially Psalms 51, 6, 32, and other penitential passages is a good practice during times of self-denial. Together in Christ, we pray that this holy season of Lent is a blessing to you and your family. Let us join together in walking the road to the cross, and in celebrating the Easter triumph.

Brothers, Pray for Us (1 Thessalonians 5:25)

Pastor Craig D’Onofrio and his wife Paula as they continue to prepare for the mission field

Pastor Doug Thompson and his wife Angie as they move their work to the Lutheran church in Sierra Leone

Our brothers and sisters in the faith as they continue the work to seek a pastor

Dean Vlisides

Chris Noack

Tatum and Troy Revis

Laura Bauch and her family at the death of her aunt

Dustin Niembro (friend of Steve Waterman)

Waldine LaDuke

Dawn Jirovec

Rita Murphy

Emma Wright

Kathy Jennings

The Homebound: Ellie Reiners, Elvira Michalk, Ruby Rieder, Ann Cleveland, Ken Toelle

Those who have been given positions of authority: The President of the United States, the Congress, the Governor of Texas, the County Judge of Nueces County, the Interim Mayor of Corpus Christi, and all who make, administer, and judge our laws

The poor, the homeless, the unemployed, the underemployed, all who are in need

The defenseless among us: the unborn, the aged, the disabled, those who suffer

“You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests.” (Exodus 19:6)

Moses’ words to the Israelites are given to the Church, too. The Church is a kingdom of priests. As St. Peter writes in 1 Peter 2:9, the Church is a royal priesthood. That means her Christians are royal priests. You are a royal priest!

Priests have special duties. We might think of offering sacrifices or something of that nature, but Jesus is the once-for-all sacrifice already offered.

The duties of priests include one very special duty: interceding before God on behalf of people. As the royal priesthood, the Church is given the duty of interceding before God on behalf of people. As the Church’s Christians, you and I are given this duty, too.

We are given the duty of interceding before God in prayer. We intercede on behalf of the ministries of the Church, those who have special needs, each other, and even ourselves.

Mt. Olive Lutheran Church has a very special intercessory prayer ministry called The Prayer Chain. When special requests for intercession are given, the Prayer Chain intercedes before God on behalf of those for whom prayer is requested. It’s a very simple ministry. As one of the faithful is called, the call is passed to the next person on the link of the Prayer Chain, and then prayer is offered.

Currently, many of those who have participated in the Prayer Chain are no longer able. Several have been called to the Church Triumphant where they stand with the saints under the altar, praying, “How long?” Others have moved or are no longer available for other reasons.

Please prayerfully consider becoming part of this important ministry. Pastor Jennings will be sharing helps for intercessory prayer in the weeks to come.

If you wish to be included in this special group for intercessory prayer, please call the Church Office or David Simonds.

ELDERS NOTE – OUR PRAYER LIFE

With joys of the Christmas Season just a memory, we are fast approaching the solemn Lenten Sea-

son (ASH Wednesday March 1st). During Lent we are encouraged to reflect on our daily life as a

follower of Christ our Savior. That reflection includes introspection and earnest prayer. We ask

the Holy Spirit to guide us to increase our Faith.

There are many resources available to assist us in strengthening our prayer/devotion life. One

such resource is the “Portals of Prayer”. Printed copies are available free in the Church Narthex.

An on-line subscription is available through Concordia Publishing. The publication contains daily

devotions and prayers.

Other on-line resources are “Memorial Moment”, a week day devotion sent out by Dr. Scott Mur-

ray. Also, Dr. Dale Meyer, President of Concordia Seminary, publishes the “Meyer Minute” each

week day. Dr. Murray’s message is usually longer and thought provoking. Dr. Meyer’s message is

short (as the name implies) and often related to current world events. Pastor Jennings also sends

out short messages during the week.

Most of us have experienced events in our lives that caused us to reach out to fellow Christians for

prayer support in dealing with sickness and troublesome events. At Mt Olive there are several

ways to receive prayer support.

1. Your first line of assistance is Pastor Jennings or your Elder. Your Elder is listed in the Winter

2016 Mt Olive Directory.

2. Specific prayers at each worship service. Please call the Church office, Pastor Jennings, or your

Elder if you need a special prayer.

3. Mt Olive Prayer Chain. A group of volunteers will pray for your specific concerns.

4. The final way is inclusion in the Mt Olive Sunday Bulletin Prayer List. We encourage you to use

this resource to request prayers for friends and relatives regardless of their religious affiliation.

5. For information on the Prayer Chain or inclusion in the Bulletin, please call the Church Office

With regard to #4 above, your assistance is requested. The current list in the bulletin has grown to

occupy an entire page. Please let the office know when your prayer request is no longer needed.

To help manage this list, beginning March 5th, the names will be removed after being published for

4 weeks. The purpose of this procedure is not to arbitrarily limit requests but to keep the list time-

ly. If you wish to continue the request beyond 4 weeks, please call the office.

Reformation - 500 Challenges

Here are six challenges that can be used through the month of October for the 500

Here are six challenges that can be used through the month of October for the 500 Challenge.

March: Biometric Screening Know your Numbers

May: Bike 500 miles (including stationary) or exercise for 500 minutes (16 minutes daily).

July: Drink 500 ounces of water (2 cups per day).

September: Complete 500 sit-ups, push-ups, squats or 500 minutes of yoga (16 per day, or 16 minutes per day).

October: Climb 500 stairs during any one-week period (71 steps per day on any week).

We had a great turnout for the Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper! No one left hungry. Lots of

fellowship and fun.

Confirmation Class had a great time as well because

they could eat pancakes while they learned.

March Birthdays March 02 Ed Simmons

March 03 Roger Lee II

March 05 Arnold Krueger

March 07 Christopher Cherry

March 11 Bill Camp

March 17 Marilyn Hamer

March 19 Jessica Johnston

March 23 Matthew Catherman

March 25 Esther Felsberg

Thomas Crow

March 30 Alexandria Vlisides

March Confirmations

March 02 Jack Rohde

March 07 Kristie Mosel

March 16 Maureen Worley

March 20 Roger Lee II

Steve Waterman

Matthew Willoughby

March 25 JoAnn Grimley

March 26 Curtis Proske

March 28 Juliana Dearing

Heather Harris

Cara Westrup

March 30 Michael Steele

March 31 Wendy Crow

Anniversaries March 20 Pastor Kevin &

Kathy Jennings March 28 William & Mavis

Waterman

March Baptisms March 03 Daniel Proske

March 12 Steve Waterman

March 13 Kathryn Guerra

March 16 Taylor White

March 17 Jonathan Jennings

March 21 Matthew Catherman

March 25 Barbara Howard

March 31 Stuart LaDuke

ACOLYTE SCHEDULE

7:00 p.m.

Mar. 01 Julianne Stacy

(Ash Wednesday)

Mar. 05

8:00 Zane Badrow

10:30 Olivia Bowling

Rebecca Worley

Mar. 12

8:00 Natalie Steele

10:30 Julianne Stacy

Kaycee Crow

Mar. 19

8:00 Zane Badrow

10:30 Courtney Crow

Madison Strasheim

Mar. 26

8:00 Natalie Steele

10:30 Aniya Worley

Counters for February

Mar. 05 Emily Jirovec

Cassie Vlisides

Mar. 12 Bill Waterman

Lori Stacy

Mar. 19 John & Janet

Moseley

Mar. 26 Ken & Sue

Catherman

Elder’s Schedule for March

Mar. 05 Mar. 26

8:00 Steve Waterman 8:00 Bill Waterman

Budd Sage David Simonds

10:30 Erich Bauch 10:30 Andy Epely

Andy Epley John Moseley

Mar. 12

8:00 Bill Waterman

David Simonds

10:30 Steve Muhr

Steve Waterman

Mar. 19

8:00 Bill Waterman

John Moseley

10:30 Budd Sage

Erich Bauch

Usher Schedule

8:30 & 10:30 Mar. 05

8:00 Mark Jones

Steve Kots

10:30 Fred Harborth

Jonathan Jennings

Mar. 12

8:00 Steve Kots

Curtis Proske

10:30 Summer King

Kristine Regalado

Mar. 19

8:00 Steve Kots

Mark Jones

10:30 Jack Rohde

Tom Crow

Mar. 26

8:00 Steve Kots

Mike Johnson

10:30 Emily Jirovec

Cassie Vlisides

January January 2017 YTD 2016 YTD YTD 2017 YTD

Budget Actual Actual Actual % of Budget Budget

Total Church Income $23,437 $20,724 $20,724 $19,197 -11.58% $23,437

Church Expenses

Total Board of Education $192 $0 $0 $0 -100.00% $192

Total Board of Elders $13,866 $14,492 $14,492 $13,237 4.51% $13,866

Total Board of Trustees $5,547 $5,637 $5,637 $5,008 1.63% $5,547

Total Board of Missions $1,654 $1,552 $1,552 $1,587 -6.20% $1,654

Total Board of Youth $83 $0 $0 $0 -100.00% $83

Board of Evangelism $42 $0 $0 $0 -100.00% $42

Board of Stewardship $146 $55 $55 $33 -62.43% $146

Total Church Expenses $21,529 $21,735 $21,735 $19,865 0.96% $21,529

Total Excess/(Shortage) $1,907 -$1,012 -$1,012 -$668 $1,907

Total School Income $8,408 $8,607 $8,607 $11,798 2.36% $8,408

Total School Expense $9,255 $8,903 $8,903 $8,981 -3.80% $9,255

Total School Excess/(Shortage) -$846 -$296 -$296 $2,817 -$846

Total Operating Revenue $31,845 $29,331 $29,331 $30,995 -7.90% $31,845

Total Operating Expense $30,784 $30,639 $30,639 $28,846 -0.47% $30,784

Total Operating Excess/(Shortage) $1,061 -$1,308 -$1,308 $2,149 $1,061

Designated Income $0 $321 $321 $764 $0

Designated Expenses $4,189 $4,189 $122 $0

Total Designated Excess/(Shortage) -$3,868 $642

Total Income - All Funds $31,845 $29,652 $29,652 $31,759

Total Expense - All Funds $30,784 $34,828 $34,828 $28,968

Total Excess/Shortage - All Funds -$5,176 -$5,176 $2,791

Fund Balances (Cash on Hand)

General Undesignated Balance -$35,157 -$14,214

Designated/Other $71,629 $59,860

Total General & Designated Fund $36,472 $45,646

Bldg & Development Fund $3,118 $1,793

Pastor's Discretionary Fund $363 $263

Total Cash on Hand $39,953 $47,702

Respectfully Submitted

Steve Waterman, Treasurer

◄ December 2016

8:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

Sunday School & Bible Class: 9:15 a.m. February 2016

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 9:30 a.m. Adult Bible Study 12:15 p.m. Ash Wednesday Svc. 7:00 p.m. Ash Wednesday Svc.

2 3 4

5

6 7 6:00 p.m. Catechism Class

8 9:30 a.m. Adult Bible Class

12:15 p.m. Lenten Worship

6:00 p.m. Lenten Meal

7:00 p.m. Lenten Worship

9

10 11

12

13 6:00 p.m. School Board Mtg.

Evangelism Meeting

7:00 p.m. Church Council

14 No Catechism Class This Week! 7:00 p.m. LWML Meeting

15 9:30 a.m. Adult Bible Class

12:15 p.m. Lenten Worship

6:00 p.m. Lenten Meal

7:00 p.m. Lenten Worship

16 17

18

19 20 7:00 p.m. Elder’s Meeting

21 6:00 p.m. Catechism Class

22

9:30 a.m. Adult Bible Class

12:15 p.m. Lenten Worship

6:00 p.m. Lenten Meal

7:00 p.m. Lenten Worship

23 6:00 p.m. Long range Planning Committee meeting

24 25 6:00 p.m. Catechism Class Lock-In

26 27

28 6:00 p.m. Catechism Class

29

9:30 a.m. Adult Bible Class

12:15 p.m. Lenten Worship

6:00 p.m. Lenten Meal

7:00 p.m. Lenten Worship

30 31