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Christ Lutheran Church 1
What’s Inside
2 Christ First by
Pastor Quardokus
3 From the Principal’s Desk
4 In Our Prayers
5 News & Events
6 Rummage Sale
7 Birthdays & Anniversaries
8 Financials
9 April Calendar
A publication of Christ Lutheran Church, Stevensville, Michigan
The Christ Times APRIL 2017 Volume CIXI Number IV
Every time I do a committal I read the-
se words from St. Paul. He is mocking
death! How interesting that we say these
words as a body is about to be placed into
the grave. It shows the confidence we have
in our victory over death because of
Christ’s victory over death on Easter morn-
ing.
There was an early church father –
John Chrysostom – who preached an Easter
sermon on this text, which also mocked
death. This sermon is still read every Easter
in Eastern Orthodox churches. It is called
the Paschal Homily. It is a wonderful testa-
ment to the victory we all have over death
due to Christ’s resurrection.
“Let all pious men and all lovers of
God rejoice in the splendor of this feast; let
the wise servants blissfully enter into the
joy of their Lord; let those who have borne
the burden of Lent now receive their wage,
and those who have toiled since the first
hour, let them now receive their due re-
ward; let any who came after the third hour
be grateful to join in the feast, and those
who may have come after the sixth, let
them not be afraid of being too late; for the
Lord is gracious and He receives the last
even as the first. He gives rest to him who
comes on the eleventh hour as well as to
him who has toiled since the first: yes, He
has pity on the last and He serves the first;
He rewards the one and praises the effort.
Come you all: enter into the joy of
your Lord. You the first and you the last,
receive alike your reward; you rich and you
poor, dance together; you sober and you
Death is swallowed up in victory! by Pastor Measel “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1 Cor 15:55)
Maundy ThursdayMaundy Thursday
Communion ServiceCommunion Service
7:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m.
Good FridayGood Friday
12:00 noon & 7:00 p.m.12:00 noon & 7:00 p.m.
Easter CelebrationsEaster Celebrations
Easter SunriseEaster Sunrise——7:00 p.m.7:00 p.m.
Easter BreakfastEaster Breakfast——8:30 a.m.8:30 a.m.
Easter ServiceEaster Service——10:45 a.m.10:45 a.m.
weaklings, celebrate the day; you who
have kept the fast and you who have not,
rejoice today. The table is richly loaded:
enjoy its royal banquet. The calf is a fat-
ted one: let no one go away hungry. All
of you enjoy the banquet of faith; all of
you receive the riches of his goodness.
Let no one grieve over his pov-
erty, for the universal kingdom has been
revealed; let no one weep over his sins,
for pardon has shone from the grave; let
no one fear death, for the death of our
Savior has set us free: He has destroyed it
by enduring it, He has despoiled hell by
going down into its kingdom, He has an-
gered it by allowing it to taste of his flesh.
When Isaiah foresaw all this, he cried out:
"O hell, you have been angered by en-
countering Him in the nether world." Hell
is angered because it has been mocked, it
is angered because it has been destroyed,
it is angered because it has been reduced
to naught, it is angered because it is now
captive. It seized a body, and, lo, it en-
countered heaven; it seized the visible,
and was overcome by the invisible.
O death, where is your sting? O
Grave, where is your victory? Christ is
risen and you are abolished. Christ is ris-
en and the demons are cast down. Christ
is risen and the angels rejoice. Christ is
risen and life is freed. Christ is risen and
the tomb is emptied of the dead: for
Christ, being risen from the dead, has be-
come the leader and reviver of those who
had fallen asleep. To Him be glory and
power for ever and ever. Amen.” (John
Chrysostom, Easter sermon, circa 400AD)
Happy Easter! Pastor Measel
Christ Lutheran Church 2
Christ First By Pastor Quardokus
God’s Answers to My Personal Christianity
Even if you haven‟t attended the earlier lessons please join us on Sunday mornings at 9:30 a.m. for this in depth study of the Christian faith and its application in our lives. Each lesson is self-contained. Here are the lessons still to come.
Lesson 6—The Christian faith The meaning of faith The evidence of faith Using faith Testing my faith
Lesson 7—Prayer The definition of prayer Why I should pray? What is a true prayer? Is prayer answered? For whom should I pray? Where and when should I pray? The Lord's Prayer
Lesson 8—The Means of Grace Baptism Infant Baptism The Lord's Supper May we use grape juice? Close Communion
Lesson 9—The Christian Church Saints Is the Church catholic? Denominations Cults False prophets
.Book of the Month
From Atheism to Christianity The Story of C.S. Lewis
By Joel D. Heck
This is the story of how one of the world‟s most famous atheists became one of its most famous Christians. Clive Staples Lewis, a careful and thoughtful scholar, spent fifteen years journeying the long road from atheism to theism and, eventually, to Christianity. What attracted Lewis to atheism and eventu-
ally Christianity? How did he leave atheism behind? Why did his journey take fifteen years? Who influenced his thoughts during those
years? What authors did he read, and whom did he
interact with and confide in? “Remember, I had always wanted, above all things, not to be „interfered with.‟ I had wanted (mad wish) „to call my soul my own.‟” —C. S. Lewis
Dr. Joel D. Heck teaches courses on C. S. Lewis, Old and New Testament, and Refor-mation history at Concordia University Texas. He is the author or editor of fourteen books and dozens of articles, several of which are about C. S. Lewis. He also maintains a web-site on C. S. Lewis at www.joelheck.com.
The Christ Times April 2017
Christ Lutheran Church 3
October 2015 The Christ Times April 2017
In church on Sun-
day morning it was an-
nounced that Mandy
Neumeyer has received a
call to St. John Lutheran
School in West Bend, Wis-
consin. The members of
Christ lifted Ms. Neumeyer
up in prayer as she deliber-
ates this call as well as her
call here to Christ Lutheran.
What is a call for a teacher? In addition to
acquiring all the knowledge and training required
for certified public school teachers, our called
teachers (also known as rostered) are trained in
ministerial studies, religion, and the theology of the
Lutheran Church. As such, they are considered
"ministers of religion" and are seen as missionaries
of the church. In this way, each teacher at Christ
Lutheran School is more than a teacher.
From time to time, rostered teachers can re-
ceive a call to an area of need other than were they
currently serve. A lot of this takes place through
channels at the district, national, and even interna-
tional levels. This procedure has been put in place to
help churches fill needs both domestically and inter-
nationally. Rostered teachers do not "apply" for posi-
tions or even necessarily seek them out like in tradi-
tional public teaching positions. Nevertheless a call
is a serious time of reflection for that church worker.
What can we at Christ do? First, it is good
for us to keep Ms. Neumeyer in our prayers as she
deliberates God's will in this. At this time, Ms.
Neumeyer has both a call to St. John's, West Bend
and here at Christ, Stevensville. During this time of
deliberation, Ms. Neumeyer will be seeking God's
guidance as she attempts to follow His will in this. It
is good for us as fellow Christians at Christ to take
this time to reflect on what her ministry means to us
here. As you are so inclined, share with her your re-
flections, encourage her, and pray with all of us here
that it be God's will for her to remain in ministry
here at Christ Lutheran.
More than a Teacher By Neil F. Webb
Easter Egg Stuffing Fellowship at Coach's
Saturday, April 1st @ 4:30
Please join us for a fun time of fellow-ship and dinner. We will be filling Easter Eggs with candy that will be used during our first annual Easter Egg Hunt. Dinner and beverages will be available for purchase. Please see the sign up sheet near the entrance of the school to let us know if you plan to attend. Thank you.
Christ Lutheran Church 4
HEALING Amee Mantei
Bill Spaulding Bob Ziebart Chuck Strohacker
Cindy Allen Dewayne Greening
Faith Timm Ferny Rantz Florence Wolfanger
Francis Krieger Gay Ross
Gerry Grau John Dorn Nate Gerken
Rich Ziebart Ron Schalon
Ron Szoke Shirley Selig Sylvia Kunde
Becky Wrobleski-friend of
Kevin Dixon
Bernice & Robert Mock-
sister of Margaret Gerber
Charles Wall – husband of
Erin Barricklow—wife of Josh
Barricklow
Ethan Koehn-nephew of
Kristy Koehn
Ginny & Shelby
Grinzinger-friends of the
Pieplows
Greg Nozicka-son of Joan
Nozicka
Jeff Matheny—father of Ste-
ve Matheny
Kim Wiliams—cousin of Doris
Beazley
Larry and Grace Gilmer-brother and sister-in-law of
Butch Ziebart
Maggie Reed—granddaughter
of Doris Beezley
Mary Sink—neighbor of Don &
Pat Hutter Pastor William Griffin
Phil Oberhaus-brother of Su-
san Jackemeyer
Pastor William Schmidt–former Pastor to Len &Faith Tim
Robin Greening Mandarino-
daughter of Dewayne Greening
Ronald Drews-brother of Al
Drews
Ron Hickman-friend of Barb
& Ken Mach
Ruth Brege-sister of Al Kase-
wurm
Tanya Prather—sister of Pat-
tie Allred
Ursul Stawski-friend of Joann
Ciboch
Virgie Bolli-friend of Mel &
Ellen Machemer
William Maul-brother of
Charles Maul
Births
Birthdays Lois Huff—90th
Anniversaries
Deaths
Andy Bickel
Judy Vieregge Deb Batey—friend of
Machemers
Servicemen
Brian Root
Alex Root Ray Hammer
Patty Schmaltz
James Vieregge
General =Our country, president, those in
authority, our current economic
situation & those recently out of
work
=Our church, school, Sunday
school, pastors, teachers & all
church workers. =Missionaries: BHLOM
Rev. Roger James – Sri Lanka
Caitlin Worden - Peru middle east,
and around world. =Success for Steven Ministry.
=Success of Grief Share Ministry
=LWML grants-Healty Families—
Lutheran Family Services of Ne-
braska
= Lutheran Bible Translators
=Lutheran Hour Ministries
Christ Lutheran Church 5
News & Events for April RUMMAGE TEAM MEETING
The first team meeting for the rummage
sale is Wednesday, April 12th. Come
at 6:30pm here at church to share your
ideas with the rest of the rummage squad.
New and former members are needed to
make this a successful sale!
THANK YOU
Thank you for your generous support of
the “undie” collection for Berrien County
Foster Program. The results were 132
packages of new “undies” for the children
in the program. Donations to the March 8
and 15 Lenten Suppers totaled $476.80 .
READING THE BIBLE IN 2017
Hope everyone is enjoying “Reading
through the Bible in a year for Refor-
mation.” Please continue to put your
names in the draw box located on the visi-
tors center desk. The winners so far are as
follows: December – Steve Matheny &
Thelma Szoke, January – Suellen Klein &
Loretta Olmstead and February – Bob Dix-
on & Pastor Measel.
INVITATION BOOKMARKS
Do you have family or friends you would
like to invite to church. We have a little
help for you to do just that for Holy Week
and Easter. You will find bookmark invita-
tions with all the times of services on the
welcome center. Please take as many as
you need. May God Bless all who join us.
GRIEF SHARE PROGRAM -
Lost a loved one? No need to journey
through the grief process alone. We offer
a Grief Share program at Christ Lutheran
Church. We meet in a small group once
weekly for 13 weeks. Each week we ob-
serve a brief video that highlights a differ-
ent type of grief. We also use a workbook
that has scripture to encourage and guide
you through your unique grief journey.
Participants are free to engage in group
discussion or simply listen to what others
members share. Our group will meet on
Tuesdays, and the date will be announced.
We would love to have you join us. For
more information or to register please
contact:
Carol Farrand 269-944-9714
Becky Russell 269-429-8770
.
Vacation Bible School—2017
July 17—20
Please mark your calendars for the 2017
Vacation Bible School. Planning is in the
preliminary stages. Volunteers will be
needed.
Contact Meredith Sgambelluri at 269-281-
6626 for more information.
Christ Lutheran Church 6
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Sort
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Firs
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The
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Jun
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24
Pro
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Than
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Christ Lutheran Church 7
The Christ Times April 2017
Nuechterlein, Aaron 4/2
Dorn, Jeffery 4/3
Root, Alexander 4/3
Klug, Kirt 4/4
Winter, Louise 4/4
Oeseburg, Beth 4/5
Robinson, Kathryn 4/5
Nuechterlein, Louis 4/6
Vieregge, Ken 4/7
Alles, Jared 4/10
Carpp, Alec 4/10
Quardokus, Timothy 4/10
Steffen, Harry 4/10
Ulmer, Laurie 4/10
Drews, Reinhold 4/11
Matheny, Carol 4/12
Mantei, Amee 4/15
Ross, Scott 4/15
Zombory, Dale 4/15
Appelget, Joseph 4/16
Clark, Walter 4/16
Pankratz, Paul 4/16
Nuechterlein, Alison 4/17
Strohacker, Charles 4/17
Johnson, Robyn 4/18
Kasewurm, Kathy 4/18
Rossow, Dr. Caren 4/18
Barricklow, Eileen 4/20
Damron, Kathy 4/21
Dunn, Ryan 4/21
Starkey, Heather 4/21
Bittenbender, Bruce 4/22
Karnik, Adam 4/22
Yeske, Donald 4/22
Cole, Andrew 4/24
Karnik, Andrea 4/24
Neumeyer, Amanda 4/24
Maul, Charles 4/26
Priebe, Norma 4/27
Terry, Christine 4/27
Drews, Gerald 4/28
Mach, Barbara 4/28
Bernard, Ryder 4/29
Huff, Fred 4/29
Malinasky, Gerald 4/30
Craig & Diane Lambrecht 4/1/1971 46
Chris & Kimberly Alles 4/3/1993 24
Jackie & Bob Mast 4/4/1992 25
Gerry & Jane Kabelman 4/5/1975 42
Darren & Leslie Priebe 4/6/1991 26
Roger & Pamela Seely 4/15/1983 34
David & Suzanne Steele 4/19/1997 20
Charles & Barbara Maul 4/20/1968 49
Richard & Susan Wandel 4/20/1991 26
Sam & Diane Satkoski 4/24/1976 41
Michael & Susan Jackemeyer 4/25/1992 25
Harry & Pat Jaeger 4/25/1970 47
Rebecca & Benjamin Harris 4/28/2012 5
If you find that your name is left off the
birthday and anniversary list, please contact the
church office so that
our records can be updated.
Thank you!
Christ Lutheran Church 8
For the month of February we ran a deficit of over $19 thousand. This leaves us with an eight month
deficit position of $9 thousand. Last year through the first eight months we had a surplus position of $48 thousand.
Our financial situation is much worse than at this time last year.
February receipts for faith promises were $19 thousand lower than last February. A small part of this differ-
ence is due to Lent starting earlier last year. Ash Wednesday and several weekly Lenten services were in February
last year. Church attendance, as has been the case for several months, was lower on Sunday‟s in February than it
was the previous year. Tuition receipts and Thrivent programs had a good month in February.
Spending for the first seven months of this year is $12 thousand higher than for the first eight months of last
year. Properties has had to deal with repair and maintenance issues in several areas. A mild winter has held down
utility and snow removal expenditures. Year to date total spending is under budget.
Our general checking account had a $6 thousand balance at the end of February. In comparison, at the end
of February 2016 the checking account balance was $53 thousand.
Financial UpdateFinancial UpdateFinancial Update———February, 2017February, 2017February, 2017
CHRIST EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH AND SCHOOL
Listing of Memorial Funds and Emergency Needs
Balance Last Activity/
FUND
February 28, 2017 Status
Bell Tower Replacement 51,600 Feb-17
Brochures for Evangelism 956 Jul-10
Capital Projects 12,298 Feb-17
Computers/Technology 973 Oct-16
Floor Coverings for Entire Facility 23,130 Feb-17
Fricke Memorial for Organ Concerts 4,150 Mar-14
Organ Console 22,260 Feb-17
Radio Broadcast Funding 2,400 May-16
Reformation - 500th Anniversary Activities (NEW) 705 Feb-17
Sanctuary Cross 1,000 Nov-16
Staffing 150,000 Jul-16
Unallocated 2,607 NA
Total Memorial Funds 272,079
Emergency Needs Fund 11,430
Total Account Balance 283,509
Financial Comments -
During the month of February the memorial fund received contributions for the bell tower
replacement, capital projects, floor coverings, the organ console and Reformation activities.
Capital projects is funded with monthly savings from lower mortgage pay-ments, which will continue through April, 2017.
No payments were made out of the memorial fund in February.
April 2017 Christ Lutheran Church Calendar of Events
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1
2 8:00 am Contemporary
Worship Service 9:30 am Bible Class 9:30 am Sunday School 10:45 am WORSHIP
SERVICE
3 SPRING BREAK WEEK
7:00 p.m. All Boards Meeting 8:15 Parish Planning Meeting
4 7:00 pm Bible Class
5 9:30 am Bible Class 11:15 am SOUP KITCHEN 4:30 pm Lenten Worship
Service 5:30 pm Lenten Supper 7:00 Lenten Worship
6 10:00 am Bible Class 7:00 pm Choir
7 8 10:00 am KITCHEN/ALL
PURPOSE ROOM IN USE BY TERRI GERKEN
9 8:00 am Palm Sunday
Communion WS 9:30 am Bible Class 9:30 am Sunday School 10:45 am Communion Worship
Service
10 11 7:00 pm No Bible Class
12 9:30 am No Bible Class 6:30 pm Public School
Confirmation
13 10:00 am Bible Class 6:00 pm Choir 7:00 pm Maundy Thursday
Worship Service
14 12:00 pm Good Friday Noon
Service 7:00 pm Good Friday
Service
15
16 7:00 am Communion Sunrise
Easter Service 8:30 am Easter Breakfast 9:30 am Bible Class 9:30 am Sunday School 10:45 am Communion Easter
Worship Service
17 18 7:00 pm Ladies League
Mtng. 7:00 pm Bible Class
19 9:30 am Bible Class 6:30 pm Public School
Confirmation
20 10:00 am Bible Class 7:00 pm Choir 7:00 pm Communion
Worship Service
21 22
23 8:00 am Communion
Worship Service 9:30 am Voter’s Meeting 9:30 am Sunday School 10:45 am Communion
Worship Service
24 25 CHRIST TIMES WEEK
7:00 pm Bible Class
26 9:30 am Bible Class 6:30 pm Public School
Confirmation
27 10:00 am Bible Class 7:00 pm Choir 7:00 pm Worship Service
28 29 Kitchen, Gym, All
Purpose Room in use
30 8:00 am Worship Service 9:30 am BC/Sunday Sch. 10:45 am Contemporary WS 2:00 pm LWML SPRING
RALLY - Use of Kitchen, APR,
Christ Lutheran Church 10
Join us During Holy Week
Maundy Thursday—April 13—7:00 p.m.
Good Friday—April 14
Noon & 7:00 p.m.
Easter Sunday
Join us April 16 at 7:00 a.m. or 10:45 a.m.
Breakfast served between services
Contemporary Services
April 2—8:00 a.m.
April 30—10:45 a.m.
The Christ Times, April 2017 Volume CIXI Number IV