The Beacon
Newsletter
March 15, 2024 Volume 66, No 11
This SUNDAY: Fifth Sunday of Lent: Labor of Love
Jesus’ instruction to forgive 70x7 times is both daunting and abstract. Forgiveness is a whole lot of work. It’s not simply forgetting and moving on. It can be done with or without repentance. Forgiveness is essential in any long-term loving relationship. ‘“Love” is more than a feeling. Love is a form of sweet labor: fierce, bloody, imperfect, and life-giving—a choice we make over and over again. If love is sweet labor, love can be taught, modeled, and practiced. This labor engages all our emotions. Joy is the gift of love. Grief is the price of love. Anger protects that which is loved. And when we think we have reached our limit, wonder is the act that returns us to love.” - Valerie Kaur
To prepare, please read: Matthew 18:15-22.
Pastor Anna Lisa Gross
Sunday, March 17
9:30 a.m. Meet & Eat
10:30 a.m. Worship
11:30 a.m. Family Meeting
Monday, March 18
7:00 p.m. Executive Committee Meeting
Pastor Anna Lisa On-site
Office Open 8:00 a.m.-1 p.m.
Tuesday, March 19
Office Closed
Wednesday, March 20
9:30-11:30 a.m. Food Bank
8:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Office Open
Thursday, March 21
4:00 p.m. Worship Preview meeting
6:30 p.m. Choir Rehearsal (bell choir to follow)
Office Closed
Friday, March 22
9:00-2:00 p.m. Office Open
Saturday, March 23
Pastor Paula’s Day Off
Sunday, March 24
9:30 a.m. Meet & Eat
10:30 a.m. Worship
Remember to check the Breeze calendar for upcoming events and activities!
Worship on 3/10/2024:
In-person attendance 52
Offering 3/3 $5,506
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Food Bank on 3/13/2024:
Individuals served: 56
Families served: 22
Family Meeting for Parents, Children, and our Christian Educators: Sunday, March 17, 11:45-12:10 in the Parlor
Please mark your calendars and plan to attend this important meeting. We'll review upcoming summer activities for our children, talk about summer camp at Camp Mack and scholarships, and also review safe activities, safe spaces, and the ways we want to interact with one another when we're in the church building together. Have questions? Please speak with Pastor Paula or Pastor Anna Lisa.
"Fight Like Jesus" during
Meet and Eat!!!
For two more Sundays in March during Meet and Eat, we will be discussing Jason Porterfield's book, Fight Light Jesus: How Jesus Waged Peace throughout Holy Week (Herald Press, 2022). Porterfield structures the book based on the events of each day of Holy Week. If you are reading along, please keep the following schedule in mind. If you aren't reading along, that's fine. Dan Ulrich will summarize the important points.
March 17
Chapter 5: "Wednesday: Two Roads Diverged, and I Took"
Chapter 6: "Thursday: A Community Conceived"
March 24
Chapter 7: "Friday: Who Holds the Hammer?"
Chapter 8: "Saturday and Sunday: Peace Be with You"
WHAT’S THIS? A potluck for Meet and Eat? Starting this month, the last Sunday of each month will be a potluck. That means anyone is invited to share something for breakfast. You don’t have to cook but you can. You can bring a box of donuts, cereal, yogurt, whatever you wish. It will be a great experiment to see what happens on potluck Sundays! Remember the LAST Sunday of each month!
Weekly Food Bank Update
Thank you for all your donations! Currently, the most needed items are pancake mix and syrup. Monetary donations are also appreciated.
Shoppers are needed for April 2024, if you would like to sign-up! The sign-up sheet is located on the office countertop.
Easter Candy Needed!
The education commission needs candy to fill Easter Eggs. Please bring in any donations by March 24th.
Thank you!
New Members Sunday!
We will welcome new members to our congregation during worship on April 7. Put this important celebration on your calendar! A reception will follow worship. If you would like to become a member at Beacon Heights that Sunday, but haven't had the opportunity to speak with us about it, please let Pastor Paula know.
ReFRESH Update
The ReFRESH pledge campaign is underway, bringing possibilities for new carpet, color, and character to our church building! More than 120 letters are headed to mailboxes throughout the country to current and former friends of Beacon Heights as we invite both prayerful and financial support of this effort.
Our goal is to raise $20,000 in pledges by April1 so that specific projects can determined from a broad list of projects, and that pledges will be fulfilled by June 1 for work to be completed over the summer. A quick look at the funding thermometer in the hallway will tell you our level of progress each week. Look, too, for posters with examples of what is being considered for a color scheme, wall décor, furniture options, and eventually carpet samples.
To make a pledge, complete a pledge card from the ushers’ table and drop it in the ReFRESH box. If you wish to make a donation, drop it in the offering plate or refresh box with a note that says “ReFRESH” on it. Small envelopes marked “ReFRESH” are on the ushers’ table to ensure your privacy. You can also make a donation via our website by linking it to the ReFRESH Fund (4716). All donations – large or small – represent our confidence in the presence and ministries of Becon Heights.
Questions or ideas? Talk to a ReFRESH committee member anytime – Donna Kline, Carol Lindquist, Linda Wolf, Linda Myers, Thom Quinlan, and Lisa Liechty-Steele.
Lawnmower Needed!
If you have a used lawnmower to donate or sell to Meshack and Aimerance (the African refugee family we sponsor), please inform Kyla Zehr, Ev or Carla Kilgore, or Leslie Sperry
Abortion Care Package Assembly Open House and Fundraiser
Join us to assemble care packages for patients receiving care in Ohio, donate to the Jubilee Abortion Fund, a faith based abortion fund providing practical support for abortion patients (childcare stipends, hotel stays, transportation, language interpretation, all-options counseling, and more!). Come for a short time or stay for a while. Create connections with other reproductive rights advocates. We will provide all care package materials, coffee, and light snacks.
Saturday, March 23 at 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m., Plymouth Congregational Church in the Folsom Room. No donations required, all care package materials will be provided.
An Invitation
This is an invitation to the 100th birthday celebration for Joe Mason who is Ev Kilgore's dad. Feel free to attend if you would like or send him a card at:
Box 501
N. Manchester, IN 46962
Paintings for Sale
The paintings currently hanging next to and across from Pastor Anna Lisa's office will be switched out soon to ones with a spring theme. Linda Myers, the artist, is making the current winter themed ones available for purchase, and will donate half of the proceeds to the church's ReFresh fund. The price of each painting in the 16x20 black frames is $80 a piece, and the two smaller ones of the bird and hill top trees are $50. The poinsettia one in the front walkway is also $50, and the large one of snowy winter birches with a stream is $400 and includes a custom frame and mat. Frames and mats are not included with any of the other art pieces, as they will continue to be used for new artwork. Please contact Linda Myers if you are interested in purchasing any of these art pieces at 260-414-2551 or email, lindadaintymyers@gmail.com.
Your Chance to Support the Refugee Family!
Aimerance needs rides to and from her English class on Tuesdays and Fridays. It runs from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Class is at 1005 West Rudisill (Door A), on the former campus of Fort Wayne Bible College/Taylor University. You can drive her whenever it works for you. Please contact Kyla Zehr as soon as possible if you are available on any Tuesday or Friday. (Aimerance is very friendly and communicates well with smiles for now. She lives very near the church at 2606 Lynn Avenue). Thank you!
Indiana Primaries
The Indiana Primaries are approaching on May 7, and this is the perfect time to make sure you're registered to vote. You might be confident that you are, but in this era of renewed voter suppression, names disappear from the rolls.
Please take a moment to check your voter registration status here! Enter your name exactly as it appears on your registration. I was surprised that Anna Lisa Gross is not registered, but Anna Gross is. As you prepare your plan to vote, take a moment to learn what offices are on the ballot and who the candidates are in each district here.
Next SUNDAY: March 24, 2024
Theme: Palm Sunday
Join us for a creative service that begins with “Hosanna!” and our traditional Children’s Palm Parade – but then moves into a reflective time in which we will walk with Peter as he accompanies (and fails to accompany) Jesus to the cross. This service will use art, a simple interactive ritual, and story-telling as we move into Holy Week.
To prepare, please read: John 13, 18, and 19.
Pastor Paula Ulrich
Published by Beacon Heights
Church of the Brethren
Editor: Alexis Shoda
Phone: (260) 482-8595
Email: office@beaconheights.net
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