Atonement Lutheran Church Newsletter - The Messenger

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March 23, 2010 - Volume 31, #12

• Save a Tree, Save a Stamp, Save some Money!

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  To sign up for electronic "delivery" complete the online form at: http://www.alcsyracuse.org/mailinglist.php

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• Please join us for Holy Week Services
  
  

  116 West Glen Ave
  Syracuse NY 13205

  Questions? Please call 315-492-9065 or
  send email to info@alcsyracuse.org

  Palm Sunday (March 28)
  

  8:30am	Palm Sunday Service (Pastor Gaetz preaching)
  10:45am	Sunday of the Passion Service (Youth Group Presentation)

  Spring Healing Service (Wednesday March 31)
  

  5:30pm	Dinner
  6:15pm	Service of Healing and Renewal (Vicar Wulff preaching)

  Maundy Thursday (April 1)
  

  11:00am	Service of the Last Supper (Pastor Suarez preaching)
  7:00pm	Service of the Last Supper (Pastor Suarez preaching)

  Good Friday (April 2)
  

  7:00pm

  Tenebrae (Pastor Gaetz preaching) The ancient and beautiful service of shadows and darkness

  Easter Vigil (April 3)
  

  5:15pm

  Easter Vigil Services (Vicar Wulff preaching) Lighting of the New Fire, Renewal of Baptism Vows, Baptisms, and Holy Communion

  Easter Celebration (April 4)

  8:30am	Festival Eucharist (Pastor Gaetz preaching)
  9:15am	Festival Breakfast (All are welcome!)
  10:45am	Festival Eucharist (Pastor Gaetz preaching)

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• Financial Flash!
  
  

  "They said it couldn't be done..." ...well, it has been. The budget passed at the Annual Meeting in January showed a deficit of about $50,000. The congregation was challenged to improve their giving to eliminate that deficit. Last Sunday the congregational offering was over $3,500! If the offering averaged that amount every week, that deficit would be eliminated. We have proven it can be done. Now, let's keep up the good work.

   

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• It Takes a Lot of Food!
  

  We have 17 families for whom we will be making Easter food baskets.

  Your donations of food and money are vital for this ministry of care.

  With the hams we will buy we need donations of:

  Boxed potatoes, Canned green beans and corn, Canned fruit and Jell-O, Funfetti Cakes, Funfetti Frosting, Easter Candy, Coffee

  We also fill out our baskets with non perishable foods for the days when children are not getting meals at school.

  We can use canned meat and meat entrees like chili, stew, "Chunky" soups, tuna, cream soup, elbows or noodles, mayo, crackers, peanut butter, jelly, rahman noodles, pasta and sauce, canned or bottled juice.Your generosity will make the most important of Christian festivals special for families in need.

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• Easter Plants
  
  

  We will be accepting memorial donations for the plants that beautify our sanctuary on Easter and are then distributed to members of our congregation who are not able to join us for services. Easter plant memorials will be collected through Palm Sunday. The entire memorial list will be printed in the Easter Bulletin and the Messenger. Thank you!

  You can make your donation after services on Sunday between now and Palm Sunday or you may send your contribution to the church office (116 West Glen Ave, Syracuse NY 13205). Make sure you mark "Easter Plant" on your check and include a note about who you would like us to remember.

   

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• Holy Week
  
  
  Several weeks ago the birdfeeder outside my church office was completely encased in a block of ice. It reminded me of something God promised through the prophet Ezekiel, "A new heart I will give you and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." Stones are very plentiful in Israel; almost as plentiful as winter ice is in Syracuse. Knowing this I tend to think if Ezekiel had lived in Syracuse he might have said ice instead of stone. For without God, all the love and life our hearts could possess are frozen solid like a block of ice and daily life is about as about meaningless as this frozen birdfeeder is to the birds. During Holy Week we have the opportunity to draw close to the warmth of God's passion for us in prayer, and several communal worship opportunities at Atonement. My prayer for each and every one of us this year as we approach Easter morning is that God's warmth will melt our dormant hearts and give us hearts of living flesh so that we may be servants of all.
   

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• Youth Group in the Spotlight - Volleyball Marathon
  
  
  Atonement sent five enthusiastic teenagers (Phoebe Brackett, Stacie Draper, Casey Draper, Michele Lindor, and Anthony Wright) with several adult chaperone volunteers to the thirty-first, all night Volleyball Marathon for Lutheran Charities held this year at Syracuse University. This year's theme was, "Up all night helping our neighbors." Fortunately for all the charities which benefit from the games, including Appleseed Productions, generosity abounded. This year our teens collected a record financial contribution from Atonement ($235) which, when added to the other Lutheran churches, resulted in the most raised by the marathon as a whole ($4000). Without a doubt, all the Atonement teens conducted themselves well both on and off the courts and were a credit to our church family. Congratulations go out to both Stacie Draper and Phoebe Brackett whose team made it all the way to the final game, but despite fantastic, fighting spirit and a determined, late-game rally came in second place overall.
  
   

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• Appleseed Presents
  

  This production contains violent situations and language that may not be suitable for all audiences.