Wow, MARCH... I have always loved March, it's a time of hope and rebirth. We know that the long winter is almost behind us (March 20th is the first day of spring), though there can certainly be some bad weather and treacherous roads, they can't last as warmer temperatures are just ahead. There's a great metaphor for life here, we know that in this time on Earth there are going to be storms, there are going to be icy patches, there are going to be more than a few metaphorically speaking crumpled fenders, bruised bums, and slips on the highways and sidewalks of life. But, we as Christians know that there is 'Hope' just around the bend. And just in case we tend to forget, this is the time of year when we are busy preparing for Easter and the message of our Resurrected Savior. Praise God, for the message of grace, love, forgiveness, and hope that the cross of Christ holds out for us... let's also remember to not keep His message under a bushel basket, but rather to show His light to the world. Why not invite a friend (or two or three) to come join us here at Woodlawn for worship or for some other Church activity. There's never going to be a better time than today to ask your friends and family to come and experience the love of our God.
We have had a busy month here in February and it looks like we're going to just keep being busy. Thank you to all who helped out with the February Soup Supper, it was a great success and we can't wait for the March Soup Supper! The Men had a great turnout for their 'Baked Potato Bar' and we're going to have to do that one again! It was a great meal! Our Ash Wednesday service was very well attended with at least 40 people coming out and taking part in the service conducted in the Chapel. The new TV was a tremendous asset to the worship experience, and we can't wait to use it more in the upcoming Thursday night worship services (which are slated to kickoff on April 5th).
Currently, it looks like we'll have at least a couple of baptisms on Easter morning. Praise God! Jodi is working on preparing the children to sing a song or two for us on Palm Sunday, it's always fun to have the children involved in worship. Thank you, Jodi, for all you do for the kids! Don't forget that there will be a Maundy Thursday service in the Chapel on March 29th at 7:00 pm. Also, make sure to attend the 'Good Friday Cross Raising' at 3:00 pm. We'll be doing our 24 hours of prayer again so keep your eyes open for the sign-up sheet when it's prepared.
If you haven't sent a Thank-You to Larry & Shirley Ellis for the donation of the 'Baby Grand Piano' in memory of Lloyd Ellis. The Address is: 2370 Fletcher Ave, Lytton, IA 50561-7545. Thank you, Larry & Shirley!
We all need to thank Clyde for all the snow-blowing and sidewalk clearing he's had to do these last few storms. Clyde puts in a tremendous amount of time for Woodlawn and we all owe him a great deal of appreciation. Thank you, Clyde!
Last Sunday I preached about the issue of 'violence' in our schools and society. In researching this issue I discovered that the primary root cause of school violence stems from bullying. Today Bill Hungate and I sat down with Randy Martin and discussed some possible ways we as a Church could help him and the rest of the school system tackle the problem of bullying in our schools. We will continue to fact find, brainstorm, and converse about this much-needed action. If you have any suggestions, please talk to me! We'll be coming up with a plan of action as soon as we possibly can. Please stay tuned and of course PRAY for guidance for us all. I will suggest that we all also talk to our children and grandchildren about bullying and try to comfort and equip our offspring in how to cope with this growing problem.
I need to wrap this up so that Brittanie can finish the Newsletter, so I'll just leave you all with my typical refrain.
Be a blessing to someone today!
Pastor Roy
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