WEEKLY E-MESSENGER FROM THE LUTHERAN CHURCH OF THE REFORMATION

For the Week Beginning April 12, 2019

Sunday of the Passion

THE WEEK AT REFORMATION

Saturday – 5:00 p.m. Service of Holy Communion

Sunday – 9:30 a.m. Service of Holy Communion

Wednesday – 10 a.m. Eucharist – Stations of the Cross this Wednesday

See below for the Holy Week Schedule

TOMORROW SATURDAY, APRIL 13TH AT 10:30 A.M. WE WILL CELEBRATE THE FOOD PANTRY AND CLOTHES CLOSET EXPANSION WITH THE OFFICIAL RIBBON CUTTING CEREMONY. WE HOPE YOU WILL ATTEND.  THESE 2 MINISTRIES TOGETHER SERVE CLOSE TO 400 FAMILIES EVERY MONTH. WE KNOW THE SUCCESS OF THESE MINISTRIES IS, IN NO SMALL PART, BECAUSE OF THE CONSTANT SUPPORT OF THIS CONGREGATION, ALL OF YOU – THANK YOU!!

Our Pajama and Book drive ends this Sunday.  We will bless and give thanks for this project at worship this Sunday.  If you haven’t already, please consider bringing new books and/or new pajamas for new born to age 18 for Kelly Dopazo’s drive: Every child deserves a good night!

HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE

Please plan to join us for worship this Holy Week!

We begin the week with our Services of Holy Communion this weekend for the Sunday of the Passion at 5pm on Saturday and 9:30am on Sunday. Both services will begin outside (weather permitting) and then we will process in together

MAUNDY THURSDAY – Dinner Church at 6pm in the great room followed by the foot washing and stripping of the altar in the sanctuary. Maundy Thursday is an important part of the Great Three Days (Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil). Across these three days the Church gathers to keep one service spread over three days. Our Dinner Church Experience on Maundy Thursday this year is going to be intentionally interactive in ways we’ve not done before. Here’s the plan for worship that night…

We’ll begin with Confession and Forgiveness, including, for those who desire it, individual absolution and the laying on of hands.

During the salad course, we’ll hear a reading, the Pastor will preach and we’ll sing a hymn.

As one of the primary things that occurred on Maundy Thursday was Christ’s prayer in Gethsemane, during our main course, we will circulate through several prayer stations, each with a unique form of prayer:

Before our dessert course, we’ll commune one another at our tables.

Once dessert is done, we’ll process together into the sanctuary for the reading of the Gospel, the foot washing, the stripping of the altar, and the opportunity for people to stay for as long as they desire for private prayer.

GOOD FRIDAY:     April 19: 3:00 p.m. Good Friday Liturgy from the ELW

                               7:30 p.m. A service of light and shadows called Tenebrae

THE GREAT VIGIL OF EASTER:  April 20:  7:30 p.m. The Great Vigil of Easter – This service is long – though it could be longer still if we included all of the readings available in the service of readings.  It lasts between 2 and 2 1/2 hours.  We’ll light the new fire and process into the great room, the vigil readings will take place in the great room. We’ll then process in to the sanctuary to complete our Service of Holy Communion

EASTER SUNDAY:    April 21: Festival Service of Holy Communion at 9:30

(No Sunday Church School on Easter Sunday or Nursery so families may worship together)

PRAYER LISTS/REQUESTS

If you have someone on the prayer list and you would like them to remain on the prayer list for the new church year, please call (732-229-9180), email (reformationwlb@gmail.com) or leave a note on Debbie’s desk. Please remember, unless otherwise asked, we will put your loved ones name on the weekly spoken prayer list for 4 weeks and then they will remain on the prayer list below and in the monthly messengers indefinitely (until you let us know we can remove them).

PRAYER REQUESTS

Kate, Joann Angelillia, Rose Apolito, Linda Brady, Betty Bray, Logan Brown, Lexi Carbin-Sievers, Virginia Detommasa, Isabella Downer, Betty Errigo, Dave Fieltsch, Laurie Geckeler, Maxwell Holden, Pat & Jim Jackson,  Tim Jackson, Diane Kanach, Don & Joyce Keller, Alan Keszler, Nancy Lautz, Sonny Lee, Craig Lindsay, Keith Lowe, Steven McVey, Kathy Meyer, Mary Parris, Michael Pasquale, Mary Presley, Andrea Prince, Linda Rodgers, Gary Ryder, Bart Schaap, Doris Scheibner, Irene Shelly, Bonnie Skolnik, Miles Skolnik,  Jeff Sperling, Amy Staley, David Strockbine, Tom & Marie Thorsen, Daniel Vamvas, Caitlyn Vamvas, Elise Walker, Michael Woods

EASTER LILIES AND TULIPS: Ordering is now closed for Easter lilies and tulips. Thank you to everyone who ordered a plant in memory or honor of someone.  Your plants will be available for pickup any time after Easter morning’s service!

POSTED ON: MARCH 22, 2019 – 8:59AM on the west long branch webpage

Drug take back is scheduled for Saturday, April 27th, at headquarters from 10am-2pm. We take any medication, pill and liquid, in its original packaging or it can be dumped out of its container directly into the collection box. Obviously, liquid cannot be poured out and is required to have the cap on it securely prior to disposal by the individual. Participants are encouraged to remove all personal identifying information from the prescription bottles, but it is not a requirement. SYRINGES AND OTHER SHARP INSTRUMENTS ARE NOT ACCEPTED.

PICTURES COURTESY OF CURT AUSSICKER

We had so many wonderful happenings last Sunday! 7 of our young people received Holy Communion for the first time, we had the blessing and enrollment of a baby to be baptized 5/19, and we had 2 new families join with us. An exciting time at Reformation!

And, on top of all that we continued our tradition of sending our college students cookies to remind them their church family is always thinking of them and there for them! (We’ve already begun getting the thank you calls for cookies that have arrived!)

Here are just a few pictures representing last Sunday!