IN OUR PRAYERS:

Please remember in your prayers our members who are shut-in’s:

Helen  – Holy Family Nursing Home

Irene - River Park Gardens

Lilla  - Luther Home

Elfrieda  - Luther Home 

Adeline  – Maples PCH

Anna   – Fred Douglas Lodge

Laura  - Red River Place, Selkirk

Mary  – Luther Home

BAPTISM COMMEMORATION:

Inspired by the congregation pledge made in the service of Holy Baptism (see page 228, ELW), we will be including names of those baptized at St. Luke's Zion in our monthly newsletters.  We hope this will be a reminder to lift them up in prayer, wherever they may be in their faith-walk.  The following were baptized in the month of March in previous years:

Alyssa; Colton; Levi; Katelyn; Sydnee; Alyssa; Owen

NEST:

We are currently reviewing our Constitution, which we plan to include on our Website in the future.

Through the Canadian Immigration Centre (CIC) NEST has learned the Government has set a total of 1950 refugees. The CLWR, our parent agency. Have been allotted 50 for all of Canada, (9 from Nairobi). NEST has an application for a family of 3 – a young couple with a baby. It is hoped they will be included in the 50. They are part of the KOBWA family that arrived December 2013, and who are happily settled in 2 apartments, working and or attending school.

Several long-time members were elected to the NEST Board.

NEST Chair, Pastor Annemarie wrote several Thank You notes;

**Ethel & Jim Mair for their long and faithful service that extends above and beyond their caring for the initial year (that is provided by NEST caregivers) and for researching & knowledge of services available to newcomers.

**Applebee’s for offering their facility and services to the community.

**Caregivers for the KOBWA family.

We have more complete results of our Fundraiser at Applebee’s Restaurant – Pancake Breakfast in January 2015:

97 tickets sold           -   $ 970.00

Donations                  -   $ 230.00

Sub-total                   -   $1200.00

Costs (Applebee’s)   -   $ 360.00

Profit                         -   $ 840.00

Those who took part enjoyed the bacon & pancakes and the camaraderie! The KOBWA family were happily among the volunteers.

NEST Upcoming Events:

*NEST General Meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 24, 2015 at 7:00 pm at Grace Lutheran church.

*NEST Annual Meeting will be held Tuesday, April 28, 2015 at 7:00 pm. St. Luke’s Zion has offered to host this year’s annual meeting, which will include reports and elections. The guest speaker from Booth University has been invited.

Refreshments following. All are invited to our NEST meetings.

*NEST Potluck Supper will be held at Kildonan United Church on Sunday, May 2, 2015 at 5:00 pm.

Thank You for your continued prayers and support.                          

Dorothy Hankamer

FOUR LENTEN TALKS:

Christians Speak about Scripture, Society, Tradition and Worship, Mondays March 2-March 23, 2015 at 7pm.  These talks are presented by St. Stephen and St. Bede 99 Turner Avenue (Ness and Mount Royal in St, James). The 4th session is at St. James Anglican Church, 195 Collegiate.

Schedule:

March 2 - A Guided Tour of the Bible by Michael Wilson, Minster and Author

March 9 - Who Is My Neighbour? by Charles Huband, Queen's Bench

March 16 - Can Christians Unite? by Don McCarthy, Professor of Philosophy

LOCATION CHANGE March 23 - Worship: A Journey with Buxtehude at the Organ by Lottie Enns-Braunn.  This talk will be held at St. James Anglican Church. 

For further details see the poster on the Bulletin Board or talk to Colleen Einarson.

EDITOR’S DESK:

Please be sure to submit any items for April’s Newsletter no later than March 26th, 2015.   When submitting the items to my email address: helenjanzen@mymts.net  please indicate in the Re or Message line of your sent email to me, that it is pertaining to the Church’s Monthly Newsletter.  An example could be: Re: Church Newsletter Material. You can also leave a message for Helen anytime at 338-1432.

THE LIGHTER SIDE:

Exercise daily - Walk with the Lord.

POETS CORNER:

God in the Seasons

Lord, In Spring we are reminded of the magnificence of Your creation,
as the earth is covered in verdant green,
with splendid splashes of color,
and we witness birth everywhere, of animals bearing their young,
of buds turning into leaves and flowers and our own moods being reborn with renewed energy and life.

Lord, in Summer, we remember the warmth of Your love for us and the light of Your goodness.
Both are everywhere for those who look.
Thank You for butterflies, birds and wildlife for us to enjoy, water to swim in, and weather that frees us to romp and play while outdoor pleasures are at their peak.

Lord, In Fall, we thank you for Your cooling breezes, that bring relief from the relentless summer heat.
We see bright colors fading and dying,
leaves turning brown, crisp, disintegrating,
only to be reborn next year, reminding us that every living thing, including us,
must die in some way before being reborn.

Lord, In Winter, as white snow blankets the ground, we are reminded of Your purity and Your perfection.
The complexity and beauty of each single snowflake only hints at Your transcendent intelligence and creativity.
We hunker down and snuggle in, knowing this season will wind down and Spring will reappear, as it always has because You created an orderly, predictable universe,
not by chance, but from your flawless design.

Thank You for the seasons, Lord,
and everything in them
that You created for our enjoyment.

                                         by Joanna Fuchs