The Third Sunday of Easter
April 14th, 2024
FAITH LUTHERAN CHURCH
KITCHENER, ONTARIO
N2M 4Z2
247 Westmount Road East Telephone 519-745-6422
Pastor Warren Hamp Telephone 519-571-0240
www.faithlutherankw.com
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PRAYER: Christ is risen! Alleluia! He is risen indeed! Gracious and everlasting God, in the resurrection of Your Son, Jesus Christ, You have made the world new. Grant us newness of life through Your Gospel and Supper today, that being Your children in Christ now, we may at last eat at Your family feasting table forever; for You live and reign with Your Son and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.
IN OUR PRAYERS:
- Our Prime Minister and Premier, in service of order in our country; care for the hungry and homeless in our communities, as a gift of the Risen Christ; orderly government to return to the people of Haiti; the victims of warfare in Ukraine, in Gaza and Israel, and in all places of conflict
- God’s compassion for those who are afflicted, especially for: John, Marilyn, Betty, Phyllis to be kept in the knowledge of Christ; Gina Schoenwiese, for relief of pain; Earl Orth for care at home; Klaudia Groleau, John Couch, JimHammond, for continued healing and strength; Ron Witt, for recovery from surgery
- The faithful preaching of the church, in our Lutheran Church Canada; Timothy our Synod President, Marvin, David, and Robert, our Regional Pastors, Andre, our Circuit Counsellor; our Lutheran churches in Ukraine and in Russia, Nicaragua and Haiti; Rev. James D. Kay who serves as pastor of the Sudanese congregation of Grace Lutheran Church in Edmonton
LAST WEEK –
ATTENDANCE – Early: 46 Late: 64
Sunday School: 20 Adult Bible Study: 17
STEWARDSHIP
| WeeklyGoal | LastSunday | Goal ToDate | Rec’d ToDate | |
| CURRENT | $4474 | $5265 | $62634 | $60433 |
| MISSIONS | $618 | $370 | $8648 | $8605 |
| BUILDING | $674 | $510 | $9430 | $9065 |
OTHER Lamp Team $60, Nicaragua Team 2024 $610
THE LUTHERAN HOUR weekly message of inspiration and hope will be broadcast on CKWR, FM 98.5 on Sunday at 6pm. You can listen on-line at www.lutheranhour.org. “Breathe In, Breathe Out” Guest Speaker: Rev. Dr. Leopoldo Sanchez. The Holy Spirit breathes life into the Church and the Church breathes that life out to the world, with the love of Christ.
(Acts 2:42-47)
WOMAN TO WOMAN
May be downloaded at womantowomanradio.com
ISSUES ETC. 1 PETER BIBLE STUDY… The Word of the Lord Endures Forever is a daily 15-minute verse-by-verse Bible study produced by Lutheran Public Radio in Collinsville, IL and hosted by LCMS Pastor Will Weedon. Pastor Weedon begins a study this week on the Book of 1 Peter. You can listen at your convenience at thewordendures.org, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Apple HomePod, the LPR mobile app or a podcast provider.
THIS WEEK AT FAITH
| Tuesday: | 1pm Bible Study |
| Wednesday: | 7:00pm – Council |
| Thursday: | 6:30pm Catechesis |
| Sunday: | 8:15am Divine Service 9:30am Sunday School & Bible Study10:45am Matins |
This morning at our 10:45 Divine Service, we are joined by the Youth Choir of Grace Lutheran Church in Kitchener, who will be singing for and with us, and will make a brief announcement after the service in regard to their upcoming Conference on Marriage:
What God Has Joined Together
Just a friendly reminder – please refrain from wearing perfumes or other strong scents when coming to worship, in care for
your sisters and brothers who are scent-sensitive. Thank you.
From the Faith Church Council –
At our February meeting, two mission funds were established for 2024, to which you are welcome to contribute by noting them in the ‘Other’ line of your offering envelope.
- LAMP Team 2024 Fund – to support the group going to Little Grand Rapids, Manitoba, to conduct VBS in the summer
- Nicaragua Team 2024 Fund – to support the service that our group from Faith will endeavour in Nicaragua in November
Looking WAY ahead —
SAVE THE DATE! Faith is holding Vacation Bible School again this year. It will be for one week, the mornings of July 8-12. Children in Kindergarten–Grade 6 are invited to attend. Bring a friend.
This year we are celebrating “Christmas in July”. Children will enjoy Bible stories, music, crafts, games, and even a Christmas concert during the week. “Water Day” Thursday (when bathing suits or a change of clothes are needed), as well as “Hot Dog Lunch” on Friday, are also on the schedule. Registration will begin soon.
To make it all work, volunteers are needed for registration, teaching and teaching helpers, crafts, bakers and snack time helpers, outdoor activities, and music. This can be for as many days as you can work into your schedule. Let us know if you are available.
Contact Kathy King qbandkk@qmail.com / phone 226-792-1047
Pastor Warren Hamp at the church revhamp@bellnet.ca / phone 519-745-6422
The Golf Tournament Registration for Concordia Lutheran Theological Seminary in St. Catharines is now open! The event will be held on Monday, June 3, 2024 at Conestoga Golf Club in Conestogo, Ontario (north of Waterloo). The day includes lunch, green fees, golf cart, full dinner, and prizes. To register a foursome, go to: https://concordia-seminary.ca/golf/ If you have questions, call the seminary at 905-688-2362 or email reception@concordia-seminary.ca. Early Bird Registration is $150/person (after May 15th, the fee goes up to $165/person). For anyone wanting to join just for the dinner, the price is $50/person.
The Flower Calendar for 2024 is posted in the old narthex. Please fill in your name if you wish to provide flowers on any Sunday (except for Lent) as a memorial for a loved one or to celebrate a special day. A flower convenor will contact you to finalize details prior to the date that you have reserved. Thank you.
We have a use for gently-used Portals of Prayer and other devotional booklets! If you bring yours back to church and place it in the box beneath the literature table, it will make its way to edify women at a women’s shelter in Hamilton.
We now have Interac e-Transfer set up through our congregation’s bank account. If you wish to make use of this for your offerings to God, then please email Sherrie for the details at: office@faithlutherankw.com
Happy Easter from Hospitality Ministry! Hospitality Ministry is Lutheran Church-Canada’s only listed service organization (LSO) that is devoted to sharing the Gospel of Christ with Muslims. Please take a look at our Easter 2024 newsletter in the narthex. If you have never heard about the Ministry, the newsletter will give you some background on the Ministry and its latest mission work to share the saving Gospel of Christ with Muslims in Canada. -Pastor Robin Korsch, President, Hospitality Ministry
BACH VESPERS: The choir and orchestra of Spiritus Ensemble will perform Bach Cantata 9, Es ist das Heil uns kommen her (It is the Saviour who comes to us) on Sunday, April 28, 2024 at 4:00 p.m. at the Church of St. John the Evangelist, 23 Water Street North, Kitchener. Soloists are Elizabeth Lepock, Jennifer Enns Modolo, Bud Roach, and Ben Wallace; Kenneth Hull conducting. Admission is free; donations are gratefully received.
LCC congregations hold VBS, workshops in Nicaragua
NICARAGUA – In November 2023, 248 children at Vacation Bible School events
and 60 women at Advent workshops from six Lutheran Church Synod of
Nicaragua (ILSN) churches greeted a 2023 Nicaragua mission team that
included five members of Faith Lutheran in Kitchener, Ontario, along with two
members from Messiah Lutheran in Waterloo and Concordia Lutheran in
Fonthill.
Women from two northern ILSN churches construct wreaths for home devotions.
VBS events in Rivas and La Pita began after the weekly worship service.
Children and adults enjoyed an opening with their pastor and deaconess followed
by guest speaker Deaconess Carmen Martinez, who presented a lesson on the
child king Josiah. Then the children rotated through four 20-minute sessions
including Music; Craft 1 with a snack; Games; and Craft 2. The event concluded
with fellowship featuring pizza, a drink, and a pinata. The three VBS events in
Granada used the same format and were mid-week, after-school events.
Rain proved to be a problem, with the event in La Pita partially postponed by two
weeks. Nightfall at 6:00 p.m. and impending safety concerns shortened the VBS
events in Granada. But, thanks to God, these setbacks did not affect the overall
purpose for the events—nor did they prevent children from having fun!
Food hampers are delivered to local residents.
During the second week, the Canadian group travelled to two communities north
of Chinandega to run test events called Advent workshops. Pastors in La Joya
and Villa Quinze de Julio delved into the history and background of Advent with
their thirty participants. The women were served cake, fruit, and a drink before
they constructed Advent wreaths. A kit of four weekly devotions and a nativity
craft for moms to make with their children equipped families for a new and fun
Advent season.
Since God blessed the 2023 Nicaragua Mission with funding which exceeded the
cost for the seven events, the team was further able to gift ILSN congregations
with 240 food hampers and eight sound systems.
Events like these in Nicaragua are only possible because of the coordinated
efforts of ILSN pastors, deaconesses, and Mission Centre staff working
alongside Canadian teammates. Organizers thank all those who supported the
2023 November team. At all levels, Lutheran Church–Canada’s international and
domestic missions depend on God’s plan for His children—participants, prayer
partners, and financial supporters—working together.
Jane Ford
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Cover photo: Sound systems for local congregations.
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