» Faith in God’s Promises

The second week of Lent brings us to the Genesis encounter between Abram and God- a God who promises to bless Abram and his ancestors if Abram follows his command. And so Abram and his family pack up their household and follow God’s command – traveling and encountering folks along the way…

Under the cover of night, Nicodemus visits Jesus and wonders what faith and salvation are all about. Jesus breaks through the darkness with the light of God’s love and faithfulness to God’s people. What do these encounters teach us about our faith lives? Are we ‘in the dark’ Christians or do we follow God in our daily walk?

Worship on Sundays is at 8 & 10:15. Sunday School continues for our 3 yr old – 8th grade students at 9:10. See you then.

Wednesdays in Lent:
A tradition of the Church is to prepare folks for baptism during Lent with an intense period of catechism study. As we continue our year of basics, we too will spend the Wednesdays of Lent immersed in the study of Church Doctrine, as prepared by Martin Luther. Beginning March 12, SOTH offers two opportunities for prayer and catechism study. At Noon, the folks who gather will share prayer with communion and then study Luther’s Small Catechism. In the evening at 6:30 PM, a simple supper of soup and bread will be served, followed by evening prayer composed by Marty Haugen. As part of our evening worship, we will also study Luther’s Small Catechism.

We will begin at the very beginning – how Luther’s faith handbook was designed to help teach the faith of pastors, preachers, and lay folk alike. When was the last time you read through the small catechism?

You are invited to any or all of the meals. A sign up sheet will be in the narthex for you to host or to bring your favorite kind of soup to share. Please contact Pastor Tina for more information.

Support DASI and our Girl Scouts:
Carsen Terry and Missy Terhune are asking for your help with their Girl Scout Silver Award project. Beginning this Sunday until the end of March, there will be a donation box in the narthex for goods to be donated to the Morning Glory Thrift and Gift Shop in Andover, which provides monetary support for the Domestic Abuse Sexual Assault Intervention Services (DASI). The following items will be greatly appreciated: clothes, shoes, movies, books, curtains/drapes/linens, kitchenware, garden/outdoor tools, hobby supplies, craft supplies, and jewelry or accessories. Please contact Carsen or Missy if you have any questions. Thanks!

We Need You…
Without you, this congregation isn’t complete. Whether its worship or bible study or even a work day – your input and assistance help to keep this family known as Shepherd of the Hills alive.

Sundays could always use more hands! We gladly welcome deacons, readers, ushers, counters, even choir members – liturgy is about the people. By request, a chore chart is up if you’ve got a couple of hours for light maintenance. If you don’t see anything on the chart that fits your skills, check with the office.

While we always have room for more worship servers and yard keepers, we are also in need of some more intentional help. President Barbara Osborne has announced that we will have at least one vacancy for our Church Council this spring. We are also in need of folks to help lead the following teams: Parish Activities, Evangelism, Stewardship, and Worship n Music. Council positions are a three year commitment of about 10 hours a month and Team Leaders commitment about 5 hours a month. Please talk with us if you have questions. The Nominating Team and Pastor Tina thank you for your prayerful consideration.

It’s Back – SOTH Youth and Family Laser Tag:
Once again, you are invited to meet SOTH at Laser One in Wantage for an evening of fun, games, and food! Sunday March 23 is the day and 1 PM is the time. $20.00 will get each participant 3 games, pizza and soda. All youth participants must have a permission slip on file with the church before attending.

Save the Date – Annual Easter Egg Hunt:
The bunny has confirmed and we are excited to announce that Shepherd of the Hills will host its annual Easter Egg Hunt. We will gather at 1 PM in the sanctuary, do a little hunting in the yard, play some games, and help other kids know about friendship. This activity is free and open to the public.

We need some congregational help – individually wrapped candy (no peanut) for the eggs and baked goods for our hospitality area. Please check the clipboard wall for the appropriate sign up sheet.

With praise and thanksgiving,
Pastor Tina 🙂