In Worship This Weekend …
This weekend in worship it is Pentecost Sunday! (Are you going to wear red?) Pastor Steve will be preaching about “When God Shows Up;” the key lesson is from Acts 2 when the Disciples received the Holy Spirit.
We are celebrating baptisms at 5 p.m. Saturday and 9:30 a.m. Sunday. At all services we are blessing Roger and Mary Kolb who are preparing to spend three years as missionaries in Indonesia!
At our 11 a.m. service we will be saying goodbye to Janiese Karpa as she leads her final service with us and also will be praying over our congregations High School Graduates.
At the Church This Weekend …
In the Narthex:
Saturday Night Fellowship is in full swing this Saturday, so after worship don’t run away too quickly! Stick around for appetizers, fellowship and Vicki’s Wedding Punch!
You can find out about two parallel studies for moms in dads that will span the five Sunday mornings in June during our Education Hour.
Our Hunger, Housing and Hope team will be there hoping you will volunteer to Help! Our next Family Promise host week is June 2-9. Please consider providing a meal, evening hospitality, staying overnight, etc. Come to the Family Promise table to learn more about this ministry and volunteer!
Also, missionaries Roger and Mary Kolb will be out in the coffee area before/after/between service to talk to you about their journey ahead. And you can sign up the kids for Vacation Bible School (and you can sign up to help too!)
Adult Education this Weekend
Since we now sit in the Medical Quarter, we’ve decided to have a look at a few pressing and/or “hot” medical topics. This week marks our first medical discussion with Dr. Bill Davis discussing “ART (Advanced Reproductive Therapy), Evolution & the Slippery Slope” Don’t miss the discussion about cutting-edge, and sometimes controversial treatments at 9:30 a.m. this Sunday in the Chapel.
Blessing & Honoring Janiese Karpa
Janiese has been a valued member of the staff team and in the life of First Lutheran Church, and she has touched the lives of many. We are also taking this Sunday to recognize and thank Janiese for her work leading the Alpha program and her role as Small Group Ministry Coordinator in years prior, as well as our worship leader for the contemporary service in recent years. Following the 11 o’clock worship, we will have a noon meal in the Fellowship Hall as a way of saying thank you. You are invited to join in worship and the noon meal.
Sunday Night at First Lutheran
Cedar Rapids Concert Chorale will be presenting their final concert of the season this Sunday, May 19 at First Lutheran. A lasagna dinner will be served at 5:00 p.m. in the Luther Fellowship Center and the concert of “light” music begins at 7:00 p.m. The concert will also features artwork by local artists. In addition to the Concert Chorale, the Children’s Choral Workshop will be performing. You may purchase tickets at the door or in advance by contacting the Chorale at www. crchorale.org or 365-8221.
It’s going to be a hopping weekend around here!
Looking Ahead
Welcome Home an Honor Flight - Next Tuesday, May 21, there will be a group of folks heading out to the Eastern Iowa Airport to welcome home an “Honor Flight” after their daytrip to Washington D.C. Members of First Lutheran Adult Choir will be going, and invite any other interested singers to join them. We will be singing familiar patriotic songs, and it is always a treat to see the expressions on the faces of the returning veterans. We will rehearse at First Lutheran May 21 at 9:00 p.m. and head out to the airport around 10:00 p.m. Anyone interested may join us at First Lutheran at 9:00 p.m. or join us at the airport at 10:00 p.m. All singers get their parking tickets validated, so you don’t have to worry about paying for parking. Help us honor and welcome home the vets!
The June schedule is available for folks to volunteer to help your church run smoothly. I know summer is a very busy time, but if you could check your calendars and volunteer when you are available in June, it would be greatly appreciated. Blessings and have a wonderful summer!!! As always, feel free to email Vicki Hughes with your availability and she will put your name on the right line!
Marty’s Mowers…Do you recognize that green stuff out there? It’s called grass…and it’s growing…unlike last year! This news flash has made us realize that we need to put together our mowing teams again…affectionately called, “Marty’s Mowers”. We have far less to mow this year, but what is there is growing fast! Please send an email to Vicki at vickih@firstlutherancr.org if you would like to volunteer. Depending on how many volunteer…or succumb to Vicki’s begging…we’ll have five or six teams that will mow in rotation once a week for about two hours. If you have questions please email or call Vicki at 365-1494 ext. 270.
Rebuilding from Divorce – Rev. Blair A’Hearn, licensed mental health counselor, director of Live Well Counseling will facilitate a divorce support group here at First Lutheran. The group is for people struggling through issues of anger, loss, isolation and other feelings and will meet weekly for an hour and a half, (day and time to be determined) starting in June. Cost for the program is $225 plus the cost of the book. Financial assistance may be available. For further information contact Rev. A’Hearn at blair@my-livewell.com.
Cubs Trip Half Full – We just reached one-half full mark for our trip to see the Cubs at the Brewers on Thursday, June 27th. Men, take the day off work and join us for a tremendous outing of baseball rain or shine under Milwaukee’s retractable roof. We’ll tailgate before the game and sit behind home plate all for just $99. Must be over 18. Sign up today here.
Other Notes
We are looking for two Part-time Custodians. One position will be primarily Monday through Friday, 5 – 10 p.m. and some weekend hours for around 25 hours per week. The second will be for around 12-14 hours per week, with most of the hours on the weekends. If you have questions you may contact Gordon Epping in the church office. Applications are being handled by Iowa Workforce Development; Iowajobs.org.
Community Partners
Mission of Hope — it’s time to gather items needed for the Mission of Hope meal. Please stop by the Signup table to volunteer to bring needed items. We’re going to shake things up a little this month and serve Tuna Noodle Casserole and Fruit Cocktail! Thank you for your continued dedication to this mission.
Medical Quarter Open House – The Medical District is hosting an open house to gather community input regarding the master planning process that is underway for this 55 square block area which includes First Lutheran. The event will be held 6:30 to 8 p.m. on May 23 at the new PCI Medical Pavilion next door.
