A Terrific Idea!

Based on what a group of Brits did during World War Two, here's a great thought: Pray every day at 9:00PM Eastern Time "for peace between nations." I would add "peace within nations."

The First Pass at This Weekend's Bible Lesson...

is here.

Friendship Provides Dinner to GE Basketball Team

Under the supervision of our Servanthood Team, Friendship will provide a pizza and salad dinner to members of the Glen Este boys basketball team this coming February 8. The dinner happens at 6:00PM. If you would like to help, contact Debbie Snoke.

Catechism Dates Set

Catechism is the set of classes Friendship offers to children in the sixth through eighth grades to prepare them for adult membership in the Church. At the end of this three year program, the students affirm the covenant God made with them in Baptism and commit their lives to Christ.

The sessions for this year's Catechism class have been set, as well as the date of Confirmation for eighth graders. Each sessions happen from 9:00AM to 2:00PM, with breakfasts and lunches provided by parents.

The dates of the class sessions:
February 24
March 17
April 21
May 5 (Eighth graders only)

Confirmation: May 20, 2007. (Note that this is the Sunday before Pentecost, which falls on Memorial Day weekend this year.)

Student books will be distributed after worship this coming Sunday, February 4. Students will need to read the assigned chapters before each class session, in addition to completing projects to be handed in on the dates of the sessions.

We always have a lot of fun in Catechism. Joining me in teaching the classes will be Debbie Snoke and Tim Vogel. I thank them for their help!

This Past Weekend's Announcements...UPDATED

Please Keep the Following People and Concerns in Your Prayers This Week

Seek healing for: Lois Simmons; Mel Simmons; Brittany Smith; Paul Niehaus; Tessie Witkowski; Alberta Collingwood; Charlene Hauke; Vic Feine; Ruth Fiegenschuh; John Krueger (uncle of Jan Witkowski); Alena, granddaughter of Dara and Pete Wagner; Jerry Rogers; Franny Bishop; Bonnie (a friend of Carol Barrett’s); Allyn; John Clough; Sarah Russell; Susan Frejofsky; Ross Hudson; Angie Satterfield (Vic Fay’s sister); Nick Wimmers; another Angie (friend of Carol Barrett); Courtney DeMoss; Cheyann Fletcher; Jim Tenbrink (father of Betsy DeVore); Eileen Martin (sister of Tim Toerner); Kristina Erdmann; Sheron (a friend of Judy Toerner); Veldonna Agee; Gracie Cress; Jason Hauke; Brian Collins; Allie Meckstroth; Jessica Niehaus; Pat Sidwell; Doug, who needs protection from addictions; and Lindsay Bond. (If you have names to add to or delete from the list, let Mark Daniels know via email or by telephone.

Please pray for all in harm’s way in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Ask God to bless the efforts of our youth group as they plan and prepare for their Week of Hope misision trip in June, 2007.

Ask God to bless Sinanzinkosi Moyo, the Zimbabwean girl our congregation sponsors through World Vision. Our sponsorship helps Sinanzinkosi and her fellow villagers to have schools, clean drinking water, and the opportunity to know and follow Jesus.

Pray God’s guidance for all world leaders and that their wills will be open to that guidance.

Pray for Friendship, asking God to help us to be faithful in our mission of reaching out to others with the love of Jesus and thereby experience growth in faith, love, unity, outreach, prayer, discipleship, giving, numbers of disciples, numbers of worshipers.

Pray for our Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), asking God to grant the same sort of growth to our entire denomination that we seek for Friendship.

FRIENDSHIP FOLKS HAVE BEEN A BIG HELP TO CLERMONT CASA FOR KIDS! Our help is needed again. We’re conducting another drive for items to go into diaper bags. But only a few items are needed at this time:
diaper bags
sleepers
baby shampoo
baby lotion
baby wipes
baby wash
age appropriate toys (0-12 months)
small rolling suitcase
large onesies (24 months and up)
age appropriate toys (18-36 months)
Please bring in your items over the next three weeks, no later than February 18. Thanks so much. You can ease the transitions of children taken into foster care by creating these wonderful care packages!

The staff of Clermont County Counseling Center are deeply moved and grateful to the people of Friendship for so generously allowing them to once more use our building facilities for their quarterly staff gathering. When they hear that we’re grateful that God has given us this building to share with the community, they marvel at how grateful Christian people act. You’re to be commended for sharing Christ’s love in so practical and meaningful a way!

LENT, A TIME FOR SPIRITUAL RENEWAL, BEGINS WITH ASH WEDNESDAY WORSHIP at 7:00PM ON FEBRUARY 21. We’ll once more have our Wednesday Soup and Salad gatherings during Lent. Daily devotionals will be provided, built around the theme: Making Room for Jesus. Thanks to Rochelle Feine and Betsy DeVore for coordinating these gatherings! (By the way, if you’d like to help pay for the materials used during the Lenten season, add another $1.00 to your offering. That should cover costs and shipping.)

What shape are YOU in?

What do you know about your personality “shape”? Are you a good at reading body language or do you like for people to be direct? Do you get excited by new ideas or do you prefer to finish old business first? Do you make quick decisions or do you like to work by group consensus? Do you like to be busy or would you rather see your “in-box” empty at the end of each day??

People have different styles that they use when interacting in teams, when working one-on-one with others, and when making decisions. On February 4th, after our Sunday Worship Service, Tim Vogel will be presenting a fun and light-hearted workshop to help you discover the Shape of Your Personality. This is the first of several workshops the Servanthood Team is arranging to help us find our niche in the greater community and as a member of this serving congregation.

This workshop will end by 12:30. Refreshments and childcare provided!

Holy Communion is now offered at Friendship at least three times a month. It happens during worship celebrations on the second Sundays of each month and every other Saturday. This is part of our long-time vision of having multiple worship services each week, eventually affording the opportunity to share the Sacrament during at least one of them each week.

What is GoDeep? It’s a worship celebration that consists of a brief time of prayer and an indepth look at a passage of Scripture. It takes place at 5:30 P.M. on most Saturdays. Make sure that you invite friends who might not be able to make it on Sundays or who want to go a little deeper in their faith.

We need folks to help every Sunday morning as greeters, Bible lesson readers, fellowship refreshment providers/servers, and ushers. We also need Holy Communion assistants. Judy Toerner has the sign-up sheets for our Sunday morning ministries.

You can find Mark Daniels’ Sunday messages, Community Press columns, and other writings on his web log (blog) here.

Youth ministry news can be found on The Friendship Youth Blog. It's here.

Want to know more of the background behind the Bible lessons used in Sunday morning worship? Want to get more out of the Sunday message and worship experience? Mark Daniels meets each Sunday morning at 9:00 A.M. to delve more deeply into the Biblical passages and themes around which Friendship’s weekly worship is built. Plan on being with us.

Those wishing to use Friendship’s building facilities are asked to fill out the yellow, half-page request forms you can find in the lobby, tacked to the church activities bulletin board.

Friendship’s Mission Statement:

Friendship Church is a welcoming and caring people who seek to share the kindness of God so that all metropolitan Cincinnati may grow in the faith, hope, and love of Jesus Christ!”

Friendship’s Vision:
1. Exalt the Lord
2. Each One Reach One
3. Engage in Service
4. Expand Your Vision

Oh, Blest the House

The joke is that we Lutherans have three Sacraments: Holy Baptism, Holy Communion, and Potlucks.

Last night, we had a great potluck at the building of our congregation, Friendship Lutheran Church. With us were some folks from several other area Lutheran congregations and some very special guests.

The guests were a family of four for whom and with whom we'll be building a Habitat for Humanity home this spring.

The "build," as it's called in Habitat parlance, is made possible by a grant from Thrivent Financial Services for Lutherans. This not-for-profit organization provides all sorts of top-notch financial products to Lutherans. Revenues, in turn, are poured into all sorts of projects that Lutherans undertake. Thrivent matches monies raised by Lutheran believers in Christ around the country, making it possible to extend and expand their efforts to share the love of Christ in practical ways. Funded projects might be community playgrounds, the uncovered medical expenses of someone suffering from catastrophic illness, planting community gardens, repairs on church buildings, or thousands of other things that benefit communities and churches.

Several years ago, Thrivent announced a major partnership with Habitat for Humanity called Thrivent Builds. Thrivent gives grants to local "branches," composed of Thrivent "members" from one, two, or three local Lutheran congregations which provide about 65% of the cost of a new Habitat home. It's then up to the branch members to help raise the remaining money, provide the labor, and, of course, undergird the whole thing with prayer.

In 2006, Lutheran members of Thrivent were part of building a total of 313 Habitat homes. That's one home every twenty-eight hours!

This year, Thrivent will provide core funding for the construction of 355 homes nationwide. The branch of which our congregation, Friendship Lutheran Church of Amelia, Ohio, is a part will build one of those homes this year. The purpose of tonight's potluck was to kick things off and to allow us to meet our newest Habitat family.

Our congregation has been involved with Habitat in the past and it's a truly rewarding experience. It's a wonderful thing to be part of working with a family to provide them with something many can take for granted, a home of their own.

The family itself, as you may know, also participates in the construction process, their labor considered "sweat equity," part of their "payment" for the home.

Getting the money together and getting this house built are real challenges. As I said in my message this weekend:

Late last June, when the Servanthood Team decided to set what they considered a modest goal--500 outside-the-congregation service hours by Friendship folks before the end of the year, I went along with them. But I wondered if we could make the goal. The fact is, you smashed that goal.

Now, we face another daunting task: Joining other Lutheran churches and others in the community with the construction of a new Habitat for Humanity home in New Richmond. I want you all to know right now: We can’t do it. But through us, the God we meet in Jesus Christ, can! Are you willing to believe in Him? Willing to rely on Him? Then, be at the Welcome the Higginses potluck tonight as we begin this new venture. While we build the house, Jesus Christ will build in us a sturdy, loving faith that reaches out to others. Jesus is the Savior Who turns our missions impossible into missions accomplished!

I believe that, precisely because I've seen Christ work through believers in the real world to bring real blessings to real people!

Last evening, we prayed, we ate, we received information, we took an offering for the project, and we sang a great old hymn, Oh, Blest the House. It seemed appropriate:

Oh, blest the house, whate’er befall,
Where Jesus Christ is All-in-All!
For if He were not dwelling there,
How dark and poor and void it were!

Oh, blest that house where faith is found,
And all in charity abound
To trust their God and serve Him still
And do in all His holy will!

Oh, blest that house; it prospers well!
In peace and joy the parents dwell,
And in their children’s lives is shown
How richly God can bless His own.

Then here will I and mine today
A solemn cov’nant make and say:
Though all the world forsake His Word,
My house and I will serve the Lord!

In the months to come, I think that we'll learn again the truth of what the Old Testament teaches: "Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain." (Psalm 127:1)

[THANKS TO: Jan Witkowski for her many hours of dedicated work already spent on the Habitat project! Thanks to her, Marti Niehaus, Paul Niehaus, and Judy Jordan for their work on the potluck. Thanks to all who attended. Thanks also to Dara Wagner for snapping pictures of all who attended. Most of all, we thank God for the new life we have in Jesus Christ and for the privilege of sharing Him and His love with the world!]

This Weekend's Message...

is here.

The Third Pass at This Weekend's Bible Lesson...

is here.

The Second Pass at This Weekend's Bible Lesson...

is here.

This Looks Like a Great Movie!

Amazing Grace is a big-time motion picture that tells the story of William Wilberforce, the British pol whose faith in Christ led him to combat slavery in his country.

Thirty years before America's bloody Civil War, triggered by those who violently sought to dissolve the United States rather than accept the end of slavery, the sale of human beings was ended peacefully in Great Britain. Wilberforce was the main human instrument of that event.

His efforts were eventually endorsed by a one-time slave ship captain-turned-preacher named John Newton. Newton was the composer of the most well-known hymn in the English language, Amazing Grace. The song literally expresses amazement at the grace of God, extended to humanity through Jesus Christ. Through that grace, those once blind to both sin and God's goodness see their need of forgiveness and God's willingness to grant it to us. God's grace belongs to those who turn from sin and entrust their lives to Christ. They're made right with God through Jesus' cross and they're guaranteed life forever with God because in His resurrection, Jesus destroys death and grants life to all who follow Him.

The story of William Wilberforce demonstrates how Jesus Christ empowers believers certain of eternity to stand up to the demons of this world and extend God's blessings to others. Christianity is more than an otherworldly religion. It's a vital relationship with a living God Who gives us the power to love God and love neighbor in the most practical of ways!

The movie about Wilberforce (and Newton) features an all-star cast. I'm looking forward to seeing it!

Here are study guides for the film.
Here is Wikipedia's profile of Wilberforce.
Here is Wikipedia's profile of John Newton.
Here is information on slavery as it exists in the world today and on what you and I can do about it.

First Pass at This Weekend's Bible Lesson...

is here.

"Making Room for Jesus" Will Be Our Lenten Theme

Lent starts on February 11 with Ash Wednesday. (For an overview of Ash Wednesday and Lent, written last year, go here.)

This year's Lenten emphasis will be Making Room for Jesus. Picking up on the theme of spring cleaning so important in the upcoming time of year, we'll prepare ourselves for the celebration of Easter through short daily devotions that are made up of a few simple elements:

• Scripture Reading
• A Few Paragraphs of Reflections
• We Pray
• We Act

Each day, the last section--We Act--gives several possible ways of putting the theme of day into effect. The devotions can be used by individuals. But I hope that families will carve a little time out of their days to read, pray, and act on each devotion.

More details on Making Room for Jesus and our Lenten commemorations will be announced soon.

Thanks for Sharing the Love of Christ!

Here's the latest breakdown on the numbers of reported community service hours compiled by the people of Friendship since July:

Volunteer Opportunities Report Total Hours

Amelia High School 27
American Heritage Girls 2
Bethel Schools 22
Boy Scouts 3
Boys and Girls Club of Clermont County 57
Brantner Elementary 9
CASA for Clemont Kids! 57
Cincinnati Association for the Blind 15
Cincinnati Hills Christian Association 35
Clermont County Fair 4
Clermont County MRDD 5
Clermont County Soccer Association 3
Clermont Leadership Council 12
Friendship Church 70
Give Back Cincinnati 8
Glen Este Youth Basketball Association 30
Habitat for Humanity - Cincinnati 13
Habitat for Humanity - Clermont County 92.5
Hoxworth 3
Kindervelt 5
Miscellaneous Opportunities 100
Operation Christmas Child 2
Respite Care of Ohio 1
Southwest Ohio Development Center 3
Thrivent Caring in the Communities 7
Williamsburg Residential Facility 4
Total Volunteer Hours for Friendship Church Members: 589.5

That, folks, is great! Thank you for sharing the love of Christ in our community.

This Weekend's Message is...

here.

The Second Pass at This Weekend's Bible Lesson...

is here.

Notice to Friendship Men

From Steve Snoke...

Hello Men of Friendship-

Our next men's group meeting will be on Saturday February 17th.

Regretfully, I am unable to meet this Saturday morning. I have to work to meet a critical project deadline.

I will e-mail more details about the February meeting when we get a little closer.

Take Care and God Bless,

Steve Snoke

The first pass at this weekend's Bible lesson...

is here.

The latest column is...

here. The column has several purposes:

• To share Jesus Christ or elements involved in following Him with the community;
• To heighten visibility of Friendship in the community;
• To make it easier for you to discuss Christ and the Church with the your spiritually-disconnected friends, neighbors, family members, and co-workers.

Just today, as happens most days, I talked with a spiritually-disconnected acquaintance in the community, someone I've known for many years, and had the chance, in passing, to invite him to worship with us.

All I said to him was, "You know the welcome mat is always out for you at Friendship." He looked at me and smiled. "I like your style," he said. He wasn't offended. Will he join us for worship sometime soon? I don't know. But he knows that we're a church that cares enough to invite others to know and follow the Savior Who died and rose for us.

As Rick Warren has observed, "The church that doesn't want to grow is telling the world to go to hell." The New Testament is clear that it's God Who makes churches grow by building new Christians. But God only does that in churches whose members want to grow and want their neighbors--all of their neighbors--to know Christ and to go to heaven. Let's be that kind of church!

Upcoming Friendship Youth Activities

January 26/27: Bowling and Stuff Lock-in. We'll meet at Cherry Grove Lanes at 5:45PM. We have several lanes for two hours, 6 to 8PM. The cost is $11.00 per person and covers shoe rental, pizza, soft drinks, and lane rental. After we're done, we'll go to the church building to prep for the Bible Bowl and actually sleep. (Adults needed: 2 at the bowling alley and 1 males and 2 females for the overnight portion.) To help prepare for the Bible Bowl, we will also watch The Prince of Egypt.

February 25, 6:00PM: Rockquest. Depending on our group and how many adult belayers we provide, your cost could be anywhere between $15.00 to $22.50. Past trained adult belayers need to let me know of their availability.

March 4, 2:00 to 6:00PM, 2007 Southern Ohio Synod (ELCA) Bible Bowl. Here is the official web site for the event. Go there every day for updated information. There are also sample questions and memory verses that will be part of the competition. The focus of the Bible Bowl will be the Old Testament book of Exodus. I also suggest reading four chapters of Exodus every day. I would also advise that each day you pray God will teach you more about this fabulous book...not just to do well in the Bible Bowl, but also to grow in faith.

April 12, TGIFriday's. Information here. We should raise even more funds for the mission trip through this endeavor than we did the last time we did it!

April 29, Cookout, Sam's Club, 12:00-6:00PM. Same as last time, only warmer. Another difference: I've put in an application to get a $1000.00 matching grant.

Watch for a complete list of upcoming activities for the next three months or so, in the next several days.

Sunday's skit is...

here.

Sunday's message is...

here.

Want to See an Ugly Blog?

Go here! I love this site. It acknowledges a fundamental truth about Jesus, as UglyBlogger Eric Holmlund explains:

He [Jesus] grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. Isaiah 53:2 (New International Version)

God chose to save the world through an ordinary-looking man with no physical features that would attract us to Him. He could have sent a glorious king, but he sent a humble servant. Israel mistook Him for an ordinary man. Likewise, Christianity can appear ugly to the world. It’s about an unattractive servant who died on an ugly, rugged cross. Although we can see God’s beauty in nature all around us, we can not know the beauty of Christ until we actually come to that cross and enter into God’s kingdom through Christ Jesus.

Good stuff!

The Second Pass at This Weekend's Bible Lesson...

is here.

Continue to pray...

for Mel S, who is still hospitalized. Tests will be run today. Ask God to bring Mel healing.

Thanks...

to the Friendship youth, who last evening took down the Christmas tree.

The First Pass at This Weekend's Message...

is here.

This Weekend's Message...

is here.

Youth Meeting on January 14

There will be a brief meeting of our youth at 6:00 on January 14. We’ll look at the next few months and let you get back home to watch the NFL playpffs.

GoDeep Resumes Tomorrow

Our GoDeep Saturday worship celebration resumes tomorrow. This worship option is offered on Saturdays at 5:30PM. It helps us all go deeper with God by allowing for some discussion about the Bible lesson and the message. Tomorrow, we'll also be able to receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion; that's offered every other week at the GoDeep service.

Prayer Request

Please pray for the Holmgren Family. The Holmgrens were part of the original core group that formed Friendship nearly seventeen years ago.

Last night, I learned that Barb Holmgren's father passed away. He had Alzheimer's Disease, which had advanced to the point where the family needed to make some decisions about nursing home care. But he was miraculously cogent at Christmas time, even offering the family prayer over Christmas dinner. This he did without using a rote or memorized prayer, but one from the heart. That truly was a miracle and a comforting gift from God to the family.

He died several days later. A funeral will be held later this month. Please pray that God will comfort the entire extended family and that all will be safe as they travel to and from Kansas on January 12 and 15, respectively.

Thank you for your commitment to prayer in Jesus' Name.

How Did We Do Financially in December, 2006?

[Click on the image to enlarge it.]

First Pass at This Weekend's Bible Lesson...

is here.

First Peter is Topic of New Evening Bible Study

First Peter was written by the apostle Peter to the first-century Christians living in Asia Minor, what we know today as Turkey, and elsewhere. The people there were dealing with all sorts of challenges, difficulties, and fears, even persecution. What Peter had to say to them has a lot of relevance for Christians today. (He even talks about how to share one's faith in Christ with those who are skeptical or hostile.)

First Peter will be the subject of our next Tuesday night Bible study, beginning next Tuesday, January 9, from 7:00 to 8:30 P.M.

This study will be composed of four gatherings, happening on January 9, 16, 23, and 30. In advance of each session, you'll receive an email containing the chapters and verses of the book to be covered, along with discussion questions we'll tackle when we meet. All participants will be asked to read the section of the book to be covered in advance.

First Peter is one of my favorite books of the Bible. I hope that you can join us for this faith-stretching group.

These Posts May Help You as You Set Goals for 2007

Goal-Setting from a Christian Perspective:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6

And as you set your goals for the coming year, be sure to remember the 4-E vision for Friendship in 2007 and the part you can play in it all:

1. Exalt the Lord
2. Each One Reach One
3. Engage in Service
4. Expand Your Vision

You'll Want to Read This

It's by my friend and colleague--and a friend of our congregation, Pastor Glen VanderKloot. Read it here.

Urgent Prayer Requests

Late last week, Lois S. learned that she had several cancerous spots. Tomorrow she will undergo an MRI to determine the upcoming course of treatment. Two fortunate things are that (1) she will almost immediately meet with the surgeon tomorrow after the completion of the MRI and (2) it's already been determined that the cancer hasn't spread to her lymph nodes.

Please pray for Lois' complete healing and recovery...and thank you for being a praying congregation.

I would also like you to pray for Hank. Hank is the father of our friend, Bonnie, and her sister, Sherry. Hank was in the passenger seat of a car being driven by his wife three days ago. In the drive-through lane of a fast food restaurant, his wife accidentally hit the accelerator when she meant to hit the brakes. The airbags were engaged, causing Hank to hit his head on something in the car interior. Initially, he seemed fine. But then, he developed bleeding on the brain, exacerbated by his being on blood-thinner for his heart. He underwent brain surgery and now the doctors are attempting to allow clotting to developing in order to stop the bleeding while keeping the blood thin enough to cause problems with his heart. It's a delicate balance. Please pray for Hank's healing as well. [UPDATE: Hank seems to be making substantial progress.]