Author: catlutheran

LSB 911 Lord, This Day We’ve Come to Worship – Eastertide

We have chosen LSB 911, Lord, This Day We’ve Come to Worship, as this year’s Eastertide seasonal hymn. The hymn is grounded in the Gospel reading for the evening service on the Feast of the Resurrection (as well as Easter Monday), namely the post-Resurrection narrative in Luke 24:13-35, about the encounter of the two men on the road to Emmaus with the risen Jesus.  In this pericope, or cutting from Scripture, and in this hymn, we see laid out the pattern of our Divine Service, namely that of teaching from God’s Word followed by eating in Table fellowship with Him, and with each other.  The hymn opens with the invocation of the Holy Trinity, reminding us that, having been cleansed in the waters of Baptism, we may confidently approach God, receive His gifts and return our sacrifices of prayer, praise and thanksgiving (Hebrews 10:19-25; 1 Peter 2:4-5).  Like the men at Emmaus, we ask our Lord to be present with us (Luke 24:29), knowing now fully that He is the One inviting us and He is the Host.  The second stanza further reminds us that, having been justified, or declared right with the Father, through our Lord Jesus’ Resurrection (Romans 4:25), we are free to praise Him by receiving His gifts of Word and Sacrament, as have Christians from the time of the birth of the Church at Pentecost (Acts 2:42).  The third stanza recalls the impact of God’s Word on the men at Emmaus; how their hearts burned, and how, once they fully understood what they had heard, were no longer shaken, but confidently returned to Jerusalem and proclaimed the risen Lord to the eleven (Luke 24:25-27, 32-34).  We pray that in turn, His Word will, “enrich our spirit,” and, “give us strength to do (His) will,” and constantly remind us of the glory that awaits us on the Last Day, no matter how bad things seem in this life. In His Resurrection, our Lord has conquered death.  Thus, although we too will die, we too will once again be raised in glory (1 Corinthians 15:12-57)!  The fourth stanza recalls how our Lord was made known to the Emmaus men in the breaking of the bread (Luke 24:30-31, 35).  We too meet our blessed Savior at His Table, and pray that we receive His very Body and Blood for, “strength and comfort,” namely the forgiveness of sins, and not to our condemnation (Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:14-23; 1 Corinthians 10:16, 11:23-32).  Finally, we are reminded in the fifth stanza that every Sunday is a, “mini Easter,” on which we celebrate our Lord’s Resurrection, receiving His gifts and singing His praise, throughout this life and into eternity (Acts 20:7).  Having completed a Lenten fast from the Alleluias, we joyfully sing these out six times at the end of each stanza, in two groups of three, along with the English translation, “praise the Lord!”

Lord, This Day We’ve Come to Worship is a recent hymn, written in 1995 to open the Divine Services at Resurrection Lutheran Church, St. Louis, MO.  The text was penned by Rev. Dr. Richard C. Dickinson (1925-2010), an African American Pastor who was born in the Alabama black belt (this term referring to the soil in the area) during a difficult time of poverty and segregation.  He certainly benefitted from the work of Rosa J. Young (1890-1971), attending a Lutheran congregation and school in his youth and two of his undergraduate years at what would later become Concordia Selma.  Rev. Dr. Dickinson attended seminary at Immanuel Lutheran College in Greensboro, NC, and later earned graduate degrees at Concordia, Chicago and Chicago Theological Seminary.  He served a number of congregations, and eventually as executive director of the LCMS Commission on Black Ministry.  Additionally, Rev. Dr. Dickinson was the first African American Pastor to preach at an opening of a Synodical Convention. 

In spite of all that Rev. Dr. Dickinson faced growing up and into his adult life, by God’s grace, he received richness of spirit, strength and comfort through His Word and Sacraments.  The good Pastor now rests safely and peacefully in Abraham’s bosom (Luke 16:22; c.f. LSB 708.3), awaiting the final Resurrection in glory.  This Eastertide is the second in the midst of the current global pandemic.  Over the past year, many have suffered from severe illness and some have fallen asleep in the Lord.  All of us have suffered significant stress.  Yet, through it all, we have been sustained through regularly and joyfully receiving God’s gifts in His weekly, “mini Easter” Divine Services, knowing that, because of the certainty of our Lord’s Resurrection, “death is swallowed up in victory,” a victory that is ours in Jesus Christ (Isaiah 25:8; 1 Corinthians 15:54-57).  Alleluia, He is risen!!!  We are grateful for your presence with us today, pray God’s blessings on you as you receive His gifts in our midst, and a joyous and blessed Eastertide to you and your family.

LSB 401: From God the Father, Virgin-Born – Epiphanytide

The seasonal hymn chosen for this year’s brief Epiphanytide is LSB 401: From God the Father, Virgin-Born.  This hymn is at least 1,000 years old, and was originally written in Latin, in acrostic form, namely with lines beginning with successive letters of the alphabet (much like several of the Hebrew Psalms).  The Gospel texts during this portion of the Church Year point to various epiphanies, or manifestations of Jesus, and this hymn beautifully summarizes the underlying message conveyed through each of these. 

In the first two stanzas, we sing of our Lord Jesus coming down from heaven to be born of the Virgin Mary, to die on the Cross to forgive our sins, and rise again to declare us right with the Father, and restore the fallen creation (John 1:1,14; Philippians 2:6-8; Romans 4:25, 8:19-21).  Additionally, we recall the Baptism of our Lord, at which He took on the sin of the world, foreshadowed His own death, and sanctified the water of Baptism through which He washes away our sin and re-births us from above (Matthew 3:13-17 and parallels; John 3:5; 1 Peter 3:21). The 3rd stanza reminds us of Jesus, the Sun of Righteousness, risen with healing in His wing (Malachi 4:2; LSB 380.3); leading His people from darkness to the clarity of His Light (Luke 4:18; John 1:4-5, 8:12; Acts 26:17-18); note that Epiphany is often known as the Season of Light.  In the 4th stanza, we urge our Lord to remain with us, as did the men at Emmaus (Luke 24:29), and apply His work of healing specifically on us, taking away the stain of our sin and bringing us from our darkness to His light.  We pray this with confidence, knowing that, as He remained at Emmaus, making Himself known to the men in the breaking of the bread (Luke 24:30-31), He has promised to remain with us, calling and gathering us to receive His gifts of forgiveness, life and salvation, nourishing us through His Word and Supper (Matthew 26:26-28 and parallels; John 20:22-23; 2 Timothy 3:16-17).  In the 5th stanza, we confidently confess His final coming (Matthew 25:31; Luke 21:27 and parallels; Revelation 22:6-20), and pray again His ongoing presence among us, to shield us from the attacks of the evil one as for now we remain in this fallen world (Revelation 12:17).  Again, we pray confidently, knowing that He has promised so to do (Isaiah 41:10).  During this time of pandemic and unrest, we are free to take comfort in these words!  The sixth stanza fittingly closes the hymn in a Trinitarian doxology, as we return our sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving to our Triune God for all He has done, is doing and will do for us, preparing to sing of Him into eternity (Revelation 5:13)!

Typically, From God the Father, Virgin-Born is sung as Chief Hymn on Epiphany 3, to support the Mathew 8:1-13 Gospel reading in which we hear of Jesus’ healing the leper and the centurion’s servant.  In this year’s truncated Epiphany season, we will not be observing Epiphany 3.  This hymn, though, was originally written as an Office hymn for the Feast of the Epiphany, and its words are appropriate for the entire season.  We are thankful that you are here today to receive God’s healing gifts in our midst and pray God’s blessings on you during this, the Season of His Light, and throughout the year! 

LSB 375: Come, Your Hearts and Voices Raising – Christmastide

For this year’s (2020) Christmastide seasonal hymn, we have chosen LSB 375: Come, Your Hearts and Voices Raising, by Paul Gerhardt (1607-76).  In his text, Gerhardt has given us a beautiful devotion on the response of the shepherds to the angels’ proclamation of Jesus’ birth (Luke 2:15-17).  Like the shepherds, we too are invited to come in joy to Bethlehem and see Mary, Joseph and the Baby lying in a manger for us, and to tell everyone about that which we have witnessed.1 The Infant lying in the feeding trough is Christ Himself, descended from heaven to take our sin upon Himself, to die on the Cross to atone for it and rise again to declare us right with the Father, and worthy to sing His praise.  This Baby Jesus is Jacob’s star (Numbers 24:17), the Light of the World, who gives us the light of life, setting us free from the dark bondage of the evil one, sin, death and hell (Psalm 107:10-20; Isaiah 9:2-6, 61:1; Luke 2:29-32; John 8:12; 1 Peter 2:9).  The news out of Bethlehem grasped in The Faith brings greater joy than we can put into words (Luke 2:10; 1 Peter 1:8)!  In The Faith, Paul Gerhardt experienced this joy in spite of personal loss and devastation from war, the deaths of his wife and four of his five children, and revocation of his Divine Call due to his faithfulness to the Lutheran Confessions.  In The Faith, we too are free to experience this joy even in time of pandemic, and respond by confessing to our Lord that He is our Salvation (Psalm 107:21-22; Luke 1:68-71).  We pray to the Little Child of Bethlehem that, although we don’t deserve it, He keep us close to Himself, and lead us (Isaiah 11:6), until at last we join the heavenly chorus, singing His praise unto eternity (Revelation 5:13). 

For further devotional material on this hymn, we commend the entries for December 29, and January 1-5 in the Cause for Great Joy Advent devotional made available in the CLC Narthex. The material is also available for download at https://steadfastlutherans.org/parish/advent-devotional (accessed 7 December AD2020).  We are thankful that you are here today to receive God’s gifts in our midst and wish you a Christmastide of great joy and blessing.

Note:

  1. The LSB text, along with its immediate predecessor in LW 48, omit Gerhardt’s stanzas 2 and 3, which can be found in TLH 90.  In the original, the 3rd stanza begins, “See how God…”; thus, reflecting the, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see…” of Luke 2:15.

LSB 683 Jesus, Thy Boundless Love to Me – Lawrencetide

We have chosen LSB 683, Jesus, Thy Boundless Love to Me, as the seasonal hymn for the AD 2021 Lawrencetide portion of the long Trinity season.  Lawrencetide begins with the August 10 commemoration of Lawrence (225-258), Deacon and Martyr, and ends with the September 29 Feast of St. Michael and All Angels. During this time, we remember God’s gift to Lawrence of deep compassion for the poor, and His grace that enabled the Deacon to continue steadfast in the Confession of the Church to the point of suffering an excruciatingly painful death, all in good cheer. Thus, our overall emphasis in Lawrencetide is on sanctification, love of God, and good works which follow from His grace and mercy toward us.  Of note, the hymn is also Hymn of the Day for Trinity 13.  The Gospel reading that day includes the parable of the Good Samaritan, which reminds us that when we were dead in our sin, Jesus rescued us in Baptism. He brought us into His Church, to be cared for by His called and ordained servant, our Pastor, through His gifts of forgiveness, life and salvation given in His services to us.  Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, we receive these gifts as our own, and are free to do truly good works in sacrificial love to our neighbor.

Jesus, Thy Boundless Love to Me beautifully picks up on the Lawrencetide emphasis.  The first stanza begins with a reminder to our Lord Jesus of His limitless love to us, which is beyond human understanding. The stanza continues with an appeal to our Savior to unite our thankful hearts to Him in mystical union, that we have no other gods but Him.  As you sing these words, remember that in His Divine Services to us, He unites us to Himself!  In this manner we are sanctified, namely declared holy, set apart for Him.  The second stanza continues with a reflection on what this mystical union means for us.  We pray that nothing but Jesus’ pure love dwell in our souls and possess us, being our joy, treasure and crown.  Remembering that Jesus’ love is sacrificial (agape) love shown to us by His death on the Cross to rescue us from our sins, we ask for His grace that we turn away from our cold inward focus to fervent sacrificial love toward our neighbors, being His daily bread to them.  The third stanza continues with a focus on Jesus’ sacrificial love as the focus of our lives, our hope, indeed our very being.  We ask His grace that it so remain and that we recognize it as our own, our dearest treasure. The final stanza concludes with the acknowledgement that in this fallen world, we will experience suffering, weakness and stormy times. After all, our Savior Himself faced these, as did countless of His followers who have gone before us, including Lawrence, and Paul Gerhardt (1607-1676), author of this hymn. We pray that in those times, we too receive our Good Shepherd’s gift to persevere in His sacrificial love, and in the end follow Him to an eternity by His side.

Paul Gerhardt
Theologian

We are thankful that you are here with us today as we mark the transition to Lawrencetide, and pray God’s richest blessings on you as you receive His gifts in our midst today, gazing at the reminder of how He died, through the arrangement of the Jerusalem cross on the paraments.  We further pray His favor on you as you serve your neighbors in the coming week in that sacrificial love that you have received from Him.

LSB 909, Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation – Johntide

We have chosen LSB 909, Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation, as our hymn for the 2021 Johntide cycle of the long Trinity season.  During Trinitytide as a whole, we focus on the marks of the Church, and during Johntide specifically, on Law and Gospel.  As explained in the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, one of the confessional documents of the Book of Concord, the Church at its core is a “fellowship of faith and of the Holy Spirit in hearts,” recognized by the marks of the “pure Gospel and the administration of the Sacraments in accordance with the Gospel of Christ. This Church alone is called Christ’s body, which Christ renews, sanctifies and governs by His Spirit.” (Ap VII and VIII, 5).  Our chosen hymn beautifully expresses that which we believe, teach and confess about the Church.  In the first stanza, we sing of Christ, chosen and precious, as our head, cornerstone, help and confidence, who “binds all” of us, the living stones of the Church, “in one.” In this sung confession, we echo the words of the psalmist (Psalm 118:22), Isaiah (28:16), Peter (1 Peter 2:4-10) and Paul (Ephesians 2:19-22, 4:15-16).  In the second stanza, we echo King Solomon’s prayer at the dedication of the first Temple in Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 6:18-21), invoking God’s presence, His hearing our confessions and prayers and forgiving our sins. In the third stanza we continue the petition begun in the previous stanza, beseeching God to grant us His gifts of Word and Sacrament, through which He strengthens us in faith toward Him and fervent love to each other and our neighbors (c.f. Post-Communion Collect), and in the end bringing us to reign with Him in His glory (Revelation 21:1-4).  We sing these stanzas boldly confident that God will provide, as He has so promised!  We thus conclude with a stanza of doxology, namely praise, to our triune God, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever.

The text of the hymn is a translation by the Anglican clergyman John Mason Neale (1818-1866) of the second half of an 8th century Latin hymn. Of note, LSB 912, Christ Is Our Cornerstone, is Anglican clergyman John Chandler’s (1806-1876) translation of the very same Latin hymn.  The tune was written by Henry Purcell (1659-1695), who, in spite of his short life, is considered the most important English composer from before the 20th century.  Purcell served as organist at London’s Westminster Abbey, hence the title of the tune.

LSB 505: Triune God, Be Thou Our Stay – Trinitytide

We have selected LSB 505 as the AD 2021 seasonal hymn for Trinitytide, the first part of the long Trinity season. The Trinity season is known as the, “Time of the Church,” with the overriding theme of the Father’s love. The Trinitytide theme is the Marks of the Church (the pure doctrine of the Gospel and the administration of the Sacraments in accordance with the Gospel of Christ1).

Contents

Hymn author
Hymn translator
Hymn history
Hymn text
End notes
Appendix

Hymn author:

Dr. Martin Luther (1483-1546) – see the author/composer notes for LSB 655 at https://catalinalutheran.org/blog/2020/05/25/lsb-655-lord-keep-us-steadfast-in-your-word/ (accessed 12 April, AD 2021)

Hymn translator:

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Richard Massie (1800-1887)2 – was born in Chester, Cheshire England, to an Anglican priest and his wife, and was the fourth of 22 children.  The family had considerable, “old money.” Richard himself inherited two estates. He was known as an eccentric man of wealth and leisure.  He married but his wife died seven years after the wedding; he did not remarry and had no children.  Massie’s chief interest was in literature and he is best known for his translations of Dr. Luther’s hymns.  His primary aim was to accurately translate the original text, to not risk doctrinal change in his translation.  As a result, many of his translations lacked poetic beauty in the English, and very few actually appear in hymnals today.  In addition to his translations of Dr. Luther’s hymns, Massie translated hymns by Paul Gerhardt (1607-1676) and others.  In addition to LSB 505, our hymnal includes his work at least in part on LSB 421, 458, 556, 724, 726, 766, 823-24, 872 and 977. Massie died in 1887.

Hymn history:3

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Dr. Luther adapted Triune God, Be Thou Our Stay from a popular mediaeval hymn which was sung on pilgrimages and processions, having likely first encountered it in the Latin schools in Mansfeld and Magdeburg4. The hymn was initially addressed to St. Mary, St. Peter, St. Nicholas, St. Christopher, the archangel Michael, or any of a number of other saints, prophets and angels, petitioning them for their aid (for an example of the pre-Reformation hymn addressed to Mary, see the appendix).  Often in one procession, the hymn was repeated, addressing different saints in the subsequent stanzas. Some versions were used as a litany for All Saints Day and some were sung in Rogation Day processions.5

Dr. Luther developed this mediaeval hymn into a thrice-repeating stanza.  In it, he substituted the names of the three Persons of the Trinity in the opening line for the names of the various saints. He largely retained lines 1-5, wrote new text for lines 6-12, along with the Amen and praise in lines 13 and 14.6 The hymn was first published in Johann Walter’s (1496-1570) 1524 Wittenberg hymnal Geystliche gesangk Buchleyn (Booklet of Spiritual Songs). Beginning with the 1529/1533 hymnal Geistliche Lieder auffs new gebessert zu Wittemberg D. Mart. Luther (Spiritual Songs, Newly Revised at Wittenberg, Dr. Martin Luther), the hymn was designated for the Feast of the Holy Trinity, and immediately preceded the Catechism hymns.7

The German hymn was included in the CFW Walther (1811-1887) Hymnal (WH 145). The Massie translation was included in the 1918 Evangelical Lutheran Hymn Book (ELHB 271) and in altered form in the 1941 The Lutheran Hymnal (TLH 247). The single stanza option, “Triune God, Oh, Be Our Stay,” first appeared in the 1982 Lutheran Worship (LW 170). The alternate Lenten ending was first added in LW, “So sing we all, “Hosanna!” and altered in LSB to read, “O Lord, have mercy on us.”

The alterations in LSB of the original Massie translation (which are largely brought over from TLH and LW) are as follows:

When Hell’s dread powers assail us ➔ O let us perish never
Nor in our last hour fail us ➔ And grant us life forever
Firm in the faith abiding ➔ Uphold our faith most holy
In Christ our Saviour hiding ➔ And let us trust Thee solely
And heartily confiding ➔ With humble hearts and lowly
Amen, Amen, so be done ➔ Amen, Amen! This be done
So sing we Hallelujah ➔ So sing we, “Alleluia!”
(3rd stanza) Holy Ghost, be Thou our stay ➔ Holy spirit, be our stay

The hymn tune dates back at least to a choir book published in 1500 in Halberstadt, Germany. The tune accompanied the original mediaeval hymn addressed to the Virgin Mary. The composer is unknown.  The tune was well known to Luther and Walter and was brought forth to the 1524 hymnal with few alterations. It is written in the AAB, or repeated Stollen (stanzas) followed by an Abgesang (aftersong), barform pattern of the mediaeval secular court song. The barform was incorporated into many of the hymns of the Reformation and the years following.8 Interestingly, the pattern of the rhyme in Luther’s German, the Massie English and the LSB alterations, parallels the barform structure of the music:

Measures 1-4 (Stollen): a b a b
Measures 5-14 (Abgesang): c d d d; c e e e; c f (note the c rhyme integrating this section)
The overall rhythm of the tune mimics the marching of feet in procession.

Hymn text:

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Vocabulary: Triune (three in one); Stay (multiple definitions – dwelling fits best; also suspension of judicial proceedings, check or restraint); Perish (suffer death, complete ruin and destruction); Uphold (confirm/support); Shun (avoid, ignore, reject); Wiles and cunning (manipulating or persuading someone to do what one wants); Amen (truly); Alleluia (all you praise the Lord)

Read John 3:5-8, 13; and Romans 11:36. How do these verses testify to our Trinitarian God?  Read Psalm 31:1-3; and Psalm 46:1, 7(11). Who is our stay?  Read the following: A. Matthew 28:19; Romans 6:3-6; Ephesians 5:25-26; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 3:20-21; B. Matthew 26:26-28; C. Matthew 16:19, 18:18; John 20:22-23.  Through what means does God cleanse us from our sins? Read 1 Corinthians 15:12-22, 51-53. What has God promised? What historical event underlies our certainty in His promise?  Read Matthew 4:1-11, 6:13; 2 Thessalonians 3:3. Who guards us from the evil one?  Read Exodus 20:3 (Deuteronomy 5:7); John 6:60-65; 1 Corinthians 2:14, 12:3; Ephesians2:8-9; Galatians 5:17 (among many others). Who upholds our faith and lets us trust wholly in God? Read 2 Chronicles 7:14; Philippians 2:8. What is meant by, “humble hearts and lowly”? Who was perfectly so?  Read Ephesians 6:10-17, noting that the imperatives are all plural. Why are we to put on the whole armor of God? (Read Hebrews 10:24-25. How do we put on God’s armor?). Read 1 Corinthians 9:24-27; 2 Timothy 4:7; Hebrews 12:1-2. How do these passages describe the Christian life?  Read Psalm 55:22; Isaiah 46:4. On what basis can we proclaim Amen, Amen, or Truly, Truly?  Why is it meet and right at all times and in all places for us to thank and praise God?

End notes:

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  1. Ap VII/VIII 5
  2. Information is from Jon D. Vieker, “Massie, Richard,” in Joseph Herl, Peter C. Reske and Jon D. Vieker, eds. Lutheran Service Book Companion to the Hymns, Volume 2 (St. Louis: CPH, 2019) pp. 512-513.
  3. Except where noted, information is from Victor E. Gebauer, “Triune God, be Thou our Stay,” in Joseph Herl, Peter C. Reske and Jon D. Vieker, eds. Lutheran Service Book Companion to the Hymns, Volume 1 (St. Louis: CPH, 2019) pp. 441-444; also, AE 53:268-270.
  4. Robin A. Leaver, Luther’s Liturgical Music, Principles and Implications (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2017) p. 25.
  5. The Rogation Days begin with Rogate (“Pray ye”) Sunday (Easter 6), and continue until the Feast of the Ascension, as a prolonged vigil of the Feast.  This occurs typically when the planted seeds are beginning to sprout, and faithful Christians would process around the countryside praying God’s blessings for a good growing season and bountiful harvest.  See Luther D. Reed, The Lutheran Liturgy (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1947) p. 513.
  6. The German text of the hymn may be found at http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Texts/Chorale317-Eng.htm (accessed 12 April, AD 2021).
  7. Luther’s Liturgical Music, pp. 110-111.  Leaver points out that the hymn was followed by Dr. Luther’s translation of the Latin Collect for the Feast of the Holy Trinity. Johann Sebastian Bach’s (1685-1750) chorale on the first stanza of the hymn may be heard at https://www.youtube.com/watch?=BILt4fhOTJ0 (accessed 13 April AD 2021).
  8. For more on barform, see Leaver, Luther’s Liturgical Music, pp. 13-15.

Appendix: example of the pre-Reformation hymn

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Holy Mary, stay with us,
and do not let us perish.
Free us from all sins.
And if we should die,
defend us from the devil;
help us, chaste Virgin Mary
to join the lovely angel host.
So we will sing alleluia,
alleluia we shall sing
in praise of the Almighty God.
Grant to us, Lord, as our reward
the heavenly crown.
Lord, have mercy! Christ, have mercy!
All praise to you, Mary!

Notes from the May 11 Operation Barnabas Chapter Meeting

Pastor opened our meeting with the Litany where we asked God to have mercy on us sojourners here on earth.  It is our job to engage the rest of society by pointing the way of peace, hope and salvation while walking with Christ beside us.  We can be joyful as we journey towards heaven. 

Those present at the meeting included:  Pastor & Marty, Vicar, Boyd, Larry, Laura, Kathy, & Dawn.

We have no word about troops in our area returning home or being deployed. Larry has had our banner repaired.  Thank you, Larry. 

We voted to support Airman Perkins, his wife and new baby by sending $250 for diapers or other needs for a newborn.  They are based in Wyoming. 

632 new pairs of socks were delivered to Veterans at various locations throughout Tucson.  These articles were donated to the Lion’s Club which passed them on to us.  Sunglasses & Readers from the Lion’s Club were also passed out to Veterans. 

All Veteran’s resource groups are filled up with donated clothing.  Anything we receive, for the time being, will be delivered to the Impact clothing bank here in Catalina. 

Pastor informed us that it will be the 100th Anniversary of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Nov. 11, 2021.  We will plan a special ceremony to commemorate this event. 

O.B. will host Sunday fellowship on May 30th for Memorial Day.  Veterans will be recognized with the reading of their names and the ringing of a bell.  This will take place at both Divine Services that day. 

We will be writing a grant for a storage building on the Church Campus for an O.B. overflow of clothing, household items, and furniture.  A used metal building is being considered. 

The next meeting will take place on Tues., June 22 at 10:00 at the Church.  There will be no meeting in July, but we will pack care packages on Aug. 10 for the Aug. 18 Stand Down. 

Vicar concluded the meeting with a prayer which asked the Lord to help us carry out our mission of helping all military who are in need of services. 

Happy summer travels,
Dawn

Notes from the April 13 Operation Barnabas Chapter Meeting

Pastor Morehouse opened the meeting with a devotion and prayer.  The devotion reminded us of the hope and promise of everlasting life given to us at our Baptism which brings us into a life in which every day is Easter.  We must never lose sight of this hope which helps us avoid the temptations of this world.

Those present at the meeting included:   Pastor & Marty, Paul & Donna, Mike & Laura, Boyd, Bruce, Vicar, Liz, and Dawn.

As for funding, our Chapter has been receiving memorial donations from the Landwer and Gaston families and friends.

Marty has volunteered to see if the wind-up mechanism on our banner can be repaired.  Larry had taken it in to the company who had produced it, but they could not fix it.

Sunday, April 18 our Chapter will celebrate its 10th Anniversary by sharing some of our outreach service activities with the Congregation.  This will be accomplished through a slide presentation and oral comments from some of the members.  Our Chapter began April 13, 2011.  Snacks and water will be provided in the Narthex.

We have a chance to get a storage unit at the Church site by writing a $5,000 Grant from the Arizona Veterans Donation Fund.  A committee was formed under Marty’s leadership to get a quote for the cost of this structure and to figure out where it would be placed on the Church property.  The Building Committee would also be contacted to see how we can coordinate this with the new plan for the future sanctuary.

The next meeting will be held on Tues., May 11 at 10:00 at the Church.

Vicar closed the meeting with a prayer and was happy to announce there were no new deaths of soldiers for the month.