Welcoming, Growing, Sharing in God's Grace
First Lutheran Preschool has openings for 3-4 year olds. We offer weekly chapel and the best nature and play-based learning environment for this age group. Our caring teachers are credentialed through the Maryland credential program for early childhood professionals. Scholarships are available, and church members receive a 10% discount. Please call Jenny to set up a tour. Additional information may be found on the preschool’s website: www.firstlutheranpreschoolec.com
In January 2018, we held our first Midweek Worship Service, a service envisioned by a team of worship leaders as a way of offering folks (current parishioners as well as people new to the community) a way to participate in worship at First in addition to our Sunday worship services. This service began long before the advent of livestreaming and other online opportunities for prayer, devotion and worship were a part of our community lives.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, our Midweek Worship Service was a life-line for many folks, providing an opportunity to gather for worship and to check in with members of God’s community. This was the only opportunity, for a long period of time, in which we gathered as God’s community for the celebration of Holy Communion.
Since returning to onsite worship and with the continuation of our livestreaming, attendance at our Midweek Worship Service has dwindled. After much prayer and conversation, we are placing our Midweek Worship Service on-hold while we discern where and how God is calling us to gather for worship in this community going forward. You are invited to join us, via ZOOM, on Wednesday, May 31, 2023 at 7:00 PM for a special worship service in which we will give thanks for the gift that this service has been for God’s community and ask for the Spirit’s guidance on our future discernment conversations.
As decisions are made regarding additional worship opportunities, we’ll be in touch!
To those who have so faithfully been a part of this worship service over these past years, a heart-felt thank you!
Pastor Mike Pastor Tamika
Abby’s Carts of Courage gifts children with cancer a new wagon to help them maneuver through their cancer journey. Many times, the treatments leave the young patients fatigued and weak. Strollers are a great option, but have a weight limit, making the wagons a much better option. Abby’s Carts of Courage stuffs each wagon with items to help the young cancer warriors keep their mind off of their diagnosis and recharge their spirits. These items have been specially chosen by Abby herself!
Our mission is to fund three wagons a year, along with their contents, for distribution to young cancer patients. We are asking for Amazon gift cards that will be delivered to Abby’s Carts of Courage, for them to shop, and deliver the wagon stuffed with goodies, to the next cancer warrior in need. (https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080e4da9a628a5fe3-abbys – /) Collections for the gift cards will be done two times a year. ALL giftcards should be returned to church, in the Social Ministry mailbox, by 28 May 2023. Questions, please contact Malia Schlichting at 410-259-8446 or 443-778-9182. More information about Abby’s Carts of Courage, through Respite Retreats, can be found here: https://respiteretreats.org/abbys-carts-of-courage
First Lutheran Church is once again beginning an important ministry that was postponed due to the pandemic, which is sharing Holy Communion with those who cannot attend church.
Once a month, our congregation’s lay people will carry the consecrated bread and wine from our Sunday service to our homebound members who reside in care facilities or have an illness that prevents them from attending church services.
Holy Communion is not only communion with Christ but also an expression of the Communion of Saints, a tie with fellow members of First Lutheran. Eucharistic ministers are not just from the church; together with the two or three who are gathered, they are the church. In addition, the visit provides an opportunity for personal sharing and meeting our members where they reside. Such fellowship with our siblings has a long history in the Lutheran church.
We need your help to carry out this ministry. FLC is seeking people interested in learning more about becoming a Lay Eucharistic Minister. We will provide complete hands-on training, including a prepared short service and the distribution of bread and wine. Training is scheduled to be in April or May this year.
Please contact Pastor Tamika Jancewicz tamika@firstlutheranec.org, 410-465-2977, or Ken Danker ksdanker@gmail.com, 410-375-1295 for more information.
Several weeks ago, our LEAD (Living Every day As Disciples) Team received a request from one of our partner schools, Veteran’s Elementary. Based on our ability and willingness to assist families with food during the initial phase of the pandemic, the school had identified two families who would benefit from our providing food on a weekly basis.
1) donating non-perishable items such as pasta, rice, beans, cereal, pasta sauce, canned vegetables
2) making a donation to the Pastor’s Discretionary Fund (either online via our website or mobile app or via check) which will be used to provide fresh produce, meats and other food items.
One family does have a nut allergy, so we are asking that all donations be nut-free.
Thank you for your prayerful consideration and response as we live into our call to love God and neighbor. There will be a bin on the Narthex to drop off your donations.
Please feel free to contact a member of our LEAD team (Joanna Casto, Kim Kearns, Cathy Rice, Tom James, Malia Schlichting) or Pastor Tamika or Pastor Mike with questions.
First Lutheran Preschool has earned recognition as a Certified Nature Explore Classroom from the Nature Explore program, which is a division of nonprofit Dimensions Educational Research Foundation.
This certification confers on First Lutheran Preschool a number of benefits, including membership in an ever-expanding network of more than 500 like-minded spaces. Certified Nature Explore Classrooms foster highly effective, nature-based outdoor learning.
Prior to the pandemic, we offered a time for worshipers to receive prayers of healing at our Sunday morning worship service. During communion, one of our healing prayer ministers would be available by the font to offer these prayers (for your self or for someone you love). We are bringing this ministry back into worship beginning Sunday, November 27 which also marks the First Sunday in Advent. For those God gathers online, your prayer requests can be made via the comments function during the service and we’ll include those in our intercessory prayer ministry the following week. A special thank you to those who have agreed to serve in this ministry (Colleen Fowler, Jay Zumbrun, Lisa Coster, Cheryl Mason, Lynn Anderson, Sue Wehr, Jim McDonald, Ken Danker, and George Conklin).
Sessions Resume Sunday, September 11, 2022
For several years, a group of our fellow disciples have joined together to explore scripture and how it might inform our lives as people Living in God’s Story. We meet in-person and via ZOOM in the Library (located on the first floor of the Education Building) at 11:00 am on Sunday mornings. Using the weekly readings from the Narrative Lectionary (the same lectionary we use for our Wednesday evening worship service held via ZOOM each week) we talk about a particular text and how we can dwell in its message throughout the week. One of the differentiating aspects of the Narrative Lectionary is that the stories are presented in chronological order resulting in an over-arching story of God’s work with God’s people over time. This year, we’ll begin with readings from the Hebrew Bible (until Christmas) and then walk through the Gospel of Matthew until Easter. We’ll wrap up the year with several stories from Acts and Romans before the series comes to a conclusion at Pentecost. Join us as you are able as we move forward together, Living in God’s Story.
For more information, contact either Pastor Mike or Pastor Tamika.
In the sanctuary you will find green and blue worship bins for children. These boxes are designed to enhance the worship experience for young children. Within these boxes you will find resources such as a bible and weekly bulletin worksheets. You will also find a copy of the Apostle’s Creed and Lord’s Prayer in large print with OpenDyslexia font to help young readers with dyslexia. (This font is legible for all young children.) There are also other activities such as coloring sheets, crayons, and colored pencils as well as wand ribbons to use during music. You’re invited to take a bin to your pew and return it after worship. The blue bins are for young readers and the green bins are for pre-readers.
There is also a basket that includes extra clipboards and coloring sheets as well as sensory reduction tools for our young friends who find the lights and sounds of worship a little overwhelming. They’re welcome to take what they need, add it to their bin, and use noise canceling headphones or wear sunglasses whenever they would like during the service.