Two months out
Tommy Blevins, a senior, helps lead worship at First Lutheran Church in Springfield, Ohio, along with Hannah Yalaz (left in inset), Kiersten Kuntz and Erin Taylor. “Renewed” (2 Corinthians 4:16) was the theme.
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Fifth Sunday options W
programs).” Those are just some of the responses to The Lutheran’s Facebook
query: When there are five Sundays in a month, do you do anything special or different? Of course in March that day was Easter, but several congregations use the fifth Sunday in other ways. There’s another one approaching in two months. Perhaps these congregations will inspire you to put on your creative “Fifth Sunday” thinking cap. Mount Carmel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee blesses prayer shawls on the fifth Sunday. Last summer members shared prayer shawls with their neighbors at the Sikh Temple after the deadly shoot- ing. “We were able to deliver them to a member of the temple, and it certainly let them know how we can all come together and [about] the power of prayer in our community,” said member Jenny Goetzinger Baker.
Members also shared prayer shawls with the Wauwatosa [Wis.]
Police Department after one of its officers was murdered while on duty Christmas Day.
After the shawls are blessed, members are encouraged to give
them away to friends and family, so they’ve made their way not only across town but across the country. A few readers said fifth Sundays are designated for youth-led wor- ship. In Springfield, Ohio, First Lutheran Church middle- and high- school students plan and lead the service, which is based on one-word themes.
The word is mined from the Scripture focus for that day (differ- ent from the lectionary lessons, which are also read), said Kristina Bryant Case, director of youth and family ministry. That one word
is printed on the front, and the verse is on the back, of T-shirts produced for the occa- sion. For instance, for Romans 5:5 the word was “hope,” which was printed on purple T-shirts. When the verse was Acts 1:8 the word “witness” was printed on lime green shirts. Sneak preview: in June the word “one” will be on tie-dyed shirts because Galatians 3:28 celebrates diversity. Case can’t recall why fifth Sundays developed into a youth-led service, but she said it works in offering a more contempo- rary feel to worship and in involving young people. If there isn’t a youth-led worship that Sunday, the congregation has a hymn sing.
e do a family night.” “Healing service.” “Youth service.” “Special offering.” “Potluck.” “We call it ‘Fifth Sunday at Five’ vespers and concert (evening prayer followed by music
Four who responded to The Lutheran said their congregations take advantage of a fifth Sunday by taking special offerings. In Columbia, S.C., Good Shepherd Lutheran Church collects a “noisy offering” on the fifth Sunday. Collected by the children, the money is given to different charities the church selects each year. “The children col- lect spare change and paper money too,” said member Kerry Stubbs.
Good one! Extreme couponing
The women’s group at St. Michael
Lutheran Church, Columbia, S.C., collects expired (and not yet expired) coupons that are shipped to U.S. military families over- seas. The coupons can be used on base for up to six months after the expiration date. Send active coupons (at least three
months remaining) to Attn: “Active Troopon,” Support Our Troops®, P.O. Box 10, Wier TX 78674-0010. Send coupons no more than 60 days expired to “Expired Troopons,” same address. Contact Diane Riley (Driley008@att.
net) at St. Michael for more information or visit
www.supportourtroops.org (click on “Troupons” under “Programs” on the right-hand side).
Send congregational stories—both those for a specific month/holiday or your best timeless idea—to
julie.sevig@
thelutheran.org. April 2013 41
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