News and Announcements
In Memoriam
•Florence Barber died on Tuesday evening, February 7. A memorial service was held at Eernisse Funeral Home on Sunday afternoon, February 12.•Charles Wilson died on Saturday afternoon, February 11. A memorial service was held at the church on Friday afternoon, February 17.
Special Thanks
•To the following people for serving a meal at St. Ben's on Thursday, February 16, on behalf of the church: Katherine Allen, Marti DeMario, Kathy and Lauren Faulds, Dave and Jeanne Mantsch, Linda and Taylor Pride and Jane Woelfl.•To Gary Bria for patching and painting holes and cracks in the drywall all throughout the church.
•To Kathy Kohl for serving as our Church School Director for the past year and a half. Kathy accepted a full-time position at Wal-Mart this past December.
•To Joe and Dawn Rychtik who celebrated the birth of their second child, Claire Olivia, on Wednesday morning, February 15.
•To Emma Bretl who has offered to assume the role of Church School Director for the rest of the school year. Emma grew up in our church and is in the process of completing her Education Degree at the University of Wisconsin at Green Bay. She is currently doing her student teaching at T.J. Middle School and Lincoln Elementary School here in Port Washington.
•To Nick and Melissa Suddendorf who celebrated the birth of their second child, Cody Jane Suddendorf, on Sunday morning January 29.
•To Evan Mathew Furlott, son of Michelle and Mathew, and grandson of Mark and Janet Maechtle, who was baptized into the Christian faith on Sunday, January 22.
From the Archives
ASH WEDNESDAY SERVICE
The church season of Lent officially begins today, on Ash Wednesday, February 22. We have once again planned a special service to be held at 7:00 in the evening. The service will include a meditation and the imposition of ashes. Please come join us.
LOOKING AHEAD
The church season of Lent is underway, and will be followed by the celebration of Easter. As you plan your calendar for the next couple of months, please don’t forget these important dates:
Ash Wednesday – February 22
Palm Sunday – April 1
Maundy Thursday – April 5
(Service at 7:00 p.m.)
Good Friday – April 6
(Service at 7:00 p.m.)
Easter Sunday – April 8
(Services at 6:00, 8:00
and 10:00 a.m.)
LENTEN STUDY LEAVE FOR JEFF
For many years, Jeff Suddendorf has traveled to the Holy Cross Monastery in Santa Barbara, California for his annual week of study leave. This year, Jeff thought it was time to try something new, so he will be visiting St. Benedict’s Monastery in Snowmass, Colorado, February 27 – March 4. St. Benedicts is a Trappist monastery which means that they keep silence all day long with the exception of three prayer services at 4:30 and 7:30 in the morning and 7:00 in the evening. Jeff will be staying in his own stone hermitage and preparing his own meals. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.
SNOW CANCELLATION POLICY
With a few more weeks of winter left, we want to remind you of the snow cancellation policy for our Sunday services. If it should be necessary to cancel one or both of our Sunday services, we will put a message on the church answering machine by 7:00 on Sunday morning. Please call the church office, 284-2022, if you have any doubts about the weather.
HEALING TOUCH DURING LENT
Meg Tackes has been an active member of our church for the past 21 years. She has served on our Church Council and is currently in the process of completing her third year of study at the Wisconsin Conference Lay Academy. What you may not know about Meg is that she is also a Reiki Master Teacher. Reiki is a Japanese word that literally means Universal Life Energy. It is an ancient healing practice that Meg uses to enrich and deepen her Christian faith. During the church season of Lent, Meg will offer an opportunity for us to experience this healing touch, along with a prayerful blessing. Meg will meet others in the sanctuary following the 10:00 service, February 26 – March 25. The experience will last about ten minutes, depending on how many people choose to participate.
CHURCH SCHOOL TEACHERS NEEDED
There is a need for Church School teachers for both the K4 – 1st grade class and the 5th - 7th grade class. You can expect to be scheduled one Sunday morning per month (the class meets during the 10:00 service) and the curriculum is provided for you. If interested, please contact Emma Bretl, our Church School Director.
WINTER FARMERS MARKET
The Winter Farmers Market will be held this coming Saturday, February 25, and the last Saturday morning of each month through May, from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., in our Fellowship Hall. The market offers an opportunity for local farmers and artisans to sell produce, meats, cheese, etc. For more information, please contact Pat Wilborn at 284-1970 or portfish.org.