1711 Grant Street
Hopewell, VA 23860
Hometown News
NAZARETH EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH
A FLIP OF THE SWITCH by Pastor Voss
It wasn’t long ago that we were cele-
brating the birth of our Savior. It was a
time of joy and happiness and of great
tradition. How quickly we have
jumped into a more somber mood—at
least liturgically and in song. During
Lent, the Church’s worship intention-
ally assumes a penitential character.
We omit the “Alleluia” in our liturgy,
the color purple (often associated with
penitence) is used, and certainly the
sermons focus on the cross of Christ
where we cannot escape the reality of
Christ’s death for our sin.
Wow—from “Hark the
Herald Angels Sing” to
“From depths of woe I
cry to thee” in just 8
weeks. That’s a reel flip
of the switch on us!
If we take a step back
for a moment and look
at the bigger picture,
the church calendar is
somewhat reflective of
the Christian life. One
second, we are higher than high—we
are confident in the LORD, confident in
life, and moving forward clicking on all
cylinders. Then, like a flip of a switch,
we are consumed with trouble. Maybe
it’s a physical ailment. Maybe were
under spiritual attack. Whatever the
reason, our yelling is no longer in cele-
bration, rather it is a cry for help! Oh
boy! “Lord, from depths of woe I cry to
thee!”
Whether you are confident or con-
fused, Lent is a time that God uses to
strengthen us in our faith through
www.nazluthchurch.com
MARCH 2010
TO GOD BE THE GLORY
Words that point us to the depths of woe.
By leading us to the cross, God points us
Inside this issue:
back to our Baptism.
In the ancient Church, the weeks leading Operation Barnabas 2
up to Easter were a time of preparation
of the candidates who were to be bap-
tized. The relationship between Christ’s Deacons Report 3
death and resurrection and man’s death
and resurrection in Baptism were clear
then, as they are now. God confirms this Pray for One Another 6
through Saint Paul,
“Ordon't you know that all of us who Lenten Schedules 9
were baptized into Christ Jesus were
baptized into his death?
We were therefore bur- From the Pastor’s Desk 10
ied with him through
baptism into death in
order that, just as Christ
was raised from the dead
through the glory of the
Father, we too may live a
new life.” -
Romans 6:3-4
Because we are Baptized,
we can say to anyone,
even the devil himself, “Because of my
Baptism I’m always living in the light of
Christ!”
When Jesus spoke again to the people,
he said, "I am the light of the world.
Whoever follows me will never walk in
darkness, but will have the light of life.”
—John 8:12 The Hometown News is a
publication of
We live in a post-resurrection world. Nazareth Evangelical
Christ has won victory for us, so in the Lutheran Church.
light of Christ, go ahead, yell, Member of the Lutheran
“Alleluia!”, yes, even during Lent. Any- Church—Missouri Synod.
time!
 Page 2 Hometown News

Operation Barnabas –
Helping LCMS congregations encourage military families
Summarized from an article printed in Harvest, a publication of LCMS World Missions, spring 2009

Each year, thousands of families experience firsthand the reality of our nation‘s ongoing conflict
against terrorism as loved ones serving in the Armed Forces are sent overseas. Congregational min-
istries can help these families and their loved ones make it through the anxious times of separation
that a military deployment brings. However, it is not always easy to know how to reach out to
these families in ways that are helpful.
In response to this challenge, Operation Barnabas was created as a resource for congregations and
pastors. It is a program of Ministry to the Armed Forces, which operates directly under LCMS
World Mission.
Mandated by delegates to the 2007 LCMS convention
who asked that the church address the needs of military
chaplains and other service men and women, Opera-
tion Barnabas supports Lutheran chaplains and reserve
soldiers returning home from de- ployment. Named for
the apostle who accompanied St. Paul on his first mis-
sionary journey, Barnabas means ―son of encourage-
ment‖.
―Operation Barnabas seeks to train an equip congrega-
tions to reach out to all military families, including
those who are not yet members of the congregation, in
order to show Christ‘s love to those who are scared
and hurting‖, shared Chaplain Mike Moreno, a Navy chap-
lain who directs Operation Barnabas. ―You can
let them know they are not alone and that they have our
deepest appreciation. Support them and give them the greatest fit of all—the rich Gospel of Jesus
Christ.
―The Gospel is deep and gives us strength, but chaplains and pastors are human beings who get
tuckered out. They need a little down time to reconnect with their families and catch their breath.
All too often, reservists ‗fall between the cracks‘ and may not get the help and resources they de-
serve.‖
Operation Barnabas trains counselors who are a resource to congregations considering ways to
support the military in their communities. The Operation Barnabas counselor is an LCMS pastor
with military experience. He can help congregations address such issues as:
What happens in a military deployment?
What are the soldier‘s and family‘s needs before, during, and after deployment?
How can the church support those needs?
Currently, 27 counselors have been trained. Resources for the counselors have been under
development since 2007, with an updated Web site created in 2008, www.operationbarnabas.org.
The site contains resources for military families, congregations, counselors, and reserve chaplains.
There are a host of resources, including a congregation guide and Chaplain Moreno‘s blog. §§§
 MARCH 2010 Page 3

Deacon's Meeting, 8 Feb. 2010

The Deacons met on Monday, February 8th, 2010. Present were Karen van Worth,
Thelma Klein, and Bonnie Foxx.

Karen opened the meeting with the reading of Psalm 121. The minutes from the pre-
vious minutes were read and approved.

We discussed:

- How to get people to volunteer to organize Lenten dinners

- Visitation & people concerns
- How often to update and republish the Nazareth congregational address book.
We agreed it should be updated as often as people submit address/phone
changes. Karen is currently working on a complete revision.
- The Kohler scholarship - as far as we know, the only person attending college
next year will be Casey Davis.

We also asked the men of the congregation (represented by Steve Foxx) if they
would like to provide breakfast for the Easter sunrise service. They graciously
agreed.

We closed with the praying of the Lord's prayer. Next meeting will be March 15th.

Respectfully submitted,
Bonnie Foxx

IMPORTANT UPDATE REGARDING

THE HOMETOWN NEWS
Publishing the Hometown News online is convenient in many
ways. From an editing perspective, we just need to upload the
file, but, more importantly, it is convenient for the reader (you
always know where it is and you can‘t lose it). There is an-
other major advantage to publishing online: over the long-term, it will equate to a massive cost sav-
ings by saving on printing, paper, and postage. This is why we would like for all members and friends,
if possible, to read the Hometown News online. Also, consider that if you would like a printout, you
could always print a copy out at home.
By the 3rd of every month, an online version of the newsletter will be available on the church
website at www.nazluthchurch.com. Simply click on ―Hometown News‖ on the home page of our
website.
We understand that not everyone has a computer or even wants to read an online version. We will
continue to mail a paper version to all members and friends who wish to continue to receive a
paper copy, but you must sign up for this. Please call or e-mail the office to notify us that you
would like a paper copy provided to you.
Contact karenvanworth@nazluthchurch.com or 458-7994 to sign up to receive a paper copy.
 Page 4 Hometown News

Sincere Thanks...

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Thank you for your love and support during Betty‘s illness, hospitalization and death. Your
prayers, thoughts and acts of kindness have meant so much to me. Words cannot express my
appreciation for the comfort and loving support I received from Pastor Voss, Pastor Plvan, Pas-
tor Dorn and Pastor Schmick! Thank you Pam, Steve, and the choir for the beautiful perform-
ance of ―Grace‖, a favorite anthem of Betty‘s. Thanks to the ladies for the delicious meal after
Betty‘s funeral. I thank God for bringing Betty and me together, giving me the honor to be her
husband and for giving us that very ―special‖ life for over 40 years. The memories of the life we
shared, her strong faith, and the knowledge that she is with the Lord in heaven, coupled with
your Christian love and support, will see me through this chapter in my life.
With love and great appreciation, Al
Also…
I have been receiving a lot of cards extending sympathy in the loss of Betty. I have found
much comfort in these cards. One that means a lot to me is a card from my brother Don
and his wife, Barb. I want to share that verse with you.
Home Is Where God Is
There’s no place like the home God is preparing for us.
There, Jesus waits to escort His own into a place of sweet and blessed rest.
There, our loved ones wait with eager anticipation for us to celebrate with
them the joys for which we were ultimately created.
If we were allowed one glimpse of that place, our real home,
we would not hold too tightly to the ones gone before us.
Instead, we would grieve because we cannot go with them---
because home, after all, is where God is.
Rebecca Barlow Jordan
 MARCH 2010 Page 5

The Hometown News

EDITOR: Susan Skalleberg
CO-EDITOR: Pastor David Voss CONTRIBUTORS
PRODUCTION EDITOR: Karen Van Worth We are looking for regular contribu-
tors to the Hometown News. If
there is a certain article you would
Thank you to all who submitted articles and like to write on a regular basis, please
information to this newsletter. let us know so we can discuss it with
you. Young and old are encouraged
“Rejoice in the Lord al-
SUBMISSIONS
to volunteer for this very important ways. I will say it
newsletter.
We encourage you to submit your articles again: Rejoice! Let
and ideas electronically to: PAPER VERSIONS your gentleness be evi-
sueskalleberg@yahoo.com or call 731-
6959
If you would like a paper version of
the Hometown News, you can print it
dent to all. The Lord is
off online or simply call the church
office and we‘ll put you on the mailing
near. Do not be anx-
Newsletter information is due in by the
third Sunday of the month.
list for paper copies. ious about anything,
but in everything, by
prayer and petition,
with thanksgiving,
March Birthdays present your requests
to God. And the peace
of God, which tran-
March 4 Lauren Anne Carroll scends all understand-
March 6 Tracy Koren Holcombe
March 10 Jean Koren
ing, will guard your
March 17 Janet Antol, Madison Van Worth hearts and your minds
March 18 William Koren, Michael Lineman in Christ Jesus.”
March 21 Gerald Koren, Ann Hanford
March 23 Leanne Eckstein - Philippians 4:4-7
March 25 Logan Peden

NAZARETH HAS TALENT

The congregation of Nazareth Lutheran Church is filled with musical talent, thanks be to
God and the gifts He has given us. Won‘t you consider sharing your gift with the congre-
gation? We have heard such beautiful music from our members and we want to continue
to encourage our members to let your gifts be known. Whether you‘d like to sing or play
an instrument, alone or with others, we encourage you to volunteer your time and talents
for the benefit of our church. Please contact Pastor Voss or Steve Foxx if you would like
to participate in our Worship service.
 Page 6 Hometown News

Pray for One Another Prayer List for March, 2010

For our Brothers and Sisters in Christ in Nursing Homes -

Mary Blaho, HHCC (229) Velma Fleming, HHCC (227)
Mildred Skroback, HHCC Elsie Voda, HHCC
For our Brothers and Sisters in Christ who are home-bound -
Mary Petik

For our members and friends serving our country in the military -
Bruce Layne Danny Petik Chris Graham Dustin Petik James Eckenrode David Petik
Scott Naumann Jeff & Stacy Crossen Courtney Williams
Jeffrey Head Steve Foxx Brandon Edwards Michael McKinzie
For our members and friends away at college –
Landry Doane Casey Davis Brandon Edwards
For our members who are sick, hospitalized, in need of spiritual care or recuperating -
Pastor & Joy Voss Evelyn Rayner Rowena Carter
Tina Doane Annette Dry Ilse Appleby Jordan Layne Charlene Logan Kay Grochowaski
Barney Hampton Lillian Lockton
For our friends who are sick, hospitalized or recuperating
Darleene Farley Jonathan Weston Connie Williamson Rita Joyner
Joann Miller Jeff Walter Mark Black Francis Brinkley Shelby Slayton Phyllis Kane
Suzie Hilton Dorothy Kunkel Bobby Kirkman
Danielle Elliot-Gehle Regina Davis
For the Families of the Saints departed

Bible Study, Adult and Youth Confirmation

Whether you are young or
old, visitor or pillar, we
have something for you!
BIBLE STUDY
Meet in the ―Old Church‖
Room at 9:30 AM for a
Bible Study on Hebrews
led by Al Schneider.
ADULT CONFIRMATION YOUTH CONFIRMATION
Arnie Slimmen leads an Through Lent, Pastor Voss
eight-week adult confirma- is teaching youth confirma-
tion class every Sunday at tion classes every Sunday
9:30 AM and on Friday from 9:45—10:30 AM.
evenings. If you are new After Easter Sunday, we
to the Lutheran faith and will resume with our 7-
would like to become a 8PM Wednesday evening
member of our church, schedule.
please contact Arnie to
join in.
 MARCH 2010 Page 7

Notes for You

SUNDAY MORNING PRAYERS Scholarships Available!

If you would like to have the congregation Applications for the Koehler Scholar-
pray for you, a family member, or a friend, let ship Fund are now available. If you
Pastor Voss know of your request and we will are interested, please see the church
include a prayer for you on Sunday morning. secretary. Applications need to be
Please provide the name and, if you desire, turned in no later than April 30.
the purpose of the prayer (for healing, for
comfort, etc.). Current contact information for Ilse
and Dawn:
Ilse Appleby
TRANSPORTATION TO LENTEN
2990 Trawood Drive, 16D
SERVICES AVAILABLE
El Paso, TX 79936
Martha Staples has been kind enough to volunteer her time
to drive anyone who would like a ride to our Wednesday Dawn@crosspointeelpaso.com
evening dinners and Lent services. Please contact the
church office by Tuesday evening if you would like to be
picked up and we will make sure to get the message to HOMETOWN NEWS NEEDS
Martha. Don‘t sit at home, let‘s keep putting our bus to
SPONSORS
Any one wishing to sponsor ($50) or co-
MUSIC IN THE MORNING sponsor ($25) an issue of the HOMETOWN
From 9:30—9:45 AM every NEWS, please put your envelope with ap-
Sunday, join the youth in the propriate amount of money into the offering
Sanctuary as Pastor Voss leads plate, along with a note as to who you would
them in singing hymns. The like to honor Thank you.
youth are preparing for a mis-
sion trip in the summer, so
we will soon be practicing
Thank you to every-
songs for the trip. All ages
are welcome. Bring your one who sent me
cards and prayed
ideas and your instruments!
while I was hospi-
HOW DO WE KNOW IF WORSHIP OR talized. We have a
A CHURCH EVENT IS CANCELLED?
gracious God who has brought me
YOU HAVE THREE WAYS TO CHECK.
back to full energy in and for His
1) CALL THE CHURCH, 458-7994
2) CHECK THE WEBSITE ―CURRENT service to family and church.
NEWS‖ SECTION Your expression of concern and
3) CALL THE LEADER OF THAT love was very meaningful to my
EVENT OR CALL PASTOR DI-
RECTLY, 721-9381 family and I. Your servant in
Christ, Pastor Voss
Page 8 Newsletter Title

Mission Poem to Remember

Pastor Plvan suggested we put this message and poem into the Hometown News. It illus-
trates the main point of his sermon on Transfiguration Sunday:
“The church must give of itself. It must serve others. It must bring the Gospel of salva-
tion in Christ Jesus to the world. I recently ran across this “Servant Song” by Richard Gil-
lard. It reads:
“Brothers and sisters, let me be your servant, let me be as Christ to you.
I pray that I may have the grace to let you be my servant, too.
We are pilgrims on a journey. We are brothers and sisters on the road;
We are here to help each other walk the mile and bear the load.
I will hold the light of Christ up for you in the nighttime of your fear,
I will hold my hand out to you and speak the words of peace you long to hear.
I will weep when you are weeping, when you laugh I will laugh with you.
I will share your joy and sorrow „til we have seen this journey through.”

THIS SPACE WAS RESERVED FOR YOU

Communication to the congregation is critical.
If you are a member of any official committee for the
church, then we should receive an update from your
committee for the newsletter no later than the third
Sunday of the month so we can publish it.
Thank you to those who have done so, and we
encourage all committees to continue the informa-
tion flow to the congregation. Please do your best
to submit your updates to the editor (Sue). We
really appreciate your effort to do so and to keep
the congregation up to date and engaged with what
you are doing.
A loving reminder for the benefit of our church,
Pastor Voss
 MARCH 2010 Page 9

Lent and Holy Week Worship

Midweek 4, March 10, 7PM – Peace with God through Jesus Christ
Midweek 6, March 17, 7PM – The Reason to Endure
Midweek 7, March 24, 7PM – No Longer Dead, but Alive
Maundy Thursday, April 1, 7PM – Christ Crucified in His Holy Supper
Good Friday, April 2, 7PM – Once for All Time
Easter Sunday, April 4, Sunrise Service, 7AM
Easter Sunday, April 4, Worship, 11AM

Dr. Paul Maier to Visit Nazareth Lutheran Church

We are honored to announce that Dr. Paul Maier will present a seminar for the
Hopewell and Ft. Lee area on Saturday, September 18, entitled, "Jesus, Legend or
Lord?"
Dr. Maier, Professor of Ancient History at Western Michigan University, is one of
our country's leading authorities on the biblical world and a widely acclaimed
author and speaker. This special event will be held at our church! Ticket prices
and further details will be made available in a few months.
This is a terrific opportunity for our congregation to be a beacon of God’s light
not only for Christians who may be interested in attending, but for non-Christians who are skeptical
of who Jesus was and is. This is a terrific evangelism opportunity that we can and should be telling
everyone about!
Won’t you consider volunteering to be a part of the team that prepares for this event? Please contact
Pastor Voss if interested. At this time, we have three volunteers, but we need many more.

Lent Soup & Sandwich Schedule

Our Lenten Season continues. The teams in charge of the various Soup & Sandwich
suppers are as follows:
March 3 – Maintenance & Trustees, Andy Martin
March 10 – Missions/Outreach, Ann
March 17 – Christian Education & Youth, Sandy
March 24 – Adult Classes, Carol

If you would like to help any of these boards by making a soup, sandwiches, or a
dessert, please see the person named on the Lent Soup & Sandwich list.
 Page 10 Hometown News

A WONDERFUL GIFT OF GOD’S SPIRIT

As anticipated and prayed for, the New Year brought a flourish of activity
with regards to the mission of our church. On Friday, January 31, we met as a
congregation to define our Mission Statement and our Critical Targets. What a
great turnout we had! Please read follow up articles for both of those activities
on this page.
Through the spring, we have two more mission planning seminars sched-
uled. We don‘t expect every member can make every planning session, but we
certainly encourage you to do so! These activities are important to building
upon the foundation that Christ has laid down for us—so that we fully engage
From the our community in mission and reach them with the Good News that Jesus

Pastor’s Christ is LORD!

Mission Planning Session II is scheduled for Saturday, April 10 from 9AM—
Desk noon. This session will focus on discussing and defining our Critical Targets—
those to whom we will specifically be reaching out to.
Mission Planning Session III is scheduled for Saturday, May 1 from 9AM—
3PM. In this session, we will learn about the attributes of a mission focused
church and find out what we are good at and what we can do better. Led by
Art Umbach. Please register with the office to sign up for either seminar by e-
mailing or calling Karen at karenvanworth@nazluthchurch.com or 458-7994.

MISSION STATEMENT CRITICAL TARGETS

We worship together. We serve together. Sometimes we even play to- Once we have defined our Mission
gether. Amidst all of these activities, what defines us? If someone were to Statement, we must then define to whom we
ask you, ―What is the purpose of your church?‖, what would you answer? will specifically be reaching out to.
While God has made us all unique individuals, He also expects us to serve As a congregation, we defined Critical
each other and the world. The expectation is inward growth through faith Targets, specific people or ministries that we
in Christ and outward growth of the Good News to all nations—mission! will focus on. I have received quite a few com-
On January 31, we had a terrific turnout of members from the church who ments that due to time constraints, they felt
sat down and discussed where we feel led by the Holy Spirit in mission. rushed during this process. Defining our criti-
What follows are some of the most popular responses that almost everyone cal targets is far too important of a responsibil-
ity for us to rush through, so in response to
believed needed to be incorporated into our mission statement. that input, we will have a morning planning
We are a people who are ―reaching out‖ and ―sharing the love of Jesus session on April 10 to discuss and formulate
Christ‖ while ―serving others joyfully‖ while we continue to ―grow in faith‖. our Critical Targets.
Pam Klein, Ann Hanford, and myself volunteered to take the ideas from our Critical Targets as decided by the congre-
Mission Statement Planning Session and create 3-4 statements that incorpo- gation on 1/31. Please review this list and an-
rate these ideas. We will then present them to the congregation for a vote swer the following questions. What categories
and final approval. Stay tuned, in the coming weeks we will present these can be combined? What categories can serve
statements during a worship service so that, as a congregation, we prayer- (or be a branch off of) other categories?
fully conclude God‘s defining mission for our church.
Young Adults 8 votes
Military 7 votes
UNITED IN Families 6 votes
Facilities 6 votes
MISSION Children‘s Ministry 5 votes
Youth 3 votes
 MARCH 2010 Page 11

PASTOR VOSS TO HOST

“STRENGTHENING THE BOND” SERIES
We are bound to Christ and one another (Ephesians 4:1-4). On the second Thursday
of every month, beginning on April 8th, from 7—9PM, Pastor Voss will be hosting a
night dedicated to strengthening our relationships with one another, our families, our
friends, and those who we are called to serve with the Gospel.
Each month we will introduce a new ―theme‖ with a focus on one aspect of our rela-
tionships. Please join us for fun, snacks, and most importantly, a time for God to
strengthen our relationships through His Word.
Are you ready to be engaged and grow in Christ and with one another?

APRIL 8— MISSION STATEMENT

STRENGTHENING THE Critical to the followers of Jesus so that
we know what God desires of us in the
BOND—WITHIN OUR
community in which He has placed us.
CHURCH
Then Jesus came to them and said,
All members are invited to "All authority in heaven and on earth
attend to find out how God has been given to me. Therefore go
will strengthen our relation- and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the
ships in the church through Father and of the Son and of the Holy
effectively listening, compas- Spirit..." - Matthew 28:19
sion, and caring for one an-
other. CRITICAL TARGETS
Helps us answer the question, ―To
whom is God guiding us to minister to?‖
After this the Lord appointed sev-
MAY 13— STRENGTHENING THE enty-two others and sent them two
by two ahead of him to every town
BOND—HUSBAND AND WIFE and place where he was about to go.
Husbands and wives are encouraged to —Luke 10:1
attend this presentation and discussion
on marriage. How does God promise RELATIONSHIP BUILDING
to strengthen our marriage at any age One of the teachers of the law came
and heard them debating. Noticing
and at all times? This evening is for all that Jesus had given them a good
ages, from newly wed puppies to wise answer, he asked him, "Of all the
old owls. commandments, which is the most
important?" "The most important
one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear,
O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord
JUNE 10—STRENGTHENING THE BOND—MEN is one. Love the Lord your God with
all your heart and with all your soul
Men and young adults are encouraged to attend this night of talking and with all your mind and with all
about the challenges and trials of being single, a boyfriend, husband, your strength.' The second is this:
and/or father in a world where men often choose to go it alone. It 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'
There is no commandment greater
will be a night of fun and discussion—competition and talk—good eats than these." - Mark 12:28-31
and most importantly, hearing how God desires to shape us as men.
Nazareth Lutheran Church
1711 Grant Street
Hopewell, VA 23860

TO:

Nazareth Lutheran Church - A Community in Christ