“Stay joined to me, and I will stay joined to you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it stays joined to the vine, you cannot produce fruit unless you stay joined to me. “ John 15:4  (Contemporary English Version)

This verse follows on Jesus’ saying, “I am the True Vine”.  Using an image that would be very familiar in his time and place, that of a grape vine, Jesus tells his follower that they must stay connected with him in order to be the disciples he wants and needs. Those who do not stay connected, who do not abide, will be pruned away so that the rest of the vine, the church, can be healthier.

During the children’s sermon on March 29^th I used an image that might be more familiar to people in the 21^st century, a cell phone. Cell phones are marvels of technology.  On some cell phones you can take pictures, text, twitter, surf the internet, check e-mail, watch television and, yes, make phone calls. They offer people innumerable ways to stay connected to the people and things they care about. Sometimes people abuse them by using their phones in the wrong places, but I think the positives outweigh the negatives.  

But if a cell phone isn’t connected to a network it’s just a piece of plastic.

It’s the same with the Christian faith. If we aren’t connected to the True Vine, we don’t have a living faith, just a good idea.  And a good idea is not what we need. We need to be connected with Christ. And the place we connect, our “network”, if you will, is church.

Personal devotion is important, but it isn’t a substitute for being with our fellow Christians on a regular basis.  A family that spends no time together soon ceases to function as a family. A couple that doesn’t prioritize being together drifts apart.  Christians who don’t come together as a church on a regular basis soon cease to be a community and lose their connection with the Christ who is present in the church. When that happens they have ceased to be a church.

Many of us make being in church on Easter morning a priority. That’s great! I’d like to invite you to make a commitment that this Easter will be the start of making church a priority all the time.  It’s the only way I know to stay connected to Christ, and to have a faith that makes a difference.

Holy Week

Maundy Thursday, April 9^th, 7:00 pm

The Maundy Thursday service for both churches will be different this year. We will worship in the Fellowship Hall at the Friend church and we’ll have tables arranged so that we’re all sitting around one large table.   During this service we’ll recall the events of the last night of Jesus’ earthly life. Together we’ll read about the preparations for the Passover meal and how Jesus reinterpreted Passover as a way for us to remember him. We’ll then journey in spirit to the Garden of Gethsemane and pray together. Afterwards we’ll read the scriptures about Judas’ betrayal of Jesus and his arrest. We’ll leave in silence, pondering the events of that night.

Again, this service is for both congregations. We invite everyone to come in casual dress, prepared to walk with Jesus through this night that is so important in our faith.

Good Friday, April 10^th, 7:00

The community Good Friday Service will be at Friend Christian Assembly this year. Ginny will preach.  An offering for the work of the Friend Ministerial Fellowship will be received.

Easter Sunday, April 12^th

Join us as we celebrate Easter Sunday at both churches. The Exeter Service will be at the usual time, 9:00. Friend will worship at a special time, 10:00. These will be joyful celebrations of the Good News that “Christ is risen indeed!”  Be sure to bring a flower to decorate the crosses in both churches, symbolizing the transformation of an  instrument of shame and punishment into a glorious emblem of God’s victory.

We have completed our Sunday evening Lenten services for this year. These services are always uplifting to your co-pastors and we want to thank all who participated in the services or the fellowship times. It’s a blessing to share this ministry with our United Methodist sisters and brothers.

On April 26^th we will celebrate Gloria Riley’s 33 year ministry as choir director at the Friend church. She is retiring from directing the choir, but not from the congregation!  We will have an all-church Potluck dinner after church that day. Plan to bring your favorite dish, a good appetite, and celebrate with us in church and at the party afterwards.

A search committee to find a new choir director has been appointed. Paul Ramp is the chair. Others serving are Glady Weber, Carolyn Taylor, and Shirley Milton. Tim and Ginny will serve on the committee without vote. If you have a name to suggest or any ideas, please share them with one of the committee members.

For a long time we have felt blessed to have 4 excellent organists to serve our two churches. This is no longer the case. We are now blessed to have 5 talented musicians playing for our services!  Marci Manwarren will be serving as the third organist in the rotation at Exeter. We’re glad she’s volunteered to share her music ministry with us.

The Exeter Council will meet at 7:30 on Thursday, April 16^th. 

On May 24^th the Exeter church will honor 5 50 year members during morning worship.

Those to be honored are Sharon Dyer, Butch Jansen, Barb Jansen, Tom Songster, and Norm Anton.  Join us as we celebrate the gifts and ministries of these 50 year members.

At the annual Fireman’s Appreciation Dinner Dick Thompson was honored with a plaque for his 48 years of service to the fire department.

The Men’s Ham Loaf Dinner was a huge success. Our profit, after expenses, was $3,222.

This includes $950 in donations from persons who were not able to participate. All who took part had a great time and served up some excellent food and fellowship.

Irene Eurich died on March 24^th. A celebration of her life was held on March 28^th.  Our prayers are with her family.

Jo Ackerman, a long time member of this church and the pastor of the United Church of Christ in Clay Center died on March 25^th.  Some members of our church were able to represent us at her funeral on March 28^th. Brad Ramp sang a solo.

Dwayne Nelson was hospitalized recently. He is home but is continuing to have some problems.  The Nelsons recently celebrated their 60^th anniversary.

Irene Worden is recovering from a successful knee replacement.

Vera Losh has moved to Friend Manor.

Lenna Weber is recovering from surgery and doing well.

Mary Willms, sister of Pat Mathiesen and Kay Betka, will soon begin chemotherapy.  She sent a note to thank us for our prayers .

Willard and Floyd Johansen are planning to participate in the last Honor Flight to Washington, DC in late April. The Flights honor veterans of World War II. We expect to hear some good stories, guys.

Willard has begun new round of radiation treatments.

Lois Kuska is at home and doing well.

Keep in Your Prayers

Mary Willms, Willard Johansen, the Yound family, the Carrigans, Lenna Weber, Cheri Nelson, Vera Losh, Karen Pelz, Beverly Swanson, Lois Kuska, Don Pieper, and the families of Jo Ackerman and Irene Eurich.

Friend Manor                                 Exeter Care Center

Mabel Kohout                                  Alberta Weber

June Krebs                                      Vivian Johnson

Ruth Bode                                       Bob Vlcek

Irma Havel                                       Esther Deterding

Vera Losh                                        Altha Ramp

Assisted Living: Mahoney House, York

Alvina Zieg

At the March meeting the Friend church council received reports.  The Choir Director search committee appointed by the Diaconate was approved.  Tim and Ginny were granted an “extra” Sunday off in order to attend Ginny’s graduation from her Spiritual Direction program on June 21^st.  A motion to hire Erin Cihak to clean the church twice a month was approved. This will not change our policy that groups using the church are expected to clean up after themselves. Erin will see to the kind of cleaning that is not getting done on a regular basis, such as washing windows,  vacuuming, dusting, and cleaning the restrooms.     

By the time you all read this I’m hoping that spring will be more than just a “feeling in the air”. In other words, it’s time for Mother Nature to actually give up on winter and allow spring to flourish.

This is my favorite season of the year, mostly, I guess, because my birthday is in the springtime. And not just my birthday—I have 8 cousins and 4 of us have birthdays in the same two weeks of May. So spring always reminds me of life, my life, and that of my family.

Even amidst the winter weather of late my tulips are trying to bloom. I’ve seen daffodils in flower, some of our trees are budding, and the grass is definitely greening up. The earth that has been sleeping all winter is now waking up, and that is truly a blessing.

This new birth outside our windows is bringing new energy to me, inside the house.  The urge to do spring cleaning is almost here, Time is contemplating getting the lawn mower tuned up, and the dirty windows are becoming a drag.

All this new life is symbolized for me in Easter’s joyous sounds. The music is at a different “level”, the scriptures we hear in church now speak of how those first believers came to terms with a Risen Christ, and even the decorations in church are flowery, and not just green.

I invite all of you to join with me as spring and Easter come to pass and to throw ourselves into the new life of these seasons. Let us be thankful for the gift of each day, let us be willing to look at our relationships with new eyes, and let us pray that we’ll be a people who live resurrection now.