Fifth Sunday of Lent

“Good News”
 The weekly Newsletter of 
ALL SOULS ECC 
A Welcoming Family of Faith!
March 11, 2016
Lent is going by fast. Keep encouraged in your effort for fasting, charity, and prayer. We hope to see you Sunday as we encourage each other, worship, and hear God’s word to help us with our Lenten journey.
EVERYONE’S IRISH for this POT LUCK!  Hope to see you this Saturday @6:00 pm in the Pine Room.
Please take the time to read the articles and information in this week’s “GOOD NEWS” including clicking on our prayer list and pray for the requests there. Feel free to forward this newsletter to a family member or friend, or share it on your facebook page or twitter by using the “like” and “share” icons at the top of the page.

This weeks readings and question of the week:

Take time to mediate on God’s word and prepare for worship this Sunday.  And as you meditate on them, consider the Question of the Week:

Jesus offered pardon unconditionally and graciously to the woman accused of adultery and to me. To whom can I offer this unconditional and gracious pardon?

Isaiah 43:16-21
Psalm 126
Philippians 3:8-14
John 8:1-11
Philippians 3:8-14
Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians is one of my favorite books of the new testament.  Maybe because so often you can hear the writer talking about his own short comings or sufferings.  I can see the realness and relate – each day.   But the book-  and especially these lines in chapter 3, talk about the Hope that is in Christ.   Knowing that these things here on earth are just temporary; allows us as Christians to put things a bit more in perspective and hold the hand of God.    I take comfort in that and I hope you do as well.  When our prayer list gets long – don’t get discouraged, have hope.  The extra time spent on your knees praying will be nothing compared the eternity of our prize in heaven forever.   I count it all as joy!

Saturday, March 12 – 6:00 pm – Pine Room
Everyone’s Irish! Well, maybe not – but we can have fun with our “POT LUCK OF THE IRISH” in celebration of St. Patty’s Day!
Bring your favorite Irish dish or desert – or just something green and delicious to share with your All Souls Family.
We hope you can join us!  Mark it in your calendar today!

Set your clocks ahead 1 hour Saturday night before going to bed.

New Vestments donated to All Souls

The parish community of All Souls expresses grateful appreciation for the new vestment set donated to All Souls.  The vestment is in  memory of Linda Lee Chambers (9/4/46 – 2/29/1976) commemorating the 40th Anniversary of her death donated by her son,
Scott Chambers and his partner, Edward Kimmel.
Thank you Scott and Eddie for your kindness,  thoughtfulness and generosity to All Souls!

Psalm Sunday – 1:00 pm
Maunday Thursday – 7:00 pm
Good Friday – 7:00 pm
Easter Vigil – 7:00 pm
Easter Sunday – 1:00 pm

You’re Invited:

STATIONS OF THE CROSS

GOOD FRIDAY, March 25

4:00 pm

Incarnation Lutheran Church
1101 Lancaster Ave, Reading, PA
Special Lenten Charity Offering

As mentioned in Henry’s “Lenten Pastoral Letter” – we will be collecting a special Lenten offering.  We encourage you to set your extra change aside during the 40 days of Lent.  We will collect the change at the end of Lent and use this for some of our special outreach missions like Opportunity House; Family First; etc.
We do have special plastic containers that you can use – just pick them up at this Sunday’s service if you did not get it last week or at the Ash Wednesday service.
A stone,
no feelings
no heart
no shame
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you;
I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26)

ALL SOULS FRIENDLY’S FUNDRAISER – 
Thursday, April 21  5 pm-8 pm

Bring your friends, family, coworkers, and others to ALL SOULS night at Friendly’s (3024 Penn Avenue
West Lawn) on Thursday, April 21 from 5 pm – 8 pm.  This is a Fundraiser night for All Souls – but also a chance to be out in the community, enjoy some good food (and ice cream!!!), and tell others about All Souls.      We will also be selling baked good (donations needed) and doing basket raffles.  More surprises and information to come!  Questions? See Kimmie!

NEW ROTAS – NEW VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!  FINDING YOUR MINISTRY

At All Souls, we are ALL MINISTERS!  We welcome everyone to participate in the ministry of all Souls.  Besides our periodic outreach ministry opportunities – we also have ways you can be part of our ministry each week.If you can come early, we need help setting up each Sunday or clean up after the service.  Hospitality, reading scriptures, greeting, sharing musical talent, helping with children education, and even helping provide rides for individuals or families that need a ride to or from the church.  You don’t have to do these things every week – but even if you volunteer once or twice a week – that would be great!

We will also be doing a training course for those wanting to explore being a Lay Assistant later this spring.

You can click on the ROTA links to the left to see where we have current openings for various Sundays.  Or talk to Ben Renkus or any board member about how you can get more involved in the ministry of All Souls.

How are you doing answering this  past week’s 
question of the week? 
 To whom have I behaved like the parable’s elder son?  How?  To whom will I behave like our forgiving, welcoming, and reconciling God?  How?