 Thursday Announcements February 29, 2024 
ERIN’S EPISTLETTES
 A Lenten Message from Bishop Barker  Beloved in Christ - This past week Annie and I moved into a new house after nearly thirteen years at the same address. The home we just departed was the property we bought when we moved to Nebraska at the time I became bishop. It was the setting for many important life moments, both high and low. The only address at which I’ve lived longer in my entire life was my childhood home. The move to a new home was predictably stressful… and it’s not done yet. We’re now in the phase where our furniture is all moved in, but even after months of downsizing our home and helping to stock the shelves at Goodwill, our house is still packed full of stuffed moving boxes that need to be carefully opened and organized. We’re trying to be wise about that task and it helps that all the cartons are nicely labeled. Should we unpack “Kitchen cabinets” or “Toolroom”? “Family Room books” or “Office drawers”? Though we’re determined to finish this task soon and empty all those crates, we’ve met several folks who have confessed that they have boxes in their basements still lying there unpacked from a prior move that happened years ago. A couple of people have told us that they have boxes that have now remained unpacked for two or even three relocations. It makes me wonder about what’s in those boxes, and why people keep dragging them around. In the season of Lent, followers of Jesus are invited to pack away some of the routines, desires, orientations, and habits upon which we usually rely, to return to a simpler, clearer and restored relationship with God in Christ. By “self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word,” we get back to the basics of following Jesus by eliminating the stuff we don’t need and that gets in the way of being the kind of person that God created and calls us to be. What could you fruitfully put away in the forty days ahead? Is striving after money or recognition keeping you from appreciating the beautiful life God has already planted you in? Is too much time on social media distracting you from tending to in-person relationships? Are fundamentally sinful habits around feeding your appetites or your ego-needs building a barrier between you and the God who loves you so much that he gave his life for you? Making some changes in our lives during the season of Lent is an ancient tradition of the Church. For those of us who embrace this work year after year, the experience is never the same. Some years feel like a failure, serving only to remind us of our desperate need for a savior while in other years we manage with God’s help to make faithful changes in our lives that take root and shape us anew long after Easter comes and goes. Either way, it’s holy work. Dear people of God: I invite you in the name of the Church to the observance of a holy Lent. Let’s prayerfully support one another in our efforts to put away what’s not serving us well, and to make room for new habits and new ways of expressing our love for our neighbors and our love of God. Who knows … we might just discover that there are some things we don’t need in our lives at all anymore and that with the room created by letting them go, we make a way for Christ to rise again. A Blessed Lent to All – + Bishop Barker The Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska | Dioneb.org From the office—Ann’s Announcements 
Birthdays Jack Schaaf March 2 United Thank Offering Please remember the United Thank Offering during this holy season. Consider the words of Mother Teresa as you as you give, whether it is with your heart, your mind, or monetarily. "It is not how much we do, but how much love we put into doing it. It is not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving." Please pick up your blue box, or use an envelope provided in the bulletin the next time you attend a service. Thank you! Jenny Bohl Joyful Noise: The children have been collecting your spare change in their “Joyful Noise” buckets the first Sunday of each month. ] We would like to report that we have received $632.50. After much discussion and prayer, they decided to: 1. Donate to the Lakota Lutheran Center in Scottsbluff. They help many in our community with meals, clothing, and religious services. 2. They have decided to donate to Episcopal Relief and Development and pay for 1 goat, Fruit Trees, seeds, tools and training to cultivate a sustainable food supply. Goats are hardy and reproduce quickly, and can be raised in a variety of climates. They provide milk, cheese, and manure for farming. Mango, banana, and avocado trees provide a long term sustainable source of nutrition and income and can be planted on hillsides for erosion control. 3. They want to help communities drill wells for clean water which prevents the spread of illness and disease. 4. They want to provide a bicycle for healthcare workers in rural areas to cover greater distances and reach more homes. 5. They would like to support Riverside Discovery Center and the new hyena that will be coming soon, and the education of the children in our area. 6. Their final donation is to the Panhandle Humane Society, who care for area dogs and cats who are homeless, and try to find them homes. Thank you to all who have helped them achieve their “Outreach” goal. The Forward Day by Day’s for February-April are here in regular and large print. If you’d like one of these mailed to you, please email or call the church. Alena's Polar Plunge--"Team Thunder"
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