Latest News

Foyers - The word implies entrance to a building. That is exactly what the Foyers groups do once a month with a delightful twist: Food and fellowship. This is an opportunity to get to better know the people we spend time with: our church family and neighbors. It is an open, welcoming small group of people with only one agenda (maybe two), good food and caring. It sometimes meets in a private home and sometimes at a restaurant. It was started on October 8, 2017. Please contact the church office for times, locations, and to participate.

The current groups are

Denny Goodwin & Linda Apple, Gary & Cathy Bennett,Pastor Bill, Jenny and Lydia Zima, Lee & Nan Melber, Diane Sanderford

Doug & Janice Bradburn, Don & Judy Armbrust, Gail Crawford, Christy Johnson, Elaine & Gerald Fryar

Wray Robertson & Carolyn Harris, Justin, Kristie, Anna Grace & Emily Nicks, Bonnie Loy, JoAnn Allen, Jeff & Karen Storholt

THANK YOU!!!! Friedens would like to extend a very special Thank You to Gloria and Leonard Smith, and Randy Randall for their gift of the Fellowship Altar. We truly appreciate this gift. If you haven't had a chance to see the new altar, below is a picture.

Upcoming Events

Altar Flower Sign Up The Flower Calendar for 2020 has been posted on the bulletin board by the Choir Room in the church. Altar flowers are a wonderful way to say “I love you” or “You will always hold a special place in my heart” to your loved ones. Please begin signing up to provide altar flowers for 2020.

Friedens’ 275th Anniversary
Do you like history? Do you have stories to share? Do you like planning a party? If the answer is YES, come join me in planning for our 275th anniversary! Please contact Kristie Nicks if you would like to help or have stories or memories to share kristienicks@gmail.com or 336-656-9828.

First Communion Class: If you would like your child(ren) to begin taking communion, please contact Jenni Zima at 336-380-0606. We will look to organize a class based on need in the month of March. While we have no age restrictions on communion and leave the decision up to the parents, many children make their first communion in 1st or 2nd grade. Please contact Pastor Bill at 336-693-7000 for further conversation if you have questions about age appropriateness.

Ash Wednesday Services
Ash Wednesday begins the 40-day season of Lent, a journey of careful self-examination in light of Jesus, his love, and his willingness to go to the cross for our sins. We will have two services, 12:00 noon and 7:00 p.m. After we all confess our sins, you will be invited up to receive a special sign of our mortality and our hope. I will mark a cross on your forehead with a mixture of Palm Sunday frond ash and olive oil. Sin does leave a black mark in our lives, but the cross of Christ takes away our sin. We walk close to Jesus these forty days so that we might be prepared in our hearts, minds, and spirits to receive the good news come Easter morning.

Copies of the 2019 Annual Report are available in the narthex.

Amy Jobe and Cleatus Miller will be taking the middle and high school youth to LYO Assembly in Greensboro on February 21-23, 2020. Please contact them if you have any questions. The Lutheran Youth Organization (LYO) of the North Carolina Synod is open to all youth in grades 6-12.

The McLeansville Fire Department Auxiliary is having a Red Cross Blood Drive on Saturday, March 7, from 12:00-4:30 p.m. at 5326 Friedens Church Road, McLeansville. Walk-ins are welcome or you may go online to sign up.

Welcome

Friedens Lutheran Church is one of the oldest Lutheran churches in North Carolina (established in 1745) but we pride ourselves as being progressive and adaptive to the world around us. Though we're among the oldest, the many ministries of Friedens Lutheran Church are designed to meet today's spiritual needs. A part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, we strongly believe that with our hands we are doing God's work of restoring and reconciling communities in Jesus' name throughout the world.

Do you want to know more about what a Lutheran is? Come find out how 199 congregations in North Carolina come together to serve Jesus and neighbor by clicking here

For news on the celebration of the 500 years in the Lutheran Church, please go to www.ELCA500.org

WORSHIP WITH US EVERY WEEK!

Sundays, 8:30 and 11:00 a.m.

Sunday School — 9:45 a.m.

Special Joint Service Sundays at 10:30 a.m. -

Youth Sunday Worship - March 1, 2020 at 10:30 am

Youth Sunday will be March 1 at one service at 10:30 a.m. The youth will be leading this service and performing a skit. Please plan to attend practices on Sunday, February 2, 9, 16, and 23, from 2:00-3:00 p.m.

The weather is turning cooler and there are several families using our community pantry. The youth are asking for help with dry food donations to help keep our pantry stocked. A food donation box is located behind the sanctuary. Some suggestions are pancake mix, cereal, oatmeal, grits, muffin mix, macaroni and cheese, cornbread mix, ramen noodles, and canned fruit. Thank you for your support!

Additional Announcements

Friendly Reminder: If you order flowers for the altar from Arrangements Florist, please remember to return the vases to the florist so the vases may be used again. This keeps Frieden's cost down for altar flowers.

Adopting Gracie Gracie's journey is still continuing. Liz Storholdt and family are grateful to everyone who is helping the family adopt Gracie and give her a forever home but there is still more to do. If you haven't checked out Gracie's story, please click on the link to learn more. Please help if you can.

Stephen Ministers are people trained to listen and care for those who are enduring a transition or crisis in their lives. A new training session will begin in January. If you would like more information about “some of the best discipleship training,” please contact Pastor Bill (336-693-7000) or Dan Berry (919-812-5505).

275th Anniversary Corner

February Phrase:
Ash Wednesday / Aschermittwoch

Words:
Week 1: Hymns / Hymnen
Week 2: Choir / Chor
Week 3: Pastor / Pastor (masculine); Pastorin (feminine)
Week 4: Usher / Platzanweiser (masculine); Platzanweiserin (feminine)

February Events: Partnering with the Youth Committee for a slide show of pictures, facts, and stories at the Pancake Supper.

Chrismon classes have resumed. Please join us every Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. in the library if you would enjoy learning to make Chrismons.

Worship and Music are putting a spin on Lent this year; we will be focusing on the color of the rainbow a week for the six weeks. The rainbow has always signified the promise of God, and during Lent, we can hold on to the promise of Easter and have a weekly focus on a color that we observe around us and reflect upon its significance in our journey with God.

Here is our weekly schedule for the colors:
* Week 1 - February 26th (Ash Wednesday) - March 7th - RED
* Week 2 - March 8th - March 14th - ORANGE
* Week 3 - March 15th - March 21st - YELLOW
* Week 4 - March 22nd - March 28th - GREEN
* Week 5 - March 29th - April 4th - BLUE
* Week 6 - April 5th - April 10th - PURPLE

As an example, for the first week, I may happen upon a bumper sticker on a car that has red in it, it caught my eye because of the red, but it may have nothing to do with the color what I connect to the object. It may make me think of a sticker my best friend in college had on their car and then I think about where they were, or perhaps, if I were still in touch with them, I could give them a call all because of a "where's Waldo" of color with my church.

Remember, take a picture, consider its place in God's creation and your life, and send it to Melody Rose, rosemc@guilford.edu.

Happy Rainbow Hunting!

Pastor Bill is looking to have a New Members’ class Sundays, March 8, 15, and 22, at 9:45 a.m. in the 1745 classroom. If you are interested in joining the mission of Friedens Lutheran Church, please contact him.

Shrove Tuesday
Pancake Supper - February 25

Please join us for pancakes served by the youth from 5:00-7:00 p.m. We will begin setting up at 3:30 p.m. We encourage youth to arrive as soon as they can after school and stay for clean up.

“Jesus”

The Circle of Friends will be attending the movie “Jesus” which was filmed during the production at the Sight & Sound Theatre on Tuesday, April 7, at 6:30 p.m. If you would like to attend, please contact Cathy Bennett by March 7. Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for children (3-11) + tax.