Pohocco Lutheran Church

THE TIME OF EASTER – LENT

Begins on Ash Wednesday (February 22nd) and ends on Holy Saturday (April 8th)

     The Time of Easter invites us into the story of Jesus’ sacrificial death and his glorious resurrection. The resurrection of Jesus gives proof that our salvation has been completed and that our hope for eternal life with God is secure.

     Easter was the major celebration of the Early Church, which also set aside a period of preparation to celebrate the Feast of the Resurrection of Our Lord (Easter). Lent was a period of preparation first prescribed for baptismal candidates. During this period, the candidates were examined in preparation for Baptism at the Easter (or Paschal) Vigil. Later, these forty days were associated with Jesus’ forty days in the desert prior to his temptation (Matthew 4.1-11) and with the forty years the children of Israel spent in the wilderness (Numbers 14.34), becoming a period of preparation for every Christian.

     The Sundays during this season are not “of Lent’ but “in Lent.” Thus the Sundays retain an Easter tone and may be less solemn than the mid-week services that congregations typically offer. The observances of  Lent are concrete reminders of the greater solemnity of this season, yet Lutherans emphasize the Gospel of Christ as central even to this penitential season.

MIDWEEK EVENING PRAYER – THE TREE OF LIFE IN LENT

Many world religions use the image of the “tree of life” when depicting their central beliefs and values. For Christians, that “tree of life” is the cross. Our weekly Evening Prayer will focus on the biblical use of the “tree of life.” Each week a biblical passage and a hymn will cast some light on the cross of Christ as our “tree of life.” The weekly repetition of Psalm 1, each time with an appropriate focus, helps memorize this important Jewish and Christian song.

Midweek – Lent 1 – March 1st

The story in Genesis 2—3 imagines that the first humans were immortal, and only after they sinned were they denied fruit from the tree of life. In Lent, we know ourselves to be mortals who repeatedly cut ourselves off from the life God gives.

Reading … Genesis 2.8-9, 15-18; 3.22-24

The tree of life in Eden is given and then denied.

Midweek – Lent 2 – March 8th

In the art and poetry of the ancient Near East, powerful nations and their monarchs were likened to the tree of life. Using this imagery, the prophet promises that God will "bring low the high tree” and “make high the low tree” (Ezekiel 17.24). In Lent, we look to the cross as the “low tree” that will give life to all the world.

Reading … Ezekiel 17.22-24

God will transform the low tree into the tree of life.

Midweek – Lent 3 – March 15th

In some poetry of the ancient Near East, wisdom was likened to a great woman in the skies who guided people toward righteous living. For the Hebrew people, this Wise Woman was the Torah. In Lent we can see Christ as this Wisdom, a tree of life for us.

Reading … Proverbs 3.13-18

We hold fast to wisdom, as if it were the very tree of life.

Midweek – Lent 4 – March 22nd 

Mark’s gospel turns upside down the ancient image of the tree of life: the mustard bush is no great tree, but rather an annual plant. In Lent we gather around the cross, which is like a mere mustard bush. Yet we see it as our tree of life, taking nest in its branches and being nourished by baptismal waters.

Reading … Mark 4.30-32

The mustard bush is a tree of life only in a hidden way.

Midweek – Lent 5 – March 29th

In writing to the believers in Galatia, Paul contrasted the life of the flesh – that is, each person focused only on the self – with the fruit of the Spirit. This fruit of the Spirit sustains us for lives of service to others. In Lent we who are baptized gather around the cross as our tree of life, where we receive these Spirit-centered fruits.

Reading … Galatians 5.16-26

Love, joy, peace, patience … are fruits of the tree of life.

Christmas and its Season

Christmas tells the story of Jesus as the long-awaited King who has finally come tot save us. Jesus, God’s Son, the King of heaven and earth, is born in Bethlehem – the Son of God is a baby lying in a manger.

  The evening services of Christmas Eve mark the beginning of the Church’s celebration of the Nativity of Our Lord. The season continues after December 25th over a period traditionally known as the twelve days of Christmas. This season includes a number of lesser festivals: Stephen, Deacon and Martyr, the first Christian martyr, occurs on December 26th. John, Apostle and Evangelist, is remembered on December 27th. The Holy Innocents, Martyrs, remembering the babies in Bethlehem (Matthew 2.16-18), is observed on December 28th. The circumcision and naming of Jesus on the eighth day after his birth (Luke 2.21) is celebrated on January 1st.

Epiphany and its Season

Epiphany is one of the oldest seasons in the Christian Church Year, second only to the Easter season. This season of lights emphasizes Jesus’ manifestation (or epiphany, from the Greek epiphaneia) as God and man. The earliest Christians called the Feast of the Epiphany the Theophany (“revelation of God”). When the Gentile Magi come to worship Jesus, they show that everyone now has access to God. Now all people, Jew and Gentile, can come to God’s temple to worship, because Jesus is the new temple: God in the flesh. The Epiphany of Our Lord (January 6th) marks the celebration of the visit of the Magi.

  Epiphany may include as many as nine Sundays, depending on the date of Easter. The season is marked at its beginning and at its end by two important feasts of Christ.

  On the First Sunday after Epiphany, the Church celebrates the Baptism of Our Lord. The Father sent Jesus to bear the sins of the world. So Jesus steps down into baptismal waters so that he can soak up the sins of the world: he is baptized into our sins so that our Baptism might be into his death and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins.

  The Feast of the Transfiguration, celebrated on the last Sunday in the Epiphany season, is a significant and uniquely Lutheran contribution to the Christian calendar. This festival commemorates the moment on the Mount of Transfiguration with three of Jesus’ disciples glimpse their Lord in divine splendor, seeing him as the center of the Law (Moses) and the Prophets (Elijah). Jesus proclaims to his disciples, then and now, that he is the long-awaited one who has come to die for the sins of the world and be raised again in glory.

  The Transfiguration of Our Lord is the last Sunday before Lent. Because we give up singing Alleluia during Lent, at the close of the service on Transfiguration we say farewell to Alleluia with the hymn “Alleluia, Song of Gladness.”

With the First Sunday in Advent (November 27th), our gospel focus shifts to the Gospel According to Matthew. Let me offer some background on that gospel. This was taken from the introduction of the Gospel of Matthew in Here We Stand Lutheran Study Bible.

Background File

The Gospel of Matthew was probably written in the mid-80s CE. The unknown author used the Gospel of Mark plus other oral and written sources, including a document that scholars refer to as “Q.” The name Matthew was attached to the gospel early in the second century. Where Matthew was written is also unknown. Possibilities include Antioch in Syria or someplace in Galilee.23.23

What’s the Story?

     After the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE, Judaism wrestled with its identity. Christians participated in that debate, along with other Jewish movements. Rabbinic Judaism and Christianity emerged as distinct-but-related movements. Each claimed Israel’s heritage.

     Christians also debated their relation to Judaism, the inclusion of Gentiles, and the relation between Jews and Gentiles within the church. Some followed Jewish traditions that identified Gentiles (non-Jews) as sinners. For them, Gentile believers needed to become Jewish. Others followed Jewish tradition that saw Gentiles in light of God’s covenant with Noah (Genesis 9.1-17). For them, Gentile believers need not become Jewish. The one body of Christ included both Jews and Gentiles (see Galatians 3.28; Acts 15).

     Matthew uses material that reflects these debates. Passages affirm the permanence of God’s covenant with Israel (5.18-19) and restrict mission of Israel (10.5-6). Others include Gentiles and exclude some in Israel (8.5-13; 21.42-43). Both sides have their place in Matthew.

     The author builds on Mark’s basic framework. Matthew adds birth stories, resurrection appearances, and sayings. The sayings primarily occur in five blocks. Each ends with some variation of the phrase “When Jesus had finished saying these things” (7.28; 11.1; 13.53; 19.1; 26.1).

     To focus its message, Matthew rearranges the sequence of stories and often shortens them. Sometimes Matthew adds to a story. This indicates a particular interest. Comparing Matthew with Mark is often helpful for understanding Matthew.

     Matthew sets individual passages in the context of long sequences of stories and sayings. Each text must be seen in the light of this larger whole. The Sermon on the Mount, for example, includes things Jesus may have said at different times. Yet it is a single sermon. Each saying needs to be read in light of its place in the whole. Often this dramatically influences its meaning. The Sermon on the Mount, in turn, is part of a larger context that runs from 4.12 through 9.34.

     Themes often overlap. In the Sermon on the Mount, for example, righteousness is a central theme in 5.3—7.6. A second theme, the exclusive alternative between two ways, begins in 6.1 and comes into the foreground in 7.13-27.

     Matthew develops parallel structures in telling the story. For example, Matthew 8 and 

9 each open with a miracle, touch the question of outsiders, and end with an exorcism leading to the opposition. The Gospel of Matthew can be outlines this way:

• Jesus, the promised Son (1.1—4.11)
• Light dawns in the darkness (4.12—9.34)
• The kingdom’s power in the midst of opposition and questions (9.35—16.12)
• God’s Son will suffer death and be raised (16.13—20.34)
• Jesus in Jerusalem (21.1—25.46)
• Jesus death and resurrection (26.1—28.20)

What’s the Message?

Jesus announces that God’s rule has drawn near. Its power is already breaking into our world in his authority to teach, to cast our demons and heal, and to forgive sins. Instead of “kingdom of God,” Matthew prefers the phrase “kingdom of heaven.” This may reflect Jewish reservations about using God’s name.

     Matthew emphasizes that Jesus fulfills prophecy. Both God’s promise to Israel and their history with God are treated as prophecy. Prophecy interprets the story of Jesus. The fulfillment transforms what the prophecies mean.

     The story of Jesus moves toward his death. Hostility begins with his birth and climaxes in his crucifixion. On the other hand, Jesus is popular with the crowds. They come to listen and be healed, and they respond with amazement. Those hostile to Jesus are the religious and political leaders.

     Matthew stresses forgiveness and the need to forgive (6.9-16; 9.10-13; 18.15-35; 26.27-28). Jesus forbids judging and seeks a visible righteousness of one’s own (Matthew 6.1; 7.1-6). Throughout the Gospel, Jesus rejected teaching that could be used to condemn others or exalt oneself, even if based on his teaching. 

     Some important themes are emphasized early, disappear, and then reappear in a cluster in Matthew 21.21-32.

• “Righteousness” is linked to John’s baptism in 3.15 and 21.23. it appears five times in chapters 5-6.
• Jesus’ authority is emphasized in chapters 5-9. The word itself occurs five times in 7.29—10.1. It appears three times in 21.23-27 and again, very importantly, in 28.18.

     The word “faith” or “believe” occurs six times in chapters 8-9. They are interpreted as turning to Jesus for help when in need. That theme occurs throughout these chapters. The words then appear seven times in 21.21-32 and also in 15.28, 23.23, and 27.42. “Do not believe” is used twice in warnings against false messengers (24.23-27). While others are commended for their faith, the disciples are scolded throughout the gospel for their “little faith” (6.30; 8.26; 14.31; 16.8; 17.20). two Gentiles are praised for their great faith (8.10; 15.28).

With the month of November, we reached the end of the Pentecost season. The month begins in the wake of Halloween with All Saints Sunday and the Pentecost season ends just three weeks later with Christ the King and the end of the church year. As November days get colder and nights grow longer, thoughts of evil, death and the end of times come to the fore. These harder topics can nevertheless be fruitful ones and can give a deeper dimension to the topics of family and thanksgiving on many people’s minds this time of year.

As Lutherans, we aren’t afraid to proclaim the reality of sin. We don’t need to pretend everything is okay. In the readings assigned for All Saints, Luke’s beatitudes include woes and Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians doesn’t shy away from naming the forces that stand against God. The prophets name the evil they see in the world and announce God’s will to punish. We can confess our sins, lament the evil that afflicts us, and trust in a God who holds us “as the apple of [God’s] eye” and would “hide [us] under the shadow of [God’s] wings” (Psalm 17.8). 

End times and apocalypse are prevalent themes this season. [Note: the Greek word apocalypse points not so much to destruction as to revelation.] Paradoxical teachings make much more sense in this light. Jesus’ beatitudes become a new vision for humanity (All Saints). Jesus dying on the cross as the “King of the Jews” (Luke 23.38, Christ the King) reveals the depths of God’s love and Jesus’ worthiness of worship. God’s glory may be hidden, but as the end times come near, the truth becomes clear: Jesus is the one in whom “all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell” (Colossians 1.19, Christ the King). Nothing is beyond God’s capacity to redeem. If the destruction of the temple can become an opportunity to testify, and the cross can become the place where the world is saved, then God can remake our lives too and reveal in them something new.

For Lutherans, this renewal begins in baptism. The baptismal liturgy uses themes we see throughout the November readings. We can renounce sin, death, and the devil knowing that all evildoers will be destroyed (Malachi 4.1). The recitation of the Apostles’ Creed reminds us of the thief’s proclamation of faith in Jesus (Christ the King). The thanksgiving at the font echoes the retelling of God’s saving acts in Deuteronomy

(Thanksgiving). The blessing after baptism almost perfectly echoes Paul’s vision that we are “marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 1.13, All Saints). The welcome of the baptized into the “Lord’s family” expands our view of who is family and to whom we own our obligations, just as Jesus commanded in the giving of the golden rule: “Do to others as you would have them do to you” (Luke 6.31, All Saints).

Finally, during November, we can acknowledge that the ultimate benefit of baptism is eternal life with God after we die. The familiar words of Job, “I know that my Redeemer lives,” and Jesus’s musing on God as the God “of the living” (Job 19.23 and Luke 20.38) help us cross the last boundary between earthly life, which is marred by death, and life in the new Jerusalem.

God’s blessings for your November.

This last week we experienced the last days of summer – and was it hot! What followed was the fall equinox signaling the beginning of a new season with everything suddenly available in “pumpkin spice.” (Communion will continue with regular old wheat hosts though!) The turning of the seasons is deeply engrained in our lives and provides an opportunity to both let go of the season that was and embrace the change that’s coming. The world has a good amount of bad news right now. We have many challenges in the season of life before us, but faith in God’s love for the world is our hope. And hope provides strength and courage! Something new is always sprouting up, no matter the season. That’s the good news we live out each day as the body of Christ.

As we move into fall, it’s been fantastic to see more and more people in worship. I know all of our circumstances are different and, let’s face it, our habits have changed. Yet Paul urged people in his day to “not neglect to meet together,” and today we can meet both in-person or online. In community, we find renewal and connection. Shared song raises our spirits. We learn together and from one another. Tell a friend. Bring a neighbor. Invite some strangers!

It is good to be with you as we begin our journey together in serving our Lord Jesus Christ.

We find ourselves in Autumn as the Church Year draws to a close. As we return to routine – work, school, church – we begin with a warning to would-be disciples to consider the cost of discipleship. And we see that played out in the stories we’ll hear over the next several months – stories of Naaman, Jacob, Zacchaeus, and Paul. Discipleship implies discipline, and there are real implications when we choose to follow a Christian way of life. But discipleship doesn’t just imply hardship or suffering. There’s joy inherent in pursuing a life of faith. Redemption, grace, and the promise of abundant life await those who follow Christ.

When we consider the ideal of discipleship, we inevitably come up short. Our consolation is to see how God works in and through the most unlikely of characters – an unjust judge, a dishonest manager, a tax collector. And in the best of Lutheran theology, we hear how the gift of grace frees us to be disciples in a new way. Discipleship is a serious calling but also a joyful one. What are we waiting for?

For our young people, discipleship involves instruction. On Sunday, September 11th, following our morning worship, informational meetings will be held regarding First Communion Instruction and Confirmation. Please remember these young people in your prayers as they continue on their road to Christian discipleship.

Let me briefly share some biographical information about myself as a way to let you know where I come from. I was born and raised in Lincoln and graduated from the University of Nebraska (before it was UN-L) in 1970. I married Jill Fahrenholz, a farm girl from Allen, Nebraska, also in 1970. We spent the next six years in Beatrice, where I taught high school social studies. Also, during that time, our daughter Millina was born. In 1976, we moved to Dubuque, Iowa, where I attended Wartburg Theological Seminary, graduating in 1980. While in Dubuque, our son Zachary was born.

Family update … Millina is married to Jon Brown; they live in Lincoln. We have two step-grandsons – Lucas and Kambry Brown and great-grandson Ripp of Lincoln and Logan and Kenzie Brown also of Lincoln. Zachary is married to Elizabeth and they live in West Des Moines, Iowa. There we have three granddaughters – Claire (about to start Iowa State), Madeline and Lauren.

Our family spent thirty-four years serving congregations in the American Lutheran Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. We served two parishes in Eastern North Dakota. My first call was to two congregations in an open-country parish, very much like Pohocco Lutheran. (We were eleven miles from the nearest town.) Next, we moved to a small community, where I served two congregations – one was a unity of Lutheran and United Church of Christ. We then moved to western Iowa, where I again served a congregation in a small community. Eventually, that small congregation joined with a second open-country congregation and, before I moved to Nebraska, a third congregation in a larger community was added to form a three-congregation parish. I spent the last eight years of my active ministry in York, Nebraska, retiring in June of 2014 (on the 34th anniversary of my ordination). Since then, I have done a two-year interim in Wisner, Nebraska; several shorter-term (6 months or less) at four different congregations, along with Sunday supply in Nebraska and western Iowa.

Just to let you know … my given name is Terry; my title is Pastor. Please feel free to use whichever address you’re most comfortable using. I’ll respond to “Terry,” “Pastor Terry,” and, even occasionally to “hey you.” And, please continue to tell me your names – I‘m looking forward to getting to know you.

I’m also looking forward to the opportunity to share in the joys, sorrows or whatever comes in your lives as together we worship and serve our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Pastor Terry

Greetings and happy July!

I know I said June would be my last month with you, but I was mistaken! I get to be with you for 3 weeks in July as well! July 24 will be my last Sunday, at least for now. I have signed a 6-month contract with Immanuel Lutheran in Omaha starting August 1, to be their Interim Minister. After that, only God knows at this point! 

Also on July 24, Rachel Sissel and her sons, Alex and Mac, will be received into membership here at Pohocco. If you are not yet a member, or you know someone who is not, and would like to be, let Chris know in the office. The more, the merrier!

I know I said it last month, but I want to say it again. Thank you for welcoming me the way you have and supporting me as your pastor. I believe you have quite a good thing going here, and I am grateful to have been a small part of it! I wish you all God’s blessings!

Pastor Kathy

Greetings and happy June to you!

The first week of June, I will be with my sisters and their husbands in Minnesota. We are going to a resort we went to when we were children. We hope to eat some comfort food, spend some time on the lake, maybe catch a few fish, play lots of games, relive some old memories, and make some new ones.

June begins with Pentecost, then we move into the “green” season, the ordinary time after Pentecost, which includes the weeks of summer. While you may be tempted to take a vacation from church, remember that God never takes a vacation from you!

This will be my last month with you all. I want to express my thanks for all your support as I have learned about you and with you. I have enjoyed this time and wish you all the best in your future. I hope our paths cross again.

God’s blessings to you all!

May greetings to you!

This is the day which the Lord hath made; 

we will rejoice and be glad in it. (Ps 118:24)

I love to start my day with those words! Each day – every day! Every day is a gift from God, the creator of heaven and earth! If you wake up with those words on your lips, there is no way you can have a bad day! 

I will be spending the first two weeks in May in Greece and Rome. As I write this, I am excited and ready to go! I’ve spent countless hours planning, shopping, and preparing for this once-in-a-lifetime trip. I’m sure I’ll come back with new stories!

Retirement from full-time ministry has made my monthly travels and new experiences possible. God gives me new breath every day – how can I not sing God’s praises! My wish for you is that you can sing God’s praises in your life, with your life! 

It’s a good day to have a good day! Be blessed!

Spring greetings to you all!

April may mean showers, but it’s still March. As I write this, we have now had 3 days of cloudy skies and rain. We need the rain. No doubt the ground around us is rejoicing because it is getting what it needs. But I’m ready for some sunshine! 😊

April will be a busy month for the church! Holy week begins with Palm Sunday on April 10, and we will celebrate it with palms! At Maundy Thursday worship we will have foot washing for the Confirmation students and their parents, and will also celebrate Holy Communion. Good Friday worship will be a somber time to remember that our Lord died on that day. And then of course, Easter will be celebrated on April 17 with breakfast before! On Easter Sunday, we will also celebrate the Affirmation of Baptism (Confirmation) for three of our youth – Tony, Ava, and Shaylee.  Please join us this week as we ponder what our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ did for each one of us! See details for times later in the newsletter.

Some of you have asked about my children’s blessing. It is a blessing “created” by a family when I was at Wartburg Seminary. They used to bless each other when they left or came home. This is what I learned from them, along with the finger motions I do.

God bless you and keep you   +  [cross]

And love you forever  ♡   [heart]

Peace to you  •  [period]

God is here ∼  [alpha/omega sign]

Amen  --    [line of completion]

My travel for April will be to St. Louis to visit my aunt, uncle, and cousins. I lost my parents more than 28 years ago, so aunts and uncles have become second parents to me. I will also celebrate a milestone birthday this month! Lots of fun to be had!

Until next month, may God’s blessings be upon you all!  Pastor Kathy

January 16th Annual Voters’ Meeting  - Election Results

Council Member - Roger Vogel

Council Secretary - Mary Romanelli

Educational Ministry Director - Jennifer Klawitter

5 Mission Projects that we will support this year

Campus Ministry at Midland University

Dr. Haskins / Doctors without Borders

Help at Home

Pratt Street Project - New Life Presbyterian

Saunders County Food Backpack Program

As Advent rolls into December I am reminded that the journey toward God’s salvation in Bethlehem did not begin smoothly. The political environment was unstable and dangerous. The cultural norms were being challenged, and a young woman agreed to risk her life to be an implement of God’s plan for humanity.

Advent invites us to come along on that journey. In order that we understand that no matter how difficult the road ahead might seem, there is joy in the journey because God is with us through it all.

My plan was to be with you on Thanksgiving, and to lead us all on our journey into Advent. God had a different plan for us. We trust in God’s plan and we go forward the best we can.

Please bring your children to participate in the program December 19th. It is a special time for them and an essential blessing for our congregation and the life of the church. It is my sincere hope that I will be there to support and enjoy this program.

The Christmas Eve service will be at our traditional time, and the following Sunday will be Lessons and Carols.

If any of you feel called to serve on the council please contact Tom Ondracek or Dale Clary. We will need to have the information in order to prepare for the annual meeting. What a wonderful way to give in service what Jesus has given to you in the gift that is Pohocco.

As we light our candles each week let’s please remember that this light will lead us to God’s gift of everlasting grace. Love,  peace, hope, and joy are the gifts we bring into the light. Be blessed and walk in the light of God. I will join you on the journey as soon as God allows so that we can reach the gift in Bethlehem together.

May the season fill you and your loved ones with the blessing of God’s light.

Yours in Christ’s eternal love, Pastor Johnice

November brings us to one of the most serious questions we as Christians can ask ourselves and each other. What are you Thankful for? We in the church have so very many things to thank God for.

We are thankful for the harvest. The plenty that has been laid out before us by a loving and gracious Creator. We are called to be good stewards of all that has been gifted to us. Our family and friends, our homes and work, our health and well-being are all given to us by a Father in heaven who deeply care for us all.

We begin the month by celebrating all the Saints who have gone before us. We pray that their good examples will live on in us. We are thankful for Jesus Christ the King of Kings who through His sacrifice has redeemed us. We are thankful for the Church who is Christ’s body here on earth. It is through the church that we have the privilege to serve Jesus and one another.

We are thankful for the Eucharist which allows us to share the body of Christ and in remembrance of Him the blessings bestowed on all of us. We will begin in Advent to retell the story of His love and mercy.

As we prepare for the holidays let us reach out to remind each other to be thankful. God the author of all that was and is and is to come is blessing us in ways that we can’t even know yet. So, we praise Him and offer up our thankful hearts today, tomorrow, and forever.

Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ our savior. I wish to thank you all for your cards and prayers and good wishes. I am healing much slower than I imagined but the good news is that I am healing. Please continue praying for me as I am praying for you.

I am grateful to Pastor Dwight for his willingness to help during my absence but please know that I am anxious to be with you in worship as soon as I’m able. I am scheduled to begin radiation treatments on October 7th and will have 30 treatments scheduled. I am hoping to return to church before then.

This month we look forward to fall weather, fall activities, and Trunk or Treat. It is my hope to be playing and singing the BONES BOOGIE with our children on Halloween. I am also looking forward to rejoining our confirmation class in a few weeks.

Until then please know that I am sending you all my love and prayers, and wishing God’s grace on you all.

Greetings in the name of our precious Lord and savior Jesus Christ. As we enter this month I will be recovering from surgery but in the Spirit I will be in the sanctuary of Pohocco with you. We have so much to plan for and to celebrate as we continue in our 126th year as a place for God’s ministries. Pastor Dwight Williams has agreed to be with you in my absence and I know that he will provide deeply spiritual guidance when needed. 

Kelsey Hagen, our Christian Education director has decided to enroll in a nursing program and will be unable to continue to serve us at this time. We appreciate the hard work that she and her mother Karen Jordan have done in the past few years. Sunday School will resume under the very capable supervision of Jen Klawitter. It is my hope that we will have full participation this year. Christy Reeson will be meeting with the confirmation class until I return. I hope that you all will support them as they graciously step into these roles in my absence. We are blessed to be able to provide Christian Education this year after the void created by Covid last fall. Our children will always be a priority in Pohocco and we look forward to having them actively involved in our church's ministries.

We will need acolytes to sign up for this coming year. It is my hope that the choir will resume their ministry as well. If any of you feel inclined to offer children’s sermons this fall please let Karen VandeStowe know. I’m sure she will be happy with the assistance.

We had a wonderful time celebrating the church anniversary. There is a picture frame that will be available in the parish hall. If you haven't had an opportunity to have your picture taken for our memoir book please take the time to do so. There will be a quilt forthcoming in the near future that will be our contribution to the history of Pohocco. 

Finally, I want to thank you all for your love and support as I deal with my health issues. The prognosis for complete healing is good and I look forward to being back in the church very soon. In the meantime If you need pastoral care please contact Pastor Dwight at (402)290-7578. I will pray for you as I hope you will pray for me.

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. August is upon us and it brings us to several important events in our church life. We begin with our preparations for the 125th and one year anniversary of Pohocco Lutheran Church. Due to the Covid shut down this celebration was postponed for nearly a year and a half.

We will gather on Sunday, August 8th to share this monumental commemoration with one another. Please put this date on your calendars and plan to join us after church for this important day in our church life.  We will share a brunch style meal and then release the children to enjoy these activities while we continue with music and stories about the church inside. We will also be dedicating this Sunday to our students who will be returning to school. There will be games and activities for the kids as well. I have asked the members of the current Confirmation class to oversee the games and activities for the younger students. This will allow the adults to share in the anniversary activities.

Public and parochial school will begin for most of our students the week of August 9th. I am asking you all to remember to pray for them as they begin this school year. They will be entering a different environment this year and will need our prayers and support. As things stand now with the new Delta Variant of the Covid virus we may be returning to a mask mandate at any time. This will be difficult for our children and they will need our prayers and support. 

We also have several college students who will be leaving home, some for the first time, and living away on campuses. Let us remember to cover them in prayer and support as well. I plan to publish their college addresses so that we can send them cards and messages of encouragement as they begin this part of their lives.

On a personal note, I am asking for prayers and patience as I will be having some medical procedures in the upcoming months. I will be having a Bronchoscopy biopsy on August 5th to examine several lymph nodes behind my lungs. Since there has been on indication of the nature of these nodes I won't know what they are until after they have been evaluated. Please keep me in your prayers. 

Finally, the returning to some sort of normalcy in the face of the pandemic has been challenging for all of us. The church has tried to remain a constant support during it all. We will continue to do God’s work in whatever way that God leads us. Please call me if you need pastoral care, or contact our secretary Chris Ondracek and she will let me know of your needs. I will be in prayer for all of you, and for our continued ministry at Pohocco. Please stay safe and hold steady to your faith.

Greetings in the name of Jesus our Lord. We are entering the month of July. That means that we have been back in public worship for one full month. We will continue to encourage safe practices at church as we move forward toward normalcy. A special “thank you” to the council members who have stayed faithful to the mission of Pohocco and helped lead us back to worship and fellowship.

This year July 4th falls on a Sunday and we will be honoring this day with songs of faith and our nation. It is also a communion Sunday so please come and begin your holiday by worshiping with your church family.

Congratulations to Matthew Ondracek who has now been awarded his Eagle Scout status. Matthew’s project was the installation and operation of our new video and sound systems. We are extremely proud of this achievement for Matthew.

Looking forward to August please remember to hand in your essays about how you feel about your church for our 125 +1 anniversary memoir. We will have a combined back to school and anniversary celebration on August 8th. I’d like to begin assembling the booklet by mid-July so please get your remembrances in by then.

We will continue to meet with the confirmation candidates throughout the summer in hopes of completing their curriculum by next Spring when they will be confirmed. It is hoped that by fall we will be able to resume Sunday school classes and all other youth activities. The past year has been a true testament to patience and faithfulness. Pohocco has prevailed and we are moving forward in love and hope.

Please enjoy the remainder of your summer. If you are traveling, travel with God’s protection and grace. If you’re in town join us at church, we will be right where we have always been praising and worshiping our Lord at Pohocco.

Greetings in the precious name of our Triune God. As we begin the careful process of moving back into our normal activities, let’s remember that although we have seen large strides in containing the Covid virus, we must still continue with some of the more logical procedures in order to be safe.

On the first Sunday in June we will be serving communion in a pilgrim line. The servers will be wearing gloves and we will still provide the individual communion cups for those who prefer not to partake with the general congregation. We will still provide masks and hand sanitizer for the foreseeable future.  We thank you for your patience and understanding as we attempt to successfully return to normal church activities.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the worship team that faithfully assisted me in maintaining our worship services throughout the pandemic restrictions. To Dale Clary, and Barb Frey, and Matthew Ondracek who came faithfully every week to record our services on YouTube. To Chris Ondracek who made sure that our bulletins were available and kept the communication lines flowing so that our members stayed informed. A special thanks to the current church council members who provided such exemplary leadership and continue to do so.

WE ARE OPEN!!! Come and worship with us.

Congratulations to our students who worked so hard to finish out the school year. A special blessing was given for our high school graduates. We pray for their continued success as they move into this next phase of their lives.

As you begin to plan travel and vacations we pray that you are refreshed and travel in grace and safety. We look forward to seeing you when you return. Don’t forget to write your comments about the church for our anniversary celebration booklet. There is a birthday cake box in the narthex where you can place your written remembrances about your church. The tentative plans for our 125th anniversary celebration will be in August to coordinate with our back to school rally and VBS.

May our Lord guide your steps throughout the coming season and bless you with the presence of His Holy Spirit.

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I want to say “thank you” to all of you for your cards and well wishes during my treatment time. I am healing well and looking forward to being with you again very soon. This first Sunday the council will be conducting a brief congregational meeting to address our new bylaws and the continuation of our council for the remainder of the year. This meeting should be very brief.

Sunday, May 9th, is Mother’s Day and we sincerely want to wish all of our mothers and those who have acted in that capacity a warm and heartfelt greeting for the day. On the next Sunday, May 16th, we will be honoring our 2021 high school graduates. Congratulations to Riley Bode, Holly Robinson, Chase Lemmers, and Alex Jeanpierre. If I have missed anyone, please let me know so we can include them.

Confirmation will resume on Sunday, May 9th, and we will continue throughout the summer.

We will continue to mask during worship as safety is still our first priority. The worship services will continue being shown online for those who are not yet comfortable returning to in-person church.

We mourn the loss of our beloved Alice Danitchek and will continue to pray for her family during this difficult time. May her soul rest well with our Lord.

Please pray for one another and stay safe as we begin to return to normalcy. Be blessed in our Savior Jesus Christ.

HE IS RISEN! CHRIST IS RISEN INDEED!!! This year April hosts Holy week and the season of Easter. We celebrate our risen Lord and the salvation He brings to all of us. 

This year we begin the month on Maundy Thursday. We will be celebrating the Lord’s Supper by serving our four First Communion candidates at the altar as a part of our service. This celebration has been delayed for a year due to Covid restrictions. We welcome Wyatt and Nolan Peoples, Addie Klawitter and Joseph Ondracek, and their families to the Lord’s Table. The service will be at 7:00 PM. We will be observing masks and social distancing. Returning to our worship space will continue to be a challenge but we are determined to remain as safe as possible during this time of restrictions. We are asking everyone who is not in the immediate families of our candidates to use the prepackaged communion kits provided at the narthex.

Easter morning we will have our resurrection service at 9:00 AM. We are asking families to sit together and we will ask for a three feet distance between those sitting alone. We will open the back doors in order to allow for more seating. I am so looking forward to seeing you all there.

I’m not sure if you remember my request for our members to write a few paragraphs

with memories and stories of your feelings about our church as we prepare to commemorate our 125th anniversary. I haven’t received any of those yet. So I am sending this reminder to all members to get these into Chris or a council member. We would like to compile a book with photos and stories that will describe to future generations what a special place Pohocco is. The official celebration will take place as soon as it is safe to do so. 

We will not be resuming our coffee hour at this time because we don’t feel that it is currently safe to do so. We realize how much this time of community gathering means to our church family and will resume as soon as it is safe to do so. Please be patient with us as we attempt to create our new normal here at our house of worship.

Confirmation classes have begun. Please pray for our young people as they begin this spiritual journey. It is a pleasure to work with these young people and I look forward to the next year guiding them through this process. We have also resumed Sunday School and hope that our children will be able to come and join Karen and Kelsey. 

Happy Easter to you all and may God’s blessings be with you and those you love.

Greetings in the name and love of our Risen Christ. On Sunday, March 7th, WE’RE GOING BACK TO CHURCH!!! Thank you for your faithfulness. Thank you for your grace. Thank you for your patience. Thank you for taking care of each other, and thank you for taking care of our church. We must still wear our masks, and we must still practice social distancing for a time, but we will be able to look into each other's eyes and praise God together.

It is my hope that we will be able to resume Sunday School as well. Stay tuned for that. I am planning to begin teaching confirmation on that Sunday as well. I will be in touch with those families with children who are of an eligible age to participate in the classes. We must still be cautious as we know that the Covid 19 virus is still among us and we cannot take any unnecessary risks to our health and safety. 

We will also be resuming our Lenten midweek services. We will be singing the Holden Evening Prayer services and hope that you will come and participate. For those of you who are unable to attend these services, we will continue to broadcast them on Youtube in order to provide you with the same worship opportunities that we are providing now. Remember that we are here to serve you and to offer fellowship and the love that has always been a characteristic of we who are the Church at Pohocco.

Please continue to hold each other up in prayer. We especially pray for Chris Ordracek as she continues with Cancer treatments, Dale and Dawn Clary as they assist their daughter Amber Beaver in her recovery from heart surgery, and Dawn's sister who is recovering from a very tragic automobile accident that claimed the life of her husband. We pray for God’s comfort and grace on all of these members of our church family and offer them our complete love and support during these difficult times.

Finally, please remember to be kind to one another. All of us have suffered through the trauma and uncertainty of the past year. Please continue to support each other, check on each other, and pray for each other. God will see us through this crisis and will teach us much about how He works for us in times of trial. Trust in Him for He has never forsaken us.

Be at peace and continue to stand in God’s presence and feel His Grace.

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have been challenged in ways that none of us could have imagined this time last year. Our church has been closed since September, we live in constant dread of someone we love contracting this potentially deadly virus, and we have not been able to see one another face to face in months. 

It has now been nearly a year since we were told that the Covid virus was a threat to our way of life on every level. Some of us reacted immediately to the news and began to alter our lifestyles accordingly. Some of us chose to ignore the warnings and continued to live our lives as usual. Most of us were just confused about what we needed to do to be safe and still are to some extent. The one thing that we can be assured of is that God is still in charge, and we can find peace in that assurance. In the meantime, our own Tammie Ondracek is on the front lines vaccinating people every day. We have published the website via text message where you can register to get your name on the list for the vaccine if you are over 65, or are in one of the essential worker categories. You may also call Three Rivers at 402-704-2247 or email them at covid@3rphd.org . Please take the time to do this, and make sure to keep Tammie in your prayers.

February is Black History month and we will be celebrating this by singing a traditional hymn from this culture each Sunday during the month. Also, Ash Wednesday is February 17th and we will be distributing ashes at 7:00 pm at the church. The process that we will use will be sent out to you in a separate message following our council meeting this week. We will also be discussing the possibility of setting a date to resume worship in our building. 

We have now acquired a ZOOM link for Pohocco that is available for any of our ministries that wish to meet using this medium. Chris Ondracek can assist you with setting this up. We hope this will be helpful for PLL, the quilters, the Pohocco Men’s group, our High School Sunday School class, and Confirmation classes. We will also be planning for our Lenten Services and other church activities. 

If you are in need of Pastoral care please call me anytime. I am available for all of your spiritual needs and hope you will feel free to contact me at any time. Please take all precautions to remain safe, and we will pray as a church family that we can be together again soon. 

First, let me wish you a joyful peaceful and prosperous New Year. We at Pohocco have experienced the same challenges and disappointments that has plagued (literally) the entire world. Yet by the grace of God, we are all still here as a church community. How very blessed we have been.

As we enter 2021 there has been some discussion about how we should proceed into the new year when the virus still rages, and the restrictions that prevent us from getting together still apply. The church council intends to address this issue at our January meeting. We will be seeking your guidance to help frame a plan on how we can move forward with the structure that keeps our church functioning as a mission outpost for the Gospel.

There are a few things that will proceed within the guidelines and restrictions that the pandemic has caused us to follow. Our worship services will continue to be made available online until it is safe for us to reunite as a community. The worship team has been so dedicated and faithful that it has become a ministry unto itself. We have strived to provide meaningful, spiritual worship services that could reach out to you in your homes. A special thank you is owed to Barb Frey who provides our music, Dale Clary who has stood in as a ministry assistant for worship, Tom Ondracek who has been our provisionist in any and everything that we have needed. Chris Ondracek who would not allow even breast cancer to prevent her from making sure that all of our materials and resources were in order and made available for the entire duration of this pandemic. I certainly must offer a special note of gratitude to Matthew Ondracek who with the assistance of Grant Hevlin has built a new media system  that allows us to broadcast our worship services in a vibrant and meaningful manner. Pohocco will not be silenced by this virus. We will continue to offer our worship and praise even if we have to do it through a mask.

I will begin to conduct zoom classes for both our Confirmation classes and our high school Sunday School. It is also my intention to resume the children’s sermons when I return from my Christmas holiday.

We have been richly blessed during this trying period. God has never forgotten nor abandoned us. He has sheltered us and protected us even as we have learned the skills to maintain us during this difficult time.

I will continue to check in on you with phone calls and texts and through social media. In the meantime stay faithful, stay safe, and receive the blessings that only Christ can provide. HAPPY NEW YEAR! We move forward!!

Greetings in the name of our blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As we begin the month of November there is much to be grateful for. We have successfully opened the church thanks to your willingness to follow the rules that the council set forth. It has been wonderful to see you even masked in our sanctuary ready to worship. It is my hope that we will be able to continue this into our upcoming holy season. That is our goal. 

We begin the month with the feast of All Saints. We will be calling the names of those who have gone to be with the Lord this past year. I want to remind you all that until we flatten the curve with this virus we will be celebrating Communion only on the first Sunday of each month. Since we will be having a Thanksgiving Eve Service, we will be having Communion on that evening as well. 

We will be using the Thanksgiving Eve Service to finally serve First Communion to those children (Addison, Wyatt, Nolan, & Joseph) who completed the course before the shutdown. Because we will also be attempting to observe social distancing, we invite the parents to join the children at the altar and will serve each family individually before serving the congregation. We will use the television in the basement if needed to broadcast the worship service.  I realize that this is not the ideal way to do this, but it is a way to celebrate this event and still keep each other safe.

We have been blessed with the birth of three new babies this fall. They are all boys. Welcome to our Pohocco family, Bjorn Alexander Beaver, Henry James Hartman, and John Henry Hagan. We look forward to baptizing these new members into Christ’s community.

The last Sunday in November also ushers in the Advent season. We will be lighting the candles in preparation for the coming of our Christ.

Finally, I ask you all to please take extra care as you move through your lives this coming season. Don’t relax the diligence that is keeping you safe. I know you are weary of these rules and regulations, God knows it as well. When this trying time ends and we can all come together again, let’s make sure that we all there to be a part of that reunion. 

Pray constantly for one another, especially Chris Ondracek, Mike Henrickson, Katie Eggers, and Ila Nelson. Live in peace and may the peace of our Lord Jesus be with you all.

Greetings to you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Who could have imagined that we would be approaching the month of October having just reopened our building for worship and being required to take some extraordinary measures in order to attend service in our sanctuary? Never the less here we are. I’m proud of our church for being willing to care for each other during this time of the pandemic. The council and I are making every effort to enhance our spiritual life as we struggle for normalcy in these abnormal times. Thank you all for your patience and cooperation as we strive to move forward. We will continue to broadcast worship on youtube for those who feel safer worshiping at home. The communion cups will be in a basket on the table by the mailboxes and can be picked up at any time during the week prior to the first Sunday of every month. 

I am preparing to begin confirmation classes for our six students who are eligible to begin the journey in their Christian pilgrimage toward completing their re-affirmation of baptismal vows known more commonly as confirmation. The six young people who have reached the age of participation are Brooke Hevlin, Michael and Morgan Muller, Wyatt Peoples, Tony Ondracek, and Shaylee Robinson. I will be convening the classes very soon and will be providing the necessary safety rules so that we can conduct the classes in safety and with proper social distancing. Please begin to keep these young people in your prayers as they begin this process.

We are not yet sure whether we can successfully have our annual Trunk or Treat evening. I haven’t given up on this celebration yet but am seeking as much information as possible on how we might be able to hold this event safely for our children. As soon as the decision is made we will get word to you all with the necessary information.

I am so grateful to the worship team that stood with me throughout the past months as we strove to continue to provide Pohocco with a true and sincere worship experience. A very special “Thank You” to Dale Clary, Matthew Ondracek, and our musician Barb Frey who came faithfully to record our services each week. We will continue to praise and give thanks through our worship for our God of grace and glory.

Finally, I want to offer my gratitude to all of you for the beautiful birthday wishes and the drive-by honking and flashing party. Your cards and gifts were a true blessing to me and I can not begin to tell you how much they uplifted my spirit. Pohocco continues to be a source of blessings in my life and I love you all.

May God be with you all and keep you safe and healthy.

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus It is August and we haven’t gathered since March. The truth is that we are experiencing something that none of us can control. My personal frustration level is at the rooftop right now. I can truthfully say that my prayer life is the sustaining force in my life right now. This virus is real and how to protect those we love from it is extremely challenging. Please know that the council and I are trying to find ways to bring our church family together. 

In the meantime, if you need to have pastoral care you can call me anytime or just don your mask and come and join me on my patio. I have placed the chairs far enough apart to accommodate social distancing, when the weather is good it’s a great place to be.  Just call me and I’ll meet you out there. We are so grateful to Matthew Ondracek and Grant Hevlin who have reworked our sound and media systems so that we will be able to communicate and broadcast worship more effectively. This is for Matthew’s Eagle Scout project.

Our celebration for the 2020 graduates was lovely. It was a joy to present them with their blankets and to pray with them and their families. We worked hard to set it up outside of the church building and were careful with the social distancing. The one challenging component of the day was the rebellion by some of our chronic rule-breakers. You all know who you are. It let us know that we still have some work to do in our pandemic discipline but I truly believe that we will get there.

I am in the process of trying to figure out Confirmation for this new class. I will be contacting the families in the next few weeks to get your input. I am hoping to combine some face to face classes perhaps outside, with some online time as well. This will all need to be created because there are no current models to draw from. Also, our plan to have VBS is still on the drawing board but I promise you we will find a way to create something for our children. I am open to any and all ideas so long as the safety of our kids’ health is the priority.

I also ask you to keep our precious Chris Ondracek in your prayers as she begins treatments for breast cancer. I can not begin to express how dependent I have become on Chris’s ministry at Pohocco so her healing is at the forefront of my heart and spirit. I will be having my three-month check-up this week as well so I ask you to keep your prayers running for all of us who have had our lives impacted by cancer. We know that God is in the healing business and that we can call upon Him at all times.

Finally, please know that we will continue to provide worship services online and ask you to continue to participate in our efforts. The church needs your support. We can claim victory over this separation time by staying connected with our worship, our fellowship through phone and social media contacts, and through our offerings and especially our prayers. May God be with each and every one of you, and keep you safe and whole as we seek ways to come together again as the Family of Christ.

Greetings in the name of our risen Lord Jesus Christ. July usually brings heat, explosives, family gatherings, gardens, and low church numbers. This year we are experiencing the loss of anything usual and find ourselves trying to constantly adjust to the unusual. The COVID-19 virus is still causing us to be cautious as we search for ways to be in fellowship without putting one another at risk. The church council and I have been in constant discussions about how best to serve the spiritual needs of our parish while complying with the CDC guidelines for safety during this pandemic. We are going to be contacting you about your comfort level with our attempt to reconvene for worship in August with some strict non-negotiable guidelines in place. We will still be broadcasting the services for those who would be more comfortable sheltering at home or have medical conditions that would put them at risk. You will be hearing more about this later in the month from the council.

I have been planning an event to celebrate our high school graduates. We will have a drive-by blanketing ceremony this month for our 5 graduates. Each graduating family will have a table set up outside near the parking lot where you will be able to drive by in your cars and greet them and leave cards and gifts as you choose. I will walk from one table to the next presenting the graduate with their blanketing prayer and a program commemorating this event in their lives. The date chosen for this event is July 19th. This is a tentative date and is subject to change with notice if there are conflicts or weather problems. 

Our prayers go out to Ragena Sommerer on the loss of her mother. My son-in-law Kyle Repass on the loss of his father, and the Irish family on the loss of their mother as well. May the souls of these departed rest well in God’s keeping.

One final reminder, for the first time since we have been apart, our operating funds have had a shortfall. We realize that we have all needed to adjust how we are managing our finances during this pandemic. The church has continued to incur our regular budget expenses and we are trying to maintain until such time as we can gather as one family in the building that we have been blessed with. Please keep Pohocco in mind as you consider your offerings and gifts. 

It is my sincere hope that we will be together soon. Until then please remember that I am always available by telephone or for a visit (with proper social distancing). May you each be showered with God’s care and blessings.

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. There is no way that anyone of us could have imagined the circumstances that we as a church find ourselves in during this present time. To put things quite honestly, I MISS YOU ALL! As your Pastor, it is so difficult to think of you and your families and not be able to see you and fellowship with you in person. I admit this to you so that you will know that first, we are all in this together second, God has given us a wise solution to keep ourselves alive and safe from this pandemic virus, and finally, that this will not last forever. We must hold our peace, and stand together with resolve to do what is necessary and will keep us safe. 

Until then we will continue to provide worship services online and send out the accompanying bulletins so that you can have a complete worship experience in your homes. This next Sunday will be the first Sunday in May and we will be celebrating communion as part of our worship. Please stop by the church basement and pick up the communion kits for your family. If you are unable or restricted from coming to pick them up, please call or text Chris Ondracek our church secretary and we will arrange for them to be delivered to you. 

It is with much pride and happiness that I get to announce our new high school graduates. We will be designating a Graduation Sunday for them as soon as we are allowed to. Until then I would like to offer our congratulations to each one of these exceptional young people on this achievement. 

• ZACHARY BODE - Centura High School
• DEREK GLEN - Millard South High School
• MARISA MCINTIRE - Lincoln Southwest High School
• ETHAN NEMEC - Omaha Concordia High School
• BRODY ROBINSON - Fremont High School

The hard work and commitment these young people have put into this accomplishment deserves our respect and our congratulatory praise. We, your church family, honor you for this wonderful achievement.

Finally, let me remind you that if for any reason you have need of pastoral services I am a phone call away. I realize that this quarantine has been a trial for all of us. I pray for you daily and long for a time when we can safely reach out to one another in God’s peace and His comfort. Until then we can celebrate Christ in the Liturgy and in the Word. We can support each other in prayer and with calls and texts and even Facetime conversations. May God be present in your homes and in your work. May Christ’s love walk with you through all of your activities, and may you be strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit every moment of your lives.

I greet you in the name of Jesus our Christ. I pray that as you read this you are safe and healthy. I realize that we are all living in uncertain circumstances, but we can know with a certainty that our God has us securely and totally in His care. 

Since we are currently unable to gather in our church home, it is important that we stay in close contact with one another by other means. I am always available by phone (913) 710-6900, text message, or through email johnicecorduna@gmail.com  . Please feel free to contact me at any time for any reason, or for no reason at all. 

I have been putting worship meditations on YouTube on Wednesdays and Sundays which would coordinate with our regular worship schedule, and I will continue with these until Holy Week April 5-12. We are planning to provide via the internet, services broadcast from our sanctuary for Palm Sunday and Easter. This is still in the planning stage but I look forward to being able to minister to you in this way. Information in how to access these services will be sent to you as soon as possible. 

I have been asked why we haven’t been broadcasting live from the church as many other congregations have. The answer is as unique as Pohocco itself. We simply don't have the capacity or the capability to keep a consistent internet signal long enough to do this. It has to do with our rural location and also the lack of proper equipment in the church. For Easter we are experimenting with both computers and cell phones to attempt these recordings. We don’t want to risk live streaming and end up failing because we can’t hold a consistent signal. I ask your patience as we try to work to provide the most meaningful worship experience we can during this challenging time. 

As these days of separation keep us physically apart, we can still be together in our prayer lives and our support for one another. I want to bring forth a few things that you might not have known to consider in your prayer lives. Keith Bode is being scheduled for heart surgery during the beginning of April. Mike Henrickson is recovering from a heart procedure as well. We have several high school students who are missing their senior year activities. We have young athletes who have trained for Spring sports which are now being missed. Our First Communion candidates will need to wait to experience this milestone. We have members who are having to “Shelter in Place” alone. Please keep these people and those we don’t know to mention actively in your prayers.

Chiefly, I ask you to pray for the people who are suffering from this pandemic virus, and especially for those brave medical personnel, service providers and caregivers, truck drivers, and retail workers who are heroically risking their own safety to provide necessary treatment and services to keep our lives secure.

We will get through this time and learn from it those things God would have us learn. Be kind to one another, pray for one another, and please be wise in keeping yourselves and families safe. 

Be secure in Christ’s love and care, and be blessed in God’s keeping,

Grace to you and peace in the name of our crucified and risen Lord. We are about to enter the season of discipline in the liturgical year known as Lent. It invites us to look carefully at our spiritual lives and practices. In Lent we find the opportunity to improve those things that draw us closer to God and to one another. I hope that you will use these forty days to search for deeper meaning in your spiritual understanding, and to practice a chosen discipline that will enhance your growth as a child of God and a brother and sister in Christ Jesus. 

This year I will be rereading the letters from prison by Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Dr. Martin Luther King’s Letters From a Birmingham Jail. My choice to read these two magnificent works stems from a desire to understand faith in the face of adversity. I share this with you in order to encourage you to seek a Lenten discipline that may not deprive you of something you are accustomed to having, but to suggest that you add something that will enlarge and increase your own faith walk.

Our church is doing well as a loving congregation and there is no reason to believe that this will not continue. However, we must always be seeking to grow in our evangelism and our mission as the church. My hope is that whatever discipline you choose will open you up to the wonderful gifts of the spirit that God has made available to each and every one of us.

Our Lenten services on Wednesday night will be held at 7:00 PM and will again include the Holden Evening Prayer service, and the voices of some of our mission partners. I hope you will make every effort to come and be a part of these services. 

On March 7th I will be doing an all day 1st Communion training. Please be in prayer for these wonderful young members of our congregation as they prepare to partake of this important sacrament of spiritual growth and life. 

May our Lord walk with you through this season and bless you with His grace.

Grace and peace to you all in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. February brings days that honor valentines and presidents. It chases us away from the January blues and offers us chocolates, flowers, and Mondays off. We in the church will be winding up our Epiphany season and preparing ourselves for the sacrifices of Lent. I have offered the congregation an opportunity to select some of their favorite hymns and will be preaching from the gospel of Matthew. 

On February 22nd I will be conducting an all-day First Communion training session for all of our children who will be completing the 4th grade this year. I am so looking forward to spending this time preparing these young people to receive the gift of Holy Eucharist. We will meet from 10:00 to 3:00 and will supply lunch and snacks. It is necessary to know how many children will attend this training day, so please call to register your child for this event. You can notify me or Chris Ondracek so that we can have some idea of how many to prepare for.

The men’s group will be once again hosting a St. Valentine’s dinner. This year it will be held on February 9th. I have been asked to present a program that evening so I would appreciate as many of you attending as possible so that I won’t be there just singing to myself. This is always an enjoyable evening and I truly hope to see you all there.

The lectionary lessons for this month are centered around St. Matthew’s writings on Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. I will be focussing my sermons on discussing this powerful preaching by our Lord and how relevant it is for our lives today. I hope you will take this time to revisit this section of the gospel of Matthew in your personal studies and be ready to expand your understanding of how beautifully this scripture still speaks to us all still.

As the weather becomes more and more unpredictable I realize that our attendance will be uneven. Please remember to pray for our church when you cannot attend, Come whenever you can, and check in on each other often. May you be blessed in this season and know that I am keeping you in my prayers.

Happy New Year. January brings up back to our normal routines. School resumes, the Christmas leftovers are either eaten up or thrown out, and we are putting to use those things that were festively wrapped and placed under the Christmas tree. It is also the time when we begin to feel a little let down by the post-Christmas dimness that happens when the decorations are all put away.

It is time to think of resuming the business of business. We start preparing our taxes and returning those pesky gifts that either don’t fit us or we find that we can’t use. The magic of the holidays surrenders to the realities of our everyday necessities. We at Pohocco are preparing to have our Annual Meeting. It is during this time that we turn our thoughts to the future operations of the church. We will elect one council member, and reconfirm our two Christian education leaders.

 Although the Church’s primary mission is the spiritual life and health of our members, it is necessary to conduct the business that keeps us functioning as a place of ministry for the fulfillment of God’s ministry and mission here in this place. Please plan to attend the meeting or obtain an absentee ballot from one of the council members if you are unable to attend. Your voice needs to be heard, and we need your input as we see to the business of strengthening the ministry of God’s message here.

Finally,  the Church beckons us to a new season of light called Epiphany. Epiphany draws us into the light of Christ. That same light that called the Wise men to the stable is made available to us during this season. The light of Christ outshines and outlasts the artificial lights that twinkle and shine all over the planet during the secular celebrations of the yuletide times. Christ’s light never falters or fades and it lights the faith of all believers. Welcome to the brightness that will ever be with us. “O Come Let Us Adore Him” Jesus the one true light of the world.

May 2020 bring you health, peace, and joy!

November is nearly here and there is much to look forward to in the life of our church. We begin with the combination of Reformation celebrations and the remembrance of All Saints Day. In the wake of these observances we are also looking forward to the PLL  Soup Supper.

The life of our church is surrounded by spiritual events which guide us in our faith walk both individually and as a church family. Our namesake Martin Luther articulates to us the simple yet perplexing concept of God's grace. We acknowledge and commemorate his revelations in the 95 theses hung on the church doors to be read by those coming to church to celebrate the feast of All Saints. This event changed how Christians came to understand how to relate to God in Christ Jesus. That is certainly worth a celebration.

We will gather on Sunday afternoon November 3rd to fellowship with our greater community over a bowl of delicious soup. This event defines Pohocco as a gracious host offering an opportunity for our neighbors to come and enjoy a meal and our hospitality with us. Thank you to our women's group who facilitates this event every year.

We will be eating the leftovers as a part of our Thanksgiving Eve celebration and following the meal we will be offering our thanks to God in a worship and communion service. Come You Thankful People, Come. We will say "Thank you" for our many blessings and rejoice together before we prepare to have individual family celebrations.

We remember our beloved members who have gone home to be with our Lord. We celebrate the saints Lela Hanson, Lois Snyder, and Darrell Oltmanns may their witness be our example, and their souls rest well in our Lord's presence.

Please come and be a part of our November activities and be in prayer for our church and her members.

Every once in a while something unexpected happens in our lives,  and we are totally unprepared for it. For me it is this bout of pneumonia. My world was interrupted and all of the plans I made for the last few weeks of September were all consigned to my bedroom with a humidifier and a nebulizer. It forced me to surrender to God’s will in a way that was completely out of my control. Life is like that sometimes. It brings us back to a place of trusting and believing that our normal will be there waiting when we finish with the trial we are going through. I’m not there yet but I know that I will be soon. That is the essence of faith. Even when we lose control we can be assured that our God has us firmly in His care. 

I look forward to being back with my Sunday School class, and back in our pulpit. I thank you all for your prayers and good wishes. I will be back with you soon. 

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

It doesn’t seem possible but summer has come to an end. Schools are back in session and the relaxed schedules of vacation are no more. A special thank you to all of those who assisted in Vacation Bible School and in our back to school picnic. I still owe our children a day in a bouncy house but the weather seems to always plot against us. Still we begin this school year blessing our students and teachers and praying that they have a safe and productive year.

The PMM are sponsoring a Labor Day celebration on September 8th following our worship service. Please plan to stay and enjoy a meal and a short program featuring some of the voices of our members telling their work related stories. Sunday school was scheduled to resume on the 8th as well but will be delayed to the 15th in order to allow for everyone to support the Men’s group’s program. 

A great big welcome to our newest members the Frey family. We received them as transfer members from Good Shepherd Lutheran Church here in Fremont. We are blessed to have this lovely family and look forward to being in Christian fellowship with them. Barb is our church musician and we feel honored by her gifts both at the keyboard and with the choir.

The new reader schedule has been posted so if you are interested in reading the lessons on Sunday, please take a moment to sign up. We could also use some more help with the Children’s Sermons. If you are interested in taking part in this ministry please see me or Kelsey to get signed up. I will be teaching the high school Sunday School class again this year. I look forward to spending this time with our youth and hope to have a full participation in this class. 

Finally, please remember to pray for our church. Pohocco is a unique congregation and our mission and ministry serve as a beacon of light in our rural setting. We ask God to continue to bless and grace our efforts to provide His message and hands on service to all who come to be a part of our fellowship. 

As July moves into August we must prepare for new beginnings. Our students will be starting school earlier this month than in years past. For that reason we will be having our VBS during the first week of August. August 5 - 8 from 5:00 - 7:30 PM. We will begin with supper and end each evening with music. The following Sunday, August 11, we will have our back to school bash. We will have a meal and games and hopefully a bouncy house after worship. Please plan to come and help our children and teachers kick-off the new school year. 

I have been staring at a blank computer screen for two whole days trying to find enough words to contain all of the emotions I have been experiencing these past few days. I intended to say “Thank You” to all of you for supporting our ABOVE THE WATER event. I came home Sunday night so filled with joy and pride over how well received every component of fundraiser was. Pohocco Lutheran Church really showed up with generosity and good will. The concert was such an uplifting time for all of us. A special thanks to all the musicians who so lovingly gave of their time and talents to be a part of our event. I was honored to sing with each person and hope to be able to do this again sometime. 

A few hours later I was rushing to Omaha because the man who had lovingly raised me had passed away. It seemed so wrong to move from such a huge surge of joy to such a great blow of sadness with no recovery time. Sometimes however, life moves that way, and we are just trying to keep up. It occured to me that this is why we need Jesus. It is his stabilizing love that gets us smoothly through the transitions of life. I am also blessed with a wonderful church family who have supported me through it all. So from the deepest place in my heart I want to thank you all for the way you came through to support the benefit celebration, and for your prayers that will support my family as we prepare to say our farewells to Pop. He was a true man of God and we know that even as he has left us he is resting in God’s care.

Our July schedule at church will be fairly uneventful but worship will still be happening every Sunday morning at 9:00 so let’s try to make church attendance a priority. Let’s also remember to pray for our members who are traveling this summer, and our children who are off to camps and other mission trips. We can look forward to hearing all about their experiences and growth over the summer. 

Finally, let us remember to celebrate our freedom. Not just with picnics and noisy fireworks, but with a true appreciation for what it means to live in a country where we get to voice our choices and to live among one another in peace and harmony. Freedom and democracy came at a great cost to many and we should never take them for granted. May God always bless our efforts toward one another and may we always remember to “love our neighbor as we love ourselves”, just as Christ commands.

Grace to you and peace in the name of our risen Lord. June holds all sorts of promise for us here at Pohocco. It is the month of summer activities and spiritual renewal. Pentecost will be on June 9th. We will once again celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit and the abundance  of gifts that Christ sends through the Spirit. I invite everyone to wear something red on Pentecost Sunday to represent the fire and unity that the Holy Spirit brings us. What are your gifts? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to spend some time between now and Pentecost meditating on what gifts the Spirit has manifested in you. God will use you to further His kingdom. Our church needs all of your gifts.

On June 23rd we will have an evening of fellowship and music. The “ABOVE THE WATER!” celebration is coming together. It will be held from 5 to 8:30 PM and will include a Silent Auction, Dinner, and a Benefit Concert. The proceeds from the evening are designated to help Pohocco families who suffered losses during the spring flooding. We will be asking members of Pohocco to donate sellable items that we can auction off during the Silent Auction. The purpose of the evening is to offer our thanksgiving to God for lifting us above the waters of the floods, and allowing us an opportunity to care for those who are now in the process of repairing the damage done to their homes and their lives. We are blessed to be a blessing and this is a wonderful time to pay our blessings forward.

It is vacation season and I ask your prayers for all of our members who will be travelling on the highways and vacationing on the waters and across the country. May God grant travelling grace, and safe recreation for all. For those of you who are around for the summer please remember to come to church. God will be happy to meet you here. We have decided to have VBS at the end of the summer and will be publishing the dates in our next newsletter.

May the joys of summer revitalize you and may the Holy Spirit keep you in Christ’s love and peace.

Greetings in the name of our risen Lord Jesus Christ who is our brother, friend, and redeemer. The month of May blossoms with the freshness of new life and growth from the Earth. It is a time for planting seeds to be nurtured and to watch grow. We are blessed to have watched three of our seedlings grow into the fullness of their high school experiences. Congratulations to Savanna Clary, Noah Ondracek and Alexander McIntyre who will be graduating from high schools this month. We will be recognizing them on graduation Sunday May 12 th during our worship services. We have every reason to be proud of these young people who represent the hopeful future for our church and our community.

Another event in the planning stages is a combination Dinner/ fundraiser to assist our families whose lives were impacted by the devastating flooding in March. We are tentatively planning this event for late May or early June. If you are interested in helping to plan this event please let me know.

On May 11th I will be officiating the marriage of Casey Hevlin and Stacey Harms. Please keep this young couple in your prayers as they enter this new phase of their lives together. We also offer a special blessing to our own Joy Nelson as she had newly become a bride on April 27.

We are now entering the time in the church year where there are many opportunities to make church attendance optional. What with beautiful weather and graduation events this is totally understandable. I am asking you as you begin to make your recreational plans that you consider prioritizing coming to worship. Jesus tells us that if we do not offer him praises the rocks will cry out in our places. Believe me when I say that the voices at Pohocco will sound infinitely better that a pile of stones. Speaking of rocks, a great big Hosanna! to the Menousek men for our new parking lot. Steve and Bruce did an amazing job of hauling, laying and grating the new white surface and getting it done in time for Easter. We thank them for this wonderful offering to our church.

Finally, it has been a joyous season for the church but we have also been faced with some challenges. Through it all God has been faithful and as God's people we are thankful for his grace and mercy. I love you all and I thank God for you.

Grace to you in the name of Christ our risen Savior. As we approach April and anticipate the Passion and Resurrection of our Lord, we must acknowledge the challenges that have been presented to our community this Lenten season. There was a flood. We were trapped on an island surrounded by freezing water and washed out roads. Many of our members were evacuated from their homes and left to wonder what kind of damage they would be facing when they returned home. Schools were closed in the area, and we were able to observe first-hand what it means to be a city in strife.

Truly this was a series of events that were designed to drive a praying community to its knees. For most of us “Lenten discipline” took on a whole new meaning. Neighbors helping neighbors became the norm. Families from Pohocco stepped up in a huge way from volunteering at the shelters and filling sandbags, to donating the necessary items to meet this unexpected emergency. Ultimately, God was merciful and although some members of our church family suffered some catastrophic losses, we were spared any loss of life or any serious physical injuries. We have an opportunity as a church family to assist our brothers and sisters who have suffered. As they begin with their process of rebuilding and replenishing their lives, they will need us to be with them in presence and in prayer. This we will do in every way that we can.

As we move forward into this Holy Season we continue with our mid-week services and invite you to recommit to your Lenten disciplines and to come and join with us as we sing the Holden Evening Prayer service, and hear from some of our mission partners.

Palm Sunday will be on April 14th and we will be having a waving of the palms processional and a traditional Palm Sunday Communion service. Following the service we invite all of the children to participate in the annual Easter egg hunt. Holy week services will continue with the Maundy Thursday communion service with a traditional foot washing and ending with the stripping of the Altar. Good Friday will have a somber service with the seven last words and a silent communion for those who choose to partake.

Easter Morning we will be celebrating the Resurrection with breakfast, followed by a full communion service. If ever there was a time when we should claim the joy of the risen Christ, this is the time. Please come and celebrate the victory of our Lord and what it gives us in the completion of our salvation in Christ Jesus.

Finally, I am hoping to plan an event that will allow Pohocco as a church community to come together and help those of our members and neighbors who can use some additional assistance as they begin the arduous process of rebuilding. This is still in the planning stage so please listen up for more information.

May the spirit and joy of Easter be with you all in the presence of our Savior and Lord today and forever.

Grace and peace be with each and every one of you. The old saying “March comes in like a lion” can certainly be verified by the weather that has been with us over the past few weeks. It always frustrates me when it is necessary to cancel worship due to the weather, but our first priority is and must always be the safety of our members. The criteria for cancelling church are agreed upon by the church council and have a great deal to do with the road conditions on highway 77, the visibility in the atmosphere, and the accessibility of the parking lot. We realize that everyone sees these conditions through their own driving abilities, but since all of our members are travelling some distances to arrive at Pohocco we must be cautious about how much risk we are willing to subject our members to. It is my sincere hope that we are done with these extreme conditions and can get back to the business of God’s work in the church. Besides that, I miss you all when I don’t get to see you at Pohocco on a Sunday morning.

March also ushers in the Lenten season this year. Ash Wednesday is on March 6th and Lent extends into mid-April. This year our Wednesday worship services will be celebrated by singing the Holden Evening Prayer service and we will be blessed by hearing from several of our mission partners. My sincere hope is that you will all come and participate in this opportunity to hear from these ministries as a part of your Lenten discipline and to encourage these partners that we have chosen as a church to support.

Lent offers us a chance to reevaluate and reboot our spiritual energy. It is a 40 day exercise course with the goal of being stronger and healthier in the Lord. Too often people see Lent as a season of painful sacrifices as opposed to a period for reflection and an opportunity for growth. Pray for people and situations that may have been missed during the rest of the year. Read and study materials that you might not otherwise expose yourself to. Find a ministry and get involved with it during this time, and you might find a new avocation that feeds you spiritually. Be bold this Lent and challenge yourself spiritually. I promise that the rewards will be wonderful and pleasing to our Lord.

Finally, welcome to our new church musician Barb Frey. Barb comes to us from Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Fremont. We look forward to our future with Barb and feel entirely blessed to have her join our Pohocco family.

May God walk with you during your Lenten journey and I will be here to assist you if I am needed.

It doesn’t seem possible that we are entering another new year. We enter this year with hope and joy and a deep gratitude to our Lord who has blessed us to enter yet another year in His service. We can look forward in hope that Pohocco will continue to stand as a beacon of light here in our rural location and that we look for ways to honor the grace that God has bestowed on each of us.

Our needs are not extreme although we are still searching for a permanent musician to replace our beloved Ila Nelson who has served us with such faithfulness these past 15 plus years. If any of you know of someone who might be interested in this position please contact me or one of the current council members. It is my prayer that God will send us the exact person to serve us in this capacity.

I also wish to offer my sincere gratitude to Mary Romanelli and Roxanne Hartman who have served this congregation and the church council with such distinction and spiritual commitment. I will truly miss their presence and their wisdom in my personal relationship with them, and on the council, but I know that these two will continue to seek out other ministries where they can continue to serve Pohocco. I also wish to thank Christy Reeson and Mary Robinson for the excellent way that they managed our Christian Education program. What Christy gave in time and service was exceptional. I could not have managed without her faithfulness and friendship. Mary Robinson was willing to offer her help even in the midst of some very challenging medical issues. We will sorely miss them both as we move forward into a new year and a new set of educational challenges.

One way that I have decided to participate in our furthering of the Christian education of our youth is to form a Sunday School class for our post-confirmation young people. This class will begin when Sunday School resumes in January. My prayer is that by adding this opportunity for learning, we can assist our teens in preparing themselves spiritually for the world that they will encounter after high school. I look forward to the challenge of teaching this class and hope that the young people will benefit from it.

Our annual meeting will take place on January 20th following the worship service where we will be electing new church officers and discussing the relevant issues concerning our church in the upcoming year. Please plan to attend and come prepared to offer your gifts and commitments to keep our church as God intended us to be, a place that serves Christ and His mission as best we can.

Happy New Year and may God bless you all.

Grace to you, and peace from Jesus our Christ. I am honored to be the pastor of such a warm and loving congregation as Pohocco. It was my privilege to receive 4 new members in September. We welcome Ken and Janey Gaughen, and Karen and Kelsey Jordan to our church family. Sunday School is in full swing, and I am grateful to Clarence Devney and Pam Curry for leading the Adult Class in a study of the lectionary Epistles. Our church is alive with the Holy Spirit and the fellowship of our Lord. We are still searching for a musician but are so grateful for our beloved Ila’s willingness to remain as we complete our search. We are truly blessed to have her.

I have heard from many of you that you were not clear about my medical issues and so I am taking this opportunity to give you the details of my situation in order to avoid any misinformation. In 1972 I discovered a large lump in my neck. We were stationed in Germany and I was treated by military doctors for a “hot node” in my thyroid gland. I was given radioactive iodine in liquid form and was told that the problem was taken care of. The nodes returned several years later and I was told that they were not dangerous and should be ignored.

A few months ago I noticed that my voice was becoming scratchy and I was having difficulty swallowing. My doctor here in Fremont sent me immediately to the Head and Neck Cancer Treatment Center in Omaha where I was told that the Thyroid Gland needed to be removed but that the four nodules inside the gland were probably benign. As you know I had that surgery on August 6th. A few days later I was contacted by the hospital and told that the largest nodule contained a malignant tumor inside, but that it had been removed.

After the tumor was further examined it was discovered to be a rare and aggressive cancer. The nature of the cancer is such that even though the tumor was removed in tact, the doctors want to be sure that none of the cells or microbes are left lingering in my neck or chest where the gland was. For this reason I am being treated with a full 6 week round of radiation treatments. This is being done as a precaution because of the aggressive nature of the tumor that was removed. I appreciate your prayers and cards and hope that you know that I am trusting God for a complete cure and a whole lot more years as your Pastor. Because radiation can have some tough side effects, I am trying to work ahead in October so that if I get sidelined with the treatments it will not inconvenience our church activities too much.

I have planned most of the October activities for the first few weeks in the month, but will be available if you have any pastoral needs. I will be officiating the Winkelman wedding on October 6th. We will have our First Communion celebration on October 7th. As the month progresses I will keep you informed of my progress and will let you know if I need to take some time off. Our Halloween Party will go on as scheduled, and I am working on a Christmas Musical for the children. Please keep me in your prayers and I will keep you in mine.

Please excuse the tardiness of this month’s newsletter. As most of you know, my health has been a bit out of sorts lately and it has put me a bit behind schedule. I am so excited about the events coming this month. First of all, I trust that all of our students and faculty persons are beginning a stellar school year. I will be in continual prayer for each and every one of you as you embark upon this new school term. We are all teachers and learners and the most essential part of our human experience is to continue to learn from one another.

On September 9th we will begin our Sunday School. We are so pleased to have gifted teachers who have agreed to teach Pohocco’s children. We look forward to their classes and ask each parent to pray for and support those who will be responsible for leading our children into the learnings of our faith. Our awards Sunday has been moved forward to September 16th where we will be honoring last year’s teachers and promoting the children into their new classes.

On September 23rd we will be celebrating the reception of our new church members. Please come to welcome these wonderful people who will become members of our Pohocco family. After the service there will be cake so we look forward to seeing you there.

We are still searching diligently for a musician to replace our beloved Ila Nelson who has announced her retirement but has graciously agreed to remain active until we can find a new musician. We are especially thankful to Ila for her forbearance and patience with us during our search.

 Finally, I want to thank you all for your prayers and concern during this difficult time regarding my health. I am in the process of receiving a treatment plan for the thyroid cancer that was unexpectedly discovered during a routine thyroidectomy. As of this writing I still don’t know to what degree I will be incapacitated by the upcoming treatments because I am not clear what they will be. I do know that God is in charge of my health and my entire dependence is on his will for my life and healing. I will continue to serve you as long as I am able, and I will lean on the Lord for the rest. May you be blessed to be a blessing as I hope that I will be also.

August got here so fast that I am still trying to shake off the heat and humidity of July. This month will begin for me with a long overdue surgery. My hope is that the recovery time will be brief and I will be back in our pulpit by the third Sunday of the month.

In the meantime plans are in the making for a new Sunday school curriculum, the next 1st communion class, a back to school bash, and the Adult Education class. The life of Christ’s church at Pohocco is taking off with energy and spirit. I hope that after your summer of vacations and relaxations, you are ready to lend your gifts and spirit to the life of our congregation with renewed energy and insight!

We have seen the wonderful blessings of new memberships. We welcome newly baptized member Sawyer Menousek, and reception by transfer members Ken and Janey Gaughan and Kelsey Jordan. Let’s work as their new church family to let them know how very joyful we are that they will joining us, and make them feel welcomed in every way. It is my hope to have a celebration of their memberships in the latter part of August when I return from my recuperation. Also, Kelsey comes with a horse that she needs to board, so if any of you have information that can help her please let me know so I can pass it along.

We are not yet into November, but as a church family we have much to be thankful for. Rich Winkleman is recovering wonderfully well from Aortic valve surgery and we are so grateful for his healing. Several of our  youth were involved in spiritual enrichment experiences this summer and we are sure to see the growth that they will share with us as they return from these these programs. If you have an opportunity, ask Bryce Reeson, or Holly Robinson, or Noah Ondracek how they experienced a deeper knowledge of Christ’s love this summer. I’m sure they have wonderful stories to share.

We are still searching for a musician to replace our beloved Ila who has decided to retire this September. If you have any leads on a musician who might meet our needs please let me know. I believe that God will send us the exact person whose ministry will enhance our worship, but we haven’t found them yet. Prayers will be appreciated.

My prayers for a safe and relaxing end of the summer goes out to each family and member of Pohocco. If you have need for pastoral care during my absence Pastor Harold has agreed to be available. May our children be blessed with a safe return to their classrooms, and may we enter the fall with all the love and grace that God will shower upon us.

We enter the month of June rejoicing in the newness of life in our church. We celebrate our 5 new confirmands who have become members in full maturity in the Christian faith. Congratulations to Colby John Robinson, Matthew John Ondracek, Morgan Christine Ondracek, Grant Riley Hevlin, and Bryce John Reeson. These young people participated in an extensive two year program of studying the scriptures, the sacred documents of the faith, and how to be in community with other brothers and sisters in Christ. I am proud of each of them and the hard work, commitment, and faithfulness that they have shown.

As summer approaches we at Pohocco will be challenged to prioritize our spiritual lives as we plan time away from school schedules, for taking vacations, and other activities. Our Sunday School will be out until fall, as well as the choir, and the adult Bible class. We will be having Vacation Bible School beginning June 18 and going through the 22nd. Mary Robinson will be leading the program and will be letting us know what she will need to be successful. Please be willing to volunteer your time and resources to assist Mary in whatever she needs.

Traditionally during the summer months church attendance seems to decline in numbers. I would like to challenge you each to make the effort to put worship on top of your summer calendars. It is easy enough to become relaxed in your church participation when the weather and summer fun can be so tempting. I would just like to remind you that on Sunday mornings at 9:00 AM Jesus, Ila and I will be at Pohocco waiting to greet you with a message of love and hope.

Finally, I will be offering lessons in vocal music again this summer. I will be making a schedule in the next two weeks. If you are interested in improving your singing or if you have never tried to sing but would like to learn, please let me know. The cost for these lessons is very expensive. It will require you to sing at one of our worship services. So come out to the church and sing with me. It will be fun, and a way of adding a new ministry to your gift package for the Lord.

As you travel this summer please be safe, as the children are out of school please be watchful, and as we move forward in our Christianity, please be diligent and faithful. God’s peace be with you all.

Love in Christ’s service, Pastor Johnice

I greet you in the name of our Risen Lord, Jesus Christ. As September flows into October we as a Church family have been saddened by the sudden losses of two of our most faithful and lovely members. The passings of Ruth Schmidt and Mary Sweeney will surely leave a void in our hearts, but as a community of faith we are assured of their presence with our Lord. May the souls of these our departed find eternal rest. To their families we offer our support and our continual prayers. We also have members of our congregation who are dealing with some very serious medical issues. I am enlisting your prayers and your offerings of kindness on behalf of them and the families who support them. Please let those whose names appear on our prayer list know that they are loved and supported by their church family.

October brings us to the changing of the seasons and the beginning of the transition into the Holy days that we as a Christian community celebrate to remind us of our history and the struggle that has maintained our faith traditions, and remind us of the people who helped to form them. This year we celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. If you recall we have already enjoyed a visit from both Martin Luther and his wife this past summer. This month we will be recalling the history that has shaped the body of believers called Lutherans that we identify ourselves with. As a congregation we will be observing this important anniversary on October 29th, which is the 5th Sunday in the month. I would like to suggest some ways that you might enhance your knowledge of this historical occasion.

Pastor Harold has prepared some very interesting curriculum for this month and I encourage you to attend his Sunday morning Adult Education Class. I also challenge you to get out your old confirmation copy of Luther’s Small Catechism and re-read and study it. You might also download the 95 Theses document and read through it. I will be reviewing some of this with the Confirmation Class in preparation for their participation in the worship service on Reformation Sunday.

Martin Luther was as human as any of us, but his determination to stand against the policies of a flawed church has given us a much clearer understanding of how God’s grace works for us, and how we should be willing to extend that grace toward one another. He changed the way we understand the Ten Commandments, and has given us a clearer understanding of the courage and perseverance it sometimes requires to make God’s will known in a flawed world. We should be inspired by the story of his courage, and the example of his faithfulness.

Love, Grace and Peace, Pastor Johnice

We have had an eventful summer that encompassed everything from a visit from Martin Luther to the President of the Church Council playing in a bouncy house. Pohocco has been blessed with inspirational stories of God’s grace and healing, strong fellowship with one another, and the opportunity to see our youth take leadership roles in our worship services. We shared in the Blessing of a new home for Jim and Tammie Ondracek, and stood in hope with Ed Lindgren and Mary Robinson as they bravely confronted serious health issues. Please continue to keep each of them in your prayers, because in all of this we amplified our understanding of what it truly means to be the Church.

As we move into a new and busy Fall we have so very much to be grateful for. Our children are now back in school, and we will begin again to expand their Christian education with Sunday School and Confirmation year 2. The classes will begin on September 10th which is the Sunday following Labor Day. Our Adult Education classes led by Pastor Harold will resume as well. It is essential that we give our Christian Education the same priority we give to the other learnings in our lives.

We recently experienced a rare solar eclipse. I was honored to watch this event on our church parking lot with several other intrepid viewers. One couple had driven all the way from central Iowa but decided to stop at our church rather than risk missing the eclipse by traveling further south. We all enjoyed each other’s company and the discussions that automatically surround such a rare event. I decided to attempt to take some pictures of the eclipse even though I was warned that I might ruin my phone by trying. I was actually very successful in getting the shots but was absolutely blown away by the image that my phone camera showed. There was only light. A big bright circle of light. There is nothing darker than the shadow of an eclipse. That is why it fascinates us. The sun disappears for a time, and daylight becomes darkness. The shadow of all that darkness can damage our ability to see. Yet when we see what is reflected from that darkness through a different lens what we are allowed to see is light. It occurred to me that for Christians Jesus is the lens through which we view the world. No matter how dark things might seem to our eyes, looking through the Son of God will always show us the light. I am grateful to the solar eclipse for reminding me of this truth. Jesus has named us “The children of light”, may we never forget that this is who we are called to be.

Love and peace, Pastor Johnice

Where did the summer go? It’s already time for parents to be buying school supplies and arranging carpools for their children. The swimming pools will be closing for the season and the school buildings will be reopening. Families are arranging for that one final vacation trip before the structure of homework and packing lunches and early bedtimes replace the relaxing non-schedules that kids love so much.

Happy July! We have now entered the heart of summer. It is time for vacations and celebrating holidays and attending reunions. We seek cool places and activities to amuse our children, and in the midst of it all we might find a little time to consider our faithwalk. As you plan your summer please remember that we are still having Sunday worship and would love to be included in your Summer plans. Traditionally church attendance drops during the summer months. I would like to issue a challenge this year that our congregation at Pohocco try to defeat this trend. If you are in town please make coming to worship a priority for you and your family.

It’s time for camp! Please keep our youth who will be attending camps in your prayers, that they may be uplifted by their experiences and return safely home to share those experiences with us. Also, as the weather grows hot, please remember to check on our elder members of the congregation to make sure that they are safe and have all they need to endure these sweltering days. If your family is travelling for vacation, please carry our prayers with you and may God’s grace travel with you.

July also explodes with the enthusiastic celebrations of our country’s liberty. We have picnics and fireworks and barbecues and wish each other a Happy 4th of July. However, as we commemorate this holiday let us please remember that freedom has never been free. Our country’s liberty was purchased and preserved by generations of brave men and women who through their commitment to serve and protect, were willing to risk everything, even their very lives for all of us. The democracy that we hold so dear in these United States is something that deserves our gratitude and our vigilance. We are a nation that is truly enriched by her diversity and inclusivity, and we should be ever mindful of how blessed as a nation we are. “America, America, God shed His grace on thee. And crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea.”

Even greater though than the freedom we celebrate as a country, is the grace we as Christians are blessed to have in our salvation purchased by the love of God in Christ Jesus and his sacrifice for us all. We have the knowledge and certainty that our freedom from sin was purchased on the cross, and secured in Christ’s resurrection. By His grace we are truly and forever the recipients of true and eternal freedom and liberty. May you be blessed by this precious gift.

Yours in Christ’s love. Pastor Johnice

As we leave the merry month of May and enter the sultry warmth of June, our church shifts its liturgical focus from the celebration of Easter to the revelation of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit arrives with the power of a mighty wind and the contagious movement of fire. It brings us the active presence of our Lord in our world and in our lives. We will welcome the Spirit on Pentecost Sunday June 4th by wearing red and by singing music that is dedicated to His coming. Come Holy Spirit fill our lives with your presence, and kindle in us the fire of your love.

Our plan for the first week of June was to have our Vacation Bible School, but due to the illness of our Christian Education co-leader Mary Robinson, we have decided to postpone this event as we want an opportunity to relieve her of the responsibility for this week and so that she can focus all of her energy on getting well and healed. Please keep Mary, Tim and the children Brody, Holly, Colby, and Shaylee in your prayers. May Christ through the Holy Spirit strengthen, comfort, empower, and heal Mary so that she can walk with the wholeness that we know is God’s will for her life. We will be announcing the new dates for VBS as soon as we can get the planning and staffing done. Thank you for your loving patience in this matter.

Beginning on Monday June 5th I will be offering vocal coaching for anyone who is interested in singing for the joy of it. These will be 30 minute sessions and will include vocal warm-ups, repertoire building using sacred music, and performance discipline. The cost of the lessons is the willingness to sing a solo during one of our worship services. I will be taking only about 12 people as students so you need to sign up as soon as possible for the time slots available. The sign-up sheets will be posted beginning Sunday May 21st.

Father’s Day will be on June 18th. May all the fathers in our church family be blessed with the joy of your family and the love of our heavenly Father. As with Mother’s day we will be singing some favorite hymns dedicated to the men who have given us such loving care.

Finally, I am asking for special prayers for all of our children as they leave the routine of school and begin the activities of summer. May our Lord Jesus keep them all safe and protected as they move to camps, swimming activities, and just everyday playtime. We pray for those traveling for vacations, those visiting family members, and those relaxing at home. May you be blessed this summer and PLEASE remember to come and worship and fellowship with us at Pohocco. In the love of Christ and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit may God’s peace be with you all.

Love, Pastor Johnice

It feels odd thinking of May flowers when as I write this it is 39 degrees and drizzly outside. Easter Morning was beautiful and amazing. Resurrection celebrations and Springtime coming together as though God was gifting us with the weather to match our joy. Today I was so chilly that I forgot what warm felt like. It is a humbling reminder that we can never control what happens when we come down from the mountaintop. Still, I am excited about May because it ushers in so many wonderful events.

We will be celebrating two high school graduates this year with the blanketing service on May 21st. If there are others who will be graduating either high school or college please let me know as soon as possible so that we can include them in our prayers and our celebration.

We will also be heading toward the end of the school year and the coming of Summer. It reminds us to prepare for the extra time we will have with our children, and how we should be preparing to use it. My hope is that we will be able to implement several summer projects that will keep our youth engaged. I will be placing sign-up sheets on the board downstairs for anyone interested in having vocal coaching during the Summer. Your only payment required will be to sing during worship.

Let’s also remember that the second Sunday in May is dedicated to all the Mothers in our church family. Bring Mom to church on Mother’s Day and let us help you celebrate with her. We will also be celebrating Memorial Day. I will be offering special prayers for all of those who have given of themselves so that we might live in a free nation.

In the church calendar we will be celebrating Pentecost. So be prepared to sport your red outfit and welcome the arrival of the Holy Spirit. This is our Comforter the Lord and giver of life. He is sent as a mighty wind to blow over us, around us,  and through us with the presence of our Christ. The Holy Spirit is the part of the Trinity that is alive within us every day all the time. As we await the arrival of the Holy Spirit we must be sure to be ready to receive Him with open hearts and minds.

I pray that May will be full of all things good for you, and that you be filled with the grace and the joy that comes from knowing that we are God’s children, and joint heirs with the risen Lord Jesus. May his peace be with you all.

Love and Peace, Pastor Johnice 

April showers bring May flowers. This is a saying that we learned as children. It reminds us that there is more to the gloomy atmosphere of gray clouds and drizzle, and the cold water running down our necks and making us uncomfortable then at first it appears. It tells us that even in the midst of the storm there is hope for what follows. This is a wonderful message for the church as well. The month of April in the church calendar this year allows us the opportunity to complete our Lenten journey, and to step into the gift of Easter. We are covered with the showers of focus and discipline as we anticipate the reliving of our spiritual story. Once again we will relive Christ’s sacrifice for us and are showered with his grace for the gift of redemption that He gave us.

There will be a full Holy Week observance here at Pohocco. We will begin with the reading of the passion story on Palm Sunday. There will be a footwashing and communion service on Maundy Thursday followed by the stripping of the altar. We will have a quiet communion on Good Friday . This week of reflection is our chance to get a deeper connection with our Savior’s Passion and sacrifice, and how it impacts our spiritual lives. I encourage you all to take time during Holy week to reflect of God’s love and Grace. As your pastor, I will be available on Holy Saturday to do spiritual counselling and provide time for personal prayer and reflection for anyone who might desire it.

The showers of April are the signal that the harvest will come. We can take heart that the resurrection will follow. New life in Christ is the future for each and all of us. We are awash with anticipation for the future of our church. Our Easter celebration will begin with an Easter egg hunt for our children. We will enjoy a pre-service breakfast together and then a joyful Easter worship. After Easter we will be planning a Sunday service conducted by our confirmation class I hope you will come and support their efforts as this is a necessary step in their learning process. As April continues it is my hope that you will make attending worship a priority. We draw strength and joy from our fellowship with one another.

We at Pohocco are blessed with a clearer understanding of the showers of April because so many of us depend on the rain to assist the crops and to nurture the animals in our care. So we welcome the outpouring of the showers of April because it brings forth new blossoms. Along with water we are also showered with the gift of the spirit. The Holy Spirit that gives us life and prepares us for the life to come. May you be blessed during this Holy season with the true gifts of the resurrection, a deeper relationship with our risen Christ and with one another.

Love and Peace, Pastor Johnice

The month of March is upon us and bringing with it the season of Lent. Lent is a time set aside by the Church to prepare ourselves for the gift of the resurrection. We as brothers and sisters in Christ are called to discipleship. In our everyday lives it is easy to become distracted from this call. Lent allows us to be intentional in our preparations to receive the gift of redemption purchased for us by Jesus our Savior in his death and resurrection. Lent reminds us of the sacrifices made for us by God in Christ Jesus so that we might have the truest gift of all ETERNAL LIFE.

March 1st begins this season with Ash Wednesday worship when we will receive the sign of the cross made from ashes. The ashes remind us that we are mortal and can only become immortal when we are saved by the grace and sacrifice of Jesus. This is why we should take on a discipline to grow us in our faith, and strengthen us to be about the will of God our Father in Christ Jesus. We are then encouraged to partake of a 40 day commitment that will remind us of that great love given for us.

Whatever your Lenten discipline is this year, please examine how it will assist you in maturing you in your faith walk. Sacrifice for its own sake can feel weighed down and cumbersome, but a discipline that is rooted in the building up of the spirit will bring joy along with it. So I ask you this season of Lent to seek joy in your sacrifice and love in your offerings.

We will be observing the Lenten season  with a midweek evening service which I encourage you to attend. The music and depth of the Holden Evening Prayer Service is a wonderful way to replenish your faith during the week. I will also be asking several of you to share a few hopeful words about your walk with Christ. In this way we can draw strength from one another as we bear witness to the love entrusted to us by the Lord whom we all love and serve.

If you haven’t yet decided or been led to a Lenten Discipline, I have a few suggestions. One) in this 500th anniversary of the reformation, read some of the writings of Martin Luther. Two) Set aside some time every day to practice intercessory prayer. Three) do some volunteer work that will benefit someone less fortunate than yourself. Find a way to stretch yourselves in faith in study, and in deeds.

I wish you peace and joy during this Season of discovery and growth, and may you walk humbly with our God.

Yours in Christ Jesus, Pastor Johnice 

It seems odd to be writing about events in the new year when there is still so much of the old year to resolve. However, we move forward in faith believing that as the wise men followed the star to Bethlehem we can follow the leadership of Christ into this 2017 spiritual adventure.

As a church family we begin the year by having an appreciation Sunday on January 8th to say “Thank you” to all those who have volunteered their gifts of time and activity to help Pohocco be the loving place of worship that we all attend. Since so many of you do this loving work in silence, we will be giving a corporate thanksgiving prayer for you on this Sunday. Please try to be with us.

On the following Sunday, we will be convening to look at the business of how we want the future of the church to progress. Our annual congregational meeting will be held on Sunday January 15th directly following the worship. We will be electing a new council person, and also welcoming new Christian education leadership. A special “Thank you” to Dawn Clary for her leadership with Christian education, and to Charles Petersen who has so unselfishly given time and service as a councilman and as President this past year. I will personally miss being able to speed dial Dawn and Chuck whenever there was a question that I needed to find an immediate answer for.  In addition, we will be asking you to consider the new worship bulletin format. We have been experimenting with a monthly all inclusive bulletin for several months and would like to have your feedback. You will have a wonderful opportunity to be a part of how the church will grow and develop. We look forward to seeing you there. After the meeting comes the eating as we will share a meal to celebrate our new beginning one more year again.

Finally, we will be entering the season of Epiphany. The light of Christ has come into our world. I pray that his light will be a guiding light for you, a healing light for you, and a loving light that will glow through you and into a dark and lonely world. May the light of Christ be yours in the coming year and may you and your loved ones be richly and divinely blessed.

Yours in Christ’s Light, Pastor Johnice

As I write this article I am preparing for the Thanksgiving holiday first, with a celebration with our Pohocco church family, soup and fellowship and Thanksgiving Communion and Worship, and secondly, with a time of celebration with my own family (too much turkey and trimmings I hope).  The calendar this year doesn’t afford us much of a respite between activities.  Advent comes directly on the end of the Thanksgiving weekend.  How then does one prepare for the coming of the baby Jesus with leftover turkey still hanging out in the fridge?  The very idea can be pretty overwhelming.  We need to remind each other to relax and breathe.  To take this time of the year in small bites.  To take care of each other as we travel this journey together.

I hope that you are keeping a calendar to remind you of the days leading up to the coming of our Lord.  Love.  Hope.  Joy.  Peace.  These four candles that we light during Advent are given meaningful themes for humanity.  The gift of a Love from a heavenly Father who came in the humblest form in order to redeem us.  The gift of Hope shining in the night as a star leading us to salvation.  The gift of Joy that we need never be lost or separated from God again.  The gift of Peace that will be our companion throughout our lives.  These are the gifts of Advent that are given to us in preparation to fully understand the greatest gift of all.  The birth of Jesus our Savior.

We tend to lump them into a group around the wreath instead of seeing them as individual spiritual gifts that we are blessed with to help us make it through life’s challenges.  If we operate our lives focused on these gifts, we will be experiencing the full measure of God’s grace.  Advent does indeed prepare the way for Christ to come to us, but it also shines a light on the pathway for us to come to Christ again and again and again.

The church offers some opportunities for us to gather in fellowship as we prepare to receive the Christ-child.  We will gather for our annual Christmas meal and some fun and games on December 7 at 6:00pm.  The Sunday School will be presenting their Christmas Program on December 11th at 10:00am with a lunch to follow.  We will have our traditional Christmas Eve Communion Service on the evening of the 24th, and we will have a service of Lessons and Carols at the church on Sunday Christmas morning.  Please come and celebrate this holy time with us.

May the Christ who comes for us at Christmas be with you all throughout this holy season and into the New Year.

Love and Peace, Pastor Johnice

November brings a change in the weather, a shift in time, and a very busy church season. It starts with Reformation and All Saints’ Day and finishes with the beginning of Advent. In between there will be the soup supper, the church talent show, and Thanksgiving. In the wake of all this activity it is easy to let the hustle and bustle overshadow the spiritual nature of each individual event.

With the historical observances of The Reformation and the feast of All Saints we are reminded that we have been handed a faith that is rooted in history, sacrifice and tradition. A faith that was preserved by the wisdom of saints who are now with the Lord. We should be mindful of those who believed so strongly in the free gift of grace and the integrity of the spirit that they were willing to sacrifice their personal freedom to preach the truth of the gospel for all of God’s children. We remember this cloud of witnesses who guarded the faith so it would be here for all of us. We also celebrate and remember those precious members of our congregation who have now gone on into the nearer presence of God.

We especially look forward to the annual soup supper and quilt raffle that has become such a wonderful community activity. It is a powerful outreach tool and a tradition that is well-known to our neighbors and friends. I can’t begin to say how many times I’ve been asked if I am at the church where they have that wonderful soup supper. I proudly say “yes, and I hope you will join us”. The “Pohocco’s Got Talent” night will be next, and I can’t wait to see some of the gifts and talents that will be shared by members of our church family. By the way, if you haven’t got plans for Friday night the 18th of November, please consider coming to First United Methodist Church and sharing an evening of music with Diva 3 which is the name of my family’s 4 generations of musicians. We would love to see you there.

On Wednesday the 23rd we will share a meal followed by our Thanksgiving worship. If ever there was a time when we need to remember to tell God thank you, this is the time. Let’s come together as a church community to give our Lord thanks for how richly we’ve been blessed this year. Within our thankfulness we can begin to prepare the way for the coming of Christ during the advent season. Advent will allow us a period of time to reflect on the coming of our salvation and how we can prepare ourselves to receive him.

I look forward to seeing you all at these events and offer thanks for an active and dedicated church family.

May you be richly blessed in the love of our savior Jesus Christ.

This is the month in which we as a country celebrate our liberty.  The meaning of liberty in the United States has to do with democracy and the pursuit of happiness.  We celebrate by barbecuing in the backyard, gathering with family and friends, and watching fireworks after dark.

America is a country whose founding fathers stated in our documents of origin that we are endowed by our creator with "certain inalienable rights."  We have been constitutionally guaranteed life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  It is a beautiful philosophy to live by.  It reminds us not only of the cost of the struggle for freedom, but also the high ideals that fueled  it.

We as followers of Christ are pressed to the course of a higher calling.  Jesus reminds us that we are in the world, but not of the world.  Our life is a gift from a benevolent creator who made us in that creator's image.  Our liberty was purchased by the blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and our pursuit of happiness is only legitimate if the happiness of our neighbor is secured as well.

We are truly blessed to live in this country, but our blessings are bestowed on us by a Heavenly Father who has given us a mission to be faithful stewards of those blessings.  We are, and should always remain, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. We do this because it will please God. We do it because Christ commands it, and we should do it because it is the best way to secure the health of the human family.

May God continue to bless us, and may we continue to live in a way that honors and pleases God.

Happy Fourth of July and blessings for the remainder of the month.

Love and peace, Pastor Johnice