News/Announcement

Thursday, March 28

7:00pm Maundy Thurs. Worship

 

Friday, March 29

12:00pm Good Friday Worship

7:00pm Good Friday Worship

 

Sunday, March 31

8:00am  Worship/Communion 

9:00am Easter Breakfast

           10:30am Worship/Communion    

      

Monday, April 1

4:00pm Individual Confession

6:30pm Elder’s Meeting

 

Tuesday, April 2

6:00pm AA

 

Wednesday, April 3

11:00am Confessional Bible Study/Brown Bag Lunch

4:30pm Confirmation Class

 

Thursday, April 4

6:30pm  Male Chorus

6:30pm Handbells

7:30pm Cantare Choir

 

Saturday, April 6

9:00am Quilter’s Group

 

Sunday, April 7

8:30am Traditional Worship with Communion 

9:45am Bible Study/Sunday School

10:45am Word & Song Worship with Communion 

 


Theme for Maundy (Holy) Thursday– My Close Friend (Psalm 41:9)

Have you ever been betrayed by someone close to you? You are not alone. King David prayed in Psalm 41:9, “Even my close friend, the one in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heal against me.” To have a heel lifted against you is to receive a tremendous kick. It is a kick that sends you reeling and knocks the breath out of you-much like the feeling of being betrayed by a trusted friend. When trust has been broken, you can pray David’s words as your own and put your trust in the One who fulfilled them. For your Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when He was betrayed, took the pain and shame for you.

 


Theme for Good Friday– Be Gracious To Me! (Psalm 41:10)

Nothing could be more natural than seeking revenge against one who has wronged you. Even the youngest child’s untrained sense of fairness demands payback. God’s children, however, are not to submit to human thinking but to the Word of God. What do the Scriptures say about our desire for revenge? When King David’s enemies rose against him, the Holy Spirit inspired him to pray in Psalm 41:10: “But You, O Lord, be gracious to me, and raise me up, that I may repay them!” David prays for vengeance, and God ordains vengeance. Yet the Scriptures also tell us not to “resist the one who is evil” (Matthew 5:39). What are we to make of this paradox? As with all of the matters of faith, we must look to our Lord’s crucifixion for the answer. For only by the cross is God gracious to you; only at the cross does He demand payment for every injustice.


Theme for Easter Sunday- BECAUSE OF MY INTEGRITY (Psalm 41:12–13)

Do you consider yourself a person of integrity? Would you stand before God and declare, as King David does in Psalm 41:12, “You have upheld me because of my integrity, and set me in Your presence forever”? Certainly, no one has earned a place before God’s throne on the grounds of an upright character, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Yet God has given this psalm that His church may pray it. Do not be afraid to make it your own; Christ was raised for just that purpose. For in Christ, the Father has indeed raised you up with Him and seated you in the heavenly places.


Save the Date!- April 18, 2024 @ Noon -Seniors & Friends Potluck & Program

Our Topic: “Stewardship of our Planet”

 Let’s celebrate “National Earth Day 2024”!  Our speaker will stress things we can do in our homes, backyards, & even in our churches to responsibly take better care of our earth. The Blue Heron Headwaters Conservation Club is located in Clarkston and is doing great work in and through Oakland Co. Please bring a dish to pass & designate the dish you are bringing on the sign up sheet at the Welcome Desk.

 


Upcoming Special Speaker Event

St. Stephen invites you to hear Rev. Mark Frith speaking on “God’s Two Kingdom Church Today” 

Saturday, May 4   9:00am-2:00pm 

A catered lunch will be provided-free will offering 

Topic Description: 

Our culture continues to chip away at America’s most basic religious liberties, despite the protections of the First Amendment. Consider the destruction of marriage, the cheapening of life, and a public education system increasingly hostile to the Judeo-Christian worldview. For the sake of our communities and the church, we must engage! Such engagement must be on God’s terms. He engages the world in two ways, to prepare it and to save it. We strive for stable, free communities so that there might be 

opportunities to share a message of grace in peace.

Register on our website, www.ststephenwaterford.org under the Event Registration tab 

**For more information, please pick up an event flyer on the Welcome Desk in the lobby**

 


 Church Worker Scholarship Fund

Do you know that St. Stephen has a Scholarship Fund established specifically for the education of church workers? We would like to add more money to this fund to encourage people who may be in need of a scholarship to reach their goal of becoming a church worker. This could include a preschool administrator, a teacher in a parochial school, a music director, a deacon or deaconess, or a pastor. Please support this ministry by making an offering to St. Stephen Lutheran Church and earmarking it for the Church Worker Scholarship Fund. 

Application forms will be available in the church office.

 

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