Thursday, March 28
7:00pm Maundy Thurs. Worship
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Friday, March 29
12:00pm Good Friday Worship
7:00pm Good Friday Worship
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Sunday, March 31
8:00am Worship/CommunionÂ
9:00am Easter Breakfast
      10:30am Worship/Communion  Â
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Monday, April 1
4:00pm Individual Confession
6:30pm Elderâs Meeting
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Tuesday, April 2
6:00pm AA
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Wednesday, April 3
11:00am Confessional Bible Study/Brown Bag Lunch
4:30pm Confirmation Class
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Thursday, April 4
6:30pm Male Chorus
6:30pm Handbells
7:30pm Cantare Choir
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Saturday, April 6
9:00am Quilterâs Group
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Sunday, April 7
8:30am Traditional Worship with CommunionÂ
9:45am Bible Study/Sunday School
10:45am Word & Song Worship with CommunionÂ
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Theme for Maundy (Holy) Thursdayâ 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, âEven my close friend, the one in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heal against me.â 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 Davidâs 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.
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Theme for Good Fridayâ Be Gracious To Me! (Psalm 41:10)
Nothing could be more natural than seeking revenge against one who has wronged you. Even the youngest childâs untrained sense of fairness demands payback. Godâs 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 Davidâs enemies rose against him, the Holy Spirit inspired him to pray in Psalm 41:10: âBut You, O Lord, be gracious to me, and raise me up, that I may repay them!â David prays for vengeance, and God ordains vengeance. Yet the Scriptures also tell us not to âresist the one who is evilâ (Matthew 5:39). What are we to make of this paradox? As with all of the matters of faith, we must look to our Lordâs 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 41:12â13)
Do you consider yourself a person of integrity? Would you stand before God and declare, as King David does in Psalm 41:12, âYou have upheld me because of my integrity, and set me in Your presence foreverâ? Certainly, no one has earned a place before Godâs throne on the grounds of an upright character, âfor all have sinned and fall short of the glory of Godâ (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:Â âStewardship of our Planetâ
 Letâs celebrate âNational Earth Day 2024â!  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.
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Upcoming Special Speaker Event
St. Stephen invites you to hear Rev. Mark Frith speaking on âGodâs Two Kingdom Church TodayâÂ
Saturday, May 4Â Â 9:00am-2:00pmÂ
A catered lunch will be provided-free will offeringÂ
Topic Description:Â
Our culture continues to chip away at Americaâs 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 Godâs 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 beÂ
opportunities to share a message of grace in peace.
Register on our website, www.ststephenwaterford.org under the Event Registration tabÂ
**For more information, please pick up an event flyer on the Welcome Desk in the lobby**
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 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.Â
Application forms will be available in the church office.
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