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This Church changes lives! |
News for the week of March 1, 2026
Revisiting Deepening Our Welcome --March 15 How is CLC doing in our quest to be a more deeply welcoming congregation? What have we learned as we have sought to live out the welcome statement we adopted in 2023? Where are we now and who is still missing? What are our dreams and visions for deepening our welcome at CLC as we move
forward together in faith? Join the conversation to share your observations and dreams during this Faith Formation time. Revisiting Deepening Our Welcome – March 22 How Do Words, Images, and Descriptions of God Affect Our Beliefs and Actions? Explore with us various images of God and Jesus. Do how we describe God and Jesus influence how
welcoming we are as a congregation? Is God limited to a singular pronoun? Do how we describe God affect how we describe one another and ourselves?
Thanks to our Red Cross Blood Drive
volunteers! You made a difference for the 53 donors who wanted to give whole blood units to help save
lives. Results of the blood drive are: 53 potential donors (7 were deferred, there was 1 first-time donor), 40 units of whole blood received (4 were power reds donating 7 units), 9 CLC members were among the donors. We had 16 CLC volunteers (3
on "back up") willing to help register & offer refreshments to the donors.
CoAction & Aviva Memory Café What is a Memory Cafe? A Memory Cafe is an informal social gathering for
those living with early-stage memory loss and their care partner. CoAction is prod to serve our community as the only registered Memory Cafe. Register at 219-531-2484 Wednesday, March 11, 2026 from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM CDT Aviva Valparaiso; 1300 Vale Park Rd, Valparaiso, IN 46383-2722
Music at Christ Lutheran
Church Thursday (6:00 – 7:10
pm): Celebration Ringers Handbell Ensemble Thursday (7:30 – 9:00 pm): Sanctuary Choir rehearsal If you enjoy singing or interested in ringing, we’d love to have you join one of our musical ensembles! Contact our music director Brian Bartusch (brian.bartusch@clcvalpo,org) or speak to him after a worship service if you are interested or have any questions.
2026 Lenten Dinners at CLC!!! During Lent, you are invited to join in Lenten dinners at 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays
at CLC, before each 7:00 p.m. evening service. Please sign up for each meal in advance in the East Link so that the cooks know how many to expect, and consider bringing a dessert to share. A free-will offering will be collected at each meal. Come and join in the fellowship! Dinner schedule: March 11 ~ CLC Book Club (Potato Bar) March 18 ~ CLC Choir (Sloppy Joes) March 25 ~ Anna Zervos/Kathy Rowberg/Mary Michna/ (Ham and Potatoes)
On March 26, we are planning a visit to Schmidt-Marken Designs, a Pottery Gallery & Gift Shop, located in Pinhook, near LaPorte, Indiana. It is owned and operated by Christ Lutheran Church members, Doug Schmidt and Karen Marken. Doug & Karen will be showing us how their pottery is made. (You may have seen it at the Youth Silent Auction in the Fall - It
is beautiful.) If you want to carpool, please meet at the church parking lot (planning to leave church at 9:30 am). Or we can get you their address, if you prefer to drive to the Pottery Gallery directly. We plan to arrive at the Gallery at 10:00 am. Please RSVP to Judy Haalboom at 309-368-9536 or mbboom@comcast.net, if you will be carpooling, so we don't accidently leave someone behind. We will stop for lunch on the way back, at a location to be determined. (More information on that will follow.)
March Altar Gifts Holy Communion Sara
and Jeremy Long ~ In Memory of Floyd and Pearl Long Altar Candles Given to the Glory of God Eternal Lamp Given to the Glory of God
CIRCLE Dinner Providers Needed
Meals are needed for the high school youth group. Circle meets every Sunday from 6-8pm, with a meal
to start at 6:00. Would you be willing to cook a meal and share it with the kids? You would be cooking for about 15 people and are welcome to stay for fellowship. If you are interested, please sign up here or scan the QR
code:
Christ Lutheran Church offers a Grief Support Group every other week on Wednesdays from 9:30 - 11 am in the
Conference Room. (209). The group serves adults who have experienced a loss of a spouse, parent, child, friend, or neighbor. The core group of peer support welcomes others to walk together in our grief journey . Come when you can. Coffee and Kleenex available. The group is facilitated by Cheryl Slack, a Stephen Minister. You may contact her at 219-241-0677 or one of the pastors if you have any questions. Upcoming dates are March 11 and 25; April 8 and 22.
CLC Social Ministry and Mission March 2026 Our emphasis is providing support for the Lutheran Diaconal Association www.thelda.org. Below is a message
to CLC from LDA: “Since 1919, the Lutheran Diaconal Association has formed people for
ministries of service. In the early years we trained women primarily as nurses serving in missions and institutions of the church. Our ministries have changed throughout the last 105 years. Today we serve in congregations, in institutions and wherever God’s people are. A deaconess or deacon is someone one who serves. Jesus washed his disciples’ feet and instructed them to do the same for others. Sometimes deaconesses and deacons do actual foot-washing like Jesus did; but more widely, they serve Christ by walking with those the
world easily forgets; the marginalized, the poor, the powerless, the sick. People who
reach out to others in this way—with care and compassion in a hurting world—are practicing diaconal service, as all the baptized are called to do. Some of them desire to do this as a professional in ministry and enter a more formal training and formation process to become deaconesses and deacons. Since the earliest days of the church men and women have been set apart to do intentional servant ministry. Deaconess/deacon ministry has come to mean many things: it means serving others on bended knee, and from positions of leadership. It means entering the hurt parts of
society and carrying the light and love of Christ in service to others. It means telling the story of God’s love and helping others to hear God in their own story. It means welcoming the stranger in our midst. Stories of ministry abound (pick up a copy of a LDA newsletters at CLC throughout the year). We are nurses, lawyers, engineers, musicians, social workers, chaplains, parish deaconesses, teachers, campus chaplains, missionaries, professors and so much more. We are so grateful for our partnership with Christ Lutheran Church. Your congregation has made a huge difference in our ministry. Your prayer support and
financial support are invaluable and help the LDA thrive and reach out to God’s people. Thank you! For more info www.theLDA.org We would love to talk with you! see Deaconesses Diana Iltzsche, Karen Hernes, or Kristin Lewis.” Help achieve our goal of $2500 in March (over and above giving combined with CLC’s $1200 budgeted amount). By achieving our goal CLC will help Luth. Diaconal Assoc. continue mutual support and service activities that are crucial to effective ministry. Use your weekly worship giving mailed in check to CLC and indicate “LDA” or contribute through Subsplash on the CLC
website https://clcvalpo.org via the “Give” button and choose Monthly Social Ministry Emphasis. Thank you to members for supporting social ministry emphasis.
LLP Registration 2026-2027 Registration is now open for everyone! We have plenty of Beginner AM and PM classes left. - Beginners Tuesday/Thursday AM 8:45-11:15 ($225/month). 3 & 4 years old. Must be 3 by August 1, 2026
- Beginners 3 Session AM Mon/Wed/Fri 9:00-11:30
($275/month). 3 & 4 years old. Should be 3 by Feb. 1, 2026
- Beginners 3 Session PM Mon/Wed/Fri 12:30-3:00 ($275/month). 3 & 4 years old. Should be 3 by Feb. 1, 2026
Attention All Thrivent Financial
Members! Do you have any Thrivent Choice Dollars that have not been directed to the charity of our choice? Minimum and maximum Choice Dollars Designations Eligible clients will be designated a minimum of 25 Choice Dollars and a maximum of 5,000 Choice Dollars per eligibility period (Jan. 1 to Dec. 31). Choice Dollars designated during the calendar year can be directed until March 31,
2026. There are two ways of directing Choice Dollars to Christ Lutheran Church: Computer: Go to the Thrivent Financial web site (www.Thrivent.com) and direct the Choice Dollars on-line. Phone: Call Thrivent Financial at 1-800-847-4836. When prompted by the electronic answering system, say “Thrivent Choice.” Follow the remaining prompts, and a representative will come on the line to assist you.
You will need your Thrivent membership ID number and will need to answer some other personal questions to verify that you are the Thrivent member who is on the line.
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QUILTS Quilts Completed: 103 BABY CARE KIT PROJECT 2026-500 KITS COMPLETED-170 MARCH NEEDS-Pants and light weight outerwear. INTERESTING FACT-Watch for CLEARANCE CLOTHING AS THE STORES AND RESALE SHOPS change over to spring and summer outfits. Also, ask
friends and family members with little ones from 6 months to 2T to donate clothing to this project. THE NEED IS GREAT! FABRIC KIT PROJECT 2026 GOAL-100 KITS COMPLETED-16 MARCH NEEDS-COTTON FABRIC IN 3 YARD LENGTHS PLUS 1 yard or more lengths for receiving blankets. INTERESTING FACT-HOBBY LOBBY AND MICHAELS are stores in Valpo that have fabric by the yard/bolt. PERSONAL CARE KITS KITS COMPLETED-240 MARCH NEEDS-CASH TO PURCHASE REQUIRED ITEMS INTERESTING FACT-Throughout March all cash donations will be matched. Any dollar donated means two dollars for the project. The cost of each kit is
approximately six dollars. ALUMINUM CAN PROJECT 2026 GOAL-$250 Keep the cans coming to the Red Ford truck
or the white basket in the Gathering Area. No donation is too small. Aluminum foil food trays and regular food cans are not being taken at the local recycling centers. The centers are not buying those items any longer. INTERESTING FACT- The more cans we collect the more soap we can buy for the LWR KITS. Lent is a season when traditionally Christians make a sacrifice of some type to remember Christ's sacrifice for us. In this spirit, I am making this request for this time during lent. Beginning on Ash
Wednesday and continuing through Good Friday, I will match any contributions to the Personal Care Kit Project. Please help me help remember those people all over the world that are less fortunate than we are. Any contribution will be greatly appreciated and will be used to purchase items to be included in the kits. Thank you for your participation in this project.
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