Holy Faith Weekly Update - April 8, 2025 | | |
5th Week of Lent: Finding Ourselves in the Wilderness
Trust
"Belief and trust include doubt and struggle. They do not blindly ignore the hard. Believing and trusting God means an ongoing reliance and assured confidence in the midst of struggle. Trust does not deny struggle, but names the pain with continued expectation."
― Brother Luke Ditweig, SSJE
| | Bible Study, Prayer, Posters, and Preparation, Wednesday, April 9 | | | | From 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm, take a look at the Gospel text describing the first Palm Sunday procession. And then design and create posters and props for Palm Sunday. Also, parts of the Passion Readings for Palm Sunday and Good Friday will be handed out. Parish Hall. Supplies available but also feel free to bring your own: markers, poster board, streamers, other crafting supplies. | | HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE AT HOLY FAITH | | Participate in Holy Week 2025. Starting with Palm Sunday, April 13, we gather as a community of faith to remember Jesus’ last week. These holy days draw us deeply into the mystery of our salvation. | | | | |
Palm Sunday Sunday, April 13
10:00 am
Worship begins in the parish hall with the liturgy of the palms and a procession, recalling Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jersualem.
| | | | |
Maundy Thursday Thursday, April 17
6:00 PM
Soup Supper
7:00 pm
Worship, recalling Jesus’ last supper with his friends, his betrayal and arrest.
| | | | |
Good Friday Friday, April 18
10:30 am - 12:30 pm
Kids’ Workshop for children of all ages, allowing age-appropriate engagement with the events of Holy Week. Concludes with a pizza lunch. Can you volunteer? Contact Pastor Andrea: andrea@holy-faith-church.org
Click here for a flyer to share with family and friends.
6:00 pm
Soup Supper
7:00 pm
Worship, remembering Jesus’ trial, crucifixion and death
| | | | |
Easter Sunday Sunday, April 20
7:30 am
Sunrise Service, welcoming the first light of day and Jesus’ resurrection.
10:00 am
Festival Eucharist with Choir. This is the most joyful service of the year. Come and celebrate Jesus’ resurrection with festive holy communion and an anthem prepared by the choir. Stay for coffee hour where Easter rejoicing will continue.
| | Can you bring soup or bread to a simple 6:00 pm supper before the Maundy Thursday or Good Friday worship services? If so, please sign up on the bulletin board at church. | | Collect All Four Holy Week Passport Stamps | | | | |
This Sunday (Palm Sunday) pick up your Holy Week Passport! Holy Week Get your passport stamped for every Holy Week service you attend. Each stamp is unique. Collect them all.
If you collect all four stamps, be sure to bring your stamped passport with you to church on Sunday, April 27, for a fun surprise. Online participants who attend four services, please email Teri Kollath:
teresakollath@gmail.com
| | Good Friday Kids’ Workshop | | | | |
Can you volunteer? A few volunteers are needed to help greet, serve food, and assist with activities. Contact Pastor Andrea: andrea@holy-faith-church.org
Share this flyer with families who might be interested!
| | Journey to the Cross event on Good Friday at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Ida, Michigan | | | | |
A Good Friday program, Journey to the Cross on April 18, is a dramatic reenactment of Christ’s last days. The program is presented between 12-3 & again from 5-7 p.m. at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, 1920 Lewis Ave. (at Dunbar) in Ida, MI. Guided tours begin every 15 minutes to The Last Supper, The Garden of Gethsemane, The Carpenter’s Shop, and The Tomb. There is no charge for this powerful presentation. The event is handicap accessible and suitable for all ages. Call 734-269-2420 for more information.
Parishioner Cory Belote will be going around 1:30 and can take five others in her van. Please contact Cory if you're interested at ctremp@umich.edu.
| | Donate Easter Flowers for the Altar | | | | |
This is a chance to remember a dear one, give thanks for your blessings and give glory to God. You may sign up here, or sign up on the bulletin board with your name and dedication. Donate $20 towards decorating the nave for Easter with lilies, tulips, and daffodils. Your dedication will be included in Easter bulletins for Easter Sunday and April 27. Plants will be taken to homebound members after Easter.
Checks may be made out to Holy Faith Church, Memo: Easter Flowers. Envelopes are provided for your convenience at the bulletin board. Please put altar flower envelopes in the offering plates. Thanks!
| | Help Fill An Easter Dinner Basket for Families Served by SASS | | | | |
Holy Faith Church is again providing five Easter food baskets for families served by Saline Area Social Services. Please look for the sign up sheet on the bulletin board for food you can provide. All items need to be brought to the church by Sunday, April 13 at 10 AM.
If you have any questions or need more information, please contact Liesel Narbut at stevenarbut@comcast.net
| | Look Under Those Couch Cushions to Find Your Spare Change to Benefit Mission Partners this Lent | | | | During Lent, and continuing through Holy Week, Holy Faith will collect change to benefit a mission partner: The Church at Crossroads and / OR Samaritas Refugee Ministries. I'm excited to announce that we have three anonymous match offers! Are there others who might pledge a match up to a designated amount? Our goal is $700 for Crossroads (last year’s total) and $1300 for Samaritas, which helps one refugee upon arrival. | | Deacon Don Will Offer Healing Prayers Sundays Throughout Lent | | | | |
The healing of hurts and the lifting of burdens is part of the work of Lent. Where do you feel hurt, pain or dislocation in your heart?
Healing prayers, anointing and laying on of hands will be offered at the communion rail after worship.
| | Harassment Report Timeline Available to Read in Church Office | | In September 2023, an adult parishioner reported sexual harassment by another adult parishioner. For those with questions, a timeline is available to read in the Church Office Sunday mornings during Lent. The timeline contains the original report and also the subsequent actions taken. This timeline will be available Sundays throughout Lent for members to read. Due to the sensitive nature of the information, we ask that the documents not be copied or removed from the office. For members who – due to health reasons or geographical distance – use Zoom, please contact Parish Administrator Laurie Tikkanen (office@holy-faith-church.org) in order to make a telephone appointment with a member of the PLT who will read you the timeline. | | "The Chosen" Watch Party, Season Four | | | | We have made it through the first three seasons and have been thrilled with the lively discussions that have taken place during our watch parties. And now we are on to Season 4. Join us at our next watch party on Thursday, April 10th, at 6:00 pm. Click here for more information and updated schedule. | | Adult Education, Tuesday, 10:30 am | | | | |
Join us each Tuesday for our Adult Education class at 10:30 am in the Parish Hall.
Questions?? Contact Tish Dersnah at tish47@gmail.com.
| | Register Now for “A Day of Mindfulness” AKA “Why Meditate?” Saturday, May 10, 10 am - 2:30 PM at the Weber Retreat Center in Adrian, MI | | | | |
Meditation – though quite simple – is not an easy practice. Attending to the present moment, we come face to face with joys and sorrows, delights, and annoyances. We practice holding lightly, non-judgmentally whatever arises for us as we sit.
Cultivating mindful presence helps us see more clearly some of our “unwholesome” behaviors and awakens compassion and kindness for oneself, for others, and for our world.
Esther Kennedy, OP, a Dominican Sister of Adrian, Michigan, is a retreat leader and spiritual director. She will lead this workshop primarily for Holy Faith parishioners (with a few others joining). Registration is limited.
Pay What You Can Pricing:
Full Price $40 / Half Price $20 / or No Price. Lunch is included, and carpooling will be available. To register, email Pastor Andrea: andrea@holy-faith-church.org.
| | Bring Food for Saline Area Social Service Food Pantry | | | | |
Priorities for this week:
Beef Stew (canned)
Enchilada Sauce
Chili (canned)
Club Crackers
Sauerkraut
Place food in collection baskets located inside entry door when you come to church. For more information on donations, click here.
| | Join a New Committee to Promote Internal and External Communications | | | | |
Help Holy Faith's light to shine bright and maximize our gospel outreach inside the church anin the community! People are bombarded by a myriad of messages every day. If the church wants to have an effective voice, it has to be clear and intentional in its communication.
Contact Teri Kollath at (239) 633-8893 or Audrey Altman at (734) 560-4323 if you would like to be a part of this exciting new ministry.
| | Take a Prayer Shawl To Someone Who Needs a Reminder of God’s Love | | | | |
Prayer shawls (hand knit or crocheted by Holy Faith parishioners and attached with a prayer for the recipient) are in the Narthex, along with gift bags and tissue paper for the taking.
Prayer shawls will be blessed on Sunday, May 4.
| | Sign Up to Help with Coffee Hour in 2025, and / or Recycling Drop-Off | | | | See the bulletin board for new sign-up sheets for the year. | | Donate Flowers for the Altar in 2025 | | | | |
Sign up on the bulletin board with your name, dedication, and dates requested.
Altar Flowers are $50 for two vases, for two weeks, and must be prepaid..
Checks to be made out to Holy Faith Church, Memo: Altar Flowers. Envelopes are provided for your convenience at the bulletin board. Please put altar flower envelopes in the offering plates. Thanks!
| | Our Own Jim Mangi from Dementia Friendly Saline will speak at EHM, Monday, April 14th, 10-11 AM. | | | | |
Jim will speak on the importance of dementia awareness, his work with Dementia Friendly Saline, and his experiences at our Memory Support Center.
This is a valuable opportunity to gain insight into supporting those with dementia in our communities.
All are welcome. Please RSVP to Jodi Hilberer, hilbererj@EHMFoundation.org at the Professional Office Building of EHM Senior Solutions 400 West Russell
Street, Saline, MI 48176, Entrance A
| | Lunch Bunch Meets Monday, April 14th at Carrigan's Cafe, 11:30 am | | | | |
Meets Monday, April 14th, 11:30 am, at Carrigan Cafe in downtown Saline. We get a big table, and everyone pays their own way. All are welcome for food and fellowship.
??s, contact Barbara Arnold at bjarnold3390@gmail.com
| | Visit the Charles H. Wright African American Museum in Detroit on Saturday, April 26th, 9:30 am | | | | |
Join Outreach Coordinator Janet Cook for a trip to the Charles H. Wright African American Museum in Detroit on Saturday, April 26th.
Sign up on the bulletin board. We will depart promptly from Holy Faith at 9:30 am with an estimated return at 2pm. Cost will be $11-14, depending on group size. *All exhibits accommodate a wheelchair.*
For more information, contact Janet via email at janet.cook114@gmail.com or call her at (810) 599-3631.
| | Using Memorial Funds, the PLT Will Staff the Nursery Every Sunday | | | | |
Look for a job description in the upcoming Weekly Update to share with someone you know who might be interested in working in the Nursery.
For now, Erica Swan will staff the nursery the first two Sundays of every month, effective immediately.
| | PLT Will Fund Van Transport for Members Who Need It | | | | If you - or someone you know would like to schedule a ride to and from church, please contact Pastor Andrea: andrea@holy-faith-church.org | | | | |
Isaiah 40:29: “The Lord gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.”
Holy Faith is a community of prayer, and we maintain a list to offer prayers for healing and wholeness for
members of our parish.
Please pray for:
Those Who Are Sick, In Need, or Grieving:
Tish, Tom, Rudy, Charlotte, Cathy, Davina, Mayvis, Kathy, Mary Jo N., Sandy, Jordan, Piotr, Randy, David, Midge, Rick, Brenda, Craig, Janisse, Trevor, Veronica, Carol E, Dallas, David W, Charles, Mildred, Marlana, Margaret, Lawana, Andrew, Eliza, Mary F, Sally N, Barbara, George, Neil, Jean, Gail, Katherine, Pat, Britt, Susie, Bethany, Charlie, and Judie, that God’s love enfold them.
Our Lutheran Mission Partners:
Samaritas and Global Refuge, who ask our prayers and contributions as they seek to continue caring for people in Christ’s name after losing federal funding.
To add names to the parish prayer list for the current calendar month, email office@holy-faith-church.org Names are kept on the list for a month but can be added again upon request.
In case of illness, hospitalization, a death in the family, or to request a visit, please call the Church Office at 734-429-2991.
Those Celebrating April Birthdays, especially: Barbara Czyrka, Gillian Donovan, Mary Fatchett, Gail Graham, Patti Giallombardo, Gail Graham, John Hassett, Teri Kollath, Christen Mitchell, Laura O'Malley, and William O'Malley, that they may grow in wisdom and grace.
If we have missed your birthday, please let Holy Faith’s Office Manager, Laurie Tikkanen, know: office@holy-faith-church.org
| | | | |
The Holy Faith office is staffed by Office Manager Laurie Tikkanen or Office Volunteer Ann Mayers on Thursdays, 12- 2 PM, or by appointment with Laurie.
Laurie is available to assist you Monday-Friday by phone at (734) 429-2991 or by email at office@holy-faith-church.org.
| | Notice Anything in the Building or on the Grounds that Needs Fixing? | | | | For non-emergency issues, record your concern in the white Buildings & Grounds 3-ring binder on the shelf below the bulletin board. For emergencies, please call the Church Office: 734-429-2991. | | | | |
For your convenience, Holy Faith's website now has links to multiple information sources. These include:
Because of personal contact information, the Members Only section is password protected. Only Holy Faith members can access this page. Please contact the office for the password.
We invite all parishioners and friends to keep us aware of changes and/or updates they may need.
| | | | |
Holy Faith Church
6299 Ann Arbor-Saline Rd
Saline, Michigan 48176
(734) 429-2991
www.holyfaithsaline.org
| | | | | |
