WOMEN'S CIRCLES of the WELCA There
are three active Women's Circles that meet monthly in the Lakeside
room. The Mary Circle, the Martha Circle and the Eve Circle are each
unique in their scope and mission to the congregation and to the
community. Circle members participate in projects such as; quilting,
Bible study, outreach projects and a variety of social activities.
Mary Circle meets the first Tuesday of each month - at 10:00 am in the Hillside Room.
Martha Circle meets the first Thursday of each month - at 9:30 am in the Hillside Room.
Eve Circle meets the third Tuesday of each month - at 5:30 p.m. in the Lakeside Room.
Each Circle has a project as well as the Bible Study described under the WELCA GROUP HEADING.
If you are unable to attend Circle meetings, you may subscribe to Lutheran Women Today magazine;
Augsburg Fortress Publishers 1-800-328-4648 and follow the Bible Study and news of Lutheran women each month.
WELCA
NEWS
Bright sunshine, lengthening
daylight hours, and warmer temperatures are surely welcome heralds of
Spring.And as the grit and
grime of nature get washed by Spring rains, we are reminded of the need to
freshen up our church kitchen also.Kitchen Cleaning Day has been set for Thursday,April 22, at 9:00 a.m.Please let Mona know if you can lend a
hand.
Plans for the May Brunch
are shaping up.Be sure to keep
10:00 a.m. Saturday, May 15 open for a yummy meal and a family-oriented
program.
A beautiful reminder of the purpose
of WELCA surfaced the other day."This community of women is a living organism and is always moving to be
God's hands and feet in the world."(From the March issue of Women of the ELCA's "Interchange" Newsletter.)
Our Bible Study in April
continues with Romans 14 & 15, and will focus on "Holy Hospitality," as we
continue to pursue the understanding of how to be God's hands and feet.
SILVERSMITH Submitted by Rachelle Hills "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver." - Malachi 3:3 This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study. That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities. The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver." She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed. The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?" He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it." If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.
Gloria Dei Lutheran Church 219 N. 6th Ave. E. Duluth, MN 55805 218.722.3381