Announcements for Sunday, March 26, 2023
Prayer of Preparation
Eternal God and Father, help us to remember Jesus, who obeyed your will and bore the cross for our salvation that through his anguish, pain, and death we may receive forgiveness of sins and inherit eternal life; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
From Wels.net
WELCOME TO OUR WORSHIP SERVICE—Is this your first time at Salem? If so, welcome. We’re so glad to have you with us. If you’d like for us to get to know you better you can use a connection card located in the seat pocket in front of you and drop it in the offering plate in the Narthex. Also, be sure to stop at the Narthex on your way out for a gift from us. Thank you for coming!
WE WELCOME THE REV. JAY WARREN as our guest preacher today. Pastor David will be away from the office through March 29th. For pastoral concerns, please contact the Rev. Warren.
THE CHURCH SECRETARY WILL BE WORKING FROM HOME next week except for Thursday. If you need assistance, please email salemdarmstadt@gmail.com and she will get back with you.
A SAFETY, SECURITY, AND ACCESS MEETING will be held immediately following the 10am service TODAY. Please plan on attending. We look forward to discussing changes, as well as the justification and the benefits of what we are proposing. See the article later in the bulletin for more information.
THERE WILL BE NO LENTEN BIBLE STUDY on Tuesday night this week. Consider joining us for our final session on April 4th at 6:30pm in the Adult Classroom where we wrap up our study on “The Meaning of the Cross: Examining the What the Bible Teaches”.
THE THURSDAY FLOCK will meet on Thursday mornings. From 9:00-10:00am they will have a social hour with exercise, coffee and a continental breakfast. There will be a Bible study from 10:00-11:00am. This Thursday, March 30th, they will have a meal at 11:00am.
THE WOMEN’S WEEKLY BIBLE STUDY will meet at 6:00pm on Thursday March 30th. It is not too late to join us. The assignment will be in the book The Case for Faith by Lee Strobel, pages 23 through 60, evil and suffering, objection number one. Hope to see you there.
EASTER EGG HUNT—The Junior Youth will have their Annual Easter Egg Hunt on Sunday, April 2nd at 2:00pm, with ice cream immediately following. All children are welcome!
EASTER FLOWERS — Once again, you have the opportunity to have an Easter flower placed at the front of the church in memory or in honor of a loved one or in celebration of an event. There are forms in the Narthex and Echo, and they must be turned in or mailed to the church office by Sunday, April 2nd.
THE WOMEN’S GUILD will be meeting on Tuesday, April 4th at 9:30am.
MEMBERSHIP SUNDAY—We are planning on having our next Membership Sunday in April. We invite all those considering church membership to contact the church office to set up an appointment with Pastor David, or you may contact him directly at salempastor@gmail.com.
IF YOU HAVE A CPR/FIRST AID CARD, please bring a copy of it to the church office.
THE PRAYER GROUP is meeting at church in the conference room at 6:30pm on Wednesdays. If you would like the link for the online option, please email Pastor David at salempastor@gmail.com.
SPECIAL MUSIC IS NEEDED FOR SPRING — There is a sign up sheet outside the church office, or you can email salemdarmstadt@gmail.com or call 812-867-3142. We currently have openings for April 16th & 30th, and May 14th.
ANNUAL GOOD FRIDAY BREAKFAST—The Women’s Guild would like to invite the ladies of the church to the Annual Good Friday Breakfast on April 7, 2023, held at Salem Church of Darmstadt this year. Doors open at 9am with a light breakfast served until 9:45am, and then the program begins at 10:00am. Please bring a breakfast food to share. The event is free. Please sign up by Friday, March 31st if you plan to attend. There is a sign up sheet on the bulletin board in the Fellowship Hall lobby. We look forward to your attendance!
EASTER MORNING BREAKFAST—We want you to come to church on Easter Sunday HUNGRY! The Senior Youth will have their Annual Easter Breakfast April 9th at 7:30am after the Sunrise Service. The menu will include sausage, scrambled eggs, pancakes, fruit, donut holes, muffins, coffee, juice, and milk. There will be a freewill offering received that supports the Sr Youth activities throughout the year. Please give generously! If you are unable to attend the breakfast but would like to support the Sr Youth, there will be special envelopes in the Narthex or you can donate online under Special Offerings.
SALEM CHURCH HOLY WEEK
Maundy Thursday Service, Meal, and Communion will be April 6th at 6:00pm. All adults who plan to attend the meal are asked to bring a covered dish. The Evangelism Committee will provide the meat and drinks.
Women’s Guild Good Friday Breakfast will be April 7th at 9:00am.
Good Friday Tenebrae Service will be April 7th at 7:00pm.
Easter Sunrise Service will be on April 9th at 6:30am.
Easter Breakfast will be on April 9th at 7:30am.
Easter Morning Sunday School will be on April 9th at 9:00am.
Easter Festival Service will be on April 9th at 10:00am.
Easter Contemporary Service will be on April 9th at 11:30am.
The attacks on Churches in our country has tripled in the past four years. Over 420 acts of hostility occurred in 2022. Although most churches will not experience violence in their house of worship, church leaders must have a security plan to keep the congregation and building facility secure. The church council has reviewed the current safety and security status at Salem and are recommending changes in the way we access our church. To this time we have relied on keyed entry. However, more and more churches have realized that there must be a more effective way of keeping all of us and our facilities more safe and secure, and yet provide reasonable access into the church. As a result of our research and internal conversations, the Church Council will be recommending church access by electronic access (phone, electronic key card, and keypad) on two of our doors (kitchen and Fellowship Hall entry doors) and non-duplicable keys on the five other doors. We believe the approach of adding a new electronic access system, which is being used more frequently around the country and locally, will provide the safety we all need and want and yet provide reasonable access. We look forward to explaining these changes, the justification and the benefits of what we are proposing at an informational meeting after the 10:00am service on Sunday, March 26th. Please plan to attend. A draft of the proposed policy is below.
Salem Church of Darmstadt has been blessed with facilities built to be used for God’s honor and glory. Along with the privilege of using the church building is the obligation to ensure that it is properly secure. As stewards of God’s resources, building security is the responsibility of us all. This policy is subject to periodic review and update as required to ensure that the building is adequately secured without placing undue burden on user access. Loss or misuse of access tools (electronic cards, keypad codes and keys) exposes the church to considerable security risk.
Policies governing access tools issued to Salem members and other authorized persons and organizations.
Electronic cards, keypad codes, keys and telephone apps will only be available for building access to authorized Salem congregational members and outside organizations.
Lost or stolen electronic cards and keys should be immediately reported to the church office.
All access tools holders assume responsibility for the safekeeping of the tools approved.
A record shall be kept of all access tools distributed and name of the recipients.
All access tools must be turned into the office from any person who has ended their term of office, volunteer assignment or work completed at Salem.
Access tools are available through the Church Secretary during normal business hours 8:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m. Monday – Thursday.
Proposed church access policy change – How does this affect me?
If you need an Access Tool, ask for it!
Why the need?
Security risks (Fellowship Hall and Kitchen)
1) Several uninvited visitors entering the church through unlocked doors, entering the office area encountering church staff and volunteers, entering the nursery while nursery staff and students were present; and
2) Front and other church doors unlocked for several hours or several days before being discovered.
Proposed solution: Two entrances (Kitchen door and Fellowship Hall entrances) shall have Electronic Access installed. Access shall occur by utilizing free cell phone app (preferred), key card (small cost), or a keypad (Access Tools).
Advantages:
- These doors will automatically lock when closed, but can be programmed otherwise;
- When the church is notified, lost or stolen Access Tools will be disabled;
- Access Tools can be granted for one-time use for maintenance and other vendors and to others;
- Access Tools will be disabled when members leave the church or when the service providers complete their work;
- There are no locks to change and no (or small) expense incurred when Access Tools are lost or stolen;
- Access Tools are unique to the individual and the system creates an audit trail; and
- Access Tools may be available on a permanent or temporary basis.
Security Risks (Sanctuary and Other Doors)
1) Keys have been lost, not recovered and the church has not been notified;
2) Keys have been duplicated;
3) Keys have not been returned to the church at the conclusion of volunteer service role or work assignment;
4) Keys have not been returned by members who have left the church;
5) Keys have been loaned to other church members or relatives; and
6) Locks have not been changed in a number of years.
Proposed Solution: Five remaining exterior doors (Sanctuary entrance, Conference room, Parish Hall and two Fellowship Hall doors) rekeyed with no primary access. All ingress will be allowed only through the two electronically monitored doors except for regularly scheduled services or activities.
Advantages:
- Fewer keys to track;
- Keys can’t be duplicated; and
- Keys may be available on a permanent or temporary basis.
Around the community. . .
BETHANY CHRISTIAN CHURCH located at 601 E Mill Rd in Evansville will have a free annual Community Easter Egg Hunt on April 8th at 2:00pm. The eggs are donated with free candy, prizes, coupons, etc. They will also have snacks, water, and a giant Easter bunny!
THE PRAYER GROUP is meeting at church in the conference room at 6:30pm on Wednesdays. We also have the online option for those you can’t make it in person. If you would like the link for the online option, please email Pastor David at salempastor@gmail.com
Anyone from throughout the community is invited to meet each Thursday morning at Salem Church in Darmstadt. This group is a comfortable, non-threatening environment for people to meet and enjoy the company of others. Participation in activities is optional, and people may come and go as they please. Each Thursday of the month, they meet…
CALLING ALL LADIES OF THE CHURCH! A women’s weekly Bible Study Group is beginning on Thursday, March 16th. We will meet in the adult Sunday School room from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. Our first book will be The Case for Faith by Lee Strobel. Please let Jean Baresic, Susan Straub, or Beth Willner know if…
Sunday school classes are available for children ages 3 and up. Sunday school begins at 9 a.m. and lasts until 9:45 a.m. Each classroom follows a Bible-based curriculum specifically geared for that age group. Safe Church Policy Salem has instituted a safe church policy in order to create a safe environment in which our Sunday…
Salem’s classic traditional worship service, featuring organ music and a choir. Experience worship as it has been done for generations.
