Dear Fellow Royal Subjects,

English history reveals that one of the most stirring shouts that could ring out in a crowd was the cry and

exclamation: “GENTLEMEN! THE KING!” Historians reveal that when the cry rang out, both

noblemen and servants alike, jumped to their feet in preparation to let forth with shouts of “God save the

King,” or “Long live the King!” The announcement: “Gentlemen! The King!” heralded the entrance and

coming of the King of all kings as His royal subjects waved branches of palm from the Mount of Olives

into Jerusalem one week before His resurrection.

This announcement: “Gentlemen and Gentlewomen, THE KING!” will let forth from our lips on Palm

Sunday (March 20th) as Jesus makes His triumphal entry as the King on a quest to do a most holy work.

Once again this year our children will shout “HOSANNA” in a resounding echo for all of to hear.

But what a King is announced to us! And what a King we prepare to welcome! He comes not in pomp,

but in humility; he comes, not to have us pay our taxes, but to pay for our sins. He comes not on a royal

steed but a humble pack animal. Most importantly, though… He comes for us!

So, from the welcoming strains of Palm Sunday, let us conscientiously and with a high degree of

discipleship follow our King… follow Him throughout the heaviest and bitterest week of His life – Holy

Week… follow and be with Him in the Upper Room…receive His Sacrament the evening of Maundy

Thursday…follow Him out to Calvary’s Holy Hill and that Friday called Good… and, in the spirit of

Peter, John and the Marys, hurry out to the tomb on Easter Sunday…. hear the angelic announcement:

“Gentle Men! Gentle Women! Gentle Teens! Gentle Children!... The KING!!

In His Majesty’s Service,

Pastor Arnold

THE SHEPHERD’S STAFF March 2016 CHRIST LUTHERAN CHURCH

www.christlc.net

Platte Woods, Missouri

Volume 59, Number 3

A Very GOOD Day Indeed You’ll notice in this month’s calendar that Easter will be here already on March 27th. This would make the Friday we call Good fall on March 25th. And this is interesting because March 25th has also been the day that the church has historically celebrated the Annunciation of our Lord to the Blessed Virgin Mary (it makes sense, after all, if we celebrate Jesus’ birthday on December 25th, His conception would be 9 months earlier, of course). Liturgically, a feast or festival day like the Annunciation can never displace Good Friday (or any day in Holy Week for that matter), but this concurrence of principal feasts of our Lord affords us the opportunity to reflect on the great meaning found in Jesus’ conception and death.

In regards to His conception, “The Prophet gave the sign/For faithful men to read:/A virgin born of David’s line/Shall bear the promised seed.” (TLH 274:2) That prophet was Isaiah who said, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Is. 7:14) Mary was that virgin born of David’s line and the child Jesus she conceived by the Holy Spirit while remaining a virgin. Why was it this Immanuel, God with us, came to earth? “Stricken, smitten, and afflicted,/See Him dying on the tree!/’Tis the Christ, by man rejected;/Yes, my soul, ‘tis He, ‘tis He!/’Tis the long-expected Prophet,/David’s Son, yet David’s Lord;/Proofs I see sufficient of it:/’Tis the true and faithful Word.” (LSB 451:1) Isaiah also prophesies, “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.” (Isaiah 53:4) In Jesus’ conception, He made all conception holy, belonging to the Lord. In Jesus’ death, He made all dying holy, belonging to the Lord.

In the Small Catechism Luther explains God’s gift of life when he speaks on the first article of the Apostle’s Creed, “All this He does only out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me.” (SC 2:1) The worth and merit of life are not determined by anything in us—not our physical appearance, our mental capacity, our bodily abilities, or the quality of our life. God’s fatherly, divine goodness and mercy alone give human life its worth and value.

How different this is from the way our culture evaluates the worth and merit of life! Our culture argues that the unborn are not to be afforded the protection of the law since they do not possess the characteristics of personhood. Some claim that if the fetus is not capable of viability or self-sustained existence outside of the womb, he or she may not be ascribed the dignity of one who possesses such capacity. Others maintain that unless an unborn child is wanted by his/her mother, it has no claim to existence. Likewise, at the end of life, we hear the argument that some people are “unworthy” of life, such as the terminally ill or severely handicapped. Even legal assisted suicide is now being adopted by more states.

Christians, however, value human beings and care for them in every season of life, from conception to natural death, not because they possess certain physical or mental traits or capacities, but because they are created by God and endowed with life. We value life because God’s Son was conceived, born, and died. Life’s worth is not based on what we have or even who we are, but whose we are—human beings created and redeemed in body and soul by the Triune God. Life’s value comes from our Creator, “without any merit worthiness” in us. God’s worthiness given to us in the conception, birth, and death of His Son makes us worthy and makes this March 25th a very Good Day. In Christ’s Service, Pastor Froiland

Deacon’s Page Youth and Education Opportunities for the Parish March, 2016

YOUTH NEWS

Little Lambs Kids For Christ Infant-Kindergarten Grades 1-5

BUMPER BOWLING NEW DATE

Saturday, March 12

NEW DATE 2:00 – 4:00 PM

Little Lambs, Kids For Christ, (and JR-LYF member siblings) are invited to Gladstone Bowl on Saturday, March 12 from 2-4 PM. Bring $3 per bowler to cover your cost. Moms and Dads…please bowl too! We have FOUR lanes reserved for this fun outing. PLEASE SIGN-UP ON THE POSTER IN THE FELLOWSHIP COMMONS!

WEEKDAY SCHOOL CHOIR SINGS NEXT ON MARCH 20

SR-LYF / JR-LYF Grades 9-12 Grades 6-8

EASTER PREPARATIONS Saturday, March 26 9:00-10:30 AM

SR-LYF Members (Gr. 9-12) & JR-LYF Members (Gr. 6-8) are needed to help prepare the Ephphatha Room for the Easter Breakfast, and to “stuff eggs” for the annual Easter Egg Hunt. We will begin at 9 AM and should be finished by 10:30 AM.

SR-LYF / JR-LYF Grades 9-12 Grades 6-8

EASTER BREAKFAST

EASTER EGG HUNT Sunday, March 27

SR-LYF Members (Gr. 9-12) & JR-LYF Members (Gr. 6-8) will be serving the LYF Easter Breakfast from 7-9 AM and running the Little Lambs/Kids For Christ Easter Egg Hunt. We will be leaning heavily on all of our SR-LYF Members (Gr. 9-12) to serve the Easter Breakfast…JR-LYF Members will be counted on to “run” the Egg Hunt.

SR-LYF/JR-LYF/Kids For Christ Grades 9-12 Grades 6-8 Grades 1-5

HEIT’S POINT SUMMER CAMPS

The sign-up poster is on display! All who register BEFORE MAY 1st receive a $ 20.00 “Early Bird” discount. The first five who return a completed registration form (before Easter) will have their $ 75.00 registration fee paid! Act now!

SR-LYF JR-LYF Grades 9-12 Grades 6-8

FLOAT TRIP June 3 – 4 Elk River/Sky Ranch Camp

The annual LYF Float Trip will take us to the Elk River and to the Sky Ranch Camp near Quapaw, Oklahoma for zip-lining, paintball, water activities and other fun things. Sign-Up poster is in the Fellowship Commons.

Adult Information Class

A new Adult Information Class will begin this month with an organizational meeting on Sunday, March 13th at 6:00PM. The meeting will be very brief, about 20 minutes or so, to hand out materials and discuss which days the class would like to meet. Who is it for? It’s for everyone. It’s for the longtime member who wants a refresher on Christian doctrine and the Lutheran faith. It’s for those who are seeking membership in this

congregation. It’s also for anyone else just interested in what Lutherans teach and confess. May I come and bring a friend? Absolutely! That’s exactly what the class is for. In other words, don’t just invite someone you know to the class. Rather, BRING THEM WITH YOU. Invite them along and offer to pick them up. Friends will be much more willing to go if they know you will be in the class with them. Don’t miss out – Organizational meeting for a new class will be Sunday, March 13th at 6:00PM at the Church. Remember, the participants in the class will decide which days are best to meet. Do come and be a part of our new class. Note – If you can’t make the organizational meeting – no problem. You may join the class at any time. Just talk with either Pastor Arnold or Pastor Froiland.

Discipleship Data Accessions Communicant:

Ivory Kump, adult confirmation - Feb. 7, 2016

Easter Lilies Easter lilies are available for purchase to help beautify our church for Easter. If you’d like to

purchase one, please sign-up on the sheet in the Narthex. Payment can be with cash, or a check

written to Christ Lutheran Altar Guild. Envelopes are available for payment, and can be left in the Altar Guild mailbox by the pop machine. Each plant is $13,

and you can take it home after the Easter season.

March Acolytes 8:00am 10:45am

March Connor Henry Joseph Ramos, Daniel Brinkmeyer Jarien Montgomery

Dress and behavior

Your dress code shall consist of dark colored pants and socks and dark colored shoes; clean and combed hair.

Watch your posture when walking in the chancel. It is expected that you sit upright, both feet on the floor and do not stare out into the congregation. Also, acolytes are part of the worshiping community and are expected to sing hymns and participate in the liturgy.

You are responsible for securing your own substitute if one is needed. You are to be in the sacristy and vesting no later than 15 minutes before the service.

Please do not talk during worship!! Jacob Arnold 10:45am Daniel Brinkmeyer 10:45am Mark Buchholz 8am Nathan Cox substitute Brandon Cuda 10:45am Joey Ferguson 10:45am Jackson Foutch 10:45am Thomas Henrichs 8am

Joshua Keller 10:45am Matthew Knopp 10:45am Michael Marfield substitute Jarien Montgomery 10:45am Joseph Ramos 10:45am Grayson Spidle 8am Jackson Winfrey 10:45am Joseph Winfrey 10:45am

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Orchids and Onions Orchids to those that provided emergency pantry donations for Our Redeemer Lutheran Church. Orchids to our new Elders… Jeff Ferguson, Shawn Smith, Kevin Smith, and Roger

Lewis. These four men will make wonderful additions to the Elders committee. Orchids to Kelly Yulich who has begun making our new baptismal banners. They look great! And thank you to Diana Stewart who retired from making the baptismal banners at the beginning of the year. We so appreciate your faithful work and service. Orchids to Shane Rogers and the OASIS committee for putting together care packages for our college kids. Great work. Orchids to the many, many Christ Lutheran members who brought themselves, friends, and associates to the 7th Annual Trivia Night Fun’Raiser at The Hawthorne House. Your support of our youth by attending this event was noteworthy and greatly appreciated! Over $2,600.00 was raised.

News from Christ Lutheran Pre-Kindergarten

Trying asking a group of students from our Pre-K, “What is a king?” and you’ll likely hear some answers like

these: “someone strong, mighty, powerful”; “someone who wears a crown”; “someone who can tell others what

to do”; “someone who wins a battle”; “someone rich”; and of course, “someone who lives in a castle.”

So when telling young children that Jesus is our King, it can be difficult for them to understand. Here on earth,

Jesus never wore a bejeweled crown, carried a scepter, lived in a castle, or owned great riches. Instead, Jesus

lived a simple, humble life. He generally traveled on foot, in simple fishing boats, or on Palm Sunday, on a

donkey. He served instead of being served. He even washed His disciples’ feet, one of the lowliest of any

servant’s jobs. All of Jesus’ serving acts culminated in His greatest service ever: giving His life willingly on the

cross so that we might live. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus conquered our deadly enemies: sin,

death, and Satan.

It is in Jesus’ service that we see His mighty power and strength. Jesus heals, intercedes, saves, forgives, loves.

He conquers our fears and insecurities, our worries and doubts. He never changes. He is the greatest King we

could ever have. We can count on our Savior, Jesus, always. For all this, He deserves our unending praise and

gratitude.

This month as we focus on the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus, let loose and show your love for Him.

Show everyone around you the joy and delight you have in your daily walk with our Lord and King!

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Now enrolling for summer school and for the 2016-2017 school year. Contact the school office for more

information.

Mrs. Chrissy Heiss, M.Ed., Director Train Up a Child in God’s Love

Christ Lutheran Pre-Kindergarten 816-741-8031 FAX 816-741-0455

christpk@christlc.com; https://www.facebook.com/ChristLutheranPrekindergarten; www.christlc.net

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Lutheran High School of Kansas City 12411 Wornall Rd. KC, MO 64145 816-241-5478 Website: www.lhskc.com Come join us for the following events! Saturday, March 12th –Noon and 1:15 p.m. The Kansas City Area Lutheran Grade School All-Star Game—Girls’ and boys’ 8th grade All-Star games will be played at LHS. Come and root on your favorite players as they perform one more time as grade schoolers. Music Tour Home Concert—After touring “The Big Easy” the musical talents of our LHS students will be on full display on Thursday, March 31st at 7 p.m. Come out and enjoy our Spring Music Concert under the direction of Peter Olson and Paula Meier. Spring Drama—Set your calendars for April 8th, 9th, and 10th as LHS presents The Importance of Being Earnest, a comedy for all to enjoy. Saturday, April 16th --Affair of the Heart—The 27th edition of the LHSKC dinner auction will begin at 5 p.m. This year’s theme is the Red Carpet Affair. Donate an item, volunteer to serve, come and attend, or do all three as LHS raises dollars for the ministry to young people as we “prepare lives for today, tomorrow and eternity.” Re-enrollment has begun—Enrollment for the 2016-2017 school year at The Lutheran High School of Kansas City has begun. The Lutheran High School of Kansas City is a dynamic school with much to offer every child. From Dual Credit University courses to Business and Tech/Trade courses our students are achieving at a high level. Facility, faculty, leadership opportunities, spiritual growth, and positive environment are all reasons to consider LHSKC. Come and visit and enroll today.

Martin Luther Academy MARTIN LUTHER ACADEMY NEWS Kindergarten and First grade took a field trip to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. They toured parts of the museum and participated in a texture class where they created their own texture art piece.

MLA celebrated Valentine’s Day with classroom parties on February 12. Many parents joined the celebration, leading games and crafts in the various rooms.

The Executive Council voted unanimously to extend Mr. Osbourn a call to serve at MLA as principal, beginning in July of 2016. We ask you to join us in praying that God’s will be done as he deliberates his decision.

Save the dates: March 12 – MLA School Auction will be held in the MLA Gymnasium

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OASIS (Everyone 55 and better!)

Christ Lutheran Lunch Group (CLLG) headed to Applebee’s for their February

luncheon. There were 15 in attendance. March will find them at Beaches

Cantina. If you have any questions, please contact Lynda Reinert.

Thanks to those who furnished dessert after the 10AM Lenten Services in

February – JoAnne Burnside, Denice Lackey, Becky Belt, and Marilyn Steffens.

Also, thank you to Deacon and Eunice for setting up the tables and chairs and

having coffee ready for Christian fellowship.

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We get letters……

Dear Pastor Arnold,

On behalf of Donice Mahan, Hillcrest Platte County, and the Ble$$ings Program, I

would like to personally thank Christ Lutheran Church and you for your ongoing

support and partnership with the Ble$$ings Program. Throughout 2016, we will continue to use

the church’s donation and the matching deposit from Hillcrest Platte County to further double

the impact of your church benevolence ministry. Those combined funds will be used to

continue helping the insecurely housed in our area stay in their homes. To date, the Ble$$ings

Program has stopped nineteen eviction and fourteen utility shutoffs since the program began

in August 2015. We look forward to what the Lord is going to do through our combined

ministries during 2016.

Grace and peace, David Johnson, Director of Ble$$sings Program, Hillcrest Platte County

Oromo Christian Fellowship In past issues of The Shepherd Staff, we made the parish-family aware of a new mission/partnership

opportunity with the Oromo (from Ethiopia, Africa) Christians that live in our area. After much

discussion and prayer, the Elders of our parish-family recommended to the Board of Directors that we

enter into a partnership with the Oromo Christians in our area. The Board of Directors approved the

partnership in February. What does this mean? Here are some highlights…

The Oromo congregation (about 40 members) will be using our facility for a meeting once a

week, for Bible study once a week, and for Worship (in the Ephphatha room) on Sunday

afternoon. For the time being, Pastor Arnold will monitor the facility and its use.

There is potential that the children of the Oromo Christian Fellowship will attend Sunday School

and Weekday School with our children in the future.

There is potential to include the Oromo families in some of our fellowship and youth events

throughout the year.

There is opportunity for your pastors to teach and catechize the Oromo Christian Fellowship

group in the Lutheran faith. Some in the group would call themselves Lutheran, but not all.

However, their desire is to be an LCMS congregation in the future. Right now, they are not.

That is why we will remain two separate groups for the time being.

At this time, our relationship with the Oromo group is completely platonic. They have an Evangelist by

the name of Abdi from Ethiopia that will be their pastor/leader. He is a graduate of the Lutheran

Seminary of the Mekana Yesus Church in Ethiopia. At this time there is no agreement to financially

support their pastor or help Evangelist Abdi with his continuing education in English and Theology.

However, hopefully we will be able to do that in the future.

The Oromo people are very concerned about correct Biblical teaching and that is why they have sought

us out. They are especially concerned about their children who are growing up in America, who are

Americans, and will have American kids of their own one day. They want to be a part of the Lutheran

faith with right teaching. We are excited about helping to provide that.

Please keep this endeavor in your prayers. If you have any questions, please see Pastor Arnold or Pastor

Froiland. This is a new and exciting venture for our parish-family. We pray God’s blessings upon it.

Pastor Arnold *****************************************************************************************

The Paul Preisinger Scholarship Fund for Pastoral Candidates was founded sixteen years ago to encourage the men of the Kansas City North, Central and South Circuits of the LC-MS to enter the ministry by providing financial assistance for their schooling. Ninety-one scholarships totaling $88,750 have been awarded to this time. Scholarships for the 2015/2016 school year were awarded to Benjamin Micheel, Zach Klatt and Bennett Franzen, Concordia Theological Seminary, St. Louis; and Kenton Burgess, Concordia University, Seward.

Many loving memorials and celebratory gifts have allowed this scholarship to continue to provide financial assistance to the men who will be our future pastors. These gifts are tax deductible and one-hundred percent of all monies go directly to the scholarships, as we are a zero-overhead organization. We thank all of you, not only for your financial support, but also for your prayers and help in publicizing this scholarship.

Applications for the Paul Preisinger Scholarship Fund for Pastoral Candidates are available from Michele Preisinger, pwpmmp@yahoo.com or 913-667-3051. The postmark deadline for the 2016/2017 applications is May 31, 2016.

Thank you, The Paul Preisinger Scholarship Fund Committee

Elaine Beaman, Linda Steffens, Paulette Blunt, Michele Preisinger

In-gathering for Our Redeemer We will be gathering goods for Our Redeemer through the

month of March. Please bring your items by March 30th and put them on the table in the Commons Area. Thank you! We

received this letter from Our Redeemer in February.

February, 2016

Greetings to all in Christ Jesus! Praise The Lord! We feel we have recovered from our fire. Thanks to everyone for your prayers, and your support in so many ways. Our Redeemer Lutheran Church Board of Missions, Pastor Zerkel and Pastor Sanchez would like to update you regarding services we provide the homeless and needy families in our neighborhood. We plan for the ministry to our community to concentrate on food, as well as young mothers’ needs. The items Our Redeemer Lutheran Church needs in order to help serve this need are listed below. Currently, our food pantry is in need of cans with "pop-tops," which are essential for the homeless and preferable for the low income. We are also placing emphasis on things that are ready-to-eat and heat-and-serve, which are greatly appreciated by the people we serve. Specifically, we are looking for: Canned Goods: Hearty soup, spaghetti, spaghetti-o's, ravioli & Dinty-Moore type stews, tuna, chicken, Spam, crackers, fruit, beans, vegetables, MISC., Boxes of macaroni & cheese, Easy Mac, Hamburger Helper, Pasta, Pasta Sauce, Peanut Butter, and Juice A note on clothing assistance at Our Redeemer: Our Redeemer Lutheran Church will not be going back to the thrift store style clothing assistance that we did before the fire. Instead, we are focusing our resources where we can make the greatest impact: on critical needs and young mothers in northeast Kansas City. In lieu of other clothing donations,

we are looking for: Men's/Women's Socks, Men's/Women's Underwear, Diapers, Formula, Feminine hygiene products, Coats/gloves in the fall and winter months, ball caps in spring and summer Your donations and support is appreciated very much. This effort could not be taking place without your support. Thank you for choosing to serve our Heavenly Father through this Christian Outreach.

We prayerfully ask for your help with the continuation of donations to this much needed Mission to provide for those in our community. In Christ’s love

Our Redeemer Board of Missions

October -2017 Anniversaries + Christ Lutheran – 60 Years +

+ The Reformation – 500 Years +

In 2017 we will embark on a celebration of two monumental Anniversaries

during the month of October. Our Parish-Family celebrates 60 years AT and

WITH Christ along with the 500th

anniversary of the posting of the 95 theses by

Martin Luther – the official beginning of The Reformation. So, why are we

talking about something that is two years away right now? Good question.

Here’s why…

Last year, the Board of Directors formed a Facilities Renovation Committee and

they have already accomplished many of the projects on their list. This list with

price tag includes:

A new flat roof – est. $70,000 (done last year)

Tuck-pointing the entire exterior of the church -- $47,404

Church parking lot -- $51,791

New windows at the 72nd

Street parsonage as well as the Camden Ave.

house. -- $19,559

Carpet at the Camden Ave. house and the Maple Ln. house – $8,884

Projects yet to be done include:

Resolve drainage issues on East side of the church.

Various flooring, ceiling and finish repairs throughout the church

Various HVAC units at both the church and houses.

Other smaller projects to update the Pre-K and other areas downstairs.

We have a total goal of $250,000 by the end of next year. Our church facilities

are in need of some improvements and, unfortunately, these updates are not

cheap. We have spent some of our current capital as well as borrowed against

our mortgage loan to pay for these items.

So, we will begin a capital campaign in honor of our two 2017 Anniversary

celebrations to help fund these continued projects. Won’t you help? Please use

the enclosed envelope for your Anniversary Offering. Check out the table in the

Narthex for more information and to track our progress.

3/2 Pamela Levetzow

Andrew Keck

3/3 Jeff Marriott

3/4 Debra Peterson

David Baker

Samantha Oathout

3/5 Douglas Gibson

Deanna Stumpf

3/6 Shirley Newhouse

Dan Mahnken

Randi Kent

3/7 Cheryl Holle

Nathan June

Abrah Heitman

3/8 Hank Marriott

Jude Guy

3/10 Kyle Basch

3/11 Jennifer Scott

Aubrey Ziller

Molly Colvin

Drew Davidson

3/12 Marilyn Graham

Jerry Pietsch

Jacalyn Firestone

Kathy Ferguson

Christine Richardson

Sophie McLauchlen

3/13 Georgia Witt

Sara Froiland

Cara Davidson

Rachel Henrichs

3/14 Tamra Penn

Michael Nielsen

Tyler Williamson

3/15 Darren Cox

Brian Cox

Leah Gehrke

3/16 Patricia Hearther

Elizabeth King

Justyn Osar

3/17 Zaneta Scott

Erik Stark

Corey Richardson

Ivory Kump

Cypher Hulber

3/18 Richard Weimer

Frances Schach

Jan Turner

Sarah Nelson

Caitlyn Trager

3/19 Robert Laverty

3/20 Jenner Jones

Bretten Roberts

3/21 Casey Martin

3/22 Sharon Clark

Tanya Cvetan

Johnathan Clark

Genesis Herring

3/23 Susan Dittmer

Nancy Ruud

Sean Leive

Stacy Fizer

3/24 Laura Spidle

Heather Patrick

Anne Thomas

Jarien Montgomery

3/25 Emmalynn Froiland

3/26 Bobby Mann

Tyler Cvetan

3/27 Carla Ballah

Judy Gibson

Rhett Monroe

Khyler Brewer

3/28 Deborah Durham

Ashlee Peterson

Jodi Pedersen

Logan Sanders

3/29 Clifford Baker

Michelle Herring

3/30 Barb Chastain

Abigale Bayless

3/31 David Richardson

Bobbie Butler

Marcia Naher

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IN MEMORIAM

Lois Miller

July 21, 1933 – January 29, 2016

“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.” Psalm 116:15