Lenten Services will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesdays March 12-April 9. Join us for supper before church! Proceeds from the meal go to Youth Group.

No Faith Formation on March 23 (Spring Break).

Palm Sunday is April 13. The kids will bring the palms into worship.

No Faith Formation on April 20, Easter.

Last day of Faith Formation is May 4.

April 17: First Communion (3rd graders & older) during Maundy Thursday Service

• First Communion Classes - scroll down for more details!

We could use more help to make the Wednesday night suppers happen! Check out the sign-up to see if your family might be able to help.

Lent is the church season before Easter. It is 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Maundy Thursday, excluding Sundays.

Lent is a time to work on being closer to God as we consider the sacrifice Jesus made to die on the cross for our sins. Satan is always trying to tempt us, just as he did with Adam and Eve. We must guard our hearts through prayer, study, and worship in order to stay faithful to God.

Why do we put ashes on our foreheads?

Not all churches have Ash Wednesday services, so this may be different for you! On Ash Wednesday we are reminded “From dust you came, and to dust you will return.” Death is one of the prices we pay for the sin. This is not just physical death, but also spiritual death. Without Jesus, we will spend eternity separated from God.

Quake is a Christian weekend retreat for youth in grades 6-12. Last weekend these four young people traveled with me to Wisconsin Dells for a lot of fun (it's a waterpark resort, after all!), but also a chance to grow in faith. We got to experience worshipping with 750 other young people, we participated in Bible Studies, listened to speakers, helped with a service project, and met lots of really cool people who are living their life for Jesus.

I encourage you all to keep this event in mind when your kids are old enough - it's sort of like experiencing the best parts of summer Bible camp in one weekend. In order to grow our faith, we have to be intentional about investing our time and energy into God. Our weekend verse was John 3:16, and the theme was that we are enough with Jesus, but we are not enough on our own. What a great message for all of us as the world constantly tells us we are not enough!

If you get a chance to talk to Gabby Ottenbacher or Zayne Hartwig, ask them what they liked about Quake!

Kids who are in at least third grade and have not had First Communion study are invited to join us for the following upcoming classes!

All classes will be held during Faith Formation (Sundays from 10:30-11:30).

First Communion Preparation: February 23 and March 2

These classes are led by Faith Formation teachers and help kids understand the Old Testament connections to Communion.

First Communion Instruction with Pastor Janine:

March 9

March 16

March 30

April 6

April 13 (Parents attend this last class)

(No class on March 23).

First Communion will be celebrated on Maundy Thursday at 7 pm on April 17.

Please let Janine or Jenn know if your child would like to participate as we do order materials for this class.

Please watch this newsletter and your Remind feed for opportunities to fill in as a substitute teacher!

• Faith Formation: Substitute teachers and occasional leader for opening - let me know if you are willing to on the list when we are in need:)
• Youth Group: We are also in need of volunteers for the Youth Group - particularly to add more opportunities for small group Bible studies for teens. We could really use more men to share their faith with our teen boys!
• Mentoring: KidsHope is a mentoring partnership between Hosanna and Lincoln Elementary. If you are interested in committing an hour a week to meet with one student during the school day, please let me know! We have a need for additional mentors.

In an effort to keep things clean and tidy, you can return Worship Activity bags to the posts and the Activity boards to the carts instead of piling them up. Each one gets checked and refilled every week!

What do you love about Hosanna?

What do you wish for?

Share your ideas so we keep doing the things that are working, and keep growing with positive changes.

This link will remain open all year, so drop by anytime with your feedback.

Click the picture to share your ideas!

Third-Sixth Graders - have you memorized the entire Apostles' Creed? Say it to a teacher and you can sign the poster in the Education Hallway! Younger kids can take on this challenge, too!

The Apostles' Creed is like a faith statement - it sums up what we believe as Christians!

Your kids can pick up cards to practice memory verses, the Apostles' Creed, or the Books of the Bible from Jenn. Tucking God's word in our hearts helps our faith have deeper roots!

Faith Formation: 10:30-11:30

Preschool and Kindergarten: Ella Olson, Rylle Olson, Claire Mohr, Jersey Peery

1st and 2nd Grade: Halle Olson

3rd and 4th Grade: Melissa Gross

5th and 6th Grade: Stuart Olson

Music and AV: Angie and Dave Eickmeyer

Education Director & Opening: Jenn Brist

Have you checked out RightNow Media lately? Every one who attends Hosanna can access all the online resources at no cost to you. If you don't have an account, just text HLW to 49775.

Access content at rightnowmedia.org or download the app!

The best way to keep up with all the happenings at Hosanna is the weekly ENewsletter!

If you do not receive the ENews, please send your current email address to Anna at watertownhosannalutheran@gmail.com

You can also find the ENews posted on Facebook.