We are all familiar with the conventional wisdom that guides our daily lives: work hard and you’ll get ahead, more is better, etc. But is this conventional wisdom always right? Throughout the Bible, a second strand of wisdom also emerges: Unconventional Wisdom. This five-week class will explore this other strand of wisdom focusing particularly on the Old Testament books of Job and Ecclesiastics and on the unconventional wisdom of Jesus and Paul. Classes will be held in the Friendship Room Tuesday mornings 10:30-11:30 and Wednesday evenings 6:30-7:30, beginning May 14 and 15 and concluding June 11 and 12. Please sign-up on the bulletin board at the back of the sanctuary.

I have a confession to make, I am a terrible pool player. I am so bad that the last time I played, the person I was playing with stopped the game and said, “You are the worst pool player I have ever played with.” (I had told him I was horrible but he didn’t believe me.) I’m using this story as a very thin tangent to talk about gifts and the Spirit … bear with me.

In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 12, we read, “Now there are varieties of gifts but the same Spirit, and there are varieties of services but the same Lord, and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”

During the month of May we will conclude the season of Easter and begin the season of Pentecost.

May 5     Easter 6             Acts 10:44-48 and John 15:9-17

May 12    Easter 7           Psalms 1 and John 17:6-19

May 19    Pentecost       Acts 2:1-21 and John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15

May 26    Holy Trinity   Isaiah 6:1-8 and John 3:1-17

Academia Latina is the largest Latino nonprofit in Snohomish County.  Its Director, Rosamaría Graziani, is a member here at Central, and teached classes in our building. Academia Latina is an all-volunteer organization whose mission is to help immigrants have access to better job opportunities through education including English as a Second Language, GED, Math and accounting for small businesses. Academia Latina also provides fresh produce as part of our health and wellness program. 

A big thank you to Trinity Lutheran Church for donating $415 to our Sunday Suppers program!  The money was gathered from Lent and Holy Week at their church, with the intent to help with our Sunday Supper needs. 

Quilt blessing was done during the children's sermon on Sunday, April 28.  Thank you to all of the wonderful women who work so hard on sharing their time and talents to create these beautiful quilts to share with the world!  This season, 45 quilts were blessed and sent to Lutheran World Relief.  

We use YouTube to live stream and record our worship services.  In each weekly Worship Invitation email, we include a link  to that Sunday's worship service.  Past worship services can be viewed by going to our YouTube page by searching for "Central Lutheran Church Everett Washington" or by CLICKING HERE.

We are working to get recordings of our worship services on our website. 

The quilters here at Central Lutheran Church make quilts for people around the world, through Lutheran World Relief.  Click below for more information on how you can help.  

The homeless, under-resourced, or just plain hungry are all welcome! Anyone in need can get a meal at Central Lutheran Church each Sunday night. Sunday Suppers are at 5:00 pm. These meals are provided by volunteers from  different congregations representing a variety of denominations in Snohomish County.

“For the first time in history, a few societies, including the United States, find most of their members with money beyond what is needed for their personal basic needs. ‘Discretionary income’ is a reality for most of the population. And advertising agencies very intentionally have targeted that income; turning ‘wants into needs.’

“To increase in affluence becomes significant to the degree that the Bible suggests that money has a spiritual component. For example, in Matthew 6:24 Jesus tells his followers, ‘You cannot serve both God and Money.’ French philosopher Jacques Ellul points out that in this text, Jesus personifies mammon ‘as a sort of god,’ a force that is competing with God for our souls. Ellul suggests that Jesus’ choice of words ‘reveals something exceptional about money, for Jesus did not usually use deifications and personifications. What Jesus is revealing is that money is a power.’

“In Matthew 6:21 Jesus also describes another aspect of money that is an important indicator of our heart’s condition: ‘For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.’ Money is a measure of devotion, the way we spend it indicating something about us—sort of like a spiritual thermometer—according to Jesus. In a consumer society, such as the United States, it may be the most intentional measurement available.” [Behind the Stained Glass Windows, John and Sylvia Ronsvalle

Finance Update through March, 2024

Beginning Balance          (3,386)
Monthly Expenses       (21,838)
Monthly Income             24,180
Income (Deficit)                (1,044)

CLICK HERE to make a financial donation to Central Lutheran Church.

 Happy Birthday to those celebrating May birthdays!  

Chris Anderson, May 1

Peter VanderWeyst, May 4

Pastor Jim Killough, May 8

Lindsay Kendall, May 9

Joanne Koehler, May 12

Kathy Burgoyne, May 13

Bob Lee, May 15

Karen Fox, May 22

Laurie VanderWeyst, May 23

Dexter Yates, May 26

Nicholas Yates, May 26

Greta LeWarne, May 29

Happy Anniversary to those celebrating May anniversaries!  

Roy & Karen Wenzel, May 18

Central Lutheran Church Office Hours are:

Mondays 9:30 am - 12:30 pm.

Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 10:30 am to 3:30 pm. 

Pastor Jim works in the office Tuesday through Friday, times vary.