MISSION STATEMENT: Our Savior s will spread God s living word with love & compassion unconditionally to all people.

Transcription

1 Our Savior s Lutheran Church 147 E. 4 th Avenue Stanley, WI Phone WEBSITE MISSION STATEMENT: Our Savior s will spread God s living word with love & compassion unconditionally to all people. FIRST COMMUNION CLASS & CELEBRATION All 3rd Graders and any other students whose parents feel are ready...join us for First Communion Class being held on January 11:30 am-1:00 pm. We will go through the history from Passover to the Last Supper, reenact Jesus last meal with his disciples, learn the meaning of Communion supplies, and make Communion bread! We will also have a pizza lunch that day for the students.

2 January 2017 SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 1 10:15am Worship Job am Sunday School 10:15am Worship 11:15am 1st Communion Class 6pm Scouts am Sunday School 10:15am Worship/ First Communion am Sunday School 10:15am Worship/ Annual Meeting am Sunday School 10:15am Worship Church Office Closed Job pm Scouts pm Scouts pm Scouts Proverbs Job Psalm Proverbs :30pm Impact 6:30pm Worship 7pm CIA 11 5:30pm Impact 6:30pm Worship 7pm CIA Psalm pm WIC 5:30pm Impact 6:30pm Worship 7pm CIA :30pm Impact 6:30pm Worship 7pm CIA Job Psalm :30am Men s Breakfast! Psalm

3 A Message From the Pastor 2017 is here! Does anyone remember when we were worried about Y2K? Well, things turned out fine and here we are 17 years later. So much has happened in our nation and in our world. It s hard to believe what the last 17 years have brought. Time does go by quickly...sometimes. It all depends on what we do with our time. Do we fill our time with as many activities and social events as possible? Do we use as many hours as we can to work? Do we fill our schedules up with more than we can handle? Perhaps some of us are the opposite. Maybe we leave our schedules wide open because we don t have any desire to do certain things or because we are unable to. Maybe we just take each day and do whatever comes up. Regardless of which side you fall on (or if you fall somewhere in between), time is an important part of our lives. Our sermon theme in January is going to focus on time. We will be talking about Time Matters. Are we good stewards of our time? Do we allow time to rest? Do we allow time to just be? Do we allow time for Jesus? Among other questions. I remember back in late 2007, early 2008, before we had Grace and Isabelle, I was worried about having enough time. I had heard that when you have kids, you pretty much can kiss your time goodbye! So we worried about how we would get daily tasks completed and how we would continue to attend social events. We wondered how we would both work and manage having twin babies to care for. We worried we wouldn t have enough time. How were we going to do all of this? Yet, somehow and someway, we made it through. We had enough time to do all that God needed us to do. That is the part we have to keep in mind: doing what God needs us to do. What does God want you to do with your time? Time is a gift given to us from God, so how do we best make use of this amazing gift? We ll go further into this in January on Sundays and Wednesdays. Join us as we figure out how to manage our time with God as our guide. WORSHIP THEME - TIME MATTERS Wednesday, January 4 & Sunday, January 8 Time for Me Mark 1:1-15 Wednesday, January 11 & Sunday, January 15 Time for Others John 1:29-45

4 Continued... Wednesday, January 18 & Sunday, January 22 Time for Life Activities Exodus 18:17-21 Wednesday, January 25 & Sunday, January 29 Time for God Luke 6:1-16 FIRST COMMUNION CLASS & CELEBRATION All 3rd Graders and any other students whose parents feel are ready...join us for First Communion Class being held on January 11:30 am-1:00 pm. We will go through the history from Passover to the Last Supper, reenact Jesus last meal with his disciples, learn the meaning of Communion supplies, and make Communion bread! We will also have a pizza lunch that day for the students. NEW MEMBER BLESSING - JANUARY 8 During Worship on January 8, we will be blessing our New Members of Our Savior s Lutheran Church! We will be publishing their bios in an upcoming edition of The Spire, as a chance to get to know them better. Join us as we welcome them into our faith family with our prayers and God s love! JESUS & JAVA For 8 weeks, we will be offering a Bible Study on Thursdays at 1:00 p.m. beginning January 5 and ending on February 23. For those who want to participate, but cannot attend during the day, please talk to Pastor Ken regarding alternative options. We will be looking at the series, The Autonomy of a Disciple with learning videos by author and preacher, Brad Bell. We will have small group discussion and Bible lessons. In addition, we will be having coffee together and talking about all the cool things Jesus is up to in our lives! Come to Jesus & Java! MEN S BREAKFAST On Saturday, January 14, we will have our very first, Men s Breakfast! We will meet at Alberta May s at 8:30 a.m. to enjoy breakfast together, look at some Scripture and talk about God in our lives, and catch up on the latest happenings in our lives. All men are invited!

5 POTLUCK - JANUARY 8 Following Worship, there will be a Potluck Lunch! Bring your best dish and join us for faith, fellowship, and food! ANNUAL MEETING - JANUARY 22 Our Annual Meeting will be held on Sunday, January 22 immediately following worship. We will be looking at the past year, discerning what God is up to in the upcoming year, and other important matters to talk about. It is a very informative and important meeting for ALL members to attend. Join us as we reflect on 2016 and prepare for 2017! God is good and we look forward to what is ahead! FORUM ON CURTISS - JANUARY 8 There will be a forum on Sunday, January 8 at 9:00-10:00 a.m. prior to worship to answer any questions you may have about the possible working relationships between St. Paul s in Curtiss and Our Savior s in Stanley. For the first part of the meeting, members of St. Paul s will be joining us to share what their hopes and dreams are in this possible ministry partnership. We will then provide a financial breakdown, as well as share more clearly what this partnership could look like. We will look at the advantages as well as address any questions regarding it. We invite all of you to attend and look forward to a fruitful conversation! Coffee Fellowship We need more people to volunteer to serve coffee and bring goodies on Sunday Mornings. You do not need to bake from scratch or put on some elaborate spread! Store bought cookies, are just fine. The coffee and juice/kool-aid can be prepared for you, if you are not comfortable with doing that. A sign up sheet will be passed around in church and during coffee time or tell a coffee server if you are willing to help! Men are also welcome to serve.

6 Ministry Opportunity May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. - Romans 15:5-6 Our Savior s Lutheran Church in Stanley has been a faith community for 131 years. During these 131 years, our congregation has taken part in God s mission to baptize, partake in the Lord s Supper, care for those hurting, share the good news, teach and serve, and be the hands and feet of Jesus. We have been a faith community who has spread God s living word with love and compassion, unconditionally, to all people. God has used our congregation to bless many people. You have been a blessing. Each of you, as well as those who have gone before us and those who will come after us. When God uses a faith community to bless others, God can lead us to incredible opportunities! Our Savior s has been led to another incredible opportunity. St. Paul s Lutheran Church in Curtiss has approached us about the possibility of a working relationship, in terms of sharing pastoral leadership. St. Paul s is a smaller congregation that averages around 25 for Sunday worship. They are looking for pastoral leadership to preach and lead an 8:30 am Sunday morning service, officiate any funerals and weddings, attend monthly council meetings, and do monthly pastoral visits to shut-ins. Being that St. Paul s is a smaller congregation, they do not anticipate needing pastoral leadership for a significant amount of time each week. They have several lay leaders taking on most of their ministries, but are in need of a pastor to do things only pastors can do. They felt moved by the Spirit to approach Our Savior s because of our vision and mission for ministry. They are excited about where God is taking us. Along with that, this is the church Pastor Ken attended in Curtiss growing up. They love the idea of having one of their own provide pastoral ministry. Our Council discussed this possibility at our October meeting and invited the Council from St. Paul s to our November meeting. We had a very warm, friendly meeting with solid discussion. Should this partnership come into effect, please know that this is not a merging of two churches. Both will remain individual churches. Pastor Ken would still be called to Our Savior s in Stanley. In turn, St. Paul s would compensate Our Savior s in Stanley for the time and usage of the pastor. We wanted to make each of you aware of this opportunity the Lord has led us to discern. We will be providing a forum prior to worship on January 8 at 9:00 a.m. led by council members and Pastor Ken to discuss more details on the terms of agreement, financial matters, and to answer any questions. We will bring this to our Annual Meeting as a new business item on January 22 for the congregation to vote on. If you have any concerns prior to January 8, please direct them to our Executive Committee members (Ketty Clow, Earl Mathison, and Rhonda Hoernke) and/or Pastor Ken.

7 Pastor Ken s thoughts on St. Paul s in Curtiss Many of you have asked me how I feel about the opportunity of working with St. Paul s in Curtiss. I have had important conversations about this with my wife and family, the synod, our council, and have spent time in prayer talking with God. Although it would initially require some adjustment and getting use to a somewhat new flow, I think it would be exciting to try it. I trust God with trying it. If both congregations vote to try it out at their respective annual meetings, St. Paul s in Curtiss is willing to try this out for 90 days to see if it would work. If we did, we would be looking at an April 1 - June 30 probationary period. We try it, and if it works, we consider extending the agreement to one year. If it doesn t seem to be a good fit, then we move on from the partnership. I would feel very comfortable taking this initial route. Then we would get a good sense of how this could look. St. Paul s in Curtiss has very limited expectations of pastoral ministry. They have begun raising up lay leaders to take on many of their ministry tasks that would normally be given to the pastor. However, there are some tasks that only pastors can do. With the limited and clear expectations, I feel comfortable with trying this out. I love both congregations a great deal! I love serving at Our Savior s in Stanley and am glad God has called me to serve here. I also love St. Paul s in Curtiss, as this is the congregation I grew up in and they will always have as special place in my heart. I love God and I love being a pastor. I will speak more to this at the forum on January 8, but wanted to at least give you an idea where I am at with things. Please feel free to discuss any concerns with me or even to pass along some good thoughts too. Please keep both churches in your thoughts and prayers at this time. -Pastor Ken Schmidt

8 December Council Minutes Our Savior s Lutheran Church Stanley, WI Church Council Minutes: December 13, 2016 Members Present: Ketty Clow, Earl Mathison, Sarah Kane, Gene Koch, Jean Ketterhagen, Scott Rollins, Rhonda Hoernke, Pastor Ken Absent: Pam Henderson, Rosanne Peterson Meeting was called to order at 7:10pm by Ketty. Pastor Ken opened with a reading of the Christmas Story from Luke. Secretary s Report: Motion to approve was made by Earl. Scott seconded. Motion carried. Treasurer s Report: Motion to approve was made by Scott. Gene seconded. Motion carried. Committee Reports: Education: (for Pam) Christmas program is ready to be presented Dec.18 th. Youth: (Pastor Ken) Christmas caroling is planned for Dec. 14 th. Planning for the Mission trip and Youth trip will be done with the new Youth council chair in Evangelism and Social Concerns: (for Rosanne) The Christmas Giving Tree has benefited several local families. The blessing of 8 new members is planned for Jan. 8 th, Worship: (Gene) Special music by The Legend on Nov. 30 th was well received. Christmas services are prepared. Stewardship: (Jean) Internet giving will be available in January, Property and Management: (Scott) An energy audit is planned for the near future. Windows need to be checked for rain leakage. Discussion was held over potential updates to the current security system. Pastor s Report: Visits are planned to all homebound prior to Christmas. Pastor will be on vacation Dec. 26 th - 31 st. Old Business: Discussion was held over OSL s relationship with United in Christ Ministries (UCM). A statement on the future of this relationship will be prepared and reviewed in January. Sharon Verges has verbally agreed to become the new church treasurer in January, Gene motioned to approve the appointment of Sharon to the position. Scott seconded. Motion carried. New Business: Rhonda motioned to approve the use of the church by Pastor Ken on Dec. 25 th for a family gathering. Gene seconded. Motion carried. A request was made by Carolyn Zimmerman for use of the fellowship hall and kitchen on Fridays in 2017, from noon to 3pm, by the Glow Home School Group. Earl motioned to approve the request for the month of January and get further detailed information about the intended use. Scott seconded. Motion carried. Annual reports are due by Jan. 12 th to Kristy. The 2017 budget was reviewed and discussed. Next Council Meeting: Tuesday, January 10, 2017, at 7pm. Executive committee meets at 6:30pm. Earl motioned to adjourn the meeting. Gene seconded. Motion carried. Pastor Ken ended the meeting with the Lord s Prayer.

9 YOUTH NEWS! Throughout November and December, we had been working on this year s Christmas program. After many weeks of planning, practice, and praying, the children surprised everyone with a fabulous retelling of the Christmas Story featuring the Friendly Beasts. The program was very well attended on December 18 th despite the frigid below zero temperatures!! Many congregational members commented on how well the children spoke their parts, how cute the new costumes were, and how great the whole program went! The Children s Ministry at OSL is not possible without the work of many minds, hands and feet. THANK YOU!! Thank you to all for their donations of the following for the month of December: **Sewing of Costumes- Sabrina Henderson, Pam Henderson **Parent help with other costumes- Felmlee s, Eslinger s, Peterson s, Jessick s; **Photography- Casey Zimmerman; **Set-up and Clean-up: Pat and Alden Dahl, Mike and Niki Jessick, Lora Overgard, Pastor Ken, Norm and Donella Christianson, Gene Koch, Pam Henderson, Mike Zimmerman Family; **Sunday school snacks- Mike and Niki Jessick, Lora Overgard; **Music- Jan Mickelson and Lora Overgard; **Program Refreshments- All family donations of cookies- THANK YOU! One of our staff members will be taking a much-deserved break starting in January. Pam Henderson has been a part of our Sunday school ministry for quite some time as well as a great leader in our VBS programs. She has had a great impact on many of our youth as well as fellow staff members. During these past few years, she has taken tons of photos, solved numerous decorating crisis, attended hundreds of meetings, and donated so much. THANK YOU to Pam for all you have done for Our Savior s Youth Ministry!!!!!! Sunday school lessons will resume on January 8 th with a lesson on Jesus baptism from John the Baptist found in Mark 1:1-15. Other lessons in January will continue to focus on baptism and discipleship as we learn about Jesus ministry throughout the winter months. Come and have fun learning with us each Sunday and enjoy crafts, games, science, videos, and snacks. For more info on how you can join in the fun, call Carolyn

10 08- Mi- chael Sonnentag January 08-Kristine Nelson 25-William Grimes 08-Lauren Lade 26-Dale Booth 09-Jessica Manier 26-Sandra Crank 10-Caroline Smith 26-Mandi LaGrander Annual Meeting Sunday, Jan. 22th at 11:15am Council Reports due by January 12, Jinell Vetterkind 05-Michele Price 05-Alivia Vircks 06-Lia Campbell 06-Renee Williams 06-Becky Peterson 07-Mallory Eslinger 08-Janet Booth 11-Alexandria Anderson 12-Pamela Henderson 12-Jace LaMarche 16-Penelope Edwardson 17-Aaron Dickson 18-Roger Halls 19-Ruth Bullis 19-Nicholas Burzynski 22-Dae Jacobson 22-Jan Mickelson 22-Karri Burzynski 22-Mary Hodowanic 27-Cody Overgard 27-Brandon Smith 28-Frank Greene 28-Carrie Halls 29-Lisa Overgard 30-Clover Hazuga 31-James Schultze 31-Brooklynn Vircks December Offerings $8, $7, $6, $5, Gifts & Memorials In Memory of Don Weggen from Diane Weggen. In Memory of Martha Matara from Wayne Qualheim. $4, $3, $2, $2, $2, $1, In Memory of John & Barb Ryders from Al & Ardis Brown $1, $0.00 Wednesday & Sunday Worship Church office will be closed on Monday, January 2, 2017.