The Anchor. Thank You Kurt! The Federated Church of Green Lake. May 1, Upcoming Events:

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The Anchor The Federated Church of Green Lake Thank You Kurt! At 15 years of age, in 2010, Kurt Kaufman began serving as a volunteer in our visual worship production.

1 The Anchor The Federated Church of Green Lake Thank You Kurt! At 15 years of age, in 2010, Kurt Kaufman began serving as a volunteer in our visual worship production. Having learned about the potentials and possibilities of working with visual worship by helping Paul Higgins with VBS, Kurt willingly accepted the position of being with us for 2 worship services every Sunday. Not able to drive himself, yet, Kurt's Dad would bring him to worship and pick him up. After getting his driver's license, he would drive himself, every Sunday, to fulfill his volunteer commitment. I held my breath when Kurt graduated from High School, knowing that this would be a time of transition, and the sky was the limit for his potential college address. Kurt chose Oshkosh, and continued his commitment to driving from Oshkosh to Green Lake every Sunday. Somewhere along the line, Kurt not only ran the visual worship part of our services each Sunday, but became willing to produce them as well. On an average Sunday, there may be more than 100 slides which need to be produced in order to do all we've become accustomed to in regards to visual worship aides. Kurt would graciously accept my last minute requests for pictures or additions. Kurt incorporated running video clips into the production as well. If for a rare reason Kurt could not be at a Sunday morning worship, 98% of the time he still produced all the slides. And Kurt rarely missed any worship services, coming through the school year as well as the summer break. This has been the quiet, gracious gift he has given to our church for the past 7 years. As many know, Kurt also has been pondering and pursuing a potential call upon his heart to explore ministry in a broader sense. We have been blessed by his willingness and the congregation s willingness to allow Kurt to preach and to lead worship as he explores this potential call upon his heart and life. Kurt will graduate from college on May 20 th of this year, and soon after that will be relocating to Colorado. In honor of his devotion and dedication to his work and our church, we will be honoring Kurt on Sunday, May 21 st at both services. We hope that you can be there to say thank you to this young man. I often hear people share concerns about the up and coming generations, but when they do, I often think of Kurt and many of our youth like him in our congregation. These devoted, dedicated, competent, gifted young adults are our future, and I feel that we have been blessed to share a piece of their life journey with them. When the screen first came into the sanctuary, it didn't arrive without controversy. But soon people saw it as a means by which they could worship better. One of the unanticipated blessings of visual worship was the ability to project the liturgy of the service in large enough fonts so that it was more readable to some of the members struggling to read the print of the bulletin. And then the images chosen to accompany our liturgy also added to the ability to enter more fully and more creatively into worship. Visual worship has been used at funerals when a family has prepared a slide show of a loved one. Visual worship has become an additional means by which we can encounter the living Word of God in our own lives each Sunday. And the children, whose lives have such strong connections to images, have loved the connections made through visual worship. We send Kurt off with our love and blessings. We keep the door open if he ever wants to return to our area. And most of all, we join together in extreme gratitude for the gifts he's shared with us and the seeds they have planted which will bear fruit for a long time. Blessings to you Kurt! SUNDAY, MAY 21ST THANK YOU KURT SUNDAY!! May 1, 2017 Inside this issue: Liturgists & Ushers Christian Education Missions Group News Committee News Member News Other News Upcoming Events: May 5 & 6-Mission Board Plant Sale May 11-11:30 a.m.-divine Dining at Little Corporal Restaurant May 14-10:30 a.m. Confirmation Service June 4-One Service 10:00 Worship 11:00 Mid-year Congregational Meeting

2 Liturgists & Ushers Liturgists May 7 9:00 Service Ginny Pollock May 14 9:00 Service Rich Grennan May 21 9:00 Service Christine Benedict May 28 9:00 Service John DeLong Thank you for serving. If you have any questions or are unable to be liturgist, please contact the church office at Ushers The ushers will be listed in the weekly bulletins. Christian Education Christian Education News Successful Urban Immersion Retreat-An enthusiastic group of 12 confirmation youth (grades 5-8) and 7 adults headed to Minneapolis for the Urban Immersion Service Retreat March Thank you to all who participated and donated their time and talents! UISR is a program sponsored by the Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches and is focused on educating participants about the complexities of poverty through the lens of faith and service in the community. The goal of the experience is to seek change. Instead of just going on a mission trip, our youth were inspired to effect a change. Our youth were educated on how to be a change-maker here in their hometowns of Green Lake, Berlin and Ripon. The kids reflected on the trip and were asked to share their take-aways or ah-ha moments. This is what they had to say: When we saw the first group of homeless people huddled under a highway overpass, I felt so grateful that it wasn t me. We packaged 3,487 pounds of rice and sorted out 1,600 pounds of clothing! People donated dirty socks and smelly clothes. It was nasty. We were helping sort clothes at the thrift store. A woman kept thanking me. We were treated like adults at the thrift store and it made me feel valued. People were asking us a lot of questions. They treated us like real employees. I felt important for a change. When we were sorting the clothes at Dress for Success, we had a lot of fun and learned something. I enjoyed getting to know my Confirmation friends better. I felt like I was doing something really important and I forgot about all of my problems at school and my chores at home. We need to help people more. We have way too much stuff. I have so many clothes that I don t even wear. The church service was fun! People were singing, they were joyful, and many were shouting Yeah and Amen. People were constantly dancing, walking up and down the aisles, flying flags and it was wild! There were about 200 people in the church and the pastor was 7 feet tall, maybe taller. He talked about Psalm 25 and how normal it is for people to walk long distances to church. They are serious walkers and it takes them at least 15 minutes to walk to church! I wish we could fly a flag during church. I wish I could go to that church every Sunday.

I couldn t stop laughing after lights out! No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn t stop myself and then I was shaking because I was laughing so hard! We saw Kelsey Olmen s twin, it was weird!

Please keep our youth in your prayers as they prepare their hearts and minds to make a lifelong pledge of faithfulness to Christ.

Karen. Each card has a special hand-written Bible verse individually chosen by our confirmands for their inspirational message. There are 20-30 cards bound on each ring.

3 I couldn t stop laughing after lights out! No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn t stop myself and then I was shaking because I was laughing so hard! We saw Kelsey Olmen s twin, it was weird! Confirmation-Many of our confirmands will be confirmed in the faith on Sunday, May 14 at the 10:30 service. Please keep our youth in your prayers as they prepare their hearts and minds to make a lifelong pledge of faithfulness to Christ. Service Project-Care Cards were lovingly written by our Confirmation students and will soon be delivered into the hands of our church family members who are sick, homebound, or suffering by Pastor Karen. Each card has a special hand-written Bible verse individually chosen by our confirmands for their inspirational message. There are cards bound on each ring. Special thanks to Kevin and Di Karau for donating the supplies and leading the service project! May God bless our recipients and hold them in His loving care. Missions Plant Sale The Mission Board announces that the Perennial Plant Sale is on and underway-also the Food Sale scheduled for May 5 & 6. Sign-up sheets will be put out. As we did last year, anyone who wishes to contribute plants please do. You all were so great last year!! Success was the result! Pots will be out in front of the church. Please label anything you bring. If you have a lawn ornament you wish to donate, we will be selling them. You can start bringing plants May 3. Any questions, please contact Celest King. Group News Easter Flowers - If you ordered an Easter lily or tulip, please take home your flowers. Any remaining flowers on April 30 will be removed and disposed of. Thank you. Prayer Quilt Contact - If anyone has a prayer quilt request for the month of May, please contact Vicki Schwark at Please note that The Prayers and Squares Prayer Quilt ministry team will not meet during the month of May. We invite our graduating High School Seniors to join us for worship on June 4th (one service only that day at 10:00 a.m.) to receive a gift from the church in honor of their graduation. And to share in an Ice Cream Social in their honor, following the mid-year congregational meeting at 12:00 noon on that same Sunday.

4 June 4 - ONE SERVICE ONLY (Intergenerational) 10:00 a.m. Worship and HS Graduate Honoring 11:00 Congregational Meeting updating: Core Values Survey Foundation/Water Issues Mid-Year Financial Review 12:00 All Church BBQ including Ice Cream honoring HS Graduates Join Us for Divine Dining Thursday May 11, 11:30 The Little Corporal Restaurant Committee News Treasurer s Report May 2017 In the current issue of Generosity, an American Baptist stewardship newsletter, Rev. Stacey Emerson, Stewardship Facilitator, quoted from a presentation by Simon Sinek several years ago: People don t buy what you do, they buy why you do it. Most of us, including churches, operate from a place of what we do, not why we do it. We need to explore the questions: Why has God been faithful to this community of faith? Why does our unique congregation exist? Why is it important to us individually? Why is it important to our community? Our collective generosity works and transforms the world because of our why more than our what or how. Year to Date: 3/31/17 3/31/16 Actual Income: $45, $42, Actual Expense: $62, $57, Shortfall: $18,163.25* $14, *The budget estimated a shortfall of $14, as of the end of March. Thank you for your generosity which sustains the mission and ministry of The Federated Church. Arlo R. Reichter, Treasurer Member News Prayer Concerns for: Hawk LaMire, Tom Mills, Joann LaMire, Gus Mueller, Jeanne Huibregtse, Judy Gilliam, all dealing with medical issues & all dealing with mental health issues. At home members: Phyllis Bloch, Lulu Kenton & Marge Pamenter. Markesan Resident Home: Elizabeth Gray. Fountainview: Doris Benz & Nancy Knepfel. Prairie Place: Barbara Rogers.

5 Other News Church Council March 28, 2017 final Members present: Jim Gelhar, Tom Reinsch, Arlo Reichter, Pam Fagerburg, Pastor Karen, Amy Schroeder, Celest King. The meeting started with a meditation moment. Minutes from the February council meeting were accepted. Treasurer's report: The church budget had a deficit of $1, for the month of February. The format for the financial fund reports has changed. They will be reported month to date, and year to date. Tom made a motion to use the $ in the UCC account to pay toward the UCC per capital expense. If UCC members have questions, please notify Tom Reinsch before April 18. motion carried. Pastor's report: Council members are asked to meet with Franz Rigert after the services on April 9 th. The UIR was a great experience. Thank you to Jon Schneider and Jan Saecker for donations to repair the sound system. Confirmation is May 14 th at the 10:30 service. Kurt Kaufman is graduating on May 20, Pastor Karen would like to honor him at church on Sunday May 21. She will put an article in the Anchor. There will be a CE meeting to discuss summer Sunday school. Pastor will get the Sabbatical committee together. Sabbatical is scheduled for May 29 August 21, June 4 is going to be Pentecost and Membership re commitment Sunday. There will be one service at 10:00, with a meal before or after a meeting to discuss: our new core values statement, the budget, and the water problem. Arlo suggested that we have tickets for the meal to encourage planning and attending. Pictorial Directory update: pictures are all in, Carrie is checking addresses. Pam said the Prayers and Squares group would like to mentor a new chapter. Meeting closed with a prayer. Next meeting is April 18 th at 6:45.

6 The Federated Church of Green Lake is pleased to offer gifts towards your college education during the academic year. These gifts are made possible through an anonymous endowment gift to the church. The donors of the endowment want to recognize Federated Church students for their contributions and achievements both within the church itself and as its representative in the community as a whole. The amount of each gift will be determined by the amount generated through the investment of the endowment and the number of recipients. FEDERATED CHURCH OF GREEN LAKE ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION Form due in the church office by July 1, 2017 Name Phone Number Address Parents Names Name of school you will be attending in the fall What is your chosen field of study at this time? Briefly answer the following questions: What has your relationship with the Federated Church meant to you? How do you plan on continuing to build/grow your relationship with Jesus Christ at school? What options are there for worship within or around the college you plan to attend? What gifts/talents do you believe you will be able to contribute through your relationship with God to the community in which you will be residing? Name of High School you currently attend Cumm. GPA

7 CHURCH INVOLVEMENT AT FEDERATED CHURCH: SS = Sunday School VBS = Vacation Bible School YG = Youth Group SS attendance (through 6 th grade): Weekly Several times a month Occasionally Never YG Bible Study attendance: Weekly Several times a month Occasionally Never YG social event attendance: Weekly Several times a month Occasionally Never SS assistant: Number of months Number of years VBS assistant: Number of years Camping experiences: as participant, number of years as leader, number of years Worship attendance: Weekly Several times a month Occasionally Never Participation in worship services: Special music Ushering Greeting Liturgist Choir Handbells Christmas Pageant Please list any other ways you have participated in worship services: List any programs, boards, committees you have been a member of & the number of years you participated (example: Christian Education, Missions, Youth Group Planning, Missions Trips, Confirmation/Leadership Program, etc.) List other contributions you have made to the church community such as fall/spring clean up, visiting shut-ins, nursing home visits, Harvest Fest/Chicken BBQ, rummage sale, Christmas decorating, etc. # of times # of times # of times List school/community involvement not associated with church activities If you have any other comments or thoughts that you feel would be helpful please feel free to attach another page or to use the back of this form. 489 Scott Street, P.O. BOX 471, Green Lake, WI ۰ ۰ Rev. Karen Gygax Rodriguez

8 Sunday Worship Schedule Worship Services: 9:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Sunday School: 10:30 a.m. Rev. Karen Gygax Rodríguez, Pastor Kurt Kaufman, Visual Worship Christine Murphy, Sunday School Coordinator Carrie Neubauer, Administrative Assistant Holly Ninneman & Bill Reininger, Assistant Custodians Virginia Pollock, Choir Director Jan Saecker, Organist Christine Schultz, Christian Education Assistant Office Hours: 8 a.m. 3 p.m. Monday Friday Telephone: (920) Fax: (920) office@greenlakefederated.org Website: Deadline for Monthly Newsletter: Third Monday of the month

9 May Calendar Worship Services: Sunday School: May 7, 14, 21, 28 May 7, 14, 21, 28 9:00 a.m. & 10:30 a.m. 10:30 a.m. AA Meeting May 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 5:30 p.m. Adult Choir May 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 5:45 p.m. Anchor Crew May 26 8:30 a.m. Anchor Deadline May 15 Baccalaureate Service May 24 7:00 p.m. Bulletin Deadline May 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 12:00 p.m. Centering Prayer May 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 12:15-12:35 p.m. Church Council Meeting May 16 6:45 p.m. Confirmation May 3, 10, 17 6:00 p.m. Confirmation Service May 14 10:30 a.m. Diaconate Meeting May 2 6:30 p.m. Divine Dining May 11 11:30 a.m.-little Corporal Restaurant Financial Stewards Meeting May 16 5:30 p.m. Girl Scouts May 15 6:30-7:45 p.m. May 21 3:00-5:00 p.m. Mission Board Meeting No meeting this month

10 Mission Board Plant Sale May 5 & 6 Pastor s Day Off May 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 Piano Recital May 7 2:00-5:00 p.m. Praise Band Rehearsal May 7, 14, :30 a.m. May 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 5:00 p.m. May 2017 S M T W T F S Prayers & Squares Not meeting this month Staff Meeting May 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 12:45 p.m. Youth Breakfast May 7 9:00 a.m. Worship Committee Meeting May 7 11:30 a.m.

In honor of my mentor in ministry, the Rev. James Dick I share some of his favorite Christmas lyrics from O Little Town of Bethlehem

In honor of my mentor in ministry, the Rev. James Dick I share some of his favorite Christmas lyrics from O Little Town of Bethlehem The Anchor The Federated Church of Green Lake Fellowship Fun The Movie ELF When - Sunday, December 10 th 12:00 noon in the sanctuary Join us for a spaghetti lunch, with maple syrup of course!!- and then