Living Hope Lutheran Church

Transcription

1 Living Hope Lutheran Church 851 West Dekora Street Saukville, WI March 2012 Newsletter Learning to Shepherd from the Good Shepherd I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. -John 10:11 During the season of Lent this year, we will follow the theme during our midweek Lenten services of Shepherd; Living Hope s 6 th mark of a Discipleship Community following the marks of: Pray, Study, Worship, Give, and Encourage. We often can recognize and understand Jesus as a shepherd; but we may not as readily make the connection that we, as disciples of Christ, are also called to shepherd in a world that is hungry for the Gospel message. Having said that, there is no doubt that, as in all human activities, there are the good, and the bad. Today, there are many good shepherds trying hard to spread God s true Word by example, by act of support or kindness, by witness, by word of mouth, or by the written word. However, many are finding almost total apathy and indifference plus outright opposition at times. An appalling ignorance exists today concerning God s truth. People are taught to eat the right food, etc. to maintain their bodies and stay alive. But the most important action of feeding the spirit, by learning God s truth, is largely ignored. In one way, we are all called on to be shepherds when required. As Christians, with God s help, we are duty bound to love the truth and act righteously and by our deeds and actions give witness and example for God. God has provided redemption for us through Jesus the Christ, but this does not permit us to disobey his laws and precepts. True, we all slip up now and again. The subsequent sense of shame sometimes becomes an overwhelming burden! We let Jesus down too often we can be bad shepherds! This is why we need Jesus, as the Good Shepherd, regularly at the center of our lives as individuals and as a community. He is our constant example and motivation we need to be the kind of missional and shepherding church God is calling us to be. May we faithfully continue this Lenten season to keep our focus on The Good Shepherd as both our comfort, and our role model. Peace, Pastor Michael Michael McAllister, Pastor journeylad@gmail.com Shannon Stoker, Secretary & Business Manager shannon.stoker@livinghope-saukville.org

2 2012 Lenten Schedule Midweek Worship Schedule 6pm Soup Supper and 7pm Worship Service Wednesday, February 29 The Good Shepherd Wednesday, March 7 The Church as Shepherd Wednesday, March 14 Are You a Shepherd? Wednesday, March 21 Demands and Expectations of a Shepherd Wednesday, March 28 Good Shepherd-Good Church Holy Week Worship Schedule Sunday, April 1 Palm/Passion Sunday 9am Worship and 10:15am Sunday School Thursday, April 5 Maundy Thursday 7pm Worship Friday, April 6 Good Friday 7pm Worship Sunday, April 8 Easter Sunday 9am & 10:30am Worship (no Sunday School) 8am-10:30am Easter Breakfast will be providedby the Flynn Family (come before or after Worship) Welcome New Members The following families were received into membership on February 26th. Get to know our new member through short biographies on the following pages. Luanne Boyle Mike & Jude Dow Joel & Sarah Gaskey; Autumn, Joshua, Oliver and Warren Joe & Linda Georgeson Rick & Angela Lathrop; Amelia, Aaliyah (Sophia on the way) Chuck & Dona Polesky Cathy Radtke Norm & Linda Speerbrecher Lu Steinert Babies Baptized in January & February Warren Edward Gaskey, son of Joel Gaskey & Sarah Tippery, was baptized on January 15th Grant Timothy Ringle, son of Tim & Corrine Ringle, was baptized on January 22nd August Rane Luedtke, son of Jason & Emily Luedtke, was baptized on February 18th

3 New Member Biographies Luanne Boyle Luanne grew up in northern Wisconsin, married her high-school sweetheart and moved to Port Washington in 1963 when he was hired as an industrial arts teacher for MATC. Before retiring, she worked as a secretary in the Special Services department for the Port Washington-Saukville school district office. Luanne and her husband, Bob, who passed away twelve years ago, were blessed with two children and four grandchildren.. Luanne currently keeps busy volunteering, reading, going to the Y and traveling whenever possible. Mike and Jude Dow the sailor and the nurse What started out as a blind date, turned into an eight-month courtship and a quiet ceremony eighteen hundred miles away with 12 in attendance. Mike was in the Navy (active duty from May, 1966 to August, 1972) and Jude a nursing student. They lived in many places the last four years of service. After the service, Mike continued his education at Arizona State University (Accounting Degree) and Jude became a licensed Registered Nurse. Mike s career path has taken many turns. He s now a financial advisor with Next Level Planning & Wealth Management. Jude is retired and continues to stay more than active. They have lived in Port Washington since Their three children are now married (two weddings in California, a location not of their choosing). Each have two children; the first set born in 2005 and the second in Their son, Jeff, and his wife, Gabrielle, live in Baltimore, MD with daughter Danielle and son Jackson. Their daughter, Heather, and her husband, Jason, live in Buffalo Grove, IL with their sons Owen and Liam. Their daughter, Autumn, and her husband, Joshua, live in Asheville, NC with their sons Isak and Elijah. Their courtship has continued now for over the past 43 years. Joel and Sarah Gaskey; Autumn, Joshua, Oliver and Warren This is the Gaskey family and they are excited to become members at Living Hope! They are a family of six and live in Saukville. Joel is a chemical operator at Sigma Aldrich Chemical Co. His hobbies are working on cars and spending time with his children. He is father of four loving children: Autumn, 12 Joshua, 11 Oliver, 2 ½ Warren, 6 mo. Sarah is a loving mother to Oliver and Warren and soon-to-be step-mother to Autumn and Josh. Sarah keeps herself very busy as a mother and a full-time Nursing student. She also works part-time at Memories Ballroom. As a family they enjoy their days together sledding, going on bike rides, go-carting in the back yard, having bon-fires, camping, watching movies and playing board games. They have a Weimaraner (dog) named George and a cat named Pepper.

4 Joe and Linda Georgeson Linda and Joe have been married 42 years. They grew up in Racine, went to high school together, and moved to Milwaukee after getting married. They have lived in Fredonia for the last 32 years, raised 2 children, have 4 grandchildren (the best!) and look forward to retirement. Joe has been a math teacher and Linda worked with early childhood kids with special needs. They enjoy bike riding, their grandchildren, reading; they belong to the COWS (Couples on Wheels a tandem bike club), and Joe likes to play the guitar. They are looking forward to getting to know a new community at Living Hope and experience life after work. Rick and Angela Lathrop; Amelia and Aaliyah The Lathrop/McLarty Family, as of now, is comprised of Rick, Angela, Amelia and Aaliyah, with Sophia on the way in April. Rick is a Control Systems Tech working at Charter Steel who likes to watch and play sports while staying busy with the fire department and school. Angela works at Scott Pump in Order Entry and enjoys taking family vacations, bowling and likes spending time with the kids. Amelia (age 7) likes to dance, swim and is in girl scouts. Aaliyah (age 4) is their singer, who also enjoys swimming and Disney World. Chuck and Dona Polesky Chuck, who was born and raised on a farm in Winthrop MN, graduated from Winona University and worked in retail and sales in the Automotive aftermarket industry. Later he worked in the printing business. Dona was born and raised in Davenport, IA and graduated from the University of Iowa. She taught math in Mequon, WI before taking time off to raise a family. Later she got a Masters Degree from Cardinal Stritch in Technology and was the Technology Coordinator for the Port Washington- Saukville School District. Before complete retirement, she was a programmer for software designed to help sell life insurance and annuities. Chuck and Dona have two daughters, Nicole and Beth, a son-in-law, Kevin and three grandsons all living in the Milwaukee area. They both like working in their yard and camping in the summer. In the winter chuck does fix-up projects and Dona likes to play bridge.

5 Cathy Radtke Cathy was born in Sheboygan and lived there until 1970 when she and her husband, David, move to Tucson. Shortly after their daughter, Shelley, was born in 1973, they moved back to Sheboygan where Chad was born in The Radtkes also lived in Cleveland, WI and in Manitowoc before David was lost to cancer in Cathy lived on her own for six years and then retired and moved to Port Washington for health reasons in She s been living at Anita s Gardens since then. Cathy has four wonderful grandchildren that keep her young. During her life she worked as a teller, a court bookkeeper and went to college at age 40 to become a certified medical assistant. Norm and Linda Speerbrecher Linda and Norm have lived in Port Washington for 25 years. Norm grew up in Brown Deer and was confirmed at St. Paul's Lutheran Church and is now retired. Linda grew up in Cedarburg and was confirmed at Immanuel Lutheran Church and works at DCI Marketing as the Logistics Coordinator. Norm has 2 children, Lisa & Scott and 4 granddaughters; and Linda has 2 sons, Matthew and Andrew and 3 grandsons and 1 granddaughter. Norm spends time at the gym regularly. Riding his bike also gives him great pleasure (sometimes pain). Five years ago he took a bike road trip and made it from Plymouth to Eagle River in 4 days. That got him in shape for his ride from Cedarburg to Madison in 1 day a couple years later. When he wants to relax he spends time in the garden or travels by motorized vehicle to his place in Eagle River. In her free time Linda enjoys riding her bike, creating clothing, quilts and knitting. She also enjoys spending time up north in a kayak or on the beach with a good book. Of course, spending time with grandchildren is at the top of the list. Lu Steinert Lu was born and raised in Iowa. She went to Wartburg College, where she met and married her husband, Bill, who studied and taught Biology and then got a Doctorate in school administration. Together they lived at different places in SE WI. Bill loved sailing so they spent many vacation weeks on Lake MI. They had three children together: Patty, a Dr. in psychology who lives in Kalamazoo, MI; Paul a Dr. in engineering who lives outside of Los Angeles, CA; and Jon, who died of brain cancer at age 23. Lu managed to get a BA and MS at UWM and taught kindergarten before ended up at MATC in Milwaukee. Lastly, she has 2 lovely granddaughters: Betsy, just married in January, is studying at Stanford in CA. And Mindy is currently in Peru on some "water" project. Bill and Lu retired to a 73 year old house on St. Mary s Hill in Port. Bill died at age 69, 16 years ago, and Lu has now lived 22 years in that retirement house. Welcome New Living Hope Members!!

6 Reflections on Our Houston Experience Jodi McMahon and Alex Pieper Have you ever had an experience that inspired and empowered you, filled you with incredible passion to share what you learned, and experienced all this surrounded by other people who love Jesus and who have dedicated their lives to proclaiming his Good News? That was what we experienced at the Redevelopment Conference in Houston February th, and we are excited to share what we learned with all of you! Take a moment to think about how you might finish this sentence: I dream of a church where Brothers and Sisters in Christ, what you dream is possible! Jesus lives with us at Living Hope and is working within each of us right now to make your dream a reality. We learned practical ways to start moving us forward in our journey of renewal and visioning. We learned that healthy congregations have at their center a foundation in the word of Jesus Christ. They have listened first to God and tried to discern where God is leading them as a congregation. They have listened to each other. And most importantly they have gone into their communities and developed relationships and partnerships with people and organizations there, and in doing so they have widened the impact of God s church in the world. We found it reassuring that many of the themes in our own new vision were reinforced at the conference. In the coming weeks and months we ask that you continue to pray in order to discern where God is calling each of you, as Disciples in Christ, to work on the short and long-term plans for the vision of our own congregation. Thank you for sending us to Houston. Please join us March 18 th during education hour so that we can share with you more of the things we learned. OUR MISSION OUTREACH PROJECTS Sunday, March 4, 2012, 10:15 Fellowship Hall Caring and Sharing meeting to assess supplies on hand for LWR school, health and baby kits for fall 2012 collection, assemble kits from supplies on hand and plan for the summer campaign for additional needed supplies needed to complete kits. Anyone interested in this project is welcome to attend. Wednesday, March 7, :00 p.m. Lenten soup and sandwich meal to benefit the ELCA Hunger Appeal. This year families have two opportunities to participate in the hunger appeal in March. 1.) Take a used pill bottle and fill it with coins to bring back to church at Easter. Did you know we spend more money on medications for our pets than a family in a third world country has available to spend for a whole year of feeding the family? 2.) Buy a chick for $1.00. There is a picture for your child to color and return. The pictures will be posted. How many chicks do you think we can purchase? Chicks help families become self sufficient in obtaining food for their families and as flocks grow the extra eggs can be sold in the marketplace so the family can earn the money needed to send the children to school. Pill bottles and pictures to color will be available in the fireplace room beginning March 4th.

7 What Scrip/Gift Cards Would You Use? We keep an inventory of scrip cards on hand at Living Hope. The list of those cards is: BP Gas Exxon/Mobil Home Depot Kohl s Marcus Theatres Michaels Office Max Panera Bread Papa Murphys Pizza Pick n Save/Roundys Piggly Wiggly Pizza Hut Sendik s Shopko Starbucks Subway Target Walgreens Walmart/Sam s Club However, you might have a store where you shop frequently and you would like to use their scrip cards. To find out if the store you are interested in is available to us, you can check the retail store offerings at the web page where Living Hope purchases cards. Go to: On that home page there is a section on the left that says Retailer List and under that are two links one is for an alphabetical listing and the other is for a category listing. Download either list and check for stores where you frequently shop. Let me know if you would like to have Living Hope keep a supply of these cards on hand in our inventory. If you don t want to check the web page, check with me on Sundays to see what retailers are on the printed that list I keep with the cards. Linda Herrick,

8 Here is a short summary of items from the February 20 th church council meeting. Pastor Michael reported that his trip with Jodi McMahon and Alex Pieper to Houston was definitely worthwhile. Jodi and Alex will report on their experience and what they learned for Living Hope on March 18th during the adult education hour. Pastor showed a short video about the Missional church model; hopefully there will be continued discussion as to how Living Hope can benefit from this model of church and we can prayerfully consider as a congregation if this is the kind of church we are called to be. To that end, the church will host a mini-retreat on the morning of Saturday, March 17 th, from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Anyone who considers themselves a leader at Living Hope past, present, or future is welcome to attend this leadership retreat. Here We Grow will be celebrating 10 years with Living Hope on March 11th during worship, including a reception afterward. The council agreed that a Mutual Ministry and Executive committee should meet regularly to provide support for the pastoral and leadership staff. The committee will consist of council president Amy Lorence, council secretary Alex Pieper, and council vice president Joe Eason. This committee should meet monthly to set the agenda for council meetings and address mutual ministry issues. A new bulletin board will be constructed and placed to the right of windows for fellowship hall. It should be visible and monitored for clutter. Ideally, the board will be divided according to Living Hope s ministry teams and serve to help keep the congregation and visitors notified of ministry opportunities and activities. It was suggested that the fireside area should be refurnished to better serve the church s vision and needs. We would still want comfortable furniture but with more seating available. This would serve a two-fold purpose: worship overflow, and an education and fellowship area distinct from Fellowship hall. Ideas on how to utilize and furnish the space are welcome. Food Pantry News January Contributions from Living Hope pounds January Distributions 489 units (9, pounds) and $8, in Sentry food-only certificates January Expenses $8, Items needed at the pantry for March March 4, 2012 Cereal, canned spinach/asparagus/peas, peanut butter, pancake mix, applesauce, hand soap, diapers (size 4, 5, 6) March 11, 2012 Oatmeal, peanut butter, pancake mix, syrup, catsup/mustard, popcorn, dish detergent March 18, 2012 Cereal, canned peas/beets/mushrooms/chile beans, toothpaste & tooth brushes, bathroom tissue, laundry detergent, cash donations, paper grocery bags March 25, 2012 Oatmeal, canned sauerkraut, boxed dinners, pancake mix, syrup, peanut butter, pickles/olives, hand soap, diapers (size 4, 5, 6), baby wipes

9 A MISSION OF LIVING HOPE LUTHERAN CHURCH Phone (262) March is a very exciting month at Here We Grow! We will be joining other Lutheran Schools in celebration of Lutheran Schools Week March The ELCA theme for Lutheran School s week this year is Building Disciples. There are many exciting event s planned for this week! Each day, Monday-Friday will begin with an opening devotion led by Pastor Michael. Parents are invited to join Friday s JAM time devotion and snack with their child from 9:15-9:45am. Sunday the children will be singing songs with Pastor Michael during the 9:00am church service. Children should sit with their parents and Pastor Michael will call them up to sing. Additional activities including daily themes and dress up days will take place. God Bless, Beki Tetzlaff and Dawn Zirtzlaff IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER March 5-16 Mr. Z s fundraiser-all proceeds will go toward updating the equipment on the three outdoor playgrounds Sunday, March 11-Children attending HWG will be singing during the 9:00 church service with Pastor Michael Tuesday, March 13- Picture Day-Portraits Today 9:00am Wednesday March 14-Lenten Dinner Served by HWG Staff followed by the Lenten service-all are invited Saturday March 17, 24 & 31 from 9:00-3:00- The HWG Staff will dedicate these 3 Saturdays to receive 18 hrs of training in Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards (WMELS). The WMELS align with Wisconsin s K-12 Model Academic Standards to assure early learning opportunities that support the success of children in school and the future. Dear parents of Cherub and Living Hopeful Choirs, The next time we sing will be on Sunday, March 18 (don t forget to be at church at 8:30 to rehearse before we sing). As Pastor Michael will be focusing on the mark of discipleship Shepherd during the month of March, we have been learning songs about how Jesus is like a shepherd to us. The Cherubs are singing The Lord is My Shepherd while the Living Hopefuls will sing Name Above All Names. We are now scheduled to sing next on Sunday, April 29 to coincide with the Sunday of First Communion. Rehearsal times are now: The children from age 3 through 1 st grade in the Cherub Choir will practice in the sanctuary from 10:15 until 10:30 and then their Sunday school teachers will come and escort them to class. They will be in Sunday School from 10:30 until 11:15. The students in 2 nd grade through 5 th grade will be in the Living Hopefuls Choir and they will be in Sunday school from 10:15 until 11:00. At that time, their Sunday school teachers will send them to the sanctuary for rehearsal, which is from 11:00 until 11:15. PLEASE NOTE: We are concerned that it will be too difficult for the children s choirs to sing at worship without having a rehearsal first. So we are asking parents to try to have their children meet early before service at 8:30 so that we can rehearse before worship only on the Sunday s we are scheduled to sing. We have also decided that we will continue to sing at the beginning of worship as prelude. As in the past, the Cherubs will sing first, then the Living Hopefuls. Then the children may join their parents for worship. Please check the monthly update and the most current schedule or any choir news which will be in the newsletter and posted on the bulletin board behind the sanctuary (next to the kitchen door). Please don t hesitate to call with any questions. Yours in Christ, Sonia Lear Janelle Herbrand Julie Eslinger Brenda Stallbaum Accompanist

10 Remembering His words, Love one another, Hearts to Hands regularly meets to knit and crochet for others while sharing fellowship and devotional time. We continue to meet at church on the 1 st & 3 rd Thursday of each month. We will share fellowship time from 6:30 PM until 7 PM. About 7 PM we have our devotional study followed by prayer time and concluding about 8 PM. We listen to an unabridged book on CD so that we can listen and discuss while we work with our hands. (So a book is not necessary.) We are starting a new study called Beautiful Things Happen When a Woman Trusts God. All are welcome, even if you don t knit or crochet. We encourage you to come and participate in the fellowship and the devotional study. By the way, ask about our tasty treats. Please feel welcome to come, share in fellowship and grow in faith. If you are in need of child care in order to attend, please let us know. If you have any other questions, please call Sonia at or Julie at We look forward to having you join us! Please mark the following dates on your calendar: Thursdays, March 1 & 15 Thursdays, April 5 & 19 Thursdays, May 3 & 17 Thursdays, June 7 & 21 Beautiful Things Happen When a Woman Trusts God By Sheila Walsh The opening illustration of this book is quite personal, as the author thinks of herself as a child on a swing, being pushed by her mother higher and higher. Oh, how she loved to go so high! One day at the park through unforeseen circumstances, the neighborhood bully began to push her on the swing. He wasn't pushing her any higher than she had gone before, yet she was terrified. It wasn't about the swing or the experience. It was completely and totally about WHO was pushing. This is defined as trust and is the foundational premise for the book. Trust. It's a small, simple word. But it's hard to do. Walk with Sheila Walsh as she explores the value of truly trusting our Heavenly Father. When you know who's in control, and trust who's in control, it changes everything; it transforms our nightmares into an exhilarating life of faith. Are you ready to see some beautiful, unexpected things happen in your life? Give God the gift of trusting Him completely. Living Hope Men s Group Our next meetings will be April 18th (right after Easter) and then May 2nd and May 16th all at 6pm. This will allow us to finish the last three sessions on God is Closer Thank You Think. If you have questions, please contact Brad LeDuc

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12 LIVING HOPE MARCH 2012 CALENDAR Thursday, March 1 12:30pm Tri-County New Horizons Band rehearsal 6:30pm Hearts to Hands 8pm AA Meeting Friday, March pm Acoustic Open Mic Live Sunday, March 4 9am Worship Service 10:15am Sunday School 10:15am Caring & Sharing Meeting to assess supplies on hand for LWR kits for fall 2012 collection, assemble kits from supplies on hand and plan for summer campaign please join us! Sunday, March 4-Saturday, March 10 Lutheran Schools Week Monday, March 5 12:30pm Tri-County New Horizons Band rehearsal 7pm AA Meeting Wednesday, March 7 6pm Lenten Supper to benefit the ELCA Hunger Appeal 7pm Midweek Worship 8pm Choir Rehearsal Thursday, March 8 12:30pm Tri-County New Horizons Band rehearsal 8pm AA Meeting Sunday, March 11 9am Worship Service celebrating 10 years of HWG with LH 10:15am Sunday School Monday, March 12 12:30pm Tri-County New Horizons Band rehearsal 7pm AA Meeting Wednesday, March 14 6pm Lenten Supper 7pm Midweek Worship 8pm Choir Rehearsal Thursday, March 15 12:30pm Tri-County New Horizons Band rehearsal 6:30pm Hearts to Hands 8pm AA Meeting Saturday, March 17 8:30-3:30 Here We Grow Inservice/Training 9am-12pm Living Hope Leadership Committees Retreat Sunday, March 18 9am Worship Service 10:15am Sunday School Monday, March 19 12:30pm Tri-County New Horizons Band rehearsal 7pm AA Meeting Wednesday, March 21 6pm Lenten Supper 7pm Midweek Worship 8pm Choir Rehearsal Thursday, March 22 12:30pm Tri-County New Horizons Band rehearsal 8pm AA Meeting Friday, March 23 6pm High School Youth Lock-In (pickup Saturday, March 24 by 9am) Saturday, March 24 8:30-3:30 Here We Grow Inservice/Training Sunday, March 25 9am Worship Service 10:15am Sunday School Monday, March 26 12:30pm Tri-County New Horizons Band rehearsal 7pm AA Meeting Wednesday, March 28 6pm Lenten Supper 7pm Midweek Worship 8pm Choir Rehearsal Thursday, March 29 12:30pm Tri-County New Horizons Band rehearsal 8pm AA Meeting Saturday, March 31 8:30-3:30 Here We Grow Inservice/Training Sunday, April 1 9am Palm/Passion Sunday Worship Service (Youth pizza orders due!) 10:15am Sunday School