CHRIST Evangelical Lutheran Church 500 Park Street - West Salem, WI facebook.com/csjws christlutheranwestsalem.com

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1 The Visitor CHRIST Evangelical Lutheran Church 500 Park Street - West Salem, WI facebook.com/csjws christlutheranwestsalem.com 2018 God doesn t need my money, does he? Can t God take care of the church without my money? He made all things. Why does he need my money? That poses an interesting question, doesn t it? Why does God need our money? But maybe that s the wrong question. Perhaps the question should be more like Why do we need to give our money to God? The early Christians didn t ask why God needed their money. They pleaded for the privilege to share their money. They gave themselves first to the Lord, then their offerings followed. They gave to God because he had given them so much. Not only did they have forgiveness, victory over death, and eternal life, but God had also given them their money and possessions. Giving was an expression of gratitude to God for all his gifts. The early Christians were generous because God was so generous. God could fill collection plates like he filled the nets with fish on the Sea of Galilee. But God wants to give us opportunities to show how much we appreciate what he has done for us. PUT GOD FIRST is more than just an empty motto. It has real application when we take the checkbook and make our contribution. GOD DOESN T WANT ALL OUR MONEY. He simply asks for some of it enough to show how much we love him. He gives us the freedom to set our own goals. Then he challenges us to do better, just as he stretches us to grow in other ways too. The apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 8:7, Just as you excel in everything in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness... see that you also excel in this grace of giving. It s true, God doesn t need our money; but we need to answer some important questions every time we bring our offerings to church. Do our offerings put God first? Do they show that we really appreciate all God has done for us? We answer the questions every time we put our offerings in the collection plate. When our hearts put God first, we joyfully give! The Visitor Page 1 June 2018

2 BIBLE STUDY OPPORTUNITIES As summer approaches, we are wrapping up our studies in preparation for the summer break. Just because our formal studies stop for a while, doesn t mean our need for God s Word stops! Don t vacation from worship! The joy of our risen Savior is something we love to hear with our fellow Christians week after week! MEN S BIBLE STUDY TUESDAY MORNINGS 6AM RESUMES SEPT 4 th SUNDAY MORNING FAMILY BIBLE HOUR: Thank you to all who joined us this past year! Keep your eyes on the weekly update for what we ll be studying when come back together next fall. WOMEN S BIBLE STUDY THURSDAY EVENINGS 6:15PM RESUMES SEPT 6 th FAMILY BIBLE STUDY SUNDAY MORNINGS 9:15AM RESUMES SEPT 9 th BIBLE INFORMATION CLASS TBA TUESDAY MORNING MEN S STUDY: Join us in the fall as we ontinue to work though the gospel of Matthew. We ll be starting with chapter 14. Haven t joined us yet? No problem! Come and grow along with us. THURSDAY EVENING LADIES STUDY: We just finished our study of the book of Hebrews. Watch the Weekly Update to see what comes next! BIBLE INFORMATION CLASS: This class is a wonderful review for anyone wanting to brush up on the basic teachings of God s Word. It s also the class designed for those interested in membership in our congregation. A NEW CLASS IS STARTING SOON! Contact the pastor for upcoming classes. Special Bible Study/Fellowship Opportunities JUNE 20 TH DEVOTION & PICNIC AT VET S PARK; Shelter #2 Bring your family and a picnic food to share and join us for an evening of food and fun! Gather a team and compete in our all-age Olympic challenges! Picnic begins at 5:30PM JULY 26 TH VBS WEEK PICNIC AT CHRIST Bring your family for a relaxing evening as we wrap up our week of VBS! The children will share some songs, and we ll all share time together in faith and fellowshp. Please bring a food item to share. Fun begins at 5:30PM AUG 8 TH BIBLE STUDY PICNIC AT VET S PARK; Shelter #2 Bring your family and a food item to share and join us for an evening with our Lord and each other! Picnic begins at 5:30PM. SUMMER WORSHIP SCHEDULE: Our summer worship schedule began Memorial Day weekend. Worship is at 8:00 and 9:30 AM now through Labor Day weekend, Sunday, September 2 nd. The Monday service remains at 6:30PM. However, there will be no Monday services on the following dates: June 4 (District Convention in Watertown, WI) September 3 (Labor Day) Happy Father s Day May God bless all men who lead, serve, pray and provide for those the Lord has placed in their care. LUTHER HIGH CLASS OF th Class Reunion is being celebrated June Attendees can register for the June 23 rd dinner lutherhigh68.com (by June 1 st ). On June 24 th, the Class will meet in the Luther High Auditorium for worship led by ministers of the Class of 1968; the service starts at 10:30AM. Following the service, there will be a tour of Luther. The Visitor Page 2 June 2018

3 Remember our website! christlutheranwestsalem.com June 1 st June 3 rd June 4 th June 5 th June 6 th June 7 th June 8 th June 9 th Linda Daube, Zach Sonsalla, Jim Svendsen Amber Londergen, Diane Weber, Arleen Bussian, Mel Kuschel Brynlee Danning, Sharon Fuller Heather Gilster Burness Mc Bain, John Willinger James McClintock, Dave Bright Pete Daube, Lynda Mueggenborg, Donovan Jostad Trina Willinger, Marian Yellick, Reid Rasmussen If you have recently moved, please remember to inform the Pastor or church secretary of your new address information and phone number so that we may keep contact with you. Thank You. June 10 th June 11 th June 13 th Karen Schaller, John Diekroeger Sally Dahlke, Cathy Kramer, Sue Nederloe, Natalie Weimer Bud Rogge, Tim Willinger, Sienna Horstman Sunday Morning Monday Evening 8:00 am 9:30 am 6:30 pm June 14 th June 16 th June 18 th June 19 th June 22 nd June 23 rd June 24 th June 25 th June 26 th June 28 th June 29 th June 30 th Grace Cook Bob Plenge, Jerry Schomberg Gary Miller, Sam Baudek Laura Parsons Caylee Bruemmer, Ben Deyo, Evylyn Weimer, Kristine Werner Steve Stockheimer Karen Weber Red Hutchens, Angie Mellor Leanne Bruemmer, Carol Thompson Paula Martell Kaleb Holzhausen, Erin Svendsen, Eric Dummer, Bobby Hoffman, Sabrina Sonsalla, David Harris Denise Schomberg, Tyler Kaiser HEADED FOR THE HOSPITAL? ATTENDING ANOTHER CHURCH? MOVING? Your pastors are here to serve in all of these areas, so please let us know when changes take place! We d love to take you to God s grace; a grace that doesn t change even when our life situations do! The Visitor Page 3 June 2018

4 NOTES & NEWS Watch for our float at the June Dairy Day s parade! CARING CHRISTIANS MENTAL HEALTH June 6:30PM we gather at First Lutheran, 400 West Ave South, La Crosse. Come for support and encouragement in a safe and nurturing environment. The next GRIEF SUPPORT meeting will be Tues, June 5th at 7 PM at St John s Barre Mills. Those grieving the loss of a loved one are welcome to attend. Coulee Region OWLS will meet June 7 at First Luth LAX with a potluck lunch at Noon. Bring dish to share/ table service. All men and women age 55 or older are welcome. Enjoy friends, a good lunch, and an excellent program. Coffee provided. We remember with respect all those who have given so much to secure freedom and security for this nation. We ask GOD to bless and keep safe those who serve, and to keep their families in your care. May He bring peace to heal those who have lost loved ones. We extend our love and sympathy to the family and friends of Marvel Greene who was called home to her Father in Heaven. We also remember in prayer those who lost loved ones; Larry & Sharon Schwier (daughter-in-law) and Alexandra & Samantha Strom (father). May God comfort them in their time of grief. Come to Vacation Bible School! Kids age 3-14 are invited to join us for a week of lessons, activities, and fun with friends. Register ONLINE at our website. Dates are July from 9 11:30AM Our ALL MEMBER MEETING night will be June 7th at 6:30PM. We will gather for our opening devotion and hear the updates from our various committees. Join us for food, fun & fellowship at our summer picnics: June 20 Vet s Park, shelter #2 July 26 VBS closing at church August 8 Vet s Park, shelter #2 FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH LA CRESCENT will dedicate the FIRST STEPS EARLY LEARNING CENTER on June 3rd at 10:30AM. Open house from 10:45 noon with refreshments. LADIES AID MEETS Thursday, June 7th at 1:30PM in the Multi-Purpose Room. All women of Christ are welcome!! Enjoy receiving encouragement and prayer requests by participating in our Prayer Chain! Submit prayer requests by: prayers@christlutheranwestsalem.com DROP them in the prayer box in the narthex CALL one of the pastors The Visitor 2018 GRADUATES: May God continue to bless and guide you in your future endeavors. Congratulations to Jimmy Bjorkman, Ben Black, Haylee Gilster, Jack Gorniak, Brynn Hage, Emily Hemker, Caden Kane, Sadie Miller, Emily Nederloe, Brittney Niebuhr, Michael Olson and Megan Schauf who graduated from West Salem High School. Dates to Remember Saturday, June 9: BRANCHES Christ; 4PM Wednesday, June 20: Summer Vet s Park; #2 5:30PM June 23-26: Vacation Bible School; 9 11:30AM Thursday, July 26: VBS CHRIST 5:30PM Wednesday, August 8: Summer Vet s Park; #2 5:30PM JUNE Altar Guild Servers JUNE Women of CHRIST Page 4 Marilyn Justin Ruth Wehrenberg Linda Werner Barb Gilbertson GROUP 11 Last Names: Sr - Wa June 2018

5 Monthly Bible Readings The Discipleship Journal Bible Reading Plan offers special features that will help you in your journey through the bible. By reading from four separate places in the Scripture every day, you should be able to better grasp the unity of the Scriptures, as well as enjoy the variety of seeing four different viewpoints. Don t become frustrated if you fall behind. Each month lists only twentyfive readings. That offers several free days each month for catch up if they are needed. Here are the passages for JUNE. NEW TESTAMENT OLD TESTAMENT LUKE EPHESIANS PSALMS 1KINGS 1 1:1-25 1: : : : : : : : : : : : : : :1-20 3: : : : : : : : :1-20 4: : : : : :1-12 5: : : : : : : : PHIL 2KINGS 14 4: : : :1-11 1: : : : : : : : : : : : : : :1-16 3: : : : : : : : : : : : :1-10 4: June Financial Summary Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. (Malachi 3:10) Needed Monthly to meet budget $ 43,295 March Income Received $ 50,942 March Expenses $ 34,374 Income (vs) Expense + $ 16,568 Outstanding Debts Church Mortgage $ 179,428 Church line of credit $ 29,026 Church Commitments $ 5,110 Thank you to those who donated and/or volunteered during the Postal Food Drive. This important service benefits local families in need. The Central Africa Medical Mission is once again looking for pill bottles for use in the medical clinic. Please remove the labels from your SMALL PRESCRIPTION BOTTLES and drop in the designated container in the narthex of the church. May God bless you and those you love with a blessed, safe and relaxing summer. The Visitor Page 5 June 2018

6 Christ-St. John s Lutheran School Serving: Christ Ev. Lutheran Church, West Salem & St. John s Ev. Lutheran Church, Barre Mills Teaching Christ s Love. School Calendar for August Pre-Kindergarten 8th Grade Available in the July Newsletter The academics are challenging. The teachers are nurturing. The lessons learned are for a lifetime. Another school year has come to a close and we have awarded the diplomas to the graduating eighth graders. Many of them have been students here at CSJ since kindergarten. During the time that they have been students at CSJ, many things have changed. The faculty, the playground, the curriculum, and the students themselves have changed. One thing, however, has not changed. Every day we are blessed to hear that Jesus loved us enough to go to the cross to save us from the punishment of our sins. Each day We preach Christ crucified as our theme for this year stated. If our students learn only one thing, we pray it s that Jesus death and resurrection means that they, and all believers, will one day enjoy the joys of heaven. We pray that our eighth graders will continue to hear the message of Christ crucified each day of their life until the Lord brings them home to their heavenly home. We also pray that as the world around us become more hostile to the Gospel message, more families in our congregations would take advantage of the wonderful opportunity they have for their children to daily hear the message of Christ crucified by enrolling their children in their Christian school. ELLA ABERLY SCHOLARSHIP for Luther High tuition are available from the Ladies Aid. Forms are available on the Usher s Cabinet or from the CSJ School Office. Questions contact Lois Miller at Applications must be turned in by June 1st to a pastor or CSJ office The Visitor Page 6 June 2018