Under the Steeple. December 2017/ January 2018

Transcription

1 Under the Steeple News from Williams Bay Lutheran Church December 2017/ January 2018 Williams Bay Lutheran Church P.O. Box Collie Street Williams Bay, WI Phone: (262) Website: Pastor: Rev. Tom Dowling Secretary Sunday Schedule: 8:00 a.m. Morning Prayer Worship 9:30 a.m. Worship 9:45 Sunday School/Nursery September - May 10:45 a.m. Refreshments / Fellowship 11:00 a.m. Adult Bible Study September - May THE MISSION OF WILLIAMS BAY LUTHERAN IS TO: PRAISE God PROCLAIM the message of Jesus Christ REACH OUT with this message to people of all backgrounds and cultures CREATE A COMMUNITY of Christian support, love, and forgiveness.

2 Christmas and Singing There is something about Christmas that makes us all want to sing. Christmas would just not be the same without Christmas carolers, Sunday school children singing Christmas songs, choirs singing Christmas songs, singing Christmas songs in worship, or even in hearing Christmas hymns being played on the radio. This year I would like to encourage you to take notice of all the singing that is happening around you during this very holy season. There are many great opportunities to sing or to enjoy listening to singing here at Williams Bay Lutheran this month. The first opportunity to hear some great singing is coming up soon. The County Gentlemen Barbershop Chorus from Lake Geneva will be visiting us on Sunday, December 3 rd during the 9:30 worship service. They will be singing a variety of religious Christmas songs. The next opportunity to join in on some singing will be on December 10 th as the education committee invites the whole congregation to join them in singing Christmas carols to two area nursing homes. Christmas caroling is such a wonderful, very important outreach ministry to our community. Some nursing home residents look forward to hearing carolers all year long! Lastly, on Sunday, December 17 th during the 9:30 worship service there will be a Christmas Cantata service which will include the Sunday school children, our confirmation student, the hand-bell choir, and the Christmas Cantata Choir. Lastly, there will be many opportunities this month to sing Christmas hymns in worship especially on Christmas Eve. Please invite a friend, neighbor, or family member to these special Christmas services. Let s raise our singing voices with Mary and Elizabeth, the angels, and the whole company

3 of God s people in heaven and on earth in celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Harmoniously, Pastor Tom On Sunday, December 3 rd the Country Gentlemen Barbershop Chorus from Lake Geneva will be here to sing sacred Christmas songs during the 9:30 am worship service. Please invite a friend or family member for this festive Christmas worship service. CHRISTMAS CANTATA Our Christmas cantata will presented on December 17 th during the 9:30 a.m. worship service. The cantata will include the Sunday School children, the confirmation students, the handbell choir, and a Christmas Cantata Choir. For more information, please contact Carol Berndt. CHRISTMAS FAMILY GIVING TREE We are once again helping needy families through the Walworth County Holiday Care Program. All of our families are in the Wms. Bay area and I hope we will be as generous this year as we have always been in the past. Each ornament has a number on it as to what family they belong to and whether it is for a boy, girl, mom or dad. On that ornament is a suggestion of what they would like and also sizes. If in doubt on the size for a child I always suggest going up one size up rather than have it be too small, or get a gift receipt and enclose in package.

4 The ornament MUST BE SECURLEY ATTACHED to the package. If you have gotten the gift and have lost the ornament, contact me so I can hopefully give you the number that belongs on your package. It is not easy trying to guess what gift belongs to which family when I have 50 presents under the tree!!! and no family number on it. If you are giving gift cards please put in a small box or bag or much larger envelope with ornament attached to it. The gifts MUST be returned to church by Dec. 10 th as they have to be delivered to Elkhorn on Dec. 11 th. If you have old large paper shopping bags with handles on please bring those to church as it s easier to transport when I can put several gifts in one large bag---they don t have to be Christmas ones but---send what you have. Thank you for your help and thank you for your generosity!!! Jorine Granberg, cell (text is fine) # or me at josiegranberg@gmail.com PLEDGES RECEIVED During the Stewardship Campaign we received 27 pledges totaling $124,258. Thank you to all who have turned in a pledge! We will continue to receive pledges until the end of the year. Your pledge is an estimate of your giving. We realize circumstances may change during the year which could impact your giving. Poinsettia orders are due into the church office by December 17 th. The 6 ½ inch plants will be $11.50 and will decorate the altar on December 24 th. You may pick up an order form from the back of the church or find it on our website by clicking here. Subs and Singing This year, the educational committee has once again organized the festive holiday Subs and Singing event for Sunday, December 10th. This has been a long-standing tradition at Williams Bay Lutheran Church and ALL are invited to take part.

5 This activity begins following the 9:30 service with an early lunch featuring Subway sandwiches following lunch, we will then travel and carpool to three area nursing homes or care facilities in the area to do some Christmas caroling. We typically wrap up this event by 1:30 in the afternoon. It is a wonderful way to visit our members and spread some holiday cheer. Please consider taking part in this important outreach and fellowship activity. There is a sign up sheet in the narthex if you are interested in Subs and Singing on Sunday, December 10th. Any questions, please contact Amy amyraegee@gmail.com Homeless Shelter Ministry This year we will be helping out Chapel on the Hill with their men s homeless shelter ministry. St Benedict s Catholic Church, who we usually work with, is not participating in the homeless shelter ministry this year. We have been invited by the Chapel on the Hill congregation to help them when they host the shelter week. The week that they need help with runs from Sunday, December 31 st to Saturday, January 6 th. The shifts go from 5 pm to 7 am. Only men can stay overnight but anyone can help with the evening dinner. Please contact Pastor Tom or Claus Wellhausen if you would like to help with this ministry. SHARING OUR FAITH Our Evangelism class that meets on Sundays at 11 a.m. will not be meeting in December. On January 7 th, we will be starting a new book during the class. This book takes a look at an old practice that many congregations have forgotten. The book reveals that the very act of sharing our faith can breathe new life into a congregation. It can also open us up to the powerful ways that God works when people are invited to tell others what they have seen and heard of God s presence in their lives.

6 ANNUAL MEETING The annual meeting will be on January 28 th after the 9:30 a.m. service. The annual committee reports must be turned in by January 14 th. Following the meeting we will have a potluck. Watch for the sign-up sheet. FACEBOOK PAGE You can now find us on facebook! Simply search SALLY S CIRCLE/HANDWORK GROUP UDATE Sally s circle will take a break in December, but will meet again on January 30 th at 7:00 p.m. The book for January is Mistress Bradstreet by Charlotte Gordon. See Cheral Sadler or Mary Mock with any questions about our group. HOSPITALIZED OR PASTORAL VISIT Please call Pastor Tom at the church office or reach him on his cell phone: Pastor Tom can also bring Holy Communion. PRAYER SHAWLS SHARE ONE! PLEASE, if you know of someone who could use prayer support for any reason, bring him/her a prayer shawl and let them know that our prayers are with them. We have shawls in all sorts of colors to suit almost everyone. The shawls are in the last Sunday School room off the Hearth Room. Just sign the sheet that you took one, attach the blue angel tag and share it. If you would like to be a part of making prayer shawls, join us when we meet as Sally s Circle Questions? Contact Sheila Lundin or Carol Choyce.

7 Ecumenical Thanksgiving Worship with Rev. Jean Wallenfang and the UCC congregation of Williams Bay Lutheran Campus Ministry Sunday with Rev. Emily Tveite, Lutheran Campus Minister at UW Madison

8 COMMITTEE CONTACT PEOPLE Here are some folks to contact in order to answer your questions as we move into our busy fall. Please use them as a resource: Phone numbers and addresses are in the church directory. Council President Chad Beth Worship Chair Pastor Tom Cantors Carol Berndt Refreshments & Kathy Tanking Worship Servers Altar Guild Laura Hobbs Youth & Education Sunday School Kari Pfeil Committee Members Deena Putnam Amy Gee JoAnn Hobbs Paula Williams Stewardship Chair Stu Bieber Property & Finance Chair Jim Pfeil Committee Members Outreach/News Releases Social Ministry WELCA (Women of the church) Financial Secretary Treasurer Co-Chairs Al Austin Chad Beth Vern Choyce Neill Frame Monroe Putnam Cal Kuder Sheila Lundin Carol Choyce Sheila Lundin Judy Newell Neill Frame IN OUR PRAYERS: All in our schools: Teachers, students, administrators and staff. All our military men and women: Clayton Kelley, Collins Nash (Africa), Mark Ankoumus (Special Forces), Trevor Wellhausen. Requests: Will Baldwin (friend of Sharon Yanz), Dorthey Boss, Sandy Gold (friend of Fran Flucke), Jeanne Gruber (friend of Fran Flucke), Jane Harries, George Holmes (Natalie Reno s father), Joanie Kalla, John and Larry (friends of Bridget Beth), Cal Kuder, Joan Mosby (Arbor Village, Lake Geneva), Emily Newell, Angela (Kelley) Porter, Michael Reno, San Jose congregation in Beloit, Arlene (Toby) Spotz, Collis Stewart, Laura Washer (Williams Bay s police chief), Rich Weeden (friend of the Bieber

9 family), Klaus Wellhausen, for the victims of the recent hurricanes and the Mexico City earthquake, the victims of the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, TX shooting, and the California wildfires. If you wish a name added to our prayer list please contact Pastor Tom or the church office. COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OCTOBER 19 th, 2017 WBLC Council Meeting held on Thursday, October 19 th, 2017 at 7:00 p.m., in Hearth Room. Members present: Chad Beth Stu Bieber Vernon Choyce John Decker Mary Mock Deena Putnam Dennis Tanking Paula Williams Pr. Tom Called to order by: President Beth at 7:05 Open with devotion and prayer: Dennis Tanking Minutes from September meeting: Mary Mock. M V. Choyce S J. Decker A (Moved) (Seconded) (Check if approved) Treasurer s reports for September were received and approved: Frame M S. Bieber S D. Tanking A (Moved) (Seconded) (Check if approved) Committee Reports: Youth and Education: Committee met October 19 th. Discussion about communion age. Sub and sing on Dec. 10 th. Christmas program about the same as last year Christmas Cantata Dec. 17 th. B-day cake for Peter. Jan 18 th next meeting. Property and Finance: Will work on the 2018 budget next meeting on November 8 th at 5p.m. Roof and wall damage Vern in charge Aluminum Flashing to be put on.

10 Worship: Looking for more altar care members. There will be a unity service on Reformation Sunday as we commemorate the five hundred Year anniversary. We will host the ecumenical Thanksgiving service on November 21 st at 7pm and will need to provide coffee and treats. Talk about the 2 Sunday services tabled. Stewardship: Stewardship month is going well. Giving was higher this past year than the previous year. Highway pick-up this Saturday/ Chapel on the Hill thanks for coming. Fran to talk Sunday. Pies & Doughnuts ordered Salvation Army November 25 th & Dec. 9 th Claus to put out sign-up sheet. Social Ministry: No report Outreach/Evangelism: The evangelism class on Sunday mornings is going well with great discussion. Eleven members are participating in the book discussions. WELCA: No report Pastor Toms Mission and Ministry Report We had good participation from our church in this year s CROP Walk. Ten WBLC members participated in our community CROP Walk. I offered the opening prayer and joined in on the walk in order to raise awareness of hunger in our community and around the world. It is a small thing that our congregation does in participating in this ministry but when we do it together with many other churches it makes a big difference in the lives of the poor. I attended the synod s fall theological conference on October 9 th and 10 th. The topic was: Reconciliation, The Ongoing Reformation. The speaker, Kathryn Mary Lohre, Assistant to the Presiding Bishop of the ELCA, provided an overview of church history from the past 500 years from an ecumenical and inter-religious perspective. She spoke specifically about the ELCA s ministry of reconciliation in our relationships with the Catholic Church, people of other traditions, and with Historic Black Churches. I found that the speaker s presentations affirmed my ecumenical work with the churches in our community. I found inspiration at this

11 continuing education event for me to continue in the work of ecumenism. I invited three guest speakers from Chapel on the Hill to come and to speak about the food pantry and about the homeless shelter. I recently met with Rev. Jean Wallenfang and Rev. Sean Walker to talk about ecumenical ministry in Williams Bay, I made a member nursing home visit in Lake Geneva, I led worship at the nursing home in Williams Bay, and I attended an ecumenical pastor s meeting in Delavan. Forward-Looking: Sunday, October 29 th we will be commemorating the five hundred year anniversary of the Reformation. We will have a unity hymn service on that special day. Hymnody is a very important part of our Lutheran tradition. On Reformation Sunday we will sing the hymns that came out of the Reformation along with hymns that reflect our Lutheran heritage. After worship all are invited to watch a video on the Reformation and Martin Luther. I invited Rev. Emily Tveite, Lutheran Campus Pastor at UW Madison, to come and to speak to us about Lutheran Campus Ministry. She will come to the 9:30 service on November 19 th. We received a thank you plaque from the Barbershop Chorus for our recent support of the choir s music and involvement within the community. I also invited the chorus to come and sing sacred Christmas songs on December 3 rd at the 9:30 worship service. I thought that particular Sunday might be an outreach Sunday where every member tries to invite someone to our church. I will put an ad in the local paper and on our Facebook page in order to reach out to others in our community about this upcoming church event. As I teach evangelism skills to our members in the Sunday morning class, and through my preaching, I am also seeking to do more outreach ministry. I have been inviting people to our church and I have been working to network ecumenically with other pastors in the area including Rev. Josh at Lakeland, Rev. Chuck at Calvary, Rev. Sean at Chapel on the Hill, Rev. Joel at Christ Episcopal, and Rev. Tom at St John Lutheran (LCMC). After we finish the evangelism book in the Sunday morning class I will be teaching a class on the ancient spiritual

12 practice of sharing our faith. I will lead a book discussion on the book: Tell it Like it Is: Reclaiming the Practice of Testimony by Lillian Daniel. This book explains why we need to share our faith along with some practical suggestions to encourage faith sharing. Motion to approve all reports above: M V. Choyce S S. Bieber A (Moved) (Seconded) (Check if approved Old Business: 1. Hiring of New Church Secretary Connie Olson Interviewed looking to interview more. Ad in the Beacon. New Business 1) Gift for Lutheran Campus Ministry Gift $ M S. Vern S S. Bieber A (Moved) (Seconded) (Check if approved) Motion to adjourn: M V. Choyce S P. Williams A (Moved) (Seconded) (Check if approved) Close: Praying the Lord s Prayer Meeting adjourned at 8:02 p.m. Next Meeting: November 16, 2017 at 7:00pm

13 December Calendar Date Time Event Sunday,12/3 8:00 a.m. Worship/Holy Communion 8:45 a.m. Choir Rehearsal 9:30 a.m. Worship/Holy Communion 9:45 a.m. Sunday School 10:45 a.m. Refreshments Tuesday,12/5 7:00 p.m. WELCA Bible Study Hearth Room Wednesday,12/6 6:00 p.m. Christmas Cantata rehearsal 7:00 p.m. Choir Rehearsal Saturday,12/9 9:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. Salvation Army Bell Ringing Daniel s Sentry in Walworth Sunday,12/10 8:00 a.m. Worship/Holy Communion 8:45 a.m. Choir Rehearsal 9:30 a.m. Worship/Holy Communion 9:45 a.m. Sunday School 10:45 a.m. Refreshments 11:00 a.m. Subs and Singing Wednesday,12/13 6:00 p.m. Cantata Dress Rehearsal Sunday,12/17 9:30 a.m. Christmas Cantata/Holy Communion 10:45 a.m. Refreshments Poinsettia Orders are due Thursday,12/21 7:00 p.m. Church Council Hearth Room Sunday,12/24 9:30 a.m. Worship/Holy Communion 5:00 p.m. Christmas Eve Service Monday,12/25 Christmas Day Church Office Closed Sunday,12/31 9:30 a.m. Worship/Holy Communion

14 January Calendar Date Time Event Monday,1/1 New Year s Day, Office Closed Tuesday,1/2 7:00 p.m. WELCA Bible Study Hearth Room Wednesday,1/3 7:00 p.m. Choir Rehearsal Sunday,1/7 8:00 a.m. Worship/Holy Communion 8:45 a.m. Choir Rehearsal 9:30 a.m. Worship/Holy Communion 9:45 a.m. Sunday School 10:45 a.m. Refreshments 11:00 a.m. Evangelism Class Hearth Room Wednesday,1/10 7:00 p.m. Handbell Rehearsal Sunday,1/14 8:00 a.m. Worship/Holy Communion 8:45 a.m. Choir Rehearsal 9:30 a.m. Worship/Holy Communion 9:45 a.m. Sunday School 10:45 a.m. Refreshments 11:00 a.m. Evangelism Class Hearth Room All Committee Annual Reports are due! Wednesday,1/17 10:00 a.m. The Atrium Worship Williams Bay 7:00 p.m. Handbell Rehearsal Sunday,1/21 8:00 a.m. Worship/Holy Communion 8:45 a.m. Handbell Rehearsal 9:30 a.m. Worship/Holy Communion 9:45 a.m. Sunday School 10:45 a.m. Refreshments 11:00 a.m. Evangelism Class Hearth Room Sunday,1/28 8:00 a.m. Worship/Holy Communion 9:30 a.m. Worship/Holy Communion 9:45 a.m. Sunday School 10:45 a.m. Annual Meeting 2:30 p.m. Golden Years Worship Walworth Tuesday,1/30 7:00 p.m. Sally s Circle Hearth Room