OUR SAVIOUR S UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST W172 N12533 Division Road Germantown, WI Address Corrections Requested

Transcription

1 OUR SAVIOUR S UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST W172 N12533 Division Road Germantown, WI Address Corrections Requested

2 P a g e 2 O U R S A V I O U R S U C C O c t o b e r THE CALLER FROM THE PASTOR S DESK Breakthrough: The Practice of Feeling Pain One of the first projects I do each fall with any Sunday School or Confirmation class is to have students create a life-line. This is a timeline of their own lives, with the usual milestones, but then also I ask the youth to recall times that they felt particularly close to God or times when the felt God was absent or far away. And while some will highlight good times as moments of God's presents, by and large most people identify points of greatest pain or suffering (death of a loved one, an accident or serious illness) as times when they especially felt God's presence. Taylor describes this as when the spikes in your pain bear some relationship to the leaps in your growth. Despite the somewhat misleading title, this chapter has more to do with our response to pain rather than the feeling of pain itself. This is not a chapter on masochism but on how we respond to those inevitable experiences of pain in our lives. Pain by its very nature provokes us to respond. And as Barbara Brown Taylor so astutely makes clear; pain can bring out the very worst or the very best in each of us. There are many ways to respond to pain: avoidance, denial, numbing, or fighting. While we can't always fully control our response, Taylor's argument is that at times, allowing ourselves to experience pain and sit with it, can provide new clarity, develop a sense of gratitude for the blessing of life in the present, strengthen our faith in God not as the God in charge of pain removal' but as the God who will stick with us throughout our pain no matter what we might say. Taylor also gives us a good way to differentiate between pain and suffering, arguing that pain occurs in the flesh while suffering happens in the mind. As we consider the story of Job, not only does Job experience physical pain, but also the emotional suffering of one who cannot fathom the why of such pain. While pain is never something I would encourage anyone to pursue, I think that finding ways to respond to pain can be exceedingly helpful in our faith development. Taylor offers three techniques for making the post of the pain we encounter: generosity, rituals, and paying attention. What can be so helpful to us in these is that they can be valuable for both the one in pain and for those who wish to care for those experiencing pain. By working through and beyond our pain we are able to see outside of ourselves to experiencing God in a new way. While I would wish that we would all live lives free of pain and suffering, I know that such things are inevitable in the human experience. Thus, then, let us strive to make the most of such encounters, seeking to find new ways of embracing the fullness of life and rejoicing in the gifts of life God bestows upon us. Pastor Tara This month we continue our reflections with the tenth chapter of Barbara Brown Taylor s book An Altar in the World ELECTION DAY CHILI SUPPER The Election Day Chili Supper this year is on Tuesday, November 4th. You can help make this years Chili Supper a big success. Any help you can give (morning, daytime or evening) will be greatly appreciated. It will be here before you know it!! We serve ALL day starting at 11 a.m. Sign-up sheets are posted on the bulletin board at the bottom of the stairs by the entry doors. Contact Janet Arnold if you have any questions.

3 P a g e 3 O U R S A V I O U R S U C C O c t o b e r OCTOBER LECTIONARY READINGS Week of October 5th (Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost): Exodus 29:1-4,7-9,12-20/Psalm 19 or Isaiah 5:1-7/Psalm 80:7-15; Philippians 3:4b-14; Matthew 21:33-46 Week of October 12th (Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost): Exodus 32:1-14/Psalm 106:1-6,19-23 or Isaiah 25:1-9/Psalm 23; Philippians 4:1-9; Matthew 22:1-14 Week of October 19st (Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost): Exodus 33:12-23/Psalm 99 or Isaiah 45:1-7/Psalm 96:1-9,(10-13); 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10; Matthew 22:15-22 Week of October 26th (Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost): Deuteronomy 34:1-12/Psalm 90:1-6,13-17 or Leviticus 19:1-2,15-18/Psalm 1; 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8; Matthew 22:34-46 HAPPY BIRTHDAY 10/2 Joel Rotgers 10/6 Dennis Gehl 10/7 Craig Arnold 10/14 Sharon Wendlandt Sarah Wendlandt 10/16 Harrison Gieske 10/22 Richard Storms 10/27 Ashley Miller 10/29 Robbin Kessler HAPPY ANNIVERSARY 10/8 Jerry & Lynne Schuppie 10/09 Joel & Laura Rotgers 10/14 Mark & Patricia Kannenberg 10/20 Mark & Paula Warnke 10/22 Mark & Deborah Biddle 10/24 Bruce & Denielle Beilfuss 10/27 Juergen & Lori Gieske MEMBERS IN NEED OF PRAYERS Theresa Arnold Sheila Dettmann Priscilla Engstrom Rev. Ed Freese Robert Huber Ruby Kannenberg Donna Klumb Erwin Podewil Shirley Schowalter Heather Schuldt Please contact the church or Sheila Dettmann with any changes to this list. DIRECTORY NOTES Denielle Bielfuss s phone number is now: Bill Wetterau s phone number is just his cell now: Brandon David s address is now: 800 W. 3rd St. #2333 Austin, TX 78701

4 P a g e 4 O U R S A V I O U R S U C C O c t o b e r PASTORAL RELATIONS COMMITTEE The committee will meet once per quarter regularly or at any time the pastor or the committee deems it necessary to call a meeting. The purpose of this committee is to support and maintain an open relationship between the pastor and members of the congregation. Should any member have a concern that they feel should be discussed between the pastor and committee, please feel free to contact any member of the committee. If a significant concern or suggestion is brought forward we will do our best to resolve the issue. This committee functions irrespective of the Church Council and will handle any concern with total confidence. The committee and pastor will always meet together. Members include: Bill Wetterau (Chair), Les Beuscher, Darold Hoelz, Lynne Schuppie & Sandy Wendlandt GROUNDS AND MAINTENANCE COMMITTEE The purpose of this committee is to take care of the maintenance of the church building and the property outdoors. If you would like to learn more, join the committee, or let them know of an issue, you can contact Dale Schuldt or anyone on the committee. Members include: Dale Schuldt (Chair), Chris Miller, Dennis Dettmann, Jim Klug & Gene Dettmann WORSHIP COMMITTEE This committee has a two part duty: 1) work with the pastor to help services run smoothly and work thru issues or changes that want/need to be made with services and 2) run as an Altar Guild with the following responsibilities: set up Communion monthly and for special services, order worship supplies, changing alter clothes as needed, changing altar candles, getting Christmas Eve candlelight service candles set up and put away, etc. The committee is looking for a new chairman. Members include: Sheila Dettmann (Altar), Betty Egger (Altar) & Dennis Dettmann (I.T.) MISSION AND OUTREACH COMMITTEE The committee participates in a blood drive once a year, collects non-perishable food items four times a year for St Boniface and West Bend food pantries, collects paper items four times a year for Friends of Abused Families, collects loose offering four times a year to help buy things like chickens and stoves for the needy in Guatemala, raises money & rallies participation for the Washington County Crop Walk, fills shoeboxes at Christmas for children around the world for Samaritans Purse, and collects travel sized hygiene products for Dr. Albrecht s Free Clinic in West Bend during the summer months. If you would like to learn more or join the committee, you can contact Sheila Dettmann. There are no meetings at this time, but the committee is looking for a chairman to start them up again and run it as it has been without one for over 2 years. Members include: Sheila Dettmann, Sharon Gehl & Chrystal Smerz MISSION SUNDAY October 12th has been designated for the Guatemala Fund. Loose offering will be gathered for this. A jar will be set out on the entry table the rest of the month. The Mission and Outreach Committee thanks you for your generous donations.

5 P a g e 5 O U R S A V I O U R S U C C O c t o b e r EDUCATIONAL AND SMALL GROUP OPPORTUNITIES CRAFTER S DAY Whether you scrapbook, paint, draw, knit, etc., you are welcome to bring whatever you are working on and join with other crafter s for a day of fun. Drop in for an hour or stay for the day. Light lunch provided. Participants are asked to bring their own beverages and a snack to share. Meets one Saturday a month from 10am-3pm, rotating locations between Our Saviour s and St. John. Upcoming date is October 18th at St. John. FRESH LOOKS AT OLD STORIES More of a traditional Bible study that will focus on passages that are often misunderstood, or that likely are read much differently as adults than how we read them as children. Meets at St. John on the 4th Wednesday of every month at 6pm. MONDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY Join us for a weekly Bible study as we journey through the Gospel of Mark using the Interpretation of the Bible Studies program. Meets at Our Saviour s from each Monday beginning Oct 6th. Cost of book is $10. CLIPS, COFFEE, AND CONVERSATIONS Light refreshments while watching short videos/clips on various topics and themes with discussion to follow. Meets at St. John 1st Wednesday of the month from 6-7pm starting Oct 1st. STARBUCKS BOOK CLUB Discuss various books related to issues of faith. Different book each month, discussion guide will be available a month ahead of time. Meets at Starbucks on Mequon Rd on 2nd Wednesday of the month at 6pm starting Oct 8th. October s book is Hot Dogs and Hamburgers: Unlocking Life s Potential by Inspiring Literacy at Any Age by Rob Schindler. Books available for $10 from St. John church office. FOOD, FILM, AND FAITH Simple meal while watching a movie with discussion to follow. Meets at Our Saviour s at 6pm on the 3rd Wednesday of every month. NEIGHBORS IN NEED OFFERING The Neighbors in Need (NIN) offering that will be received in October supports the UCC s ministries of justice and compassion throughout the United States. Two-thirds of the offering is used by the UCC s Justice & Witness Ministries to fund a wide array of local and national justice initiatives, advocacy efforts and direct service projects. NIN also supports our American Indian neighbors in the UCC. One-third of the offering supports the UCC s Council for American Indian Ministries. Historically, forebears of the UCC established churches and worked with Indians in North & South Dakota, WI and northern Nebraska. Today there are 20 UCC congregations on reservations and one urban multi-tribal UCC congregation in Minneapolis. Neighbors in Need helps make another world possible. It needs your support. Please give generously. COFFEE HOUR AFTER SERVICES Sign up if you are interested in sponsoring a Sunday coffee hour on the chart on the table in the entry. No need to bring anything fancy, simple works. The church will provide the coffee.

6 OCTOBER 2014 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat MISSION for OCTOBER Guatemala Fund USHERS Roy Herbener - Chair Jerry & Lynne Schuppie Bill, Todd & Tyler Wetterau 1 Clips, Coffee, and Conversations St. John 2 Choir 5:30pm Worship w/ Communion & SS at 8:30am Starbuck s Book Club 6-7pm Worship at 8:30am Mission: Guatemala Fund Food, Film, and Faith 6pm 16 Choir 5:30pm Crafters Day St. John 19 Worship & SS at 8:30am Fresh Looks at Old Stories St. John Worship at 8:30am Choir 5:30pm 31 Pastor: Tara Tetzlaff Cell: (262) taratetzlaff@gmail.com OSUCC Phone: (262) OSUCC office@oursavioursucc.org Church Council President: Jerry Schuppie Vice President: Ken Miller Secretary: Audrey Dettmann Head Usher: Dennis David Financial Secretary: Patty Kannenberg Choir Director and Organist/Pianist: Mark Kannenberg Secretary: Sheila K Dettmann Custodian: Chris Miller Sunday School Super: Laura Miller