Community Church News September 2017

Transcription

1 The Community Church P.O. Box 14 Boulder Junction, WI Phone Non Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 2 Community Church News September 2017 I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that bears no fruit he cuts away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes to make it bear even more. John 15: 1-2 Community Church of Boulder Jct Main St P O Box 14 Boulder Jct WI Telephone: commchbj@centurytel.net Website: Service: Sundays at 9:30am Church Staff Organist Helen Townsend Telephone: Choir Director Glen Wildenberg choirdirector@commchbj.org Treasurer Bruce Greenhill treasurer@commchbj.org Council Chair Lorine Walters Telephone: Christian Ed Coordinator: Jamie Zogata Youth Director: Adam Zogata Telephone: Custodian Cindy Wildenberg Telephone Grounds Raphael Moraczewski Telephone Come Worship With Us Office Manager Mary Anderson office Tues 9 a.m. 1 p.m. Wed 9 a.m. 1 p.m. Thu 9 a.m. 1 p.m. Fri 9 a.m. 1 p.m. Pastor James McKenzie office by Appointment Tues 9 a.m. 1 p.m. Wed 9 a.m. 1 p.m. Fri 9 a.m. 11 a.m.

2 CONNECTIONS It s a strange time to be writing a final newsletter article to you because I honestly don t know if this is the final, final article or just the plain old final article, if you know what I mean, which would be amazing if you did. Suffice to say that I have one more Sunday (27 th ) where I am scheduled to be your Interim Minister. We are hoping to secure the next Interim who will lead you to the Promised Land, or at least to the next Settled Pastor. But, alas, as of this writing we still don t have a clue of who that might be, so you might be stuck with me writing my final, final article sometime later. That is to say, that I am not about to jump ship and leave you without a one-legged, parrot-toting pirate to lead this amazing congregation. I ve come to respect and admire you way too much for that. On the other hand, this could be my final, final article if the Interim Search Committee finds someone who is a great fit. So, let s be flexible (I am able to stick around a while until you find someone) and faithful (trusting that it is God who leads us and we who follow). Now let s talk fishing. As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, because they were fishermen. Come, follow me, Jesus said, and I will make you fishers of men. At once they left their nets and followed him. Our deal was that you teach me to fish and I ll teach you what I know about being fishers of men (and women). You have invited me out onto the areas lakes, have shown me how to bait my hook, where to cast, how fast or slow to reel in my line, how to change bait, and even where to grab the fish so I don t slice, poke, or cut my hand. You have welcomed and cared kindly for me. You have more than held up your end of the grand bargain. And I thank you more than you know. On the other hand, we have spent some time together in worship and bible study learning what the scriptures have to say about living a life that really matters. We ve discussed the differences between pretending we re perfect and knowing we are sinners saved by grace. We ve learned with Jacob that it is possible to go home again and there just may be someone waiting with open arms. We ve discovered that we all have a purpose and a sacred calling for which we were born. We ve resonated with the question asked of Elijah, What are you doing here? and pondered the meaning of our lives. Those of you with a King James Bible have been surprised to learn an interesting secret about William Shakespeare and the 46 th Psalm. We ve learned that there is a world of difference between docking a boat just right and being at the right dock (so says the embarrassed pastor). We ve looked inside our own theological tackle boxes and discovered that there are some beliefs we hold that serve us well and others that need improvement. And we ve found that we often hear the small, still voice better than the loud roar of dogmatic theology. Together we ve discovered the wonder of life, the beauty of fishing and the mystery of faith together. Community Church is alive and well. In time you will find someone who wants to invest his or her life with yours and join as co-ministers in the wonderful work you are doing. Until then, I m still here, waiting, waiting, and waiting to hook my big Musky and living in faith right alongside you. Likely out on an area lake somewhere, Pastor Jim

3 Birthdays & Anniversaries September st Jim Hornbrook Don Pollard 2 nd Krista Maurer Bruce & Kathy McMyler 5 th Darrell Clough 8 th Don Osborn 9 th Sue Fehlandt Connie Christopherson Jim Kassien 10 th Jennifer Bjork 11 th Peter Koester Cherie Sanderson 15 th Beth Rondello 18 th Charles Sauter Zachary Sanderson 20 th Matt & Jodi McMahon 21 st Nelson VanDeursen Matt Maurer 22 nd Joanne Eick Ruth Johnson 24 th Scott Ondracek 25 th Laurel Malicki 26 th Richard & Claudia Russell Champ & Donna Ruffner Tim & Cherie Sanderson Emma Sauter 27 th Betty Hamilton Claire Boston Denton 28 th Linda Sterba September 3 rd September 10 th September 17 th September 24 th September 3 rd September 10 th September 17 th September 24 th Claudia and Dick Russell Dorinda Jensen Sue Fehlandt Roger and Penny Samuelson Mary Congdon Maggie Wolf Joanne and Harold Eick Karshon and Ken Carlson Ruth and Pete Johnson Shirley and Bruce Meriwether Bruce Meriwether Larry McGriff Bob Cryer Bob Anderson

4 From the Church Office... COMMUNION The Sacrament of Holy Communion will be observed at the worship service September 3, TREASURER S REPORT Income Expense July $ 31, $ 20, COUNCIL MEETING Church Council meets Tuesday, September 12 th. Prior to the Council meeting, Elders and Worship and Music Departments meet at 6 p.m. Watch the Sunday bulletin for announcements of when other Departments or committees meet. CHURCH DIRECTORY Pictures for the new church directory will be taken following Sunday worship services in September in the new meeting room. Please take the few minutes to stop in have your picture taken so the directory will be complete. We would like all members and friends of our church yes, you summer-only friends, too to be included in the directory. OFFERING ENVELOPES Offering envelopes will be available in September for If you are leaving for the winter, please stop at the office to pick them up. For those of us staying around, envelopes will be in Fellowship Hall after Thanksgiving. YOUTH PROGRAMS The Y.E.S. and Confirmation programs will get underway on September 20 th. Volunteers are always needed for help in various ways. MAILING LIST The church mailing list is updated as changes are reported to the office, often several times a month. If your copy is old, you are welcome to ask for an up-to-date copy. Drop a note in the office mail slot and a copy will be placed in your mail folder in Fellowship Hall. PROPERTIES WISH LIST 12 cup Kuerig Coffee Pot for our new meeting room. UPDATE ON DAVID He is home. Arrived in Charlotte, NC- home Sunday. He is grateful for all the support and prayers that are being said. It will be a long road ahead until he can live normally. God bless all of you and thank you. Ruth Johnson CONGREGATIONAL SURVEY The Pastoral Search Committee has sent out a survey to the congregation. The information from this survey will help us in selecting a pastor. It will both assist in the evaluation of our unique needs as a congregation and give prospective pastors an insight into who we are. Because the search committee is trying to move quickly to develop a profile of our church, we ask that you return this survey by Friday, September 8, Please place completed surveys in the church office s slot or mail them to the church at PO Box 14, Boulder Junction, Wisconsin We may not be able to incorporate into the church profile surveys returned at a later date. If more surveys are needed by your household, you may either make a copy of the survey, get additional copies from the church office, or you can download and print a copy from our church s website. Go to and look for the Congregational Survey link along the left side of the page. NEWS DUE Newsletter articles are due September 15 for the October letter. Please items to: Jim Hornbrook - ccbjnewsletter@gmail.com.

5 STRAWBERRY SOCIAL FINANCE REPORT Thank you to all in our church community who worked long and hard to make this year s event a winner and to all who enjoyed the baked goods, lunch, and strawberry desserts. This is our one fundraiser of the year and once again it was an outstanding success. Our profit of $6349 will be used to support scholarships within our church and also local missions. Next year s Strawberry Social will be held on July 17, We are always looking for new talent to assist us with this event. Think about all the fun you might be missing by not joining us!

6 Following is the beautiful explanation of the new Life Journey windows that grace our sanctuary. Thank you to Lloyd Giles for his insight, creativity and time in designing the windows and to Craig Bacon Studios for bringing Lloyd's vision to a reality. It came together because, as usual in this congregation, many saw the beauty and meaning of this work and provided gifts, many anonymous and some in memory and honor of loved ones. There is a memory plaque in the sanctuary next to the first window. These windows represent the four stages in our life journey. The first window with the pine cone and seedling is the "Birth" stage. This is when we first enter this world and become part of God's creation. The day of our birth is the beginning of this journey. The next window with a mature pine is the "Birth to Maturity" stage. In this stage we grow academically, emotionally and spiritually. Daycare, kindergarten, grade school, Baptism, confirmation, high school, college, church membership, marriage, children, jobs, and careers are all part of this journey. In this stage we look to those older than ourselves for influence and guidance. Who we choose to look to makes all the difference. The third window is of a dead pine and represents the "Aging to Death" stage. This is when the body begins its later aging process and ultimately ends with our deaths. In this stage the younger now care for us in the later years of our lives, so we hope we have trained them well. Our life journey from birth to death is one of physicality and spirituality. As people, we look to others to learn and grow. As Christians, we are given stories of the Bible that we can enter into and better understand our faith. Like the Biblical stories, these windows are opportunities to reflect on what we have done with our gift of life so far and in so doing give us a greater understanding and direction for the remainder of our life journey. This brings us to the last window "God's Promise of New Life" stage as we leave our worldly lives and enter into our new life. The window is of an angel welcoming us as we enter God's promise. Whatever valleys we may go through during our life on Earth, as Christians we know God's promise will always be waiting for us at the end of our journey.

7 Christian Education / Youth The Christian Education Department is eager to launch a new year of learning about God s Word. We have selected an exciting curriculum which will allow us to explore each lesson in large and small groups, giving each child an opportunity to engage and participate at a level appropriate to their age. Youth and Confirmation classes will begin September 20, 2017, and will follow the North Lakeland Academic calendar. An informational letter and event calendar will be sent to the parents of all current and potential participants. The CE committee is very grateful for the continued support and action of its members. We all desire to see the children in our community grow in knowledge and faith of Jesus Christ, helping them apply and live it daily. We are excited to welcome Lorraine Diener and Stephanie Knutson to the committee. We cherish their input as we work together to minister to our children. As you know, Christian Education is just that a ministry to all involved by learning God s Word together. These worthwhile efforts take a tremendous amount of commitment to achieve their greatest potential. From providing a snack for the evening, decorating for an event or celebration, participating by teaching or sharing your experiences in the classroom, or leading an activity, we will do our best to match your strengths with the current and future needs of CE. If you would like to be a blessing to us and the youth of the church by participating in any way, please connect with us and let us know. The best way to connect with Adam and Jamie is by phone: or jamiezogata@gmail.com We would love to hear how you would best be able to help. Thanks! Thought and Scripture of the Month To Rejoice Is a choice! Psalm 118:24 This is the day the LORD has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. I ve heard and used this scripture many times as an encouragement for others to rejoice and joyfully worship the Lord together during service on a Sunday morning. While that s always a good idea, the scripture has meaning far beyond participating in singing and adoration of our Savior while at church. This scripture reminds me that EVERYDAY is one that the Lord has made! Further, I m encouraged as the Psalmist declared, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it! It doesn t say we should, or we could, but we WILL! Can I say the same? Even on a Monday morning while writing this, knowing what weighs heaviest on my heart and mind? I must! Can you say the same? What about when you just don t feel well, or aren t particularly pleased by the way things have been going? How about if you re really discouraged by a situation or circumstance in your life, perhaps with a friend or family, or work. What about when sorrow or guilt from a life event is overwhelming, and you feel like you can t overcome it? You must! Difficult as it may be in our hardest of times, we must rejoice! The Lord will never bring you to something, that He won t bring you through. Will my prayers and petitions begin and end with praise? Will my attitude truly reflect heartfelt gratitude? It must! When we don t feel like it regardless of reason that is the perfect time to do just that Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice! (Philippians 4:4) God Bless each of you today and always! Yours in Christ, Adam Zogata

8 Department of Elders Gilbert Jung Bruce Wilsie Emeritus Emeritus Harold Eick July 2022 Bonnie Pollard July 2021 Roger Samuelson July 2021 Ruth Johnson July 2020 Lorine Walters July 2019 Shelby Tallroth July 2019 *Duane Marquardt July 2018 Department of Worship and Music Carole Rowe-Zaeske July 2020 Mary Anderson July 2019 Judy Giles July 2019 Helen Townsend July 2019 *Glen Wildenbury July 2019 Kris Nelson July 2018 Gracee Vickerstaff July 2018 Department of Missions Tim Sanderson July 2020 Karen Newberg July 2020 Nancy Naylor July 2019 Lee Ann Ondracek July 2019 *Lorine Walters July 2018 Department of Stewardship of Finances Sue Patterson July 2020 Wendi Neupert July 2020 Dorinda Jensen July 2019 Penny Samuelson July 2019 *Betty Clough (2) July 2018 Department of Christian Education Stephanie Knutson July 2020 Lorraine Diener July 2020 Jim Stober July 2019 *Allyson Duwe (2) July 2018 Nancy Kassien July 2018 Department of Church Property Ken Carlson July 2020 Duane Harpster (2) July 2020 *Shirley Meriwether (2) July 2019 Jim Naylor July 2019 Raphael Moraczewski (2) July 2018 Sue Fehlandt July 2018 Department of Personnel Karshon Carlson July 2020 *Don Pollard (2) July 2019 Roger Samuelson (2) July 2019 Shelby Tallroth July 2018 Ruth Johnson July 2018 (2) = Second Full Term * = Chairperson