GRAPEVINE FROM THE PASTOR

Transcription

1 Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors... The people of the United Methodist Church ST. LUKE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 623 Ontario Ave Sheboygan, WI Phone: Worship Times 9:00 am Sundays Worship Service 10:00 am Coffee Hour 10:30 am Sunday School all ages Church Staff Ric Olson Pastor Kathy Reid Co-Pastor Director of Adult Ministries Emily Gilbertson Dir. of Children s Ministries Josh Holte Director Of Youth Ministries Kristin Casper Music Coordinator/Organist Amy Holte Administrative Assistant Barbara Gruenke Treasurer Rick Thimmig Custodian Dawn Tracey Housekeeper Ann Hoppert-Keller Choir Director Faye Sippel Nursery Attendant GRAPEVINE Volume XXII, Issue 11 November 2015 FROM THE PASTOR Praise God! It s arrived! Can you tell how excited I am? The long-awaited History of the St. Luke United Methodist Church has finally arrived. Bill Holbrook, and his 175 th Anniversary Committee, has produced a two volume history of our congregation s first 175 years. They have worked hard and put in countless hours of writing, typing, editing, and proofing these two fine books: 1) a History of St. Luke (in black & white) and 2) the Story of the Stained Glass Windows (in color). Both are well-researched, with wonderful stories and pictures of beloved members and leaders down through the years. Every church needs to know and remember its story of how we started and how God has led us and blessed us over the generations. By working on this 175 th Anniversary History with an excellent team, I have learned much about our story and our history. By looking through the pictures, I see many Saints of the church who have died just since our Anniversary Celebration three years ago. I thank God every day for their faith and witness. The next chapter in the St. Luke story will continue to bring new challenges and opportunities using the New Social Media tools like Continued on page 2 Daylight Savings Time Ends Sunday, November 1st. Remember to change your clocks!

2 2 GRAPEVINE VOLUME XXII, ISSUE 11 Continued from page 1... Facebook and Twitter to share the Gospel message of Christ s love with our neighbors. I want to thank Bill and the Committee for their Labor of Love to publish such a great history! Soon, they will ask who wants to order a copy for themselves or for loved ones in time for their Christmas gift-giving. Seeing the pictures of our younger selves is priceless. My prayer is that God will continue to guide, lead, reprove, reform and bless us as we go into the future with God s help! Your friend in Christ, The 175 th Anniversary History Team Members: William H. Holbrook Edith Anderson Janice Miller Marge Mattern Paula Siefert Terri DeMaster, and Marlene Pluskat Your Financial Team September was a good month and we are hoping to have our books in balance by years end. To another topic, I recently read Matthew 25:31-40 which goes as follows: 31 When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. 37 Then the righteous will answer him, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you? 40 The King will reply, Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. This passage got me to thinking; Are we a congregation of sheep or goats? In light of the many missions and ministries of St Luke, I think we are more sheep like. We have a prison ministry, we re making girls dresses, and with Christ Meal and the food pantry we are feeding the hungry. But, there is so much more that we could do. We could be supporting a foreign missionary, or a black college or a Native American school and we could be paying our apportionment. Some of these can be done with more money, others with increased service. The bulletin for the Oct. 18 th service showed many openings on various committees where service can be rendered and there are new adult Sunday Schools for your participation. As a pledge campaign I think we should do more, increase the amount of our pledge and increase our service and participation.

3 VOLUME XXII, ISSUE 11 GRAPEVINE 3 Dear Church Members: It s offering envelope time again. This year we will offer weekly and monthly. Please let the church office know by November 1, 2015, if you would like the offering envelopes Order church offering envelopes Name (PLEASE PRINT) Weekly (one for every Sunday, COA and Specials) One per Month (one per month, COA & specials) Special offering only (Initial, Grapevine, Easter, Thanksgiving & Christmas) Any questions feel free to call Barb G., church Treasurer, on Mondays or Wednesdays from 9-4 or me at barb@stluke.net. Thank you, Barb Gruenke Church Treasurer Organ Recital featuring Jeffrey Verkuilen, FAGO Friday, November 6 7:00p.m. Admission: free Jeffrey Verkuilen serves as the Organist at First United Methodist Church of Green Bay, as well as diocesan liturgies for the Catholic Diocese of Green Bay. Jeff provides organ instruction as an Adjunct Instructor of Music for St. Norbert College, and serves as the organist for the college s Dudley Birder Chorale, for which he recently completed a three-year term as president of the board of directors. For the Green Bay Symphony Orchestra, Jeff is the Principal Organist and an associate keyboardist. Jeff is an active member of the American Guild of Organists (AGO), for which he has earned his Fellowship, the highest level of certification in the Guild. Jeff serves the AGO as the Regional Competition Coordinator for the Upper Midwest region, as well as the Wisconsin District Convenor. He previously served as the region s Education Coordinator for six years. A member of the Northeastern Wisconsin Chapter, he is a past Dean of the chapter, and served as the chairperson when the chapter hosted the 1997 regional convention. Jeff is also a member of the Green Bay West Rotary Club. Jeff is an honors graduate of St. Norbert College with majors in Accounting and Music (organ and choral emphases), and is also an MBA honors graduate from the University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh. He is the owner and president of Verkuilen & Associates CPAs, Inc. in Green Bay, and is a certified public accountant. Jeff lives in Howard, and is happily married to Karen; they are proud parents of two children, John and Katherine (Katie).

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5 VOLUME XXII, ISSUE 11 GRAPEVINE 5 Youth Josh Holte - Youth Director News josh@stluke.net Check out our webpage for up-to-date information: Dessert Derby Join St. Luke UMC youth for a delicious spaghetti dinner, followed by unbelievable desserts baked by the members of St. Luke. The delectable desserts are able to be viewed as you enter the event. Later you will be able to bid for your favorite. Date: 11/08/15 Time: 12:00 PM Tickets are available for purchase NOW! See Josh Holte or stop by the Church Office. Cost: $10.00 per seat (plus what you want to bid on your favorite dessert.) Childcare including a kid-friendly meal will be provided. *All High School students going on the youth mission trip with ASP (Appalacia Service Project) this June are REQUIRED to assist with this event. SAVE THE DATE! The High School Ugly Sweater Christmas Party is on December 18th at 5:30 pm. Wear your worst to this fun filled event! There will be games, snacks, and fun for all.

6 6 GRAPEVINE VOLUME XXII, ISSUE 11 Dear St. Luke High School Youth and Parents, There are a few special experiences that bring life into focus and provide the opportunity to practice following Jesus. Serving with Appalachia Service Projects is just that. ASP changes the lives of the people who volunteer as much as the people whose homes are repaired. ASP helps people who have nowhere else to turn and are often losing hope that their living conditions will ever improve. We are privileged to be able to offer this mission trip to our high school students and pray that ASP will be priority for St. Luke youth this summer. ASP is an irreplaceable opportunity. ASP involves a week of hard repair work--whatever is needed to make a home warmer, safer, and drier. Don't worry about your skills, we will provide training before we go. ASP also builds relationships and challenges our understanding of poverty and justice. ASP PARTICULARS: DATES: June 10th-19th, 2016 LOCATION: Kentucky COST: $325 (there are no other costs for this trip. See payment plan on application. Please don't let cost be the factor that keeps you from going to ASP. Talk to Josh about options). REGISTRATIONS ACCEPTED IMMEDIATELY WITH A $65 NONREFUNDABLE DEPOSIT. Registrations are accepted in the order in which they are received (with payment). Priority consideration will be given to youth who are currently active in St. Luke Ministry programming. If you have questions or concerns about ASP, PLEASE come and talk to Josh! Please pray about serving with ASP this summer and listen to God's call to follow Christ and make a difference in our world. God Bless You! Josh Holte

7 VOLUME XXII, ISSUE 11 GRAPEVINE 7 Appalachia Service Project Registration for 2016 Name Address Phone I want to participate in ASP because: I understand the following requirements and agree to meet them: Meet the deadlines for registration and payments below Participate in the 2015 Dessert Derby on November 8 th Participate in the 2016 Chili cook-off and auction on January 31st Each youth is to provide one item or service for auction Sell 40 pizzas or pay $3.00/unsold pizza (35 pizza if siblings are in ASP) for the Spring Fundraiser Support all other fundraising until the budget is met Attend 3 study sessions and 1 construction workshop unless excused ahead of time with valid reason Agree to ASP's rules and expectations Fundraisers are subject to change. ASP Participants are still expected to participate. Youth Signature Date has my permission to attend ASP June 10th-19th. I understand the above requirements and agree to support and help my son/daughter in meeting them. Parent Signature Date The total student cost is $325 and can be made eat anytime but if you choose the payment plan, please observe these dates. All payments are non-refundable. $65.00 payment/with application no later than December 13th, $65.00 payment/january 17th, 2016 $65.00 payment/february 14th, 2016 $65.00 payment/march 13th, 2016 $65.00 payment/april 10th, 2016 NOTE THAT REGISTRATIONS ARE ACCEPTED ON A FIRST COME FIRST SERVE BASIS. Registration is NOT complete until the first payment has been made.

8 8 GRAPEVINE VOLUME XXII, ISSUE 11 United Methodist Women St. Luke UMW Christmas Bazaar and Cookie Walk Alert As we enter the month of November, preparations are well under way for the 79 th Annual Bazaar and Cookie Walk. The date has been set for November 21 st from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The United Methodist Women of St. Luke Church are busy planning and preparing for what will be one of the best years ever! We will offer thousands of homemade decorated cookies, holiday fruitcakes, other homemade baked goods, homemade candies and snacks. Various handmade crafts items as well as Good as New Christmas decorations and American Girl doll clothing will be available. There will also be a Vendor Boutique. if you need something picked up, please call Sharon VanHaveren, Although the Bazaar and Luncheon have changed over the years, the purpose for them has not. The money raised through this sale will be used for mission projects right here in Sheboygan as well as national and international mission projects supported by United Methodist Women. Many of the items that St. Luke UMW support are listed on the bulletin board at the parking lot entrance. Please join with us as we strive to make life a little better for the people in our city, nation and world. Any questions, please call Pearl or Jackie Pearl Turner, Chairperson Lunch will also be available in the Church Parlor, from 10:30 till 1:30. Come have soup and sandwich lunch followed by a great piece of dessert. This annual event has been very well received over the years because of the generous support of out church family. We are again asking for your help, in anyway you can, to make this 79 th event successful. Please mark your calendars and say yes when asked to bake or decorate cookies, provide other baked items or homemade items. Please check your Christmas decorations for items that you no longer need or use and bring them to the stage in Fellowship Hall, or UMW is looking for Christmas Good-As-New items for our Christmas Bazaar & Cookie Walk Please bring your used but good Christmas items to the Church and put them on the stage. If you are unable to bring them to the church, please call Sharon VanHaveren at to arrange for a pickup. Items are due by Monday, November 16th. Mark your calendars Holiday Bazaar & Cookie Walk is November 21st 9:00 am-1:30 pm.

9 VOLUME XXII, ISSUE 11 GRAPEVINE 9 Equal Exchange is Expanding! Look for new tea! Green Tea with Ginger NEW!! Dark Chocolate Cocoa Mix And ALL the chocolates bars are back! AT THE SAME PRICE!! $3.00!! The chocolate recipe is simple cacao beans, cane sugar, vanilla! That's it! Chocolate the way chocolate should taste! Chocolate from Dominican Republic, Panama, Ecuador, Peru Sugar from Paraguay Vanilla from Madagascar Almonds from Spain Sea Salt from France Processed in Switzerland Remember our products when doing your Bazaar baking!!! Baking cocoa, chocolate chips, almonds Help small-scale farmers support themselves, their families and their communities. Help UMCOR support the Small Farmers Fund. It's a mission worth supporting! Keep us in the top 5% - interfaith sales in the nation! IT OUT at St. Luke s Library Come in and see our shelves of Biographies. In The Family Treasury of Great Biographies there are many interesting people to read about including: Jesus Christ, George Washington, Anne Frank, Thomas Jefferson, Darwin, Lincoln, Caesar, Joan of Arc, W.C. Fields and many others. If you have a student in your home who is writing a paper for school, our library holds many wonderful resources. Thanksgiving Eve Ecumenical Worship Service Save the Date: Wednesday, November 25 th at 7:00 pm. We will meet this year at First Presbyterian on 1429 N. 5 th St, (corner of 5 th St. and Superior).

10 10 GRAPEVINE VOLUME XXII, ISSUE 11 Traveling South for the winter months? Please let the Church Office know what your winter mailing address is and what dates you will leave and return. You can call the office or Safe travels! November Birthdays 1 Barbara Ingelse 2 Linda Chvarak Daniel Kerpe 3 Connor O Reilly 4 Joan Leonhard 5 Roger Gering Nancy Wright Lucy Mattern 6 Al Kaeppel Tammy Bengtson 7 Steven Holmes 8 Josh Holte 9 Annie Claypool 10 Paul Fox 11 Lea Reid Janet Poirier Nicholas Senkbeil 12 Perry Phillips 13 Cynthia Pantel Stephanie Rose 14 Jay Johnson 15 Joyce Schuchardt Conrardy 16 Emily Sprenger 17 Kristin Boutelle 18 Don Mattox 19 Mark Brashaw 21 Colton Gruenke 22 Norah Kissinger 23 Ann Hoppert-Keller 24 Milton Storm 26 Marina Wise David Kissinger 30 Kaitlyn Koepp Elyse Jaeckels November Anniversaries 14 Lawrence and Mary Dassler 17 Catherine and Thomas Retzack 27 Maynard and Patricia Andrew Those with recognized birthdays and anniversaries are members and friends of St. Luke United Methodist Church. If we have missed you or made an error, please contact Amy at amy@stluke.net.

11 Volume XXII, Issue 11 Grapevine 11 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 Daylight Saving Time Ends 9:00 am Worship 10:00 am Coffee Hour 10:30 am Sunday School 11:30 am Christmas Pageant Rehearsal 8 Dessert Derby 9:00 am Worship 10:00 am Coffee Hour 10:30 am Sunday School 12:00 pm Dessert Derby 15 9:00 am Worship 10:00 am Coffee Hour 10:30 am Sunday School 11:30 am Christmas Pageant Rehearsal 22 9:00 am Worship 10:00 am Coffee Hour 10:30 am Sunday School 11:30 am Christmas Pageant Rehearsal 29 9:00 am Worship 10:00 am Coffee Hour 10:30 am Advent Workshop No YOUTH Sunday School 2 10:00 am Mom s Connect 9 9:30 am Sarah Circle 16 Grapevine Articles Due 23 2:30 pm UMW Board Meeting :30 am Jesus & Java 10 9:30 am Jesus & Java 6:30 pm Nominations 17 9:30 am Jesus & Java 24 9:30 am Jesus & Java 6:30 pm Nominations Grapevine Folding 4 5:00 pm Youth Praise Band 6:00 pm Confirmation 6:00 pm Parenting with Purpose 6:00 pm AA 7:00 pm Sanctuary Choir 11 5:15 pm Pizza Break 6:00 pm Confirmation 6:00 pm AA 7:00 pm Sanctuary Choir 18 5:00 pm Youth Praise Band 6:00 pm Confirmation 6:00 pm AA 7:00 pm Sanctuary Choir 25 7:00 pm Worship at First Presbyterian Church 5 1:30 pm Lydia Circle 6:00 pm Finance Meeting 12 11:30 am Christ Meal 7:00 pm Admin Council 19 9:00-11:00 am Food Pantry 6 7:00 pm Jeff Verkuilen Organ Recital :30 pm Family Game Night :00 am-9:00 pm Circle of Creative Crafters 9:30 am-1:30 pm UMW Bazaar & Cookie Walk 28 9:00 am- 9:00 pm Circle of Creative Crafters