St. John s United Church of Christ Schwarzwald The Small Church with the Big Heart That Does Great Things! W3401 Orchard Road, Elkhart Lake, WI 53020; Phone: 920-565-2631 Email: Schwarzwald@tds.net; Website: Schwarzwalducc.org facebook.com/stjohnsuccschwarzwald 2019 Pastor Melinda Feller is on Sabbatical for January, February and March, 2019 and will return April 1, 2019. If you are in need of pastoral care, please contact the Church Secretary, Vicki Wagner at 920-331-4586 or you can contact any of the Church Council: Church Council President: Diane Weiland 920-565-3278 Church Council Vice-Pres: Judy Wagner 920-565-2713 Church Council Secretary: Ross Bender 763-258-7429 Church Council Member: Kathy Aulik 920-726-4302 Church Council Member: Connie Hahn 920-693-8695 Church Council Member: Karl Wesener 920-894-7209 Church Treasurer Tanya Gosse 920-585-2710 Church Secretary Vicki Wagner s Hours: Tuesday-8:00 am to 2:00 pm; Wednesday-8:00 am to 1:00 pm; Friday 8:00 am to 12:00 pm Sunday Worship Service at 9:15 am (fellowship time to follow service) Sunday School at 10:30 am (September to May) JANUARY Evangelism JULY Church Council FEBRUARY Church Council AUGUST Evangelism MARCH Hand Bell Choir SEPTEMBER Women s Guild APRIL Christian Ed OCTOBER Christian Ed MAY Women s Guild NOVEMBER Mary Marthas JUNE Mary Marthas DECEMBER Hand Bell Choir
JANUARY SUNDAY MORNING LECTIONARY READINGS Epiphany of the Lord January 6, 2019 Baptism of the Lord January 13, 2019 First Sunday after the Epiphany Second Sunday after the Epiphany January 20, 2019 Third Sunday after the Epiphany January 27, 2019 Isaiah 60:1 6 Psalm 72:1 7, 10 14 Ephesians 3:1 12 Matthew 2:1 12 Isaiah 43:1 7 Psalm 29 Acts 8:14 17 Luke 3:15 17, 21 22 Isaiah 62:1 5 Psalm 36:5 10 1 Corinthians 12:1 11 John 2:1 11 Nehemiah 8:1 3, 5 6, 8 10 Psalm 19 1 Corinthians 12:12 31a Luke 4:14 2 If you find these readings helpful, please share that with the Church Office. If no feedback is received, consideration will be given to possibly removing them. St. John s United Church of Christ, Schwarzwald will hold their Annual Meeting on Sunday, January 27, 2019 following worship service. ALL ANNUAL REPORTS ARE DUE TO THE CHURCH OFFICE NO LATER THAN JANUARY 11, 2019. God s Blessings to the family of EMMA MARGARET ANNE WEHMEIER, daughter of Michael & Megan (Cook) Wehmeier, who was baptized Sunday, December 23, 2018. Emma was born August 28, 2018 at Aurora Sheboygan Memorial Hospital. Her sponsors are David & Shawna Wehmeier.
CHURCH & SUNDAY SCHOOL CANCELLATION DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER will be made by 7:00 am on the stations listed below: WCUB - Radio 980, Manitowoc Radio Station WLUK Channel 11, Green Bay TV station WISN Channel 12, Milwaukee TV station The cancellation will also be sent via Mail chimp through email; on Facebook and on the church website. You can always call Pastor Melinda at 920-809-7265 or the Council President Diane Weiland at 920-565-3278. The Annual Meeting of St. John s United Church of Christ, Schwarzwald is Sunday, January 27, 2019. The books close on December 31, 2018. All reports for the Annual Reports need to be to the Church Office by January 11, 2019. Please use your own discretion in deciding whether to go out in inclement weather. Check out Scrip before and after worship! Christmas is right around the corner! Order all of your gift cards, today! If you don t know if Scrip has a certain gift card, just ask! Deb or Denise will be in the Narthex every Sunday! Are you taking advantage of the Sunday Bulletin Program at Texas Roadhouse in Sheboygan? In 2017, they started a program where guests can come in every Sunday between 11:00 am 9:30 pm to support their church! When you present a current copy of your church bulletin, Texas Roadhouse donates 10% of your total food purchases back to their church! Let s take our bulletins with us and have lunch or dinner on a Sunday at Texas Roadhouse in Sheboygan! Starting out 2019, for the month of January, we will be collecting FEMININE & PERSONAL HYGIENE PRODUCTS such as shampoo, conditioner, toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, pads, tampons, etc. The collection box for the Food Pantry is located in the Narthex near the west entrance, under the fire extinguisher. All nonperishables are taken to Rays of Hope Food Pantry in Kiel, WI. Don t forget to sign up to sponsor bulletins on any Sunday. You can also bring flowers in honor of OR in memory of someone. The signup sheet is on the bulletin board in the Narthex. The price to sponsor bulletins is $15.00 each Sunday. You can include the amount in your offering envelope but please make sure to note it on the envelope.
Church Council Meeting December 9 th 2018, 4:00 PM The meeting was called to order by President Diane Weiland at 4:00 PM. Discussion agenda highlights: 1) 2019 Budget: Preliminary estimates were reviewed for the 2019 budget and suggest we will be operating at a modest loss. This budget does not include the potential for significant savings should the church proceed with a shared ministry trial period. The budget will be finalized in early January and voted on by the Congregation. 2) Secretary s Office Locks: The Church Council has agreed to put locks on the Secretary s door to help ensure items don t get misplaced and to protect all assets on the church computer. 3) Shared Ministry Planning: The Church Council will meet with the collaborating church in early January for a working session. The objective of this meeting is to think critically about the specifics of what a potential relationship might look like and to put words behind it. Additional details will be provided at the annual meeting. 4) Annual Meeting Agenda: The draft agenda for the annual meeting was reviewed. A collaborative effort among multiple Church Council members and lay leadership is imperative to share necessary information with the congregation. 5) Chimney at Parsonage: Components of the chimney at the parsonage need repair. The Building and Grounds committee is working to determine what options we have and gathering relevant bids. We thank them for their assistance. Consent agenda highlights 1) Treasurer s Position: Tanya will remain in the position as Church Treasurer. 2) Custodian s Position: Kay Fischer will be assuming the role as the new custodian in the coming weeks. Congratulations to Kay! Special thanks to Ken Bub on the recent assistance and to multiple other members for volunteering! 3) Annual Church Meeting: January 27 th following the worship service. The meeting was adjourned and closed with The Lord s Prayer. Ross Bender, Secretary St. John s UCC Monthly Report of Income / Expense 2018 Actual Nov. Actual 11 Mos. Total Income $11,214.52 $166,694.79 Total Expense 12,929.87 143,097.40 Difference $(1,715.35) $ 23,597.39
Special THANK YOU to all of our volunteers who rang bells for the Salvation Army! Thank you to JOAN BENDER for coordinating and setting up the times/places!
The Mary Marthas - What a wonderful time the Mary Marthas and their guests had visiting Making Spirits Bright on Saturday, December 15 th. Twenty folks attended with our first stop at the home of Bill & Joyce Haack to see their beautiful outdoor light display. They treated us to homemade caramels (yummy!) and wonderful hospitality. Thank you for sharing with us! After our drive through Making Spirits Bright, we gathered at Culvers for some delicious food, good conversation, and lots of laughs. Thank you to Vicki Wagner for being the coordinator for this annual event which has become so much a part of our holiday preparations at St. John s. We invite you to join us for our Winter Book Discussion on Thursday, January 17, 2019 at the home of Lynn Busse. Diane Weiland will facilitate a discussion of the book ROOM by Emma Donoghus. ROOM is the harrowing story of a mother and her son kept in captivity for seven years by a man called Old Nick. Through her fierce love for her son, Jack s mom has created a life for him in an eleven-by-eleven-foot Room. But with Jack's curiosity building alongside her own desperation, she knows that Room cannot contain either much longer; and she plans an escape. Join us for an evening of discussion and fellowship. General Synod 32 Volunteering June 21-25, 2019 YOUR HELP IS KEY to the success of the Wisconsin Conference hosting the 32 nd General Synod of the UCC at the Wisconsin Center in Milwaukee. Over 3000 people are expected to attend and we need 300 to 400 volunteers to assist the Local Arrangements Committee over this 5-day event. Here is an opportunity to experience the wider United Church of Christ and to learn about our denomination and the many ministries we are engaged in on behalf of Jesus Christ. Here are ways you can volunteer: Extravagant Hospitality and Welcome: Welcome and direct attendees at Mitchell Airport, the Intermodal Station downtown and in designated hotels. Registration Table: Assist with the check-in process at the Wisconsin Center. Guides and Greeters: Welcome and provide directions to attendees in the Wisconsin Center. Accessibility: Assist with motorized scooters, or other accommodations. Childcare and Children s Ministry: Provide supervision and program leadership for age-appropriate child care and children s activities for infants through age 12. All volunteers in this area will have a background check. Word Processing for Education and Committees; use your word processing skills to maintain edits in pronouncements of assigned committees. Floor Stewards: Assist delegates during plenary sessions as needed. Exhibit Hall Support: Assist in the area designated for UCC and related agencies and vendors. Worship Ushers: Usher during worship services of Synod. Volunteer Support: Support volunteers before and during General Synod. App-bassadors: Help delegates and visitors to access the General Synod app. Outdoor Festival: Direct and assist attendees at the Sunday Festival at Frank Zeidler Square Park. Flexible On-Call: On-call volunteers will cover needs which arise unexpectedly. For more information check out wcucc.org/synodvolunteer. In January, Volunteer registration will be available online through the Wisconsin Conference website page for General Synod. Information with the link will also be emailed to congregations. All registrations for Volunteering will be done electronically including indicating the positions available and the dates/times volunteers are needed. Fill out the form and schedule yourself for a specific opportunity/ies and specific times. To qualify for a reduced Synod registration fee, volunteers must sign up for 6 hours. Once confirmed as an Official Volunteer you will receive a code and can register on the UCC General Synod website, ucc.org/synod. After registering as a volunteer, Volunteers must register with the General Synod site and pay a reduced fee of $60. As a registered volunteer you are able to attend all 5 days of the General Synod as a visitor volunteer at this reduced rate. DO NOT Register on the Synod website until you have been confirmed and received the volunteer code. We hope you consider volunteering at General Synod 32 in Milwaukee June 21-25, 2019! We want you to help give an extravagant welcome to the United Church of Christ in Milwaukee and the Wisconsin Conference. General Synod 32 LAC Coordinators: Bonnie Andrews, Debbie Payden, Tom Payden, Tim Perkins
St John s UCC Sunday School We hope you enjoyed Just a Little Christmas. The children did a great job of sharing the Christmas message. Thank you to all the children for doing a wonderful job! Each one played a special part the narrators, angels, wisemen, nativity animals, boomwhackers, baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph, shepherd, King Herod, and soldiers. Awesome work! Special thank you to all the parents for allowing your children to participate. We appreciate your support! Also, thanks to all involved in the success of the program. The teachers, directors, costume helpers, and those that helped set up / tear down the stage. All possible with many hands and helpers!
If you are interested in sponsoring the US flag that flies outside in front of the church, please see David Schmitz for the cost & more information. 01/01 Steven Pennings 01/02 Shelly Bonde 01/06 Victoria Rietbrock 01/07 Erick Westermeyer 01/10 Robb Bender 01/15 Jamie Koenig 01/18 Diane Keenan 01/18 Beau Soucheck 01/21 Christine Bender 01/22 AJ Heling 01/26 Ross Bender 01/28 Debra Rautmann 01/29 Shannon Wynveen 01/29 Cash Heling 01/30 Marge Johnson 01/31 Michelle Lucious 01/06 Joel & Kathy Aulik If your birthday or anniversary is incorrect, please contact the Church Secretary. We re Recycling The garage will be open before and after church for you to deposit your used beverage cans for recycling. No other cans and no glass, please. Please place in a clear garbage bag. If you have an email that you would be willing to share with the church, please send it to: Schwarzwald@tds.net. Through email and Mailchimp, you will receive the monthly newsletter, Pastor Melinda s articles, weather related cancellations and more! If you changed your email, please send the correction to the above email. If you have moved or are planning on moving, please send your change of address to the church office. Thank you! Donation Jar Reminder.there is a donation jar in the back on church on the refreshment table to help defray the costs.
St. John s United Church of Christ, Schwarzwald W3401 Orchard Road Elkhart Lake, WI 53020 January 2019 Newsletter