The Portico Dr. Martin Luther Church 325 S. Main Street Oconomowoc, WI 53066 PHONE: (262) 567-3829 Email: dmlc@globaldialog.com Church Web Site: drmartinlutherchurch.org Cluster Web site: lakecountrycluster.org Your Church Staff is here to serve you Senior Pastor Larry Harpster (262) 344-5942 Music Director Alison O Leary (262) 751-1596 Band Leader Robin Hankins (414) 254-8414 Administrative Secretary Mary Engel (262) 567-3829 Volunteer Coordinator Bobbie Dierbeck (262) 567-3829 Saturday 5:00 PM Chapel Service traditional format Sundays 9:00 AM Worship Includes a variety of musical styles, a blend of hymns and contemporary songs so that there is something for everyone. Sunday School begins in worship at the 10:30 AM Praise Service Sundays 10:30 AM Praise Service Roll the Stone, our Praise Band continues to perform. Join us at this upbeat and energetic service.
Page 2 SEEDS OF HOPE CELEBRATION AND COMMITMENT WEEKEND IS NOVEMBER 11 & 12 3 For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4 they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord s people. 5 And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us. (2 Corinthians 8:3-5) These are exciting days at Dr. Martin Luther. We recently approved the final plans for our Seeds of Hope remodeling and expansion project. Ground breaking is planned now for May of 2018. In 2017 our community has been filled with God s blessings and gratitude. The theme for our fall stewardship drive is Giving in Gratitude. On the weekend of November 11 and 12 we will be hosting our Celebration and Commitment weekend. At all three services we will celebrate the ministry we have as a congregation and indicate how we will share our gifts in gratitude for God s blessings and the ministry of our congregation. You have already received your Giving in Gratitude packet, either by picking it up at church or in the mail. Please fill out the Time and Talent sheet and the pledge form and bring them to worship with you on Commitment Weekend. That weekend we will be celebrating our response of gratitude to all that God has given us. Thank you for your gratitude and generous support of our ministry and our building program. 2018 will be a memorable year in the life our Dr. Martin Luther! God s Blessings, Pastor Larry FESTIVAL CHOIR rehearses Wednesdays from 6-7pm beginning November 8th. Festival Choir is a fun-filled ensemble for adults and youth 4th grade and up, no auditions! The Grace Notes -DMLC's very own youth bell ensemble- is on winter break until after Christmas Heaven's Bells, DMLC's adult handbell ensemble, rehearses every Wednesday and is currently preparing special music to present at the 3pm & 5pm Christmas Eve services. Praise Band is introducing a new song at 10:30 services in November called "Holy Spirit", which is a new communion song that reflects on welcoming God's presence in our lives: "Holy Spirit, You are welcome here Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere Your glory, God, is what our hearts long for To be overcome by Your presence, Lord" In addition to the above activities, please take note of two upcoming special services: The Thanksgiving Eve service on November 22nd and the upcoming Sunday School Christmas program on December 17th at 10:00am "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God." ~ Colossians 3:16 Crafty Cow Crafty Cow is an opportunity for relaxed conversation on matters of our faith. Each Crafty Cow emphasizes a particular topic but there is always room for what might be on the minds of those around the table. Over the last several years both men and women have met at the CRAFTY COW in downtown Oconomowoc, enjoy a beverage of their own choosing and settle in for the give and take. We are please to share the conversations will continue and new dates have been selected. Plan on coming on Thursday evening December 6 th. We will meet at 7pm. For more information please speak with Doug Braun, Gary Liedtke and/or Pastor Larry.
Page 3 College Goody Boxes Many, many THANK YOUs to everyone who assisted in some way for this autumn s College Goody Boxes! We packed and shipped 21 boxes, the most we ve ever sent! Donations of items, money, boxes, as well as helping to fill the boxes, write shipping labels, and of course submitting names and addresses is deeply appreciated. Several students posted thankyous on facebook! Please know that your donations reach farther than our own college students, as they share their goodies with friends. Thanks again! Caroline Seasoned Lutherans "Giving in Generosity" is an attitude of the heart. SEA- SONED LUTHERANS will hear about doing God's work in our church, town, synod, and the world from Wishing Well, BAGS, St Ben's, Quilters, US Mission trips, Africa Mission trip, and Tricia's Troops at noon on the 3rd Wednesday of November, the 15th. Please note the change to the 3rd Wednesday as you don't want to miss Charlotte's good meal. See you there at noon. A Healing Blessing will be available during each service the weekend of November 11 and 12 Quilting for Lutheran World Relief GIFT (Growing In Faith Together) Women s Bible Study We will meet on the second and fourth Thursday of each month at 6:30p.m. We meet on the second floor of the education building. Please come and join us. This year we were able to make 110 quilts for Lutherans World Relief and the Women s Center in Waukesha. Thank you to all who donated sheets, remnants of material and money for our project. We will not be meeting in November and December. Please come a join us on Wednesday, January 17 at 9AM in fellowship hall. You do not need to know how to sew to help with this project. Scrapbookers will be meeting on Saturday, November 11th from 9:00a.m. 4:00 p.m. in fellowship hall. Come and join us. We look forward to seeing YOU! The Church Office will be closed on Thursday, November 23 and Friday, November 24 for the Thanksgiving Holiday. We will NOT be meeting in November. Please join us on Saturday, December 9. All Men are invited to participate in a great casual learning and fellowship experience among the "Early Risers" that takes place on the SECOND SATURDAY of every month at the Cafe LaBelle (located within the Shorehaven complex) from 7:30-8:30 am. Please contact Chris Butschke (262.966.0270) or Mike Driscoll (262.646.5605) for directions/additional details. Newsletter Deadline The deadline for the December issue of The Portico is Monday, November 20. All information for the month of December must be submitted by this date.
Page 4 Volunteering at DMLC WISHING WELL FOR NOVEMBER ADOPT A FAMILY Since 1949 the Christmas Clearing Council of Waukesha County has promoted and coordinated giving to families in need during the Christmas season. You can make the Christmas season brighter for children who might not otherwise experience the joy of the holidays. The members of Outreach have decided to once again use the Clearing Council for this month s Wishing Well. Parents have once again been asked to give a list of their children s wishes. After receiving their wishes, we will put those wishes on a tag, and place the tags on the little Christmas tree in the Narthex. This will be done the week-end of November 4 th & 5 th. Please take as many tags as your family chooses. You will then return the unwrapped gifts with the appropriate tag and place in the designated box in the Narthex by Sunday, December 10. These gifts will then be distributed by our Confirmation students and members of the Outreach Team. Let s do everything we can as a congregation to make the season brighter for these children. THANK YOU GRASS CUTTERS A most sincere thank you to the following volunteers who once again did a wonderful job this summer in keeping our grounds looking well cared for. Please take time to thank them for a job well done. Dale Reich, Dave Graupman, Andy & Julie King, Dan Zautner, Kyle Schmitz, Ava, Andria & Michael Mitchell, Russ Luebke, Reg Ingersoll and Jodee & Gary Liedtke. And as always we need to thank Elton Timm, Al Eighmy, John Easton & Ken Ruehlow for supplying gas when needed and making sure that the machines are well maintained for our grass cutters. COFFEE HOUR SIGN-UP YIPPEE!!!! All dates have been assigned this is amazing! Thank you ever so much!! TIME & TALENT SURVEY We are blessed at DMLC with many passionate volunteers. Along with your Seeds of Hope packet is our Time & Talent Survey for 2017-2018. It is very important that you complete this form each and every year. It is one way for the office to keep current of change of addresses, email information, phone/cell numbers, and ALL of the opportunities that you have chosen to serve at DMLC. We desire to help you find ways to release your passion to serve through your congregation. If you have any questions regarding the many ways in which to serve, I am available to you. I am so looking forward to receiving YOUR Time & Talent! Thank you for listening to God s Call to serve your congregation and for discerning how you can release your passion through greater service. Bobbie Dierbeck, Volunteer Coordinator
What s New in Sunday School My goodness, where has the time gone? It s already November and we re gearing up for our Christmas program! We ve already started our songs and e- mails will be delivered soon regarding parts, rehearsals and the big day. On Sunday, November 5th, our third grade children will receive their very own personalized Bible from DMLC. They are donated by B.J. and Tricia Wright and we are so grateful for that support! Congratulations to Carter Joel Hankins, Charlie Thomas West-Toebe, Will Robert West-Toebe, Dixon Dean Dehnert, Elias Don Meuer, and Ruby Jane Rott. Important Dates: Nov. 5 - Reformation Sunday - Third graders receive Bibles Nov. 19 - ALL kids sing during the 10:30 service Christmas Program rehearsal 11:45-12:30 Nov. 26 - Happy Thanksgiving! No Sunday School Dec. 3 - Christmas Program rehearsal 11:45-12:30 Dec. 10 - Christmas Program rehearsal 11:45-12:30 Dec. 17 - Christmas Program during 10:00 Unity Service Dec. 24 - Merry Christmas! No Sunday School Dec. 31 - Happy New Year! No Sunday School Jan. 7 - Sunday School Resumes Stewardship Report September Monthly Actual Budget Income $22,437.52 $26,381.65 Expense $26,574.28 $26,381.98 Monthly Income Expense ($4,136.76) Year to Date Actual Budget Income $220,886.38 $237,437.81 Expense $228,736.28 $237,437.90 Year to Date Income Expense (7,849.90) When The Son Shines DMLC Men s Dartball Team Schedule Page 5 Thanksgiving Worship Unity Service December 17 Wednesday November 22 7:00PM We will be holding a Unity Service at 10am on Sunday, December 17th in conjunction with the Children s Christmas Program. Come all and enjoy!! This service will replace the Sunday 9am and Sunday 10:30am services that weekend. Klaire Blunck s new book, When The Son Shines in now out on print. A memoir by Klaire, who wants to share experiences and her confidence in God s loving guidance throughout her life. It is her hope that those reading her short story will know how special they are and that God has a plan for each and every one of us. Starting with her earliest memories and trials later if life, her faith in Jesus Christ as her savior has given her the strength and determination to live a godly life. In spite of all the perils life has to throw at us, may we hold on to God s grace and love and overcome evil with good. Book Signing will take place at Books & Company, 1039 Summit Ave., Oconomowoc on Wednesday, November 29th at 7:00 p.m. Some of the proceeds will be donated to DMLC Seeds of Hope fund. If you are unable to attend the Book Signing, you may order your copy direct from Books & Company, Barns & Noble, Amazon, Kobo, or contact Klaire at 262-593-8437. Nov. 6 Nov. 13 Nov. 20 Nov. 27 DMLC at St. Mark s, Sugar Island St. Luke s, Watertown at DMLC No Dartball St. Mark s #1, Watertown at DMLC
Page 6 October 15, 2017 11:30 AM Present: Approximately 45 congregational members. Seeds of Hope Remodeling and Expansion Proposal sheets with financial information were handed out to all in attendance. 1. Pastor started the meeting with a short prayer. 2. Chris Butschke reviewed the current plans in detail for the new addition to refresh everyone s memories. 3. James Costigan discussed the current financial number generated from the Seeds of Hope campaign, the current project costs for the project. The original costs were from 4 years ago and they have risen due to inflation and $43,000 in sewer costs that were not known at the time of the original numbers. 4. Discussion was held surrounding extending the Seeds of Hope campaign for an additional 3 years to help cover the increases and keep the mortgage needed at the end of construction as low as possible. 5. Additional items were presented to the congregation to be considered for inclusion in the larger overall project. They are a digital projection system, sound and music system (to replace outdated technology that won t be able to be used any longer), painting of the steeple and front step repair. These items combined are approximately $87,000. 6. One item not included in the above was the inclusion of an office/greeting area by the new entrance. A proposed 10x12 space had been taken out of the plan due to costs by the church council. There was a lot of discussion surrounding this item. Questions were raised regarding is this space really needed, how this area could/ would be used, would Mary move to this space so that people entering the church would see a friendly face, was this a large enough space for an office (the consensus was no), and could we afford the extra cost for this work. Additional comments were made surrounding doing this now so that so that costs would be lower than in the future and that it has taken DMLC so long to get to this point it might take many more years before we would be able to do any other renovations in the church so we should do this now. There was discussion surrounding enabling the building committee do some research on this space and then letting them use their best judgment as to what size and use would help DMLC the most. 7. A question was raised on if we were bringing in new members who would be able to help contribute to this project. Pastor commented that our membership has grown, but that our Sunday attendance was staying the same. 8. Chris Butschke made a motion to approve the new current projected budget $1.3 million which didn t include the office/greeting area. A hand vote was taken and all approved. 9. Karen Trepton motioned to allow the building committee to do some research and analysis to determine the office/greeting area size, the use of the space and to include this in the final project plan as long as the cost didn t exceed $75,000. Ken Ruehlow seconded the motion. After some additional discussion, a hand vote was taken with approximately 41 in favor of the motion and 4 against the motion. 10. Ground breaking is scheduled for May 1, 2018. 11. Meeting was adjourned at 12:15. Congregational Meeting Notes Seeds of Hope Respectfully submitted, Heidi Teuteberg, Secretary
Page 7 Confirmation Homebound Cookie Project On October 29th at the 9:00 a.m. service our 9th grade students were confirmed. We congratulate McKenna Kloss, Sarah Kountz, Tyler Parteka, Lillian Rott, James Schmeling, Sam Swanson, Michael Tallon, Chase Voelker and Lauren Wright. Please mark Tuesday, December 5th at 9:00am on your calendars. We will be meeting in Fellowship Hall to pack cookies for our homebound members. We are asking members to donate 2-3 dozen homemade Christmas cookies. Please fill out the form below and place it in the offering plate. Any questions please call Klaire Blunck at (262) 593-8437. Drop off of cookies will be the weekend of December 2 and 3 or when you come to help on December 5 th. Please join us as we package some Christmas Spirit for those members of our congregation who cannot be with us. Homebound Cookie Project December 5 th at 9:00 a.m. [ ] I will donate 2 3 dozen Christmas cookies (drop off Dec. 2 and 3) [ ] I will help pack cookies on Tuesday, December 5 th at 9:00 a.m. Name Phone Number Email Council Minutes September 21, 2017 Present: Dale Reich, Gordon Fleury, James Costigan, Barb Dehnert, Janet Kloss, Pastor Larry Harpster, Heidi Teuteberg Absent: John Wick 1. Pastor started the meeting with time for reflection on generosity and how we feel when we are generous to others. We discussed our experiences with generosity and how these have shaped our lives. 2. An opening prayer was given by Pastor Larry and the meeting was called to order by James. 3. The meeting agenda was reviewed. A motion was made by Dale to approve the minutes, Gordon seconded the motion and everyone approved. 4. The minutes from the last meeting were reviewed. Gordon motioned to approve, Barb seconded the motion and everyone approved the minutes. 5. The Seeds of Hope campaign financial details and recommendations were reviewed. We discussed the current available funds and projected funds needed to complete the project. Costs have risen since the initial high level bid and we need to plan for how to cover the difference. The idea of a second three year fund raising campaign was discussed. Congregational members have brought up some potential changes to be considered which included digital projection, sound and music system, welcome center in the Narthex, painting of the steeple and permanent front step repairs. The merits of these were discussed versus the cost to move forward and the overall project budget. All of this will be presented to the Congregation during a meeting on Sunday, October 15 th. 6. A Tanzania partnership weekend will be celebrated on October 7 th and 8 th. There will be special music, prayers and information provided. 7. 2018 Budget requests have been made to the various committees for their needs/wants for next year and these will be a topic during the next council meeting. 8. Next council meeting is scheduled for October 19, 2017 at 5:30. 9. Pastor Larry led us in a closing prayer and the meeting was adjourned. Respectfully submitted, Heidi Teuteberg, Secretary