THE OUR GLASS Newsletter of Our Saviour s Lutheran Church Lenten Worship on Wednesdays through Mar. 16 th 10:30 a.m. Worship 6:30 p.m. Worship Palm Sunday, Mar. 20 th Palm Sunday Breakfast Maundy Thursday, Mar. 24 th 10:30 a.m. Worship 6:00 p.m. Seder Supper Good Friday, Mar. 25 th Noon Worship 6:30 p.m. Worship Easter Sunday. Mar. 27 th 8:00 a.m. Worship 10:30 a.m. Worship CONTENTS March 2016 From The Pastor s Desk... pg. 2 News from the Youth... pg. 3 Concert Event... pg. 4 Opportunities... pg. 5 Caring for Creation... pg. 6 Updates... pg. 7 New Member Sunday... pg. 8 First Communion... pg. 9 Dress Sewer Update...pg. 10 Church Calendar...pg. 11 Worship Associate Schedule...pg. 12 SCRIP...pg. 13 Council Information... pgs. 14-15 Upcoming Events...pg. 16 Reformation 500...pg. 17 The image of the hour glass is attributed to author, RRZEicons. Image obtained from Wikimedia Commons.
Our Saviour s Lutheran Church 3009 N. Meade Street Appleton, Wisconsin 54911 Rev. Kurt Hoffman Rev. Dee Sim Vision: love God. love others. Mission: gather. grow. go. WORSHIP Thursday: 6:30 pm Sunday: 8:00 or 10:30 am COME 3009 N Meade St Appleton WI 54911 CONTACT (920) 734-6396 office@oslc-appleton.org youth@oslc-appleton.org Office Hours: M-F 8:00 am - 4:30 pm VISIT www.oslc-appleton.org From the Pastor s Desk... God Bless you OSLC family and friends as we continue on our Lenten journey, On Ash Wednesday when we began this journey, I reminded you that Jesus would walk with us every step of the way, For we walk by faith, not by sight. 2 Cor. 5:7. Our journey toward Easter is all about our relationship with God through Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. The idea is that we would try to add to our life that which strengthens this relationship and subtract what does not. This is why so many people think of giving something up for Lent. We are halfway on this journey with Christ. Whoever says, I abide in him, ought to walk just as he walked. 1 John 2: 6. So, how is the journey going? We all know what Jesus has told us, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8. The journey may not be as easy as 2 we anticipated. We may stumble here and there along the way or perhaps stop walking all together or even take a wrong turn. That is not a sign that we should give up. Instead, remember that we were baptized with Christ. Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. Rom. 6:3-4 In Luther s Small Catechism we read what this means, It means that our sinful self, with all its evil deeds and desires, should be drowned through daily repentance; and that day after day a new self should arise to live with God in righteousness and purity forever. In other words this means we can start over or even pick up where we left off on our journey with Christ. Jesus has already done the hardest part of the journey for us by taking us through the cross into his and our Easter resurrection of new life. FOLLOW Vacation Bible School Expedition Norway Save the Date We hope you will attend! August 7 th 11 th, 2016 5:30pm Optional Meal 6:00pm 8:00pm
Y O U T H & Y O U N G A D U L T M I N I S T R Y 3 Palm Sunday Breakfast March 20th, 8:30-10:15am Come support our mission trip youth, who will be travelling to Red Lake Reservation, Minnesota this June! All profits go to the mission trip. Youth helpers: Please sign up in narthex to help, and sell tickets before/after worship. All congregation members are invited to donate supplies for the meal: Bring by March 16th. Ticket Prices: Adult (12+): $6 Youth (3-12): $4 Children 3 & under: Free Thank you for your support! Thank you to all the youth and adults who participated in our Mini Mission Trip to Green Bay on February 6th! Check out some of our photos... Beyond at the Pizza Ranch! 1st & 3rd Sunday (March 6th & 20th) 6:30-8:30pm @ Darboy Pizza Ranch 9th-12th grade Youth Invited. Free! Bring Friends! March Confirmation Schedule: Wednesday, March 2nd NO Youth Dinner 6:30: Lenten Worship (7th-9th) 7:00: Confirmation Class 7th-8th: Minor Prophets 9th: Ten Commandments Wednesday, March 9th NO Youth Dinner 6:30: Lenten Worship (7th-9th) 7:00 Confirmation Class 7th-8th: End of OT: 400 Years Silence to Christ 9th: The Lord s Prayer Wednesday, March 16th NO Youth Dinner 6:30: Lenten Worship (7th-9th) 7:00: Confirmation Class 7th-8th: Fulfilled Prophecy of OT in NT 9th: Creeds Wednesday, March 23rd Holy Week NO Confirmation class. Please attend Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Worship. Wednesday, March 30th NO Confirmation class. Spring Break Persecution Night Tuesday, March 15th 6:30-8:30pm at OSLC All Confirmation & High School youth welcome! Come for night games, snacks and lots of fun with friends! Non-OSLC friends are invited, but please let Brian know ahead of time. Wear dark colors. Free. Girls After God s Heart Every Sunday in March (except Palm Sunday & Easter) 9:15-10:15am in New Youth Room All high school girls are welcome! Come for breakfast and a chance to get to know other high school girls and learn what it means to be a girl after God s heart.
Come to the Seder at OSLC! Our Saviour s Lutheran Church is hosting the Annual Christian Seder Meal on Maundy Thursday, March 24th, at 6:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Jesus instituted Holy Communion during the Last Supper. That Supper was a Passover Seder Meal. The OSLC Seder will be an abbreviated version of the Seder Service. We will be using small quantities of traditional symbolic ceremonial foods: unleavened matzah, hardboiled egg, apple/nut mixture, salt water for dipping, etc. These will be sampled at appropriate times during the ceremony scripted in the Haggadah (order of service.) There will also be songs and an actual dinner (normal serving sizes, not samples)! Our dinner will include: 4 Matzah ball soup Green Salad Half Sliced Chicken & Spring Vegetables Mashed Potatoes Green Beans Dessert Because of the ceremonial place settings, we must have an idea of approximately how many people will be in attendance. Please complete the sign-up sheet on the back of this page and drop it in the offering plate. We ask that all reservations be made by Thursday., March 17 th, and paid by Sunday, March 20th. The cost will be $11.00 per adult; $5.00 for children age 12 & under, and no charge for children 3 years and under. Payment may be placed in a pew envelope, labeled, and placed in the offering plate. This event is unique and meaningful, allowing us to worship, remember, celebrate, praise, and grow in our relationship with our Savior. We hope to see you there!! Yes! Our family would like to attend the Seder Supper. Family Name # of Adults x $11.00 ea. = # of Children 12 & under x $5.00 ea. = # of Children under 3 years (Free) Total $ [ ] Payment enclosed [ ] Payment will be made later **All reservations must be received by Thursday, March 17 th and payment must be received by Palm Sunday, March 20 th. Checks payable to OSLC. I/We volunteer to: [ ] set up [ ] serve [ ] clean up [ ] Please contact me to confirm my assignment and the time I am needed. Phone: Email: Reservation form can be turned in to the church office. Please note: March 17 th is the date the number of reservations & payments will be reviewed to determine if we have the dinner or cancel.
Soul Sisters Meeting: Crazy About Cupcakes! 5 Join the Soul Sisters when we meet on Monday, March 7 th at 7:00 p.m. at church. Please be sure to RSVP to Jeanne Seitz by Thursday, March 3 rd. Please indicate if you will attend. Email jeanneseitz@yahoo.com or call 734-4944. OSLC Needs YOU! Please share... your gift(s). Please consider which ministry you could support with your talent(s). Every individual is a part of the Body of Christ. [ ] Yes, I am interested in helping with the church cookbook. [ ] Yes, I am interested in decorating the church for Easter on Sat., March 26. [ ] Yes, I am interested in selling SCRIP cards on Sunday mornings. [ ] Yes, I am interested in helping with the Seder. [ ] Yes, I am interested in more information about the Adult Mission Trip. [ ] Yes, I am interested in sewing dresses, quilting, or knitting prayer shawls. [ ] Yes, I am interested in taking my turn at filling Communion Cups for the weekend s Worship. Name: Email: Phone: Please return to the church office.
6 Our Saviour s has a collection bin located in the Narthex for your convenience. OSLC s Adult Mission Trip is scheduled for June 4-11 in 2016. Location TBD. If you re planning your vacation time and are willing to invest that time into lifting others up, please consider participating. Gather your favorite recipes to submit for consideration in the OSLC cookbook, which will be published in 2016. You can submit your recipes until Sunday, May 15th in one of three ways: 1. Log on to http:// www.typensave.com; click on Login. User name OSLC recipes Password thyme327. 2. Email your recipe to oslcrecipes@gmail.com 3. Turn in your recipe to the church office (we can make a copy for you) Profits will benefit non-profit agencies who help people who are hungry. The annual Easter Egg Hunt will be on March 20th, 2016! (Palm Sunday) Big Blue will be collecting CANDY! Prayer Shawl Ministry The OSLC Prayer Shawl Ministry Group gathers from 9:00-11:00 a.m. at OSLC on Saturday, Mar. 19th. Please drop in for any part or all of the time. Call Kathy Hoffman with questions at 858-6915. (Groups meets the 3rd Saturday of the month.)
7 Wednesday, March 23rd at 11:30 am. Bring your lunch with you, meet in Fellowship Hall, and discuss the book The AllGirl Filling Station s Last Reunion, by Fannie Flagg. Don t forget to direct your Thrivent Choice Dollars Eligible benefit members of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans have until March 31, 2016 to direct any remaining 2015 Choice Dollars. Choose from thousands of 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, including OSLC! Contact Kris Bougie, CFP, FIC, CCPS, Thrivent Financial Assoc., at (920) 628-4564. God s Blessings to Levi James Cross Born: Nov. 12, 2015 Baptized: Jan. 3, 2016 Son of Matthew & Heidi Cross Brittney I. Schoen Born: Mar. 30, 1999 Baptized: Jan. 7, 2016 Daughter of Timothy Schoen and Heather Terry Kashton Michael Timothy Born: Sep. 12, 2015 Baptized: Jan. 7, 2016 Son of Daivd & Crystal Chris & Katina Sager who were wed at Our Saviour s Lutheran Church on Saturday, Octo- Our prayers and sympathies remain with the families & friends of Steve Klunder who entered eternal life on November 19, 2015 Irma Van Stiphout, who was born to eternal life on December 15, 2015 Received by Our Saviour s Lutheran Church In memory of Ted Landmann Neighborhood preschool is now registering for the 20162017 school year. You may register your child if they are 3 years old by 9/1/16. Please call Diane at 991-0674 for more information or to Received by Our Saviour s Lutheran Church In memory of Bob Heffner from Jim & Kris Pierce In memory of Bob Heffner from Ron & Sue Ernst In memory of Jack Palmer from Ilene Palmer In memory of Bob Heffner from Andrew & Julie Ernst In memory of Irma Van Stiphout from Bev Verbruggen
March 6th Interested in becoming a member of Our Saviour s? The New Member meet & greet will take place from 9:00-10:15 a.m. This is a great opportunity to meet other members and learn about the ministries at Our Saviour s Lutheran Church. Please contact the church office at office@oslc-appleton.org or 734-6396 x0 if you will be attending so that enough materials can be prepared. The Congregation will formally welcome you at the 8:00 a.m. or 10:30 a.m. Worship whichever you normally attend. 8 Decorate Our Saviour s for Easter There are two ways you can participate: 1. Purchase a plant in honor, in memory, or in celebration. Easter Lilies, Hyacinth and Tulips are available for $10.00 each. Payment envelopes are available next to the sign-up sheet on the bulletin board. Turn form in by Sun., March 20 to have it printed in the Easter bulletin. Lily $10 each (quantity) Hyacinth $10 each (quantity) Tulip $10 each (quantity) Donor s Name: In Honor, Celebration, or Memory of: Please make your check payable to OSLC and mark it Easter Flower. Place your order with your check on a desk in the church office. Your flowers may be taken home after 10:30 a.m. Worship on Easter morning or picked up no later than Wednesday, March 30th. 2. Be part of a group to decorate the narthex and sanctuary at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 26th. Just show up!
9 Monday Afternoon Study 1:30-3:00 Books are $5 each in the office March 7: Jehovah s Witnesses March 14: Buddhism March 21: Baptist Church March 28: Seventh-day Adventist Church All are welcome & you are invited to attend any or all of the studies. First Communion Classes for all third graders and anyone older who has not received First Communion are scheduled for: Tuesday, February 23rd (please dress nicely, a class picture will be taken) AND Tuesday, March 1st Sessions are from 6:30 7:30pm & are for students and their parents! First Communion Worship Celebration Thurs., March 3rd (at 6:30 p.m.) and Sun., March 6 th (during both services) ** Those families with older students who will be taking part in First Communion are asked to call the church office at 734-6396, ext. 0 to sign up. April 17 Bars Bake-Off!
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13 $50 purchase from Starbucks will return 7% to the Adult Mission program, or $3.50. It is that easy. If you are going to purchase groceries from Piggly Wiggly, Copps or Pick Support the Adult Mission n Save, you might as well buy the Trips by using the OSLC SCRIP gift cards from OSLC s $crip program. program! We have $crip cards available for At this time, Kohls accepts more than 50 businesses to choose the SCRIP gift cards as pay- from. Visit shopwithscrip.com or visit our table in the Narthex bement on your account. tween Worship Services on SunScrip cards are just like days. These cards are great gift gift cards; they are exchanged ideas for birthdays, anniversaries, dollar for dollar with your purweddings, and other special occhase. The advantage of using cassions! Feel free to contact Deb $crip, however, is that each ven- & Tim Hofacker at 832-8287, Joni dor returns a certain percentage Shellabarger at 832-9375, or to the church. For example, a Kathy Hoffman at 858-6915. Do you have a Kohls account? Do you buy groceries? Do you eat out? Do you shop? Articles for the April issue of the Our Glass newsletter are due on Tuesday, March 15th. Men s B,B & B will be meet on Tuesday, March 1st at 6:00 p.m. at BJ Clancy s Equip! is a casual study & conversation group that meets on Sunday mornings from 9:15-10:00 in the south Sunday School wing study lounge. We explore how our faith intersects with and guides everyday life. Each week stands alone - so come when you can. Bible expertise is NOT required! Topics: Mar 6 - Overcoming the Pain of Rejection Mar 13 - NO Class Mar 20 - Be A Sheepologist Mar 27 - NO Class, Happy Easter!
February 2016 COUNCIL MEETING HIGHLIGHTS: 1. All council positions were filled! Elected to the executive council were: David Seitz, - President; Brian Hiltunen Vice President, Mike Stevens Financial Treasurer; Joni Shellabarger Financial Secretary; and Kris Bougie Secretary. The 3 committee positions have also been filled with: Susan Kulkarni Worship & Music; Brian Krauss Christian Education; and Jim Pierce Evangelism. All other committee chairs are continuing. 2. A Long Range planning committee will be developed soon and is looking for people interested. Please contact Brian Hiltunen (920) 843-0767 or the church if you are interested. 3. A search committee for new a new Youth Director will be formed soon. With Brian Westerbur s decision to attend seminary in the fall, OSLC will be looking for his replacement. Our Saviour s Lutheran Church Council Minutes January 5, 2016 Present Council Members: Jim Pierce, Diane Bezella, Steve Alstad, Pastor Dee Sim, Lorna Wulterkens, Pete Bailen, Elizabeth Panzer, Caralyn Karck, Mike Stevens, Jim Leppla, Kris Bougie, Pastor Kurt Hoffman, Brian Hiltunen and Alan Babcock Guests: Susan Kulkarni, Brian Krauss, Craig LeBeau, Brian Westerbur and Joni Shellabarger Absent: Amy Kiefer 1. Opening Prayers & Spiritual Growth: Our meeting opened at 6:45pm with prayers and devotion led by Pastor Kurt Hoffman. Council members shared both blessings as well as prayer requests. Jim Pierce also welcomed guests to our meeting, explaining the process as well as reviewing openings available in the Council. 2. Minutes: Minutes from the December 8 th, 2015 council meeting were voted on and approved with changes made. 3. Pastoral Perspectives: Pastor Dee discussed the recent gift of music provided by Russ King at recent services and noted that all free will donations collected, were donated back to Our Saviour s. Russ willing to come again at Easter time. Pastor Kurt reviewed how Christmas services were with the 2015 schedule, and noted it went relatively well. He had contacted other churches in an effort to rotate clergy for Lenten services and no one wanted to participate. Thus, this year s Lenten services will proceed as last year. He also noted that on March 24 th at 6pm, there will be a traditional Seder Service. 4. Staff and Committee Reports: Written reports are reviewed by council in advance of each council meeting. These reports are on file in the church office. Only issues raised by committee chairs for discussion are recorded in the minutes. Financial Updates: Kris Bougie stated that December had been a good month and the congregation was graced with another large donation which assisted in paying off the line of credit. She reviewed the one page to be placed in the Annual Report and Jim Pierce suggested that it be put on the overhead projector for this meeting so all congregational members attending could review. Council members felt that the report was clear and concise. Council Openings for 2016: Jim Pierce noted to Council members that there were a number of upcoming council member and committee openings at this time. Anyone interested in joining the council as either an Executive Committee member or Committee Chairperson, please contact either Jim Pierce or Brian Hiltunen. Stewardship: Jim Leppla updated the Council on current returned pledge cards. He did state that with even lesser pledge cards returned, pledged dollars would bring the church equivalent to last year in terms of dollars pledged. In December, he stated that the church had some very generous contributions. Property: Allen Babcock updated the Council on the latest conversations with our insurance company in relation to the Hmong Mission Church using the church on Sundays. There was discussion and it was determined that by May 1 st, 2016 the mission church would need to provide Our Saviour s with proof of insurance coverage. Our congregation would offer and be more than willing to assist in helping this small congregation to raise funds for the insurance cost. The cost of the policy is about $1100.00/year. New Business: Jim Pierce updated the Council on the Lost Sheep Program. There was a list which started with over 100 members who had not attended or participated in church. The list was garnered down to about 60 people. Volunteers then either called or sent letters to these members inviting them back to services and updating them on new worship and mission opportunities. After this outreach, there were multiple pew cards returned and at least 6-8 of these people were back and involved in some way. 14
15 Next Council Meeting: Mar. 8th at 6:30 p.m. Jim Pierce, along with both pastors, then led a discussion surrounding the Conversations Matter gatherings around same sex marriage at Our Saviour s. There was discussion of our current marriage policy and all the steps a couple must go through to be married at Our Saviour s. By consensus of all meetings held with the congregation, the Council agreed that the statement below would be added to Our Saviour s current marriage policy. As a congregation committed to Loving God and Loving Others, Our Saviour s Lutheran will not discriminate solely on the basis of sexual orientation in performing marriages. 5. Adjournment: The meeting adjourned after the Lord s Prayer at 8:45 pm. Respectfully Submitted, Diane Bezella Fox Valley Lutheran Homes Following the example of Christ, offering a ministry of dignity, respect, compassion, and love to older persons MARCH 2016 NEWS terms have expired. Most of the board members have booklets entitled Recruitment Package and Job Description that they would be more than happy to share with anyone who is interested in finding out more about serving on the Board of Directors. A term is three years and a director is allowed to serve for two terms. We have several terms open this year, so please think prayerfully about serving in this way. One position in particular that we are seeking to fill is our Building Committee Chairperson, with someone who would have some background in construction or housing. If you d like more information or need one of the booklets, please call Fox Valley Lutheran Homes at 734-7225. Can you remember back to the time you were a child, when a year seemed to be an eternity? Now the years fly by so fast that it s almost frightening. It s March and we re half way through Lent already. It seems strange to think that Easter will be here before the month is over. So in anticipation of March 27, I ll say Happy Easter! I want to especially INVITE you to consider this opportunity to serve on the Board of Directors for Fox Valley Lutheran Homes. Becky Luett, AIM, Executive Director Each year at our Annual Meeting (coming up on April 23) we elect new members to fill the positions vacated by those members whose
16 other upcoming EVENTS CHURCH WOMEN UNITED--WORLD DAY OF PRAYER DATE: March 4, 2016 REG: 9:00 AM PROGRAM : 9:30 HOST CHURCH: St. Bernard Catholic Church 1617 W. Pine Street, Appleton WELCA Spring Event DATE: Saturday April 9, 2016 TIME: 8:00 am Lunch will be served WHERE: ZION Lutheran Church Oneida St Appleton COST: $15.00 THEME: Luke 8:11b The Seed is the Word is God NRS version CHURCH WOMEN UNITED--MAY FRIENDSHIP DAY DATE: May 6, 2016 REG: 9:30 AM PROGRAM: 10:00 AM BRUNCH: 11:00 AM HOST CHURCH: First Congregational United Church of Christ 724 E. South River St. Appleton PARTICIPATING CHURCH: Prince of Peace ELCA WOMEN OF TRINITY SPRING EVENT Saturday May 7, 2016 Badger Café: Jews and Muslims in Christian America Don t miss Professor Charles Cohen s fascinating examination of the relationships among Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. It s a highly pertinent discussion at a time when issues related to religion are in the news daily. Make sense of religious identity in America, and find new ways of thinking about what makes someone an American. Don t miss this fascinating talk. 6 p.m. Welcome 6:30 7:30 p.m. Program 8 p.m. Event concludes Light refreshments will be served. This free event is open to all, but registration is strongly recommended! Questions? Contact Nancy Powell at npowell@waastaff.com or 608-262-7427. The Wisconsin Alumni Association (WAA) and the WAA: Fox Valley Chapter proudly host Most images were obtained from ChurchArt.com where we hold a current subscription.