CALVARY LUTHERAN CHURCH
| Your Weekly E-Newsletter -- Thursday, August 3, 2023 | |
Reflection on this weekend's Scripture reading | |
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As we patiently wait for the pastor God has chosen for us, we will be featuring a devotion or other commentary on a verse or section from the readings for each weekend. Each devotion will note its source.
Our psalm this weekend is Psalm 136: 1-9. Each verse of this psalm is followed by the words for His steadfast love endures forever. While we may wonder at the repetition of these words, this week’s devotion entitled “The Unforgettable Responsive Reading” may well come to mind when you hear the psalm again. The devotion is from The One-Year Book of Psalms.
“The Unforgettable Responsive Reading”
It was midnight on Thursday, February 8th, A.D. 356, and Athanasius, a leader in the early Christian church and passionate defender of the deity of Jesus Christ, was leading a worship service. Suddenly loud shouts and clashing armor could be heard outside the church. Soldiers had come to arrest him.
But Athanasius said, “I didn't think it right at such a time to leave my people,” so he continued the service. He asked a deacon to read Psalm 136 and then requested that the congregation respond with the refrain, “His steadfast love endures forever,” which they did twenty-six times over the din of the soldiers outside.
Just as the final verse was completed, the soldiers rushed into the church, brandishing their swords and spears and crowding forward up the nave toward Athanasius. The people yelled for Athanasius to run, but he refused to go until he had given a benediction. Then some of his assistants gathered tightly around him, and, as he recounts it, “I passed through the crowd of people unseen and escaped, giving thanks to God that I had not betrayed my people, but had seen to their safety before I thought of my own.”
Athanasius was portraying to his people God's love, which endures forever. He was willing to lay down his life for his flock -- just as Jesus had laid down His life for His flock a few centuries earlier.
Since God's “steadfast love endures forever,” why is there ever any need to worry?
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Special Music during worship this weekend! | |
Wendysue Fluegge will be our Worship musician
on Saturday and Sunday, August 5-6.
We are excited to welcome back Wendysue Fluegge who will be filling in for Nicole Moritz on August 5-6.
Wendysue brings a contemporary twist to the liturgy. You may remember she shared the story of Mary with us during Advent last year.
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Day of Pentecost
Tenth Sunday
after Pentecost
August 5-6, 2023
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PRESIDING MINISTER: Pastor Jerry Wittmus
ASSISTING MINISTER: Jessica Dudzik
DEACONS:
- Saturday: Larry Bonier
- Sunday: Lenny Graffin, Bill Graffin, George Sedivec
ACOLYTES:
- Amelia Evert and Jackson Gall
CHILDREN'S MESSAGE:
USHERS:
- Caryl Braatz and Ed Ramthun
LECTOR:
ALTAR GUILD:
- Marge Tyne and Shirley Brodell
GREETERS:
- Carol Roe
- Jonni Roush
- Judy Sayas
FELLOWSHIP: Bruce and Sue Marshall in celebration of Donna Schroeder's 90th Birthday
FLOWERS:
- Carol Roe in memory of Dean
POWERPOINT TECH:
- Cindy Rooks/Saturday
- Grace Gunnlaugsson/Sunday
LIVESTREAM:
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Church Life Committee Updates | |
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TOMORROW!
Friday, August 4 at 6:30 p.m.
Sharon Lynne Wilson Center
CHICKEN WIRE EMPIRE
We will take your chairs over to the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center so that we can all sit together for a night of fun music and fellowship. There's still time to join us if you didn't sign up. Just be sure to drop off your chairs, per the directions below.
CHAIRS SHOULD BE DROPPED OFF IN CLASSROOM #109 BY 11:30 a.m.ON FRIDAY, AUG. 4.
You will be responsible for taking your chairs home after the Starry Nights performance. In the event of rain, you will be contacted by a member of the Church Life committee.
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New prayers requests or any updates to this current list should be directed to Cindy Zilske in the Church office (office@calvarylc.com).
Prayers of sympathy and God's love and peace to: the family of Bill Krause who passed away peacefully on August 2 and to the family of Garry Gillespie who passed away on August 1. Funeral arrangements are pending and will be shared when they become available.
Please continue to pray for: God’s guidance and support for our Call Committee, and that the Holy Spirit is working in the heart of the pastor He wishes to call as the next pastor of Calvary.
Ongoing short-term prayer requests: Marilyn Hermann; Wayne Dieck; Bev Lawson; Sue Rowe; Maxine Weisbrodt; Jan Chesner; Grace Gunnlaugsson; Becky (friend of Jane Taufner); Courtney Cook (friend of Lenny Graffin); Dennis Krupa, Nate Kreiter, Matti Beilfuss (friends of Rick Kegel); Laura Burger (Calvary member and twin sister of Linda Richmond); Ron Parker (brother of LInda Thorpe); Sharon Anderson (mother of Deron Anderson); Lou Dangler (friend of Evelyn Ceci); Andy Jacobs (friend of Evelyn Ceci); Paul Mahn (son of Shirley Mahn); Hunter Green (nephew of Andy and Angie Schatz); Tom Schatz (father of Andy Schatz); Susie Barnhart and Amy Clark (friends of Megan Scott); Delores Seel (mother of Keith Pierce); Gary Zikmund (friend of George Sedivec); Tony Shemberger (father of Amy Blobaum)
Serving in the Military: Dan Berger (serving in the U.S. Marines); Kevin Butler (son of Heidi Powers, serving in the U.S. Army); Ben DeYoung (son-in-law of George and Kay Sedivec, serving in the U.S. Air Force); Alex Olson (U.S. Air Force, grandchild of Ardath Olson); Kyle Pierce (son of Karen and Keith Pierce, serving in the U.S. Army); Karmen Thomas (friend of Tony and Krista Dentice serving in the U.S. Army); Nicole Wahlgren (serving in the U.S. Army National Guard); all military chaplains; and all veterans suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
For All Men and Women Serving: Police Officers, Firefighters, EMT's; Health Care workers and First Responders.
Serving in the mission field: Our NALC missionaries and missionaries everywhere bringing the gospel to the ends of the Earth.
Long-term prayer list:
Calvary members: Pat Corcoran; Ron Foster; Shirely Mahn, Donna Schroeder; Nadine Schuelke; Gloria Strei; Pat Treutelaar; Janet Zastrow
Non-members: Mary (sister-in-law of Jane Taufner); Jan Janchan (friend of Jonni Roush); Lauren (granddaughter of Scott and Peggy Langelin); Dennis Reich (friend of John and Mary Lau); Curt (friend of Larry Bonier); Pastor Mark Gehrke (son of Lois Gehrke); Barb Anderson (friend of Lisa Grossman); Gareth George (cousin of Judy Sayas); Rose Luther (friend of Nicole Moritz); Judy Grospitz; Monica Barchus (niece of Ernie Kretschmann); Michael Rossa (Lucy Dallman's son); Karen (friend of Lydia Trudell); Susan Petropoulos (sister of Wayne Johnson); Tom Dallman (husband of Lucy Dallman); Laura Lynn (friend of Pastor Jerry and Nancy Wittmus)
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Evelyn Ceci, 8/5
Helga Willett, 8/5
Donna Schroeder, 8/6
Linda Berger, 8/7
Sophia Peters, 8/7
Deron Anderson, 8/9
Noah Ciszewski, 8/9
Darrel Schwenn, 8/9
Donna Siderits, 8/9
Wayne Wegner, 8/9
Mary Baumgartner, 8/13
Roger Evert, 8/13
Jackson Schlieve, 8/13
Gloria Strei, 8/15
Jenny Brostowitz, 8/16
Allison Khamphoumy, 8/16
Scott Langelin, 8/16
Josh Morris, 8/16
Nicole Wahlgren, 8/16
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Brad and Sue Meyer, 8/3 (21 years)
Doug and Sue Ranger, 8/3 (4 years)
Curtis and Judy Klade, 8/4 (61 years)
Philip and Jill Voss, 8/4 (11 years)
Josh and Emily Brooks, 8/9 (9 years)
Matt and Heidi Powers, 8/10 (4 years)
Jim and Ruth Brostowitz, 8/13 (40 years)
Thomas and Lucy Dallmann, 8/1 (54 years)
Hugh and Jane Taufner, 8/16 (54 years)
Jim and Nancy Marsho, 8/17 (55 years)
Larry and Susie Bonier, 8/18 (50 years)
John and LIndsey Peters, 8/22 (14 years)
Bob and Mary Smith, 8/22 (53 years)
Gerhard and Sallie Schulz, 8/23 (48 years)
Ed and Carol Witzke, 8/24 (55 years)
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ALL STAR BIBLE STORIES
Each day the youth spent time learning about a Bible story that is connected to the verse of the day.
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Vacation Bible School
July 31 - August 4, 2023
A huge thank you to Angie Schatz and Jessica Dudzik for leading this year's VBS program.
Also thank you to the many volunteers - young and old - who volunteered their time to help with the many stations of our VBS program. We couldn't have done it without your help!
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SPACE STATION SNACKS
Cheese "sun balls" were the mid-morning snack one day.
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School Backpack Collection for
NALC Disaster Response
Calvary will again be collecting school backpack supplies. These are distributed to families who have experienced natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods, and fires. The empty backpacks and lists of needed school supplies are in the narthex. If you have a gently used backpack to fill and donate feel free to use that as well. Filled backpacks can be placed into the plastic tubs under the tables in the narthex - please put a note on the outside of the backpack indicating ELEMENTARY or HIGH SCHOOL.
The school supply shopping list is shown below and copies are on the table in the Narthex.
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August Mission of the Month | |
To support this important Mission for the Month, you may include it in your weekly offering envelope or designate the donation for Mission of the Month in your online giving. | To learn more about Opportunity International, click HERE. | | |
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Opportunity International is helping to end extreme poverty in our lifetime. They believe that empowering individuals to work their way out of poverty and give their children a quality education is the most sustainable way to transform their lives, their families, and their communities.
Opportunity International serves 10 million hardworking families in 23 countries around the world. They have big plans for the world: A place without poverty where people can live with dignity and purpose. Their clients have ambitious dreams for their futures, but lack the opportunities needed to make those dreams a reality. They go where others won’t to give these inspiring people access to business loans, savings accounts, financial training, and community support—all which empower these entrepreneurs to work their way out of poverty and build a new sustainable future for themselves and their families.
To date, they have created or sustained more than 20 million jobs by giving entrepreneurs the tools they need to thrive. With our support, they will reach millions more clients—and those clients will change the world.
•Vision: Their vision is a world in which all people have the opportunity to achieve a life free from poverty, with dignity and purpose.
•Mission: By providing financial solutions and training, they empower people living in poverty to transform their lives, their children’s futures and their communities.
•Motivation: They respond to Jesus Christ’s call to love and serve the poor. They seek to emulate the Good Samaritan, whose compassion crossed ethnic groups and religions. They serve all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender.
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Women's Book Group
September 11, 2023
12:30 - 2:00 p.m.
Media Room
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
(Books are available in the kit in the church office.)
Looking at real estate isn’t usually a life-or-death situation, but an apartment open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes a group of strangers hostage. The captives include a recently retired couple who relentlessly hunt down fixer-uppers to avoid the painful truth that they can’t fix their own marriage. There’s a wealthy bank director who has been too busy to care about anyone else and a young couple who are about to have their first child but can’t seem to agree on anything. Add to the mix an eighty-seven-year-old woman who has lived long enough not to be afraid of someone waving a gun in her face, a flustered but still-ready-to-make-a-deal real estate agent, and a mystery man who has locked himself in the apartment’s only bathroom, and you’ve got the worst group of hostages in the world.
Each of them carries a lifetime of grievances, hurts, secrets, and passions that are ready to boil over. None of them is entirely who they appear to be. And all of them - the bank robber included - desperately crave some sort of rescue. As the authorities and the media surround the premises, these reluctant allies will reveal surprising truths about themselves and set in motion a chain of events so unexpected that even they can hardly explain what happens next.
Proving once again that Backman is “a master of writing delightful, insightful, soulful, character-driven narratives” (USA Today), Anxious People “captures the messy essence of being human….It’s clever and affecting, as likely to make you laugh out loud as it is to make you cry” (The Washington Post). This “endlessly entertaining mood-booster” (Real Simple) is proof that the enduring power of friendship, forgiveness, and hope can save us - even in the most anxious of times.
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Worship Attendance/Giving and Giving Options | |
Giving to the NALC Campaign | |
Just a reminder that contributions to the NALC's 20/20 Vision Campaign need to be designated as "NALC" either on your giving envelope or on your check. If you have any questions, please contact Cindy Rooks at finance@calvarylc.com.
For an update on the NALC's 20/20 Vision campaign, click on the link below to watch an update from Bishop Selbo. This video highlights the work we are doing, the ways in which gifts to the initiative are already being used, and the impact future gifts will have in our shared witness and mission.
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Contributions statements showing pledges and giving through July 31, 2023 were emailed to members on Wednesday, August 2. The email is from automail@360members.com. Please contact Cindy Rooks, Finance Secretary, at finance@Calvarylc.com or 262 786 4010 with any questions. | |
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Online giving provides options!
While cash and checks are always welcome, the “Give Online” button on the Calvary Lutheran Church website provides another option. And, with the expansion of our vendor’s software, the options are now expanded and customized. In addition to giving to the General Operating Fund, Building Fund and Mission of the Month, you can now specify contributions for Altar Flowers, Sunday Morning Fellowship Treats, NALC, etc.
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Please note that contributions to the Mission of the Month are allocated to the organization for the month in which the donation is made
If you have any questions or would like to make a pledge, please contact Cindy Rooks, Finance Secretary, via email at finance@calvarylc.com or (262) 786-4010.
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Weekly Men's Breakfast
Wednesdays at 7 a.m.
Maxim's Restaurant
18025 W. Capitol Drive
Brookfield
The restaurant seating has been reconfigured in compliance with social distancing requirements.
All men are invited to attend!
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Monthly Men's Gathering
Fellowship Hall
Thursday, August 17, 2023
6:00 p.m.
If you have any questions, please contact Ernie Kretschmann at erniekretschmann@gmail.com
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NEW WORSHIP RESOURCE!
To help navigate the summer weekend worship (Now the Feast and Celebration from the maroon Hymnal Supplement), a one-page "bulletin" has been produced, outlining the Order of Worship and the Scripture readings.
They will be available on the stands near the entrance to the Sanctuary or you can ask for one from an usher on Sunday mornings.
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Live Stream Attendance Link | |
If you watch our services via the Live Stream, please take a minute to let us know. There is now a link called "Online Worship Attendance" on the page where you access each week's service.
We appreciate you taking the time to complete this each week. It helps us know that our Live Stream is being viewed and by whom.
Thank you!
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Do you know who your Deacon is? Check out the bulletin board in Fellowship Hall - there is a photo of all the Deacons, along with a listing of their respective alpha groups.
Your Deacon is there for you! To pray for you, to answer any questions you may have about Calvary or to just get to know you. They are a valuable part of our ministry here at Calvary!
If you'd like more information about serving as a Deacon, please contact Mary Ellen Thiede or George Sedivec. There will be four open Deacon positions in 2024.
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Message from Pastor Jerry Wittmus
The Council's decision regarding supply preaching and congregational pastoral care is deeply appreciated. I will preside and preach the first weekend of every month, and any other time as needed. I will also be providing pastoral care, as outlined below:
- Pray for Clavary, its members, and the mission of the church.
- Call/visit members who request pastoral care, hospitlized, family death, etc.
- Consult with Visitation Committee
- Preside over Funerals, weddings, baptisms
- Attend the monthly Stephen Ministry meetings
- Provide monthly communion to Calvary members at Ruby Commons apartments
- Any other duties/responsibilities as directed by the Council.
If you have any pastoral needs, I am the pastor on call and can be reached in the following ways:
- My cell phone is (262) 818-6792 (call or text)
- My email is nanjer248@hotmail.com
- Through the Church office (262) 786-4010
My motto is "We do ministry together". With the Holy Spirit guiding us, God's work will be done and ministry will continue here at Calvary Lutheran Church. Good communication is the key as we serve and help each other.
Peace and blessings to all.
Pastor Jerry Wittmus
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Sanctuary Flowers
A wonderful way to celebrate a special occasion or remember a loved one is by sponsoring flowers at our altar. The cost is $35 and you may take them home following the Sunday morning worship. (If you'd prefer, you can leave the flowers at church to be enjoyed in the church office.)
The sign-up sheet is posted on the bulletin board in the Narthex, near the door to Fellowship Hall.
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We invite you to provide
Hospitality Treats on Sunday
We invite you to stay after worship on Sunday mornings and enjoy fellowship time and a treat/cup of coffee in Fellowship Hall.
If you'd like to provide treats (donuts, bagels, etc.) for Sunday hospitality time, there is a sheet on the bulletin board in Fellowship Hall. You may bring the treats (six dozen) and drop them off in the kitchen, or simply add a “P” behind your name, pay $30 to the church office and the treats will be purchased for you.
The sign up sheet for 2023 has been posted on the bulletin board. Thank you for your support!
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Do you need a new Church Directory? | |
The Calvary Church Directory is available electronically or in paper format. If you'd like an electronic copy, please send an email to Sue Rowe at communications@calvarylc.com.
There are also printed copies available in the church office.
If there are any changes to your phone, email or address, please advise the Church office. Any updates should be submitted to Cindy Zilske at office@calvarylc.com.
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Facing tough times? Need a Christian Friend?
Stephen Ministry is here to help. Free, just like God's love.
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Stephen Ministers are congregation members trained by Stephen Leaders to offer high-quality, one-to-one Christian care to people going through tough times. A Stephen Minister usually provides care to one person at a time, meeting with that person once a week for about an hour.
If you, or someone you know, could benefit from this important ministry, please contact Scott or Peggy Langelin at 262.853.0018.
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The right side of the Sanctuary (as you face the altar) is equipped with a hearing loop system which transmits an audio signal directly into a hearing aid via a magnetic field. This greatly reduces background noise, competing sounds, reverberation and other acoustic distortions that reduce clarity of sound.
Most hearing aids are equipped with a t-coil and connecting to this system is an easy switch on the hearing aid. If you need assistance during worship with this system, please reach out to an usher or any staff member.
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The church office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. until noon. The door that is closest to the office (NW corner) will be open during those hours.
Please check in with the office staff so we know you are in the building.
The office phone number is (262) 786-4010. Feel free to leave a message if you call after hours and we will contact you the next day.
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