Your Weekly E-Newsletter -- Thursday, March 23, 2023

“These commandments that I give to you today are to be

upon your hearts.  Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road,

when you lie down and when you get up.”  

Deuteronomy 6:6-7

The passage above has found its way onto these pages before.  

They are sometimes referred to as “the shema” from the Hebrew word for “hear” or “listen.”   The importance of faith conversations and, thereby faith formation, cannot be underestimated.  Kids may have spiritual thoughts on their own. If these are not expressed, encouraged, or responded to in a helpful way with informed perspectives, faith formation might be inhibited.

I have written about the visit of Dr. Leonard Sax to our congregation April 26-27.  Most of his sessions will be about parenting, the pressures on kids these days from the surrounding culture, etc.  But on Thursday, April 27 at 10:00 a.m., Dr. Sax will hold a session entitled “What a boy needs to become a man of faith . . . is different from what a girl needs to become a woman of faith” This session is designed primarily for ministry leaders, but parents and grandparents are invited to attend as well. 

Dr. Sax describes the session as follows…

“At many churches across North America, girls’ and boys’ participation in church activities decreases markedly after Confirmation. Scholarly studies demonstrate that high school kids

are less likely than elementary-school kids to be involved in church activities. But the teenage years are precisely the years when kids most need the guidance and wisdom of the church. Unfortunately, many churches are not successful in their outreach to teens.

In this workshop, Dr. Sax shares what he has learned from his visits to communities of faith across the United States and Canada. He also presents scholarly research showing that what a boy needs to become a man of faith is profoundly different from what a girl needs to become a woman of faith. A boy needs to see, and be with, men of faith; a girl needs to see, and be with, women of faith. Dr. Sax gives examples of other churches which have been effective at creating these bonds across generations, at little or no financial cost to the church.” 

We know the time of the April 27 at 10:00 a.m. workshop makes it difficult for working folks to attend, which is why we are offering a study of Dr. Sax’s book “Girls on the Edge” beginning this Sunday, March 26 and continuing on April 2, 16, and 23.  In this book, Dr. Sax devotes a chapter to the very subject of his workshop – spiritual formation in girls and how that differs from boys. 

Participants in the book study on Sundays will, in addition to learning about some of the immense pressures on girls and young women in our society, also learn about how instilling faith in girls (and boys) is an important guard against many of these pressures.  

This is precisely what God asks of us – to talk about faith with our young.   Cost of the book is $15, and copies are available in the church office and will be available on Sunday in the Sanctuary where we will meet starting at 10:30 a.m..   Marcella and I will co-facilitate the study, which is open to all Calvary members, and we hope you’ll join us for it.

Because of a cross,

Pastor Ken Nelson

We have two worship options for Good Friday, April 7

Traditional worship service at Noon

"7 Last Words of Christ" with string quartet at 7 p.m.

Fifth Sunday in Lent

March 25-26, 2023

Are human beings sinful by nature? Or is it, rather, that human nature is essentially good, but has become corrupted by sin? Do we actively participate in our conversion to faith, or are we purely passive recipients of salvation from God? If Jesus is the incarnate Son of God, “of one being with the Father,” then is it correct to say that, on the cross, God died? And if so, how can God be God if he is vulnerable to suffering and death?

In a new 5-6 week study throughout the season of Lent, we’ll be taking a look at these and other fundamental questions about the Christian faith as they’re presented to us in the Lutheran Formula of Concord. The Formula is one of the foundational documents of the Lutheran Church and is a rich theological repository with enduring relevance for nurturing and sustaining the ongoing life of the church.

Please join us in the fellowship hall at 12:45 p.m. on Wednesdays immediately following the weekly Lenten services, which are at noon each Wednesday. Copies of the Formula of Concord (and coffee!) will be provided for participants.

For questions or additional information, contact pastoral intern Ben Blobaum at (224) 392-1834 or bblobaum@calvarylc.com.

The Church Council met on March 21, 2023. Updates for the congregation from that meeting are below.

• Extended appreciation and gratitude to the nine Calvary members of the recently formed Call Committee:

Larry Bonier (Deacons)

Lenny Graffin (Deacons)

Ernie Kretschmann (At-Large)

Peggy Langelin (Council)

Scott Langelin (Council)

Jon Sayas (Council)

Angie Schatz (At-Large)

Linda Thorpe (Deacons)

Philip Voss (At-Large)

• Reminded that Calvary's Mission of the Month (MOM) for March is focusing efforts on the need for Health Care Kits for the NALC Disaster Response. Empty tote bags and "shopping lists" for items to include in the Health Care Kits can be found at the table in the Narthex. Return filled tote bags (Health Care Kits) by March 31st.

• Obtained encouraging updates on status of the upcoming Leonard Sax event (April 26-27). Calvary members are encouraged to attend (Pre-Registration Required) or volunteer to assist in other ways. A sign up for volunteers will be available in the Narthex starting March 25.

Women’s Book Group – Monday, April 10

Harnischfeger Room -Brookfield Public Library

12:30 – 2:00 pm

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

Meet Eleanor Oliphant: She struggles with appropriate social skills and tends to say exactly what she’s thinking. Nothing is missing in her carefully timetabled life of avoiding social interactions, where weekends are punctuated by frozen pizza, vodka, and phone chats with Mummy. 

But everything changes when Eleanor meets Raymond, the bumbling and deeply unhygienic IT guy from her office. When she and Raymond together save Sammy, an elderly gentleman who has fallen on the sidewalk, the three become the kinds of friends who rescue one another from the lives of isolation they have each been living. And it is Raymond’s big heart that will ultimately help Eleanor find the way to repair her own profoundly damaged one.

March Mission of the Month

NALC Disaster Response

As you know, Calvary Lutheran Church is a congregation of the North American Lutheran Church. The NALC Disaster Response Fund provides resources for natural disaster victims in the United States.

When a disaster occurs, funds are used to:

• alleviate human suffering;
• provide transitional assistance;
• enable those affected to begin the rebuilding process.

In addition to funds received, the NALC Disaster Response team collects and distributes items that can be given out to disaster victims. We are currently collecting items for Health Care Kits. A tote bag for donated items will be provided. Please pick up the "shopping list" and empty tote bags from the table in the Narthex.

To support this important Mission of the Month, you may include it in your weekly offering envelope or designate the donation as "Mission of the Month" in your online giving.

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.

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!

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!

CALVARY LUTHERAN CHURCH www.calvarylc.com

Regular office hours are Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. - noon 262.786.4010

Questions or comments? Email Sue Rowe at communications@calvarylc.com