Weekly Newsletter

Thursday, May 25th, 2023

Sunday, May 28th, 2023 -

9:00 am Worship Service (In-Person and Virtual) Wear red to worship service on Sunday to celebrate Pentecost.

Order of Service here



Facebook Link for Virtual Worship Service

Children's Bulletins:

• Pre-Reader for ages 0-5
• Reader for ages 6+

Prayer Corner

Pastor Erik's Message

Memorial Day is this Monday, May 29. It’s a day when we remember and show respect to members of the armed forces that have died in wars. It used to be called Decoration Day, when the graves of those who had died were decorated with flowers and flags. After World War I it was changed to Memorial Day. It’s a somber reminder of the cost of war. Hopefully, it keeps us from entering war hastily or without consideration of the enormous cost of life, and the wellbeing of families and loved ones of our military members. It’s also a day to remember that the freedoms we enjoy came at an incredible cost to some. 

Every Memorial Day I am reminded of the responsibilities that we've been entrusted with when we were baptized. One of the responsibilities is “to work for justice and peace in all the earth.” This weekend is an invitation to not only enjoy time with family and friends, but also to discern what we can do to work for justice and peace in this world.

See you there!

Your co-worker in Christ~Pr. Erik

Mark your calendars for June 4th! 

Two very important items will be voted on after the 9:00 worship service. The annual budget will be proposed and voted on. Also, mediation is complete for our settlement for the highway project. We will vote to accept the settlement.  Copies of the 2022-2023 proposed church budget and treasurer’s report are located on the name tag table. Feel free to take a copy to review before the meeting. 

After the annual meeting is a Potluck Cookout. Christus will supply hamburgers, brats and lemonade. Please bring a dish to pass and your lawn chairs. It will be a great time to enjoy great food and socialize with your church family. 

Volunteers are needed for grilling, set-up and clean up. Please sign up on the kiosk or contact Patti.

TABLE OF 6’s! 

Get to know your Christus family! 

We are gathering groups of six adults to enjoy dinner together once a month in June, July and August. Each month someone new from your group will host the dinner. The dinner can be at your house, at church (grills available) or in a restaurant. Click here if you are interested in being a part of this fun and exciting new ministry. Please signup by June 4th.  

Worship Volunteer Information

Curious about any of these opportunities? Click the links below to learn more.

Greeter/Usher • Hospitality • Communion Server



If you have any questions, please call Patti at the church office at 920-757-7775.



Procedure for Volunteer Scheduling Changing in June

The worship service volunteer schedule has been created for June 4th - August 27th. An email was sent to everyone on the schedule, it is also posted on the kiosk and be found here. If you are scheduled on a Sunday that you aren't available, please trade Sundays with someone else on the schedule and let Patti know about the trade.

If you aren't on the schedule and want to volunteer, please let Patti know.

If you haven't returned your Giving Card, please do so by June 4th. There are extra cards at church if you've misplaced yours.

Graciously submitted by Christus’s stewardship team-

Pastor Erik, Jan Mallmann, Dick Gamble, and Larry Bentle

CHURCH ENVELOPE ERROR

Please check all of your giving envelopes for the correct name and address. There have been some instances where the July 9th envelope was for a different congregation member. If your July 2nd or July 9th envelope is incorrect you can simply toss the envelopes. The next mailing will include envelopes for July 2nd and the 9th. If any of the other envelopes belong to someone else, please contact the church office.

Summer reading faithful fun!

Pastor has chosen three books to read over the summer. There is an invitation for anyone who reads one or even all three books to gather as a group and spend the afternoon of August 12th discussing them. Pastor is looking forward to hosting the August gathering at his home at 11:30 am and providing the hospitality.

All three books are very different, but all of them ask similar questions like, “how is God’s presence known and felt,” and “how do we express our faith in our lives?” I am sure we will come up with other questions too and have an amazing discussion.

The books are:

Silence by Shusako Endo

The Book of Joy by the Dalai Lama & Desmond Tutu

White Fragility by Robin Diangelo

Worship Ministries Team

June 11th after the worship service the newly formed Worship Ministries Team will meet. Please let Pastor, Bruce or Patti know if you would like to be on the team.

The worship ministries team assists the pastor in providing the highest quality worship service. They will be looking at the possibility of adding a second service in the fall.

Trex Recycling Film Challenge

Help us get a free Trex bench by recycling plastic film. We will have 6 months to collect at least 500 pounds of plastic film which is about 40,500 plastic film or bags. This bench will be made out of all the plastic film we collect and we hope to place the bench on the future walking path that will be outside the church along the highway.

We will have two containers that you can bring your plastic to at church. One will be outside the front doors so you do not have to worry about the building being open and one will be inside the church doors.

We will give monthly updates on how many pounds we are at.

What can be recycled?

Pillars Homeless Shelter

Christus is volunteering at Pillars Homeless Shelter on Monday, June 5th from 5-7 pm. Sign up on the kiosk at church or click here to help serve dinner.

Short Break

A New "Summer" Group for Children!

Do you have a child, grandchild or daycare child who is between the ages of 0 and 12? Bring them to Short Break, a summer group just for them.

At Short Break, children will watch the message of a Bible story come alive in a Pixar short, enjoy a yummy snack and get crafty with a short craft project. A fun break in their day!

Short Break will meet on some Wednesdays throughout the summer and will be offered at TWO different times to accomodate all parents and caregiver's schedules.

June's Short Breaks:

Wednesday, June 14th, 3:30-4:30pm and 5:00-6:00pm

Wednesday, June 28th, 3:30-4:30pm and 5:00-6:00pm

Parents and caregivers are welcome to stay and join in on the fun or drop their child(ren) off.

For more information, ask Christine.

Save the Date

Vacation Bible School

SonSparks Lab

August 7-11, 2023

At SonSparks Lab, children will explore God's life changing plan as they find out the answers to life's most important questions. They will discover that God loves them, and that they are members of God's family. Experience God's plan for each of us: GP4U=J!

Vacation Bible School is open to all 3 year olds through children entering 5th grade. Registration will open in June.

A Message from Bruce

Greetings!

Thanks to Asher Celsor for drumming at the Sunday service and to Sheila Hopfensperger for helping to lead the congregation in song.

Please sign up at http://signup.com/go/VuZoQDC or send an email to [email protected] with your availability to offer an anthem during our worship time at church, and we still have two Sundays in June open. We appreciate having song leaders in front of the congregation, to help musically guide the rest of the congregation, and I hope you can let me know your availability to do this.

We are looking to get a worship committee team back together to discuss the future of Christus, and how the services might look in the fall, with a big question of whether we should have two services again. This group looks to be gathering after church on June 11. Please let me know if you are interested in participating in this committee.

The music coming on Wednesday to the Christus Facebook and YouTube pages is about “The King of Heaven”. I hope you will listen and enjoy!

May 28 – A vacation day for Bruce, with substitute pianist Jen Mitchell.

June 4 – Anthem by Jim Becker. Congregational meeting after church in addition to a cookout and potluck lunch.

June 11 – Anthem by Helen Adams. Tim Calder on drums. Worship team meeting after church.

June 18 – Anthem open.

June 25 – Anthem open.

May God bless you all with music that moves the heart and soul!

Bruce Koestner

Music Director, Christus Lutheran Church

(920)209-5932

[email protected]

Holy Land Pilgrimage

Are you ready for the trip of your life? January 15-25, 2024 you have the opportunity to join Rev. Dr. Niveen Ibrahim Sarras, Ph. D. from St. Mark's in Neenah on a trip to the holy land. $3990 per person includes your airfare, hotel accommodations, three meals a day, ten days sightseeing in a modern, private, air-conditioned private bus, and an English speaking Christian tour guide. More information is posted on the kiosk at church.

Check out their fun events here.

Christus offers 15% scholarships for everyone who signs up for camp. For more information, contact Christine.

South Dakota Youth Mission Trip

Where: Mission, South Dakota

When: July 15 to 23, 2023

Who: All 6th grade thru 12th grade youth   

Cost: $575.00

What? Home repair and construction, clothing distribution, along with some cultural activities on Rosebud Indian Reservation.

How do I sign up for the trip?

To sign up for the trip, send a non-refundable $100.00 deposit to the Church Office, Attention: Christine. Or, if you want to use money from your fundraising account, let Christine know.

We understand that the cost of the summer mission trip has increased as so much around us has. However, we offer many fundraisers where youth can earn money to offset the cost of the trip. Plus, we do offer scholarships if needed, just ask Christine.

Come & join the Men's Breakfast group being held the first and third Wednesday mornings of the month.

Our next gathering will be on Wednesday, June 7th at 7:35 am. Leo's Diner in Greenville has generously offered an area for us to gather.

Enjoy Breakfast & fellowship with other men from Christus. Devotional will be provided by Pastor Erik.     

Evening Bible Study

Pastor Erik is leading a Bible study on the book of Genesis.

The next study will be held on Monday, June 5th at 6:30 pm.

The Bible Study group will take the summer off and begin again in September.

Pub Theology

Pub Theology! Pub Theology is a small group of Christus people who read an interesting book together and then meet at Otter Creek in Hortonville to talk about the book. Our next gathering will be Wednesday, June 14th.

We meet twice each month on the second and forth Wednesdays. Some of us have dinner at 5:30 (if you are interested) and the book discussion starts at 6:30.

You are welcome to join us on June 14th, we will be choosing a book to read and study throughout the summer.

Pub Theology offers a great opportunity for you to explore faith and develop friendships. It is never too late to join the group, and we would love to have you join us. Give us a try! 

Questions, contact Dick Gamble at [email protected]

Christus Contact Information

Christus Lutheran Church

N1915 Julius Drive

Greenville, WI 54942

920-757-7775

www.christuschurch.org

Pastor Erik Roth

[email protected]          (218) 404-0007

Monday - Thursday 9 am - 2:30 pm

Christine Loppnow, Director of Youth Ministry   

[email protected]

Tuesday: 9 am - 3:00 pm

Wednesday: 1 pm - 9:00 pm

Thursday: 10 am - 3:00 pm

Friday: 9 am - 3:00 pm

(depending on weekend work obligations, may not be in the office on Fridays)

Patti Ruhle, Office Administrator   

[email protected]

Tuesday - Thursday: 9 am - 4:00 pm

Bruce Koestner, Director of Music      

[email protected]

Works off-site; call 920-209-5932.

NOTE: The above noted days and times are when we generally expect to be in the office. However, our schedules can change quickly, based on what is happening in the life of the congregation. Occasionally, we need to be away from the office for meetings, hospital visits, home visits, and more. Therefore, we strongly encourage you to call ahead and/or make an appointment if you are planning to stop by for a visit, or need to have a face-to-face meeting with a member of the staff.