CALVARY LUTHERAN CHURCH

Your Weekly E-Newsletter -- Thursday, September 29, 2022

This Week's Pondering .....

What Will Our Children Inherit?

Simply put, our children will inherit whatever we give them, tangible or intangible. As we have found our faith to be something which enriches our lives immeasurably, we ought to strive toward nurturing a true faith in the hearts of our children. This is why we bring them to baptism as young infants, and also why we bring them to church during the years when it’s the very opposite of convenient to attend with squirmy young offspring. We know that the Holy Spirit will do the work as we remain faithful.

In that regard, our children deserve to enter into the rich heritage of Word, catechism and songs of the church. They deserve to know the hymns and canticles which have weathered the test of time through many generations. Music makes things memorable, and many of our greatest hymns were written by pastors (e. g. Martin Luther and Paul Gerhardt) who sought to encapsulate important thoughts in a notable way - sort of a "take-home" item, or keepsake.

Before we had television or iPhones, we had music in our churches. When hymnals began to be published, they were typically purchased by families and individuals as an aid to prayer and meditation - not parked in the church pews Monday through Saturday.

Why should children learn hymns, especially when we have more catchy, upbeat, and fast-fashion praise songs? Those songs are great! If they focus your attention on God and His Word, listen away. Just know that these songs sometimes fall out of fashion as fast as they came. It is worth noting that generational wisdom is lost whenever parents are segregated from children by the forces of trend and fashion. The very timelessness of the Church and its song provides a common base of knowledge for grandparents, parents, and children. By quickly comparing the texts of some of our praise songs with hymns, you can see the thought and effort that went into writing hymns. They were intended to last - I’m reminded of God’s instructions to the artists decorating the Tabernacle - “For glory and for beauty.”

Yes, the texts and tunes of traditional hymns are indeed a bit more “weighty” than songs we typically hear on the radio or our Pandora playlist. This is wholly intentional and not to be avoided, as they convey some very serious ideas. Here’s Emily Dickinson’s take:

There's a certain Slant of light,

Winter Afternoons –

That oppresses, like the Heft

Of Cathedral Tunes –

Heavenly Hurt, it gives us –

We can find no scar,

But internal difference –

Where the Meanings, are –

Consider the text of The Church’s One Foundation (LBW #369). This is real poetry of the sort we study in literature class. It uses personification, a rather sophisticated rhetorical device, to hone in on the abstract concept of “the Church catholic,” helping us to meditate on our role as the “body” of Christ.

Elect from every nation, yet one o’er all the earth,

Nicole Moritz

Director of Music Ministry

Worship Resources

Live Stream Link

Prior Sermons

NALC Daily Devotion

This Week's Reflection from Martin Luther

on this weekend's Scripture lessons

God loves and hates temptations. He loves them when they provoke us to pray to Him and trust in Him; He hates them when we despair because of them. If you feel well, sing and praise God. If you feel ill, call upon God and pray.

- Martin Luther

From the Dietich-Medler collection of Luther’s thoughts (1530)

Online Resources

Note: If you give online to the Mission of the Month, your funds will be applied to the MOM recipient at the time of your gift.

Calvary's Website

See the monthly calendar by clicking on the image below.

Trunk or Treat RSVP

Sunday, October 30 at 11:45 a.m.

We invite EVERYONE to join us for our annual "Trunk or Treat" on Sunday, October 30 in our south parking lot. (In the event of inclement weather, we will move the event to the classrooms and hallways of the church.)

Costumes are not required (but they do add an element of fun!). An online sign up has been created so that we will know how many treats to pack in your trunk for our little trick-or-treaters.

To RSVP, please click the button below.

North American Lutheran Church Newsletter

Click the button below to read the latest issue of the NALC Newsletter. Highlights of articles in this issue include:

2022 NALC Mission Convocation meets online, elects leaders, approves budget.
2022 Mission Convocation behind the screen.
Bishop Selbo’s report to the 2022 Mission Convocation.
Ordination photos.
Eric Riesen book in second edition.
Today, Tomorrow & Forever fundraising initiative launched at convocation.
Encouraging your congregation to greater missional awareness — message from Pastor Amy Little, NALC General Secretary.
Young adults discipleship group.
Pastor Jeff Morlock called as director of vocational discernment.
Update from Mekane Yesus Seminary in Ethiopia following 2021 flooding.
New York congregation uses Pastors’ Booth for outreach.
Fresh Eyes for Mission Summits.
Overcoming the challenge of technology in forming pastors.
NALC Disaster Response responds to Hurricane Ian.
NALC pastor provides 12 years of teaching and outreach in the Congo.
Creative and faithful solutions to the shortage of pastors — Ministry Matters from Pastor David Wendel.

NALC Newsletter

Our Weekly Podcast Resumes ...

Luther's Small Catechism Series

The Small Catechism: What is this? Answer.

Join Kyle and Ben this week as they continue Martin Luther's Small Catechism - what it is, what's in it, why Luther wrote it, and why it's a book for every Christian in their life of faith and not some "textbook" for middle schoolers to learn for a few years and leave behind.

Click below for this week's Podcast.

Click HERE for the Foretaste of the Feast Podcast

Seventeenth Sunday

After Pentecost

October 1-2, 2022

PRESIDING MINISTER: Pastor Ken Nelson

SERMON: Ben Blobaum

ASSISTING MINISTER: Jessica Dudzik

DEACONS:

Saturday: Larry Bonier
Sunday: Lisa Grossman, Diane Grundman, Sue Rowe

ACOLYTES:

Xavier Griese and Ellie Sayas

USHERS:

George Sedivec and Ed Ramthun

GREETERS:

John and Mary Lau
Keith and Karen Pierce

LECTOR:

Karen Pierce

CHILDREN'S MESSAGE:

Megan Schatz

ALTAR GUILD:

RoJean Holler

MUSICIANS: Nicole Moritz

FELLOWSHIP TREATS:

Gael Hirth

ALTAR FLOWERS:

Amy J. Blobaum (Ben's mom)

POWERPOINT TECH:

Saturday: Jeanette Kalupa
Sunday: Sallie Schulz

LIVESTREAM TECH:

Kyle Jones

Faith Formation

Bible Presentations to Youth

Youth Director Kyle Jones recently presented Bibles to our 3 yr old and third grade youth at several different worship services.

Small Group Bible Study Celebrates 30 years!

"Amazing Grace" Bible study has been meeting since 1992. At a difficult time in our church’s history, our interim pastor, Pastor Ted Youngquist, suggested that Calvary members might benefit from a Bible study group (even before “small groups” were a thing), recognizing that we were unsettled and needed a way to be together and focus on what God wanted next for our church. He met with any interested members in the parish house (where Kyle, Lauren and Elliott live now). Twelve of us met with Pastor Ted. We have survived and grown in these 30 years, with seven of our original members still part of this small group. We’ve expanded beyond the “technical parameters” of what are called small groups and now have seventeen of us who meet the first Wednesday morning of each month at the Brookfield Public Library.

We begin our gatherings with what we fondly call “Ladies’ Aid”. One of our founding members, Bob Long, used to be our unofficial timekeeper and call out “Ladies’ Aid is over” when we’d be deep into fellowship time. Our fellowship time now includes updates on the joys and concerns for which each of us would like prayers. We then dig into a Bible study for an hour or so.

We have done dozens of studies over the years. Once DVD-based studies appeared on the scene, we gravitated to those. In fact, this year we are re-visiting the first DVD study we did ages ago. It is the first of a series published by Zondervan and Focus on the Family ministry that grew out of a ministry called “That the World May Know”, begun by a man named Ray Vaner Laan in 1992. Ray's belief was that “to more greatly understand and appreciate the Bible, one has to have a sense of the land and the culture from which it sprang."

Ray has led numerous groups of Christians through the lands we read about in the Old and New Testaments, making a connection between those ancient days and our current world. These trips and Ray’s teaching were filmed and have been published in a series of 14 volumes. This year, our group has gone back to the first study we did in this series, “Promised Land”. The subtitle, “Living for God Where Culture Is Influenced” has demonstrated how living in a very confused time and culture such as ours calls us to a crossroads. How can we, like living standing stones, “live so that the world will see our good deeds and want to know our God”?

Although our group is now at what we agree is our maximum, we believe there are other small groups at Calvary, and this may be a time for members of our church to pray about joining with them or forming a new group - or two!

-Grace Gunnlaugsson

Are you interested in forming a small group Bible study? Please contact the church office - Pastor Ken can offer suggestions and resources to get you started.

New Adult Bible Study - Lutheran Next Steps

A new Adult Bible Study class - THE LUTHERAN NEXT STEPS will begin THIS SUNDAY, October 2^nd.

This eight-week course will meet in the Sanctuary at 10:30 a.m. and will be facilitated by Pastor Ken Nelson. This course was created a few years ago when Pastor Ken was engaged in the “Life to Life Discipleship” initiative of the Navigators and the NALC.

The course is a solid, basic overview of the Christian faith. It encourages participants to increase their Bible reading, includes some memorization of key passages, and will culminate in the opportunity to create and share (in groups of 2 or 3) a personal “faith story” (or what some traditions called “testimonies”). The goal of this study is to present the Christian faith in a straight-forward, Biblically sound way to deepen our knowledge of those beliefs. This will equip participants for those moments when they may be presented an opportunity to witness to someone about our faith and the Lord Jesus.

There is a sign-up sheet on the OPPORTUNITIES kiosk near the Welcome Desk in the Narthex. A few “display only” copies of the materials are available for you to examine to see if this study is for you. If you wish to participate, registering will ensure you get a copy of the materials at our first class session. There is no cost for the materials, and we hope you'll consider participating in this worthwhile study.

Pastor Ken's Weekly Bible Study

Wednesdays at 12:30 p.m. in Fellowship Hall

Pastor Ken's weekly Bible study is held each Wednesday from 12:30 -1:30 p.m. in Fellowship Hall. He will lead discussion around the Scripture lessons that will be read in worship the following weekend.

Please bring your Bibles - other materials will be provided. Copies of the text study sheets will be available on the table in the Narthex if you can't attend the Bible study, but would like to refer to it for the weekend worship.

Online Giving Option Updates

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, etc.

We can also include other limited-time event payments such as the Disaster Response Training and the WI & Upper MI Mission District Convocation being held at Calvary on October 28 and 29.

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, please contact Cindy Rooks, Finance Secretary, via email at finance@calvarylc.com or (262) 786-4010.

Online Giving Link

Oberammergau Trip Concludes

Obmerammergau 2022

The Calvary trip to Oberammergau took place September 17-27. Twelve Calvary members and their guests jumped on a plane from Chicago to Munich to experience the Passion Play on Sunday, September 25, performed by over 2,000 local participants from the town of Oberammergau. (Due to copyright restrictions, photography was not allowed during the Passion Play.)

Here are a few more photos from the trip. They made it home safely on Sept. 27th. Thank you to Ruth Brostowitz for sending photos to share with the congregation.

There was snow in the mountains

to make a snowball!

A dance and music show was enjoyed by all one evening ... Pastor Ken even got into the act!

A train ride and boat cruise were also part of the itinerary.

Mozart's home and scenery around Salzburg the birthplace of Mozart.

Thank you to Pastor Ken and Marcella for hosting this once-in-a-lifetime trip!

The Famous Alpine Parade of Cows - The famers bring their cows - decorated with headdresses of flowers and bells - down from the high pastures where they spent the summer months. Tyrolean musicians were also part of the celebration.

NALC Mission District Convocation

Calvary is pleased to host the annual Convocation of your NALC Wisconsin/Upper Michigan Mission District on Saturday, October 29 and we invite you to join us! Let us come together in faith and unity seeking the goodness and glory of the Lord as brothers and sisters united in the waters of baptism.

This year we are also pleased to host Mary Bates, Head of NALC disaster relief, who will be conducting a disaster relief training for local churches and organizations on Friday, October 28 from noon - 4 p.m. All are invited to attend this training and the registration link is below.

General Secretary Pastor Amy Little and Assistant to the Bishop, Pastor Jess Abbott will be addressing us on Saturday, beginning at 8:30 a.m. Most importantly we will come together for times of worship and fellowship so as to better know the Lord and each other.

More information can be obtained through the links below. (Registration is required to attend both the Disaster Relief Training and the Convocation.)

If you have any questions, please contact Pastor Mark Knappe, Pastor Ken Nelson or Marcella Nelson.

Convocation Information

Disaster Relief Training Information

Disaster Relief Training Registration

Our Church Family

Leah Morris, 9/29

Emily Brooks, 9/30

Audrey McGarvie, 10/1

Kris Larsen, 10/2

Grace Moritz, 10/3

Angie Schatz, 10/3

Mitch Foster, 10/7

Cathy Roldan, 10/8

Zackery Griese, 10/9

Everett Lambert, 10/9

Jill Voss, 10/10

Shirley Brodell, 10/11

Judy Kestly, 10/11

Carolyn Schuelke, 10/11

Heather Wirtz, 10/11

Bob and Caryl Braatz, 9/30 (61 years)

Jon and Sandy Voerman, 10/5 (37 years)

Wayne and Carole Wegner, 10/5 (59 years)

Norm and Audrey McGarvie, 10/7 (61 years)

Rich and Cindy Rooks, 10/9 (35 years)

Mark and Lydia Trudell, 10/9 (40 years)

Kurt and Jeanne Duch, 10/10 (41 years)

Brian and Kara Kretschmann, 10/10 (2 years)

Herb and Judy Grospitz, 10/11 (47 years)

George and Kay Sedivec, 10/16 (51 y ears)

Erik and Erica Zipp, 10/20 (15 years)

Lesly and Roger Evert, 10/22 (11 years)

Matt and Hannah Ware, 10/26 (3 years)

Mark and Sheila Kershek, 10/27 (27 years)

Bob and Diana Streicher, 10/28 (33 years)

New prayer requests: Ginny Cox; Tom Bruns (brother of Carol Rooney)

Ongoing short-term prayer requests: Fay Heyen; Ruth Young; Lorna Reiter; Tom Kurtz; Sue Rowe; Amanda Connelly (friend of Sue Rowe); John Gregory (friend of Scott and Lisa Grossman); Elizabeth Stem (niece of Evelyn Ceci); Kathryn (friend of Cindy Zilske); Dennis Heimdahl (son-in-law of Marilyn Hermann); Joe Giuliani and Cathy Pitel (brother and twin sister of Chuck Giuliani); Julie Niederbaumer (friend of many Calvary members); Alex Vincent (son of a friend of Grace Gunnlaugsson); Sarah Green (sister of Andy Schatz); Laura Lynn (friend of Pastor Jerry and Nancy Wittmus); Gerry Fosdal (friend of Linda Thorpe)

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; Don Heyen; Beverly Lawson; Shirley Mahn; Myrna Mavroff; Donna Polizzi; Donna Schroeder; Nadine Schuelke; Gloria Strei; Pat Treutelaar; Janet Zastrow

Non-members: Lauren (granddaughter of Scott and Peggy Langelin); Isabelle George (wife of Judy Sayas' cousin); Joe Dentice (father of Tony Dentice); Mike Andrae (husband of former Calvary member Luisa Andrae); Nicole Sayas (daughter in law of Judy Sayas); 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); Joseph Franko (friend of Judy Sayas); Nancy Myers (friend 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); John Nielson (brother of Judy Kestly); Susan Petropoulos (sister of Wayne Johnson); Tom Dallman (husband of Lucy Dallman); Delores Seel (mother of Keith Pierce)

If you have any new prayer requests, please contact the church office at 262.786.4010 or via email to office@calvarylc.com.

Worship Attendance September 24-25, 2022

Mission & Outreach

October Mission of the Month

Broom Tree Ministries and Shepherd's Canyon Retreat

October's Mission of the Month supports two ministries focused on providing pastoral retreat ministries. 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.

Broom Tree Ministries provides spiritual retreats for pastors and their spouses. The retreats are designed to provide uninterrupted time with God in rest, reflection, and beauty. Broom Tree prioritizes good food and lots of time with spouses. Our guests consistently experience "aha" moments that bring clarity and challenge for the next season of ministry. Since 1997 we have been strengthening the church one pastor at a time.

Broom Tree retreats are held in Michigan and more information can be found at http://broomtreeministries.org

Each Shepherd's Canyon seven-day retreat includes up to four client couples (singles are welcome), two counselors - male and female - and a retreat chaplain.

Our twelve retreat therapists have a combined 250 years of counseling experience! All counseling is Bible-based. Shepherd's Canyon Retreats are held at Standing Stones Retreat Center near Wickenburg, AZ.

Learn more about Shepherd's Canyon at www.StandingStonesAz.org.

Wouldn't you like to help in making possible a counseling ministry for the restoration of hurting clergy couples and other professional church workers? Is there a need for such a ministry? Absolutely! Check out the facts below.

20% of pastors are "in crisis" - they are just "hanging on," coping with the issues they face day-to-day
Among Protestant clergy, an incredible number quit the ministry every month!
Only 50% of pastors entering the ministry today will make it five years
8O% of pastors say that the ministry has had a negative impact on their family
Upwards of 70% of pastors fight depression

A few reminders ....

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!

Monthly Men's Gathering

Thursday, October 20

6 p.m.

Fellowship Hall

If you have any questions, please reach out to Mark Trudell at mtrudell@reagan.com.

Hospitality Treat Sponsors

Are Needed!

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.

Thank you for your support!

Updated Church Directory Available

The Calvary Church Directory is available electronically or in paper format. If you'd like an electronic copy, please send an email to communications@calvarylc.com requesting it. There are also printed copies available in the church office.

Any corrections or updates should be submitted to

Cindy Zilske at office@calvarylc.com.

What is a Calvary Deacon?

Our Calvary Board of Deacons is a unique ministry among Lutheran churches. This important group of 11 individuals cares for the spiritual welfare of our congregation by praying for them, assisting with distribution of Holy Communion, being available to the members of their "alpha group" for prayers, support or other information about Calvary, and encouraging a strong spiritual life among our Calvary family.

Deacons serve a three-year term and we will have four openings in 2023. If you are interested in serving in this capacity next year to fill one of these vacancies, please reach out to Diane Grundman, Ernie Kretschmann or Judy Kestly. It is a rewarding experience and makes a significant difference to those we serve.

Facing tough times? Need a Christian Friend?

Stephen Ministry is here to help. Free, just like God's love.

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.

NEW! 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!

Sunday mornings at 9 a.m.

The link to the Live Stream is available on the home page at www.calvarylc.com

Sanctuary Flowers

We invite you to sign up for flowers to beautify our altar each weekend. The sign-up sheet for 2022 is posted on the bulletin board in the Narthex.

Flowers are $35 and you may take them home following the 9 a.m. worship on Sunday morning. If you'd prefer, you can leave the flowers at church to be enjoyed by the office staff.

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.

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.

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