The
St. Olaf Caller
January 2010
From the Desk of Pastor Matt
"They went into the house, and when they saw the child with his mother Mary, they knelt down and worshiped him. They brought out their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, and presented them to him." (Matthew 2:11)
Dave Barry wrote a column on this passage, and I just have to share part of it with you:
This is the time of year when we think back to the very first Christmas, when the Three Wise Men—Gasper, Balthasar and Herb—went out see the baby Jesus, and according to the Book of Matthew, “presented unto Him gifts; gold, frankincense and myrrh.” These are simple words, but if we analyze them carefully, we discover an important, yet often overlooked, theological fact: There is no mention of wrapping paper. If there had been wrapping paper, Matthew would have said so:
“And lo, the gifts WERE inside 600 square cubits of wrapping paper.”
“And the paper WAS festooned with pictures of Frosty the Snowman.”
“And Joseph was going to throweth it away, but Mary saideth, ‘Holdeth it! That is nice paper! Saveth it for next year!’”
“And Joseph DID rolleth his eyeballs.”
“And the baby Jesus WAS more interested in the paper than, for example, the frankincense.”
But these words do not appear in the Bible, which means that the very first Christmas presents were NOT wrapped. This is because the people giving these gifts had two important characteristics:
1. They were wise.
2. They were men.
Men are not big on gift wrappers. Men do not understand the point of putting paper on a gift just so someone else can tear it off…
I realize that Dave’s interpretation of the Epiphany (the manifestation of God in Christ to us) is anything but traditional, but I found his writings tapping into a very important part of the season. The incarnation of God in Christ is not about the wrapping. It is not the swaddling clothes that make this revelation so great. Rather, it is what lies within—the baby Jesus. But God’s great act of becoming one of us makes us ask: Why would God do that? What would motivate the Creator to become one with the creation? And here is where the grime and the glory become one.
It all begins with our broken relationship with God. It started with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden when they decided to go it alone and ‘become like God’ as Genesis 3 points out. So they ate the forbidden fruit. And why not? After all, you don’t need God to take care of you when you can become gods and take care of yourselves.
That was the beginning, but it has been going on ever since. And while in hindsight we can see that it perhaps was not such a great idea, there is no way for us to change things back. We are still determined to do it ourselves no matter what the consequences are. Just watch the evening news, Judge Judy or Jerry Springer if you want some examples.
God does not let the story end there though. God must have thought, if these humans can’t come around on their own even with the help of the Commandments, prophets, kings and other leaders, I am going to have to become one of them, and do for them what they cannot do for themselves.
And that is what is so great about this revelation. The Epiphany of Christ opens our eyes and reveals to us the desperate state that we are in, but even more so, it reveals how much greater God still is. We do not have a God who passively washes his hands of our troubles when things awry. That is what people like Pilate do. God is always actively searching us out and making us one with the crucified Christ. He puts an end to the old rebellious sinner, and raises us up anew in the likeness of Christ. And this is because the God who gives us this gift has two important characteristics:
1. God is still bigger and wiser than we are.
2. God loves us that much.
You see, unlike men, God IS big on gift wrappers. God UNDERSTOOD the point to wrapping his only begotten Son in human flesh. A wrapping that could not be torn off nor be overcome. A wrapping that encompasses us and sets us free to live once again a part of God’s creation.
God’s Peace,
Our Praise worship services will continue with the first Sunday of each month at 10:30 a.m. Get the word out, pray for us, and join us!
Vote on Bylaws
at Annual Meeting
At this year’s annual meeting the congregation
will be asked to approve new bylaws. Last year, the congregation approved a new
constitution. It is necessary to approve new bylaws to match the new
constitution. A copy of the new bylaws will be available in the fellowship area
or in the church office.
Thank You
A great big Thank You to all the families that volunteered
to light our Advent wreath.
Sue Laubenheimer & Patricia Rolefson
Carmen DeBack family
Tom Ziebell
Pat Haarmann
John Smeaton family
Russell Roraff family
Pastor Matt Lee family
June Sumnicht, Sherri Krueger,
Tonya Werner, Destiny Krueger
Dave Wiegel family
Jeffrey Brewer family
It was greatly appreciated.
The M&W Committee
Acolytes
We would like to thank Robyn Cowell who has been our acolyte scheduler for several years. Thank
you for all that you have done. We would like to introduce our new acolyte scheduler, Tiffany Brewer. Tiffany will be scheduling our acolytes so watch for the schedule in the Caller. Michelle Kluewer (St. Olaf secretary) will continue to send out a post card approximately 1 ½ weeks before the service you are scheduled for, and Tiffany will be calling you the week you are scheduled, just as a reminder.
The acolyte that is scheduled will still be responsible for finding their own replacement if they cannot make the service. Please advise the office of any changes.
Music and Worship Committee
Lutefisk Dinner Bake Sale
Another Dinner and Bake Sale has been successfully completed. I would like to thank everyone who donated baked goods to the dinner and to the bake sale. We received an excellent variety of baked goods, and the sale went very well. Preliminary bake sale income was $2,200. All of those funds will be disbursed to various missions. What a wonderful gift you have all given of your time, talent, and cost of ingredients. Thank you for all your donations and your thoughtfulness!
Cindy Schlieve, Bake Sale Chairperson
Adult Activity Night
Do you tend to feel like a hibernating bear come January when all the activity (and eating) around the holidays is finally over? The Weight Loss Challenge group would like to invite all adults to a night of active fun Saturday, January 30 beginning at 6 pm in the fellowship hall.
Come in your play clothes as we hope to work up a sweat playing badminton, Wii, and any other active games we can think of. For those who are interested, we may plan a second session of Weight Loss Challenge for spring 2010.
Thank You
Thank you to Wally and Sandy Friedl, Dave Johnston, Liz Laack, Justine Cadena, and Michelle Kluewer for using their time and their talents to decorate our church for the Advent/Christmas season. And thanks also to Sue Laubenheimer for the beautiful O Come Emanuel banner she made. It is greatly appreciated.
St. Olaf Giving Tree
Thank you for your generous donations - $200 in clothes and gifts for Egxon and Adelina, the children of Avdi and Tevida, 180 tooth brushes for Hebron House, many useful donations to PAVE, etc. Thank you for your help from St. Olaf Parish Life Committee.
Celebrating an Anniversary
in January
14 Matthew and Laura Lee
23 Marilyn and David Carlson
28 Jon and Carol Evert
30 Kenneth and Hertha Ziebell
Happy January Birthday
1 Jake Homulos, Elizabeth Schlehlein
2 Melissa Meier, Renee Solveson
2 Debra Uhlman, Kelsey Uhlman
4 Lawrence Rolefson
5 RaeAnn Eggert
7 Zachary Brewer, Logan DeBack
9 Caroline Kraemer
10 Rachel Roth
11 Jennifer Guenther, Kaeden Piller
11 Vicky St.George
12 Sandra Gannon
13 Brandon St.George
15 Taylor Slade
16 Madelyn Schutze
19 Makensie Christel
20 Denise Benson
21 Milton Bliss, Annah Guenther
21 Catherine Lee
22 Andrew Schlehlein
24 Andrew Becker
25 Mary Buth
27 Gerald Bohen, Jeff Cowell
28 Earl Christenson
29 Jon Evert, John Reed
Mark your calendars for St. Olaf’s
Annual Meeting
Sunday, January 17, 2010
12:00 p.m.
We’ll have a pot luck at 11:00 a.m.
Committees, please have your report for the Annual Report to the office no later than Tuesday January 5th. Please submit your file electronically by email secretary@st-olaf.org.
January Lay Ministry Schedule
|
Date |
Asst. Minister |
Acolyte |
|
Sat.
Jan. 2 |
Dave Kraemer |
|
|
Sun.
Jan. 3 |
Bernie Krahn |
Max Roth |
|
Sun.
Jan. 3 |
|
Kendra Stewart |
|
Sat.
Jan. 9 |
Tom Ziebell |
|
|
Sun.
Jan. 10 |
Cindy Schlieve |
Matthew Sutrick |
|
Sat.
Jan. 16 |
Linda Fredrick |
|
|
Sun.
Jan. 17 |
Justine Cadena |
Alyssa Schutze |
|
Sat.
Jan. 23 |
Dave Johnston |
|
|
Sun.
Jan. 24 |
Jane Christenson |
Madeline Millikin |
|
Sat.
Jan. 30 |
Gwen Downing |
|
|
Sun.
Jan. 31 |
Bruce Benson |
Tucker Crabtree |
Altar Guild: Paula Olson & Joan Uhlman
Counters: Jim Lumsden & Rob Howell
For questions regarding the following, please call:
Acolytes: Tiffany Brewer 262-670-6788
Assisting Ministers: Gwen Downing 262-673-6717
Celebrating 100 years of life!
A century of living . . .
a century of memories!
Please join Milton Bliss for a reception in honor of his 100th birthday.
January 21, 2010
3:30 – 6:30 p.m.
St. Olaf Church - Fellowship Hall
Milton has requested no gifts, please.
If you wish to honor him with more than your presence, donations of non-perishable food items will be gratefully accepted. All items will be donated to local food pantries.
Taking Faith Home
Groceries?
By Marilyn Sharpe (TYFI.org)
No, this is not going to be a column on nutrition, as important as that topic is. This is an opportunity to think about the “faith groceries” we stock for family life together.
Groceries are the raw material for feeding yourself and the others you love. You may have grown some food in your garden or gone to a farmers’ market, purchased a share of community supported agriculture, or shopped for food regularly, mindful of the tastes and preferences of those you will be feeding. Without food, you would first lose strength, then life itself. Food is essential to life, for all God’s living things.
So, what are “faith groceries,” and why are they important?
First, what? Faith groceries are the resources we use to regularly nurture and feed a life of faith. They include:
· Bibles appropriate to each person in your family circle. Just as you would never grill a steak to feed a six month old, select Bibles that are age and experience appropriate. Plan on developing a wardrobe of Bibles for each age and stage of development, tailored to the life and spiritual experiences of each person. Share favorite Bible stories of God’s love, promises, and faithfulness. Memorize meaningful verses.
· Devotional materials.
· Songs of faith from a hymnal or CDs of children’s songs, praise music, traditional hymns, songs of faith from other cultures, or works of faith filled, long dead composers. You and your creative children can make up songs, too.
· Framed and displayed Baptismal certificates and family photos of faithful moments.
· A cross, visible to all, on a wall or on your person.
· For more ideas, go to The Youth & Family Institute website www.tyfi.org
Now, why? Just as we need to provide food so that our children grow, are strong, and live, so, too, faith groceries are essential to growing a strong, vibrant, living faith for our children.
My husband pointed out that it is important to have staples on hand, in case of an emergency. The same is true of faith groceries.
My mother died very suddenly 31 years ago. I was incredibly grateful that this was not the first time I had talked with my four year old about where God is in death, in grief, in the loss of a loved one. That day, it was Alison who delivered the Good News. Encircling me with a hug, she spoke with great assurance. “Mom, we’re going to be sad and miss Gramma for a very long time, because we loved her. But who Gramma is, is with God now. She can see us, even without holes in the roof.” I’ve heard worse funeral sermons!
Many survivors of concentration camps reported that what got them through that horrific, faith‐defying time was their own personal library of Bible stories, scripture verses, prayers, and songs of faith, stocked in their minds by homes and congregations that rocked them in the faith.
May all our children be richly stocked with faith groceries.
FAMILY ACTIVITIES
1. Inventory the faith groceries in your home. Are there Bibles appropriate to each person? Devotional materials that speak to the life experiences of each? “Artifacts” of the faith. (Candles, cross, pictures, Milestone Blessing Bowl, photos of faith-filled family times, books, etc.)
2. Fill a devotional basket with a Bible, FaithTalk® cards, Scripture Talk, cards with prayer concerns, newspaper article that raises a faith question, Christmas card photos of those you want to remember in prayer.
3. Plan to feed others. As a family, decide on a family service project. Schedule it. Do it.
4. As a family, plan a gift of faith nurturing resources for a birthday, wedding, baby shower, baptism, or at the time of loss. Keep the list ... and use it.
Women of Grace Meeting
Mark your calendars for Women of Grace's January 25th meeting. We'll meet at 7 p.m. and discuss where we will be sharing the profits from the Lutefisk Dinner. Please join us with ideas!
GOOD NEWS - Mortgage Update
From Karl Monis, Treasurer
St. Olaf's made a commitment 7 years ago to undertake the most costly building project in our history. We now appreciate the 1.6 million dollars spent on our facility. The gathering space allows conversation to form friendships. The fellowship hall is bright and roomy. The kitchen is large and houses an automatic dishwasher. The office space is more efficient and accommodating. Plenty of bright classrooms facilitate education and conferencing. The elevator allows easy access. The youth have room to relax and engage. Certainly, the church building is ready for the activities and ministry we have been called to do. Whether or not you personally supported this project 7 years ago, the improved building and debt is ours. It is up to the entire congregation to consider what God wants us to do with this building, and how we can utilize it to the fullest.
Of the total 1.6 million dollar project, St. Olaf still owes $732,000 as of October. At our current mortgage rate, our minimum mortgage payments this year would be $72,000. Over $54,000 of this will be interest, reducing our debt less than $18,000. Our mortgage has 20 years remaining and is due for interest rate adjustment next year (every 3 yrs) which could result in increased payments. The finance committee has been studying alternative financing, to reduce our interest burden and to allow more of everyone's hard earned money to be used for ministry, rather than interest payments. We have considered other banks, the ELCA mission investment fund, and even looked at bond financing through our membership. Although personal mortgage rates are at historic lows, commercial loans and churches cannot readily realize these rates.
I am excited to announce that Hustisford State Bank has considered and approved our request for refinancing. They have offered us a terrific rate, better than a personal mortgage rate, which the Executive Committee immediately accepted on behalf of the congregation. We have a 5-year window of opportunity where this rate will not change. This low rate will reduce our interest burden and allow more of the money raised for the Building Fund to pay down principle rather than interest. We owe this opportunity to the diligence of the Finance committee, a relationship with the bank, and the bank’s willingness to help us. We are grateful to the congregation members past and present for financial gifts and continued sacrifice to re-pay this debt. Again, we need to continue supporting the Building Fund to pay down the mortgage now, while we are locked in at a low interest rate. I would encourage anyone looking for a reputable, fair, local bank to consider Hustisford State Bank.
Happy Birthday, Milton!
On January 21, 2010 Milton will be 100 years old! Many people have asked, “How can I help with this celebration?” Please see the kiosk for a sign up sheet. We are in need of a variety of foods and many helping hands from 3:30 -7:00 on Thursday, January 21st. Foods can be dropped off at church throughout the day on the 21st or Wednesday evening the 20th at Jenni Guenther’s house, 1 mile east of the church: 7530 Roosevelt Rd.
U.F.F.D.A.
Saturday, February 6th, 2009--- 12:30-3:30
Uniting Faith and the Forty Developmental Assets
In order to meet the needs of the Shorehaven residents, February’s UFFDA has been switched from Sunday to Saturday, February 6, 2009.
Your family’s help is needed. St. Olaf, partnered with Hartford Area Project Care, has received a grant to provide bus transportation to Shorehaven in order to provide service to others (one of the assets!).
While at Shorehaven the children will sing songs, pass out heart projects made at the past UFFDA, visit and read with residents, and enjoy a snack. Adults are especially needed to assist residents to and from the activity room.
For safety reasons, children should be at least 4 years old for bus transportation. Also, please note that this activity requires direct family supervision. Students younger than high school level need to sign up with an adult. Make it a family event for this Valentine-themed service project!
Families are encouraged to sign up soon at the kiosk to reserve seats. Please direct any questions to Jenni Guenther-474-7725 or jjtbguenther@aol.com.
Thanks from the Food Pantry
Oconomowoc Food Pantry thanks St. Olaf Congregation for their donations of food and also to the youth who went to stock the shelves. The food pantry is currently serving approximately 250 families, and increase from 200 families in the last 6 weeks. Please continue to think of the needy after the Christmas season.
Thanks to the Decemebr
St. Olaf Stewards
Scott, Patty, Nate, Kendra, Krista &
Tim Stewart, Austin & Jennifer Becker, TJ & Christina Byerly, Jim & Dawn Christ,
Al & Pat Davies, Mary Jacobson, Dave, Kathy, Katie & Sarah Johnston, Inez
Koester, Dave & Ann Kraemer, Noelle, Rachel, Mitchell, Caroline, Doug & Lisa
Kreger, Tracy & Jayden Marx, Dan, Melissa Cameron, Carter, Lincoln & Brandon
Meier, Greg, Sherry, Lauren & Haley Pietila, Edie, Dale, Mitchell, Michael &
Elizabeth Schlehlein, Doug, LaVonne, Chelsea & Alex Schuett, Keith Solveson,
Randy Solveson Jerry, Denise, Hunter & Hannah Wentz.
St. Olaf Sunday School presents
January 10-January 31
A miracle can be described as a moment when, as a result of an unexpected and surprising event, one becomes aware of the presence and power of God at work. More simply, a miracle is a wonderful event showing us the power of God. Jesus performed many miracles. He healed the sick, cured the lame, calmed a storm, and brought the dead back to life—just to name a few. Jesus’ miracles certainly must have amazed those who witnessed them. But Jesus did not want his miracles to be seen as some sort of magic. He didn’t want people to follow him around, just to see him perform miracles. The miracle of the feeding of the five thousand is the only miracle of Jesus that is recorded in all four gospels. When it gets to be dinnertime, Jesus appears to test Philip by asking him about where to buy bread for the people to eat. But also there was a lesson to be taught: about sharing, even when we think that what we have isn’t worth sharing. Now one would think that the disciples would have had more resources than a young boy. But the disciples didn’t think that what they had was enough, so they gave nothing. One boy however, gave what little he had and it made all the difference. What if the boy hadn’t come or had withheld his lunch? Would Jesus not have been able to feed the multitudes? If we offer nothing to God, maybe he’ll have nothing to use? Jesus needs what we can bring. This leads us to another question: what is the greater miracle in this story -- that Jesus multiplied the bread or that the people really did bring along a little lunch and ended up sharing it? Little is much when God is involved!
Sunday School Classes
Our focus verse:
How much bread do you have? Go and see.
Mark 6:38