July 2011

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From the Desk of Pastor Matt

In the beginning was the Word... (John 1:1)

                                              I read an article by Lyle Griner of Vibrant Faith that I felt was quite fitting for Pentecost…so I though I would share:

          In the beginning of the book of John, the writer takes us back to the beginning. In the beginning is the Word. God gives us the Word in a cosmic act of creation, in a cosmic gift of his Son, and finally in a cosmic act through the spirit the Word becomes incarnated in you and me. We are vessels holding and communicating God's Word. Through the power of the Holy Spirit we become God’s hands, feet, lips, and even ears. God’s Word becomes evident by the acts of kindness we do, buy where we take it, by how we speak it, and by how we listen as a person tells his or her holy stories.

         In John Jesus offers something called living water to a women who happened on to the same community well. One of the things I like about this story is that Jesus never defines living water. Yes, good news, yes the gospel, but for her that day much of the living water was the experienced by someone who took the time, took interest, sat with and shared in her story. Even though it was a painful story, it was also a holy story. It was a story that crossed cultural barriers.

         As followers of Christ, our fellowship time and personal time with others can become opportunities for the sharing of holy stories. These opportunities can include the stories that welcome and include, but also allow the deeper stories of life and faith to be shared. These deeper stories are the ones of great joy and of great pain.

         These deeper stories are often guarded, shared only in a sensed atmosphere of trust. When told to trusted safe people these stories bring understanding, healing and community.

         God chooses us to be the bearers even in all of our imperfections. Being bearers of the Word is problematic since God lets us choose words. God does not control the words we speak. Our words and God’s Word become jumbled together. Before the day is out you and I will speak the wrong words, words that cause division, hurt and pain. We may also speak God’s Words helping heal, bringing joy and living water.

         As followers of Christ, we are not perfect. We recognize that we really are the least likely. Yet what is needed is not perfection but a simple an education of the heart. An education of hearing and healing by letting others tell their holy life and faith stories—the stories of great joy and great pain. These are the milestone stories where we find God.

So it is good to take time away from the business of life and create the space, allowing the time, equipping ourselves with skills of open listening, praying for God’s guidance, and asking for God’s Spirit to allow people to experience the incarnate words of God.

In Christ’s Mission,

Pastor Matt

Ecumenical Service

Join the Ashippun area in an ecumenical church service held in conjunction with the Ashippun Firefighter’s picnic on Sunday,July 10, 2011, at 10:00 A.M. at the Ashippun Firemen’s Park.  Participating churches are: Zion, Ashippun; St. Paul’s Episcopal, Ashippun; St. Paul’s Lutheran, Sugar Island, St. Catherine’s Catholic, Mapleton; and St. Olaf’s. 

There will be NO 9:00 A.M. worship at St. Olaf’s. If you are not inclined to participate in an  outdoor service, you are encouraged to attend our 5:00 P.M. Saturday service.

Directions from St. Olaf:  Go west on Hwy O to Hwy 67.  Take a left on 67; take a right after the railroad tracks onto Hwy O (Oak St.) to the park. 

Contemporary Worship

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! 

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 Joyous Light                  
 Join us every 3^rd Saturday of the month for our evening prayer service called "Joyous Light" written by Ray Makeever.  Ray is a graduate of Luther Seminary and a well-known musician.  This worship service is a beautiful way to center ourselves and celebrate God's Light in our life and in our world.

 Lay Ministry Schedule

Altar Guild: Marlene Connell and Jane Christenson
Counters: Randy Buth, John Roth & June Sumnicht

Aluminum Cans

Thanks to those that bring in aluminum cans for recycling. Our last batch brought in $100 for the Building Fund.  Two problems though.  One, we need to have the cans crushed so they don't take up so much room in the garage and are easier to transport to the Recycling Center.  Also, we need people with trucks to volunteer to take the cans to the recycling center of their choice and at their convenience.  Please let Justine know if you are able to take the cans in.   Thanks much! 

Taking Faith Home

Real Family

By Marilyn Sharpe (TYFI.org)

         With permission, I am sharing a letter sent to me recently by a good friend. This, I believe, reflects what it is to be a “real family.” As you begin this new year, may you see and appreciate all of the family that you have and make room for those who need you to be their family.

Dear Marilyn,

         I have to share some good news in my life. I was in Chicago last weekend and closed on a condo. My son Smo and I are partners in this venture. He will live there now and I will join him in a few years when I retire.

         I don't know if I told you about Smo. He is a son by Spirit, not by blood. He was found by our youth group when I was in Chicago. His father, who had physically abused him, threw him out of the house. He was living in a warehouse.

         I took him in when he was 14. He completed high school and college and is now the Human Resources Director at an Embassy Suites Hotel. We have grown close over the last few years. It was not always that way. You know parenting!!! He had street sense and, to defend himself, could be very manipulative. I stuck it out through all the deceptions. That's what love does, you know.

         Three years ago, he came to a surprise party my congregations had for the 30th anniversary of my ordination. Although we had only been in touch occasionally, Smo said, “It was an expense I just had to make, because he is that important to me.” Smo announced to everyone that I was his dad. (Thankfully, he explained that I was his foster dad. What trouble he could have made for this pious, single pastor!!!)

         From then on, I have had an "organic" sense of connection to him. I never felt this way before. He has felt the same way. We talk on the phone, share e-mails, and are always sure to say, "I love you." A friend said, "Frank, you may not have done diapers, but you have parented."

         Here is what he sent me recently.

         I may not have said this enough, and you know how letting honest emotion come out gives me a stomach ache, but I have to say it. You will never really know the way that I feel about you. It is more than the title “Father” could ever describe. Unfortunately, there is no word that encompasses the things that you have done for me. It’s about repairing a broken human being, healing a damaged heart. It's about letting go, laughing, loving, and, yes, even the daily spoonfuls of faith in God, that have truly made me who I am. I owe you the very person that I am because of what you have given, sacrificed, and had faith in. If "I love you" were enough, I would say it to you more often, but society has really watered down that phrase. So please know that, even in my silence, I love you more then you will ever truly know.

         It is time now to take some Maalox. I will talk to you soon. Your son, Smo

         I am sharing all this with you, Marilyn, because I know you collect stories; also, because I am very proud. Christ has brought us together and continues to sustain us. I feel so blessed. The faith is passing on.

         Smo is now parenting a young man, shunned by his family. So I guess I am a grandfather! We are all going to get together for Thanksgiving in the new house. Included will be a retired Episcopal priest and his wife, former colleagues of mine in Chicago. They had three children, but now tragically have none. I am their adopted son; so now we have great grandparents! None are legal adoptions, but adoptions by the Spirit.

Peace, joy, and love, Frank

And then, the gift of all gifts, an email from Smo:

         ... Frank was very gracious about what I was like as a kid. I had been homeless for about a year before I met Frank and the youth group. I was a treacherous, deceitful, little wretch of a boy, but Frank stuck to his guns, and stuck with me at the same time. Now being a parent-by- proxy....I sooo get it....If you don't think what goes around comes around, you just haven't waited long enough.

         But Michael is the pride of my life and it has been so worth it, not just for him, but for me as well. I got a chance to give back to creation, and fill a need in the world, and to feel a love born of understanding, not simply because we share DNA.

         I am lucky enough to have had a chance to survive long enough to see my life change in ways I could not have imagined at 14. And now I have to get ready to cook a dinner for four generations of Family that were created in love, and designed to withstand the test of time.

Thank you, Frank and Smo, for sharing your story and your family. God’s blessings to you all.

FAMILY ACTIVITIES

1.                 Thank God for all of the people that you call family.

2.          Make a photo collage of all of those people and hang it for all to see.

3.          At the dinner table, light a votive candle in honor of each one. See how it brings the light of Christ into your home.

4.          Call, email, or write a note that expresses your love and appreciation of all they mean to you.

5.          As a family, discuss someone who needs you to be their family right now. Invite them to a family dinner.

 July Birthdays

   2       Catherine VanLare
   3       Lauryn Slade
   4       Jon Hoppe
   5       Daniel Gannon
   7       Hannah Fick,    Katie Johnston
   8       Waldemar Kuenzi
   11     Sarah Becker
   13     James Lumsden
   15     Amy Hoffmann
   18     Mark Fredrick, Edith Schlehlein
   18     Jordyn Sutrick
   19     Truman Schultz
   20     Alma Eggert
   21     Tad Christenson
   22     Lisa Rettler, Timothy Schuett
   23     Lisa Christenson
   24     Lincoln Meier
   25     Judy Kielisch, Randy Parlee
   26     Julie Mason
   28     Andrea Stephan
   29     Morgan Smeaton
   30     Andrew Hoffmann, Lisa Rolefson

July Anniversaries

9     Jerrold and Blondie Green                
15   Clara and George Birkel                                
48   Rena and James Kowalski                             
20   Linda and Dick Feutz                                     
22   Kenneth and Mary Ellen Nelson                     
27   Edith and Dale Schlehlein                               

St. Olaf Scrip

Do you eat?  Do you go shopping?  Do you put gas in your car?  If you do any of these things, then you can benefit our church by using the Scrip program. You will pay exactly the same amount that you normally would when you check-out, but if you use the pre-paid Scrip gift card, the church gets a percentage of that sale.  It doesn’t get any easier!   

Here’s an example:  You buy a card for Piggly Wiggly for $100.  You get a card with $100 on it. The church is able to purchase the card for $97.  So if you are spending $100 a week on groceries, that adds up to $156 a year for our church – from just one family eating as they normally do.  If all of our members (and friends!) at St. Olaf would use this program for all normal household expenses, we could easily make $10,000 a year.   So what’s stopping you? 

 We carry an inventory of the most popular cards so you can just pick them up at church.  If you want some of the others, please fill out an order form.  We currently have these cards on hand:

 BP Gas $50                             Kwik Trip $25
Cabela’s $25                            Menards $25
Chili’s $25                                Pick ‘n Save $25
Domino’s Pizza $10                  Home Depot $25
Piggly Wiggly $50, $100           Pizza Hut $10
I-Tunes $15                             Starbucks $10
JC Penney $25                         Subway $10
Kmart $25                               Walgreen’s $25
Kohl’s $25                               Walmart $25

Matching Funds

The $14,000 matching fund drive ended May 30^th.  $9,315 was matched by the congregation.  $4,685 was returned as being unmatched.  A sincere THANK YOU to the 32 St. Olaf families who participated in this drive which generated $7,925 for the general fund and $10,705 for the mortgage reduction fund

We Appreciate Your Suggestions

The Leadership Team (Executive Committee) would like to know what changes or improvements the congregation would like to see made to the church website.  If you have ideas, please give them to Ron Egelseer, June Sumnicht, Mark Larson, or Roger Johnson.

Ashippun Bread Basket

The food pantry will be open every Saturday from 9-11:00 a.m. until the need outgrows that time slot.  Please give generously to the box located between the exit doors.  We want to see this program continue to grow and be a help to our neighbors in need.  The pantry will also begin delivering groceries to shut ins, so if you know of someone that could use such a service, please contact our church liaison, Gwen Downing 262-673-6717.

.Donations Needed

Thank you to everyone who has already helped with the Arts & Crafts donations for VBS!  Our theme this year is SonSurf Beach Bash, where we'll meet up with Jesus on the beach and get fired up for the Savior in our Lives.  During the week we'll be making several Awesome art projects that will  get the children amped up for Jesus!  I updated the list and we still need the items below:

Box of flat tooth picks

4 bags of play sand- can find at any hardware store

White tag board- 35 needed (they have tag board at the dollar store in Delafield  2 for $1.00)

Stickers- Any summer or beach animal stickers

Fabric Markers- 6 sets needed

24 case of 16oz. Bottle water- 4 cases needed

12 elmer glue bottles

6 packs of crayola washable markers the fat kind not the skinny kind

brightly colored 3x5 sponges- 3 per child a total of 80

craft wire

VBS Donation box is located next to the nursery door in the hallway.  If you would like to give a cash donation towards the purchase of these items, please place the donation in the envelope taped inside the VBS donation box.

If you have any questions please contact Kathy Monis-262-670-0731

Thanks for all your donations,

Kathy Monis

Vacation Bible School

Let’s get our groms together and get amped, dude! 

If you need a translation of that, you’d better come to this year’s epic Vacation Bible School program, SonSurf Beach Bash!  We’ll meet up with Jesus on the beach and get fired up for the Savior in our lives.

We welcome all children who will be 4 years old by 9/1/2011 up to those who have completed 5^th grade to participate.  This program is open to the community, so we encourage you to invite classmates, friends and neighbors to share in the fun and learning.   Any older children are invited to volunteer to help.

Prior to the beginning of VBS each night we will once again offer a meal for our families.  It’s hard to get your family fed and then to church, so we are offering kid-friendly meals for your entire family.  There is a $5 charge for each person to eat the whole week.  What a deal!  We’ll start serving meals at 5:30 each day.  Then we will begin at 6:15 p.m. each evening and close at 8:30 p.m.  We invite you to stay for the opening worship and fun skits.  Please fill out the attached registration form and return it to the display at church by July 15. 

There is no charge for a student to attend this fun-filled week, but donations are appreciated to help us cover the costs.  It costs about $20 per student.  Any amount you are able to donate will be greatly appreciated.  An envelope is attached for your convenience and can be returned to the church office or put in the VBS display.  A donation is not mandatory for your child’s participation. 

Join us for SonSurf Beach Bash –an unforgettable beach blast where kids will come to know the living Jesus who said: “I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me.”  (John 14:6). 

If you have any questions or would like to help, please contact Tiffany Brewer or Laura Lee. 

Mark Your Calendar for these Upcoming events at St. Olaf

Youth Mission Trip
July 3-8

Ice Cream Social
Sunday July 24, 3-8 p.m.

Vacation Bible School
July 31 – August 4

Teens Encounter Christ (TEC)
August 4-7

Youth Brat Fry Fundraiser
At Piggly Wiggly Hwy P
August 13