The St. Olaf Caller

July 2009

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From the Desk of Pastor Matt

Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again.
Give portions to seven, yes to eight, for you do not know what disaster may come upon the land.
(Ecclesiastes 11:1-2)

             Cast your bread upon the waters.  This was my father-in-law Jack’s favorite verse in the Bible.  For him, they were more than words that brought him comfort.  They were words by which he chose to live. These words were his life’s mantra.  They guided his daily thoughts and practices, his daily decisions and interactions.  For Jack, these verses were his daily life.  Not surprisingly, these verses were also read at his funeral.

            Cast your bread upon the waters.  Jack’s interpretation of this verse were quite clear.  All you had to do is watch him for a little while and you understood.  Jack made a practice of sharing his time, money and talents with others.  Eugene Peterson’s The Message translates very closely to Jack life—“Be generous: Invest in acts of charity. Charity yields high returns. Don’t hoard your goods; spread them around. Be a blessing to others. This could be your last night.” 

            Cast your bread upon the waters.  It’s a wonderful way to live life.  God has blessed us with all that we have and the life that we have.  God continues to bless us throughout our lives.  But God also calls us to cast our bread (these blessings) on the waters.  God calls us to give ourselves away—including financially away.  God calls us to care for the world while we trust in God’s promise to care for you as you do so.  That’s what we are doing when we do give ourselves away—stepping out to live in God’s promise. 

            Cast your bread upon the waters.  It’s about charitable giving.  And that’s why we are starting the Life Giving committee at church.  Where do you want the blessings of assets and moneys to go?  How do you execute those intentions?  These are relevant questions.  According to Lutheran Planned Giving, only 70% of families have a will and only 10% of Lutherans remember the church in their will.  Did you know that you can avoid the state’s probate costs with the will? Did you know that you can set up a trust fund that includes a charitable gift and avoid gift taxes on the inheritance?  Did you know that a trust fund will allow your children to inherent the same amount you intended them to receive as well as the church or other charity to receive a portion?

            Cast your bread upon the waters.  That is why we are starting the Life Giving committee.  We feel called to inform you with these options and give you new opportunities to cast your bread upon the waters.  Laura and I have learned a lot about such decisions from Jack and we are learning more from Lutheran Planned Giving.  We have found our lives greatly enriched by these opportunities and pray that you will find such enrichment in your decisions as well.

Christ makes life exciting,  

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 12, 2009 , at 10:00 A.M. at the Ashippun Firemen’s Park.  Participating churches are: Zion , Ashippun; St. Paul ’s Episcopal, Ashippun; St. Paul ’s E.L.C.A., Sugar Island , St. Catherine’s Catholic, Mapleton; and St. Olaf.  St. Olaf will host the July 1^st, July 29^th and August 12^th services.

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. 

St. Olaf’s Weight Loss Challenge
Join us in the St. Olaf’s Weight Loss Challenge. We are meeting ever other Saturday at 9:00 a.m.   You can join anytime and there is room on all teams. 

We will plan some kind of activity on the days of weigh ins such as a hike, guest speaker, or have people share their ideas on diet, exercise, or latest research.

Upcoming meeting dates are July 18^th and August 1st.  Hope to see you there.

Wednesday Summer Worship
Do you travel over the weekends during the summer?  Do you like a simple half hour to forty minute service?  This summer, in conjunction with Zion Lutheran in Ashippun and Cross Lutheran in Ixonia, we will have Wednesday evening services at 7:00 p.m. —each church will host a Wednesday and offering envelopes will be sent to their respected church.  The service will be held each Wednesday at the Ashippun Sportsmen’s Club which is located at W2629 Elm Street in Ashippun (just across from the Fireman’s Park).  Everyone is invited to join us for a fun, casual service.  St. Olaf will host the July 1^st, July 29^th and August 12^th services.  Dates are subject to change and will be listed on the St. Olaf website www.st-olaf.org.

Directions from St. Olaf:  Go west on Hwy O to Hwy 67.  Take a left on 67 then take a right after the railroad tracks on Hwy O.  Take a left on Wood St .  Cross Elm St. into The Sportmen’s Club entrance.

Fourth of July

The Fourth falls on a Saturday this year which brings a conflict between fireworks and festivities and our Worship service.  In light of our added Wednesday services for those who are unable to worship on the weekend, we are canceling our Saturday service.  You can also join us on Sunday, July 5^th, which will focus on Independence Day in light of our mission in Christ.

July Anniversaries
9     Jerrold and Blondie Green
12   Shawn and Lisa Piller                                     
15   Clara and George Birkel                                
20   Linda and Dick Feutz                                     
22   Kenneth and Mary Ellen Nelson                     
27   Edith and Dale Schlehlein                               

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

V.B.S. Sunday
We are holding our Vacation Bible School in conjunction with Zion , Ashippun, this year.  Vacation Bible School will be held at St. Olaf’s August 2-6, from 6:15-8:30 p.m.   The V.B.S. church service will be held at Zion , on Sunday, August 9, at 8:45 a.m.   We will have a regular worship service at St. Olaf that day. 

Come and celebrate with us and enjoy the songs and skits that the youth enjoyed during the week..

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 ); take a left onto Main St. to the church.

July Lay Ministry Schedule

Altar Guild: Jane Christenson & Marlene Connell
Counters:  Randy Buth, John Roth & June Sumnicht
For questions regarding the following, please call:
Acolytes:   Robyn Cowell 262-673-9693
Assisting Ministers: Gwen Downing 262-673-6717

Cemetery Plots Available
The church has two cemetery plots for sale in Wisconsin Memorial Park on West Capitol Drive in Brookfield .  The gravesites are $1695 each and are in a valued part of the park which is almost filled. If you or someone you know is interested in these plots, please call the church office.

Brat Fry
Thanks to all those that helped with the Youth Brat Fry at Piggly Wiggly on June 13^th.  The proceeds of $566.00 will be used for youth programming, retreats, events and trips.

Summer Bible Studies
The Book of REVELATION
Come join this 8 week summer study on Wednesday nights from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. beginning July 1^st at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Hartford.  Gwen Downing, Associate in Ministry, will be leading this study on the Book of Revelation.  Together we will try to discover the mysteries contained in this final book of the Bible.  Revelation contains a unique picture of Jesus and the New Testament would not be complete without it.  Join us as we try to understand  Christ’s triumph over all evil, Christ’s return and the end of the world.  No need to sign up.  Just come on July 1^st with your Bible.

Book Study at Holy Cross, Menomonee Falls
A Study of the Book of James. Monday evenings July 6 at 7:00pm every other week for 5 weeks.   With a Lutheran perspective we will discuss
the faith that James claims must be genuine, proven and evident to the world.  Is our faith justified by "good works" or "spiritual motion"?  Join us as we read and study James' Epistle while remembering the words of Luther, "You are saved by faith alone, but if faith is alone it is not faith."

We're Hosting Bingo at Shorehaven
Those interested in helping with Bingo at Shorehaven on Thursday, July 30^th should meet at Shorehaven at 1:30 to help transport residents to the hall. Bingo will go from 2:00 to 2:45 . We will serve a snack at 2:45 and then help transport residents back to their rooms. Non-perishable prizes and snacks have already been donated, but those helping are encouraged to bring fresh fruit: bananas, peaches, plums, or pears to add to the variety. Please contact Jenni Guenther at 474-7725 or jennig@bertramwireless.com if you have any questions. A sign up sheet is posted on the kiosk for those planning to help out.

Grocery Receipts
St. Olaf Lutheran Church is registered with Sentry and Piggly Wiggly in Oconomowoc, and Sentry in Hartford to receive a percentage of your grocery bill.  Please deposit your stamped grocery receipt in the coffee can near the kiosk.

Message from the Financial Secretary
The last thing you want to read about in the middle of your busy summer is church finances.  Unfortunately, the situation at St. Olaf’s is serious enough that you need to.  Our funds are down significantly this year, about $6300 less has come in this year as compared to the same time last year.  Yet our operating expenses continue similar as in the past.  Obviously, this means a shortfall.  While there are some expenses we can trim or defer until later, most of them we can’t.  Payroll, payroll taxes, pension, utilities, insurance, mortgage, etc., are basically fixed expenses that go on regardless of how much or how little money comes in.  The bottom line is that we need more money to operate and members of the congregation will be asked to step up to the plate and contribute more.

We sometimes hear the complaint from people that ‘the church only wants me for my money.’  Nothing could be farther from the truth.  The church wants you for you.  The church wants you to grow in your relationship with God through worship, prayer, and Christian education.  The church wants your fellowship with its members.  The church wants you to feel moved to acts of service to your fellow man both within and outside of our congregation.  It is through these things that you express your faith, and yes, part of that expression of faith is being moved to financially support the church in its mission.  And now this mission needs you.

What does the future hold for St Olaf’s?  Only God knows.  We don’t know how long this current economic downturn will last.  We don’t know how many of our members will be significantly affected by it.  We don’t know when another major repair will be needed.  We do know that we will be in serious financial straits if a turnaround doesn’t happen soon.  We are currently paying all the bills that have come in.  For many years we have proudly supported the Greater Milwaukee Synod with a full tithe of whatever offerings have come in.  It is a budgeted item for us and we will be a full $3000+ behind to them by the end of June.  That money goes for their operating expenses as well as a portion of it is passed on to the Churchwide ELCA to fund their many programs.  We have an obligation to them to not let this slide!  We also will be faced with a $3000+ semi-annual insurance bill due October 1.  I currently have nothing set aside for it.

Your leadership and staff are working very hard to contain costs wherever possible without negatively affecting our ministry.  Additional changes are likely to be on the way in the future.  You should expect to hear plenty of financial talk in the coming months.  While we don’t want to be ‘harping’ on the subject, these are important issues and we want our congregation to be well informed.  Please remember St. Olaf and its mission in your prayers.

May you have a blessed remainder of the summer,

Denise Cairns
Financial Secretary

Lifest                                     
If any adults or youth or families that would like to attend the outdoor worship on Sunday morning, July 12^th, and see what Lifest is all about, we can go as a group if you’d like.  It’s free for Sunday morning.  We’ll meet here at 8:00 a.m.   A great band and speaker, the author of the book, The Shack, will be there.  This great Christian Music and Arts Festival in Oshkosh July 8-12 features many Christian bands, camping, activities for all ages, workshops, worship, food, marketplace, contests, games, comedy, Kidzone, inflatables and best of all, worship under the stars at night and under the morning sky on Sunday.  Sign up on the youth board if you’d like to go on Sunday morning to check it out. 

Special Guest
Please join us for the weekend of July 18^th to hear the Rev. Robert Schmeelcke speak on behalf of FOOD FOR THE POOR at all our worship services about a ministry providing direct relief to the poor throughout Latin America and the Caribbean .  Pastor Schmeelcke will share what he has witnesses about Food for the Poor’s mission to care for the destitute as a means of living out the Gospel mandate to love one another.  Pastor Schmeelcke was ordained in 1969 in the New Jersey Synod for the LCA.  Pleas help us welcome Pastor Schmeelcke.

Taking Faith Home
IN IT FOR THE LONG HAUL
By Marilyn Sharpe (TYFI.org)

            A cherished friend, amazing mother of two young children, sent me a frustrated email. “I was mortified tonight that my children didn't get their awards at soccer, because they were unkind to one another during practice.  I was so grateful to the coach for calling them on it, but embarrassed, that they behaved so badly toward each other.  I really don't think I'm cut out for this whole mothering thing...I don't feel like I'm getting my messages across.  Ugh!”

I replied, “You described one of those parenting situations in which all of us wish the earth would open and swallow us.  No one better models grace-filled, generous, inclusive, or kind ways of treating all God's children.  I know it is no consolation right now, but it will pay huge dividends.  Your children WILL treat one another with great kindness, be incredibly close friends, and go out into the world, exhibiting the same qualities that you have modeled for them ... just not now!

My three are proof positive that it does eventually work!  They love and support one another in incredibly touching, caring ways.  But I can share stories of mine that just weren't pretty.  We all muddled through. 

PS.  You are so right to thank God for the gift of a coach who reinforces the same behaviors you have worked so hard to instill.  Redundancy is your friend, especially from someone your children admire and from whom they want approval.  I wish our larger world would give this same kind of reinforcement to our children.  Imagine a world in which all adults stood at the ready to also catch our kids being their best selves ... and affirmed them for it.“ 

It’s an interesting thing about parenting - there is no graduation or retirement program, no return policy. Whether by birth, adoption, or marriage, we jump in with both feet and learn to swim.  Parenting really is a life sentence!

And that’s the good news.

Why?  Because what I see and hear and experience today, whether from my toddler or teen, is not their permanent mailing address.  Parenting is a lifelong journey for parents, traveling alongside their child, grown to youth, grown to adult.  Parenting has its effect over time.  Any parenting resource that promises, “just do this three times, and you have change for a lifetime,” never lived with my children … or with yours, I would venture to say.  No, we are never done.

Consider metaphors from nature.  A flower bud emerges in its own sweet time, opening slowly to reveal what it was created to be.  Force it open, and it becomes a distorted, deformed thing.  A lump of coal, subjected to pressure over time, becomes a diamond.  The rock walls of Temperance River , scoured continuously by churning water, become smooth, elegant, round cauldrons.  Jagged rocks, pummeled by the same roiling waters, become smooth stones.  We are the forces of nature in the lives of our children, creating a safe place to unfold over time and being the shaping waters, that smooth the rough surfaces.

We are in it for the long haul.  Blessings on your journey.

FAMILY ACTIVITIES

1. Create a place in your home to measure your kids’ growth each year - doorway,  inside a door, or wall in the laundry room works well.  (If you are likely to move, use paper, oilcloth, or strip of wood that you can remove and take with you.)  Annually, mark their height, date it, and record skills they have mastered and experiences they’ve had this year.
2. Catch your kids being good and doing well.  Affirm them.  Remember, what gets attention, gets repeated!
3. Celebrate accomplishments!  Light a candle at dinner.  Have a family party.
4. When times are challenging, remember:

a.       Separate personhood from behavior.  Behavior can change; personhood can’t.

b.       Be their “rear view mirror,” reminding them of times in the past that they have done well.

c.       Be their “telescope,” predicting that they will soon move through this difficult time.  Forecast a wonderful future.

Be vigilant in sighting even small improvements.

Let's Transform the Church
Our VBS theme this year is SonRock Kids Camp and we need to transform the church into a campground.  We need artificial Christmas trees (preferably without lights), canoes, tents, realistic stuffed animals, woodsy decor, lanterns, fishing poles, tackle boxes, coolers, and other hiking, camping, boating gear.  We also need large chunks of styrofoam (to resemble rocks and boulders).  Please label everything if you want it back!  Please have items to the church by Sunday, July 19^th.  They can be stored in the Sunday School rooms if you bring them earlier.  If you have any questions on whether something is appropriate, please call Laura Lee at 920-474-4317.

St. Olaf’s Annual

Ice Cream Social

Sunday, July 26, 2009

3:00 – 8:00 p.m.

For the last 50 some years, our Ice Cream Social has been a great fellowship event not only for congregation members but for the community as well.  Proceeds benefit our youth programming, trips and events.  So, invite everyone you know.   Tell them we are celebrating 165 years of sharing God’s love and caring for community.   Take a few pink invites to hand out. 

Spread the word and boast about our menu.  Hot beef, barbeque and ham sandwiches are on the menu in addition to lots of ice cream.  We serve sundaes with homemade toppings, banana splits, milk shakes, root beer floats and more.  So come and enjoy!  Indoor and outdoor seating is available. 

We will decorate for a festive atmosphere and ask that all volunteers and waitresses wear hats and aprons.  (We are checking into providing them for you).  There will also be antique cars on display outside in front of the church for people to view.  If you know of anyone who has a car to display, invite them to bring it to St. Olaf the morning of the Social. 

Please visit the sign up poster in the Gathering area to volunteer some time either before the Social, the day of the Ice Cream Social, or after the Social.    Many hands make light work! 

Thank You for the VBS Donations
We have received quite a few of the items needed for VBS arts and crafts.  The theme this year is Gospel Light's Son Rock Kids Camp.  Your child will let their creativity flow as they create crafts that emphasize Bible stories, the daily truths, and more!  I'm asking for everyone's help to make the adventure come alive for all VBS students.  The Art area still needs the following supplies to make this happen. 

circular magnet with hole in it- 40 of them
wooden dowels ¼ in. diameter by 18 inches long-40 of them
glitter- colors blue, silver, gold- 3 of each color
blue food coloring- 1 bottle
wide ruled spiral notebooks- 30 of them
pine needles, acorns, twigs, leaves- as many as you can get
stick or branch 18 to 24 inches long- 30 of them
large blue disposable plastic plates ( 2 per child)- 80 of them
cardboard oatmeal canister with lid-40 of them
flat brown spray paint- 4 cans
clear acrylic spray-3 cans
stones 2 or 3 inches-30 of them
craft glue- 10 bottles
solid color ceramic tiles 3x3 or bigger-need not to match- 40 of them
window screen-cut into sizes of 5 ½ x 13inch rectangles one for each child-40 of them

 A bin labeled is outside the nursery door for any items you can donate! 

Thank you!

Questions?  Please call Art Coordinator, Kathy Monis at 262-670-0731

“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” 1 John 3:1