May 2010

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From the Desk of Pastor Matt

“Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus about seven  miles from Jerusalem.  They were talking with each other about everything that had happened.  As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him.”

(Luke 24: 13-16)

It may surprise you that this is an Easter reading.  Here are two of Jesus disciples who had just heard that Jesus was resurrected, on the very day of the resurrection, and they can’t believe it.  They are just too swallowed up in grief.  They have heard enough…they have been through enough.  In their minds, their leader who had turned their lives upside-down and inside-out by filling them with a hope for a new and bright future was now dead.  The story is now ended, and its conclusion violates all that they had hoped for and had been promised.  Burdened with grief and disappointment, these two go home.  It’s back to Emmaus.  Back to life as it was before.  This resurrection talk is just too much for these down-to-earth men.  Who has seen such a thing?

It’s not the kind of attitude you expect from Jesus’ followers.  Christians are SUPPOSED to be happy-go-lucky people.  We’re SUPPOSED to always carry a smile on our faces.  We’re SUPPOSED to be the ones who are living on easy street, whether that’s because we have our heads up in the clouds instead of reality, or because we believe that Jesus made everything better so that we don’t have to deal with bad stuff anymore.  Things are SUPPOSED to be that way…or are they?  Our Emmaus story hints that things aren’t always so easy.

It’s common to think that the Christian life is nothing more than a by-pass around the bad part of town in our journey through life.  Many grew up hearing that if you just do the right things in life you will live long, successful, and worry-free. Of course, a part of that formula is joining the church.  If nothing else, it appeases God who will smile down on you.  That’s just not true.  Bad things do happen to good people.  Christians do encounter Christian tough times.   We, too, are tempted.  We, too, doubt our faith.  We, too, walk that Emmaus road disheartened and maybe even in despair.  The resurrected life of the Christian does not promise a by-pass around the tough times, but it does promise that there is now another traveler on that road. 

That is the secret to this story.  While they were still in the midst of all their trouble, Jesus himself came up and walked along with him.  Now while their troubles were not taken away immediately, Jesus lent them a compassionate listening ear, as well as a bit of corrective tongue.  His message made it known that things go the way we want.  After all we do not pray let MY will be done, but THY will be done.  And God’s will is that our lives—our journey in faith—always point us toward Christ.  As the story winds to the end Jesus is at the dinner table with them once again breaking bread.  And all of a sudden they get it.  His promises are all we need—mainly his promise of forgiveness.  The promise made in the Lord’s Supper.  The promise reiterated on the cross.  The promise of the new covenant sealed with his own body and blood.  In his name our sin is forgiven.  And where there is forgiveness, there is also new life and salvation.

God’s peace,

Pastor Matt

Mother/Child Banquet
 Please join us for a fun evening of song and dance at “How Sweet It Is…To Be Loved By You” on Friday, May 7^th at 6 p.m.  We will enjoy some wonderful food before moving into the sanctuary for a lot of entertainment.  Tickets will be $3, with children under 5 free.  Everyone is a mother or child, so this event is open to everyone!

                     

Mother's Day is Sunday May 9^th

Birthdays and Anniversaries     
2     Tito and Justine Cadena                                 
3     Thomas and Chris Ziebell                               
5     Mark and Linda Fredrick                               
5     Roger and Lynette Johnson                            
8     Aldon and Phylliss Schlieve                            
10   Eric and Patricia Kraft                                   
13   Todd and Cynthia Birkel                                
14   Laura and Mark Savatski                               
15   Karl and Kathy Monis                                   
20   Eugene and Marlene Connell                          
22   SaraAnn and John Smeaton                           
24   Tom and Marie Galbraith                               
25   David and Terri Much                                    
27   Brian and Dorothy Solveson

2      SaraAnn Smeaton, Mabel Solveson
7      Terry Borden, Tiffany Brewer, Gregory Homulos
8      Paul Slade
9      Stanley Christopherson, Heidi Sikkema
12    Robyn Cowell
13    Joseph Buth
14    Janet Jahnke, Randy Solveson
17    Barb Becker, Douglas Morrissey
18    Jessi Rohlffs
19    Keith Solveson
20    Gavin Monis, Wayne Pederson
22    Destiny Krueger
23    Alaria Anderson, Jamie Christenson, Scott Eifler
24    Anne Feutz
25    Mitchell Kraemer
26    Hertha Ziebell
27    Cheryl Monnahan
29    Leah Schlieve
31    Alec Cowell, Pearl Hermanson 

UFF-DA on May 16
During our education hour on Sunday, May 16 we will have our final UFF-DA (Uniting Faith and the Forty Developmental Assets) for this school year.  This event is for EVERYONE.  Come and enjoy a fun hour with our families and make this a true cross-generational event.  See you then!

Update the Picture Board
May 20-23 photographers will be set up at St. Olaf to take your family’s photograph.  St. Olaf’s is fortunate to have several members who have their business as professional photographers.  They have volunteered to take individual family photos to update our congregational picture board.  We would very much like you to sign up for the time that is most convenient for your family.  Sign up sheets are near the picture board in the Sunday School Hallway.

Firefighters Coming Soon! 
Mark your calendars for this year’s Firefighters VBS-Sun-Thurs., Aug. 1-5 from 6:15- 8:30 p.m.  We welcome all children who will be 4 years old by 9/1/2010 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.

 This year we are offering something new prior to the start of VBS each evening.  It’s hard to get your family fed and then to church, so we are offering kid-friendly meals to 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.  Children do need to be supervised until VBS begins at 6:15.  We then invite everyone to stay for the opening worship and fun skits.  Please fill out the registration form and return it to the fire truck at church by July 18. 

This year we do have a registration fee of $5, which will include a shirt.  We also are in need of additional donations to help us cover the cost of VBS, which is about $20 a student.  Any amount you are able to donate will be greatly appreciated.

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

Blood Drive: Monday, July 12^th
Please save the date and signup to save a life. Appointment signups will be available in June.  

Vacation Bible School
2010 Theme: Fire Fighters

Hey Kids and Families,

You're invited to a fun firehouse adventure at Vacation Bible School August 1st-8th!  This summer come on over to Fire Station 316 and learn how to fight fires of evil and to “fireproof” yourself through Jesus Christ.  Packed with fun skits, Music, Crafts, games, and more.  “Fire Fighters” is a vacation Bible School Adventure you won't want to miss!  To make this adventure come to life the following items are needed in the craft area:

60 shoe boxes with lid- any size
6 cans of red spray paint
9x12 construction paper one pack of each color:  light blue, black
9x12 construction paper white- 2packs
12x18 red construction paper- 2 packs
100 yellow pipe cleaners100 small white craft pom pons
100 small red craft pom pons
200 sheets 8 ½ in. x 11 red craft foam sheets
80 12”x5/16 wooden dowels 



Any questions please contact:
Kathy Monis- Preschool craft coordinator (262-670-0731)
Ann Hautala- 1st- 3^rd grade craft coordinator
Mary Millikin- 4^th and 5^th grade craft coordinator
 

Canoe Trip May 21-22 (Fri-Sat)
Join us for a fun family and neighborhood event on Friday, May 21^st to Saturday, May 22^nd at Savatski’s Pumpkin Hollow Farm on Highway P in Rubicon.  A special invite to families, youth and outdoor enthusiasts.  You are welcome to invite a neighbor or friend to join you!  We will be having a campfire, cookout, and overnight camping on Friday evening. On Saturday, will be canoeing down the Rubicon River to the Neosho pond.  The trip last year was about 3 hours with fun portaging and paddling competitions.  Prepare to get wet!  The kids especially loved it.  Come for the whole event or just to enjoy the fire and friends.  Canoes and paddles are provided. 

Thank you to St. O’s Parish Life committee for sponsoring the Friday evening meal.  We are in need of: life vests, music for the campfire, pudgy pie makers RSVP to Laura Savatski 262-670-0550. Youth permission slips are attached to the Youth Board along with a sign up sheet.

Recharging the Mortgage Fund
by Roger Johnson

So far our ‘Recharging the Mortgage Fund’ has brought in $3,178 in spare change as of April 6^th. This is great news since we are at a 4.5% interest rate which allows us to further pay down the principle.  If you don't have one of the small battery banks they are available just outside the sanctuary. When you bring in your battery, be sure to take an empty one home.

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! 

Request for Your Ideas on Reducing the Mortgage    by Roger Johnson

            At the last annual meeting, the congregation approved setting a goal of contributing $100,000 to the mortgage reduction fund in 2010.  If accomplished, about $45,000 will be applied to reducing the mortgage principal.  If this could be accomplished for each of the next 4 1/2 years, the mortgage principal would be cut in half.

            I am asking every member to give me their ideas on how to accomplish this goal.  My email address is farmstone@aol.com.  My phone numbers are 920-474-3168 and cell 414-651-3915.  All ideas submitted will be seriously considered by a committee which will meet to discuss all options.  Also, if you have an interest in taking part in a one time "think tank" session on reducing the mortgage, please let me know.  

Hanging Basket Fundraiser
Thank you to all those who purchased hanging baskets for your youth fundraiser.  The pick-up date is Sat. May 8, 2010, which is the day before Mother’s Day. 

Proceeds from the sale will help students with their cost of the Mission trip to South Dakota, summer camp, or other youth events.  See Justine if you have any questions.

Killing 2 or More Birds with One Stone   
by Roger Johnson

Our activities at St. Olaf often serve multiple purposes.  I always like it when we kill two birds with one stone.  Recently, we have gone at it again with our making and selling maple syrup. 

The money from the maple syrup project is going towards the Mortgage Reduction Fund, but it does more than that.

When we tap the maple trees and boil the sap into the delicacy of pure maple syrup with the wood of dead elm trees, we practice good stewardship of the gifts and blessings that God provides in the form of natural resources.

We learn that practicing good stewardship is more than putting money into the offering plate.  Good stewardship is putting our thinking cap on and realizing there are many ways to turn our time and talents into treasure for the ministry of our church.

Church members spending time together in the woods is a way to take the ministry outside the doors of the Church.  It helps put the Church closer to the center of the community as non member neighbors participate or just stop in to see what's going on.  Some discover a Church related activity that is interesting and fun for them.  It's a cross generational and one on one evangelism opportunity.

Neighbors meet neighbors they haven't seen in years or for the first time. There is no end of stories to be told.  Some are true.  Friendships are started that will extend beyond the sugar bush in March of each year.

Church members and non members alike feel good about finding a way to do the Lord's work and discovering that it can be fun and great exercise.

Even though the maple syrup project is a lot of fun, it is work and those that took part should be thanked.  Without their help, we couldn't do it.  Over $1,000 worth of equipment was donated to St. Olaf's so that we can do this every March.  Special thanks go to Don Chapman for letting us cut dead elm on his land for fuel; Jon Monis for his dead elm for fuel and maple trees for sap; Connie Kreuser for firewood; Mike Kloth, Jon Monis, Leah Schlieve, Eddie Sorenson, Aldon Schlieve, Ron Ruege, Tom Briggs & Esther Christenson for borrowed and donated equipment; Tim Schuett, Duane Schuett, Jim Lumsden, Aldon Schlieve, Liz Laack, Bruce Benson, Al Kloth, Tom Pirc, Shayne Johnson, & Lyn Johnson for day after day of work in the woods and in the kitchen; and Nate Stewart, John Straight, the Hautala family, Paula Olson-Lumsden, Elaine Monis, Herb Heck, & Rob Howell for pitching in.  Thanks also go to all those who donated jars and bought or found customers to buy syrup.

Last year, syrup sales were $790.  So far this year the syrup project has raised over $1,600 for the mortgage reduction fund.  There is lots of syrup yet to sell.  So find homes for the rest, or buy enough to last you til next March.  It will sell out.

May Lay Ministry Schedule

April Altar Guild: Paula Lumsden & Jon Evert
April Counters:  Jim Lumsden & Rob Howell

Flamingo Flocking
WATCH OUT!!!  The PINK FLAMINGOS ARE BACK and will be flocking our congregation members’ yards this spring.  Details and rules will be outlined and displayed in the Gathering area.  This was an exciting youth fundraiser two years ago and involved many people from outside the congregation also.  We had many interesting stories to share and it turned out to be a fun event for all to participate in.  So as you drive to and from, look for the pink flamingos.  And for those of you that don’t want to be flocked, Don’t Worry, you can get Flamingo Insurance again this year!!

Bring your friends to

the Birthday Party 

Pentecost Sunday

May 22-23

WORSHIP and Give Thanks

Sunday Special guest, Rev. Jeff Barrow,
Bishop of Greater Milwaukee Synod ELCA

CELEBRATE
The  Birth of the Church
Acts 2

Saturday Worship  5:00 pm
Sunday  Worship  9:00 am

Sunday Dinner after Worship 

Children’s Activities include planting the flower garden

Pentecost is May 22 & 23
   Come celebrate and Worship and Have your family picture taken.
    Pentecost is the church holiday based on Acts 2.  Remember the day when God sent the gift of the Holy Spirit to His disciples and His church. 
    Pentecost is a word meaning “fiftieth day” and occurs 50 days after Easter.  Pentecost is 10 days after the celebration of Jesus’ Resurrection, Ascension Day.
    The weekend of May 22-23, St. Olaf congregation will celebrate Pentecost with a growing number of activities.  Plan to come and bring others with you.  Worship services will be followed with fellowship, food, and other activities.
     St. Olaf’s Congregational picture board needs updating!  During the Pentecost celebration photographers from our congregation will be available for a professional portrait sitting for you and your family.  The goal is to update our congregation picture board, but you will also have the opportunity to purchase photographs from these members that also have their own professional photography businesses.  There will be a sign-up sheet and appointments so we can all participate as we are available.  Sign up early to get your preferred time.
    All those who want to help with this project, please contact a member of the Parish Life Committee.
     We also welcome Rev. Jeff Barrow, newly installed Bishop of our Greater Milwaukee Synod as our guest for the Pentecost worship and celebration.  We look forward to this opportunity to worship with our bishop.  Please come Sunday, May 23, to greet Rev. Jeff Barrow as he assumes the duties of bishop of the Greater Milwaukee Synod.

  

Memorial Day
May 31^st
 

Taking Faith Home
Give Them A Childhood
By Marilyn Sharpe (TYFI.org)

A friend called to say that her 11 year old daughter was excelling ... in everything! Her piano teacher wanted her home schooled so that she would have eight hours a day to devote to practicing piano; then the talented child could begin to perform around the country and, quite possibly, around the world. Her ballet teacher encouraged mother and daughter to relocate, leaving the father and five siblings behind, to perform with an internationally acclaimed ballet school in New York City. The girl’s English teacher urged enrolling her in an East Coast college’s residential summer writing program, to hone already exceptional writing skills. What’s a parent to do?

A second grader called her favorite school friend to invite her over to play. After trying every day that week, the friend said she’d have her mother call to arrange it. The mother of the busy second grader shared that her daughter was very involved with drama, both classes and performance, and did not have any day of any week available to play. What’s a parent to do?

A college friend, pregnant with her first child, called, concerned, to recount a conversation with another parent that morning. Discovering that the birth was only three months away, the new friend enquired about where the baby was enrolled for nursery school. “What?” my friend laughed. “He’s not even born yet.” “Oh, no,” the new friend responded. “Then it is too late. And if he isn’t enrolled at the right preschool, he’ll never get into the right prep school, and he won’t be able to go to Harvard!” My friend was anxious that she had already ruined her child’s chance for a fulfilling life. What’s a parent to do?

We live in a society that values excellence and performance and accomplishment. That’s not bad. But what is happening in all three of these scenarios (real ones, I might add)? In each, children, young children are being tracked for high performance and accomplishment. What’s missing? A childhood! Time to unfold and explore, to dream and to be, to wonder and become all that God has created the child to be.

Summer is coming, and with it, lots of opportunities for children to play sports, learn new skills and subjects, explore new interests, travel, camp. Often, as parents, our job appears to be keeping the calendar and coordinating car pools.

Let me suggest something that no one else in all the world can give your child: a childhood. Plan some protected, unscheduled time for your children to dream, to think, to wonder, to imagine, to play a game they invent, to make new friends and deepen old friendships, to be bored and recognize that as an invitation to explore what they would like to do next, to learn to enjoy the pleasure of their own company, to experience time with family, to have Sabbath time with God.

These are children of God, created in God’s image to be human beings, not just human doings. They come to us as God’s buds, meant to open into the fullness of who they are slowly, organically, across childhood. Forcing the bud to open distorts the flower God has begun. Grace abounds and children are not expected to be small, finished, accomplished adults at 11 or 7 or before they are even born. This God who created them in love, who gave them unique gifts to enjoy and to share with others in God’s family, says, “For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

This God has entrusted them to your care. Please give them a childhood.

FAMILY ACTIVITIES

1. Let your children re-teach you how to play. Spend time following their playful lead. Thank the God of play.

2. Schedule part of every day as time alone for each child, a perfect time to imagine, daydream, create, play, just enjoy being alone. Thank God, who is with us always.

3. Protect time each week that is just for family. Rotate who decides what you’ll do. Thank God, who created you as family.

4. Get outside to a park, a public garden, forest, or lake. Walk. Explore. Watch clouds go by. Thank the God of creation.

5. Write and illustrate a children’s book together, using a favorite family story. Read it to a child. Thank God for joining your story to God’s story.