November 2010

Archives

Click here for monthly Youth News

From the Desk of Pastor Matt

Blessed be the Lord who daily loads us with benefits, even the God of our salvation.
Psalm 68:19

Psalm 68 is an interesting passage. It was intended to be used in worship by Israel as a song of victory and deliverance. It recounts the many difficulties they endured and speaks of them being afflicted, oppressed, helpless, sinful, and exposed to hurt and pain; yet this Psalm recalls that God provided for His people in the tough wilderness wanderings and in the days of bountiful blessing in the promised land of Canaan. In both the good times and the bad, God blessed them and cared for them. In this passage, God’s people recognize that and thank God for it.

Often in the bad times, our eyesight gets blurry and we fail to recognize God’s hand of blessing. We focus on the negatives that are pulling us down. At times we may not even see any positives in our situation, but God always gives blessings even though they may not be readily seen. As St. Paul says, God makes all things work for the good.

Sometimes it is a matter of perspective.  Try looking for the things to be thankful for each day. See God’s hand at work in your life and give praise. Remember that daily God gives multiple blessings. Matthew Henry said, “So many, so weighty are the gifts of God’s bounty, that God may be truly said to load us with them.” Yes, face life’s difficulties, but focus on the load of blessings that surround you and thank God for them. After all, a thankful heart is a joyful heart!

Prayer:

Beloved Father, help us always to see you as the bountiful giver of blessings. Keep us from getting caught up in negative thinking and neglecting the wonderful benefits you provide for us each day.

General Fund Matching Challenge a Success

We would like to thank everyone who helped us reach our goal of $4700 for our general fund in the recent matching fund challenge that ended on October 13.  Not only did we reach our goal, but we exceeded it!  The final figures show contributions of $5311.67 from the congregation and that was matched up to $4700 for a grand total of $10,011.67.  That money came from 32 separate donations from 28 different people.  Thank you all, and a special thanks goes out to Roger Johnson for organizing the program and procuring commitments from the matching donors.

Not that we can rest on our laurels.  This influx of funds came at a critical time for our general fund.  Summer giving had been very weak, but the bills don't stop just because giving is down.  Unfortunately, much of that $10,000 raised has already been spent on our regularly budgeted items.  But we are still in 'the black' and we haven't had to borrow to pay our bills.  Many other churches have not been so fortunate.  Our job is not done.  We need to continue (or even increase) our regular giving to finish 2010 in the black.  It can be done, and if we all pitch in, it will be done!

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! 

 Click Here for the Lutefisk Flyer

Third Thursday
Meeting and Eating and having Fun Together!
Our next Third Thursday gathering is November 18^th at 11:00 a.m.  Come for food, fun and fellowship.

Lutefisk Preparations

The Lutefisk Dinner is coming up soon—Saturday, December 4. Our annual BAKE SALE will again be held during the dinner. All proceeds from the bake sale go to various missions. Last year the missions we donated to were: Lutheran World Relief, Lutheran Social Services, Women of the ELCA, ELCA Global Missions - directed to relief for Haiti, Lutheran World Relief - directed to relief for Pakistan and Haiti, and the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota.

In order to make this year’s BAKE SALE successful, we need a large variety of homemade baked goods donated by our members. These baked goods are in addition to any cookies made for serving at the dinner (4 dozen per family is suggested for the dinner). 

Many types of baked goods are enjoyed, but some are more popular. Some examples of the best selling items are as follows: any Norwegian cookies; fancy cookies; specialty breads; stöllen; pies; fudge; homemade candy; or your family favorites. You may even wish to include the recipe with your baked goods—especially your family favorites.

If you have never made any of the Norwegian recipes, this may be your opportunity to learn. Please refer to the bake dates listed here and choose to participate in as many as you wish. The more hands that help in the baking, the more fun it is and the faster the work is finished. It’s also a great time to learn new recipes and have fun socializing with members of our congregation.

Please bring your baked goods to the church by 7 p.m. on Thursday (December 2nd). It is not necessary to price items, but we would welcome suggestions for pricing of your baked goods. Cookies may be left in bulk containers if you would like and we will create assortments with them.

Please contact Cindy Schlieve at 920-474-7134 if you would like to help with set-up, packaging the baked goods, selling the baked goods, or if you have any questions about the bake sale. Happy baking!

Bake Dates
(All locations at St. Olaf)

Soup Supper & Service
Our next Oil Lamp Service and soup supper will be November 28^th.  Soup will be served at 5:00 p.m., all are invited as our guests.  Oil lamp service begins at 6:00 p.m.  More information is available -  Lyn 920 474 3168 or Pat 262 569 7341.  Join us for a spiritual evening of the past.

Joyous Light                  
On the third weekend of every month, the worshippers attending the Saturday evening service will have the opportunity to participate in something very special.  Join us on November 20^th, we will be using an 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.  Please join us on November 20^th at 5:00 pm and every third Saturday thereafter.

Items sent to Lutheran World Relief

After a year of collecting items and making quilts, we sent 93 quilts, 11 layettes, 25 health kits and 16 school kits to Lutheran World Relief.  Thanks so much to those who helped quilt, helped package kits and boxes, and provided materials. These gifts will help so many people around the world.  

WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY  

THE PURPOSE OF CHRISTMAS

By Rick Warren

We will be studying the best news of Christmas using the Video and Book by Rick Warren titled The Purpose of Christmas.  This will be a great way to prepare your heart for the coming Advent season.  We will look at Christmas as a time for celebration, a time for salvation and a time for reconciliation. 

When:  4 Thursdays, Oct. 28 through Nov. 18^th
Time:    7:00 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.
Where:  Zion Lutheran Church
Who:  All women are welcome.
Facilitator:  Gwen Downing, A.I.M.

Week 1, Oct 28 - Introductions & A Time for Celebration

Week 2, Nov 4 - Review & A Time for Salvation        

Week 3, Nov 11 - Review & A Time for Reconciliation

Week 4, Nov 18 - Review & The Purpose of Christmas

The first week we will have a soup supper at 6:30.  Please call Gwen to sign up at 414-531-7924.

St Olaf Scrip

Christmas is coming – how about a gift card?!  Don't forget you can place an order from St Olaf's Scrip.  It not only is a great way of getting gifts but you can also use it for your shopping and gasoline.  It is also great for the kids for their needs.  Ask for an order form at the Scrip desk.  Also available at times are extra gift cards for gas and Walmart.  This is a great way for St. Olaf to fund our ministry plan while you do your everyday or Christmas shopping.  

Christmas Cactus Available

Six inch Christmas cactus plants are available for $10 each.  Information, details, and pre-order forms can be found in the lobby.  All proceeds will go toward the mortgage reduction fund.  Purchase a plant that will bring many years of beauty to your home AND help reduce our church’s mortgage.  If you have questions contact Becky Schuett at bschuett@plbb.us or (920) 583-2253 or Tim Schuett at (920) 474-7642.  Thank you!

Women of Grace Meeting

The Women of Grace will meet on Monday, November  at 7 p.m. at church.  Please join us to talk about ways we can spread God's love in our community.  

November Lay Ministry Schedule

November Altar Guild: Jane Christenson & Kathy Larson

November Counters: Randy Buth, John Roth, & June Sumnicht

Give Thanks – Give Blood
November 26^th 9AM -1PM (Friday)

We have so much to be thankful for.  Some of us are blessed with the gift of being healthy enough to donate blood.  Join Parish Life and the Savatski Family in celebrating the gift of life that blood donation makes possible.  There are many ways to help.  Sign up for an appointment, donate baked goods, and volunteer with setup or cleanup. 

Visit http://www.bcw.edu/stolaf  or call Laura Savatski at 262-670-0550 for an appointment or to volunteer. 

November Anniversaries

3     Tiernan and Christina Byerly                          
7     Rodney and Gwen Downing                          
20   Kathy and Lincoln Smithyman                        
28   Jeffrey and Lori Dauss

November Birthdays

1     Alan Cameron, Karl Monis
2     Timothy Stewart
3     Mary Ludwig
4     Justine Cadena, Paula Olson
5     Thomas Ziebell
6     Deborah Christenson, Claudine Scheife
7     Brandon Meier, Kendall Uhlman
9     Carmen DeBack
13    Tyler Christenson, Gene Eggert, George Monis
16    Inez Koester, Annabelle Sander
17    Carley Becker
18    Amadeo (Tito) Cadena
19    Julie Bohen
21    Jacob Buth, Pat Hodgson
24    Joyce Christopherson
27    Ariel Birkel, Dave Kraemer
28    Rae Anne Scheife
29    Karen Hoppe
30    Marie Galbraith, Hannah Scheife

Confirmation Class Retreat

The Confirmation Class will be heading to Lutherdale for our annual retreat and weekend of fun and learning.  We will meet at St. Olaf at 5:30 p.m. on Friday November 19^th and return at approximately 11:30 a.m. on Sunday November 21^st.  Remember to turn in your registration form and fee to Justine as soon as possible if you have not already.  Details will be emailed and given to you in class.

Taking Faith Home  

Gratitude By Marilyn Sharpe (TYFI.org)

Thanksgiving is coming and gratitude is in the air. Hymns and prayers in worship give thanks for all God’s bounty. Cards arrive, echoing thanks for this season, this opportunity to be mindful and thankful. Even fund raisers thank you in advance for your gift. As families and friends gather around a festive meal, many express their thankfulness for the turkey, for family and friends, for health, for good work to do, for the freedoms we enjoy.

Meanwhile, with our children, we often bemoan the lack of gratitude and are concerned about the sense of entitlement among children ... of all ages. As parents, we rarely hear a “thank you” for a ride given, a party thrown, a friend invited to dinner, much less the daily gifts of working to support the family, cooking the food, washing clothes, helping with homework, putting bandaids on a skinned knee or a broken heart.

How can we raise grateful children? I believe that there are four primary ways:

MODEL IT The most important lessons happen as we model the quality, trait, or behavior we want our children to learn. If there is dissonance between what we say and what we do, our children will believe and emulate what we do. If you want grateful kids, be a grateful adult.

Let them see and hear you saying “thank you” to those who wait on you in the shoe store and bakery, those who carry out your groceries and change the oil in your car. Yes, you are paying for those services, but money never replaces gratitude. That is a human being who is serving you, not a machine. All need the dignity and respect of a “thank you.” Your children are watching and listening.

If you co-parent, when the child’s other parent does something that contributes to life together, say “thank you.” When your child does something helpful, cooperative, or kind, say “thank you.”

TEACH IT None of our children is born knowing how to share, how to pitch in and help, or what we mean when we say, “Be nice.” We need to model it, but we also need to say in words what we expect or what we would like. Gratitude is no different. Do a dress rehearsal before a child’s birthday party or Christmas. Help them practice saying “thank you” when anyone does something kind or helpful.

But please don’t embarrass them with the patronizing reminder in front of the gift or cookie giver. “Now what do we say, Jamie?” (Oh, I cringe, thinking how many times I did this to my children, often beating them to the words they would have said, if only I’d kept my mouth shut a moment longer.)

CATCH IT When your child says “thank you” and expresses gratitude, make sure that you point that out to them. Describe exactly what they said or did that you appreciate.

In parenting, one of my favorite lines is “what gets attention, gets repeated.” It is true, whether or not the behavior is positive or negative and whether the attention is positive or negative. Since the goal of virtually all behavior is to get attention, it is vitally important that we give positive attention for positive behavior, so that it will be repeated. (It is also important to note that negative behavior that elicits negative attention will cause that behavior to be repeated. We are smart and caring parents, so we can learn to focus on the positive ... for all our sakes!)

PRAY IT Daily, at the table, at the bedside, thank God for all of God’s gifts to us. This season, let us remember with gratitude the giver of all good gifts.

FAMILY ACTIVITIES

1. Say “thank you” for the little things of daily life – holding the door, setting the table, sharing a toy, pitching in to clean up the family room.

2. On a family member’s birthday, go around the table and name the gifts of this person and thank God for them.

3. Let children overhear you being grateful.

4. Make a list of things for which you are grateful and review them during family devotions, while sharing your day, or when tucking a child into bed.

Doubly Blessed

Milton Bliss’ gift to the congregation is a blessing that touches us deeply and will be long remembered.  Still, there is another gift that came of which you may not be aware.  Two of Milton’s relatives asked if they may also bless us with the new Evangelical Lutheran Worship Hymnal that the ELCA is now using.  After some discussion, they have purchased enough copies for the congregation, as well as the other books that are needed for the worship leaders.

The ELW is a great step forward.  First of all, it is the only hymnal being printed by Augsburg Fortress Press and thus the only hymnal available for future purchasing.  Secondly, it was very well thought out on how it was put together.

The ELW began with a survey to congregations to find what music and liturgies they embrace.  The most popular liturgies and hymns were the ones included in the ELW.  There are more liturgy settings in the ELW than both the green and blue hymnals combined, and yes, Setting 2 and Setting 5 that we use are in there.  The ELW also has almost all of the hymns that are usually sung from the old hymnal, as well as others that we can grow into.  That should translate into fewer song handouts.  Still, if there is a song we want to use that the ELW does not have, we can always print them for the congregation.

Finally, those who put the ELW together, took a lot of time and effort to make all the music easy to sing.  They have adjusted the keys so that we are not singing too high or low of a pitch.  They have adjusted the rhythm so that it is easy to follow.  Overall, they have made the music much more enjoyable to sing.

We plan to start using the ELW at the end of November with the First Sunday in Advent when we will also dedicate them.

Finance Report
by Roger Johnson 

As chairman of the finance committee, I am constantly tracking the financial condition of the church.  I believe you should be kept apprised.  We have had some great financial news lately mixed in with news which is not good. 

Milton Bliss' legacy has been a Godsend for our mortgage reduction fund.  His end of life gift is a beautiful example of what our Life Giving committee has been talking about.   Weekly giving to the mortgage reduction fund, while not approaching our $100,000 goal for 2010, has often been adequate lately to make the monthly mortgage payments.  The $4,700 matching fund challenge for the general fund was answered in resounding style by the rest of the congregation to the tune of about $5,312. 

One might think that these $10,000 additional dollars for our ministry would carry us nicely through 2010.  The fact of the matter is that weekly giving to the general fund has been very low for some time as reflected in the weekly bulletins.

Some may look at the numbers in the bulletin and wonder how the giving to the general fund can be inadequate so often and yet we continue to survive as a church.  Some have concluded that we really don't need what the bulletin says we need to operate.  They think there is a cushion built into the numbers. 

I want to explain a few things about the terms "budget", "ministry plan", and "cost to operate" which should help clarify the financial situation.  The term, "budget" has been used for years.  The finance committee and the council put a "budget" together and present it to the congregation for a vote at each annual meeting.  The proposed "budget" includes what is required to operate the church for the next fiscal year plus an additional sum we hope to receive to pay for projects, expansion of the ministry, and other things that the council would like to see accomplished.  The "amount needed", as stated in the bulletin, is the amount needed to meet the "budget". 

The term, "ministry plan", is a much better term than "budget" for the amount necessary for the "cost to operate" and for what the council would like to see accomplished.  From now on, we intend to use the term, "ministry plan", rather than "budget".

Everyone should become aware that there is no longer any significant difference between "cost to operate" and "ministry plan".  Recognizing the reduction in both membership and giving the past few years, the finance committee and council have cut back on the "ministry plan" to the point that it is, in fact, the "cost to operate" the church.  There is no longer any significant fluff or cushion.  There is dreadfully little in the "ministry plan" for the outreach, stewardship, or music & worship committees to operate. There is no money in the general fund to replace broken office equipment.  Often there are inadequate funds to make our tithing commitment to benevolences as voted upon by the congregation at the annual meetings. Our financial secretary has nightmares just trying to figure out how to pay the bills.

In my opinion, given the number of families that provide significant financial support to the church, we cannot afford the current "ministry plan / cost to operate".  So you ask, "Where can we cut back our "cost to operate"?  That is a question the finance committee has asked itself every month for the last few years.  There are only a few possibilities that would make a difference, and each one has a down side.  Replacing the church secretary and custodian with volunteers presents coordination and consistency complications.  Volunteerism worked years ago before our life became so busy.  Would it work today?  It might, especially if the sheparding groups are utilized to their fullest.  If we stop paying the organists and substitute musicians, there would be a revolt unless volunteer musicians are found, and they haven't been so far.  If the youth director's position is cut, there would be a similar revolt resulting in loss of membership and the loss of perhaps our best ministry.  Benevolences are a huge part of the Christian life of some members.  If the congregation voted to significantly reduce or eliminate our tithing to benevolences, there would be another revolt.  There are no other cuts in the "ministry plan / cost to operate" that would make any significant difference.

In time, the efforts of the outreach committee and individual outreach will bear fruit and we will again have a meaningful stewardship effort to reach all our members in regard to supporting our church financially or with their time and talents.  In addition, the next upswing in the economy may have some positive effect.  We have done everything we can to cut costs.  There have been a number of fund raising projects recently which have supplemented giving and allowed us to continue.  As usual the women's organization and youth group have set the example by generously supporting the general fund.  Some have thought of ways to convert their talents to treasure for their church.  There is much more that can be done in this regard.

This is your church.  I hope that many of you will attend the October and May congregational meetings to hear the proposed "ministry plan" and express your opinions and ideas.