The Caller

A while back, I received an article from Forward magazine that really touched home on who we are as a church. I liked it well enough that I thought I would share it with you:

A little boy passed the pet store every day on his way home from school. Each time he would stop at the pet store and play with the dozen or so puppies that were kept in the display window. Finally, he got up the courage to ask the owner of the shop how much one of the puppies would cost. The owner told him the price, and the boy went home and began saving his weekly allowance. He returned a few weeks later with his piggy-bank tucked under his arm. Smiling broadly, he lifted his bank onto the counter and said joyfully, “It’s all there!” The owner replied, “Pick your puppy!”

The puppies were yelping, wagging their tails and crawling all over each other—all but one that sat forlornly in the corner of the pen. The boy reached past all the others, picked up the lonely puppy, and brought it to the owner. “Oh, you don’t want that one. He’s crippled,” said the shopkeeper. “You want a puppy that can run and play with you.” The little boy put the puppy down on the floor and lifted the cuffs of his pants, revealing a set of braces. “Yes, he’s crippled. But I’m crippled too. I thought since we’re both crippled, we could be better friends.”

We are all crippled, aren’t we? Even though we have been healed of the terminal disease of sin by God’s all-encompassing stroke of the cross of Calvary, all of us still have its crippling effects in our lives. Some of us have bruised memories, others have blighted relationships, and others have fractured personalities. Each of us is crippled by sin in more ways than one, yet we know the grace of God’s healing forgiveness.

God’s plan for the church was for it to be a place where bruised and broken people could find support and healing from other bruised and broken people. Paul writes, “Praise be to the God … who comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God” (2 Corinthians 1:3,4).
Because God loves, accepts, and forgives us in our brokenness, we can love, accept, and forgive other broken people – and as a result be better friends.

The world loves and accepts conditionally, doesn’t it? Are you smart enough? Rich enough? Thin enough? Do you wear the right clothes? Do you please me enough? No wonder so many people are hurting and lonely! Jesus loved his followers just as they were. “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

Notice Jesus doesn’t tell us to lose our burdens then come to him. Rather, we are to come to him first, and he will help us with our burdens. Certainly Jesus called his followers to repentance. Certainly he encouraged them to a higher level of discipleship. Certainly, he urged them to greater faithfulness. But he did this only after he made sure they knew he accepted them, crippled as they were.

In Luke 8 we have Jesus associating with three “crippled” people – a naked madman, a woman with a 12-year old hemorrhage, and a corpse. Levitical laws guarded against contagion from contact with a gentile, blood, or a corpse. But Jesus didn’t require them to become clean before he touched them. He touched them to make them clean. We are called upon to extend that mercy, to be conveyors of grace, to those that might be considered “contagious.”

Christians are a community--a fellowship of the forgiven, a community of unity. This glorifies God and demonstrates to the world that Jesus Christ is alive. The late Dr. Francis Schaeffer wrote, “The church today needs not only an orthodoxy of doctrine. It also needs an orthodoxy of community.” We need to match our orthodoxy of belief with an orthodoxy of unconditional love and acceptance.

Think of ways you can reach out to the unmarried couple next door – not condoning their sin, but showing them that you accept them as souls for whom Jesus died. How might you show that crabby neighbor, whom everyone else avoids, that you love him despite his crippled personality? How can we show our children that we still love them even though time and time again their actions disappoint or hurt us?

Show them your love first. Then, as God gives you the opportunity, deal with the sin. Forgiveness is not an occasional action. It’s a permanent attitude. It’s a loving, healing, acceptance. That’s God’s vision for his church. It is to be ours, too.

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.

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

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!

Third Thursday
Meeting and Eating and having Fun Together!
Fourteen members and guests enjoyed Bingo, Devotions, and Lunch together September 16. Third Thursday meets at 11:00 am the three months of Spring and Fall, September, October, November, March, April & May at St. Olaf Church. Our next Third Thursday is October 21 at 11:00 am we will gather for special communion worship and a warm lunch. All are welcome. Feel free to bring a neighbor or friend. Need a ride? The "bus" will be glad to pick you up. Call Laura Lee or Elaine Monis for a ride.

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. Beginning October 16, 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 October 16 at 5:00 pm and every third Saturday thereafter.

On August 21st, the Finance Committee raised $353 for the general fund by running a brat fry at the Piggly Wiggly on Hwy. P. Lots of flyers were handed out telling of upcoming events at St. Olaf's. Thanks to Jane Christenson, Jim & Paula Lumsden, and John Christenson's daughters for helping out.

Thanks go to Carol and Jon Evert and their team of volunteers for their great brat giveaway outreach effort at Millikin's station on Hwy. 83 last July. Thanks also to the Millikins and those who donated the brats, prizes, etc. What a great example of outreach and caring for community.

It's not too early to think about making St. Olaf's delicious Saintly Syrup next March. Last spring's production brought in $2,277 for St. Olaf's and a lot of fun and exercise for those who took part in practicing good stewardship of God's natural resources. Last spring's production sold out fast. If you bought a pint and have run out already, you might want to consider a quart from next spring's harvest. The return of any jars, especially the pint size, is appreciated. This winter we will cut and stack firewood for an even bigger production effort next spring. Let me know if you want to participate in cutting wood and / or the harvest.

Recharging The Mortgage Fund by putting spare change in the large battery bank outside the sanctuary is a continuous campaign. Now is the time to do what we can to pay down the principal on the mortgage because we currently have a very favorable mortgage interest rate of 4.5%. This interest rate may be higher when we have to refinance in about four years. Saving spare change in the small battery banks and occasionally emptying them into the large battery just outside the sanctuary is an easy and effective way to help pay down the principal on the mortgage, and you'll never miss the change. It is a way to teach kids about saving and stewardship. $3,545 in spare change has been collected thru August 17, 2010.

"And our light shines - Christmas in July was very successful. Our efforts to aid the ministry at St. Olaf produced $1139.00 this year to the general fund. Thank you to all who took part in the second Christmas in July celebration. The winner of the Norway spruce donated by Paula Olson and Jim Lumsden is RANDY SIKKEMA. The tree is a reminder of birth of Jesus and our beautiful world. Thank you!

Registration for the 2011 New Orleans Young Adult Trip is now open at tinyurl.com/nola11. News on the anniversary of Katrina highlighted the recovery the region has made, but also the continuing need to rebuild and repair homes and lives. For the sixth consecutive January, plans are being made to be part of building hope in the New Orleans area with young

adults from the churches in our Synod.
This year's trip will run from December 30-January 8, 2011 and is open to anyone 18-25 years old. The cost of the trip is $250, but anyone who registers and pays in full by October 15^th will get an early bird rate
of $225! Space is limited, so anyone that is interested can register soon at tinyurl.com/nola11. If you have questions, you can contact the planning

team at GMSYoungAdultTrip@gmail.com. Brochures are available upon request. Anyone from St. Olaf that is interested can see Justine with questions also. The 2011 New Orleans, Louisiana trip is sponsored by the Greater Milwaukee Synod Youth & Family Network and the Siebert Lutheran Foundation. We look forward to building hope with you this winter!

In today's world, it's important to think about the best ways to keep our children safe. Though here in the Hartford--Ashippun--Erin area, we are probably more safe than in a large city, we have to remember to keep safety in our minds wherever we live, or travel. We know that there are people in the world, and even in our local area, who don't have the best interests of our children in their hearts and minds. The adult education committee has prepared a program that includes both adults and children (from age 5 through age 18), to look at ways in which our children can stay safe, and ways the adults can help them stay safe.

Please join us on Sunday, October 17th during the education hour at St. Olaf's. There will be three separate presentations: children aged 5 through 9, 10 through 14, and adults. Parents of younger children may wish to view the presentation for their age group with their children. Please contact Cindy Schlieve at 920-474-7134 if you have any questions about the program.

Our Oil Lamp Service and soup supper will resume on October 24^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. There will also be guest piano soloists and The Toland Choir will sing. More information is available - Lyn 920 474 3168 or Pat 262 569 7341. Join us for a spiritual evening of the past.

Summer is a busy time for everyone. So busy we forget about gift cards. 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 shopping.

Practicing good stewardship means contributing time and talents as well as treasure. As members of St. Olaf's Congregation, we support the ministry of our church by contributing what we can to the general fund. We should also recognize that stepping up contributions to the mortgage fund is especially important as we enjoy a remarkably low interest rate for the next four years.

If you had gazed over our church land to the south of the church two years ago, you would have seen unproductive land growing nothing but a most unwelcome crop of Canada thistles and other noxious weeds.

Last year we added $1,833 to the mortgage fund by growing our own crop of soybeans on that land. This year the land produced a good crop of wheat and straw. All it took to bring in $2,373 for the mortgage fund was a little application of time and talent and not being afraid to ask.

Frontier Coop. in Mapleton donated $411 worth of seed, chemicals, and fertilizer. Gary Sielaff donated the use of his no-till drill. I forward contracted the crop, did the spraying, planting, fertilizing, combining, trucking, and baling. Now that the wheat and straw are sold, I look back and don't even miss the little time and fuel it took to practice good stewardship of the land --- And we are getting the thistles under control.

Next summer, with God's blessings of favorable weather, you may see a tall crop of oats followed by the establishment of a hay crop.

If we all put our thinking caps on, I know that we could come up with no end of ways to practice good stewardship by turning our time and talents into additional treasure to support our ministry and achieve a debt free church.

What other ways can you think of to put your time and talents to good use and at the same time enjoy doing so?

COATS for Kids
An Opportunity to Help Others
Now we can Donate our gently used or unused jackets and coats for the Salvation Army Coats for Kids Drive right here at St. Olaf Church. September 23 through Sunday, October 10, the Salvation Army Barrel will be at St. Olaf's. Coats in like new condition in all sizes are needed. Coats will be dry cleaned before they are given to others.

We will have a special voter’s meeting on Sunday, October 24, 2010 after the Church service. During that meeting, we will ask the voters to approve moving our annual meeting to May and the church fiscal calendar to June.

Why are we doing this? Because we routinely have conflicts organizing the annual meeting in January.

There is not enough time to get the December financials, our biggest month, completed in time for people to review before the meeting

· Committee members are often tied up doing holiday functions and find it difficult to get their reports to the church office in a timely manner

At the meeting, we will ask the voters to approve an interim budget that will be in effect until the May voter’s meeting. All officers and committee members will be asked to stay on until the May annual meeting. There will be no meeting in January.

October Altar Guild: Liz Laack
October Counters: Mark & Linda Fredrick and Al & Pat Davies

Those who attended the church picnic and corn roast in August found lots to do and enjoyed the unique festivities. The event featured free brats, sweet corn, an antique engine, dunk tank, ice cream walk, cow chip toss, goat plop drop, other games, and Pepe the goat. In addition to fun and fellowship, the event raised $510.91 for the general fund. Thanks to the following people and businesses who contributed their time and talents or made contributions which made the picnic so much fun for those who attended. My apologies to anyone I forgot. A special thanks to Becky Schuett for all her great ideas and solicitations of local businesses.

Becky Schuett                          Carol & Jon Evert
Lyn Johnson                             Ron & Linda Egelseer
Jane Christenson                       Doris Bohen
Pat Haarman                            Jennifer Guenther
John Christenson                      Vonnie Christenson
Pastor Matt                              Justine Cadena
Wally Friedl                              Don Chapman
Bill Bremer                               John Roth
Ashippun Mudcats baseball team
Confections For Any Occasion By Joel of Theresa
Widner's Cheese Cellars of Theresa
Scoop deVille of Hartford         Banner Crafts
Hartford Walmart                     Hartford Culvers
Hartford McDonalds                Kwik Trip
Hartford Subway (by George Webbs)
Paul Weirs                                Pepe The Goat

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!

The Women of Grace will meet on Monday, October 25 at 7 p.m. at church. Please join us to talk about ways we can spread God's love in our community.

1     William and Christine Guenther
6     Russell and Carolyn Roraff
7     Dave and Kathy Johnston
11    Donald and Dawn Freiburger
15    Douglas and Lisa Kreger
16    Gene and Pamela Eggert
24    John and Janet Reed
26    Dawn and James Christ
27    Stanley and Joyce Christopherson
27    Scott and Patty Stewart
30    Walter and Sandy Friedl
31    Donald and Pauline Christopherson
31    Brandon and Darci Grochowski

1         Tom Galbraith
2         Nathan Uhlman
4         Jennifer Becker, Phylliss Schlieve
9         Clara Birkel, Trent Birkel, Joan Uhlman
10       Brandon Grochowski, Melissa Much
11       Brandon Reitz
12       Blake Homulos, Patty Stewart
13       Stacy Brakob, John Christenson, Brandon Kraft, Elizabeth Laack, Brian Schutze
14       Susan Grulke
16       Joshua Cowell, Linda Fredrick, Keiana Schmitt
18       Jody Homulos, Matthew Sutrick
19       Daniel Meier, Sandra Schroeder
22       Randall Buth
23       Sharon Nelson
24       Darci Grochowski
25       Laura Savatski
27       Melodie Christenson, Gerald Feutz

Those of you who are Thrivent members will remember that their congregational gifting program changed a few months ago. You were asked to designate specifically to which organization you wanted the contribution made in your name to go. To those of you who have designated St. Olafs, we thank you. The first distribution under the new program has been made and St. Olafs has received $233. If you have not yet made a distribution designation and wish to direct your contribution to St Olafs, please see Cindy Schlieve for more details.

Paul was six years old when his Sunday school teacher asked all of the children in the class to draw pictures of their families. When he finished his picture, he carefully rolled it up and placed it in his bag to take home and show to his parents.

Imagine his mother’s surprise when Paul carefully unrolled his pictured and smoothed it out on the table to display it to her. His picture of a family of five had six figures in it! Mom identified the two parents and three children. Quizzically, she turned to Paul. Pointing to the sixth figure, she inquired, “Who is that, Honey?”

“Mom, you know,” replied Paul. “That’s the guy who’s always happy to see me at church. He knows my name and stops to talk to me every week.”

Twenty years later, Paul’s mom still remembers and shares this story with me in her congregation in Peoria, IL. I had spent the weekend with church professionals and parents and grandparents, talking about passing on the faith. I had let them know that every Christian adult is called to be a faith parent, and not just to their own children. God’s call to all of us is our baptismal vocation of passing on faith to all the generations. No one is exempt because they’ve already done that or they don’t have children or they don’t feel comfortable around children.

No children have too many adults who love them with the love of Christ and help them follow Jesus. Search Institute research asserts that all kids need at least five non-family adults to love and know and nurture and care about the children, to help them successfully navigate childhood and adolescence, to grow into the people they have been created to be.

Yes, that means that we as parents need to give our children time and opportunities to get to know and be known by other adults. Cross-generational experiences in worship, fellowship, learning, and serving together are perfect opportunities.

And, yes, that means that all of us adults need to become those caring, attentive non-family adults to children to whom we are not related.

This is how church families are formed. May you show up in Paul or Paula’s family picture! They need you.

HOLY COMMUNION

October 24-November 7

We offer communion every week. But what does it really mean? Jesus had told his disciples that he would be crucified. Religious leaders conspired to arrest and murder him. At his last meal with his disciples, Jesus warned again of his impending death. Jesus explained his coming death as the offering of his body and blood. He used bread and water, common elements of the Passover. The bread, which he blessed and broke, was, he said, his body. The wine, for which he gave thanks was his blood poured out for the forgiveness of sins.

In Holy Baptism, we receive God’s forgiveness as we enter the community of Jesus’ followers. Holy Communion sustains us in this grace. In his last supper, Jesus gave the gift of his life to his disciples and all who believe. Jesus lived according to God’s will. For that reason he was killed at the hands of powerful people whose interests were contrary to God’s will. God’s raising Jesus from the dead shows that Jesus’ life was the fulfillment of God’s intent for our lives. In sharing Jesus’ body and blood, we share in his life. The church, which is Christ’s body in the world, is renewed and nurtured in God’s forgiving grace.

A prayer--Gracious God, help us to remember through Holy Communion the gift you gave to us—the life of your son Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins. Amen.

· In the Oasis Café we will experience a Seder meal that is used to celebrate Passover.

· In Colors of Faith we will create our own stained glass windows and go looking for bread.

· In Creation Exploration we will go from ordinary to extraordinary with some experiments.

While they were eating, Jesus took a piece of bread, gave a prayer of thanks, broke it and give it to his disciples, saying “Take and eat, this is my body. Then he took a cup, gave thanks to God and gave it to them. “Drink it, all of you, for this is my blood which seals God’s covenant, my blood poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

We hope that you will consider joining us with your voices. We understand that everyone is busy this time of year, but what a wonderful way to prepare our hearts for the celebration of the Lord’s birth. There will be a rehearsal CD available so we can more easily learn our parts.

Practice at St. Olaf begins on Saturday, November 13 from 3:30 – 4:30 for 5 weeks. Performances are Saturday, December 18 at 5:00 pm at St. Olaf and Sunday, December 19 at 10:00 at St. Jacobi.

Sue Laubeneheimber 262-644-8394

*A cantata is a longer choral composition, often with narration and an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements which focuses around a theme such a Christmas, Easter or Lent.

Date	Asst. Minister	Acolyte
Sat. Oct. 2 5:00 p.m.	Marie Galbraith
Sun. Oct. 3 9:00 a.m.	June Sumnicht	Lauren Snowberger
Sun. Oct. 3 10:30 a.m.	Justine Cadena	Hayley Roraff
Sat. Oct. 9 5:00 p.m.	Pat Warnecke
Sun. Oct. 10 9:00 a.m.	Bruce Benson	Catherine VanLare
Sat. Oct. 16 5:00 p.m.	Dave Kraemer
Sun. Oct. 17 9:00 a.m.	Bernie Krahn	Andrew Wiegel
Sat. Oct. 23 5:00 p.m.	Cindy Schlieve
Sun. Oct. 24 9:00 a.m.	Linda Fredrick	Krista Stewart
Sat. Oct. 30 5:00 p.m.	Dave Johnston
Sun. Oct. 31 9:00 a.m.	Jane Christenson	Keya Schmitt