CALVARY LUTHERAN CHURCH
Your Weekly E-Newsletter April 8, 2021
This Week's Pondering ...
Pastor Ken Nelson
“All the believers were one in heart and mind.  No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.” 
-Acts 4:32

“He is Risen!  Alleluia!” This is the now familiar refrain we hear as we begin worship services on Easter Sunday.  We say it joyfully, publicly and loudly. It is one of, if not the earliest, “creeds” of the church. In the infancy of the church, as it very likely is in many parts of the world today where the Christian faith is not welcome, this four-word creed also functioned as a sort of code.  It was used when you knew it was safe – when in upper rooms or in Roman catacombs believers knew they were in one another’s company.  It was not that they were ashamed, but they were careful – again, in certain places.   Pentecost was a great exception, and there were other early ones, but by and large the church in its infancy was a persecuted body.
 
But it grew nonetheless because … He is Risen!  That is the story line of the entire Book of Acts - look at what became of the church and look what women and men did and endured because “He is Risen”!  In the six remaining weeks of the season of Easter, as well as the Sunday of Pentecost on May 23, my messages will come from the Book of Acts, which will be our first reading each week in place of an Old Testament lesson.  That is because the formation of the people of God we call the church mirrors, in many ways, the formation of the people of God Israel.  
 
In the 4th chapter of Acts, we read that “all the believers were one in heart and mind.  No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.”  This sounds like a passage on giving, and in truth it does reveal a very healthy, biblical conception of possessions – God is our Creator and all things are his. But its inclusion in the Book of Acts (when the church was in its infancy) reveals the dependence each Christian had upon one another – and the necessity of letting nothing get in the way of that fellowship. It’s a quite radical revelation – seldom seen or experienced in our times except perhaps among certain monastic communities.   It is about sharing, for sure, but it is far more a peek into how the church survived in what was, for a long time, a rather hostile environment.   
 
For the church to be one – as Jesus prayed in John 17 - did not require some sort of “Christian socialism”, but it did require love that built up, took care of, and shaped the faith of early Christians so that they could bear a genuine, winsome and powerful witness to the world.   Loving one another, they could love the world, and loving the world they could preach the source of that love – Jesus.  Acts has much to say to the church in all generations.  
 
I hope you will enjoy our series of sermons in Easter – the foundation of which is one simple, profound confession – He is Risen!
 
Because of an empty tomb…
Pastor Ken 
Worship Resources
Online Resources
Easter Services - Thank you Nicole!

Special thanks to Nicole Moritz, our talented coordinator of music ministry, for putting together a beautiful Easter worship. The combination of the Celebration Ringers, the String Quartet, Rick Brostowitz playing the trumpet, talented singers Jenny Brostowitz and Nicole, Kyle's Children's Message and the congregation ringing their bells app created a memorable Easter experience for all who attended. Thank you also to Ben Huettl for sharing his piano skills with us at the 10:15 a.m. service where he received his First Communion.

As one long-time congregation member put it, "Today's service not only found a new way to present the message in the Sermon, in the Kids Message, but also in the special music that made today really special. The opening music with the string quartet, Jenny Brostowitz's beautiful renditions, the duet with Nicole and Jenny, the mix of traditional hymns and more contemporary music, the trumpet accompanying the organ, the mix of the bells and the phones etc. were great. Using the terminology appropriate at the beginning of the baseball season, this was a Grand Slam."

We are a very blessed congregation. If you missed the service, you can watch the recorded 8:15 a.m. service by clicking on the box below.
Beware! Scam emails from Pastor Ken again ....
If you received an email from Pastor Ken Nelson requesting a reply via email, please note that this is a scam! (Pastor's email address is pastorken@calvarylc.com.)

You will never receive an email from anyone in the church office requesting money or the purchase of gift cards. You can forward any scam emails to the FBI at spam@uce.gov.
Worship Information and Updates


April 10 & 11, 2021
Second Sunday of Easter

PRESIDING MINISTER:
  • Pastor Ken Nelson

ASSISTING MINISTER:
  • Larry Bonier

DEACONS:
  • Saturday (5:00 pm): Ernie Kretschmann
  • Sunday (8:15 am): Jonni Roush
  • Sunday (10:15 am): Lisa Grossman

LECTORS:
  • Sunday (8:15 am): Sallie Schulz
  • Sunday (10:15 am): Cathy Wahlgren

CHILDREN'S MESSAGE:
  • Angie Schatz

USHERS:
  • Sunday (8:15 am): George Sedivec
  • Sunday (10:15 am): Jane Krause

ALTAR GUILD:
  • RoJean Holler

ALTAR FLOWERS:
  • The Huettl Family in celebration of Eli's first birthday

POWERPOINT TECHS:
  • Saturday (5:00 pm): Lydia Trudell
  • Sunday (8:15 am): Sallie Schulz
  • Sunday (10:15 am): Chuck Lukasik
Financials & Worship Attendance - April 3 & 4, 2021
Our Church Family
Chris Spangenberger, 4/9
David Treadwell, 4/9
Krista Dentice, 4/10
Carol Treadwell, 4/10
Elijah Huettl, 4/11
Dawn Hanke, 4/12
Jan Lukasik, 4/12
Michele Schmidt, 4/13
Marge Skarie, 4/13
Norm McGarvie, 4/16
Rhonda Rodriguez, 4/16
Sue Meyer, 4/17
Jon Vollmar, 4/17
Gerhard Schulz, 4/18
Mark Trudell, 4/18
Rich and Tina Baumgartner, 4/20 (30 years)
Tom and Sue Sadowsky, 4/20 (36 years)
Tom and Mary Ellen Thiede, 4/24 (45 years)
Chuck and Jan Lukasik, 4/25 (40 years)
Chuck and Norene Giuliani, 4/26 (41 years)
Ed Ramthun and Cathy Way, 4/27 (19 years)
Prayers of sympathy and God's peace to: the family of George Nuenzig, uncle of Kyle Jones, who passed away on April 3.

Prayers of thanksgiving and joy to: Bruce Steffens on the birth of his great granddaughter Esha Elizabeth Chakeri, born on March 23.

God's grace and blessings to: Our six students who received their First Communion last Sunday: Ben Huettl, Grace and Sean Moritz, Ava Morris, Gunnar and Mallory Zipp.

Ongoing short-term prayer requests: Ginny Cox; George Rooney; Grace Gunnlaugsson; Don Heyen; Shirley Mahn; Matthew Ramthun (son of Ed Ramthun); Adam Olson (friend of Jonni Roush); Aggie Fingland (mother of Chuck Giuliani); Delores Seel (mother of Keith Pierce); John Nielson (brother of Judy Kestly); Dave DeBruine (son of Judy DeBruine); Rebecca Cornell (niece of Pastor Ken and Marcella).

Serving in the Military: Dan Berger (serving in the U.S. Marines); Kevin Butler (son of Heidi Powers, serving in the U.S. Army); Ben DeYoung (son-in-law of George and Kay Sedivec, serving in the U.S. Air Force); Alex Olson (U.S. Air Force, grandchild of Ardath Olson); Kyle Pierce (son of Karen and Keith Pierce, serving in the U.S. Army); Karmen Thomas (friend of Tony and Krista Dentice serving in the U.S. Army); Nicole Wahlgren (serving in the U.S. Army National Guard); all military chaplains; and all veterans suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
 
For All Men and Women Serving: Police Officers, Firefighters, Health Care workers and First Responders.   

Serving in the mission field: Our NALC missionaries and missionaries everywhere bringing the gospel to the ends of the Earth.

Long-term prayer list: Calvary members:  Maxine Weisbrodt; Diane Foley; Bill Jordan; Jeanette Ketelsen; Nadine Schuelke; Marge Skarie; Lowell Sonderman; Donna Polizzi; Pat Treutelaar; and Janet Zastrow.

Non-members:  Debby (friend of Judy Sayas); Debbie and Jens Douglas (sister-in-law of Lynnae Douglas); Rose Luther (friend of Nicole Moritz); Judy Grospitz; Jan Janchan (friend of Jonni Roush); Monica Barchus (niece of Ernie Kretschmann); Michael Rossa (Lucy Dallman's son); Karen (friend of Lydia Trudell)

If you have any new prayer requests, please contact the church office at 262.786.4010 or via email to office@calvarylc.com.
Women's Ministry Book Group
Monday, April 12
1:00 p.m.
Fellowship Hall

Our book for April is "The Address" by Fiona Davis. A bit of history, a bit of mystery, a bit of romance, a bit of intrigue.

Here we have the “compelling national bestselling novel about the thin lines between love and loss, success and ruin, passion and madness, all hidden behind the walls of The Dakota—New York City’s most famous residence.” (amazon.com)

Join us for discussion of this book whose story spans a century. Copies of the book can be picked up in the Church office.
Faith Formation
High School Youth Group
Sunday, April 11, 5-7:00 p.m.

Middle School Youth Group
Sunday, April 25, 5-7:00 p.m.

Pastor Ken's Wednesday Bible Study
Wednesdays at 12:30 p.m.
Fellowship Hall
Join Pastor Ken as the focus of his weekly Bible study will return to an in-depth look at the readings which will be used each weekend. Handouts are provided that provide some thoughts and questions that focus on the weekly lessons. (Due to COVID restrictions, refreshments are not provided, but you are invited to bring your own coffee, tea or water.) Please join us!

If you can't attend the Study but would like to read the Text Study handout, you can pick up a copy in the Narthex each week or access it from the Worship Resources at the top of this page.
Men's Ministry
Weekly Men's Breakfast Wednesdays at 7 a.m.
Maxim's Restaurant
18025 W. Capitol Drive
Brookfield

The restaurant seating has been reconfigured in compliance with social distancing requirements.

All men are invited to attend!
Monthly Men's Gathering
Thursday, April 22
6:00 p.m.
Fellowship Hall

Come for fellowship, food and devotion time. Dinner will be provided. Invite a friend. Social distancing will be respected and practiced; face coverings are required.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Ernie Kretschmann at kretschmann@att.net.
April Mission of the Month - Compassion International
Compassion International is a child-advocacy ministry that pairs compassionate people with those who are suffering from poverty. The ministry releases children from spiritual, economic, social, and physical poverty. The goal is for each child to become a responsible and fulfilled adult.
 
Compassion's work has grown from modest beginnings in South Korea in 1952 when American evangelist Rev. Everett Swanson felt compelled to help 35 children orphaned by the Korean conflict. Today it is a worldwide ministry where millions of children are now reaping the benefits of one man's clear, God-given vision. To learn more about Compassion's child sponsorship programs, please click HERE.

To support this important Mission for the Month, you may include it in your weekly offering envelope or designate the donation as "Mission of the Month" in your online giving.



Saturday, May 22
Mitchell Park
9:00 a.m.



The Church Life Committee is sponsoring the second "Poker Walk for Water" on Saturday,
May 22 at 9 a.m. at Mitchell Park. (There is no rain date for this event.)

Join Pastor Ken as he kicks off the Walk at the South Pavilion at Mitchell Park. You will receive three playing cards to start you out, and through a safe and leisurely walk through a 1.6 mile designated path at Mitchell Park, you will pick up four more cards. At the end, you will get your final card. You will then submit your best five card poker hand to try to win a prize for best hand. We will have winners in both youth and adult categories. It is a fun event for all!

Registration is $10/person or $25/family. All proceeds will be donated to Compassion International for its clean water programs. Light refreshments will be served at the Pavilion following the walk. Special thanks to Thrivent for their financial assistance for prizes and refreshments.

A sign up sheet and a map of the route is posted on the glass doors in the Narthex. If you'd like to volunteer to help at one of the stations where playing cards are handed out, please send an email to Sue Rowe at communications@calvarylc.com.
Community Outreach
BRAIN HEALTH: Are you concerned about memory loss or having difficulty remembering things? Are you concerned about a loved one's memory?


The Aging & Disability Resource Center of Waukesha County is sponsoring a ZOOM session regarding brain health. Learn about the difference between normal aging memory changes and memory loss related to mild cognitive impairment or dementia and what can be done for better brain health.

Jennifer Harders, Dementia Care Specialist, will share more on this important topic and what people of all ages can do.

There are two ZOOM meeting dates available:

Tuesday, April 13, Noon - 1:30pm
Tuesday, May 25, 6:30-7:30pm

To register, please contact Jennifer at jharders@waukeshacounty.gov or (414) 519-1246. You will receive more information on accessing the ZOOM session once you are registered.
FREE MEAL PROGRAM
Elmbrook Schools, Waukesha County Food Pantry, and the Brookfield Elm Grove Interfaith Network (BEGIN) are providing free meals to families in our community, regardless of income status.

On Friday, April 16 and Friday, April 30, registered families will receive meals provided by the Waukesha County Food Pantry. In addition, families with children ages 2-18 will receive breakfast and lunch meals per child, provided by Elmbrook Schools’ Food Service Team.

Pickup for both dates will be available at Burleigh Elementary School (16185 Burleigh Pl, Brookfield, WI) from 10:30am-12pm at entrance N-5 on the building’s north side. A delivery option for either day is available for those not able to pick up their food or items. 

To ensure enough food is available, pre-registration is required. Register HERE by April 14 (3:55pm) to participate in the April 16 event.


If you have any questions, please contact Laura Baritt at (262) 781-3030, X1175. Please share this information with anyone you know who may be interested.
St. Vincent de Paul Meal Program
Donations Accepted
St. Vincent de Paul's meal program has significantly changed during COVID and serving of their nightly hot meals has been changed to ensure safe transfer of food. Food is now pre-packaged by St. Vincent de Paul staff and handed out to clients at the doors. Since the food is not donated as it was in the past, and their budget has had to incur this extra expense, they could use additional funding to purchase the food that is given out.

If you'd like to support this worthwhile cause, an easy way to do so is through your giving envelope, or online giving. Simply designate your contribution as "St. Vincent de Paul" and the church office will make sure it gets sent to SVDP. Last year we forwarded $1,345 of your generous donations to Saint Vincent de Paul - great job Calvary!
A few reminders ....
WORSHIP LIVE STREAM AVAILABLE EVERY SUNDAY!

Can't make it to worship? We are live streaming the 8:15 a.m. service on Sunday mornings, and it's almost like you're with us in person.


You can access it at any time from the home page of our website (www.calvarylc.com), or by using the link below. You'll also receive a link on Sunday mornings via email.
Our Stephen Ministers are here for you!
Stephen Ministers are congregation members trained by Stephen Leaders to offer high-quality, one-to-one Christian care to people going through tough times. A Stephen Minister usually provides care to one person at a time, meeting with that person once a week for about an hour. 

If you, or someone you know, could benefit from this important ministry, please contact Scott or Peggy Langelin at 262.853.0018.
Flower Chart

Sanctuary Flowers Sign Up


We invite you to sign up for flowers to beautify our altar each weekend. The sign-up sheet for this year is posted on the bulletin board in the Narthex.

Flowers are $35 and you may take them home following the 10:15 am worship on Sunday morning. If you'd prefer, you can leave the flowers at church to be enjoyed by the office staff.
The right side of the Sanctuary (as you face the altar) is equipped with a hearing loop system which transmits an audio signal directly into a hearing aid via a magnetic field. This greatly reduces background noise, competing sounds, reverberation and other acoustic distortions that reduce clarity of sound.

Most hearing aids are equipped with a t-coil and connecting to this system is an easy switch on the hearing aid. If you need assistance during worship with this system, please reach out to an usher or any staff member.
The church office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. until noon. The door that is closest to the office (NW corner) will be open during those hours.

Please check in with the office staff so we know you are in the building.

The office phone number is (262) 786-4010. Feel free to leave a message if you call after hours and we will contact you the next day.
If you are choosing to remain at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, any Calvary member, regardless of age or health, can request consecrated bread and juice from the weekend worship service. A sealed communion "kit", along with simple instructions to prepare you for communion, can be dropped off at your home by a member of our home communion ministry team.

If you'd like to get on the schedule for this important ministry, please contact the church office at 262.786.4010 or via email to office@calvarylc.com.   You may set up a schedule of delivery weekly, or less often if you choose.
CALVARY LUTHERAN CHURCH www.calvarylc.com
Regular office hours are Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. - noon 262.786.4010
Questions or comments? Email Sue Rowe at communications@calvarylc.com