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CALVARY LUTHERAN CHURCH

Your Weekly E-Newsletter Thursday, December 2, 2021

“What do you think? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said “son, go and work today in the vineyard.” “I will not” he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered “I will, sir” but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of the father.” Matthew 21:28-31a

I hope this finds you well, and that you will join us for one or more of our remaining midweek Advent Vespers services on Wednesday, December 8 and 15 at 7:00 p.m. They are beautiful services of singing and chanting the Psalms of the season and dwelling, often in silence, in the word of the Lord. Yes, we also have some nice refreshments afterward as a bonus of Advent fellowship, but, I assure you, the services themselves will be the best gift.

Please give thought to joining us. If you did attend this week's service, or plan to attend in the future, you’ll be familiar with the message. If you aren't able to attend a mid-week service, I will reproduce my reflections from each service in this newsletter. Do take the time to read through the Bible lessons we use each week on your own. This week, they were Amos 6:1-7, II Peter 3:1-10 and Matthew 21:23-32. Dwell silently for a few moments after each reading. If you can, do this in the evening and light a candle. A good way to confess the faith when you light the candle and center yourself on the message of Advent is to say, “Jesus Christ is the light of the world, the light no darkness can overcome.”

I hope you enjoy your time in the Word. My message is from this week's midweek service, and is based on the reading from Matthew 21:23-32:

John Henry Newman, in a sermon on the conversion of Saul who became Paul, the Apostle of our Lord, said that in the parable in Matthew of “two sons” (one who refused his father’s request to go and work the vineyard but later did, and one who promised he would but didn’t), we see the course and character of human obedience to God on the whole.

He said “there are two sides of it. I have taken the darker side; the case of profession without practice, of saying “I go sir” and of not going. But what is the brighter side? There is nothing better than to say, “I go not” and to repent and go.” Newman, who was to become a Cardinal in the Roman Catholic church, went on to say, “the more common condition of men (and women) is to not know their inability to serve God … and so they quietly pass through life, as if they had nothing to fear.”

Advent is a time for us to incline ourselves against that tendency - to reflect on why Christ and His nativity are good news for us in the first place. Advent precedes Christmas – a day of great joy, imposing (or gifting) a full 28 or so days of preparation of the reflecting, repenting sort on us. Often we’d rather get on with the joy and leave the reflection behind – to quietly, or rather in our modern times not so quietly at all, simply pass through Advent, as if it had nothing to do with us or with our celebration of Christmas.

That is understandable. Yet it is said that those who keep Advent well keep Christmas better. Such a person knows how much Christ’s coming means, having taken the time to examine their hearts. Here is a good place to start - have you ever said ‘yes’ to your heavenly Father only to later say, or do 'no'? Cardinal Newman observed “to be alive as a Christian, is nothing more than to struggle against sin, to disobey, and repent.” This is why God came into the world, to call sinners, whom John 1:11-12 says “neither knew him nor received him”, into a kingdom of grace – where they would know Him fully.

In the remainder of tonight’s silences, examine what it is in you, that makes “for unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior - Christ the Lord” such wonderful news for you.

Pastor Ken

Thank you to all who have turned in their pledge cards for 2022. If you haven't turned in your commitment for next year, please drop it in the offering basket or in the office. The church office will be following up with those who have not returned their cards. Additional copies of the pledge cards can be found on the table in the Narthex.

Poinsettia Orders are Due by December 13th

We invite you to purchase one or more poinsettia plants to decorate our altar for Christmas Eve/Day services. We are again working with Shady Lane Nursery to provide top quality red, white or "jingle bell" (red with flecks of white and gold) plants with two plants per pot and wrapped in colored foil.

The cost is the same as last year ($25/plant). Order forms can be found on the table in the Narthex. You can also access a form to print at home by clicking on the order form shown here.

Completed forms are due by Monday, December 13th.

Free Christmas Cards

We have accumulated many, many greeting cards over the years in the church office. Special thanks to Mary Ellen Thiede for taking the time to organize the supply we have so that the Deacons can utilize them.

A bin of Christmas cards is on the table in the Narthex - help yourself if you need a card or two this year!

December 4-5, 2021

Second Sunday of Advent

Printed copies of the weekend's readings and text study guides are available at the entrances to the Sanctuary.

Presiding Minister: Pastor Ken Nelson

Assisting Minister: Jessica Dudzik

Lector: Karen Pierce

Acolytes: Addison Meyer and Mallory Zipp

Children’s Message (Sunday): Megan Schatz

Special Music: Gela Ashcroft, Psallite Choir (Sunday)

Deacons:

· Saturday: Ed Ramthun

· Sunday: Mary Ellen Thiede, Terry Bzdusek, Glori Kurth

Ushers (Sunday): George Sedivec and Brad/Preston Meyer

Altar Guild: Jan Lukasik

Altar Flowers: Kalupa Family in memory of Gabriele Muth

Fellowship Treats: Diane and Joe Grundman

PowerPoint Tech:

· Saturday: Cindy Rooks

· Sunday: Sue Meyer

LiveStream Tech: Kyle Jones

Worship Attendance - November 25, 27, 28

Save the date - Special Events

Holiday Jazz Concert - TONIGHT!!

featuring Kostia Efimov & Friends

Thursday, December 2, 7:00 p.m.

Kostia Efimov is a Russian born pianist, award winning composer and Narada recording artist that travels and performs worldwide and resides in Milwaukee, WI. USA

Kostia is a driving force in music both nationally and internationally. He is available for performances in several formats, including: Solo piano performance; Piano/Guitar duo with Daryl Stuermer; Piano/Vocal duos with acclaimed regional and national vocalists and master classes in various educational settings.

Contemporary Worship featuring Gela Ashcroft

This Sunday, December 5, 9:00 a.m.

This Sunday morning's service will feature a special guest musician with a variety of Christmas/Advent music sprinkled throughout the service. Here's a little more information about Gela Ashcroft:

Gela is a professional music composer, arranger, and orchestrator for films, videos, commercials, musicals, plays, and songs. She composed, conducted, and recorded a 70-minute full orchestral score with the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra for Rising Star Entertainment’s Western feature entitled, “The Long Ride Home,” starring Randy Travis, Eric Roberts, Ernest Borgnine, and Garry Marshall. She is also a writer/producer of screenplays, children’s books, and currently an adult devotional series.

She is a graduate of Baylor University with a “Bachelor of Music in Music Composition” and received her Masters from the University of Southern California in “Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television.” She also studied Graduate level Orchestral Conducting at The University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. She performed as a soprano with the Milwaukee Symphony Chorus for 15 years and enjoyed two solo performances.

She loves to sing, play piano and flute, and lead worship at area churches and events. She has four young adult children and co-owns Ashcroft Electric and Construction with her husband, Steve, of 31 years.

We hope you can join us on Sunday!

Lessons & Carols

Sunday, December 12, 9:00 a.m.

Featuring the Psallite Choir the Celebration Ringers

Our Church Family

Shelby Rose, 12/2

John Foley, 12/5

Nadine Schuelke, 12/11

Caleb Liu, 12/14

Amanda Kalupa, 12/15

Brian Kretschmann, 12/15

Bob Smith, 12/15

Ray Chesner, 12/17

Donnie Dentice, 12/17

Al and Rhonda Rodriguez, 12/23 (49 years)

Ron and Jean Holman, 12/26 (68 years)

Bob and Donna Siderits, 12/26 (61 years)

Jeremy and Nicole Nowicki, 12/28 (11 years)

Rick and Carol Treadwell, 12/29 (48 years)

God's blessings and grace to: Vivian Nicole Peters, daughter of Lindsey and John Peters, who will be baptized on Saturday, December 4.

New prayer requests: Susan Petropoulos (sister of Wayne Johnson)

Ongoing short-term prayer requests: the Waukesha community and all who were impacted by the horrific events at the Christmas parade; Ruth Young, Fay Heyen, Janet Zastrow; Kay Sedivec; Megan Schatz; Mary Smith; Ginny Cox; Matt (friend of Larry Bonier); Tom Frank (brother of Mary Ellen Thiede); Taylor Czerwinski (granddaughter of Bill and Lenny Graffin); Lisa Haggadone (daughter of Sallie Schulz); Tom Dallman (husband of Lucy Dallman); Marie Traxler (mother of Sue Meyer); Eric (friend of Larry Bonier); Dale Hermann (son of Marilyn Hermann); Father Patrick Malone (Holy Cross Anglican Church); Delores Seel (mother of Keith Pierce); John Nielson (brother of Judy Kestly)

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: Don Heyen; Shirley Mahn; Donna Polizzi; Nadine Schuelke.

Non-members: Nancy Myers (friend of Judy Sayas); Paige Yeager (friend of Sallie Schulz's family); 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.

Fellowship Opportunities

Women's Christmas

Open House

Women of Calvary are invited to come and share a cup of coffee or cider at Marcella Nelson's home.

Come when you can, and leave when you must. Feel free to bring your daughters or a friend.

19245 McAllister Lane Unit A

Brookfield, WI 53045

Saturday, December 11

1 - 4 p.m.

Hospitality Treats

We invite you to stick around after worship on Sunday mornings and enjoy fellowship time and a treat/cup of coffee in Fellowship Hall. We are taking great care to provide safe food items for you (poured cups of coffee and plated breakfast snacks).

If you'd like to provide treats (donuts, bagels, etc.) for Sunday hospitality time, there is a sheet on the bulletin board in Fellowship Hall. You may bring the treats (3-4 dozen) and drop them off in the kitchen, or simply add a “P” behind your name, pay $30 to the church office and the treats will be purchased for you.

For the time being, we are asking that any donated food be something that can be easily cut and placed on individual plates for serving.

Faith Formation

Description: The Bible tells a very adult story of Jesus’ birth. Social outcasts and Gentiles were honored witnesses; a powerful king became fearful and murderous. This course explores these issues and reexamines traditional Western assumptions about the first Christmas in the context of Middle Eastern customs and culture. An ideal study during Advent. Like other works written by Crossways Bible Study founder Dr. Harry Wendt, this study uses graphic illustrations to help students understand and remember important concepts and themes. The text is written with bullet-point paragraphs to highlight key teachings. Each chapter also includes discussion questions at the end to spark group conversation.

Advent Adult Bible Class – “The Real Story of Christmas” (Crossways International Study)

Meets on Sundays

December 5, 12 & 19

Media Room

10:30 – 11:30 a.m.

led by Pastor Ken Nelson

Sunday, December 5: "The Story Behind the Christmas Story" and "Setting the Stage"

Sunday December 12: "The King is Born"

Sunday, December 19 "God's New Kingdom Grows” and “God's New Kingdom Lasts Forever"

Materials are available at a cost of $10 for the student booklet. There is a sign-up sheet on the fellowship hall glass doorways.

Space is limited so please sign up soon. Materials are helpful but not required to participate.

Pastor Ken's Weekly Bible Study

Wednesdays at 12:30 p.m. in Fellowship Hall

Pastor Ken's weekly Bible study is held each Wednesday from 12:30 -1:30 p.m. in Fellowship Hall. He will lead discussion around the Scripture lessons that will be read in worship the following weekend. Please bring your Bibles - other materials will be provided.

Copies of the text study sheets will be available on the table in the Narthex if you can't attend the Bible study, but would like to refer to it for the weekend worship.

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

On hiatus until January 27, 2022

If you have any questions, please reach out to Ernie Kretschmann at kretschmann@att.net.

November Mission of the Month

Care Net Pregnancy Center of Milwaukee

Care Net Pregnancy center is a new Mission for Calvary. We’ve learned of it in the past year and are thrilled to be part of those helping to fund and spread it’s good work. Several of us have visited and volunteered on site and have witnessed the work of God that this group does. Below is listed their PURPOSE and MISSION:

PURPOSE: To uphold the sanctity of human life and share the love of Christ and the hope of the Gospel with women and their families facing an unplanned pregnancy.

MISSION: To encourage women to choose life by offering spiritual and practical care during and after pregnancy.

STATISTICS FOR 2020

277 pregnant women considering abortion were seen and offered ultrasounds. 80% of those women chose life for their babies. Several of these women chose to place their babies for adoption, and so many more received physical and religious support throughout their pregnancy and beyond.

Care Net also offers emotional and religious support for women who have had abortions and are suffering emotional anguish after.

Counseling is offered to unmarried women to encourage abstinence (going forward) until marriage which is God’s plan for us.

Please consider Care Net to support their Godly work, as well as possibly volunteering at the site. Click here to be directed to their website for more information. To support this important Mission of the Month, you may include it in your weekly offering envelope or designate the donation as "Mission of the Month" in your online giving.

Community Outreach

It's time to decorate the Mitten Tree ... and more.

The 'mitten tree' will be in the Narthex ready for your donations. Needed are Men's gloves and hats.

In addition to mittens, hats and scarves for all ages (which can be placed on the tree), we are collecting the following winter clothing donations (children, teens, men's and women's sizes):

Coats and jackets
Sweatshirts, sweaters
Long underwear, socks

Items can be new or used and should be placed into the collection bins which are under the tables in the Narthex. Please bring your donations by December 19th.

All donations will be distributed at the annual New Year’s Eve Day outreach sponsored by B.A.S.I.C.S. (Brothers and Sisters In Christ Serving). Let's all help keep our Milwaukee neighbors warm!

It's easy to support our local Food Pantry!

Thanksgiving Food Pantry Collection

Stop by the shopping cart in the Narthex and grab a grocery bag to fill with food items. There is a list attached to each bag (see list in this article) of suggested food items to fill the bag.

Please bring your filled bags by Sunday, December 5th.

Thanks for sharing your food blessings with the hungry.

A few reminders ....

Sunday mornings at 9 a.m.

The link is available on the home page at www.calvarylc.com

Sanctuary Flowers

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

Flowers are $35 and you may take them home following the 9:00 am worship on Sunday morning. If you'd prefer, you can leave the flowers at church to be enjoyed by the office staff.

Severe Weather Announcements

With winter coming, we are reminded that weather can definitely impact traveling to church. And with that, inclement weather could necessitate the cancelling of worship.

In the event this should happen, you will receive an e-mail stating that the church is closed. We will also be sharing this with WISN-TV 12 and FOX6 so that it will be included in their scrolling list and on their website of closures.

Facing tough times? Need a Christian Friend?

Stephen Ministry is here to help. Free, just like God's love.

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.

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.