CALVARY LUTHERAN CHURCH
| Your Weekly E-Newsletter -- Thursday November 9, 2023 | |
|
CHRISTMAS CHILD BOXES ARE DUE ON SUNDAY!
If you'd like to fill a shoebox or two for Operation Christmas Child, empty shoe boxes are in the Narthex under the tables. Please return your filled shoebox no later than SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 12th.
A label is inside each box with instructions on how to pack the shoebox along with gift ideas. DO NOT seal your shoebox(es). Please place a check on top of your gifts in the box for shipping ($10 check made payable to Calvary Lutheran Church). Calvary will send one check for shipping when boxes are sent.
If you have any questions, please contact Diane Knappe.
| |
Reflection on this weekend's Scripture reading | |
|
As we patiently wait for the pastor God has chosen for us, we will be featuring a devotion or other commentary on a verse or section from the readings for each weekend. Each devotion will note its source.
Our Old Testament lesson this weekend is from Amos 5:18-24. Amos was living in Tekoa when God called him to prophesy to His people. The devotion is from "Places along the Way"" by Martin Marty.
“Tekoa”
TekoaI. No one would pay attention to this town South of Bethlehem if it were not connected with the prophet Amos. No one would remember that it ever existed had not Amos received his call there. This call of God astounded him, since he was, he said, “no prophet, nor a prophet's son; but . . . a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees.” There in the loneliness, along the sheep trails, he heard the call of the Lord to prophecy.
Tekoa. Here we are reminded that the call of God can come to the most unexpected people in the least remarkable places. It can come to people like us, in places like ours, as ordinary as we and these may be.
This day and tomorrow, as we put a hand to staff or plow or knife or pen, literally or figuratively; as we face computer or cradle, factory bench or classroom, unemployment line or sick bed, we are in readiness to be called. That call does not come through thunder or earthquake or a voice from heaven, but through the beckonings of people in need and through our own vision of opportunity to serve God.
Most of what Amos said had to be directed against people in power. But if Amos preached “against”, God also gave him a message ”for” Israel and us. At once a threat and a promise, the word insists that God will effect justice --- and for those made just in Christ and empowered by Him to serve justice, that bodes well.
Lord, interrupt our thoughtless routines with your word of judgment, and then in grace let righteousness flow. Amen
| | |
|
|
Day of Pentecost
24th Sunday after Pentecost
November 11-12, 2023
| |
|
PRESIDING MINISTER: Pastor Jerry Wittmus
ASSISTING MINISTER: Larry Bonier
DEACONS:
· Saturday: Larry Bonier
· Sunday: Linda Thorpe, Bill Graffin, Lenny Graffin
ACOLYTES:
- Amelia Evert and Jackson Gall
CHILDREN'S MESSAGE:
USHERS:
LECTOR:
ALTAR GUILD:
GREETERS:
- Carol Roe
- Jonni Roush
- Judy Sayas
FELLOWSHIP:
FLOWERS: Julie Matthes in memory of Fred
POWERPOINT TECH:
- Jeanette Kalupa/Saturday
- Sue Meyer/Sunday
LIVESTREAM OPERATOR:
| |
The Incredible, Unforgettable Calvary Bake Off! | |
|
|
Sunday, December 3rd
10:00 a.m. (following worship)
Fellowship Hall
Entry Categories:
Bars
Cakes
Cookies
Entry forms and a sign up sheet are on the kiosk in the Narthex. Please sign up if you're coming and/or entering something yummy!
This will be a deliciously fun event!
| | | |
|
Our God is a giving God and freely gives. This year’s Stewardship campaign culminates with a celebration in Fellowship Hall after both services this weekend.
If you are interested in giving of your time and talent, please take a look at the various signs on the tables in Fellowship Hall. Each one gives a brief description of a different ministry team or committee in the church. If you need any more information, please contact the church office at 262.786.4010.
If you haven't had a chance to return your Pledge Card, addtiional copies are on the kiosk in the Narthex. Calvary is so very blessed by your giving – thank you!
| |
 | |
New prayer requests or any updates to this current list should be directed to Cindy Zilske in the Church office (office@calvarylc.com).
New prayer requests: Grace Gunnlaugsson; Gerald van Zyverden (nephew of Lisa Grossman)
Ongoing short-term prayer requests: Bruce Steffens; Sue Rowe; Jan Chesner;.Jim Walters (cousin of Krista Dentice); Lynn Weber (godmother of Angie Schatz); Karly Bambanek (friend of Joanne Schultz); Wolf Knappe (father of Pastor Mark Knappe); Sue Miller (sister of Mary Ellen Thiede); Mark Sturms (cousin of Cindy Zilske); Peter Vang (relative of Ka Thao); Edward Hermann (son of Marilyn Hermann); Courtney Cook (friend of Lenny Graffin); Dennis Krupa, Nate Kreiter, Matti Beilfuss (friends of Rick Kegel); Laura Burger (Calvary member and twin sister of Linda Richmond); Ron Parker (brother of Linda Thorpe); Sharon Anderson (mother of Deron Anderson); Lou Dangler (friend of Evelyn Ceci); Paul Mahn (son of Shirley Mahn); Hunter Green (nephew of Andy and Angie Schatz); Tom Schatz (father of Andy Schatz); Susie Barnhart and Amy Clark (friends of Megan Scott); Delores Seel (mother of Keith Pierce).
Please continue to pray for: God’s guidance and support for our Call Committee, and that the Holy Spirit is working in the heart of the pastor He wishes to call as the next pastor of Calvary.
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, EMT's; 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: Pat Corcoran; Wayne Dieck; Ron Foster; Bev Lawson; Shirley Mahn, Nadine Schuelke; Gloria Strei; Pat Treutelaar; Janet Zastrow
Non-members: Mary (sister-in-law of Jane Taufner); Lauren (granddaughter of Scott and Peggy Langelin); Dennis Reich (friend of John and Mary Lau); Curt (friend of Larry Bonier); Pastor Mark Gehrke (son of Lois Gehrke); Barb Anderson (friend of Lisa Grossman); Gareth George (cousin of Judy Sayas); Monica Barchus (niece of Ernie Kretschmann); Michael Rossa (Lucy Dallman's son); Karen (friend of Lydia Trudell); Susan Petropoulos (sister of Wayne Johnson); Tom Dallman (husband of Lucy Dallman); Laura Lynn (friend of Pastor Jerry and Nancy Wittmus)
| | |
|
Karen Pierce, 11/12
Peggy Langelin, 11/14
Chuck Lukasik, 11/14
Craig Schmidt, 11/15
Paula Altman, 11/16
Gael Hirth, 11/17
Darlene Louison, 11/17
Rich Baumgartner, 11/18
Pat Dieck, 11/23
Jacklyn Warber, 11/23
Terry Bzdusek, 11/24
Bonnie Johnson, 11/26
Allison Mayer, 11/26
Sarah Gall, 11/27
| |  |
|
Harold and Shelby Rose, 11/11 (56 years)
Bill and Lenny Graffin, 11/24 (34 years)
Al and Rhonda Rodriguez, 12/23 (51 years)
Ron and Jean Holman, 12/26 (70 years)
Bob and Donna Siderits, 12/26 (63 years)
Jeremy and Nicole Nowicki, 12/28 (13 years)
Ben and Amy Blobaum, 12/29 (3 years)
Rick and Carol Treadwell, 12/29 (50 years)
Ken and Amanda Olstinski, 12/31 (2 years)
| | |
Ben Blobaum's Ordination/Installation | |
|
Our most recent intern, Ben Blobaum, was ordained and installed as the Pastor at St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Flanagan, IL on Sunday, November 5th. Several Calvary members made the trip down to Flanagan to witness and celebrate this joyous occasion.
Congratulations and best wishes to Ben, Amy and Josiah as they embark on this new chapter in his ministry.
If you'd like to watch Ben's ordination/installation service, click HERE.
| |
|
Birthday Party for Everyone!
Friday, November 17
6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
SIGN UP SHEET IS ON THE KIOSK IN THE NARTHEX
We are having a party to celebrate everyone - all at once! You will be sitting with others from your birthday month, to make your "team". Each team will be working together on trivia questions, fun group activties, and, of course, decorating your cake!
Join is for this great intergenerational event - all are welcome!
| |
Thanksgiving Eve Pie Social
Wednesday, November 22
Worship at 7:00 p.m. /Social to follow
IF YOU'D LIKE, PLEASE BRING A PIE TO SHARE!
| |
|
Little Lutherans
PJ's & Prayers
Friday, November 10, 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
Elementary School (1st - 5th grade)
Duck Pin Bowling, Saturday, November 18 , 10:45 a.m. - Noon.
Monthly Youth Group, Sunday December 10, 11:30 - 1:30 p.m.
Middle School (6-8th grade)
Monthly Youth Group, Sunday, November 19, 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
December 17, 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
High School (9-12th grade)
Monthly Youth Group, Sunday, November 12, 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Up All Night! Lock In, December 1: 8:00 p.m. - December 2: 8:00 a.m.
If you didn't get a chance to pick up the bulletin with upcoming Youth & Family Ministry events, you can link below to see all the fun activities planned for us. Paper copies are also on the Opportunties kiosk in the Narthex.
| | |
Community Outreach Opportunities | |
Save the Date!
Church Life is pleased to partner with students from Brookfield Central High School in sponsoring a Blood Drive at Calvary on Thursday, December 28 from 11:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
More information regarding donor sign-up and volunteer opportunities will be available after Thanksgiving.
| |
|
November Mission of the Month
| |
|
Care Net Pregnancy Center is a newer mission for Calvary and we are thrilled to be part of those helping to fund and spread its good work. Several of us have visited and volunteered on site and have witnessed the work of God that this group does. A representative from CareNet will be with us the weekend of November 18-19 to share more information on the important work they are doing.
Mission: To share the love of Christ and the hope of the Gospel with women facing an unplanned pregnancy.
Services: Pregnancy testing, ultrasounds, life-affirming options counseling, material support for mom and baby, classes and groups for pregnant and new moms and post-abortion counseling.
Last year they performed 904 pregnancy tests and 967 ultrasounds. They gave out over 60,000 diapers and met with 1,474 different women.
So far this year they have had over 160 women take classes, and each woman takes an average of about 10 classes.
Approximately 70% of women considering abortion choose life after visiting Care Net.
| |
|
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.
| |
|
We Are Hosting a Christmas Concert You Won't Want to Miss!
We are excited to have Award-winning artist Erin Krebs join us for a free Holiday Concert
on Friday, December 1 at 7:00 pm. Invite your friends and family to join us for this
night of special holiday music!
To learn more about this very talented artist, please click HERE.
|
|
Upcoming Advent and Christmas
Worship Services & Resources
Sunday, Decmeber 3 - First Sunday of Advent (Guest musician Gela Ashcroft)
Sunday, December 10 - Lessons & Carols (9 a.m. worship)
Sunday, December 17 - Family Christmas Program (9 a.m. worship)
Saturday, December 23 - 5 p.m. Service (Fourth Sunday of Advent)
Sunday, December 24 - 9 a.m.. Service (Fourth Sunday of Advent)
Sunday, December 24 - 4 p.m. Christmas Eve Candlelight Service
Monday, December 25 - 9 a.m. Christmas Day Service
There will not be mid-week Advent services this year. However, an Advent daily devotional book, "This is My Son", is available on the table in the Narthex.
| |
|
You're invited to join us for our next "Hymn Sing"
Sunday, November 19
8:45 a.m. (before service)
In lieu of Prelude music, would you like to get a chance to sing your favorite hymn or worship song as you prepare for service? You can bring your hymn request with you, or email to Nicole in advance at music@calvarylc.com.
Nicole will also offer some brief "Tips and Tricks" for better singing so that we can all be more confident. We can all learn to sing on a higher level than we currently do - there are many ways to do that. She'd like to give you some "tricks" to think about the next time you sing ... let's unite our voices and sing to the glory of God!
|
| | |
Women's Book Group
November 13, 2023 - 12:30 p.m.
Media Room
"Agatha Christie: An Elusive Woman"
A new, fascinating account of the life of Agatha Christie from celebrated literary and cultural historian Lucy Worsley.
"Nobody in the world was more inadequate to act the heroine than I was."
Why did Agatha Christie spend her career pretending that she was “just” an ordinary housewife, when clearly she wasn’t? Her life is fascinating for its mysteries and its passions and, as Lucy Worsley says, "She was thrillingly, scintillatingly modern." She went surfing in Hawaii, she loved fast cars, and she was intrigued by the new science of psychology, which helped her through devastating mental illness.
So why - despite all the evidence to the contrary - did Agatha present herself as a retiring Edwardian lady of leisure?
She was born in 1890 into a world that had its own rules about what women could and couldn’t do. Lucy Worsley’s biography is not just of a massively, internationally successful writer. It's also the story of a person who, despite the obstacles of class and gender, became an astonishingly successful working woman.
With access to personal letters and papers that have rarely been seen, Lucy Worsley’s biography is both authoritative and entertaining and makes us realize what an extraordinary pioneer Agatha Christie was—truly a woman who wrote the twentieth century.
| | | |
Worship Attendance and Giving Options | |
Giving to the NALC Campaign | |
Just a reminder that contributions to the NALC's 20/20 Vision Campaign need to be designated as "NALC" either on your giving envelope or on your check. If you have any questions, please contact Cindy Rooks at finance@calvarylc.com.
For an update on the NALC's 20/20 Vision campaign, click on the link below to watch an update from Bishop Selbo. This video highlights the work we are doing, the ways in which gifts to the initiative are already being used, and the impact future gifts will have in our shared witness and mission.
| |
|
|
Online giving provides options!
While cash and checks are always welcome, the “Give Online” button on the Calvary Lutheran Church website provides another option. And, with the expansion of our vendor’s software, the options are now expanded and customized. In addition to giving to the General Operating Fund, Building Fund and Mission of the Month, you can now specify contributions for Altar Flowers, Sunday Morning Fellowship Treats, NALC, etc.
| | |
|
Please note that contributions to the Mission of the Month are allocated to the organization for the month in which the donation is made
If you have any questions or would like to make a pledge, please contact Cindy Rooks, Finance Secretary, via email at finance@calvarylc.com or (262) 786-4010.
| |
|
Weekly Men's Breakfast
Wednesdays at 7 a.m.
Maxim's Restaurant
18025 W. Capitol Drive
Brookfield
All men are invited to attend!
| | |
|
Monthly Men's Gathering
Fellowship Hall
Thursday, November 16, 2023
6:00 p.m.
If you have any questions, please contact Ernie Kretschmann at erniekretschmann@gmail.com
| | |
Do you need a new Church Directory? | |
The Calvary Church Directory is available electronically or in paper format. If you'd like an electronic copy, please send an email to Sue Rowe at communications@calvarylc.com.
There are also printed copies available in the church office.
If there are any changes to your phone, email or address, please advise the Church office. Any updates should be submitted to Cindy Zilske at office@calvarylc.com.
| |
|
|
Sanctuary Flowers
A wonderful way to celebrate a special occasion or remember a loved one is by sponsoring flowers at our altar. The cost is $35 and you may take them home following the Sunday morning worship. (If you'd prefer, you can leave the flowers at church to be enjoyed in the church office.)
The 2024 sign-up sheet is posted on the bulletin board in the Narthex, near the door to Fellowship Hall.
| | | |
|
We invite you to provide
Hospitality Treats on Sunday
We invite you to stay after worship on Sunday mornings and enjoy fellowship time and a treat/cup of coffee in Fellowship Hall.
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 (six 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.
The sign up sheet for 2024 has been posted on the bulletin board. Thank you for your support!
| |
Live Stream Attendance Link | |
If you watch our services via the Live Stream, please take a minute to let us know. There is now a link called "Online Worship Attendance" on the page where you access each week's service.
We appreciate you taking the time to complete this each week. It helps us know that our Live Stream is being viewed and by whom.
Thank you!
| |
|
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.
| | | | |
