MAY 2015 - Monona Lutheran Church

MONONA MESSENGER
Newsletter of:
Monona Ev. Lutheran Church, LC-MS
4411 Monona Dr.
Monona, WI 53716
NON-PROFIT ORG
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
MADISON, WI
PERMIT #1436
JUNE/JULY
2015
Divine Worship
Sunday 9:00 a.m.
Monday Evening 6:00 p.m.
Communion Services
1st and 3rd Sunday of each month.
Midweek Lenten & Advent Vespers 6:00 p.m.
NO Monday Worship on Legal Holidays
August
Messenger Deadline
July 22nd, 2015
NO LATE ARTICLES
Please submit articles by this date
e-mail: mlc-ms@hotmail.com
or leave a copy on the office desk
Christian Education Hour
Sunday 10:15 a.m.
Sunday School & Bible Classes
for Adults, Youth and Children
Pastor: Rev. Thomas Nowak
Office Phone: 222-7071
E-mail: mlc-ms@hotmail.com
www.mononalutheran.org
OUR MISSION STATEMENT
“Loving Christ, Serving Others through Preaching, Teaching, Reaching”
MONONA MESSENGER
June/July 2015
+ VACATION WITH THE LORD, NOT FROM HIM +
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Dear Fellow Redeemed in Christ Jesus,
Summer is finally here! Most of us have been eagerly anticipating it for many long, chilly
months. Summer provides us with a chance to unwind, to relax, to take leave of some of our dayto-day responsibilities.
Here at Monona, summer is a time of reduced activity in some respects as many of our
regular groups suspend meetings until the fall, while others increase in activity. The summer is
when we do most of our planning for the coming September through May "busy season". Summer
is also a time when attendance at worship experiences a decline as many people travel during these
months.
We'd like to take the opportunity to encourage you, as an individual member of our
congregation, to do some planning of your own during the summer months. First of all, please don't
neglect your worship life when you are on vacation. We constantly need the spiritual strength that
only the means of grace can provide. Contact the church office for assistance in locating a church
near your vacation site.
Though summer activities may keep us away from our church on occasion, they certainly
don't need to keep us away from our Savior. Don't forget to glorify Him in ALL things. Here are a
few summer suggestions to help you do that: 1. Again when you are away, try to locate a nearby
Christian church and go to worship. (I'd appreciate it if you would bring me back a bulletin.) 2. If it
is not possible to locate a church where you are, why not plan and hold your own family devotions?
This is a good way for families to worship their Lord and reinforce their closeness at the same time.
If possible have the head of your family open and close your family prayer with each family
member taking their turn. You will experience a wonderful closeness in your family as each in turn
"presents their requests to God." 3. Please don't forget that your own congregation's financial
obligations need to be met twelve months a year. These obligations don't stop for the summer. 4.
Lastly, start thinking toward fall. If you have gotten out of the habit of attending worship regularly,
the "new year" of church activities beginning in September might be an excellent time for you to get
started again.
If you've been worshiping but are otherwise inactive, the fall would be a good time to
increase your activity. There is plenty to do in the Lord's service, and there is certainly a place you
can fill. Have a great summer! But as you make plans to "get away from it all," please don't get
away from your Savior. Vacation with the Lord, not from Him.
In the love of Jesus,
Pastor Nowak
Congratulations and God’s Blessings
to those celebrating special dates
Prayer Chain
Life presents challenges to all of us, but
sometimes those challenges can feel like it’s just
too much. If you are experiencing situations,
whether physical, emotional, or spiritual, call our
Prayer chain: Susan Bartlett at 608-437-5765,
Louise Lemke at 608-222-6740, or the church
office at 608-222-7071 or if you would like to
become a part of our Prayer chain.
“Hear my prayer, O Lord;
listen to my cry for mercy.”
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Financial Report status through April 2015
General Fund Income YTD - $55,157.98
General Fund Expenses YTD - 51,402.50
Income Less Expenses 3.755.48
Total General Fund Account -
86,338.90
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
BLOOD DRIVE: There will be a blood drive
on Wednesday, June 3rd, 2015 from 1:30 p.m. until
6:00 p.m. here at the church. Since donations usually
drop during the summer months. The American Red
Cross is depending on donors such as yourself to give.
Thank you to those who continue to give throughout
the year.
Organ Refurbishment:
Dear fellow redeemed,
As mentioned in the letter sent to the congregation, the
Voters have approved our refurbishment of our 20 year old
organ in order to enhance our worship for the next 20 years.
The envelope included with this newsletter is for that
purpose.
Thank you in advance for all who are moved by the Spirit for
this expression of Christian love and all that lies behind it.
Receiving such gifts from fellow Christians reinforces for all
of us the joy of Christian love and reminds us of our Savior’s
free gifts of forgiveness, salvation, and the promise of
everlasting life. It is so encouraging to see the love of Christ
evident in the actions as well as in the words of His people.
Thanks again for all who are moved to contribute to this
much needed and worthwhile project. Your generosity and
thoughtfulness are truly appreciated.
JULY
BIRTHDAYS
JUNE
BIRTHDAYS
Joy Hamburg
Shirley Sommer
Judy Thompson
Jeanne Nowak
Greg Simmons
Molly Daniels
Alyssa Simon
Dale Thur
Jeff Reinholtz
Louise Lemke
Aleah Noll
Zeke Bartlett
Martha Gottschalk
1
8
12
18
18
20
23
23
24
26
26
27
29
Nick Richards
Janet Graham
Jeremie Cribben
Don Hamburg
Jim Meyer
Larry TerMaat
Linda Ampe
Butch Butler
Jack Fahser
Dorothy Roth
Clem Dohmeier
John Germaine
Gene Kosbau
Neil Bartlett
Amber Daniels
ANNIVERSARY
CELEBRATIONS
JUNE
Robert & Doris Ganiere
1
Anna & John McNeil
1
Rev. Thomas & Jeanne Nowak 1
Mike & Sarah Simon
4
Dave & Cindy Krivanek
9
Dale & Martha Gottschalk
10
Richard & Tami Noll
22
Don & Joy Hamburg
24
JULY
Gerald & Jeanette Schellpfeffer 4
Gary & Gail Steingraber
9
Mark & Meghan Steingraber 16
The Book Club will not meet in June. The next meeting will be
on Thursday, July 2. The selection is the third novel in the
Chronicles of the Kings series, The Strength of His Hand, by
Lynn Austin, which continues the story of King Hezekiah. Please
join us at 10:30 in the welcoming area.
Save the Date: July 12th, 2015 – 10:45 am –
Church Picnic – watch for details.
Healing Service:
Our next Healing Service will be offered again on June 14th,
after the regular worship service. If you have a burden or
sickness that you would like to commend to the Lord, this would
be a great time to do so.
Rejoicing in His love,
Pastor Nowak
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY
JUNE 21st, 2015
2
7
8
8
9
10
13
13
15
16
19
22
26
28
31
JUNE Bible Readings
Date
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
Morning
2 Chron. 4-6
2 Chron. 7-9
2 Chron. 10-12
2 Chron. 13-16
2 Chron. 17-19
2 Chron. 20-22
2 Chron. 23-25
2 Chron. 26-28
2 Chron. 29-31
2 Chron. 32,33
2 Chron. 34-36
Ezra 1,2
Ezra 3-5
Ezra 6-8
Ezra 9,10
Nehemiah 1-3
Nehemiah 4-6
Nehemiah 7,8
Nehemiah 9-11
Nehemiah 12,13
Esther 1-3
Esther 4-6
Esther 7-10
Job 1-3
Job 4-6
Job 7-9
Job 10-12
Job 13-15
Job 16-18
Job 19,20
Evening
John 12:20-50
John 13:1-17
John 13:18-38
John 14
John 15
John 16:1-15
John 16:16-33
John 17
John 18:1-23
John 18:24-40
John 19:1-22
John 19:23-42
John 20
John 21
Acts 1
Acts 2:1-13
Acts 2:14-47
Acts 3
Acts 4:1-22
Acts 4:23-37
Acts 5:1-16
Acts 5:17-42
Acts 6
Acts 7:1-19
Acts 7:20-43
Acts 7:44-60
Acts 8:1-25
Acts 8:26-40
Acts 9:1-22
Acts 9:23-43
JULY
Date
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
Bible Readings
Morning
Job 21,22
Job 23-25
Job 26-28
Job 29,30
Job 31,32
Job 33,34
Job 35-37
Job 38,39
Job 40-42
Psalm 1-3
Psalm 4-6
Psalm 7-9
Psalm 10-12
Psalm 13-16
Psalm 17,18
Psalm 19-21
Psalm 22-24
Psalm 25-27
Psalm 28-30
Psalm 31-33
Psalm 34,35
Psalm 36,37
Psalm 38-40
Psalm 41-43
Psalm 44-46
Psalm 47-49
Psalm 50-52
Psalm 53-55
Psalm 56-58
Psalm 59-61
Psalm 62-64
Evening
Acts 10:1-23
Acts 10:24-48
Acts 11
Acts 12
Acts 13:1-23
Acts 13:24-52
Acts 14
Acts 15:1-21
Acts 15:22-41
Acts 16:1-15
Acts 16:16-40
Acts 17:1-15
Acts 17:16-34
Acts 18
Acts 19:1-20
Acts 19:21-41
Acts 20:1-16
Acts 20:17-38
Acts 21:1-14
Acts 21:15-40
Acts 22
Acts 23:1-11
Acts 23:12-35
Acts 24
Acts 25
Acts 26
Acts 27:1-25
Acts 27:26-44
Acts 28:1-15
Acts 28:16-31
Romans 1
G’DAY MATES!! GET READY FOR THE FUN!
At Outback Rock VBS, kids venture into solid faith and discover God’s powerful presence in everyday life! This
VBS is filled with incredible Bible-learning experiences kids see, hear, and touch. Cool Bible songs, and multisensory Bible
adventures are just a few of the activities that help faith flow into real life. (Since everything is hands-on, kids might get a
little messy. Be sure to send them in play clothes and sturdy shoes.) The faith lessons they will experience will be God is
with Joseph and Jesus dies and comes back to life, then appears to his followers. Fun adventures for this area.
The main Bible Point for the kids will be “God is always with us” and from Matthew 28:20 “I am with you always,
even to the end of the age.”
The day will begin at 9:00am with music and skit fun. We will get into the faith stories and then onto some crafts.
We will then stop for some nourishment (lunch) and then out for some fun outside in the water! We will come back in and
have more music, skits, stories and crafts in the afternoon. Someone whispered that we may have a snack too! We will
say G’day to all our new mates at 3:00pm.
Please invite your neighbor kids, friends, grandchildren or anyone you can think of. Time is coming fast so sign up
soon! Adults welcome too. If you’d like to help, volunteers are more than welcome to join us for the day.
Hope to see you there!
Notes from the Loft:
As we approach summer, there are a number of notes worth mentioning....
First, the bell Choir. This was a record year in terms of members! What a blessing! The additional members made planning much
easier. I thank all for their time and dedication.
The vocal choir continues to be served by a number of faithful members. In the past "choir year" we've sung a number of anthems
and sung a cantata. No, the cantata was not difficult, but I'm told we've not done a cantata in probably 20+ years! I'm very thankful for the
choir members and those additional people who joined us just for the Cantata. We suffered a significant loss with the going-home of
Lorraine Weissinger. She had such a beautiful, sweet voice, and her character and support are greatly missed! It is very hard to believe that
she was singing in the Good Friday Cantata one week, and in Heaven the next. I thank God for her service, and look forward to seeing her
in Heaven's choir.
So, what's left? Well, we have an organ upgrade project in the works.
Phase I is complete. This involved the purchase of a computer, audio interface, and some sample sets (digital, note-by-note,
stop-by-stop recordings of notable pipe organs). To date, we've purchased the sample sets from Hereford Cathedral (England), and
Laurenskirk (Rotterdam, Netherlands). At this point, the only organ I've setup is the Hereford organ. I intend to use the Rotterdam organ as
a teaching tool for the people who will be learning the software so they can support it, too. The positive response by "regular" attenders and
by visitors has be been MUCH better than I could have expected! We finally have "tender" sounds from the organ as well as "big", aweinspiring sounds! I know some of you are sensitive to "too loud". My goal is to find a good balance. I think I'm closing in on that.
Over the summer, we (me, the trustees, and probably others) will begin Phase II. This phase involves the re-purposing of the
existing console. I believe the last Sunday we will use this current "incarnation" of the organ will be June 7th. The re-purposing will then
commence! We have the funds in hand to get the time consuming portion of this work done, but we still need money for the largest expense
in the project, the keyboards. For the keyboards, we need to raise about $8000. I know this sounds very expensive! I was surprised when I
first heard the cost, too. These are NOT the same as what you find in your typical $300 Casio keyboard at Walmart. They are essentially
pipe organ keyboards. I hope we can raise the funds by late July so we can order them. The goal is to have Phase II complete before the fall
choir season begins.
While Phase II is being worked, we will be borrowing an organ that I'm currently "babysitting" for a friend. This will be sitting on the
ground floor in the back of the church (across the aisle from the piano).
I hope you all have a wonderful summer!
Corey
****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“Stewardship/Witness Sentences” June 2015
June 7
Mark 3:35 “Whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and
sister and mother.” Doing the will of God starts with trusting in His
Son Jesus Christ. Once we have faith in Him and have been
reborn as new creatures through Holy Baptism, we strive to grow
in this faith and in a life that agrees with our faith. Growing in
generosity, in kindness, and in love across our callings in the
home, in church, and in society is growing in the family of God:
for all who do His will are his brothers, and sisters, and mothers.
Witness: In Romans 4:18-25 we are assured that God has the
power to do what He has promised. He has promised forgiveness
of sins, life and salvation in Jesus. We rejoice in that sure hope
and share it as we have the opportunity.
June 14
Mark 4:34 “He did not speak to them without a parable, but
privately to his own disciples he explained everything.” How
blessed we are to be His disciples! The Lord has indeed
explained everything to us. He has told us all things plainly. Why
then are we ever so foolish as to disobey His clear Word? Our
fight against sin in the power of the Holy Spirit is truly a struggle.
Therefore let us receive the Lord’s help in His Word and
Sacraments – and let us fight the good fight of faith and grow up
into His image.
Witness: The good news we have is that Jesus took on Himself
the wrath of God that we deserved because of our sins, and now
offers to us life that will never end. What a word of hope we have
and what a joy to share with those who live without hope!
June 21
Mark 4:40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you
still no faith?” Faith means trust. If we trust the Lord, what do we
have to be afraid of? Isn’t it fear that holds us back in our
stewardship? Isn’t it fear that stops us from following the Lord’s
Word to give generously toward His work in the Church? Well…
“Why are you afraid? Have you still not faith?” The Lord has
proved His trustworthiness by His cross. You can trust Him.
Witness: Every human being is guilty of sin, but that those who
put their hope in Christ have had the guilt and condemnation of
their sin taken away. What good news for us and fellow sinners!
June 28
2 Corinthians 8:3 “For they gave according to their means, as I
can testify, and beyond their means, of their own free will.” St.
Paul lifts up an example of faithful Christian generosity in the
Epistle lesson today. Read those words again this week and
ponder them. How is the Lord calling you to increase your
generosity toward His work”?
Witness: In our baptisms we have been connected with the
death and resurrection of Jesus so that just like He was raised
from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a
new life and share the good news of salvation in Christ with a
world corrupted by sin.
HAPPY 4th of JULY