January 2020 Newsletter Signs of Life

The Burlington United Methodist Church is an inclusive Christian Community, dedicated to growth in through worship,

teaching and service.

Burlington United Methodist Church 857 West State Street Burlington, WI 53105 Phone: (262)763-2288 Fax: (262)763-5208

Email: [email protected] [email protected]

Website: www.burlingtonumc.org

Worship Times:

Saturday Praise Service 5:00 PM

Sunday Traditional Service 8:30 AM

Fellowship Time 9:45 AM Christian Education 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM (September-May) Church Office Hours Monday - Thursday 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM After Hours: By Appointment

Rev. Ebenezer K. Insor, Pastor

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (414)559-9939

Secretary – Marge Albrecht

Monday & Thursday

9:00 AM – Noon

After Hours: (262)949-8362 Communications CoordinatorPastor’s – Lyann Jung Message Home: (262)763-8563 Cell: (262)939-2566 [email protected] Ebenezer

Praying for A Peaceful Year The New Year is here with us and we are all looking forward with great hope and great expectations for a better year filled with peace. Peace because of all that transpired in the year 2019 often plunged us into the abyss of uncertainty, hopelessness and fear. From our homes into the community and beyond to the national level and the world, peace was elusive. Many a time depending upon the circumstances we wondered whether this will ever end. Whether in dealing with the drug issues which has become epidemic, or violence stemming from shootings everywhere with hatred, or ongoing wars which have caused displacement and loss of many lives, our interventions were not enough to bring about the desired peace the world needs.

However, we never gave up or lost hope because of the divine promise which has been manifested in the person of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who is the” Prince of Peace” promised and prophesized about and fulfilled in his becoming flesh and dwelling among us. Our Lord and Savior manifested this peace when his disciples cried out to him when faced with the storm of their life at sea by calming the storm. In the he affirmed the blessings in being a peacemaker, as becoming God’s children. In his with his disciples, Jesus assured them of the divine peace which transcends that of the world and even promised them a helper in that regard. In his Upper Room appearance after his resurrection he breathed peace unto them knowing what their circumstance was. This divine peace became a regular greeting of Paul as depicted in the opening of most of his epistles as “Grace and peace from God and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ”.

Paul with these words from Romans 8:35-39 encourages us from “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?” As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

This passage sums up the challenges that we often encounter in life which makes peace elusive. As events of 2019 revealed, our prayer then is to seek this divine peace in the year 2020, which is a leap year and the start of the new decade looks promising. We therefore look forward to a peaceful and prosperous year with prayers. That peace begins living peaceably with one another and loving each other as Christ loved us. Wishing you a Happy New Year that with these prayers from the book of John, “Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.”

Pastor Ebenezer

Who’s in the Pew?

DICK AND MOLLY ELLINGSTAD

Dick was born on July 19, 1942 in Mondovi, Wisconsin to Alvin and Arvella Ellingstad. He attended school in Mondovi and Hudson. He graduated with a major in Chemistry from U.W. in River Falls, WI and after attending medical school, he served his internship in Seattle, Washington.

Molly was born to Ken and Ruth Smith on September 10, 1943 in Milwaukee, WI. They moved to Gillett, WI where she attended school. She went on to get her B.S. in Nursing at U.W. Madison.

In college their roommates set them up and they attended a party after the Wisconsin – Minnesota football game. So, every fall when those two teams play each other, they have fond memories of their date! They were married August 20, 1966 at the Gillett United Methodist Church. At the time Dick was in medical school and Molly was working in Madison for the Visiting Nurse Association.

Dick has always had a strong commitment to mission work and during medical school he got a fellowship enabling them to spend 2 months in a Lutheran Hospital in Tanzania. That was the beginning of a long history of short-term medical missions. It began with Swahili language school in Nairobi, followed by a 2-year term in a small mission hospital in Tanzania. Their first child was only 5-1/2 months old when they went to Kenya. Their second son and their daughter were born in Burlington, WI.

In 1969 Dick started working at the Burlington Clinic. He left for a short time and returned in 1972 up until his retirement. He is still working part-time at the Urgent Care.

Molly worked part-time for the Racine Visiting Nurse Association for 15 years.

They joined our church in 1972. All of their children were baptized here. They are now the proud grandparents of 7 grandchildren, 5 girls and 2 boys, ages 10-15 years.

In retirement they both have been active volunteers. Dick’s favorite pastime are the trees that he has planted on their land in Kenosha County. His special love are the fruit trees, especially the peaches! Seems to me I remember some of us being the recipient of some of those peaches!

GOD’S blessings to you both!

Weekly totals are reported in the Bulletin.

Monthly, the newsletter includes our Year-To-Date and Budget figures.

Income Year-To-Date Budgeted Amount

2019 General Fund $154,382.99 $160,000 Offering

2019 Apportionment Fund $7,215.00 $22,308 Offering

2019 Mortgage Reduction Year-To-Date Fund Offering $110,620.00 3-Year Goal of $200,000

Giving Since 01.01.2017 $199,541.49

Our 2019 Apportionment Fund Goal is $22,308. This equates to $12.50 per member/per month.

Originally, we had a 6-year Mortgage Reduction Goal. This was carried out in two phases. Our second 3-year phase started in January of 2017 and runs through December of 2019. The goal is $200,000. Currently, we have received donations totaling $199,541.49.

Our mortgage balance is $33,881.81 and is due on July 1, 2020. We pay $4,311.62 per month to the Wisconsin United Methodist Foundation toward the mortgage balance. This payment comes out of the General Fund and does not include the money we receive from the Mortgage Reduction Fund.

Burlington United Methodist Church’s Congregational Interactional Covenant

Covenant with God We promise to seek God’s guidance in prayer and scripture, asking for God’s

help, and we promise to listen to God’s answer.

Covenant within our Church Family Through our actions we promise to set an example which demonstrates

our commitment to and respect for our church and our church family.

We promise to seek what is best for our Church as a whole, not what may

be best for an individual or small group in the Church. The United

Methodist Book of Discipline shall be our guide for change.

We promise our communication within the congregation shall be an

exchange of ideas, in the spirit of openness and cooperation, and to

listen to each other with respect.

The Book of Discipline is available in the church library and through our pastor.

Church Ministries

Love Inc. Meal t VOLUNTEERS NEEDED Tuesday Mornings Thursday January 9th 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM at 5:00 PM Discipleship Study: “Living in Christ & The sign-up sheets are in the of John” Gathering Area for our upcoming meals. If you are interested in helping with this “Soul Food” Sunday mission, you can make the entire meal or make with a The first Sunday of every month has been friend. Please contact Lisa designated as “Soul Food” Sunday. Hernandez our coordinator, at Please bring in a nonperishable food or (414)588-7721. laundry item to help the needy in our community. May this experience “feed your soul” as well as help our neighbors.

Join the Prayer Fellowship on Friday nights from 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM. Cook’s Night Out

Our next gathering will be held on Thursday January 16th at 5:30 PM. All are welcome! Table Blood Pressure Screening service and beverages will be January 19th provided. Any questions, please Blood pressure screening will be call me at (262)763-6797. provided in the Church Office Thank you! after the 8:30 AM service. Judy Vande Sande

Church Ministries (Continued)

Grief Share

The group will begin meeting The Salt Shakers again in February 2020 on Please continue to monitor the Thursdays at 10:30 a.m. in the weekly bulletin for meeting dates. church library. For newcomers, They are currently studying “30 there is a one-time fee of $20 for Life Principles” and would love to the book. If you are grieving the have anyone interested to come loss of a loved one, we invite to join them. If interested, simply you to join us. You do not need show up! to be a member of The

Burlington United Methodist

Church. We are here for all that

grieve no matter how much time has passed since your loss. Please call Pat Hahn at (262)763-0894 or Pastor

Ebenezer at (262)763-2288 for

Adult Sunday School meets after more information.

Worship Service on Sunday at st 9:45 a.m. and is studying 1 Corinthians. All are welcome to

join us in the Library after

fellowship.

Saturday Service Potluck

Transitional Living Center (TLC) Please bring a dish to pass and join us for

Meal fun and fellowship following the informal Praise Service on the last Saturday of This mission takes place the 3rd each month. We will meet in the Sunday of every month. Crossroads Room. All are welcome!

Church Ministries (Continued)

"4th Annual "Winter Soup Sale" Our Soup Sale begins Saturday & Sunday, January 18th & 19th after each service through Sunday, March 1st (or as long as we have SOUP)!?! Please contact Donna Reesman at 262.492.2419 to schedule the "type" of "fresh" soup you wish to make and your "drop off" day. This year's proceeds will go towards much needed repairs/maintenance at our Parsonage. REMEMBER....just drop off your kettle of soup, we will package and return your clean pot. Please do NOT make your soup earlier than Friday (preferably Saturday). We thank you for your continued participation and look forward to all the delicious creative soups!!!

Fellowship Hour Coordinator

THANK YOU to Barb Friend who has volunteered to coordinate Fellowship Hour! Let’s help her out . . . if you volunteered last year, would you be willing to do so again this year? Tip: Pair up with a co-host and split the duties! Hosting is simple. Bring snacks, brew coffee, set out food and beverages, and clean-up. Plates, napkins and silverware are provided. It’s a great way to greet our members and visitors and learn more about them. If you can help, watch for the sign-up sheets in the Gathering Area.

Thank You!!! Lynn Gebel wants to thank everyone for the bottom of her heart for all the donations that were given to fill the Military Boxes. Our Men and Women serving overseas in the Military will greatly appreciate receiving the boxes. Again, thank you so much.

Final Auction Numbers

We are thrilled to be able to provide the final numbers on our 21st Annual Goods and Services Auction. Through very generous giving and bidding we have been blessed with a total of $32,824.24 after expenses! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Church Ministries (Continued)

“Heavenly Tidbits” The 14th Annual Cookie and Gift Walk is over and again we have seen what happens when our church family digs in their heels to get a job done! The hard work was well worth it. The talent and the cooperation in this building is unbelievable. On so many levels we worked together to make this annual event a success and from what I could tell, we had a good time doing it.

We are so very blessed in this church!

Angels Attic Update As we wrap up our 5th season in Angels Attic, we wish to share with you the following:

$2,506.76 – Collected from “shop” June-October $1,302.17 – “Gifts” from Cookie Walk $3,808.93 (Total for 2019)

In the past 5 years, beginning 2015 through 2019, Angels Attic has provided approximately $19,000 towards B.U.M.C. Missions. This would not have been possible without our church family and community donations and purchases, prayers and the volunteers who so graciously donate their time and talents. A special “thank you” to Grace, Sheila, Judy and Claudia for cleaning, arranging, selling (and buying?!?) always with a cheerful smile!

With God’s constant guiding hand and your faithful support, Myrt and I look forward to entering into our 6th season beginning Thursday, June 4th, 2020.

See you then!

Donna Reesman (262)492-2419 (Donations)

Church Activities

Thank You from the Cookie Walk Committee Thank you to everyone that helped with the Cookie Walk. We couldn’t have done it without all of your support and help. The total net amount we received for the Cookie Walk is $3,341.03. This money will be put into the General fund for use as needed.

Church Prayers

People of our church who are in Nursing Homes, Assisted Living Homes and Homebound need your prayers, cards, letters and visits. Below are the names of our shut-ins: Gloria Oakwood 1700 S. Teut Road Burlington, WI 53105

Eleanor Thill 1400 8th Ave. Union Grove, WI 53182

Prayers for the following people of our church:

Marilou Hensen Alex Williams

Karen Jacks Ron & Lynn Gebel

Eleanor Thill Kelly Sizer

Delores Martin Gloria Oakwood

Kenny Achuff Marge Geddes Sandy Alby

For urgent prayer concerns, contact Pastor Insor or Deanna Barels. Hospitalized? Please let Pastor Insor know if you or someone you know from the congregation is in the hospital and would like a visit from Pastor Insor. Would you like a home visit? If so, please contact Pastor Insor to set up a time. Church Office: (262)763-2288 Pastor Insor: (414)559-9939 Deanna Barels: (262)763-9713. Please check with Pat Hahn for prison ministries at (262)763-0894. Letters are so appreciated by those who are not able to enjoy freedom.

Church Family Celebrations

January BIRTHDAYS January ANNIVERSARIES

1 – Sarah Smith, Charles Schopp, Lyle Foulk 10 – Mike and Erna Payne 4 – Debbie French 5 – Kristine Wilhelmi, Gladys Sheard, Leslie Sheard 7 – Tony Hernandez 9 – Ethel Ranker 17 – Tom Jung 18 – Rick Koceja 20 – Angelica Werth 27 – Nancy Koceja

January 2020

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 2 3 4 “Prayer Night” Praise Service 6:30 – 8:00 pm Holy Communion 5:00 pm

5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Traditional Service Weight Watchers Weight Watchers Love Inc. Meal “Prayer Night” Praise Service Holy Communion 5:30 pm 9:30 am 5:00 pm 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm 5:00 pm 8:30 am Study Fellowship 10:00 am -11:30 am 9:30 am TOPS Adult Sunday School 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm 9:45 am 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Traditional Service Weight Watchers Weight Watchers Missions Cook’s Night “Prayer Night” Praise Service 8:30 am 5:30 pm 9:30 am Meeting Out 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm 5:00 pm Fellowship Bible Study 6:00 pm 5:30 pm 9:30 am 10:00 am – 11:30 am Adult Sunday School TOPS 9:45 am 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm

19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Traditional Service Weight Watchers Finance & Newsletter ” Prayer Night” Praise Service 8:30 am 5:30 pm Ad Council Deadline 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm 5:00 pm Fellowship 6:00 pm with Potluck 9:30 am Jubilate Community following. Adult Sunday School Singers Practice 9:45 am 6:30 pm Blood Pressure Screening 9:30 am TLC Meal 11:30 am

26 27 28 29 30 31 Traditional Service Weight Watchers Weight Watchers ” Prayer Night” 8:30 am 5:30 pm 9:30 am 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm

Fellowship Bible Study 9:30 am Jubilate Community 10:00 am -11:30 am Adult Sunday School Singers Practice 9:45 am 6:30 pm TOPS 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm