Finding Faith … Building Faith ... Living Faith July 2019 Volume #4, Issue #7 A monthly publication of Living Faith Lutheran Church A Message from Pastor Chad These re-do’s are timely indeed! Hol- lywood put these out where we again I have talked a lot these last few find ourselves in a time of deep months about change; the change you change, in a time where our institu- all as a community have been over tions are being challenged, where our these last number of years, of the societal norms are being challenged… changes me and my family are still go- enough to where we seem to be fear- ing through as we continue to adjust ful of many of these changes. Many different to a new life. And of course there’s changes in voices out there pulling us one way, scaring us our society… in our culture… in our country… and another way. What’s right anymore?! Just like in the world! It’s certainly true there’s always back in the early ‘70’s when these shows were on change. But the difference between the “normal” the air originally. stuff that changes, and the change we’ve all been facing overall seems to be just the dramatic Some of us are like Archie Bunker and George speed of it all! And it seems to be impacting eve- Jefferson, people for whom change had to be rything – even those things that used to be more held at bay by sheer force of will! They needed resistant to change! And this can all be pretty the stability of the old norm! Others of us are like scary – scary enough to increases our cortisol Gloria and “Meat-head” (Mike, Archie’s son-in- levels, increase our heart and respiration rates, law), who speak the words of the new genera- our blood pressure and anxiety levels go up tions. Some are like Tom and Helen Willis (the too. inter-racial couple on the Jefferson’s), people for whom these changes are embraced and wel- Just a few weeks ago, Hollywood put out a live comed. And some of us are like Louise Jefferson re-do of the old shows “All in the Family” and and Edith Bunker (the wives of the two men who “The Jefferson’s”. These shows originally came have trouble seeing change), who do their best out in the ‘70’s as a commentary on social change. trying to not only keep the world together – who A time when society felt things were changing have one foot in each world – but do it with grace fast then too! For example, the clashes between and patience. different sub-cultures and views (political, reli- gious, etc.) And this most recent re-do was pretty Well, we might all be feeling things like this now much the exact same show, but with actors from too! But before we let the changes overwhelm us today. They not only used the same style “sets” too much, let’s remember something: We believe and clothes as they did from back in the ‘70’s, in God! We believe in a God of life, we believe in they also used the same songs and scripts. a God of resurrection and New Birth. Continued on Page 4 Fed by God’s Word and led by the Holy Spirit, we gather together as a community of faith, to proclaim God’s love by ministering to our congregation, community and world. News from the Council Council President’s Corner During the process of writing our Mission Site Profile (MSP), which as you recall was quite a lengthy process, there was something that Kristin Nielsen from the synod office asked us to think about during our research that still sticks in my mind. She asked: “What would the neighborhood and community MISS if Living Faith were no longer here?” That was actually a pretty easy question for us to answer. Of course, there was the Food Pantry, Community Meal, Neighborhood Halloween and Easter Parties, Neighborhood Camp, National Night Out and the AIM Now Childcare Program. That being said….just think about all the ministries at Living Faith that sup- port and make a difference in the lives of our congregation! Thank you for making all those ministries possible as you generously give of your time, talents & re- sources! Wishing you blessings each & every day, Vicki May 2019 - Council’s “Top 10” 9 5. Outreach Ministry Team: 5 people interested, first event will be National Night Out 1. Pastor reported more churches on board for confirmation; encouraged Stephen Ministry 6. Compassionate Care Team: Defibrillator & (allows lay persons to be trained to serve oth- CPR training; Kristie will look into it. Possibility ers) $4,000 for training of two people at either of partnering with Day Care; perhaps subsi- July or August session subsidized by a gener- dized by Member Care Fund. ous donation with Bethania and Living Faith to 7. Fix It Campaign: letter went out with estimates cover travel expenses. Looking for second per- and donation envelope; at $5415.13. Voted to son to attend training. re-key building and address plumbing issues. 2. May and June AIM Offering to go to Neighbor- Would like to strip and wax just one level to hood Camp; June Noisy Offering to Hope begin with. Away From Home: July to Hospice Alliance. 8. Thank you notes sent to Steve Blegen & Dale 3. Internship Update: Pastor meeting with Deb Barke for leading Confirmation; Park High and supervisor; private donation to pay for in- Transition Kids for all they do for Living Faith. tern 9. Pastor spoke on Visioning for the Future. What 4. Looking to set up Hospitality and Cradle Roll is the role of the Council? Visioning or mainte- Ministry Teams nance, both? “JOY” Has Arrived at Living Faith! If you are looking for a little something to brighten up your days, think about joining us at “JOY” - Just Older Youth! (55 & Over) We enjoy all kinds of games, have great conversations, “do lunch” and just plain hang out! Do you like to play Mahjong, Dominoes, Rummy or have another fa- vorite game? Invite your buddies to come with for “JOY” and get a game going! Mark your calendars for the first and third Wednesday of each month, 10:30am – 2pm in the Parlor. We hope to see you there! For more information, please contact Vicki Siefert 262-634-4154. 2 | The Journey A publication of Living Faith Lutheran Church Living Faith Financial Picture - May 2019 Avg. Weekly Attendance: 159 Through the end of May, unrestricted Total Year to Date Income: $213,882.06 member giving is running close to the Total Year to Date Expense : $218,795.84 prior year (98.3% of 2018). Over and above that, in May we received a generous $5,000 Memorial gift from the Byra Family, so the Memorial/ Bequest income is significantly ahead of last year. The East Campus projector/video system replacement has been completed at a total cost of $9,365.75. This was accomplished with $5,000 from Reserve Funds approved at the February Congrega- tional meeting, a $3,400 gift from a member and the remaining balance from the maintenance budget. There is an overall shortfall as of May 31st, due to the extraordinary year to date maintenance and repair expenses. May is also the first of two months in the year with three payrolls instead of two. It should also be noted that Synod benevolence which is a significant commitment is paid through May, which has been a difficulty to accomplish in past years. Member News & Updates Names in the News Nonagenarian Birthdays: Rosemary Fritchen will celebrate her 95th birthday on July 13th. Best wishes to you Rosemary! Congratulations to Grace Lovely, Christian Peters, Easton Schue, Zachary Sheppard, Jackson Siefert, Ev- erett Smith and Joshua Swift on their May 19th Confirmation. Baptisms: Emmett Asher Birkland, son of Timothy & Maegen (Bartley) Birkland was baptized on June 16th with Alexandra & Joseph Burnette as sponsors. Adonis Victor Garcia, son of Eric Garcia & Meghan-Nicole Gilliam was baptized on June 23rd with Caleb Gilliam and Ayja Cushman as sponsors. In the Journal Times: Living Faith member Katie Barke was pictured in the Journal Times as she helped out at the Veteran’s Home in Union Grove. Congratulations, Katie! (If you didn’t see the photo, you can find it online at journaltimes.com.) “At a recent concert, the Kiwanis Youth Symphony recognized Fred Hermes by naming a scholarship in his honor for his many years of support.” Condolences Heartfelt love, sympathy and support to sisters Jill Bassinger & Jodi (David) Douglass and aunt Dianne Bertelsen and family at the death of JEFFREY BASSINGER who passed away on May 29th in Mount Pleasant. “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” Psalm 116:15 Known to be Hospitalized Home Again: Fred Marks and June Klingbeil Strict patient confidentiality rules prevent the hospital from notifying the church if you or a loved one is hospitalized. If you’d like a pastoral visit, please let the church office know. JULY 2019 ∙ Volume #4, Issue #7 3 Continued from Page 1 We believe in a God of In this changing world, we have a choice to make New Beginnings! Just look in the bible, one story – like when Moses had led his people, and they after another, stories of God bringing order from finally found themselves… finally… after all those chaos, revival from staleness, life from death. years… on the threshold between the Wilderness From the creation stories – where God creates and the Promised Land.