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September Newsletter Now Available
The latest issue of our newsletter is here! Please click on the “Herald” icon at the right side of this page to read or download the September edition.
Special Meeting on Fall Worship Schedule ———————-
The Mission Exploration Team and Council had a special meeting on Sun. June 24. We met to address a recent concern from the radio station and some members about the service time of 10:00 starting Sept. 16.
While going through the MET process, we referred to many congregational meetings and surveys. The M.E.T. and Council had a retreat in February. This topic of Fall Sunday Service time and Sunday school time was discussed at great length. The decision for the time was based on what you the congregation told us were important to you, which is Youth, Youth Ministry and Worship.
The radio station recently told us that it would not work for them to continue to broadcast our Sunday Service if we went to the 10:00 service time.
The council was also approached by a group of members that expressed concern over the fall Sunday service time.
The Council and M.ET. June 24 meeting was to discuss the options for the Radio Broadcast, Sunday Service time and Sunday school/Adult Ed. Time.
Based on the information we collect and heard from members during the MET process, at this time we do not want to stop broadcasting over the radio and spreading the gospel over the radio. We know from these sessions that our youth, Sunday school, fellowship and both our 8:00 and 10:30 worship goers need Sunday to be relevant to them. We know we will not make everyone happy but we tried to find the best compromise.
So after prayer, much thoughtful discussion and following what you have told us through various communications in the last year, we have come up with the following compromise. We are asking you all to understand that we have looked at all concerns and have made the best choice.
We have come up with the New Fall Sunday Schedule. We believe it is the best compromise at this time.
Starting Sunday September 16
Sunday School/Adult Education 8:30 am
Worship Time 9:30 am
Fellowship for All Following Service Approx. 10:30 am
We are asking you all to give this new schedule a try. There is always some adjustment with change.
The Council will review the time at the Jan. Council Meeting.
Yours in Christ,
Redeemer Council
Watch the Holy Spirit move through us at Redeemer.
CALL COMMITTEE ———————————–
Next Steps
Ongoing prayer support by all Redeemer members and friends for Call Team, seeking guidance from the Holy Spirit.
Prayerfully form a call committee, which then meets with Pr. Kristin for orientation.
The call committee prayerfully formulates interview questions based on the M.E.T. process, along with other activities to acquaint each candidate with Redeemer and Hartford.
Pastor Kristin sets up a mock interview as practice for the call committee.
The call committee will receive one, two, or three names of candidates.
They make the arrangements with each candidate for travel, lodging, interview and other activities.
They prayerfully and openly engage each candidate. (Please note that the whole congregation is not involved in this step, nor is a “trial sermon” included in the process.) They may prayerfully decide that a second interview, perhaps by phone or skype, is advisable.
Once all candidates have been fully engaged the call committee prayerfully discerns where the Spirit is leading, and reports to council.
Council prayerfully decides whether to accept the report of the call committee, and then prayerfully reports to the whole congregation.
If the council recommends a candidate, often the candidate will come to meet the whole congregation.
Eventually the congregation prayerfully votes as to whether or not to call the candidate as pastor.
Greater Milwaukee Synod – Pastor Kristin, with the collegial support of synod staff, prayerfully sifts through the names of ELCA pastors who are available for call. She prayerfully looks for candidates who fit what Redeemer has communicated through its mission exploration process, using her Spirit-given insight and experience. She prayerfully works with Redeemer’s call committee.
At the town hall meeting Pastor Kristin said that names of pastoral candidates can come from Redeemer members, however this must be handled discretely so as not to interfere with the pastor’s current situation.
Call Team (Committee): Linda Krohn, Rusty Mehlberg, Rod Lehl, Alex Burton, Don Horen, Jenny Nettesheim.
MISSION EXPLORATION DOCUMENTS ——————————
In the course of this mission exploration process, we have gathered information, including in the form of documents. This has been shared along the way. In case you missed something or want to review, these documents are in the narthex:
Redeemer Assets
Action Ideas from Every Voice Matters
Vision for 2 – 5 – 10 Years
Redeemer’s Giving Potential
Report for the Sharing Sessions
If you missed or lost the Ministry Site Profile draft when it was sent to you May 10, please email the church office to request another copy.
ADULT BIBLE STUDY ———————————-
We get together about 15 minutes after the conclusion of Sunday service, most often in the coffee bar area. August 5 we are preempted for Thank You Anne festivities; we will resume August 12, 19, 26. We are using work by Fr. James Martin (see on ‘Humor’ in July Herald), including from his books The Jesuit Guide to Almost) Everything and Jesus: A Pilgrimage. Interesting, solid theology. The more folks who participate the greater the opportunity to learn from one another. Everyone is welcome any Sunday.
BLESSING WITNESS ———————————–
“You are part of the Body of Christ which is Redeemer Lutheran Church. Share a story / account / example / witness of God using your connection to the people of Redeemer to bless your life.”
Every Sunday during offering time because this is an offering. This would be awesome for Monday also.
This congregation continues to be a huge part of our lives. Our church is a major way God blesses our lives, and opens up ways for us to touch lives with God’s love. Share a witness. Tell a story of God blessing your life through Redeemer Lutheran Church. Use the statement above as a guide. On July 22nd Dianne shared a story of God touching her life in a dramatic way. To paraphrase Jesus’ words – Go and tell what you have seen and heard.
THANK YOU TO THE STURGEONS ———————————
Sarah and Christian have been cleaning Redeemer for ?????????????? years. Their boys, Liam and Tyler, often come along to help, sometimes their dog comes too. Increasing work responsibilities are forcing them to step away from cleaning at Redeemer as of the end of July. Thank you to the family for their dedicated work.
Beginning in August, we will be contracting with the Clean Sweep company, which utilizes employees through Threshold.
GOD’S WORK OUR HANDS ———————————–
Save the date! “God’s work. Our hands.” Sunday will be Sunday, September 9, 2018. This day is an opportunity to celebrate who we are as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America – one church, freed in Christ to serve and love our neighbor.
Service activities offer an opportunity for us to explore one of our most basic convictions as Lutherans: that all of life in Jesus Christ – every act of service, in every daily calling, in every corner of life – flows freely from a living, daring confidence in God’s grace.
You work every day to make your community a better place. Let us continue doing this work together in 2018! View the video and access resources to guide your congregation’s planning, promotion and more.
https://www.elca.org/dayofservice
Locally, our church council is looking into a variety of service ideas. One project being planned is inside and outside work at The 1022 Club. The club provides respite for family members who care for loved ones with dementia or Alzheimer’s. Set aside September 9, after worship, for service.
Outreach for Hope Bike Rides
Confirmation – May 20th, 2018
Confirmation Presentation by Logan Faltersack
New Sermon Audio from Pastor Jon
Listen to Pastor Jon’s latest sermons here on our website. Please click on the “Sermon Audio” icon on the right side of this page. Past sermons are also included.
Confirmation Students Lead Well Project
— Several local churches join in. —
By Gay Griesback – For the Daily News
HARTFORD — Redeemer Lutheran Church has its own “Fantastic Four” — confirmation students that have inspired a community to give a gift that will improve the lives those who face the daily struggle of getting clean drinking water.
Owen Otto, Madison Henning, Lindsay Arvidson and Logan Faltersack are barely into their teens, but their energy and wisdom inspired six Hartford-area churches to contribute collections from their Wednesday Lenten services to fund the construction of a well.
“They’re pretty sharp kids — it’s been a great opportunity to work with them,” confirmation mentor Scott Lopas said.
In addition to Redeemer Lutheran, St. Kilian and St. Mary of the Hill Catholic churches, First United Methodist, St. John’s United Church of Christ and St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church took part.
“It doesn’t matter what denominations came together — it was for the good of one project,” First United Methodist Church of Hartford Administrative Assistant Becki Swenson said.
Redeemer Lutheran’s Confirmation students Madison Henning, Lindsay Arvidson, Owen Otto and Logan Faltersack have become known as the “Fantastic Four” for their work on getting a community well to raise awareness about those without access to clean drinking water.
Confirmation mentor Sheila Bauer said funds will go to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Good Gifts program.
From vaccinations to trees, animals, water and education projects and small business loans, the Good Gifts program uses donations where they are needed most within the wider category of the gift chosen by donors.
At Christmas, the congregation donated $1,000 toward the Good Gifts program but for Lent, students wanted to donate $2,500 — enough money to construct a community well.
The students have helped out at church fish frys and recently raised $360 by collecting donations for the Hartford Food Pantry and Casa Guadalupe at a church Souper Bowl of Caring. Spearheading the well project was their most ambitious mission to date.
The Rev. Jon Breimeier, interim pastor at Redeemer, said the students studied scarcity of water in other parts of world.
“The more they looked into it, the more they found it sobering — how much water we have available and how much we use compared to other parts of the world,” Breimeier said.
The more they looked into it, the more they found it sobering — how much water we have available and how much we use compared to other parts of the world.
Henning said the class brought the fundraising idea to the congregation and Bauer said the group made a display representing water usage throughout the world.
Information included some somber statistics:
■ While 71 percent of the Earth is covered by water, only 51 percent of the earth’s population has access to it.
■ There are 780 million people that live without clean drinking water.
■ Although 12 gallons of water per day is considered a sustainable amount for a person, Americans use 158 gallons of water daily.
“We learned from the kids what a huge difference a well makes. It means that the children and adults don’t have to walk for hours to carry hundreds of pounds of water,” Breimeier said.
Students also shared the information with the other congregations.
“We used the opportunity to educate ourselves, not just at Redeemer but at all our churches,” Breimeier said.
“It was a group effort,” Faltersack said.
Breimeier said once the contribution is received by Good Gifts, there is a possibility the church will be notified of exactly where the well will be built, but finding out the location isn’t the point.
“Lack of clean drinking water is a problem that is pretty pervasive. To know we will be making a huge difference is what we are after,” Breimeier said.
Breimeier said they have received assurances that if there is a shortfall, different groups within the churches will make up the difference.
“We know we’re going to get there,” Breimeier said.
Otto recommends the project to future confirmation classes.
“Everyone deserves clean drinking water and a lot of people don’t have that,” Arvidson said.
Those interested in donating to the Redeemer confirmation students’ Good Gift well project can call Anne at 262-673-2550 or find out more online at the ELCA Good Gifts Web Page.
“It doesn’t matter what denominations came together — it was for the good of one project.” – Becki Swenson, First United Methodist Church of Hartford Administrative Assistant
Redeemer Lutheran confirmation students Madison Henning, Lindsay Arvidson, Owen Otto and Logan Faltersack lead effort joined by St. Kilian and St. Mary of the Hill Catholic churches, First United Methodist, St. John’s United Church of Christ and St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church to raise money to build a community well.
Redeemer’s Giving Tree
A permanent Giving Tree is now located in the Narthex! It’s simple to use and benefits many worthy causes in our community and at Redeemer. Simply remove a tag from the tree, bring in the donation on the tag and place it into the proper bin at the foot of the tree. Many thanks to Matt Nettesheim for constructing this amazing work of art (including LED lighting), to Jenny Nettesheim and Sheila Bauer for managing this project, and to Thrivent for providing a grant to help get in “off the ground”. We look forward to many years of use in service to others.
Community Free Lunch
Served the last Saturday of each month at St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church starting at 11:30 a.m. Come for community fellowship and a good meal. If you are interested in volunteering, please talk to Barb Menden.
Food Pantry Sunday
The third Sunday of each month has been designated as Food Pantry Sunday. Please bring non perishable items and place them in the barrel in the Information Area.
