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CHRIST LUTHERAN 222 Church Avenue Oshkosh, WI 54901
OFFICE HOURS Monday-Friday 9:00 am-Noon
SUNDAYS 9:00 am Worship
10:15 am Coffee Hr.
WEDNESDAYS 5:00 pm JAM Kids
& Youth Group 6:00 pm Worship
6:30 pm Confirmation
CONTACT
INFORMATION:
CHURCH OFFICE
Barb Schneider 920.231.6570
PASTOR
Rev. Connie Weiss 920.904.5919
PRESIDENT
Dorene Myers 920.420.1586
December/January, 2018
Dear Friend,
This newsletter makes it to you late this month. And so, we’ve decided to combine it with January’s. The lateness has been due to a few untimely deaths both in the con-gregation and within my own family.
More often than not, we find that we do not have control in those things in our lives that we depend upon. Whether it be with the people in our lives or the many circum-stances that pop up unexpectedly each and every day. And what I’m coming to lean on in times like these is the one thing that never changes - God’s faithfulness. Although at times, you may feel that the life you know is changing too rapidly, God’s love for you never does.
Throughout history, God’s people would experience times of prosperity and also times of great trials. But if we look at those rich stories throughout the Bible, we can see God’s faithfulness throughout it all. We can understand that when things do go wrong its often caused by ourselves or another. It’s this sinful nature of ours that keeps turning up like a bad penny - rewarding us with grief and sorrow. Regardless of life’s circumstances, we are meant to live in the light of God’s joy. For, we are loved by God - the God who never leaves us or forsakes us. And, we know this through the life-saving work of Jesus.
In this Advent season, we are reminded that we have been redeemed. God has broken into our world in a most powerful and vulnerable way - as one of us! God has chosen to get personal - to feel and experience this all-too human journey of ours.
When Mary received the news of an untimely pregnancy, that she was to carry the world’s savior in her womb, she could have reacted in so many ways. She could have laughed in the face of the messenger. She could have took off running. She had choices. But, the beauty in Mary’s story is that she would rejoice. Although I’m sure she was frightened and uncertain of her future, she chose her response to be JOY!
No matter what lies before you, my friends, my wish for you is that you see, like Mary, God’s holy work in your life and all around you. Regardless of what life throws at you, that you trust God’s Holy Spirit to work in and through you this Christmas and into the new year. I pray that joy be your faithful companion this season!
Your Partner in Christ,
“‘My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, .” Psalm 51:12
J O Y
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Due to the holidays, we will not be holding any Wednesday night activities these two weeks. We will resume worship and classes on January 9th.
This year for the preparation of Christmas com-ing, we are supporting a “Reverse Advent Calen-dar”. This means, instead of getting a “surprise” or gift every day, we share God’s love by giving. See the list to the right, and do what you can. We will collect the boxes on December 23 or 24 and will take them to the local food banks, or you can deliver them on your own. Thank you for what-ever you can do!
NO MID-WEEK WORSHIP & CLASSES
December 26th
January 2nd
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November, 2018 Report
Total Offerings: $4,904.23
Other Revenue: $3,231.29
Total Expenses: $10,337.61
Net Profit/(Loss): (-$2,202.09)
Year to Date Report
Total Offerings: $62,258.48
Other Revenue: $50,748.70
Total Expenses: $137,117.38
Net Profit/(Loss): (-$24,110.20)
Dorene Myers President
Kevin Harvot Vice President
Susie Smith Secretary
Carrie Lewis Treasurer
Gloria Heidl
Ryan Birschbach
2018 CHURCH COUNCIL MEMBERS
MONTHLY
UPDATE
Due to the holidays, we are meeting only once in December—on the 10th at 5:30 pm. At this meeting, we will continue to work toward the best use of our building and what is best for the congregation. All are invited to attend our meetings. We will also be starting a review of our constitution, beginning with chapters 1-3.
The council would also like to take this oppor-tunity to thank you for trusting us to serve you, and we wish everyone a blessed Christmas!
Lately, we’ve noticed that giving is down. You can help make a difference by continuing to give of your time and resources. But regardless of what you are able to give, we are so thankful for you as a partner in God’s mission and ministry!
Come January 13th, we are hosting the annual congregational meeting. This was done in February the past
years, but there is important business to share with the congregation as soon as we can. At this meeting, we
will be voting on the sale of the building. Currently, there is one written offer for our consideration. We con-
tinue to have an occasional persons look at the building but no further offers. We will also be giving an up-
date on church activities, voting on future council members and discussing possible locations for the future of
our church. There will be a reminder postcard coming 10 days prior to the meeting. Since this has major im-
pact on our congregation’s future, we encourage everyone to attend. We look forward to seeing all of you on
Sunday, January 13th!
2019 SUNDAY JAN 13th
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CHOIR/PRAISE BAND NEWS
Schedule as of 12/03/2018
Sun. Dec. 9th - 7:45 am rehearsal (sing for service)
Sun. Dec 16th - 7:45 am rehearsal Sunday School Christmas program
** We will be singing with the children for some of the service.
Sun. Dec. 23rd - 7:45 am rehearsal (final for Christmas Eve.) before and after service if neces-sary.
Monday Dec. 24th - Christmas Eve service music selections from “Sing A Song Of Christmas” Can-tata
Sun. Dec. 30th – No Rehearsal – we will resume on Sun. Jan. 6th.
We will take rehearsals one week at a time this Christmas season. Time and God's will are the determination of our journey. PRAY!!
Bring your own lunch and a Bible. We will have hot beverages and water available. These are the gospel texts we will discuss on December Mondays:
Dec 17 Luke 1:39-55
Dec 31 Matthew 2:1-12
Jan 7 Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
Jan 14 John 2:1-11
Jan 21 Luke 4:14-21
Jan 28 Luke 4:21-30
Six local ELCA churches joined forces to hold our 4th Annual Thanksgiving Eve Worship on Wednesday evening November 21st. We
gathered at St. Andrews to celebrate the many blessings God has bestowed on us. Church pastors, readers and choir members
wove a beautiful tapestry of meaningful worship. Our theme for the service was all about caring for God’s creation. Following wor-
ship, participants gathered to enjoy an assortment of pies and some fun fellowship. We are thankful for our friends from St. An-
drews, Our Savior’s, St. John’s, Calvary and Peace Lutheran churches and are already looking forward to next year’s event!
4th Annual
THANKSGIVING EVE W O R S H I P
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Pastor Connie’s Sunday sermons are now being streamed live on Facebook. Just search for Christ Lutheran Church Oshkosh, WI. Then like us, and you can see the sermons live, or listen to them later.
Also, check out our newly-created website at https://clcoshkosh.com/
On Sunday, December 16th, church youth and the choir joined forces to put on our annual Christmas program. The Christmas story was narrated and acted out with favorite Christmas hymns inter-spersed throughout. The choir sang before the ser-vice and joined the children for a song with bells and chimes also. Following the program, the chil-dren shared a special poem as they handed out M&Ms to members of the congregation. A big thank you goes out to Kristin Schwab, Ashley Radt-ke and Mary Backus for putting it all together
Children’s Christmas Program
DEC/JAN ACOLYTE SCHEDULE
12/24 Mason
1/06 Ben
01/13 Brooklyn
01/20 Lucas
01/27 Mason
RINGING IN THE SEASON!
Our Confirmation youth rang bells for the Salva-
tion Army for two hours on Wednesday, Novem-
ber 28th. We are trying to get our youth out in ser-
vice every now and then. A big thank you goes out
to Lucas, Mason and Brooklyn for serving. Also,
thank you to Becky and Stacy for being our chaper-
ones!
L-R: Lucas McWilliams, Mason Clark, Brooklyn Duchatschek
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SEEDS FOR GROWTH PROGRAM ENDS
On December 1st, participating Seeds for Growth churches Christ Community (Belleview) and Trinity Lu-theran (Appleton) joined Christ Lutheran’s Dream Team as they hosted their final workshop in the 2-year renew-al program.
We’ve learned so much about ourselves as church. We’ve studied our history, entered into meaningful dia-logue, identified our core values and come up with a brand new mission statement.
Moving forward, our Dream Team would like to continue to gather as our church moves on into a brave new era of mission and ministry together.
A big thank you to Pastor Jean DeVoll-Donaldson for sup-porting and leading us throughout this valuable time of spiritual growth!
Dream Team Members:
Mallory Schneider-Birschbach, Barbara Shew, Dorene Myers, Margie Mahoney, Kayla Barlow
and Pastor Connie
Are you shut-in or without a car? Would you benefit from a ride to church and church activities? Please let us know!
Would you be willing to offer someone a ride to church and other church activities? Let us know!
We are trying to develop and grow a listing of those who needs rides and those who can provide rides. Our aim is to help coor-dinate between those who need rides and those who can offer rides.
Contact the parish office if you’re interest-ed in helping or need help getting to church.
Facilities Expense Envelopes
Enclosed in this newsletter, you will find an envelope marked “Christ Lutheran Facilities Expense”. If you are able to give additional funds to help cover our larger heating and maintenance bills during the winter months, we would be very appreciative. The envelope provided can be mailed directly to the church, or you can bring it with your regular offering to any worship service.
DREAM TEAM REPORT
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Thankful for So Many Things!
On All Saints Sunday, we remembered those loved ones
who have gone on before us. We then gathered in the
Fellowship Hall to celebrate by enjoying a diversity of
chilis brought in by members. The next week, the front
of the Sanctuary was adorned by butterfly cutouts
bearing the names of loved ones filled out by members.
During the month of November, members also hung fall
ornaments on our Tree of Gratitude naming the many
things that we are so thankful for.
FINAL FUNDRAISING EVENT
On Saturday, November 2nd, Christ Lutheran and First English
teamed up with the local Elk’s Lodge to host it’s final fundraiser
for our dear friend and bookkeeper Jerri Schmidt.
This particular event was created to help raise funds for a handi-
capped van for Jerri as she is having more difficulty getting in and
out of her vehicle. This event closed off a series of fundraisers that
have also managed to bring the Oshkosh community together in
such a beautiful way. WBAY TV was also present and featured
Jerri’s story on it’s newscast that weekend. The 5-hour event pro-
vided food, activities, fun raffles and great entertainment featur-
ing Tuba Dan, the Oshkosh Coraliers and the Westhaven Quartet.
We are so thankful for those from our congregation who helped
to host - along with the generous local businesses who helped
sponsor this important fundraiser
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Dear Christ Lutheran Church:
Your gift has already made an impact… “I am about ten years ahead of where I would have been if I were still on the streets. This is because of the Day by Day Warming Shelter and the Case Management services they offer. They helped connect me to the right re-sources and now I have an apartment, a car, and a full-time job. This place was a life saver for me.” - former guest A.D.
Thank you for your generous gift to Day by Day Warming Shelter. Your kindness helps to support the most vulnerable in our community.
Because of your generosity and passion for giving back to our community, this last year truly has been a record breaking one. With your help, 136 unique people received 4,000 nights of shelter and 7,700 meals. Of those individuals, 118 guests left for hous-ing opportunities and 54 of the 103 that were able to work gained employment during their stay.
Our current and future successes of providing Case Management services are possible because of the continued generosity of our supporters. In the com-ing year, Day by Day plans to continue connecting the individuals we serve with the necessary tools to start rebuilding their lives. We will keep you updated on the exciting progress!
If you are ever interested, we would love to schedule a tour for you to interact with our shelter staff and learn firsthand the important work that is done at Day by Day. We look forward to connecting with you in the near future!
With deep gratitude, Matt Johnson Executive Director Day by Day Warming Shelter
MILESTONES
Deaths
Dennis Ehrenberg
November 10, 2018
Mary Jane Palmquist
November 19, 2018
Robert “Bob” Boheen
November 30, 2018
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A Prayer for our Church
Good and gracious God: All that we have comes
from you and we thank you for that! We have
entered into a new time in our church. We pray
for your guidance and wisdom as we discern our
future. In Your love, send your Holy Spirit to us.
Open our hearts to hear your words. Transform
our minds to see the possibilities. Lead us to a
vision that will strengthen our Church. Lord Je-
sus, calm our fears and anxiety. Bring us togeth-
er, so we may be of one mind and one spirit,
working for the growth of Your Kingdom. We
place our church in your hands. May all our de-
cisions be for your glory! Amen.
COMMITTEES The normal meeting times listed here may change as needed. Watch the monthly calen-dar and weekly bulletin for any changes or up-dates.
Music & Worship (2nd Sunday of month)
Women of the ELCA (1st Sunday of month)
Buildings & Grounds (1st Tuesday of month)
Stewardship (To Be Determined)
Youth & Education (3rd Monday of month)
Hospitality (4th Sunday of month)
Social Ministry (4th Monday of month)
THANKOFFERING SUNDAY
We are grateful for the many containers (colorful contributions from repurposed Crystal Lite con-tainers decorated by confirmation students) that were brought forward on November 25th as we celebrated our Thankofferings. We also thank those who brought their containers to the church later.
The women of the church have decided to divide the Thankofferings between a local family and the “Current for Curran” project helping a hospital in rural northern Liberia. This is the second project (following “PV [PhotoVoltaics] for Phebe”) from a movement started by two women from Minnesota to help provide solar power to hospitals in areas where electric power is unreliable.
The first project began in 2012, and now one rural African hospital is fully-powered with the second one hoping to be online soon. This project is sup-ported by the national women’s organization, our synod women’s group, and many other Lutheran women across the nation.
To date, $600,000 has been raised for this meaningful work. There is a film available of the RREAL staff working on the solar panel installation project at Phebe Hospital. It would be nice for us to view it together one day.
Reaching out to others will help us grow as a congregation!
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December Sunday Volunteers
Date Reader Ushers Communion
Assistant
Offering
Counters Open/Close
December 2 Susie Smith Needed Needed Mark Arend Gloria Heidl
Dorene Myers
December 9 Debbie Reichenberger
Needed Susie Smith Debbie Reichenberger Barbara Shew
Susie Smith
December 16 Needed Needed Needed Jackie Boese Ryan Birschbach
December 23 Kevin Harvot Needed Needed Mark Arend Gloria Heidl
Kevin Harvot
December 24 Needed Needed Needed
December 30 Needed Needed Needed Debbie Reichenberger Barbara Shew
Gloria Heidl
Coffee Hour sponsors and volunteers are also needed to complete the schedule.
Anyone wishing to volunteer, please sign up on the volunteer sheet located on the credenza in the Narthex. All Sunday readings are printed in advance, so you may take your Sunday’s reading and look over it before you read on your designated Sunday. You may also call the church office, and someone will assist you in signing up for service.
Thanks to all who continue to volunteer!
Altar Guild Volunteer for December: Chris Esselman
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January Sunday Volunteers
Coffee Hour sponsors and volunteers are also needed to complete the schedule.
Anyone wishing to volunteer, please sign up on the volunteer sheet located on the credenza in the Narthex. All Sunday readings are printed in advance, so you may take your Sunday’s read-ing and look over it before you read on your designated Sunday. You may also call the church office, and someone will assist you in signing up for service.
Thanks to all who continue to volunteer!
Altar Guild Volunteers for January: Volunteers Needed
Date Reader Ushers Communion
Assistant
Offering
Counters Open/Close
January 6 Needed Needed Needed Debbie Reichenberger Barbara Shew
Carrie Lewis
January 13 Needed Needed Needed Mark Arend Gloria Heidl
Dorene Myers
January 20 Debbie Reichenberger
Needed Needed Debbie Reichenberger Barbara Shew
Susie Smith
January 27 Needed Needed Needed Mark Arend Gloria Heidl
Ryan Birschbach
