St. Peter’s Ev. Lutheran Church—Missouri SynodReedsburg, Wisconsin

www.stpetersreedsburg.org

Proclaiming JESUS Savior and Lord for LIFE

V VOLUME 247 J U N E 2 0 1 8 NO. 6 Paul M. Crolius, Pastor Roger Tessendorf, Principal Cindy Nellessen, Administrative Assistant

FROM THE PASTOR

“O Sovereign Lord, You are God! Your Words are trustworthy, and You have promised these good things to Your servant.” 2 Samuel 7:28

Dear Friends in Christ,

We live in an age of distrust and deception. Yet daily we trust our lives to people we may or may not even know: firefighters, police, doctors, teachers or other drivers on the road. Without thinking about it, we may place our survival in the hands of strangers. Thinking about that, how much more can we trust in our God!

God has kept in his care our parents that they may be able bring us into this world. He works through farmers and grocers to feed us, construction workers to give us shelter, bankers to protect our finances, and those who work in areas of sanitation to keep our neighborhoods clean. He surrounds us with family and friends to love and be loved by, and He knows every need of both body and soul.

God's record of trustworthiness is absolutely perfect! His promises to Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, David, and all of God’s people were fulfilled without exception in an amazing way. Jesus, true God and man was born in a manger. He healed the sick. He faithfully and

powerfully taught the people yearning to hear God’s Word. He died on the cross to pay for all our sin, and rose victorious from the grave on Easter as

He foretold and promised. In Jesus we have forgiveness and eternal life. This is the ultimate proof that He does what He says.

In Jesus, our loving and trustworthy God, no matter how uncertain our world is, God and His Word are always worthy of our complete love and trust. As the Apostle Paul writes by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, “What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:31-32 NIV) He further promises to continue to guide, care, provide, stay with us and strengthen us all our days until the day He will bring us to our heavenly home. This too He has promised and is trustworthy and true.

May we ever be kept firm in the faith and His trustworthy and wonderful Word. As we make our plans for the summer, may we always remember the Lord in all we plan and do. May He continue to keep us close to Himself in His love and truth by continuing to regularly worship and receive His gifts and blessings, Bible Study, devotion and prayer.

My prayer is that God would grant you a very blessed end of the school year and summer. May He help and direct us all to make plans that will help us ever to grow in faith, His truth and life, to His glory and for the furthering of His Kingdom. God’s richest blessings to all!

ST. PETER'S MESSENGER

In Christ,Pastor Crolius

FUNERAL

Theodor Gerike died on Thursday, May 10, 2018, and was given Christian burial on Monday, May 14, 2018.

The funeral for Dolores Schulz will be held on Saturday, June 9, 2018, at 12”30 p.m. at the church.

BAPTISM

Caden James and Kennedy Jo, son and daughter of Tyler and Brittney (Schulenburg) Stowers, were born on March 4, 2018, and baptized on Sunday, May 20, 2018.

LADIES AID

The Ladies Aid met at noon on May 2, for our annual Spring Salad Buffet luncheon. It was a time of fellowship and delicious food. Tables were decorated with china cups will with spring flowers. President Eldarene Bowlin opened the business meeting. Minutes of the April meeting and the Treasurer’s report were read and accepted. Lois Radtke and Mary Schuette, the property committee, discussed the disposal of our grey dinner plates which are no longer used for funeral lunches, but are taking up cupboard space. It was decided to announce in the church bulletin and Messenger that those plates, some serving bowls and salad plates will be made available to the congregation for a free-will offering.

June Committee of the Month – Dee Duley and Eldarene Bowlin. Serving Committee – Shirley Maurer and Ruth Reimer

Birthday blessings were sung to Ruth Reimer and Lorna Slaney. Meeting adjourned with the Lord’s Prayer. LWML

President Char Hillman opened the meeting with a poem titled “ When God Made Moms” followed by our reciting the League Pledge. Joanne Brandt led

us in a Bible study about how God encourages us and is always with us, showing us in the Bible where God encouraged people in the Old and New Testaments.

Our Secretary's Report was approved and Treasurer's Report was filed for audit.We reviewed our Prayer Service and Salad Luncheon that took place in April.

Correspondence from our missionary, Cindy Wrucke was shared, and a motion was made and seconded to send $100 to further support her as we had not done so since December. At our June meeting we will be voting on which mission grants we would like our mites to go towards to then be voted on at our South Wisconsin District Convention in June. Also at our June meeting we will be voting on a new President and Treasurer for our own society, so if anyone is willing to run for these positions, please let an officer know.

Mary Schwenkhoff led us in our mite devotion by sharing her special talents. She put together a song booklet dealing with missions for us to use at our meetings. We very much enjoyed singing several songs together. Thank you, Mary!

A thank you went out to Marcella Harms and Julie Thompson for serving dessert and fellowship was enjoyed by all.

Julie ThompsonSecretary

RADIO BROADCAST

Tune in to….WCNP FM 89.5 at 12:00 noon

The Board of Congregational Services is looking for a person or persons

who would like to share their time and talents as the Sunday School Superintendent.

Sunday School teachers and helpers are always needed and planning will begin soon to make sure we have teachers when Sunday School begins again in September. Moms, dads, and young adults are always welcome to share their time and talents in anyway.

If you are interested in learning more about this opportunity, please contact the church office at 524-4512.

Thank you,Board of Congregational Services

Please join in walking in the Butterfest Parade and help hand out the invitation fliers for Vacation Bible School. This year’s theme is “Splash

Canyon”. Come in your swim glasses, innertubes, and water guns!! Mark your calendar for Saturday, June 16, parade begins at 10:30 a.m. Watch the bulletin for more information

The Annual Church Picnic in City Park will be Sunday, June 24th. There will be an outdoor service held in the park at 10:30AM with lunch to follow. Watch the bulletin for more information.

GOD BLESS OUR GRADUATES

SENIOR CLASS OF 2018

Nathaniel Anderson Matthew BeckCaylee Beyer Judy Cole Matthew Dietz Jacob Ely Savannah Escobar Nicolas Fry Logan Gillis Kirsten Grace Derek Halvensleben Haley Hon Andrew Harshbarger Alex Markunas Carson McCauley Mason McMillen Nathen Minor William ParadisMaximilian Patterson Spencer Reinecke Rafier Schultz Brooklyn Schyvinck Jessica Smith Shayla StefanMorgan Sumter Nathaniel Wollin

8TH GRADE CLASS OF 2018

The St. Peter’s Class of 2018 will graduate at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 31, 2018. May God bless their continued walk with their Savior Jesus Christ.

Congratulations to the Class of 2018 Valedictorian, Ella Halvensleben

Salutatorian, Cassidy klitzke

Bracen Brandt Hunter BrekkeMelissa Dietz Ella HalvenslebenCallie Johnson Cassidy Klitzke Marisa Pertzborn Addison ProcterSamuel Raupp Grace RogersJosiah Sabatier Joshua ThomasSummer Thompson Nicholas VanEtten

YOUTH NEWS!!

Youth Group is coming to a close for the end of the school year, but we are still super active as we move into summer!! The last night of Sr. Youth was May 16, the 23rd for Jr. Youth.

Youth Group will resume on Wednesday, September 5th with the Sr Youth.

BASEBALL CONCESSIONS June 15 – 17

On June 15th, 16th, and 17th, St. Peter's Youth and the LAMP Team will be working at the baseball concessions at Nishan Park during Butterfest weekend. The proceeds from this event will help cover the LAMP trip to Canada coming up in July and will also increase the funds in the Youth account as we start looking ahead to the National Youth Gathering coming up in 2019! I will have a sign up sheet for this event for the youth to sign up and help. Please be on the lookout for information on this event in the church bulletin.

SR YOUTH PAINTBALL!! June 23

Because Sr Youth did not get a Lock-In this year, I thought Paintball might be a fun alternative!! This youth event will be held at Expeditions Unlimited in Baraboo from 9am - 12pm. The cost to attend is $20 and refills are $5 for 100 paintballs. Payment can be handed in to myself or to the school office. Please make any checks payable to St. Peter's. There will also be a waiver form available in the school office for parents to fill out before this event. Please let me know if you will be joining us so that I can let Expeditions know the number of those attending. This event is going to be so much fun!! You won't want to miss it!!

FREEDOM FEST! July 4

St. Peter's Youth will be working at a booth at Nishan Park during Freedom Fest on July 4. We will be serving Pizza Hut pizza and slushies. Like the baseball concession weekend, the proceeds from this event will help increase the funds in the Youth account as we start looking ahead to the National Youth Gathering coming up in 2019! I will also

have a sign up sheet for the youth to help. Please be on the lookout for information on this event in the church bulletin.

Thank you for your support and help with these events!

If there are any questions, please contact me at 608-477-1159 or at jenniferanderson@saintpetersls.com

I wish you all so many blessings this Summer!! Be safe and have a blast!!

In Christ,Jennifer Anderson, Youth Director

2018 VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL

NEW DATE!AUGUST 6 - 10, 2018

9:00 – 11:30 a.m.

Students entering K – 5th Grade

Registration form can be found on the back page of the messenger

ST. PETER’S LUTHERAN

SCHOOL NEWS

Survey: Thank you to everyone who participated in the School Survey. A total of 207 surveys were completed. (25 Church members , 56 Parents, 10 Teachers, 72 Gr. 4-8 and 44 Gr. 1-3.) The data is in the process of being analyzed. I plan to share a summary of the information at a future Voters meeting.

Principal for Day: Mason Molitor was Principal for a Day on May 11, 2018. Mr. Molitor is 8 years old and has attended St. Peter’s since 3K. He was in Mrs. Gunther’s first PK class. Mr. Molitor got up at 6:05 AM and arrived at school at 7:15. Mr. Molitor made two executive decisions. First, The school would have an extra 10 minutes of recess. His second decisions was to have a special dress day that allowed hats and sunglasses to be worn. He also took time out of his busy schedule to read to both the Day Care and Kindergarten classes.

Mr. Molitor received many cookies and snacks as principal and passed out a number of his custom business cards. His favorite part of the day was delivering donuts.

Special Note: Mason was given the chance to be Principal for a Day by his eighth grade chapel buddy, Hunter.

Here are just a few pictures of Mr. Molitor’s Principal for a Day FUN!

An AWESOME First Year! It is a pleasure serving our Lord

through the ministry of St. Peter’s. I am blessed to be part of an outstanding staff. Each is uniquely gifted by God. The staff is willing to let the Holy Spirit use them as the needs of the ministry arise. To use a technical term, they get it! Together, and with Christ as our leader, St. Peter’s has been the conduit of many blessings of God. And in the process St. Peter's has been blessed as well. .

We are blessed with a Pastor who supports the school. He views the school as a vital part of the ministry of St. Peter’s. I have witness him talking to classes answering “tough” religious questions. He truly enjoys sharing with the students and is able to adjust his answer based on the maturity of the class he is addressing.

Finally, the support I feel from you, the congregation, continues to uplift me. I thank the Lord every day for leading me to St. Peter’s. Your desire to have a quality Lutheran Education in the Reedsburg area is an encouragement to me.

This has been an AWESOME first year. I am excited to serve with you all in the years to come.

Mr. Tessendorf, Principal

By Rev. Jason BraatenImmanuel Lutheran Church – Tuscola, Ill.

“There are three conversions necessary to every man: the head, the heart, and the purse.” Attributed to Luther, though yet to be located in his vast writings, this statement echoes what Jesus taught about hearts and treasures. He said, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:21; Luke 12:34).

But which conversion comes first? I submit that the order is this: first the head, then the purse, then the heart. Let me explain.

Our Lord Jesus Christ dwelt among us to save us. He took on our flesh, fulfilled the demands of the law in our place, became sin for us, and suffered torture and death on our behalf, in order that we would be free from sin, death, and hell. He gives us what He accomplished through Baptism, Absolution, and the Lord’s Supper.

And so, He doesn’t just do it for us but gives it to us, makes what He did ours by making us His. Thus, we are called by His name: Christians. We have a new life in Him.

Through the preaching of Law and Gospel, God grants us repentance, a changing of our minds. It is a conversion of the mind. We are called to turn away from our sins and turn toward Him for forgiveness, life, and salvation. For when God calls us away from something, He is, at the same time, calling us to something.

And thus, He calls us to a new life, with new deeds. This is the conversion of the purse. Jesus said that “it is easier for a camel to enter through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:24). “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

Notice that our hearts follow our treasures, not the other way around. As Christians, God calls us to invest our treasures in His Kingdom to ensure that the gospel is preached and the sacraments are administered. He calls us to share all good things with the one who teaches us the doctrines of Christ. He calls us to be generous in giving to the church, for it is more blessed to give than to receive.

So where is your treasure? If it is not invested in the kingdom of God, then the only response is repentance—a conversion of the heart—and to begin doing just that. And as our Lord

promised, where your treasure is there your heart will be also.

This is not to say that you earn your way into heaven. It is simply to say that as Christians, those who have been made to be temples of the Holy Spirit, who have been given a new life in Christ, who are dead to sin and now alive in Him, we are, actually, to live — think (conversion of the mind), do (conversion of the purse), and be (conversion of the heart) — a new life in Him.

And when you fail, know that God in Christ loves and forgives you and still calls you away from that and to Himself.

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR CAMP LUWISOMO

The Board of Congregational Services is

accepting applications for those wishing to attend camp at LUWiSoMo this summer. Applications may be picked up in the information rack in the narthex and returned to the church office.

GOD’S BLESSINGS TO YOU!

MILLER, BROOKE 6/1GANT, JULIET 6/2HELM, ANTHONY 6/2KNODEL, CARSON 6/2PEPER, COLTON 6/2PFAFF, THOMAS 6/2GERIKE, JOHN 6/3KLITZKE, EVALINE 6/3MCNURLEN, ARAMUS 6/3MICHEL, JOELLYN 6/3LINDLOFF, CATHERINE 6/4SYLVANDER, NANCY 6/4ZIMMERMAN, RICHARD 6/4BUNDE, SCOTT 6/6LABANSKY, MARY 6/6PARADIS, KATHERINE 6/6FLEMING, LILEY 6/7

GIEBEL, ELIZABETH 6/7ROLOFF, SAWYER 6/7SMITH, TYLER 6/7PAHL, EVAN 6/8CRAKER, SHELLEY 6/9DANKERT, GUNNAR 6/9GEORGESON, JAMIE 6/9SCHWENKHOFF, MARY 6/9THOMPSON, CLINT 6/9CURTIN, COOPER 6/10BACKEBERG, JEFFREY 6/11DUERR, JENNIFER 6/11SASS, WILLIAM 6/11JOHNSON, GREGORY 6/12KRUSE, MALLORY 6/12NICOLAUS, RICHELLE 6/13SCHNEIDER, CHELSEY 6/13BAUER, SANDRA 6/14COLE, ROBERT 6/14DUERR, WENDY 6/14GAWRONSKI, EUGENE 6/14MCCAULEY, MASON 6/14MEYER, LUCAS 6/14DIETZ, WESLEY 6/15HINZ, LINDA 6/15STRAMPE, EDWARD 6/15HENKE, MICHELLE 6/16KUEBLER, WILLIAM 6/16LAUKANT, TREANNA 6/16PAHL, MICAH 6/16PARRISH, DEION 6/16STEINHORST, TRAYE 6/16BECK, CATHI 6/17MCMILLEN, BRENDA 6/17TOURDOT, LUCAS 6/17ADELMAN, DEBRA 6/18MARTIN, JOAN 6/18PARCE, PAUL 6/18LITTLE, STEFAN 6/19MINOR, KIMBERLY 6/19STRAND, MICHAEL 6/19ANDREASEN, BETTY 6/20HON, DARREN 6/20LEMOINE, ELLA 6/20PERTZBORN, LUKE 6/20SCHMIDT, MORGAN 6/20FLEMING, TRINIDY 6/21JAECH, SARAH 6/21KRYDER, THEODORE 6/21STEFAN, MARANDA 6/21KRUEGER, DORIE 6/22NICOLAUS, GORDON 6/22RULAND, ZACHARY 6/22VANETTEN, BETSY 6/22

WREZENSKI, KENNETH 6/22BARTO, DENNIS 6/23DIETZ, COLE 6/23GOODELL, JEAN 6/23HOEGE, BRITTNEY 6/23PEPER, LINDA 6/23PEPER, PAUL 6/23SCHULTZ, JOSHUA 6/24SCHULTZ, MARY 6/24SHEPARD, DEBRA 6/24BEHN, ANDREA 6/25DANIELS, KRISTINE 6/25KENYON, BRIAN 6/25KLITZKE, MATTHEW 6/25BRANDT, BRADY 6/26CRAKER, LILA 6/26CUPP, JASON 6/26HOPSON, JANELLE 6/26MEYER, MARK 6/26MINOR, KAYLA 6/26PATTON, ELLIOT 6/26KOCH, LORIE 6/27POHLMANN, DONNA 6/27WESTPHAL, KENT 6/27SCHWENKHOFF, HENRY 6/28STANDO, JOSEPH 6/28WOLLIN, DEBRA 6/28CROLIUS, COLIN 6/29FILUS, TIERNEE 6/29STOWERS, MELISSA 6/29OTKIN, DENISE 6/30WILSON, BROCK 6/30ZIECH, TIFFANY 6/30

St. Peter’s Lutheran Church346 N. Locust Street, Reedsburg, WI - 608-524-4066

2018 VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL

NEW DATE!

AUGUST 6 - 10, 2018 9:00 – 11:30 a.m.

Students entering K – 5th GradeReturn registration forms to the St. Peters office.

Name of Parent/Guardian ___________________________________________________________________

Address _____________________________________________________ Phone _____________________

Contact in case of an emergency __________________________________ Phone _____________________

I would like to help with: ____ provide themed snacks ____ lead a VBS station ____ assist with decorating ____ supervise VBS students ____ coordinate/teach PreK VBS in 2018

Please enroll the following students in Vacation Bible School:

Name: __________________________________ Age as of 6/1/17 _______ Grade next school year _______

Name: __________________________________ Age as of 6/1/17 _______ Grade next school year _______

Name: __________________________________ Age as of 6/1/17 _______ Grade next school year _______

Food Allergies? Medical concerns? Y N Please list: __________________________________________

People who may pick up my child: ____________________________________________________________

*************************************************************************************** We need YOU!!!!! We are looking for leaders, assistants and helpers in all areas to make this year great.

(6th grade and up) This brief commitment makes a huge impact when you share your love of Jesus with the children of our congregation and community! Please contact the office at 524-4066 ext. 1 or email

erika.molitor10@gmail.com