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The Portico Dr. Martin Luther Church
325 S. Main Street
Oconomowoc, WI 53066
PHONE: (262) 567-3829
Email: [email protected]
Church Web Site: drmartinlutherchurch.org
Your Church Staff is here to serve you…
Senior Pastor
Larry Harpster (262) 344-5942
Music Director
Alison O’Leary (262) 751-1596
Band Leader
Robin Hankins (414) 254-8414
Administrative Secretary
Mary Engel (262) 567-3829
Volunteer Coordinator
Bobbie Dierbeck (262) 567-3829
Saturday 5:00 PM Chapel Service traditional format
Sundays 9:00 AM Worship
Includes a variety of musical styles, a
blend of hymns and contemporary songs
so that there is something for everyone.
Sunday School begins in worship at the
10:30 AM Praise Service
Sundays 10:30 AM Praise Service The Praise Band, “Roll the Stone,”
continues to lead worship. Come and
enjoy this upbeat and energetic service.
Page 2
A Healing Blessing will be available during
each service the weekend of December 7/ 8.
DON’T FORGET TO JOIN US TO THANK ALISON ON
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 29 AT 10 AM
Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs. Psalm 100:2
I know that December is a busy time of the year for
all of us. We are celebrating the birth of our savior Jesus
Christ. We are visiting friends and family. We are buying
gifts and preparing food for large gatherings. We are in the
Christmas spirit!
However, I hope you will make a special effort to join
us on Sunday, December 29 at a 10 am Unity worship ser-
vice. We will be saying good bye to Alison O’Leary, who has
been our music director for 6 years. We will be giving her
some gifts during worship and then having a cake and cof-
fee reception for her after the service. Alison has been a
blessing and a wonderful servant of our community and we
want to recognize that on her last official Sunday. There will
be envelopes in the December newsletter so anyone who
wants to can contribute to a financial gift from the congrega-
tion.
Alison has had a full-time job above and beyond the
part time job responsibilities she has in our community. She
has commuted from Mequon for the last few years, which is
a one hour drive each way. I know that she is up for a possi-
ble promotion that could move her to the Chicago area.
These circumstances made it difficult for her to continue
serving here.
We have a team of Dr. Martin Luther members who
are advertising for a new director and interviewing possible
candidates. The members are Robin Hankins, Julie King,
Jenny Braun, Dave Magadanz and myself. Let us know if
you have any questions about the process.
Let’s celebrate Christmas this year in a joyful way
and also give thanks for Alison and her six years of blessing
our congregation with her music leadership!
Have a Merry Christmas,
Pastor Larry
November 30/December 1 FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT
Saturday: 5:00PM Chapel Worship
Sunday: 9:00AM Worship
10:30AM Sunday School
10:30AM Praise Service
11:45AM Sunday School Christmas
Program Rehearsal
December 7/8 SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT
Saturday: 5:00PM Chapel Worship/Healing
Sunday: 9:00AM Worship/Healing
10:30AM Sunday School
10:30AM Praise Service/Healing
11:45AM Sunday School Christmas
Program Rehearsal
December 15 THIRD SUNDAY IN ADVENT
Sunday: 10:00AM Unity Service/Sunday School
Christmas Program
(Please note that there will not be a Saturday
service on December 14)
December 21/22 FOURTH SUNDAY IN ADVENT
Saturday: 5:00PM Chapel Worship
Sunday: 9:00AM Worship
10:30AM Praise Service
Page 3
2019 is coming to an end
but we still have a lot of
fun ahead! Our Christ-
mas program and birth-
day party for Jesus is
December 15th. It will
take place during a
10:00 Unity service. Please feel free to invite
family and friends and join us after the service
for a celebration, craft, birthday cake and a visit
from the North Pole! Don’t forget your cameras.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Please note the following important dates:
December 1 Happy Thanksgiving! No Sunday School!
December 8 Christmas Program rehearsal
11:45 - 12:30
December 15 Christmas Program 10:00
December 22 Merry Christmas! No Sunday School!
December 29 Merry Christmas! No Sunday School
January 5 Sunday School resume
What’s New in Sunday School
Each month we would like to introduce you to a
member of our Sunday School team! They are
such an important part of our congregation and
work very hard to build the faith of our future,
the children. This month we introduce Klaire
Blunck. She is our teacher for our 3rd and 4th
grade class.
I, Klaire Blunck, joined DMLC back in
1973 when I married William Blunck.
We have 2 adult boys, Jacob (Abbey)
and Joseph (Kedra), and 5 grandchil-
dren. I retired from a 42 year nursing
career August 1, 2016. Since then, I
volunteered to teach Bible school ,
4,5,6 grades and Sunday school, 3rd&
4th grades. I love teaching the youth of DMLC and
guiding them to learn more about the Love and Knowl-
edge of God through the Life of Jesus and inspiration of
the Holy Spirit. I welcome any input from parents, and
pray that your children will find their lessons meaning-
ful.
Meet Your Sunday School Team!
All youth 5th grade and up are invited to DMLC’s an-
nual ski trip to Hurley, Wisconsin. Feel free to bring a
friend! Don't know how to ski? No worries, we can
teach you! Snow boards welcome.
The cost is $130 per
person. Scholarships
are available. Please
see Pastor Larry.
Leaving from DMLC
on Thursday, Feb. 13
and returning on Sunday, Feb. 16.
For more information contact Chris Lewein at
262-490-1785 or [email protected]
Youth Ski Trip Feb. 13th -16th, 2020 Join Us At The Upcoming CREW Event!
Soul Fire Art Studio
Sunday, December 8,
12:00pm-1:00pm
2850 Heritage Dr., Delafield
Making Soup Bowls for
Youth Group Raffle
RSVP to Lesley Kountz for all events
Calling All High School Students!
Page 4
WISHING WELL DECEMBER: HATS, SCARVES & MITTENS
Our annual tradition of collecting warm personal items for the cold outdoors has come
once again. We have selected Lake Country Caring in Hartland as the recipient of
your gifts. Lake Country Caring provides assistance to people in Waukesha, Washing-
ton, Dodge & Jefferson counties that are going through adverse transitional times in
their lives. Sharing God’s blessing is the core of their mission. They are a 100% volun-
teer-run nonprofit organization located in Hartland. Through the month of December
we will be accepting new or gently used hats, scarves, and gloves/mittens. Thank you
to each and every one of you who have so generously answered our Wishing Well requests this year.
Throughout this year we have been able to make some amazing donations.
MEALS FOR MEMBERS:
Thank you to those who have volunteered to participate in our Meals for Members program. At this time we
have 13 volunteers signed up to be notified when a meal may be requested. We will be using an online sign-
up to organize the meals. After receiving your email from us with needed information you may choose to
participate or pass. There is absolutely no pressure to provide a meal each time a request is made. If you
know of anyone from DMLC who may be in need of a delicious meal from their church family, please give me
a call. At that time Lesley Kountz and I will get things started. If you have not signed up it is never too late.
PLEASE consider keeping this ministry alive at DMLC.
VOLUNTEER RECOGNITION:
Thank you once again to Alyssa and Dustin Wakefield, Barb Kloth, Carol Zeutzius and Tom Dierbeck for
decorating the church sanctuary for Advent. Their time and talents make it possible for the rest of us to be
able to enjoy the beauty of our church home during this Advent season. If you care to join in the fun and
help decorate for Christmas we would love to have you help. We will be decorating on Saturday, December
14. Time will be determined soon.
COFFEE HOUR
We are in great need of coffee hour servers for both 9:00 and 10:30 services. Please sign up ASAP….we
cannot do this without the help of everyone.
To all the families that come to this holy place – to celebrate, to find hope, to take the
next steps of their faith journey, to build friendships to last a lifetime may God bless you
and yours this Christmas and always!
Bobbie Dierbeck
Volunteer Coordinator (262) 567-3829; [email protected]
Volunteering at DMLC
Page 5
Dr. Martin Luther Church Council Meeting Minutes
October 24, 2019 5:30 PM Present: DJ Scherret, Pastor Larry Harpster, Brianne Malliet, John Wick, Heidi Teuteberg
Absent: Janet Kloss, Barb Dehnert, Dustin Wakefield
1. An opening prayer was given by Pastor.
2. We welcomed Jack from the Greater Milwaukee Synod. He talked with us about ways the Synod is reaching out to those
in need in our communities. One of the ministries we learned about was the BtCC (Breaking the Chains Church). This min-
istry is a congregation inside a prison and supports men by holding worship services, praying for them, Bible study and
working with them as they are released. He encouraged us to share with him the different ministries we participate in. We
talked about Bags, St. Bens and other areas we are involved. It was good to hear about what was all going on and how we
are playing a part in this outreach.
3. DJ called the meeting to order and the agenda was reviewed. A motion was made by Heidi to approve the agenda,
Brianne seconded and all approved.
4. The September council meeting minutes were reviewed. Brianne motioned to accept the minutes, John seconded and all
approved.
5. Financial reports from August and September were reviewed and discussed. We are running behind on income and ex-
penses are exceeding the budget. But, based on historical data, December is usually a generous giving month and we
hope this will help even out the financials by the end of the year.
6. Pastor gave us an update on the heating costs. Andy King has been pulling together previous usage numbers and talking
with the City of Oconomowoc Utilities as to why our costs have jumped so drastically. We are waiting to hear back from
the City and hoping to get some sort of a refund.
7. The Stewardship program which is focusing on generosity is in process. Over the next few weeks members will be sharing
how the new addition has been a blessing to them. A team will be contacting all members to talk about the program in
November.
8. An informal survey was done after a 10:30 service to see if there was interest in enhancing the on-line giving options via
the DMLC website. There was an overall interest in this, and we discussed offering some “hands on” help to those who
would like to sign up but could use some guidance on how to get set-up.
9. Pastor had attended a Synod group meeting to spend some time with the Tanzanian visitors who were able to visit other
congregations. It was just a random thing that our two visitors were denied visas. We are going to try again next year to
bring them here.
10. Confirmation is on October 27th and Pastor motioned that we approve the confirmands (Cole, Nick, Jack and Payton).
Brianne seconded the motion and all approved.
11. A team has been formed to start the search for a new Music director. The job description has also been created and the
team is actively looking.
12. An initial estimate has been received to either patch or replace the leaking roof in the education building. We are waiting
for additional estimates and then a decision will be made as to how we move forward.
13. There are some other property items that we will need to address now or in the near future (removal of a tree, elevator
maintenance and replacing the water heater in the kitchen). These are being reviewed by the Property team.
14. Pastor led us in a closing prayer and the meeting was adjourned at approximately 6:45 PM.
15. Next council is November 21st at 5:30 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Heidi Teuteberg, Secretary
Page 6
The deadline for the January issue of The Portico is
Monday, December 16. Information for the month of
January must be submitted by this date.
Quilters will be taking a break in December. See you on
January 15, 2020. If you have questions, please contact
Jane Easton at 262-567-3483
Quilting for Lutheran World Relief
Monthly Actual Budget
Income $21,974.22 $25,739.76
Expense $25,940.84 $25,739.76
Monthly Income—Expense -$3,966.62
Year to Date Actual Budget
Income $258,093.17 $257,398.61
Expense $279,525.27 $257,398.59
Income—Expense - ($21,432.10)
Mortgage Principal Balance November 10:
$803,620.14
Regular monthly payment of $4,687.00 was paid this
month plus an additional 2,774.09 from donations to the
“Seeds of Hope” fund.
Stewardship Report October
Women’s Bible Study
This women’s Bible study will meet only once in Decem-
ber on the 12th at 6:30 p.m. on the second floor of the
education building. Contact Liz Westfield by phone at
(262) 224-7258 or by email at [email protected]
for more information.
Seasoned Lutherans
All Men are invited to participate in a great casual
learning and fellowship experience among the "Early
Risers" that takes place on the SECOND SATURDAY of
every month at the Cafe LaBelle (located within the
Shorehaven complex) from 7:30 - 8:30 am. Please
contact Chris Butschke (262.966.0270) or Mike
Driscoll (262.646.5605) for directions/additional de-
tails.
Seasoned Lutherans will
meet on the 3rd Wednesday,
December 18th at noon for a
home cooked meal. This
month we will have a sing-
along of your favorite Christmas songs.
Games are played on Monday
evenings here at home in
Oconomowoc or at other congre-
gations in the area -Ashippun,
Watertown, Lebanon and Sugar
Island and begin at 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 2 Immanuel, Watertown at DMLC
Dec. 9 DMLC at Immanuel, Lebanon
Dec. 16 DMLC at St. John’s, Watertown
Jan. 6 St. John’s, Ashippun at DMLC
Jan. 13 DMLC at St. Paul’s, Sugar Island
Jan. 20 St. Mark’s #1, Watertown at DMLC
Jan. 27 St. Luke’s, Watertown at DMLC
Dartball Schedule
Holiday Office Hours
The church office will be closed on:
Tuesday, December 24
Wednesday, December 25
Thursday, December 26
Tuesday, December 31
Wednesday January 1
Page 7
CHRISTMAS EVE Tuesday, December 24
3:00pm Casual Family Worship
with Holy Communion
Children are actively involved in
the service. This service in-
cludes congregational carols,
vocal solos, music ensembles: Festival Choir and Heaven’s
Bells, a children’s semon and lighting of candles.
5:00pm Candlelight Worship with Holy Communion
This service includes congregational carols, vocal solos,
music ensembles: Festival Choir, Heaven’s Bells and light-
ing of candles.
CHRISTMAS DAY Wednesday, December 25
10:00am Festival of Christmas Worship
with Holy Communion
We will be singing many of the favorite old-time Christmas
hymns and carols.
Sunday, December 29 – 10:00 AM Unity Worship
followed by farewell for Alison O’Leary
Pastor Larry Alison
Robin Mary
Bobbie
We invite you to pray for and support our church
members who have lost loved ones: Ron Meunier
and family mourning the death of Sandy; the family
of Jim Howden; Arlene Krickhahn and family mourn-
ing the death of Roland.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the source of all mercy and the God of all
consolation, who comforts us in all our sorrows so
that we can comfort others in their sorrows with
the consolation we ourselves have received from
God.
We will once again be decorating
the sanctuary with Red Poinsettia
Plants for Christmas. If you
would like to order a plant,
($11.00 each) please call the
church office at 262-567-3829.
Your plant can be picked up after
the Christmas Day service.
CRAFTY COW gathering for
Discussion on Thursday,
December 12th
All men and women of DMLC
and beyond. How about some
meaningful conversation along
with a beverage or two? Please come to the
CRAFTY COW… an opportunity to combine Christian
conversation and a beer. The next Crafty Cow is
scheduled for Thursday, December 12th beginning
at 7pm at Crafty Cow in downtown Oconomowoc.
Any questions, speak with Gary Liedtke (262-893-
6042) or Pastor Larry (262-344-5942). See you
there.
Crafty Cow
