December, 2020 HRIST LUTHERAN
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December, 2020 CHRIST LUTHERAN 1860 Wisconsin St PO Box 312 Oshkosh, 54901-0312 OFFICE HOURS Monday 9:00 am-Noon SUNDAYS 9:00 am Worship ONLINE FOR NOW CONTACT INFORMATION: CHURCH OFFICE Barb Schneider 920.231.6570 [email protected] PASTOR Rev. Connie Weiss 920.904.5919 [email protected] PRESIDENT Kevin Harvot 920.379.0829 Hello My Friends! es·sen·al - We hear this word a lot lately. It is used to de- scribe something as absolutely necessary or extremely im- portant. During this me of pandemic, the word has been aached to businesses and service industries that society cannot afford to be without. Hospitals, daycare, hardware and grocery stores, and gas staons, are just a few that have been deemed essenal for in- person contact in order to get through this most challenging me. There’s been high debate on places of worship as we saw church buildings empty out with many going virtual unl it is safe to gather again. And we just happen to be one of those congregaons. But here’s the thing - I have seen God’s church at this me not held back but instead, blos- soming in beauful ways that I could never have imagined. And while 2020 will go down in history as one of our most challenging years, it has also been a me that has blessed our congregaons in so many ways. We have found a way to produce hour-long worship services that we make available on-line and on cable. People who we’ve never met are joining us and responding. And while so many congregaons fight to keep their buildings open and full of worshippers, our joint task force, instead, has decided that the best idea is to take no chanc- es and keep everyone safe. And so we’ve expanded our ministry by being creave and providing worship and ministry virtually instead. The apostle Peter takes Jesus’ new definion of church and extends it to all believers in Christ. We are like living stones that are built into a spiritual house. Instead of looking to a building as an essenal place of worship, we are reminded that WE are the church - that God cannot be boxed in and limited to our own manufactured buildings. No, instead, we have discovered during this me that we can worship God through the internet, in our homes and on cable TV. And our reach in ministry has grown! While we have not worshipped in person since March, we sll are as essenal as ever. It’s just that God has found a way around a pandemic to connue to get the Good News out. And it’s a journey filled with beauful stories! Our worship aendance has increased as more and more people have discovered us from their living rooms and computers. We have wor- ship aenders in Canada as one member has shared our services with friends who live out- side our country’s borders. We have record numbers of parcipants - people who have never read before are now doing so. We have musicians recording songs. And, fellowship connues through our online coffee hour and Bible study group. Each of us are building into a spiritual house, my friends. We have stayed faithful - trusng that God will provide, and God has! So take heart! There is an end in sight with this pandemic and its spread. But in the mean- me, we can boldly connue in these creave ways knowing that we are essenal. God’s church will always be — regardless of life’s circumstance! Yours in Christ, “like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ..” 1 Peter 2:5
Transcript of December, 2020 HRIST LUTHERAN
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December, 2020
CHRIST LUTHERAN
1860 Wisconsin St
PO Box 312
Oshkosh, 54901-0312
OFFICE HOURS
Monday
9:00 am-Noon
SUNDAYS
9:00 am Worship
ONLINE FOR NOW
CONTACT
INFORMATION:
CHURCH OFFICE
Barb Schneider
920.231.6570
PASTOR
Rev. Connie Weiss
920.904.5919
PRESIDENT
Kevin Harvot
920.379.0829
Hello My Friends!
es·sen·tial - We hear this word a lot lately. It is used to de-scribe something as absolutely necessary or extremely im-portant. During this time of pandemic, the word has been attached to businesses and service industries that society cannot afford to be without. Hospitals, daycare, hardware and grocery stores, and gas stations, are just a few that have been deemed essential for in-person contact in order to get through this most challenging time. There’s been high debate on places of worship as we saw church buildings empty out with many going virtual until it is safe to gather again. And we just happen to be one of those congregations.
But here’s the thing - I have seen God’s church at this time not held back but instead, blos-soming in beautiful ways that I could never have imagined. And while 2020 will go down in history as one of our most challenging years, it has also been a time that has blessed our congregations in so many ways. We have found a way to produce hour-long worship services that we make available on-line and on cable. People who we’ve never met are joining us and responding. And while so many congregations fight to keep their buildings open and full of worshippers, our joint task force, instead, has decided that the best idea is to take no chanc-es and keep everyone safe. And so we’ve expanded our ministry by being creative and providing worship and ministry virtually instead.
The apostle Peter takes Jesus’ new definition of church and extends it to all believers in Christ. We are like living stones that are built into a spiritual house. Instead of looking to a building as an essential place of worship, we are reminded that WE are the church - that God cannot be boxed in and limited to our own manufactured buildings. No, instead, we have discovered during this time that we can worship God through the internet, in our homes and on cable TV. And our reach in ministry has grown!
While we have not worshipped in person since March, we still are as essential as ever. It’s just that God has found a way around a pandemic to continue to get the Good News out. And it’s a journey filled with beautiful stories! Our worship attendance has increased as more and more people have discovered us from their living rooms and computers. We have wor-ship attenders in Canada as one member has shared our services with friends who live out-side our country’s borders. We have record numbers of participants - people who have never read before are now doing so. We have musicians recording songs. And, fellowship continues through our online coffee hour and Bible study group. Each of us are building into a spiritual house, my friends. We have stayed faithful - trusting that God will provide, and God has!
So take heart! There is an end in sight with this pandemic and its spread. But in the mean-time, we can boldly continue in these creative ways knowing that we are essential. God’s church will always be — regardless of life’s circumstance!
Yours in Christ,
“like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ..”
1 Peter 2:5
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A Final Message from Bishop Jerry November 23,2020
Dear Pastors, Deacons, and Lay Leaders,
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the communion of the
Holy Spirit be with you all.
As my time in office comes to an end I give thanks to God for the opportunity to
have served among you. Moving to Wisconsin was never in my bucket list of
things to do. But Anita and I both have enjoyed living here immensely and serv-
ing among you. am so deeply grateful for the opportunity to have served in this
part of Christ’s Church, to have served among and with you, and to have experi-
enced this part of God’s creation. I will cherish the memories and rejoice in the many ways you have blessed my life
and ministry.
I came to this synod in January of 2014, a frigid polar vortex with blizzard conditions blowing from the north the very
day I arrived. I served about 5 months as interim bishop and then was elected to a six-year term. As I look back over
these years, I take some measure of satisfaction in having led the synod through those tumultuous times to better
days of peace and unity. I pray that wherever we have missed the mark, God will reform things; wherever we have
been right, God will strengthen it; and wherever we have inadvertently dropped the ball, God will provide. But I also
leave knowing that our time together is finally not measured by successes or failures but by the loving embrace of
God’s mercy and assurance of God’s grace in Jesus Christ.
November 30 is the Feast of St. Andrew, brother of Peter and one of the first of the twelve disciples of Jesus. Andrew
was a missionary in the Mediterranean world. As we begin a new Church Year and a new chapter in the life of the syn-
od, Andrew is lifted up as an example of our calling to follow Christ in faith and to let the love of God show forth in our
lives.
Since my three-year old grandson is named Andrew, with the middle name Gerald, I will add, I take some delight in
ending my time as bishop on the 30th of November. My last day as bishop will be one remembering both an apostle of
the early Church and the seemingly boundless energy of a three-year old. The faith we share is one that has been
passed on, generation unto generation, from those first female evangelists that visited the tomb on Easter morning to
us today. We do this work and share this Good News so that the whole world, including lively and life-giving grandchil-
dren and generations after them, may know the hope and healing that is ours in Jesus Christ.
Since people have asked, I will say that at least for the present Anita and I intend to remain living in Appleton. I remain
open to serving the Church in some capacity somewhere further down the road. But first there will be days of rest,
reflection and prayer. We shall see what God has in mind and entrust our lives and our future to the grace of God.
Finally, I want to assure you of my love and prayers for the synod and for Bishop-elect Anne Edison-Albright. I look
forward to her installation when we shall promise to receive her as a servant of God and shepherd in the Church of
Jesus Christ. With all of you I will promise “…to pray for her, help and honor her for her work’s sake, and strive to live
together in the peace and unity of Christ.”
The peace of Christ be with you all.
Bishop Jerry
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2020 CHURCH COUNCIL MEMBERS
Kevin Harvot President
Susette Hall Vice President
Barbara Shew Secretary
Ron Lippold Treasurer
Gloria Heidl
October 2020 Report
Total Offerings: $4,638,20 Other Revenue: $181.68 Total Expenses: $7,857.05 Net Profit/(Loss): ($3037.17)
2020 Year-to-Date Report
Total Offerings: $46,582.70 Other Revenue: $ 18,793.05
Total Expenses: $89.468.46 Net Profit/(Loss): -$23,911.03
Our council met twice in November. We discussed the move—using DuFrane movers out of Fond du Lac. Movers The joint Task Force is meeting weekly. They have set up a table by the east door for visitors to sign in and out—providing masks for those who do not come with one. The Task Force will allow between 10-15 people in the sanctuary including pastor for bap-tisms and funerals and require masking. We discussed the upcoming joint Thanksgiving Eve Worship ser-vice—which was virtual this year. Preparations are being made for our 2021 budget. The Annual Meeting most likely will be virtual. We are figuring out the saf-est way to hold this meeting and then will update you.
We will have 2 vacancies in council next year and are taking nominations. If you are interested, please con-tact Kevin Harvot at: 920.379.0829
OUR NEW ADDRESSES
Christ Lutheran Church 1860 Wisconsin St PO Box 312 Oshkosh WI 54901-0312
Well, it’s official! Christ Lutheran has moved it’s operations to Our Savior’s Lutheran. The move went smoothly. The movers from DuFrane were impressive as they managed to get everything moved in 2 trucks in 5 hours time. Thank you to everyone who made this move possible.
Currently, our church office is located in the old sanctuary within Our Savior’s. Of course, when we are able to worship in-person again, we will be gathering in the new sanctuary with the congrega-tion from Our Savior’s. Our lease with the Hooper Community Center will be done at the end of De-cember. We have been blessed to have such a won-derful place during our year and a half transition.
All Moved In!
Mark your Calendar!
Christ Lutheran’s Annual Meeting
Sunday, January 17th - 10 am
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WATCH IT LIVE ON FACEBOOK
SUNDAYS at 9:00 AM
3 WAYS TO WATCH SUNDAY WORSHIP
NOTE! SPECIAL DRIVE-UP COMMUNION DATES FOR DECEMBER
Mary Backus has moved her office behind the blue di-
viders in our new office space. She and Mark continue
to record hymns for our weekly services.
Pastor Connie is working with 4 readers each week—
splitting participation between the 2 congregations.
She also recorded OSLC musician David Bayer as he
provided 6 more songs for our video library. Pastor will
also be providing mid-week services on Wednesdays
during Advent. She took a poll with both congregations
regarding Christmas Eve worship. Following that infor-
mation, the Task Force and Committee decided it
would be best to provide only a virtual service this
year.
CHRISTMAS EVE VIRTUAL SERVICE
December 24th - 5 pm Join us this Christmas Eve for a special
virtual service. We will be premiering
with Live chat on Facebook at 5. We also
will be providing members the YouTube
link so you can watch at your leisure!
ADVENT MID-WEEK SERVICES
Wednesdays 6:45 pm
12/1 “Zechariah, Righteous one”
12/9 “Mary, Favored One”
12/16 “Fear not, Joseph, Son of David”
12/23 “Fear not, Chosen People of God”
Join us as we premiere our 15-minute mid-week
Advent service every Wednesday night at 6:45 pm.
If you are not able to Live chat with us during this
service, we will also have these small worship ser-
vices uploaded to our YouTube channel. We’ll be
sure to provide the link on both Facebook and
through member email.
“Fear Not!”
Since Pastor will be on vacation December 23-30th, we will hold Drive Up Communion on:
DECEMBER 13TH & 20th
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Youth Classes Being Held Virtually
Maria Bouche from Our Savior’s has been working hard on connecting with kids from both churches. She holds virtual Sunday School class on Zoom every 2nd and 4th Sundays at 10 am. They listen to Pastor’s Children’s Sermons, have fun conversations and pray together. Bins for each student are in the hallway which holds crafts for students to work on at home.
Pastor Connie and 10 students are meeting virtu-ally for one hour every other Wednesday at 5:30 on Zoom. On opposite weeks, Pastor provides online homework for students to open their Bi-bles to. Students are required to fill out 15 ser-mon notes throughout the year. Recently, pastor recorded the kids saying a blessing which she is currently using in our weekly worship services.
A VIRTUAL THANKSGIVING EVE
This year we had 8 churches par-ticipate in this annual service. Since it was not safe for us to gather this year, each congrega-tion submitted videos to Pastor Connie so she could edit it into a program. Each congregation had access to the program to use as they see fit. We held a Facebook Premiere that Thanksgiving Eve. It is also on our YouTube channel. Then, we were also able to make it available on Oshkosh Cable Channel 2 seven times the week following. We had a total of 31 participants who helped bring this service to life. Thank you to everyone who made this mean-ingful service possible!
Churches: Calvary, Christ, First English, Our Saviors, Peace, St. Andrews, St. John’s and St. Stephen’s
BELL RINGERS RETURN TO CHURCH
The Task Force approved bringing bell ringers into the sanctuary to record an advent song. Mary Backus directed the 10 ringers from both congregations. Then, Mary and also Jana Singer from OSLC rec-orded singing parts as they were isolated in separate rooms to make that happen. Pastor Connie edited all the parts to the song “Light One Candle” which will be played throughout Advent.
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Did we miss your birthday or get it wrong? Please contact the office to let us know!
Email us at [email protected] or call 920-231-6570.
This December, we celebrate ….
Norman Diel 2
Koa Radtke 6
Cynthia Collier 7
Marilyn Stewart 15
Nicole Palmquist 16
Carole Wissink 17
Chad Durkee 18
Joyce Sundquist 20
Lucas McWilliams 21
Michael Priebe II 22
Seth Anderson-Lind 23
Mike Hannis 25
Kayla Barlow 25
Jessica Costello 26
Messenger By Email
Let our office know if you would like
to receive The Messenger by email.
Have you suggestions for content for
The Messenger? Let me know:
Mark Arend - [email protected]
Quilting Update
Although the quilters are not meeting in per-son right now, they are putting the word out that they welcome people who are able to cut squares from home. If you would like to help, please contact Barbara Shew at:
920.410.0535
Our Savior’s Birdie Box outside and filled with grocer-ies for those who find themselves in need. During this pandemic, the need for food and resources are even stronger. We are asking both congregations to consid-er donating money or items on a more regular basis. Therefore, we will have a donation station at Drive-Up Communion every 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month.
NO GLASS ITEMS PLEASE!
• MONEY DONATIONS
• Canned meat (ham, tuna, chicken, SPAM, etc.)
• Peanut Butter
• Jelly
• Canned Pasta with Meat (like ravioli)
• Beef Stew
• Canned Chili
• Boxes of Macaroni and Cheese
• Spaghetti sauce
• Spaghetti noodles
• Cereal
• Oatmeal Packs
• Canned Fruits
• Canned Vegetables
• Baked Beans
• Potatoes (in Fall)
• Instant Potatoes
• Instant Pancake Mix
• Rice
• Juice
• Can Openers
• Toilet Paper
• Deodorant
• Tooth Brushes
• Tooth Paste
• Mittens/Hats/Scarves (in Winter)
Birdie Box Donations
Upcoming Collection Sundays
December 13th and 20th
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Mission Statement
Representatives of CLC and OSLC will work together as a task force to be informed, communicate effectively to the greater congregation, building trust with a dedication to Safety and a focus on Love, Patience and Respect for ALL.
Your Task Force is Expanding and Working for You!
Our joint Task force meets weekly on Monday nights at 6. Not only are we keeping current with the status of the pan-demic in our community, we have begun to work mutually together on other important issues. Here are some of those items discussed last month.
• OSLC will break out our giving to align with CLC so we can report contributions similarly. We need to add VANCO to our counting practice. OSLC has removed all “Holiday” giving and just put it all as the weekly giving
• OSLC will pay 25% of Pastor Connie’s salary/benefits directly to CLC who will pay Pastor. This salary increase brings
Pastor Connie to a fulltime equivalent following synod guidelines • We will align the treasurer/bookkeeper to be the same across CLC and OSLC
• We will align hourly wage across the secretary to be the same across CLC and OSLC
• OSLC needs to budget to replace/upgrade the office computer
• OSLC needs further discussion around snow removal and lawn care to better understand if these are tasks that we can add to the custodian job description before posting and hiring
• OSLC needs to budget to replace/upgrade the office computer
• OSLC’s Treasurer will get the Interim Pastor rate to have that on hand
• Task Force members will send items for the monthly newsletter to Toby Kamark
• Group will be doing an inventory of lights at the church
• Pastor Connie will send out requests for Bell Ringers on Friday Nov.27th at 11:00 – DONE
Judy Abraham [email protected]
Mark Arend [email protected]
Mark Backus [email protected]
Kevin Harvot [email protected] Amy Jodarski [email protected]
Dorene Myers [email protected]
Shelley Rasmussen [email protected] Barb Schneider [email protected]
Linda Tedlie [email protected]
Lisa Trepanier [email protected]
Toby Kamark [email protected]
Pastor Connie Weiss [email protected]
In order to keep momentum for both congregations, the task force has agreed to meet weekly on Mondays at 6 PM.
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Poinsettia Order Form
$8.00 Each Plant
White_______ Red_______
Name of Sponsor(s): _________________________________________
In Honor of
_______________________________________________________________
or
In Memory of
_______________________________________________________________
Please print names to ensure proper spelling.
Make checks payable to Christ Lutheran Church Flowers
Deadline: December 7, 2020
NO ORDERS WILL BE ACCEPTED
AFTER THE DEADLINE.
