Parish Caller

Tr in i ty Lu the r an Chur ch

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“Unless you repent, you too will all perish.” (Luke 13:3)

For us as citizens of our country, the possibility of experiencing a violent tragedy seems to be more real. Shootings in schools and in other public places are becoming more common. The violent tragedies result in much death, hurt, pain and confusion.

After such tragedies people often contemplate and ask big questions. Why do some die in such horrific ways? Why must family members then suffer? What did they do to deserve such a tragic end? Does God really care about what is happening in our violent culture?

In Jesus’ day many were asking these same questions. Some tragic events were the buzz in Jerusalem (you can read the entire account in Luke 13:1-6). The Roman governor had or-dered some worshipers at the temple to be killed. A tower had collapsed and caused the deaths of eighteen people. Jesus asked a big question which was on the minds of many: “Were they worse sinners and more guilty than others?” His answer was simple and em-phatic: “No!” Those who died were not worse sinners than those who survived.

But Jesus added a warning: “But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” He made a personal spiritual application from those recent tragedies in Jerusalem. Each one of his hear-ers should take seriously their own need to repent. They should confess their sins before God and then seek God’s mercy, found only in Jesus. Through Christ’s blood which he shed on the cross God forgives sinners and pardons their wrongs against him. If sinners do not repent, they perish in hell.

Jesus instructs us too. After tragic events we might presume (and almost demand) to fig-ure out the reasons for what God does and allows. Yet the all-powerful, all-knowing and holy Lord of the universe does not consult with any of us for advice. Instead we should take seriously Jesus’ lesson: “Unless you repent, you too will all perish.” Each of us should ask, “Am I coming clean before God with my sin? Am I excusing and defending my sin, or con-fessing it all to the holy God?” The second part of repentance is trusting in Christ for forgive-ness. Through personal trust in Jesus sinners have from God full forgiveness of all sins. Jesus suffered and died in the place of sinners to gain total forgiveness for all their sins. He rose from death as the proof that God truly does forgive sinners. All who trust in him have par-don, peace and eternal life—free gifts from God! They do not fear perishing in hell. Jesus has promised (John 3:16), “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” No tragedy can take away from us the gifts Jesus has freely given.

Pastor Brett Brauer

Women in Service

Parish Caller Page 2

Trinity Women In Service met in the Conference Room on Thursday, December 10, 2015, for their Christmas meeting. Six ladies were present plus Pastor Yahnke. The hostess was Audrey Zautner. Pastor Yahnke opened the meeting with the traditional reading of the Christmas story from the King James Bible. Until the program arrived the ladies enjoyed refreshments and finding out more about our new Pastor Yahnke.

A musical program was presented by Linda Moeller and two LPS students, Molly Hennig and Kasandra Wagner. They sang beautiful Christmas carols, played various in-struments and piano. Mrs. Moeller also accompanied some of the songs.

The business meeting was opened by President Kathy Strucely. The minutes for November were in the last news-letter and were approved as printed. In the absence of the treasurer, the printed treasurer’s report for November was approved with a Women In Service balance of $493.51 plus $19.56 held for the LWMS. The Women In Service would like to thank the Trinity members for their many personal donations to the church this past year for the W.I.S. The basket collection today was for Trinity-St. Luke’s School.

Thank you notes were read from the Gerald Zeitler fam-ily for serving the reception and the memorial sent to Trin-ity Church, and from vacancy Pastor Flunker of Palabra de Vida Church in Detroit, Michigan (one of the recipient of our District Befriend A Mission congregational offerings). Communications from Calvary Academy and the WELS

Prison Ministry were also available to read.

Old Business: Pastor Brauer has ordered his gown and hopefully it will arrive in time for the Christmas services.

Fifty-one women attended the Women’s Christmas Can-dlelight Service on December 6. Thank you to all who do-nated the delicious desserts and beautiful table decora-tions and to the ladies who put together this meaningful service.

Over 1500 community residents attended the Live Na-tivity on December 4 and 5. This is the largest attendance ever. What a wonderful message we have to share with so many! Thank you to all who donated the many, many cookies needed.

Discussion of the Women In Service statement of pur-pose, organization, etc. was tabled until the January meet-ing. Questions and suggestions are welcomed. If anyone would like copies of the old and new statement, contact Phyllis Kaesermann (email: kaeserpl@att.net or phone 261-2605).

There being no more business, the meeting adjourned with the Lord’s Prayer. The next regular W.I.S. meeting will be held on January 14 at 1:00 pm in the conference room. The hostess will be Donna Zautner.

Respectfully submitted,

Phyllis Kaesermann, Secretary

Recently we once again took unchurched teens to a wor-ship service at one of our Watertown WELS churches. We helped guide the teens through the hymnal and ser-vice. Many had never been to worship before. It was a priceless moment when, at the end of worship, one of the teens leaned over and said, “I want to be baptized so I can have a better chance of getting into heaven.” Even though his words showed the need for further instruction, he had it right that Baptism saves. The teen’s request brought tears to a church member sitting behind us. After instruc-tion, the teen was baptized at our ROC Youth Center.

We have been forced to get a storage shed to store ROC items such as those used for the ROC Rummage Sale. We will be paying $550.00/year for a 20' x 12' space with three overhead doors for easy access. If anyone could donate such a dry storage area the ROC could use permanently, please let us know by calling (920-206-9581) or e-mailing (wttnroc@sbcglobal.net) Pastor/Director Tim Mueller.

THE ROC Annual Meeting will be held on January 25 at 7:00 pm. Everyone is invited.

Women in

Service

Pebbles from the ROC “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:16).

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Financial Sta tus Thanks be to God for the gifts given for the work of the church!

We are grateful to God for the generous offerings during the first couple of weeks of December. Offerings exceeded the weekly offering budget. All monies collected are used to maintain our church and school, sup-port our called workers and allow us to reach out to our members and those that need to hear the Gospel here and around the world.

Housing for Student Teachers TSL will be hosting two male student teachers from Martin Luther College, our WELS college of ministry. The student teachers will be with us from January 25 until April 1. At this time we are looking for housing for them. Host families are to provide room and board: a room for the student, laundry service or access to laundry facilities, and meals (on school days lunch is provided through the TSL hot lunch program). All costs incurred by the hosts are reimbursed through Martin Luther College.

If you would be interested in hosting, or desire further information, please contact Mr. Moeller at 261-3615 (school), 261-0327 (home), or via email at jmoeller@tslwels.org. This year’s student teachers are Mr. Jacob Rothe, a graduate of Luther Preparatory School, who will be working with Mr. Foxen in his homeroom, and Mr. Carl Manske, a graduate of

2016 Offering Envelopes and 2015 Statements Your 2016 offering envelopes are in the Fireside Room. Watch for an announcement as to when the 2015 offering

statements will be available also in the Fireside Room.

Teen’s Corner “For we are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do“ (Ephesians 2:10). I thought of that verse last month as I witnessed a group of our teens, freely and willingly, work-ing hard to make luminaries as a service to the members of Trinity. What makes that even more impressive is that we gathered later in the evening after an exhausting week of studying for final exams. Well done! In January, Trinity teens will continue their Sunday morning study of the book of Hebrews. All teens, grades 7-12 are welcome to join us. There is also some talk of organizing an outing to go ice skating. So get your skates sharpened, get your hat and gloves around, and get ready!

Trusts and Estates Repor t The Trust and Estates Board was able to provide tuition assistance to three seminary students, who are sons of our

congregation, four members currently enrolled at Martin Luther College in our worker training programs, one Lakeside

student, four students at Luther Prep and five students at TSL.

A distribution of $10,000 from our funds with the Trusts and Estates Board will be used to reduce the principal on the

mortgage.

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Rock River Area OWLS The next monthly meeting of our local OWLS chapter will be in the new year on the third Tuesday, January 19, 2016 at 1:30 pm, hosted by St Paul Lutheran Church just west of Ixonia. The topic is "China Partners," presented by Rev. James Aderman. Refreshments by ladies of St Paul. The Organization of WELS Seniors (OWLS) provides meaningful activity for those who are retired and/or 50 years and older. Come and enjoy spiritual growth and the fellowship of neighboring WELS and ELS members. St Paul's history goes back to 1849, even before any Lutheran church in nearby Water-town. The St Paul church/school complex is located about 3 miles northwest of Ixonia, from US 16 to County SC to W1955 Gopher Hill Road. You are invited, and bring a friend!

Remembering those fallen asleep in Jesus

Gerry Zeitler

James and Melissa Thoma

Matthew and Diane

McCormack

Herman and Pat Zastrow

WIS

Jerry and Donna Zautner

Edna Zeitler

Jeffrey and Annette Timm

Frederick Sievert

Todd and Lori Teuchert

Steve and Jeanne Gillis

Brian Radloff

Alan and Cynthia Kumbier

Glenn and Merrilee Kaulitz

Ed and Judy Kohlhoff –

debt reduction

Richard and Susan Padron

Dale and Nancy Zastrow –

debt retirement

Herb and Ione Staude

Matt and Elissa Zastrow

Mark and Valerie Pitterle

Kay Schuetze

David and Sharon Zastrow

Thomas and Ruth Ann Borbe

John and Donna Zeitler

William and Susan Zeitler

Scot and Deanna Theder

Brett and Lisa Brauer

Earl Roberts

Sikich LLP

Jeanne Klein

Darlene Hill

Doris Braunschweig

Herb and Ione Staude

Prayer Partners "And pray in the Spirit on all

occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With

this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all

the saints" (Ephesians 6:18).

Pray for the need of others.

Praise God for the wonderful things he does.

To join send, an email to sstrucely@gmail.com or

call the church office. Prayer requests will be sent

to you via email or by phone call.

To request a prayer, contact Pastor Brauer.

Videotaped Church Services The Sunday services are now being shown on Watertown

TV, cable channel 985, Wednesdays 9 am and 4 pm and

again on Sunday at 11 am. Services are also uploaded to

the church website by Tuesday.

Sit-Craft-Chat Craft Group

Third Monday of each month

6-8 pm

Fireside Room (Or wherever it is warmest)

Contact person: Tina Krueger (261-3562)

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Cookbooks It is not too late to submit your favorite family recipes. The Trinity Centennial Committee together with Women in Service are gathering recipes to create a 100th Anniversary Cookbook. We would like all members of our Trinity congregation to submit one or more recipes for the cookbook. Plans are to have the cookbook available in time for Mother’s Day 2016. All and any recipes are needed: Appetizers, Soups, Main Meals, Salads, Vegetable, Cookies, Desserts, Canning, Muffins, Pies, Gluten Free and more. Please submit your recipe to the church office by January 31, 2016. You may submit via e-mail to the church office (trinitymanager@charter.net) or by writing/typing out your recipes on the forms available in the Fireside Room. We look forward to gathering all of your family favorites to create this book of memories. Trinity Lutheran Centennial Committee & Women in Service

Many Thanks As usual the month of December was full of activities.

Things began already in November as we saw the Advent wreath go up along with the wreaths, garlands and win-

dow candles in the church.

Next came the decorating of the Fireside Room in preparation for the second annual Advent by Candlelight. Over

fifty women came together to enjoy the splendidly decorated tables, enjoy the wonderful desserts and sit and con-

template the reason we celebrate this season.

This year twenty-eight Cheer Bags were filled with donated homemade cookies, candy and fruit. These were then

delivered to our shut-ins.

The next weekend saw the beautiful Christmas tree from Herman and Pat Zastrow’s property brought into church.

The tree was decorated with handmade Chrismons, each with their own meaning, and with hundreds of lights and

gold ornaments.

That afternoon the contemporary choir, Steadfast Hearts, organized a caroling party. They visited our members

who may have difficulty coming to church.

Throughout the Advent season special services were held on Wednesdays. The grade school children sang, some

provided pre-service music, and the Luther Prep Hand Bell choir performed. Advent suppers were enjoyed be-

tween services.

The First Love at Christmas was again a success, having helped families by providing gifts, food and other needed

items.

The teens made the luminaries in the memory or honor of our loved ones and then placed them around the church

on Christmas Eve.

The many volunteers donated their time just days before Christmas to print, fold and assemble the bulletins for all

the special services, and the newsletter group who faithfully put together and mailed this newsletter.

At the time of this writing we are days before the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day service. Many hours of practice

have been put in by the choirs, the children and the musicians, all to glorify our Lord. So how do you go about thanking

all the people involved with all these activities? To try to list them would be daunting and there have been so many

people involved, the fear would be someone would be inadvertently left off the list. Needless to say, the work done for

the Lord is not forgotten and greatly appreciated.

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99 Years and Counting

A Second Call

This installment continues the story of Pastor Frederic Stern who returned the first call issued to him to serve the

new English mission in Watertown.

Pastor Julius Klingmann, pastor at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Watertown, was an active man, and he re-mained firmly convinced that now was the time to start the English work in Watertown. He was also convinced that Frederic Stern was the man for the job. The call was issued for a second time, and again to Pastor Stern. On August 21, 1916, Pastor Stern wrote a letter to Pastor Ad-olph Hoyer of Princeton. The letter details the concerns Pastor Stern had for the future of the congregations and preaching stations he served in Washington if he should accept the call to Watertown. Not only had he returned the call the Watertown the first time, in the interim he had also received and returned a call to the congregation in Morton, Minnesota. In his letter Pastor Stern shared that

P. Spiering answered my [first] letter: “I tried my best to get a replacement for you so you could ac-cept the call to Watertown. This discussion before the full commission [the Mission Board] also brought no better results. Therefore we will unfor-tunately have to give up any claim on you. Please return the call to me.” At this I sent the call back to P[astor] Sp[iering] and obviously regarded it as settled that I would stay as long as, for the pre-sent, no replacement for the field I am serving. Therefore I also returned the call to the congrega-tion at Morton, Min., which call I had received af-ter the Watertown call, with the explanation that I could not accept the call, since the commission presently had no replacement for my large field and I could not let the mission field be fallow. Now I receive the call, however, P. Schulze writes that I should contact you with regard to the care of my field, you perhaps have someone now. I ask you therefore to let me know at once whether you have a man for L’worth [Leavenworth]. If that is not the case, then I still cannot consider the Wa-tertown call!

Within a few weeks’ time Pastor Stern accepted this sec-ond call to Watertown. Pastor Klingmann wrote these words to Pastor Stern on September 9: “Dear friend –

Your letter at hand. I have not rented a house for you. I might pick out a house which you would not like, so I thought I would help you in finding one when you come here. In regard to your installation I have given you the necessary information in my last letter, which I had just mailed when your letter arrived. I have spoken to Prof. Huth already and he has gladly consented. If I were not firmly convinced that you were the man for Watertown, who could handle the English work here, and furthermore the man with whom I could work peaceably in the in-terest of God’s kingdom at Watertown, I would not have insisted upon sending the call to you a second time. We all feel our total inability every day; we are merely the tool in the hands of Christ to save sinners. I am convinced after you are here and have taken hold of the work, you will feel better. Remember, you are not my assistant, but the pas-tor of the English work.

Hoping to meet you soon. I am, with kindest re- gards to you and your family, Yours, Julius Klingmann” The English mission now had a pastor, and the work would begin in earnest. What kind of man was Pastor Stern? He was a man of unique gifts and abilities suited to the work to which he had been called. Frederic Emil Stern was born on March 23, 1885, in Bedford, Ohio, and was born into God’s family through holy baptism on March 29. His father was a Lu-theran pastor and soon accepted a call to serve at St. Mat-thew’s Lutheran Church in Iron Ridge, Wisconsin. There Frederic was confirmed by his father in 1898. He then went on to Northwestern College in Watertown.

Page 7 Parish Caller

99 Years and Counting (continued)

While at Northwestern Pastor Stern worked for an area newspaper and considered a career in journalism. He was offered a job at a newspaper in Austin, Minnesota. Years later, in an interview conducted at the time of his retire-ment from the ministry, he shared that “I knew my folks wanted me to try to become a minister, and they asked me to give the ministry a try for one year, then if I didn’t go any further in ministry, I could do what I wanted.” After graduation he was ordained by his father on July 17, 1910, at Zion Lutheran Church in Leeds, WI. He then served as a “pioneer pastor,” doing mission work in the state of Washington. While there he served as a circuit-rider for what was soon to become the WELS Pacific Northwest District. For almost two years Pastor Stern lived in Mansfield and served seven small congregations scat-tered throughout eastern Washington. Serving all seven churches demanded an entire week because he was forced to travel by stagecoach or horse and buggy. In 1912 he came back to Wisconsin to be married. On Au-gust 21 Pastor Stern married Lydia Pieper, the daughter of Professor and Mrs. August Pieper. Prof. Pieper served at the Theological Seminary then located in Wauwatosa. The newly married couple then returned to Mansfield. While the family was living in Watertown after Pastor Stern had accepted the call to serve the new congregation, Mrs. Stern died on April 27, 1923, after only eleven years of marriage. In this marriage the Lord had blessed them with five children – four daughters and one son. Pastor Stern remarried on October 25, 1925, to Bertha Frahnke of Mil-waukee. After he accepted the call to do the English work in Water-town, he became known as “the bicycling pastor” because he used a bicycle to get around town. This aided his work as he called on members and their families and prospec-tive members. Pastor Stern served in Watertown until 1932. The Stern family then moved to Detroit, Michigan where Pastor Stern served Mt. Olive congregation from 1933-1939. During the years 1939 to 1941 he accepted the call to serve as a missionary in Arizona. While the family lived in Tucson he canvassed much of Arizona looking for places to establish preaching stations. Work was begun in Chandler, Winslow, and later Flagstaff. Of note is that sixty years later Pastor Stern’s grandson, Jonathan, would serve the congregation in Flagstaff as their pastor.

From 1941 to 1951 Pastor Stern accepted a call to Seattle, Washington, where he began the groundwork for Grace Lutheran Church, the first WELS congregation in the Seat-tle area. Pastor and Mrs. Stern then moved to Calvary Lu-theran Church of Glenwood, Minnesota, in 1951. Here Pastor Stern celebrated his 50th anniversary in the minis-try in 1960. Mrs. Stern passed away in Glenwood on March 6, 1961, and Pastor Stern retired from the ministry in 1963. He moved to Two Rivers, Wisconsin, where his son, Theodore, was serving St. John’s Lutheran Church. In his retirement he assisted in the ministry of St. John’s Lutheran Church by making some of the monthly shut-in visits and the sick calls. It was a task he enjoyed. Pastor Stern was known to conveniently visit the shut-ins’ homes around the lunch hour. Pastor Theodore Stern, the only son of Pastor Frederic Stern, died at the young age of 49 in 1968 from a brain tumor. It was on June 12, 1972, on a walk to visit the gravesite of his son that Pastor Stern slipped on wet grass, fell back, and hit his head. He never regained conscious-ness passing to glory on June 18. He was buried on June 21 at the Lutheran Cemetery in Watertown. His pastor, Pastor Ed Stelter of Two Rivers, wrote in Pastor Stern’s obituary, “Blessed with good health and abounding zeal, Pastor Stern actually spent 61 of his 87 years in the work of his Lord – almost to the very day that he died. That is a blessing devoutly to be prayed for.”

*** This information on Pastor Frederic Stern in this install-ment comes from a paper written by Pastor Jesse Stern, the great-grandson of Pastor Stern. Entitled “A Family Privileged to Serve: The Family History of Consecutive Ministers from Peter Stern to Jesse Stern” (2007). The en-tire paper can be found through the online essays files of the Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary Library in Mequon, Wis-consin, at www.wls.wels.net.

TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH Church Office—920-261-3511 trinitymanager@charter.net

Trinity Lutheran Church

604 S Fifth Street

Watertown WI 53094

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Pastor Brett Brauer

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CELL: 920-915-9070

HOME: 920-261-1599

Sunday Worship Services

8 & 10:30 am

Bible Activity Hour & Bible Class

9:15 am

Wednesday Worship Service

6:30 pm

Pastor Dustin Yahnke

pastoryahkne@hotmail.com

CELL: 414-614-0077