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Concordia
Chimes
Concordia United Methodist Church
585 Fifth St.
Prairie du Sac, WI 53578
608/643-6356
www.concordiaumc.org
Rev. Doris Simpson, Pastor
Dan & Heidi Halling, Youth Leaders
Ann Fiene, Chimes Editor
Paul Webster, Missionary
Volume 36 Number 5
May 2015
What’s inside?
From the Pastor……….Page 2
UMW…………………..Page 3
SOFAS…………………Page 3
Budget News …………Page 4
Our Mission Statement
As a witness to Christ in our
community, we are committed to
spiritual growth and service.
Vision Statement of the
Wisconsin Annual Conference:
Stewardship…………..Page 4
Birthdays………...........Page 5
Youth Group…………..Page 6
Book Club……….…….Page 7
Trustees……………….Page 7
Calendar….…………...Page 9
ADMINISTRATIVE
ASSISTANT HOURS
8:30 a.m.—2:30 p.m.
Monday, Wednesday & Thursday
Ann Fiene, Adm. Assistant
[email protected]
PASTOR’S OFFICE
HOURS
9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Monday, Tuesday,
Wednesday and Thursday
Rev. Doris Simpson, Pastor
608-643-8822—church
[email protected]
608-632-1825—cell
608-643-8068—parsonage
Resident Bishop: Hee-Soo Jung
Assistant to the Bishop:
Steve Polster
Coulee District Superintendent:
Sam Royappa
A WORD ABOUT
PASTOR’S OFFICE HOURS
I have set office hours so that you
will know when you can be relatively sure I will be in the office if you
want to stop in.
That being said, there are times
that I need to be gone for meetings,
nursing home worship, scheduled
pastoral visits or emergencies during those hours.
I am also often in the office until
5:00 pm or later, so you can stop in
any time you see a blue Buick
LeSabre parked at church (Galena
Street or the parking lot).
DEADLINE for
June Chimes is
May 21st
Things You’ll Want to Know . . .
(lots more info inside…check it out)
May 3, 6:30pm—Discipleship Class
May 5, 9:30am—UMW Board Mtg.
6:30pm—Witness Committee
Mtg.
7:00pm—Trustees Mtg.
May 6, 9:30am—SOFAs (to Arena
Cheese)
7:00pm—Memorial Comm. Mtg.
May 7, 6:00pm—Nurture Comm.
Mtg.
May 10—Mother’s Day
Hope House Collection
4:00pm—Community Meal (Team
Koch)
6:30pm—Discipleship Class
May 11, 7:00pm—UMW Circle Mtg.
May 12, 7:00pm—Church Council
Mtg.
May 18, 7:00pm—Book Club
May 19, 7:00pm—SPRC Mtg.
May 21—Newsletter Articles Due
May 25, Memorial Day—Office
Closed
May 31, 4:00pm—Community Meal
(Team Roelke)
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which we come to know God
and as we try to live according
to God’s will, can know what
that is.
Ephesians teaches us—“For it is
by grace you have been saved,
through faith--and this not from
yourselves, it is the gift of God—
not by works, so that no one can
boast. For we are God's
workmanship, created in Christ
Jesus to do good works, which
God prepared in advance for us
to do.”
Our lives are about God who
created us, loved us enough to
save us from ourselves and
remains present with us. How
do we reach God?
When we want to get physically
stronger, we exercise our
bodies. When we want to get
emotionally stronger, we find a
work-out plan for our minds.
When we want to grow
spiritually, we become
disciplined…we practice the
disciplines which will encourage
strength of spirit. During Lent
we focus on how our spirits
draw nearer to God. In the
season of Easter—the event
which defines us as followers of
Jesus Christ; we celebrate the
love of God and the nearness of
God within and around us.
There are three practices in the
Methodist tradition through
which we can do this. John
Wesley believed prayer, bible
study and fasting are essential
to our Christian living. He
fasted two days a week when
he was a young man—only
once a day as he aged.
Through fasting we gain a
deeper awareness of our
reliance on God and lead us to
holiness. Prayer and bible
study are daily practices through
Following the resurrection,
while Jesus was again with the
disciples, they had a clearer
image of who they could
become and what is possible in
the kingdom of God. We pray
“thy kingdom come, thy will be
done on earth as it is in
heaven.” This is about your
relationship with God. This is
about my relationship with God.
This is about our relationship
with God. Our spirits need a
continuous connection with
God on a daily basis.
The areas of our lives need to
be examined. We need
exercise and the practices to
be healthy—body, mind, and
especially spirit.
In the beginning we are created
in the image of God. In the
resurrection we are created in
Christ Jesus. Easter gives us
all we need to follow Jesus and
grow as disciples. Those who
have participated in the
Discipleship Class will help us
with that. We want to ‘make
disciples for the transformation
of the world.’
Blessings,
Pastor Doris
MAY LECTIONARY
READINGS:
3rd—Acts 8:26-40
Psalm 22:25-31
1 John 4:7-21
John 15:1-8
10th—Acts 10:44-48
Psalm 98
1 John 5:1-6
John 15:9-17
17th—Acts 1:1-11
Psalm 47
Ephesians 1:15-23
Luke 24:44-53
24th—Acts 2:1-21
Psalm 104:24-34, 35b
Romans 8:22-27
John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15
31st—Isaiah 6:1-8
Psalm 29
Romans 8:12-17
John 3:1-17
From Bishop Jung . . .
Please join me in praying for the people
of Nepal, India, and China, and all others
affected by the recent earthquakes and
avalanches. As we pray, we remember
the families of those who have been
killed or injured, and the many rescuers,
relief workers, physicians, nurses, and
other caregivers who are themselves
risking their own safety to search for
victims and to care for survivors.
In the midst of destruction and pain, we
look for ways to provide the tangible
assistance needed in these times of
disaster. As is always the case, the United Methodist Committee on Relief
(UMCOR) will respond appropriately and
work with other international organizations to provide help. To offer financial
support, make out checks to your local
church, write UMCOR Advance #982450
in the memo, and put in the offering
plate.
Thank you for your prayers and for your
faithful response to the needs of others
with the love and compassion of Christ.
Your brother in Christ,
Hee-Soo Jung, PhD
Bishop
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UMW SALAD SUPPER
UMW’S annual SALAD SUPPER will be held Tuesday, June 2nd
at 6:00pm. All members of the congregation including family &
friends are invited to come and enjoy fellowship and a light
supper. Program follows.
Please bring a salad to pass. Rolls, beverage and tableware
provided.
PRESENTATION
Susan Baum Duren social worker at the Sauk Prairie schools will
be speaking about programs designed to help children in need in
the SP school system. Supported in part with proceeds from
UMW bazaars, this presentation should be of interest to all of
us, raising awareness and providing important information.
Upcoming UMW Activities:
 May 5—UMW Board Mtg.—9:30am—Memorial Lounge
 May 11—UMW Circle Mtg.—7:00pm—Fellowship Hall
Hostess: Dolores Bahr
Program: Marty Virchow/Paul Webster Ministry
CONCORDIA CARES!
Please volunteer your
time and show compassion
to Concordia Church
families during times of joy
(birth of a baby) and hardship (death in the family, ill
family member etc.)
If you know of a family or a
situation that would benefit
from some TLC in the form
of meals or transportation,
please contact Joanne
Budd or leave a message at
the church (643-6356). We
have a group of volunteers
who are willing to offer assistance in those kinds of
situations.
SECOND SUNDAY
DONATIONS
Keep in our prayers the
family of . . .
Thomas Schmalz
Jon Gilbertson
(brother of Jane Cordero)
SOFAs
(Seniors—60+—Out
for Adventure)
The SOFAs will meet
on Wednesday,
May 6th at 9:30 am
at church. We will
carpool to Arena for
a tour of Arena
Cheese. Lunch will
follow at Grandma
Mary’s Cafe in
Arena.
Like us on Facebook! Search “concordiasaukprairie”
to find us. Post news, pictures, updates and schedules
so we can all stay in touch.
Second Sunday donations
(food, cash, hygiene, household items) for May will go to
Hope House.
ZELPHA’S PANTRY
Donations for Zelpha’s Pantry will be accepted the
fourth Sunday of the month.
Personal hygiene items are
accepted and offered to
attendees of our Community
Meal on the last Sunday of
the month.
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BUDGET NEWS
Budget Receipts for March 2015
$15,834.83
NON-BUDGET RECEIPTS FOR MARCH. 2015
Community Meal
$136.14
BUDGET SUMMARY-YEAR TO DATE
Beginning Balance 1/1/15
$8,835.40
Receipts
$60,634.97
Disbursements
$41,857.55
Budget Fund Balance 3/31/15
$27,612.82
Capital Maintenance Fund 3/31/15
(Closed-$7,441.52 transferred to General Fund)
Capital Improvement Fund 3/31/15
Lift Fund 3/31/15
Bulletin Sponsors
Please consider sponsoring a bulletin at $10.00
per week. Proceeds will
help defray the cost to
print our weekly bulletins.
$0.00
$93,971.49
$3,376.32
A STEWARDSHIP MESSAGE FOR YOUR CHURCH
#15-5 God owns everything. “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and
those who live in it.” (Psalm 24:1)
April showers bring May flowers….and a variety of rummage sales. Preparing to make my gifts and offerings to the annual church rummage sale is quite a cleansing process. I discover treasures that have
been buried or ignored for years, yet at one time I couldn’t live without them! My hope in taking them
to the church rummage sale is that my gift will become a marvelous treasure once again for a new
owner.
It is important for each of us to sift and sort through our many possessions from time to time. What we
often discover are items which we no longer need but which could be transformed into marvelous
“charitable gifts.”
Perhaps you have stocks purchased long ago which have increased in value but don’t provide much
current income. Perhaps your family has property or real estate bought long ago but now it just takes
energy and money to maintain. Perhaps you discover an old insurance policy which was paid up long
ago but is no longer needed for its original purpose.
All of these “treasures” can be transformed into wonderful charitable gifts. With the help and guidance of the Wisconsin United Methodist Foundation your church can do many good things with charitable gifts like these right now! Consider what God is calling you to give.
-Rev. Jean Ehnert Nicholas
P.S. Did you know we can help you liquidate shares of stock or shares of a mutual fund to make a special summer gift to help your church get through the summer months? Here’s a link to our most recent
forms http://www.wumf.org/assets/ProcessingStockGifts.pdf. What’s even better is that we can do
this for any United Methodist Church or ministry at no selling fee or commission, and you avoid paying
capital gains taxes! Call or email us today and be sure to send us a copy of your Security Transfer Form
because privacy laws don’t allow your broker to do so.
Wisconsin United Methodist Foundation, 750 Windsor Street, Suite 305 , Sun Prairie, WI 53590
1-888-903-9863 or [email protected]
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Got a Name Tag?
Please remember to start wearing your name tag when you come to
worship. If you need a new tag please call the church office, 608-6436356
MAY
BIRTHDAYS
1. Dianne Kuehl
3. Renee Grunewald
3. Aaron Andres
8. Phyllis Willoughby
8. Hunter Lang
9. MaKenna ORiani
10. Andy Henn
11. Karen Ladd
11. Heather Haas
12. Alexis Haas
14. Bryan McIntosh
16. Cindy Rothmann
16. Debbie Emshoff
16. Dawson Enge
18. Mark Bender
21. Eileen Gattshall
21. Ethan Emshoff
24. Chris Bender
25. Noah Fritschler
29. Kevin Grunewald
29. Mike Grunewald
30. Marianne Crow
30. Norma Halsted
31. Vi Evert
31. Alice Kindschi
E-Mail?
If you have an e-mail address and you aren’t receiving e-notes or
newsletters from Concordia please let us know. You can e-mail us at
[email protected].
Can You Hear Me Now?
We have a dedicated group of people who work on our sound desk each
week. They record the service and duplicate the CDs so we can distribute
them to shut-ins. It’s a way for us to stay connected to people who aren’t
able to join us for worship. There’s always space for new volunteers at
the sound desk. If you’d like to do that please contact Bruce Koch, our
volunteer coordinator. He’ll be happy to answer any questions. you have.
Can You Deliver?
Are you willing to give about an hour on Sundays to deliver the CD’s of our
worship service to our faithful members who are not able to attend church
anymore? Most of these CD’s go to Maplewood Nursing Home. This is also a
good opportunity for families to share in an outreach program, If you are
willing to participate in this important service, please call the church office,
608-643-6356 or Betty Granger.
MEALS FOR SHUT-INS
Do you know of a shut-in that would appreciate a meal delivered
to them on our Community Meal days? If you do, please contact
the church office.
Wonderful Mother
God made a wonderful mother,
A mother who never grows old;
He made her smile of the sunshine,
And He molded her heart of pure gold;
In her eyes He placed bright shining stars,
In her cheeks fair roses you see;
God made a wonderful mother,
And He gave that dear mother to me.
—Pat O'Reilly
A heartfelt THANK
YOU for the cards,
visits, food and
prayers for me and
my family.
God bless!
Pudge Tetiva
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Who’s Doing What, When
May 3rd
Ushers:
Tim & Kari Marshall
Pat Yanke
Jerry & Alice Kindschi
Cassie McNulty & Brody Wolfe
Karen Pape
Greeters:
Acolytes:
Liturgist:
Communion
Stewards: Gina Accola & Mary Clark
Nursery:
Flowers:
May 10th
Ushers:
Chuck Frank, Phyllis Willoughby
John Budd
Clair & Lois Munns
Bella & Dawson Enge
Tom Andres
Greeters:
Acolytes:
Liturgist:
Nursery:
Flowers:
Comm. Meal: Team Koch
May 17th
Ushers:
Greeters:
Acolytes:
Liturgist:
Nursery:
Flowers:
Youth
Youth
Alyssa & Matthew Wenzel
Youth
Ushers:
Gordon & Emily Carncross
DeLorman Enge
Tom & Mary Clark
Ethan & Lydia Emshoff
Judi Rogalla
Jeff & Marty Virchow
May 24th
Greeters:
Acolytes:
Liturgist:
Flowers:
May 31st
Ushers:
John & Joanne Budd
Larry Hinyup
Otto & Jane Cordero
Taylor Haas & Zara McIntosh
Dave Rogalla
Greeters:
Acolytes:
Liturgist:
Flowers:
Comm. Meal: Team Roelke
If you find that you’re not able to serve as scheduled
please contact the church office (643-6356) or at
[email protected].
CYF
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything
is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such
things.” Philippians 4:8
The youth started the month of April with the celebration of the resurrection on Easter Sunday. Some of our
older youth and friends were able to join our “Youth
Sunday Regulars” to present scripture and songs with
the joy of Christ risen! He is risen indeed!
A warm April night allowed for a hike across the Prairie
bridge to the state land across the river. A cold April
night kept us indoors for a devotion on Jesus and water, plus a game of Jumbo Jenga.
May will be the last month for us (Dan and Heidi) to
serve as youth leaders at Concordia. When we started
in 2008, our daughter Mckenzie and Jordan Evans were
starting 6th grade. At that time, we projected that we
would try to continue as leaders until they graduated.
As these two seniors graduate this spring, we will graduate too. We were very blessed to have had the chance
to work with the youth at Concordia. We will always
treasure the relationships and the memories we made
with the students, and we will continue to care about
all the children in our church and the friends they bring
along. Concordia can be very proud of all our youth—
they are very willing to reach out and bring friends to
youth, worship and special services. With their outreach to others, they are role models for us as adults.
We want to thank all the youth, their parents, the staff,
and all the members of Concordia that have been so
supportive of us as leaders. We always felt that we
could lead with confidence because of the trust you
placed in us, and the encouragement you gave to us.
We thank God for the many blessings, large and small
that came with our role. We will continue to pray for
the youth ministry at Concordia!
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CONCORDIA BOOK CLUB--JOIN
US ON
MAY 18TH
AT
7:00
PM.
Join us Monday, May 18th at 7:00 pm...We meet in a comfortable place
and have a comfortable (much of the time anyway) conversation about a book
that we've read. After reading Part 1 in April, we will continue on to, "The Red
Letter Revolution: What If Jesus Really Meant What He Said?--Part 2" by
Shane Claiborne and Tony Campolo.
For all the Christians facing conflict between Jesus' words and their own lives, for all the nonChristians who feel they rarely see Jesus' commands reflected in the choices of his followers, Red
Letter Revolution is a blueprint for a new kind of Christianity, one consciously centered on the
words of Jesus, the Bible's "red letters."
Framed as a captivating dialogue between Shane Claiborne, a progressive young evangelical,
and Tony Campolo, a seasoned pastor and professor of sociology, Red Letter Revolution is a lifealtering manifesto for skeptics and Christians alike. It is a call to a lifestyle that considers first and
foremost Jesus' explicit, liberating message of sacrificial love.
Shane and Tony candidly bring the words of Jesus to bear on contemporary issues of violence,
community, Islam, hell, sexuality, civil disobedience, and twenty other critical topics for people of
faith and conscience today. The resulting conversations reveal the striking truth that Christians
guided unequivocally by the words of Jesus will frequently reach conclusions utterly contrary to
those of mainstream evangelical Christianity.
If the Jesus who speaks to you through the Gospels is at odds with the Christian culture you
know, if you have ever wanted to stand up and say, "I love Jesus, but that's not me," Red Letter
Revolution will prove that you are not alone-you may have been a Red Letter Christian all along.
CONCORDIA TRUSTEES COMMITTEE ACTIVITY
by Bruce Koch, Committee Chair
Well, each month holds new and interesting things to tell you, the congregation about.
The second parking lot light has been finalized and is now on dusk to dawn like the other one. Both are high efficiency fixtures
and work well. In addition, there was a major influx of water in one of the conduit pipes when it rained and the electrician was
able to stop that as well.
Tony Misslich, our custodian continues to learn the eccentricities of our building and members and is working out well. He
states he really likes to work at Concordia. It is a good fit both ways. Special thanks to Bill Blackmon for taking many hours to
help Tony find things and learn a few of the special things that our custodian must do on a recurring basis.
Of major interest for the lift users is that the lift technician was back for the final adjustments of the doors. Now the glitches of
jamming are no longer a problem and you should have the lift behave in the way that you have learned. Sorry for the issue but
the technician states this is a common thing that needs adjustment with new lifts.
**Again, we ask that the parking lot be used only by those going up the ramp or into the lift. This will enable our
small lot be functional for those folks. Thanks for your consideration in this matter.
As you have heard our church was broken into on Easter Sunday night. There was cash taken but nothing else. Our new video surveillance cameras provided some nice infrared pictures that were very helpful in catching the intruder. A window in the
youth room was broken and the office door was crashed open. The file safe was damaged as well. So, the changes that have
occurred are the window is boarded up, the door repaired and the safe re-keyed to be more difficult to enter. Most importantly
the money from worship will now be taken to the bank after service and no longer will there be any worship money left in the
church building. We may have some insurance coverage for the losses.
The intruder is one of our former youth who has made some bad choices since graduation and is now going to be held accountable for those. My thoughts are to be in prayer about what our choices should be regarding further interaction with him.
Trying to decide what Jesus would do makes me want to have further discussion about the Christian response. Do we need to
be led to respond or have we read the instruction manual enough to know what to do? Do we need to go beyond the initial
judgement that this was wrong and hope to find God in this person? I was his mentor during confirmation and at that time felt
good about our interactions. Do we know God or know about God? What are your thoughts in this? It has been said that we
shoot our wounded and I do not want to feel that is what we have done here. These are my personal thoughts and not necessarily those of the committee.
See you in church!
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Summer Camp Opportunities
What do you need this Summer?
Friendship and Laughter Challenge and Skills
Praise and Worship
Fun and Adventure
Exploring and Relaxing
Campfire and Prayer
Horses and Nature
Swimming and Canoeing
Spiritual Growth
Leadership Development
There is something special for you and your family at Camp. Explore an adventure of Faith, Fun, and Friendship! For information on Summer Camps, call The United Methodist Camping Office at 877-947-2276 or visit
www.WIUMCamps.org.
SAVE THE DATE FOR DISTRICT CELEBRATIONS
North West District - July 18, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Eau Claire Lake Street UMC
South West District - July 19, 4 p.m.
Dodgeville UMC
North Central District - July 25, 10 a.m. to noon
Stevens Point: St. Paul’s - The Springs UMC
North East District - July 26, 4-6 p.m.
Appleton: Zion UMC
South East District - August 1, 10 to 11:30 a.m.
Oconomowoc: Good Shepherd UMC
CONCORDIA’S CHANCEL
CHOIR will wrap up it’s season on Memorial Day Sunday. Thank you to each singer—and thank you to Cindy,
our accompanist! What a joy
it is to serve with such faithful (and giving)
people.
We will begin again in September. Would
you like to join us? It’s great fun, with a great
purpose. Here’s the director’s contact information:
Robin Steinweg
608-643-6317
[email protected]
If you aren’t in the choir, you can still take
part in its ministry! We would appreciate
your prayers. For health, for God to get all
the glory, for the songs to speak to people’s
hearts, and for us to please our King.
Thank you!
Walk for Carlene
Sunday, June 28th
Sauk Prairie High School Track
1:00—2:00 p.m.
Proceeds will go to the Diabetes Association, the American Cancer Society and
the Roelke Brothers Foundation. Registration forms are available in the narthex
and at the Prairie Clinic. Register prior
to June 4th to guarantee a t-shirt. $20
for walk and tee shirt and $5 for participation only.
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Sun
3 9:00am—All Church
SS
10:00am—CoffeeTime
10:30am—Worship/
Holy Communion
6:30pm—Discipleship
Class
10 9:00am—SS
10:00am—CoffeeTime
10:30am—Worship/
Hope House Collect.
4:00pm—Community
Meal (Team Koch)
6:30pm—Discipleship
Class
Mother’s Day
17 9:00am—SS
10:00am—CoffeeTime
10:30am—Worship/
Youth Sunday
24
10:00am—CoffeeTime
10:30am—Worship/
Zelpha’s Pantry
31
10:00am—CoffeeTime
10:30am—Worship
4:00pm—Community
Meal (Team Roelke)
May 2015
2
Fri
1
7:00am—UM Men @
Eagle Inn
9
Thu
8
7:00am—UM Men @
Eagle Inn
16
Wed
7
6:00pm—Nurture
Committee Mtg.
6:30pm--Choir
15
7:00am—UM Men @
Eagle Inn
Tue
6 9:30am—SOFAs to
Arena Cheese (meet
at church)
6:00pm--CYF (dinner
@ 5:30pm)
7:00pm—Memorial
Committee Mtg.
14
6:30pm--Choir
Mon
5
9:30am—UMW Board
Mtg.
6:30pm—Witness
Committee Mtg.
7:00pm—Trustees Mtg.
13
5:30pm--CYF @ Food
Pantry
4
12
7:00pm—Church
Council Mtg.
23
11
7:00pm—UMW Circle
Mtg.
22
7:00am—UM Men @
Eagle Inn
20
Newsletter Articles Due
28
30
21
6:30pm--Choir
27
19
7:00pm—SPRC Mtg.
26
29
7:00am—UM Men @
Eagle Inn
18
7:00pm—Book Club
25
Office Closed
Memorial Day
Sat
CONCORDIA UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
585 FIFTH STREET
PRAIRIE DU SAC, WI 53578
[email protected]
(608) 643-6356
NEWSLETTER
May 2015