Vol. 23, Issue 11 • November 2017

www.englishlutheran.org • office@englishutheran.org • 608-784-9335 • 1509 King Street, La Crosse, WI 54601

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UPDATEOver the past few months some of the most powerful and most devastating hurricanes ever recorded have hit the U.S. mainland and the Caribbean. People in Florida, Texas, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and other areas ravaged by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria are now beginning the long road of rebuilding and recovery. Lutheran Disaster Response, a branch of ELCA, is working with companion churches and organizations to help bring needed relief to the vulnerable in these communities: Here is some of the work now being carried out by Lutheran Disaster Response.

•InFlorida,ELCA’sLutheranDisasterResponse has been involved in the imme-diate clean-up and relief measures. Along with Lutheran Services of Florida, LDR is providing crisis counseling in 20 counties andhelpingvictimsfindstablehousingar-rangements. •InPuertoRicoandtheVirginIslands,LDR is helping to provide, coordinate, and distribute critical items including dry food items, water, generators, and solar powered lanterns and phones. •InCubaandHaiti,LDRishelpingprovide goods and services such as blankets, dishes, personal hygiene items etc., so that people can begin to live a more normal life again. They are also working with farmers in Haiti to help them re-establish their liveli-hoods.

continued on page 4

Be part of English Lutheran Church’s re-creation of the Biblical city Dec. 16-17.Experience the sounds and smells of ancient Bethlehem at the time of Christ’s birth.

Much of the church turns into the village and many of its members — that’s you! — and others, become its residents for “The Bethlehem Event.” Cast and crew of around 300 re-create the city of David at the time Christ was born more than 2,000 years ago.

“You get the idea of what it was like the night of Christ’s birth,” says Paul Sannerud, who is coordinating the production that first ran in 1980 and has run nearly every four years since.

A 70' x 14' mural that includes city streets, a wash house and a peek outside the city walls serves as the backdrop for the indoor re-creation of Bethlehem. Goat herders — with live goats — goldsmiths, perfumers, cheesemakers, bakers and other townspeople take part in retelling what happened. Planners rely on historical accuracy and detail to make the re-creation of the first Christmas a memorable experience.

Time: Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 16 and 17Noon to 5:00 p.m. Admission is free.

Marketplace: During the event, a marketplace will offer items crafted by modern-day artists of Bethlehem, Jerusalem and Gaza areas of Palestine. The store is an attempt to create awareness about the hardships artisans and retailers are facing currently in the Middle East. All profits will be given to support women, children and the elderly in Bethlehem. We need your help: Take time this fall and winter to become involved in The Beth-lehem Event. It’s a great all-family project — and you have an opportunity to meet others from the congregation.

Volunteers are needed all Saturdays, beginning Oct. 28 and running through Dec. 2, for constructing the set. See time line on page 4.There are countless opportunities to get involved.It’s simple — sign up is at the Welcome Center now.

Saturday .........5:00 p.m.Sunday............8:30 and 10:45 a.m.Nursery Sun ...8:30 to 11:45 a.m. 2

WorshipMusic&

Worship times

ChoirNEWS

MessiahJoin us10:45 a.m.Sunday, December 10, 2017

For a performance of the Christmas portion of Handel’s Messiah

English Lutheran Church1509 King St., La Crosse

December 10, 2017

As we celebrate the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation it might be interesting to briefly look at Martin Luther’s philosophy of music and how it relates to the church. As it turns out, Luther was a Musician in addition to being a Professor of Theology and a Reformer. He wrote over 30 hymns, the most famous of which we sing today is “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.”

Music played an integral part in the success of the Reformation, particularly because it was through his music that Luther was try-ing to make the church more accessible to people. The following words in quotes are things that Martin Luther said about music (translated from German, of course!).

“Next to the Word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the world.” “Beautiful music is the art of the prophets that can calm the agitations of the soul; it is one of the most magnificent and delightful presents God has given us.” “Next to the Word of God, music deserves the highest praise. The gift of language com-bined with the gift of song was given to man that he should proclaim the Word of God through Music.” “As long as we live there is never enough singing.” These quotes have great meaning for me and I hope they do for you, too.

- Nancy

We invite you to join English Lu-theran Church and Good Shep-herd Lutheran Church fora Thanksgiving Eve worship service. Good Shepherd will host the service this year and English Lutheran will be the host next year.

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church is on Mormon Coulee Drive across from Shopko. The address is 4141 Birch St, La Crosse, WI 54601.

Pastor Mark Solyst will preach, Pastor Harold Bringsjord will lead worship and music will be provided by Good Shepherd.

As a special treat, Good Shep-herd will offer a Pie Social follow-ing the Thanksgiving Service and we are all invited.

at Good ShepherdNovember 22Wednesday, 6:30 p.m.

CHURCH OFFICEmain phone ................... 784-9335direct line........................ 784-8876

SENIOR PASTORPastor Mark Solyst ..............ext 205pastormark@englishlutheran.org

PASTORPastor Becky Goche ............ext 301pastorbecky@englishlutheran.org

PASTOR of CARING MINISTRIESPastor Rog Grow .................ext 206pastorroger@englishlutheran.org

DIRECTOR of DISCIPLESHIPNiki Pohnl ............................ext 204niki@englishlutheran.org

DIRECTOR of YOUTH and FAMILYKerri Jahnke ........................ext 207 kerri@englishlutheran.org

DIRECTOR of MUSICTrevor DuPey ......................ext 303trevor@englishlutheran.org

SENOR CHOIR DIRECTORNancy Matchett....................ext 304nancy@englishlutheran.org

BELL CHOIR DIRECTORJim Knutson ..................... 498-8829jdknutso@smumn.edu

ORGANIST/PIANISTEddie KimLuke Thering

OFFICE MANAGER Jennifer Jones .....................ext 201jennifer@englishlutheran.org

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANTSCarol Robertson ..................ext 202 carol@englishlutheran.orgSarah Herath .......................ext 202 sarah@englishlutheran.org

CUSTODIANTerry Welch

3

Pastor’s Press

With Thanksgiving just around the corner and the frenzy of the holiday season that soon follows, I wanted to offer you a chance to pause and think about giving thanks. The Apostle Paul regularly uses his letters as a way to thank God for his fellow believers. His letters to the Romans, Philippians, Colossians, Thessalonians, and Philemon all contain strong state-ments of thanks to God for other believersinPaul’slifeandtheirfaith.IappreciatePaul’swordsofthanks in Philippians 1:3-5 where he writes, “I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from thefirstdayuntilnow.”

WecanlearnalotfromPaul’sthanksgiving when it comes to our attitude of gratitude. First, Paul is eager to give thanks, no matter what. Even though Paul and the Corinthians were not in agreement about everything, he still thanked God for them! We, too, should be eager to give thanks for those with whom we share faith in Jesus Christ, no matter who they are or whether we agree with them or not. Second, Paul tells the people that he thanks God for them. Of course we need to say thank you directly to people, too. Saying thank you shows the person that we acknowl-edge and value them. Plus, it can feel good for us to say thank you. There may be times when we feel moved to thank God in our prayers

forspecificpeople.When we do this, and then tell the person that we have thanked God for them in our prayers, it takes thanksgiving to a whole new level.

Our attitude of gratitude begins with acknowledging God as the source and owner of all. In the Nicene Creed, we profess that God is the maker of “all that is, seen andunseen.”Eachoneofushasbeen entrusted to manage all that God has given us – both big and small. It seems only natural that we would want to thank God. When we thank God over and over again, it will eventually become a way of life. In the process, we will gain a richer understanding that God, not us, owns all that we have.

Poetry has helped to deepen my attitude of gratitude. I love the nuances and the different ways of looking at the world around us that poets offer. Even though my breadth of poetry and poets is lim-ited, I appreciate that poets remind me, remind us, to pay attention. Poets see things many of us miss because we are too busy, hurrying to get to our next appointment or the next thing on our jam-packed schedule. One of my favorite poets, Mary Oliver writes in her poementitled“Praying:”

Pastor Becky Goche

The Doorway to Giving Thanks

4

Communion Assistant ScheduleIf you are unable to assist at the ap-pointed time, please contact a person on the list to substitute. Change infor-mation on our web site: go to Wor-ship & Music> Worship Volunteers, or go to this link http://bit.ly/1I96csZ or call the church office 784-9335.

November 5 8:30 a.m. 10:45 a.m. Julie Kriewald Beth Twiton Mike Kriewald Kathryn Wanders Josh Court Carol Solyst

November 12 8:30 a.m. 10:45 a.m. Joan Allen Pam Strittmater Vicki Dahl Lois Betz Lou Wuensch Jake Kirchner

November 19 8:30 a.m. 10:45 a.m. Bob Weeks Marilyn Webster Kathy Weeks Angela Kupietz Tom Barth Carol Solyst

November 26 8:30 a.m. 10:45 a.m. Vicki Dahl Ian Scott Sue Harnden Beth Twiton Deb Bemis

HS Youth Praise Band1st and 3rd Wednesdays 6:15 - 7:15 p.m.

ServeGive&

Saturday, Oct. 21 .......... InstallflooringandprotectivecardboardonwoodworkSaturday, Oct. 28 ......... Move-in DaySaturday, Nov. 4 ........... Work DaySaturday, Nov. 11 ......... Work DaySaturday, Nov. 18 ......... Work DaySaturday, Nov. 25 ......... Work DaySaturday, Dec. 2 ........... Final Work Day before pre-event programmingTuesday, Dec. 5 ............ Conference Pastors program – 10:30 a.m.Wednesday, Dec. 6 .......ConfirmationinBethlehem#1–6p.m.Saturday, Dec. 9 .......... Bob Allen – Star of Bethlehem program & dinner 6:00 p.m.Sunday, Dec. 10 ........... Sunday School Walk-through Day 9:45 a.m.Tuesday, Dec. 12 .......... Media Day – 10 a.m.Wednesday, Dec. 13 .....ConfirmationinBethlehem#2-6:00p.m.Saturday, Dec. 16 ......... EVENT DAY 12-5 p.m.Sunday, Dec. 17 ........... EVENT DAY 12-5 p.m.Monday, Dec. 25 .......... Christmas morning in Bethlehem 9:30 a.m.Tuesday-Friday, Dec. 26-29 ......Props strike - TBDSaturday, Jan. 6 ............ Strikeandcleanup9:00a.m.-finished. #BethlehemEvent • #LifeAtELC • #englishlutheranchurch

•InTexas,whereHurricaneHarveycaused so much destruction, LDR is hiring a disaster response coordinator to work with partnersandaffiliatestoconnectvolunteersanddonationstowherethey’reneededmost. There is great need for building materials and carpenters and LDR and local groups are looking for volunteers to help with building repairs and construction.

Mexico, besides being hit by hurricanes, has also been hit by three major earthquakes, which struck within weeks. Lutheran Disas-ter Response is supporting a local partner as they distribute food, water and other basic necessities to those who have lost their homes and livelihoods.

Recovery from the disasters as we have seen in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Mexico, and other areas will take many years. Lutheran Disaster Response specializes in long-term recovery efforts.

The work that has already begun, and will continue for years to come, is pos-sible because of donations from generous churches and individuals. In September, English Lutheran Church and the Ministry Council put out a special appeal for Disaster Response through our Hungry Jar. Almost 6,000 dollars was raised, of which 100% will go directly toward relief. Additional funds were contribute by English Lutheran members directly to Lutheran Disaster Response. (See Hungry Jar Hurricane Relief on page 5). Thank you to all that contrib-uted to the Hungry Jar or dropped off cash or checks to be sent directly to Lutheran Disaster Response. We are blessed to have so many generous people who are willing to share what they have with those in need. Thank You!!

“For you have been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat; for the breath of the ruthless is like a storm against a wall.” Isaiah 25:4

Lutheran Disaster Response, continued from front page

T I M E L I N E

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Volunteer SchedulePlease refer to the schedules and reminders

by the volunteer captains or the church office.

If you can’t participate on your assigned date, please find someone to replace you, and contact your volunteer captain and the church office so the change may be listed in the bulletin. If you wish to volunteer,

please contact the person listed below to inquire. Thanks for your time and talents as well as your cooperation.

Acolytes - Niki Pohnl 784-8876 x 204, niki@englishlutheran.org

Altar Ministry - Karla Strangstalien and Nancy Mills 787-9803, walize18@yahoo.com. 788-4346, hnmills@juno.com

Coffee Servers - Niki Pohnl 784-8876 x 204, niki@englishlutheran.org

Communion Assts. - Sarah Herath 784-8876 x 202, sarah@englishlutheran.org

Cookie Providers - Carol Robertson 784-8876 x 202, carol@englishlutheran.org

Lectors - Sarah Herath 784-8876 x 202, sarah@englishlutheran.org

Nursery Attendants - Niki Pohnl 784-8876 x 204, niki@englishlutheran.org

Offering Counters - Bill Newburg 788-6312, wenkhn@centurylink.net

Tech Team - Sarah Herath 784-8876 x 202, sarah@englishlutheran.org

Ushers 5:00 Sat. - Karla Strangstalien 787-9803, walize18@yahoo.com

Ushers 8:30 - Mark Flaten mflaten61@gmail.com

Ushers 10:45 - Al Graewin agraewin@aol.com

Welcome Center - Grace Engen 507-429-0502

Worship Coordinator - Ann Weidner amweidne@gundersenhealth.org

The Discipleship Council recognizes Jenna Holman for her leadership with our Pre-school Sunday School children, her help with VBS, and her service in the nursery on Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings. Thank you for your time and energy with the young children in our congregation.

Feature Volunteers

We appreciate you Jenna!

ServeGive&

Nearing the end of our building campaign! Thanks be to God for the prayers, expertise, and financial gifts in the last six years of this project. If you are able and willing to fulfill your pledge, we welcome you to do so as we near the end of the campaign in December (please send checks to Jennifer's attention in the church office). If your circumstances have changed, please feel free to talk with one of the pastors. We are blessed to be so close to paying off the mortgage and very happy to host such a multitude of community and ELC events in our "new" space.

If you have any questions regarding your pledge, or how much is left to fulfill, please contact Jennifer at 784.8876 x201 or jennifer@englishlutheran.org.

SEPTEMBER GIFTS1857.43 - Hungry Jar4060.00 - Special Gifts5917.43 - Total

Total was sent to LDR Disaster Response Thanks for your support!

Hurricane Relief

News

6

ServeGive&

Gifts and Memorials__

Baptisms________________09/24/17.. Juniper Bonnie, daughter of Ben and Jennifer Morris10/14/17.. Hudson Steven, son of Matthew and Lynn Fitzpatrick

Marriages______________09/16/17.. Dan Hanson and Aimee Lenth 09/23/17.. Michael Borst and Allyson MacPherson 10/13/17.. Kaitlyn Hamann and Caitlyn Roney

Deaths__________________We extend the sympathy of the Gospel to DeLaney Gilster and family on the death of husband and father, Kenneth Gilster, who died Oct. 3.

We will be collecting donations of green beans and cranberry sauce for the Lacrosse Area Community Thanksgiving Dinner again this year. Donations to the Narthex after October 29 and before November 19. Thank you.

New Member Orientation

Interested in becoming a member of English Lutheran?

New Member OrientationSunday, November 5

12:00 - 3:00 p.m.

Faith WorkshopThursday, November 9

6:30 - 7:30 pm.

New members will be received at services November 11 and 12.

For more information, contact

Carol in the church office: carol@englishlutheran.org

or 784-9335.

from Our Past Interns

Pastor Lauren Carlson served English Lutheran as our intern from 2009-2010She and her husband Paul are co-pastors at Calvary Lutheran, Morganton, NC

Pastor Bonnie Klos served English Lutheran as our intern from 2013-2014She serves as solo pastor at St. Paul Lutheran, Port Huron, MI

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AdultEDUCATION

Sunday

11/5...Historical Bethlehem

11/12...Children's Worship

11/19...Contemporary Bethlehem

1/26...No ForumHoliday Weekend

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Fourteen youth, Chris Veum, Kerri Jahnke and Pastor Becky Goche participated in the 7th Grade Confirmation Retreat in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area over the weekend of October 6-8. During this retreat the youth focused on learning the Ten Commandments and seeing how Law and Gospel play out in their everyday lives. The group vis-ited the Mall of America looking for images of Law and Gospel, packed food for those affected by the hurricanes in Jamaica at Feed My Starving Children, toured the Cathedral of St. Paul, attended worship at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, and played many games during their two-night stay at Como Park Lutheran Church.

Seventh Grade Confirmation Retreat

ConnectGrow&

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Questions? Contact Kerri Jahnke kerri@englishlutheran.org

Faith Milestones WorkshopsWednesday evenings, 6:15-7:15 p.m. Sunday School hour, 9:45-10:30 a.m.

KindergartenSunday, November 5Learning and memorizing The Lord’s Prayer. Becoming familiar with New Testament Bible stories

Youth Faith Formation 1st and 3rd Sundays - 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. 9th -12th grade

Peer Ministry 4th Wednesday - 6:30 p.m.10th -12th grade

P.A.C.K. 1st Wednesday of each month 6th grade youth

Next StepSunday mornings - 9:45 - 10:30 a.m.7th and 8th grade

HS Youth Praise Band1st and 3rd Wednesdays 6:15 - 7:15 p.m.

RetreatsNovember 10 - 12: 8th grade

Confirmation Wednesday 6:15 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Kerri is teaching 8th grade confirmation

Includes 4 nights lodging (ski-in/ski-out) 3 days skiing

Under 6 - $311Ages 6-12 - $385Ages 13-18 - $426Ages 19+ - $447Rates do not include equipment rental, lessons or transportation.

$50 deposit was due October 1 to guarantee this rate

QuestionsRobin Cosbyolivu2@gmail.com • 608-385-5309

June 27-july 1 + Houston, TX gathering@elca.org + 888-411-3522 + elca.org/gathering

For by grace you have been saved through faith, andthis is not your own doing; it is the gift of God. - Ephesians 2:8

pre-gathering events + june 24-27

#ELCAYG2018@ELCAgathering fB.com/youthgathering @elcagathering

Ski with us at

Winter Park, ColoradoFebruary 8-12, 2018

Sunday School Schedule 9:45-10:30, ages 2 yrs.- 6th grade

Nov. 5, 12, 19 - regular classesNov. 26 - no Sunday School - holiday

NATIONAL YOUTH GATHERINGJune 27 - July 1

Thanks to all who participated in the Augsburg Reformation Book Store. The titles featured will soon be processed and available in the church library along with our other new ma-terials for all ages. Included in our re-cent additions for children are I Can Read Bible Stories and The Complete Brick Bible for Kids (Legos).

L I N KLibrary

GENERAL FUND REPORT AUGUST 2016RT SEPTEMBER 2016BER 2017

RECEIPTS CURRENT MONTH YEAR-TO-DATEActual Budget 2016 Actual Actual Budget 2016 Actual

Envelope Offerings 25,971 25,080 25,473 280,034 330,002 274,016Simply Giving Plan 22,135 23,925 23,055 200,358 206,252 207,601Other General 4,040 772 736 17,991 14,850 33,984General Fund Total 52,146 49,777 49,264 498,383 551,104 515,601Benevolence 60 1,251 4,298TOTAL 52,146 49,777 49,324 499,634 551,104 519,899

Communion Fund 5,474 14,968Memorials 124 9,837Hungry Jar 1,756 5,694Mortgage Reduction 95,900 203,840

DISBURSEMENTSBenevolence 4,815 5,621 5,120 58,197 60,228 55,087Stability Triangle 42,734 45,497 48,345 419,048 454,068 434,045Five Big Rocks 802 4,796 4,220 26,779 48,600 27,624TOTAL 48,351 55,914 57,685 504,024 563,796 516,756

Communion Fund 1,439 15,423Hungry Jar 758 4,747Mortgage Reduction(from Building Fund)Principal 11,874 11,138 124,947 132,587Interest 875 1,611 8,779 17,154

As the holidays of Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christ-masrapidlyapproach,ourfinancialsituationisprettystablethroughthefirstthreequartersoftheyear.Ourmonthly receipts for September increased by about $3,000from2016,whileourmonth’sdisbursementsdropped by $9,000 from last year. This gave us a nice gain of nearly $4,000 for the month. Year to date, the Envelope and Simply Giving offering total is about the same as 2016. Other General Fund offering is down this year as we received a large tax credit in 2016. All in all, weareingoodfinancialshapethisyear.Totalreceiptsare down for the year, but total disbursements are also downfortheyear.Ouryeartodatedeficitisonlyabout$4,500, which we should be able to make up by the end of the year. THANK YOU for your faithful generosity!Our mortgage reduction fund, Keep the Vision Grow-

ing, did very well in September as we received nearly $96,000! These very generous gifts increased our KTVG receipts to nearly $204,000 for the year to date. A very big THANK YOU for your support! After our September payment our mortgage balance was only $213,800. We hope to have this paid off within the next few months. With the fall programs in full swing, we look forward to increasedattendanceandfinancialsupport.Wetypicallyreceive about 30% of our receipts during the last three monthsoftheyear,soweexpecttohaveastrongfinish.We look forward to seeing you in church.

Finance Committee

General Fund September 2017

ServeGive&

10

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There is growing evidence that faith can positively influence business leadership. Concepts such as Servant Leadership and Conscious Capitalism are being implemented in a growing number of successful businesses. Business au-thors such as Jim Collins (Built to Last, Good to Great) suggest that having a purpose larger than making money leads to greater employee engagement. That purpose is often found in a faith dimension. Join John McHugh as he shares stories and examples of how faith has shaped business leadership in remarkable ways.

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Inc., based in La Crosse, Wisconsin. In his role at Kwik Trip he has helped the company achieve recognition as a Top Workplace as listed by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Minneapolis Star Tribune and the Des Moines Register.

Prior to joining Kwik Trip in 2004, John was an instructor and principal at Aqui-nas High School in La Crosse. He holds degrees from the University of Saint Thomas in Saint Paul, Minnesota and the Gregorian University in Rome, Italy. John sits on the Boards of the Friends of Wisconsin Public Television, Trust Point, National Mutual Benefit Soci-ety, Marywood Franciscan Spirituality Center, Viterbo University and the Mayo Clinic Health System in La Crosse.

http://www.englishlutheran.org/in-our-community.html

FAITH AND BUSINESS LEADERSHIPNovember 15, Noon to 1:00 p.m.