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Volume 51, Issue 2
Network
Our Saviour ’s Lutheran Church
Our Saviour’s
Lutheran
Church
300 Logan Street
Merrill, WI 54452
Phone: 715-536-5813
Fax: 715-536-3658
E-mail: [email protected]
Pastor:
Full Time Staff
Pastor
Reverend Patricia
Schutz
Youth & Family
Director
Jamie Diestelhorst
Editor/Office Secretary
Rebecca Burgener
Custodian
Tim Ruprecht
NETWORK articles are
due on
or before the 15th of
each month.
Musings from the Pastor
Let my prayer be set
forth before thee as
incense; and the lifting
up of my hands as the
evening sacrifice.
Psalm 141.2 (KJV)
For the next several
months my newsletter
articles will center on
different forms of
prayer. The importance
and power of prayer
in our lives as
Christians cannot be
overstated. Henri
Nouwen, Catholic
priest and theologian
writes, “Praying is
living…eating and
drinking, action and
rest, teaching and
learning, playing and
working….It is the
unceasing recognition
that God is wherever
we are, always
inviting us to come
closer and to
celebrate the divine
gift of being alive.”
Centering prayer is a
form of contemplative
prayer that has its
origins in the early
days of Christianity.
Through centering
prayer we can experience
the love of our Creator
and a restorative
sense of peace and
well-being. Find
somewhere to sit
where you are com-
fortable and won’t be
disturbed. Close your
eyes. Slow your
breathing. Allow you
heart, your whole self
to open to the always
present Holy One.
You might want to
picture a door opening
into a wide-open
space of beauty—walk
through the door.
Choose a sacred word
or very short phrase.
This is not a mantra
you are to repeat over
and over, but a
reminder to remain
open to God’s
presence and the
Spirit’s movement
within you. It might
take you several tries
to find a word that
seems to “fit.” Don’t
force it; let your word
find you. Whisper
your word, or say it
silently. Let it take
you deeper into
silence, openness, divine
care. When other
thoughts invade your
prayer, gently let
them go and return to
your sacred word.
When the time feels
right, say “Amen,” or
a short prayer of
thanksgiving/praise
for the gift of prayer
you just received.
Try centering prayer
for short periods of
time at first, maybe 5
minutes, and gradually
increase each session.
If it doesn’t work for
you, not to worry! Not
all kinds of prayer are
right for everyone.
Good prayer advice I
once received: “Pray
as you can and not as
you can’t.” Let me
know how it goes.
Share your experience
with others if you feel
so moved. And stay
tuned; next month
we’ll take a look at
Lectio Divina, a way
of praying with
scripture.
Shalom,
Pastor Pat
February 2019
Mark Your Calendars THRIVENT CHOICE
DOLLARS
Deadline for designating
2018 Thrivent Choice
Dollars is March 31.Our
Saviour's is grateful for the
Choice Dollars we receive
from Thrivent members. If
you have any kind of
insurance or annuity
through Thrivent and don't
know about Choice Dollars,
talk to Pastor Pat.
EPIC EVENT
From our synod: "EPIC
(Equipping People in
Congregations) is a workshop
for all Congregational
Leaders/Members, Youth &
Pastors. The keynote speaker
will be Michael Binder who
is the Co-lead Pastor at Mill
City Church in Minnesota
and on the innovation
leadership team at Luther
Seminary. Workshops will
be given on topics ranging
from communications/social
media, engaging youth,
prayer, and much much
more! The event is Saturday,
March 9. It will start at 8:30
AM at Zion Lutheran Church
in Shawano and run until
3:45. Registration is $25."
Anyone can attend EPIC.
Last year's event was
outstanding. It would
benefit our congregation
greatly to have at least two
members go and bring back
some of the excitement to
Our Saviour's. Please talk
with Pr Pat if you're
interested in going.
QUILTING DAY
Cut, stitch, tie, chat. That's
the agenda for Our
Saviour's Fourth
QUILTING DAY,
scheduled for SATURDAY,
FEBRUARY 9. Cut, stitch,
tie, chat, and chew. (A light
lunch will be provided mid-
day.)
Drop in any time from 9 to
3, or stay all day. What for?
For FUN, and to make
quilts for Lutheran World
Relief. Bring a friend!
Beginners welcome!
SOUP-ER BOWL
Soup-er Bowl Soup
Competition -- Sunday,
February 3-- serving
begins at 11:00 AM. Come
early; there will be
munchies! Vote for your
favorite soup with your
dollars. There's also a
Dessert Competition; no
need to register for that. All
proceeds go to the Merrill
Homeless Center. Please
come! Find out if Josie takes
home the blue ribbon again!!
BIBLE STUDY
Running throughout
February, join us at 10 AM
on Fridays for Bible Study.
We will take an in-depth
look at one or more scripture
texts for the upcoming
weekend. This study will be
led by Pastor Pat. A list of
readings can be found on the
table outside the lounge.
PAGE 2 NETWORK VOLUME 51, ISSUE 2
FOR THE MONTH OF
DECEMBER 2018
INCOME $35,863.27
EXPENSE $28,409.34
INITIAL BALANCE $7,453.93
JAN THRU DECEMBER TOTAL—12
MONTHS
INCOME $312,310.81
TRANSFER FUNDS $10,000.00
EXPENSE $319,783.90
NET $2,526.91
PAGE 3 NETWORK VOLUME 51, ISSUE 2
Our Saviour’s High School youth group, FOCUS, is excited to host a Valentine’s Spaghetti
dinner! Mark your calendars for Friday, February 15 from 5:30-7 PM! Meal will include
salad, spaghetti with red or white sauce, meatballs, garlic toast, beverage, and dessert.
Entertainment will be provided by various youth and atmosphere will be candle-lit. Feel free
to come alone, as a couple, with a friend, or as a group! Reservations are required and you
can sign up on the table outside of the narthex. Cost is $12 per person and all proceeds will
go toward the summer mission trip to Eastern Shores, Virginia. We really hope to see you
there. Thank you for supporting our youth!
PAGE 4 VOLUME 51, ISSUE 2 NETWORK
hard work, these youth are
spreading the love of Christ
to so many people. They are
talking about their youth
group. Their church. Their
fundraiser. They are telling
people to come, join our
family in a meal we worked
hard to prepare just for
them. They are going into
the community and inviting
others into our church.
When they go on this trip,
they are going to gain so
much more than any of
them could possibly prepare
for…and they are going to
bring that excitement,
energy, and fire back to our
state, our city, and our
church. All of this is because
of your support. And for
that, there aren’t enough
ways I can thank you.
God is good. All the time.
Our youth are getting
excited, and I mean
REALLY excited for the
upcoming spaghetti dinner.
I wanted to take a moment,
and this bit of newsletter
space to explain a couple of
the benefits of supporting an
event like this one. Yes, of
course there is the financial
aspect. The mission trips
can get expensive when
paying out of pocket, and
your generous, ongoing
support definitely reduces
those costs, making it
possible for youth to attend
who wouldn’t normally be
able to consider these trips.
So thank you for that.
However, that isn’t really
one of the benefits I’m
referring to in this case.
What I’m referring to goes
beyond money. Our youth
begged me for a mission trip
this year. I was hesitant
because in the recent past, I
have been the one to plan,
prepare, and run the
fundraisers. If you have
never fully ran enough fund
raisers for 24 youth to
attend a mission trip, you
might not see the big deal,
but it is a lot of work. I told
the youth the only way we
were going to do a trip is if
they were actually
committing to the entire
trip-that meant coming up
with and running the
fundraisers, helping with
various events leading up to
the trip, and sharing the
after effects of the trip with
the church. The youth
enthusiastically agreed.
Within a couple weeks,
youth planned and put
together a bake sale 100%
on their own. They figured
out what ingredients needed
to be purchased and what
baked goods were most cost
effective after expenses had
to be removed from sales.
They did the set up as well
as the clean up. They felt
needed and important and
encouraged by your support.
Now, they’ve come up with
this spaghetti fund raiser.
They have made signs,
planned menus, calculated
budgets, arranged
entertainment, and made
sure they have enough
people to successfully bring
this idea to life. They are SO
encouraged by how many of
you have signed up! These
kids are taking responsibility
for something they want and
they are WORKING.FOR.IT.
Beyond the finances and the
Youth & Family News
Tuesday, December 18,
2018
6 PM
Present: Pastor Pat Schutz,
Carol Osness, Gene Bebel,
Charlotte Peters, Mary
Fischer, Bonnie Kloth,
Larry Wolf, Ruth Ellen
Lindstrom, Aimee
Weisskopf, Steve Strasman
Absent: Jay Peterson, Josie
Countryman
At 6 PM Gene Bebel called
the meeting to order.
Pastor Pat led devotions
using the Christmas story.
She closed in prayer.
Minutes of the last meeting,
along with the Pastor’s
report and Finances were
reviewed. Larry made
motion to accept the reports.
Seconded by Carol. Motion
carried.
Team reports were
reviewed:
Curiosity
Outreach
Promotion
Property & Maintenance
Worship & Music
Motion by Aimee to accept
the reports. Seconded by
Bonnie. Motion carried.
Old Business:
Budget Review
Motion by Carol to
approve the budget and
pass it along to the
congregation at the
annual meeting.
Seconded by Steve.
Carried.
Staff Reviews
Council went into closed
session
Three staff members
reviewed
Recognized work by Tim,
our custodian
Jamie’s report given by
Pastor Pat. Jamie is to
give report on youth in
Newsletter
Gene gave us a draft
paper including
reviewing our
constitution and
establishing an
operational personnel
committee
Aimee made motion to
develop a personnel
committee. Seconded by
Carol. Motion carried.
Council came out of closed
session
New Business:
Annual Meeting
Annual meeting will be
held Wednesday,
January 30 – 5:30 meal,
with meeting to start at
6:00 PM.
Gene will order the
chicken, corn, and
potatoes and see that
they are delivered.
Each council member
will bring something for
the meal.
It was suggested we
return the annual
meeting to a Sunday
after worship.
Gene proposed a draft of
the annual meeting.
Nominating Committee
Need nominating
committee. Four needed
for council (perhaps have
a youth on council)
Our next meeting will be
Tuesday, January 15 at 6
PM. Aimee will have
devotions.
We closed with praying the
Lord’s Prayer.
Respectfully Submitted,
Ruth Ellen Lindstrom
Church Council Secretary
Congregation Council Minutes
PAGE 5 NETWORK VOLUME 51, ISSUE 2
From The Bishop
be told about the people in our
congregations and things they
are doing. The story we have to
tell is about God and how God
is at work in our communities
and neighborhoods, in the lives
of our neighbors in need, and
in the people of our
congregations across East Cen-
tral Wisconsin.
In Christmas services last
month we heard the angel
proclaim to the shepherds: Do
not be afraid; for see—I am
bringing you good news of
great joy for all the people: to
you is born this day in the city
of David a Savior, who is the
Messiah, the Lord. The angel
was telling the story of what
God was doing in the world.
The angel told how God came
interrupting the lives of Mary
and Joseph and the shepherds
and invited them to behold the
life-giving presence of God in
the Word made flesh. The
angel announced God was on a
mission to bring salvation to a
broken and sinful world.
We are slowly learning the
Church does not have a
mission. It is more correct for
us to say God has a mission.
The Church has a calling, we
called to participate in God’s
mission of reconciling the
world to God and to one
another. So the story we have
to tell is how we in this part of
God’s Church are being
prodded and challenged, invited
and encouraged to be part of
God’s mission of reconciling
love in Jesus Christ. This
means we are to listen to the
stories of people in our
neighborhoods and communities
and congregations to discern
where God is showing up and
where God is calling us to witness
and serve in the world today.
We have a wonderful story to
tell. It is not a story, however,
just about institutional
survival or the continuation of
church life as we have always
known or experienced it. The
story we have to tell is about
the life-giving presence of the
Word made flesh, the very
God, crucified and risen, who
still lives among us, in our
neighborhoods and communities,
and beckons us to behold his
glory.
In the beginning was the Word
and the Word was with God
and the Word was God…and
the Word became flesh and
lived among us and we have
seen his glory (John 1:1,14).
About a month ago I sent a
message to the synod announcing
that Ben Stepanek had begun
working on the synod staff as
our Communications Manager.
Ben’s job description has a long
list of responsibilities that
includes work with social
media as well as printed
material and a host of other
duties. But the heart of the
communications work is really
“…to tell the story of the East
Central Synod of Wisconsin.”
What is the story that we have
to tell? Some might say it is a
story about things that are
happening in the 123 congregations
of the synod, perhaps a building
addition or a mission trip or
cooperative work in a local food
pantry touching the lives of the
homeless. But I think there is
a bigger story yet. The story
we have to tell is not merely a
story about us, though there
are some wonderful stories to
Memorials 12/9/2018
In memory of Marge Teske
from Ruth Nelson-Lau, Marge
English, Loretta Coyle, Judith
Wery, Ruth Ellen Lindstrom,
Charles & Tracy Esser, and
Joyce Kufahl, Undesignated
In memory of Craig Opsahl from
Charles & Joyce Batchelder,
Edith Borelli, Ken & Bonnie
Kloth, Emily Edmund, Rich &
Elayne Ollmann, Bev Pophal,
Jerry & Ann Wick, Eugene &
Gloria Bondioli, Ruth Ellen
Lindstrom, Henry & Pat
Zomchek, and Mary Schroeder,
Undesignated
12/16/18
In memory of Denise Koskey
from Shirley Engel for Youth
12/22/18
In memory of Craig Opsahl
from Jerry & Deb Laak,
Undesignated
In honor of Harriet Torkelson
from Beatrice Lebal for Choir
Fund
12/25/18
In memory of Al Osness from
Carol Osness & Family,
Undesignated
PAGE 6 VOLUME 51, ISSUE 2 NETWORK
PAGE 7 NETWORK VOLUME 51, ISSUE 2
Febr
uary
201
9 B
irth
days
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
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Alli
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Febr
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201
9 S
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SD
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tudy
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AA
Mee
ting—
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4:
30 p
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ors
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(H
C)
3 9 am
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HC
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up
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10:1
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Sun
day
Sch
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10:1
5 am
Cho
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5:
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HC
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unda
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choo
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:45
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TO
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—B
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15 a
m Y
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B
6:30
pm
AA
Mee
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—C
R
7 pm
Dar
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15 p
m A
dult
Bib
le
Stu
dy—
L
26
5:30
pm
Yog
a—B
6:
30 p
m M
edita
tion
G
roup
—Y
R
7 pm
Boy
Sco
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B
27
7 am
LM
M @
Har
dees
8:
15 a
m Y
oga—
B
3:30
pm
FR
OG
s—B
4
pm W
edne
sday
Sch
ool
5:15
pm
Fam
ily M
eal—
B
5:45
pm
Wo
rsh
ip (
HC
) 7
pm F
OC
US
—Y
R
28
8:30
am
Mis
sion
Sew
ing—
B
4:15
pm
Yog
a—B
February 2019
Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church 300 Logan Street
Merrill, WI 54452
Return Service Requested
Non-Profit
Organization
U.S. Postage
PAID
Permit No. 33
Merrill, WI
Recipient’s Address
Newsletter Network
Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church
300 Logan Street · Merrill, WI 54452
Parish Announcements Pg. 2, 3
Youth & Family Pg. 4
Congregation Council Meeting Pg. 5
Memorials Pg. 6
From the Bishop Pg. 6
Scrip Forms Pg. 7
Birthdays Pg. 8
Monthly Calendar Pg. 9
Inside this issue:
Upcoming event
Soup-Er Bowl
Sunday, February 3, 2019
Competition begins at 11 AM
Upcoming event
Quilting Day
Saturday, February 9, 2019
9 AM—3 PM
Upcoming event
Spaghetti Dinner
Friday, February 15, 2019
5:30-7 PM
