november 2012 thanks a lot! - star of bethlehem lutheran...
Post on 10-Aug-2020
1 Views
Preview:
TRANSCRIPT
November 2012
3700 S. Casper Drive, New Berlin, WI
(262)786-2900 www.starofbethlehem.org
Thanks A Lot! Give thanks in all circumstances. 1 Thessalonians 5:13
“Thanks a lot!” Those are words that are often said with a good dose of sarcasm. At such times, we are not really thankful. Perhaps we have been given the news that the car repair is going to be more extensive and far more expensive than we had anticipated. “Thanks a lot!” We had our hearts set on playing basketball this year, but we get cut from the team after tryouts. “Thanks a lot!” The doctor breaks the news to us that the cause of our problems is a chronic condition that we will have to live with for the rest of our lives, and treating the symptoms with medication all that we can do is. “Thanks a lot!” Because the economy is struggling, our employer finds in necessary to downsize, and it is our job that gets the ax. “Thanks a lot!”
There are many situations in life where we are disappointed, frustrated, and sometimes even frightened. If we had ultimate control over what happened in our world, all “bad news” and troubling circumstances would never touch our lives. But we live in a world that has been ruined by sin, and the things that happen to us reflect that reality.
The Apostle Paul’s advice to the Thessalonians was to give thanks to the Lord not only during times of plenty or when the Lord blessed them, but “in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:13). It can be challenging even for seasoned Christians to be thankful when life becomes difficult and the clouds grow dark. At such times the believer is tempted to question God’s love and faithfulness. “Why did you let this happen to me, God?” or “Where were you when I needed you most?” Even though we know we are to give thanks in
all circumstances, at such times we may do so half-heartedly, or worse yet, tongue in cheek.
“Thanks a lot, God!”
However, even in challenging situations, we can say, “Thanks a lot, God!”
and really mean it, because God has a plan for
us! Through his prophet, the Lord said, “For I know the plans I
have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope
and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11).
We may not know the full extent of God’s plan – why he would let our loved ones die, why he would let us become
injured or ill, why he would allow us to suffer financial loss, or whatever challenge we
are facing – but we know that his love for us will not grow cold. We know that God will remain faithful
to his promise to be with us always. And we can count on the fact that God is going to work all things – even things that seem to be bad – for our spiritual good, so that we might be brought closer to him and to have our faith and trust in him to be strengthened. Then we will be able to say, no matter what the circumstances might be, “Thanks a lot, God,” and truly mean it.
As a family of believers united in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the members of Star of Bethlehem Congregation are committed, with the help of the Holy Spirit and directed by God’s Word, to glorify God by -
SUPPORTING
One another in daily living –
empowered by the freedom God’s
forgiveness brings.
REACHING Out with our
diverse gifts to bring the lost to a saving knowledge
of Jesus Christ.
ACKNOWLEDGING
That God’s grace is the only means of saving sinners and God’s Word is the
only source of Truth.
TEACHING God’s Word to
people of all ages so they can
continually grow in faith.
SERVING The Triune God through regular
worship and faithful use of
the Sacraments.
OUR
MISSION
The weekend of November 3-5, we will observe the anniversary
of the Lutheran Reformation of October 31, 1517 in our Worship
Services. Join us as we will focus on the blessings that the Lord has
given to us through his servant, Martin Luther, and the Gospel of
our Lord Jesus Christ that he rediscovered that we are saved, Sola
gratia, sola fide, and sola scriptura (by grace alone, by faith alone,
and by the Scriptures alone. There will be
special vocal and instrumental selections
to enhance our worship. The Word
they still shall let remain, nor any
thanks have for it; He’s by our side
upon the plain with his good gifts
and Spirit. And do what they will –
hate, steal, hurt, or kill – though all
may be gone, our victory is won; the
kingdom’s ours forever! (CW 200:4)
The special Area Reformation Service, for the churches of our
Southeastern Wisconsin District and metropolitan area, will be held
again at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary on Sunday, Nov. 4, at 4:00
p.m. President Mark Zarling of Martin Luther College will be the
guest speaker. Special music will be provided by members of area
church choirs and the Seminary Chorus. You are all cordially invited
to attend.
Sunday Morning
Adult Bible Class Heroes of Faith, a study of Hebrews 11, is
our present course of study in our Sunday
Morning Adult Bible Class. If you cannot
make it every Sunday, the lessons do also stand
alone if necessary. Come whenever you can.
Future lessons include:
Nov. 4 Abraham, a Man Content to Live in a Tent
Nov. 11 Abraham, a Man Who Believed the Impossible
Nov. 18 Isaac, Jacob and Joseph – Men Who Were
Certain of Their Futures
Nov. 25 Moses and His Parents
Dec. 2 The Israelites – People Who Relied on God’s
Supernatural Power
Dec. 9 Rahab – A Woman of Repentant Faith
Dec. 16 The World Was Not Worthy of These
Join us any Sunday morning in the Fellowship Hall at 9:20 a.m. for
our Adult Bible Class. Come early for some coffee, donuts and
fellowship! Join the many who are making our Sunday Morning
Adult Bible Class a regular part of their Sunday morning schedule.
Two Thanksgiving Services will be held; one, on
Wednesday, Nov. 21, at 6:30 p.m., and another on
Thursday, Nov. 22, at 9:30 a.m. Both services will be
the same. Our Men’s Chorus and Adult Choir will
enhance our Thanksgiving Worship Services.
With voices united our praises we offer;
To you, great Jehovah, glad anthems we raise.
Your strong arm will guide us; our God is beside us.
To you, our great Redeemer, fore’er be praise! (CW 609:3)
Advent by Candlelight This special event, especially intended for the women
of Star of Bethlehem and their guests, will be held on
Sunday, November 25, at 2:00 p.m. There is a signup
sheet on the church bulletin board for anyone that
would like to serve as a
hostess for a table of ladies.
A general signup sheet will
follow for you, any guests,
friends, relatives and co-
workers to join you at this
year’s Advent by
Candlelight. Additional
information is provided on
the bulletin board. All
women are encouraged to make use of this special
time to prepare your hearts and minds for another
Christmas Season.
Nov. 2-10 and 23-24 our
Star family members will be
photographed for our new
Pictorial Directory. We hope
all of you will be a part of it.
There are still openings for
you or your family, if you
have not yet had the chance
to reserve a date and time for
yours to be taken. You may
sign up on the sheets near the
bulletin board after a Service or
on the website during Tuesday-Friday,
www.starofbethlehem.org Just go to the website and
follow the link for LifeTouch. Again, we would like all of
our Star of Bethlehem family pictured, if possible, so
that we can all get to know you and one another better.
Thanks so much. You don’t have to buy anything from
LifeTouch if you don’t want any pictures. However each
family or individual will receive a free 8X10 and a copy
of the new directory for participating. If you have any
questions, please contact any member of the
Stewardship Committee, which is organizing the project.
SIMPLY GIVING Star of Bethlehem is pleased to
announce a convenient new way to make
your regular offerings. With our new
electronic giving program, you can easily set
up a recurring giving schedule. Your regular
contributions can be automatically
withdrawn from your bank account rather
than writing a check or putting cash in your
offering envelope.
Simply Giving Authorization Forms and a
Frequently Asked Questions document are
available in the narthex or on Star of
Bethlehem’s website. You can also contact
Glenn Reinhardt, Financial Secretary at
2626-549-9639 with questions.
We welcome this month to our Star of
Bethlehem family; Jeff Balfanz, Helen Eisert, Peter and Nicole Lohr, and their children,
Emily and Christian. May the Lord
strengthen your connection with Jesus through your membership among us, and
provide you with many opportunities in
which to serve our Savior. Welcome to Star of Bethlehem!
Monday Night Bible Class Every Monday evening after our Monday
Night Service, a group of our members are
part of the Monday Night Bible Class. It
begins about 7:45 p.m. God Speaks To Us, a
study of Genesis 1-22, is the present topic.
STAR STAR STAR STAR SENIORSSENIORSSENIORSSENIORS Our Star Seniors will be attending the play,
The Miracle Worker, at Wisconsin Lutheran
High School on Sunday, Nov. 4. We will be
leaving from the church parking lot at 12:45
for the play which begins at 1:30 p.m.
Tickets are $6.00, and may be purchased at
the door. The group will be having supper
together at the Peachtree Restaurant in New
Berlin. Everyone is on their own for the cost
of supper.
BIBLE INFORMATION BIBLE INFORMATION BIBLE INFORMATION BIBLE INFORMATION
CLASSESCLASSESCLASSESCLASSES These classes,
especially
designed for any
prospective
members or anyone
who would like to learn
the basics of Christian doctrine, are on
Thursday nights from 7:00-8:30 p.m.
The classes are topical not
chronological, so that you may begin
any Thursday night. The classes are
held in our Small Bible Study Room
each Thursday night. There is no cost
for the classes. All materials will be
provided. To enroll, please speak with
our pastors or the Administrative
Assistants. Bring a friend, relative, or
co-worker to go through the classes
with you. The classes run for 10 weeks
to get through all of the lessons.
Another season of men’s basketball is
just beginning. Open gyms for men are
on Thursday nights at 8:00 p.m. If
anyone would like to compete with our
Star Men’s basketball team, please
contact Pastor Gawrisch or Marc
Meyer. There will be another season
for our Star Men’s Basketball League
on Sunday afternoons beginning at
1:00 p.m. on Dec. 2. Twelve teams
from area WELS churches are again
going to participate in the league.
Good luck, Star men, on another
basketball season. If any of our young
people would like to work as scorers
for the men’s
basketball league,
please speak with
Pastor Gawrisch.
He will be happy
to plug you into the
rotational schedule.
The�Miracle�Worker�This play will be presented on Friday,
Nov. 2, and Saturday, Nov. 3 at 7:30
p.m. It will also be presented on
Sunday, Nov. 4, at 1:30 p.m. Cost is
$6.00/adults and $3.00/Children. For
tickets, please call 414-453-4567.
Voters’ Meeting Our next Quarterly Voters’
Meeting will be on Tuesday,
October 30, at 7:00 p.m.
Membership changes, board and
committee reports and financial
updates will be on the agenda.
We encourage all of our voters
to come and do our Father’s
business.
We are excited to announce our
new church and school website.
Check it out at www.starofbethlehem.org the
same address as the old one. It
is our hope that this site is informative and offers our
members and visitors a
wonderful picture of our church and school families for those
who want to learn about us.
Contact Mr. Mueller at tmueller@starofbethlehem.org
with any questions and/or
comments. Sincere thanks to everyone that helped with this
on-going project.
FOOD BARRELS
Food barrels
will be available throughout the church and school facilities for
our annual food collection for
needy families in our metro-area. Your donations of non-
perishable food items are
greatly appreciated. Sincere thanks for your generous
donations throughout the
Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons.
Congratulations to Andrew Kasten
and Ashley Schueller who were married on October 6th; and to
Myron Sankey and Darlene Gehrig who were married on October 13th.
God’s blessings to you!
Holiday Party Quiz: Prepare
for a Healthier Holiday
From RD411.com
Submitted by Nicole Marrari, RD, CD
What do you know about traditional
holiday foods?
1. Which appetizer contains the least amount
of fat? a. Three stuffed mushrooms b. 2 Tbsp of
cheese ball with nuts c. Three pizza rolls
2. Which cookie has the most calories? a. One
medium gingerbread man b. One medium butterscotch chip cookie
c. 2” square lemon bar
3. Which cocktail has the least calories? a. A rum and Coke® b. A
whisky sour c. A martini
4. Which candy has the least fat? a. 2 cubic inch square of chocolate
fudge b. One fudge-dipped Oreo® c. One medium piece peanut
brittle
5. Which meat has the most fat? a. 3 oz. boneless ham (lean and fat
eaten) b. 3 oz. boneless duck (skin eaten) c. 3 oz. bones cooked
chicken leg (skin eaten)
6. Which starch has the most sodium? a. ½ cup homemade bread
stuffing b. ½ c homemade mashed potatoes c. One dinner roll
7. Which warm beverage has the least calories? a. 1 c hot chocolate
made with whole milk b. 1 c apple cider c. 1 c eggnog made with
whole milk
8. Which of the following contains the most sugar? a. One piece of
fruit cake b. One pecan roll c. 2” square frosted brownie
Answers: 1. c. 2. c. 3. b. 4. c. 5. b. 6. a. 7. b. 8. a.
On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all
peoples, a banquet of aged wine— the best of meats and the finest of wines.
Isaiah 25:6
is on Sunday, Nov. 4, 2 at 6:00 p.m. for any 7th and 8th grade
families. During this time you will have the opportunity to meet
teachers, tour the school, and learn how academic excellence and
Christian values can make a difference in your child’s life.
SPAGHETTI DINNER Wisconsin Lutheran High School will be serving a Spaghetti Dinner to
benefit the choirs at WLHS on Friday, Nov. 2, 4:30-7:00 p.m. Tickets
are $7.50/adults and $5.00/children. The Wisco Kids and Inspiration
will be performing throughout the dinner.
Gift cards will be available for purchase after our Sunday Services.
There are a select number of cards available for immediate
purchase, and many more to choose from if you place an order for
pick-up the following Sunday. A portion of your purchase will benefit
the Star Student Fund, money to aid families with Tuition Assistance.
Thank you for any support you can give this program.
VETERAN’S DAY CELEBRATIONS All former and present armed forces personnel are
invited to some special Veteran’s Day Events. A special
celebration will be held at New Berlin Eisenhower on Monday, Nov. 12, at 9:00 a.m. A complimentary brunch will follow the program. To RSVP, please call
262-789-6335. On Thursday, November 8, veterans, military
personnel, family members, and friends are invited to WLHS for breakfast in the cafeteria beginning at 7:30
A.M. and for a special service at 8:30 A.M. in the gym. Our guest speaker will be Joshua Wege, one of our “Wounded Warriors” from Afghanistan. He will speak
on the theme “All Gave Some and Some Gave All.” If you wish to join us, please call the school to reserve a seat at (414) 453-4567.
Colors of Christmas This annual craft fair will be held at Wisconsin Lutheran
High School on Saturday, November 17, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. $3.00 is the entry fee to view and purchase many craft items.
WARRIOR 5K IN THE PARK
Coach Steve Travis and the Wisconsin Lutheran College
Cross Country Team are hosting a 5K run at Greenfield Park on Saturday, November 3rd at 10 am at Greenfield Park in West Allis. This race is to benefit the cross country teams at
WLC. The Warrior 5K is in its tenth year and had over 220 participants last year. There is also a 2.25-mile walk and a kid's run at the event as well. Register on-line at: http://wlcsports.com/page.asp?articleID=1069
BAPTISM I was only six weeks old when I was
adopted by my parents. I didn’t choose them; they chose me. I am grateful that I was able to grow up in a stable Christian home.
I was only eight days old when I was adopted by God. I didn’t choose Him; He chose me. I am grateful to go to the house of the Lord and know that I am His child.
My parents made my adoption official in a ceremony at the court house. Even though I was not born their child, now I share their family name, and I will receive their inheritance.
God made my adoption official when I was baptized into his name (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). Even though I was not born His child, he has placed his name on me, and I belong to him. I will receive his inheritance.
I will share my parents’ inheritance with my siblings, three adopted and one natural-born. It will be divided evenly among us.
The only begotten Son of God has already received his inheritance: resurrection from the dead. Because He received His, I know that my inheritance will be the same thing! And I will share it with all the rest of God’s children by faith.
I don’t know if adopted children appreciate their baptisms more. I do know that I appreciate mine.
Rev. Paul Prange, administrator for the Board of
Ministerial Education reflects on his baptism.
top related