If you wish to purchase Easter flowers for the

St. Matthew Ev. Lutheran Church 206 Hemlock Street PO Box 647 Marathon, WI 54448-0647 Website: stmatthewmarathon.org Phone: 715-443-2028

Jon W. Hadler, Pastor stmatthewmarathon@charter.net Cell: 715-409-0898

Jackie Matthiae, Secretary smlsecretary@outlook.com Cell: 715-370-8557

August 2017

The St. Matthew Communicator

2017 CHURCH COUNCIL

Randy Hamann President

Mike Matthiae Vice President

Jim Zimmerman Secretary

Jake Lemke Treasurer

Brian Gumtz Christian Education

Larry Block Buildings & Grounds

Bruce Stelter Buildings & Grounds

Dennis Cramer Finance Committee

Simon Fuhrman Finance Committee

Colossians 3:23

This year’s VBS is already off to a great start as you can see from the photos (more on the cen-ter pages) taken on the first two days before this newsletter was finalized to print. But we cannot go another month without saying thanks to the following people that made the week possible:

THE VBS TEACHERS & ASSISTANTS: The hours and effort they put into preparing the lessons and projects does not go unnoticed!

PreK - 4K: Linda Heise & Mercedes Lobner

5K: Haley Hadler & Natasha Hanke

1st - 2nd Grade: Christine Sorge & Madigan Fuhrman

3rd - 4th Grade: Sue Matthiae & Molly Urmanski

5th - 7th Grade: Mallory Halpin

Music Director - Brian Gumtz

Piano Accompanist - Christine Sorge & Ashley Jehn

Snacks: “Cookie Queen” Judy Kraft, Connie Zimmerman, Bonnie Gacke & Ila Behnke

Thank you as well to many others that helped set up, clean up, and assist with all the details of the program.

Special VBS Thank You!

PARTICIPATING CHILDREN & THEIR FAMILIES: Thank you for your enthusiasm for learning God’s Word and the special songs you will share with us in worship on Sunday, as well as to family members that juggled schedules to get children here each day!

PreK-4K: Caleb Adamski, Henry Albrecht, Rylan Dobeck, Chase Hardinger, Daisy Knoeck, Ezekiel Koepke, Ryker Kreager, Ethan Salber, Allyson Wilichowski, Rylee Wilichowski, and Kaemon Zimmerman

5K: Lucy Albrecht, Lia Baumgart, Berlyn Koepke, Daphne Ruffi, Camryn Schmidt, Na-talie Sonnentag, Derek Sorge, Cooper Yonker, and Gabriel Zimmerman

Grades 1 - 2: Asher Adamski, Quade Fuhrman, Emma Hill, Lily Hill, Asher Lemke, Madison Matthiae, Tyler Schmidt, Alicia Schumacher, and Morgan Sorge

Grades 3 - 4: Kaden Baumgart, Evan Gacke, Alexis Hall, Makaela Hill, Alexandria Matthiae, Gavin Matthiae, Henry Ruffi, Natalie Salber, Samantha Schmidt, Wesley Schumacher, Tate Sonnentag, and Grasci Yonker

Grades 5 - 6: Ethan Gacke, Jaden Koeller, Jazmin Landwehr, Melani Landwehr, Jersey Lobner, Regan Lobner, Chloe Sonnentag, Morgan Urmanski, Dillan Yonker, and Maycie

Yonker

as well as working outside and reading. Mar-gie likes to read, bake birthday cakes, quilt, make homemade soap, watch HGTV, the Food Network, or the Milwaukee Brewers, and connect with family and friends on Facebook. She also stays active with swimming and water Zumba. Courtney enjoys volleyball, soft-ball, swimming, and googling dog pictures.

Favorite Food or Restaurant: Dean’s favorites are a Concrete Mixer from Culver’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken, or Pizza Hut, while Margie prefers Panera Bread and anything chocolate. Courtney’s favorite restaurant is El Mezcal.

Church Involvement: In their previous churches, Dean served as an usher, Margie in the choir and coordinating food donations, while Courtney went on a mission trip to Louisiana, while also attending Sunday school and catechism classes.

Church Memory, Song, or Bible Verse that Inspires You: Dean has a few favorite songs—”Blessings” by Laura Story, “How You Live” by Point of Grace, and “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” Margie enjoys contemporary Christian music and includes songs such as “Be Not Afraid” and “Just Be Held” by Casting Crown is a recent favorite. One of Courtney’s favorite church memories is participating in the Easter

Sunrise Service at 6:00 AM on Rib Mountain with St. Andrew Church.

Meet Our Members

T h e S t . M a t t h e w C o m m u n i c a t o r

DEAN BORCHERDING & MARGIE HACKBARTH & COURTNEY FORD On June 25, we officially welcomed into com-municant membership via Profession of Faith: Dean Borcherding; his wife, Margie Hackbarth; and her daughter, Courtney Ford. They joined us from St. Andrew Lutheran (Rib Mountain). Please help us welcome them into our church family. May we be a blessing to them in their faith and life!

Family: In addition to Courtney, Dean & Margie have another daughter, Elizabeth Ford.

Hometown: Dean was born in Dodgeville, WI but has lived in Marathon since 2006. Margie’s hometown is Wausau. Courtney was born in Dodgeville, but was raised here in Marathon.

Occupation: Dean was a dairy farmer for many years and now has owned a lawn care business for 12 years. He also works as a substi-tute teacher in the winter months. Margie is a Healthcare Administrator with Aspirus. Court-ney is a Home Health Aide at Aspirus Home, a Desk Attendant/Lifeguard/Swim Instructor at Marathon Swim Center, and a student at UW Madison.

Interests/Hobbies: Dean enjoys watching, playing, and coaching sports in his spare time

Adam Ahrens, son of Brian & Ann Ahrens, and Tiffany Ninne-mann, daughter of Wade & Sherry Ninnemann were united in marriage on Saturday, June 24 at the Town of Corning town hall. Adam works at Marathon Cheese’s truck garage as a diesel mechanic. Tiffany works at Marathon Cheese as a machine operator. They purchased a home in the country (Township of Maine, Merrill). They have two dogs: Macie, a German Shep-herd and Denali, a Golden Retriever/Blue Healer mix.

Congratulations

Mr. & Mrs. Ahrens!

Pictured from left: Dean Borcherding, Margie Hackbarth, Courtney Ford, and Pastor Hadler

Highlights of the Church Council & Voters Meeting

The NLHS Association needs your help. Northland is seeking volunteers for the 12 Days of Service on July 28 - August 6 and August 12 - 13. Association members have been busy creating Thrivent Action teams to build walls for better insula-tion in the weight room and chapel, paint rooms, hang window treatments, replace infield dirt on the softball field, install stain-less steel prep and service areas in the kitchen, clean the entire school in preparation for the school year, trim bushes and do light landscaping work, and more. Please consider helping on one or more of these days. Weekdays projects will begin at 8:00 AM and again at 5:00 PM. Saturday projects will begin at 8:00 AM, and Sunday projects will begin at Noon.

To assist in planning for materials and to ensure the work hasn't already been completed prior to that day, please con-tact Ryan Wiechmann at 715-297-4427 if you are planning on working at any of the project days or if you are interested in providing meals for some of the work days.

NLHS - 12 Days of Service

Council Meeting on Monday, July 10, 2017 Voters Meeting on Sunday, July 16, 2017 Membership Emerson Elizabeth Jehn, daughter of Greg & Ashley Jehn,

born April 24, 2017, was baptized on May 14, 2017. Adalyn Elizabeth Carr, daughter of Garrett & Kellie Carr, born

June 6, 2017, was baptized on June 18, 2017 Funeral services for Ruth Olbrantz, who passed away on June

12, 2017, were held on June 17, 2017 at St. Matthew with interment at St. Mary’s Cemetery, Marathon.

Adam Ahrens & Tiffany Ninnemann were married on June 24, 2017 at the Town of Corning town hall. Pastor Hadler officiat-ed.

Three new communicant members were welcomed into our congregation via Profession of Faith on June 25, 2017: Dean Borcherding, Marjorie Hackbarth, and Courtney Ford from St. Andrew (ELCA) in Rib Mountain.

Worship & Education Immanuel, Mosinee called Pastor Luke Willitz. He has been

serving at New Life Lutheran Church (ELS) in Sebring, Florida. He and his wife Kim have four children, ages 8, 6, 3 and 1.

Immanuel will reimburse St. Matthew for office expenses incurred to print their service folders, bulletins, etc. at $75 per month.

Jerry Worden will be the guest preacher on Thurs, July 27 and at Immanuel on Sun, July 30 so Pastor Hadler can conduct the VBS service at St. Matthew.

Voters approved the following worship schedule should the vacancy continue into September: Saturdays at 6:30 PM and Sundays at 10:00 AM with Sunday School at 9:00 AM. Bible Class will take place if Pastor is able to line up someone to teach the class.

Voters approved covering 2/3 the cost of tuition (after scholarships and MLC matching grant) for Haley Hadler to attend Martin Luther College. The amount of $7,685 will be taken out of Trust Fund B (tuition assistance), which has a balance of $23,462.54 as of June 30, 2017.

Buildings & Gounds Parsonage Updates: Carpet cleaning for the living room, dining room, stairwell,

and entryway will be scheduled Will be receiving a quote from Bryan Karlen for laying

concrete on the patio behind the garage Church Updates: New water heater was installed on June 10 by Alan

Bernarde and Larry Block Flower beds, shrubs, and bell tower maple have been

pruned and cleaned up AC was checked by Malbrit New shelf installed in kitchen cabinet under microwave

for “members kitchenware” Rain drain pipe in front of church was cleaned out Defib cabinet was raised Couches in the library and cry room were repaired Soffit on north side will be repaired Currently seeking a quote for replacing south doors

Planned Giving The Planned Giving balance sheet is as follows: FUND A: Endowment - $5,029.84 FUND B: Tuition Assistance - $23,462.54 FUND C: Building and Grounds - $428.01 FUND D: All-purpose - $16,292.40 TOTAL in People’s State Bank Savings - $45,212.79

Old Business A 70” TV screen will be tested first as we look to replace the

current power point screen in front of church. Voters approved using up to $5,000 from Fund D to complete this project.

The old church sign will be installed (where?) when Bryan Karlen is able to schedule time.

New Business A fire inspection was completed on June 1. A Thrivent Action team grant was awarded to Darlene Hanke

to help cover the cost of the church family day picnic. Jackie Matthiae, Simon Fuhrman, and Pastor Hadler are

researching various church management software packages. The next Church Council meeting is Monday, August 14, 2017

at 7:00 PM.

Sophia Spiegelberg graduated from Luther Prep

School in May and will attend Martin Luther College this fall.

Her new address when classes resume in August will be:

MLC Box #5-0743

1995 Luther Ct. New Ulm, MN 56073

Our Missionary Student

Address Update

T h e S t . M a t t h e w C o m m u n i c a t o r

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7

Grandma worries. She worries a lot. It’s not depression. She just has a lot of time on her hands and so she thinks and thinks and thinks. Some days she gets herself worked up beyond belief about the tiniest of matters. Does she sin by worrying so much? Shouldn’t she just trust God? I suppose so. But I know that she worries because she loves. If she didn’t care about her children, her grandchildren, her world, she wouldn’t worry so much.

Such is the life of a Christian. We go back and forth between worry and trust. We can’t help it. It’s a part of being a caring person. It’s a part of being a person who is cared for. St. Peter in this verse does not say that worry is wrong. It certainly can be, but here he doesn’t criticize us anxious souls. Rather he says throw those worries on Christ. Notice that he does not try to fix the problem by changing our attitudes. He does not say, “Here is a program for you to become less anxious. Step one…” No, he

says throw it on Christ, the one who will take care of it all and in fact, already has. Don’t waste any time convincing yourself that you don’t need to worry, rather just throw the worry on Christ. That’s how it works. That’s how your faith responds.

Just consider what Christ has done for you. He lived in your place. He died an embarrassing and painful death. He rose from the dead. He ascended into heaven. He rules all things at the right hand of the Father for your benefit. He has prepared a place in heaven just for you and he promised to come to get you and take you to heaven. Considering what he has already done for you and how much he has invested in you, do you really think that he could forget you? Never! Do you really think that he will not also take care of the little things? Of course he will. Cast, then, all your anxieties on him.

Prayer: Dear Jesus Christ, we look to you and realize all is done. By faith we need not ask what needs to be done but look to you and see it already done. Help us cast all our anxieties on you. Amen.

To Him Be the Glory - A WELS Devotion

$100 to this fund. Darlene Hanke will make and Pastor will

serve coffee for the Pre-Synod Delegates Conference on Sunday, July 16 at 2:00 PM, which will be held here at St. Matthew’s.

It was reported that a few salt & pepper shakers were recently thrown out due to corrosion.

Gloria Kreager and Lee Ann Thomsen visited our shut-in (homebound) members in June.

There is not a meeting in August, so the next meeting is on Sept. 7 and the hostess is Caroline Wokatsch.

Highlights of the Ladies Aid Meeting

Meeting on July 6, 2017 Ten members and Pastor were in attend-

ance. Items for the church picnic raffle were

brought in by members and a total of four baskets were assembled.

A $50 Memorial will be given to the Altar Guild in memory of Ruth Olbrantz.

Correspondence was received from Time of Grace.

The July mission is the St. Matthew Tuition Assistance Fund. Motion carried to give

T h e S t . M a t t h e w C o m m u n i c a t o r

No Ladies Aid Meeting in August

We acknowledge with thankfulness the special gifts and memorials we recently received.

In Memory of Ruth Olbrantz

To the Memorial Fund: Olbrantz Family Maynard & Shila Matthiae Rick & Joyce Lohr Dawn Erdman Pastor & Anne Hadler

Special Gifts & Memorials

To the Altar Guild: David & Gloria Matthiae

To the Ladies Aid: Roger & Judy Kraft Orville & Darlene Hanke Charles Loy Arthur & Bonnie Gacke Joyce Oelke

To Missions: Roger & Jill Reisner

Ruth Olbrantz

Congratulations to these two couples that celebrated milestone anniversaries in July. May God continue to bless their marriages with steadfast faith and love that continues to grow!

Randy & Connie Hamann (pictured above) celebrated 30 years together. They were unit-ed in marriage here at St. Matthew on July 11, 1987.

Roger & Gloria Kreager (pictured above) cele-brated their 45th wedding anniversary. They were united in marriage on July 8, 1972 at St. Paul’s Lutheran, Naugart.

Last chance to claim your platter…

If your Corelle Dinner Ware set is missing a platter, could this be your missing piece? If so, please claim it from the “Members’ Kitchenware” cupboard in the

kitchen. If it is still there in September, it will be donated to Dime & Dollar.

Anniversary Blessings to These Members

To the members of St. Matthew's:

Summer is here! We have been to baseball tourna-ments, family reunions, graduation parties, campsites, concerts and impromptu bar-b-que’s, along with fires and s’mores! How blessed we are to have the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! I am looking forward to seeing every-one at the church picnic, and anticipating a day filled with laughter and joy.

Our financials are continuing to be okay. This past month was a decent month, but am maintaining a vigilant eye on our financial health. I wish each of you a great rest of the summer!!!

In His Service, Jake Lemke, Treasurer

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%Missions - 2017

Missions YTD Budget

WELS $ 18,018 $ 27,416

NLHS $ 2,002 $ 4,780

Door Offering $ 1,236 $ 3,400

Total $ 21,256 $ 35,596

60%

-

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000

120,000

140,000

160,000

180,000

200,000

Jan-17 Feb-17 Mar-17 Apr-17 May-17 Jun-17 Jul-17 Aug-17 Sep-17 Oct-17 Nov-17 Dec-17

2017 Expenses

Actuals Budget

Stewardship Report

Jun-16 Jul-16 Aug-16 Sept-16 Oct-16 Nov-16 Dec-16 Jan-17 Feb-17 Mar-17 Apr-17 May-17 Jun-17

General $ 3,776 $ 2,441 $ 3,348 $ 2,966 $ 1,301 $ 436 $ 967 $ 2,153 $ 47 $ 745 $ 1,408 $ 157 $ 245 Buildings & Grounds $ 9,302 $ 12,512 $ 13,119 $ 13,564 $ 12,275 $ 12,656 $ 11,837 $ 13,430 $ 13,304 $ 12,086 $ 12,525 $ 10,538 $ 10,580

Total $ 13,079 $ 14,953 $ 16,467 $ 16,529 $ 13,576 $ 13,093 $ 12,803 $ 15,584 $ 13,351 $ 12,831 $ 13,934 $ 10,695 $ 10,826

-

50

100

150

200

250

(30,000)

20,000

70,000

120,000

170,000

220,000

Jan-17 Feb-17 Mar-17 Apr-17 May-17 Jun-17 Jul-17 Aug-17 Sep-17 Oct-17 Nov-17 Dec-17

2017 Offerings

Actuals Budget Average Attendance

Back to School is Right Around the Corner…

August’s Freewill Door Offering on Thursday, August 24 and Sunday,

August 27 will go to support the efforts of the work being done

through WELS Campus Ministry programs.

206 Hemlock Street

PO Box 647

Marathon, WI 54448-0647

St. Matthew Ev. Lutheran Church

WI Abortions Decline -

And the Work Continues

The 23rd Annual Wildcat Open will take place on Sat, Sept. 16 at Pine Valley Golf Course in Marathon. The Wildcat Open helps raise money for tuition assistance for students who attend Northland Lutheran High School.

This golf tournament is a four person scramble with a shotgun start at 9:00 am. The cost is $75 for those that are 19 years and older and $45 for those that are 18 and under. The cost includes green fees, a meal, and your cart. If you are interested, a brochure with more details and registration info can be found on the ushers’ table in the entryway.

Golf for a Cause!

If so, you are welcome to attend the 8:00 AM service at Immanuel

Lutheran in Mosinee, where Pastor Hadler is currently serving their

vacancy. Their address is 2001 Jackson Street, Mosinee.

NEED AN EARLIER SERVICE ON

SUNDAY MORNING?

From Christian Life Resources "Over the past seven years, Wisconsin has seen an incredible and steady decrease in its abortion rate, and this lifesaving trend is continuing," shared Heather Weininger, Executive Director of Wisconsin Right to Life. "The 2016 released abortion numbers reveal there were 48 fewer abortions in 2016 than in 2015. These are mothers and unborn children spared from the pain of abor-tion, thanks to much of the work we do here at Wisconsin Right to Life."

The newly released Department of Health Services Reported Induced Abortions in Wisconsin report shows there were 5,660 abortions performed in 2015 and 5,612 in 2016. Some significant statistics from the report are: 37 abortions were performed after 20 weeks gestation. The

Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act went into effect February 2016.

798 abortions were performed in the second trimester, when the dismember-ment abortion procedure is the most common. 78% of abortions were surgical, 22% of abortions were chemical, and 0.2% were surgical procedures following a failed chemical abortion.