The Messenger
The Monthly Newsletter of Blessed Savior Lutheran Church
A Message from Pastor DeArmond
“I will bless you …, so that you will be a blessing” (Gen. 12:2). The Lord blessed Abraham so that he would be a blessing. How did He bless Abraham? He promised that from His offspring would come the Savior of the nations. And Abraham believed that promise, trusted that the Lord would provide it just as He had promised. Thus, everything Abraham did was colored by that promise. He willingly gave of himself and his household in service to the Lord in view of that promise.
Our Father in heaven has richly blessed us. Not only has He given us everything that we need to support this body and life, but He has also provided, that promised offspring in His Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. He is the savior of the nations. He is the redeemer of the world. He is the one who has conquered sin, death, and the power of the devil by His death, resurrection, and ascension.
Just as we are richly blessed, we are also thereby freed to be a blessing. Since God has
endowed us with His gifts, we are set to endow others. Thus, we give of the blessings we have received so that others may be blessed. We do this in our homes, our communities, and our churches. We press the blessings God has lavished upon us in service to those around us. We use our time, our talents, and our treasures to be a blessing even as they have been a blessing to us.
The Lord blesses us. And He enlists us to be a blessing to others. So, whenever you bring
your offering envelope to worship, when you volunteer at Blessed Savior, when you set out to serve at the local food pantry, when you sit down to help your kids with homework, think of this: The Lord has blessed you, so that you will be a blessing.
In Christ,
Pastor Zachary DeArmond
August Calendar
Serving Us in Worship
Birthdays and Anniversaries
Preschool News
And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:1-31
What Next?
We soon will be starting another school year and the first Bible story that we talk about is Creation. Too often we take creation and the world around us for granted. As I review the story of creation from one of the children’s Bible that we use here at Blessed Savior I am reminded of “what next?” Truth is we don’t know what next so we should live in the moment and for today and spread the Word of God with gusto! We need to slow down and appreciate the world around us and thank God for His many blessings and then share those blessings with others!
Children have a close-up view of the world around them and tend to examine it more closely than adults do. Children watch ants crawl around carrying their heavy load while adults reach for the bug spray. On a cold winter day, children excitedly catch snowflakes on their tongue while adults grumble as they reach for the shovel. God created the world in 6 days and at the end of each day God said, “it is good”. Picture the story of creation from the viewpoint of a child. Children always ask, “what next”. Can you imagine a small child sitting on the Father’s lap as He is creating and asking, “what next”? God created light, what next? God created the sun, moon, and stars, what next? God created birds to fly, ocean animals to swim, what next? Can you see just how awesome our Creator is and just how much He loves us? So, let us not take for granted the world He created for us. Let us slow down and bask in the Father’s creation, because all of it, yes, all of it was created with you and me in mind!
On the other hand, we are also blessed as God’s children to know exactly what next! At the end of this life, we know what happens next. Jesus secured that for us when He died on the cross to forgive us and rose to give us eternal life in heaven. Eternal life is the only what next we can be sure of and that is the job we have here on earth, making sure everyone around us knows the final “what next”. So let us slow down and appreciate the wonderful world around us as we live life sharing the love of Jesus with everyone around us. Live in such a way that people ask what makes us different. Let us ask God for strength to live each day grateful for the moments He gives and to show others His greatness and tell them exactly what happens next. Let us go forth with reckless abandon and do the Lord’s work so that all may find rest, comfort, forgiveness, and everlasting life in Jesus Christ our Lord!
In His Service,
Jennifer Leinss
Join our TeamBlessed Savior Lutheran Preschool is looking to add to our childcare team for the 2023-2024 school year. We are looking for individuals that are caring, outgoing, passionate, energetic, and love working with children. Coursework and/or experience in this field is preferred, CPR and first aid are a must. Teachers are responsible for ages 2-5 in our multi-age classroom. Contact Jennifer Leinss at jleinss82@gmail.com. | Celebrate ReadingIf you have been reading this summer and participated in our Summer Book Bingo Reading Challenge, then we invite you to celebrate with us on Tuesday, August 22nd starting at 6:00 p.m. Come enjoy some yummy ice cream as we talk all things books! If you plan to attend please contact Jennifer at jleinss82@gmail.com so we have a head count. Thank you! | New School YearWelcome back! We will welcome the 34th preschool class of Blessed Savior on Tuesday, September 5 . What a blessing to know that Blessed Savior is part of sharing the Gospel message with so many families again this school year. Thank you for your Christian support and for all that you provide as a congregation to these students and families! Don't forget to take advantage of the opportunities to become part of your preschool this year! |
Join our Team
Blessed Savior Lutheran Preschool is looking to add to our childcare team for the 2023-2024 school year. We are looking for individuals that are caring, outgoing, passionate, energetic, and love working with children. Coursework and/or experience in this field is preferred, CPR and first aid are a must. Teachers are responsible for ages 2-5 in our multi-age classroom. Contact Jennifer Leinss at jleinss82@gmail.com.
Celebrate Reading
If you have been reading this summer and participated in our Summer Book Bingo Reading Challenge, then we invite you to celebrate with us on Tuesday, August 22nd starting at 6:00 p.m. Come enjoy some yummy ice cream as we talk all things books! If you plan to attend please contact Jennifer at jleinss82@gmail.com so we have a head count. Thank you!
New School Year
Welcome back! We will welcome the 34th preschool class of Blessed Savior on Tuesday, September 5 . What a blessing to know that Blessed Savior is part of sharing the Gospel message with so many families again this school year. Thank you for your Christian support and for all that you provide as a congregation to these students and families! Don't forget to take advantage of the opportunities to become part of your preschool this year!
Children's Ministry
Operation Christmas ChildWe will once again partake in Operation Christmas Child through Samaritan’s Purse. Items like t-shirts, flip flops, etc. for the boxes are around during the summer months and can be found fairly inexpensive, so this is your friendly reminder to be on the lookout now. More information on this wonderful project can be found at www.samaritanspurse.org or if you have questions see Jennifer Leinss. | Sunday SchoolSave the date! We will KICK-OFF this year's Sunday school year on Sunday, September 10th at 9:15, complete with a waffle bar! We will also be collecting sporting equipment for LUMIN (Lutheran Urban Mission Initiative Inc.) Schools in the greater Milwaukee area. We will help them KICK-OFF their school year with some new gym and playground equipment! We encourage you to bring in NEW: -soccer balls -footballs -basketballs -playground balls -hula hoops -jump ropes All items collected will be distributed throughout all 7 LUMIN schools. For more information on LUMIN schools, please visit: https://www.luminschools.org/ | Sunday School TeachersWe are currently looking to add a couple more teachers to our Sunday School roster, specifically the preschool and middle school ages. With a couple more teachers we would be able to not only have more people teaching the Bible to our youngest members, but it would also provide the opportunity to team teach and work with a shared schedule. This means you could take turns! This is an experience that you don’t want to miss out on. If you are willing and able to work with young children and enjoy sharing Bible stories, don’t hesitate. Contact Jennifer Leinss today! |
Operation Christmas Child
We will once again partake in Operation Christmas Child through Samaritan’s Purse. Items like t-shirts, flip flops, etc. for the boxes are around during the summer months and can be found fairly inexpensive, so this is your friendly reminder to be on the lookout now. More information on this wonderful project can be found at www.samaritanspurse.org or if you have questions see Jennifer Leinss.
Sunday School
Save the date! We will KICK-OFF this year's Sunday school year on Sunday, September 10th at 9:15, complete with a waffle bar! We will also be collecting sporting equipment for LUMIN (Lutheran Urban Mission Initiative Inc.) Schools in the greater Milwaukee area. We will help them KICK-OFF their school year with some new gym and playground equipment! We encourage you to bring in NEW:
-soccer balls
-footballs
-basketballs
-playground balls
-hula hoops
-jump ropes
All items collected will be distributed throughout all 7 LUMIN schools.
For more information on LUMIN schools, please visit: https://www.luminschools.org/
Sunday School Teachers
We are currently looking to add a couple more teachers to our Sunday School roster, specifically the preschool and middle school ages. With a couple more teachers we would be able to not only have more people teaching the Bible to our youngest members, but it would also provide the opportunity to team teach and work with a shared schedule. This means you could take turns! This is an experience that you don’t want to miss out on. If you are willing and able to work with young children and enjoy sharing Bible stories, don’t hesitate. Contact Jennifer Leinss today!
Quarterly Missions
For our third quarter special missions we will be supporting the Wildauer family. Rev. Micah and Robin Wildauer serve the Lord as a missionary family through The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) in Belize, based in the capital city of Belmopan. Micah serves as a church planter throughout the country, working alongside a team of fellow missionaries and Belizean church leaders. He travels to preaching stations, catechizes those who faithfully gather for the Divine Service and Bible study, and reaches out to the lost through home visits. The goal of these efforts is to form self-sustaining congregations and a future church body. Micah also serves as an adjunct professor for Concordia the Reformer Seminary, the regional seminary located in the Dominican Republic, where he assists in the pastoral formation of men throughout Latin America.
Rooftop Repairs
Dear Church Family,
I would just like to take the time to update you all on projects that have, and hopefully will take place at Blessed Savior soon:
The new roof top units (RTU’s) were installed on June 30th by Seider Heating for $56K and are operating smoothly. We are still waiting for the sump pump installation and drain tile repair to be scheduled by Premistar for a total not to exceed $9K. As for the flat roof above the boiler room and nursery, we have obtained three quotes. Great Lakes Roofing gave us a quote that would only involve patching up the existing roof for $2.5K. This quote has been ruled out, since two other roofing contractors discovered severe issues with the workmanship of the roof, suggesting that the roof be replaced entirely. Noffke Roofing showed us multiple layers of roofing material laid on top of each other, along with water seepage in between.
Also, the roof is not pitched toward the drains or gutters, allowing the water to pool and not drain off the roof fast enough. In addition, the outer seams of the rubber membrane stop short of being sheltered from the rain along the sides and does not go all the way up the wall as it should, allowing water to seep through the outer edges. In short, the current roof was poorly installed. As a result, the roof has caused rainwater to stain, and sometimes destroy, ceiling tiles in the nursery and the hallway. In addition, rainwater has also been dripping over electrical conduit installed on the concrete ceiling in the boiler room, and on top of a light fixture in the nursery.
So far, no electrical has shorted out; however, these are still signs that the roof should not remain in its current condition much longer. Noffke Roofing has quoted us for all work to be completed at a cost of $34,730, and Langer Roofing quoted us for $40,525. The church council is considering signing on with Noffke Roofing, as their quote is $6K less than Langer Roofing’s, and they offer a better warranty. Please consider that these repairs will put us over our budget for this year. I would like to add that the purpose of these projects is not to keep us busy, but to improve the condition and aesthetics of our Father’s house, and to create a more comfortable and safe learning and worship environment for all members, students, and guests to enjoy.
For more information, please see the letter from the Trustees in the July Newsletter.
Thank you for your consideration!
Your Church Council,
Thomas Wartick, Steve Hammill,
Matt Birr, Pat Mundstock,
Don Kazel, Joan Hammill,
Bobbie jo Koski, Jeff Driessen,
Terry Ratayczak, Anita Burow, Joan Hammill
We will resume our regular worship hours on Sunday, September 10th. Sunday 8:00 & 10:30 a.m. Thursday 7:00 p.m. Our Sunday morning Education Hour will also resume on the 10th with Bible Study and Sunday School at 9:15am. | Bible Studies will resume in September! At this time, we have a Bible Study offered nearly every day of the week, so we hope there will be one that works for your schedule and you'll be able to join us! Watch for more details in next month's newsletter on what topic each group is studying. | Confirmation Information It's time to kick off another year of Confirmation instruction! All parents and students who are entering 6th-8th grade are invited to join us for an information meeting regarding our upcoming Confirmation year. We will meet in the Fellowship Hall on Sunday, August 20th at 10:30am. We will discuss our schedule and lessons for the year, as well as provide information on the Confirmation Retreat. If you are unable to make this meeting, please contact Jaime Greene to set up a time to meet. |
We will resume our regular worship hours on
Sunday, September 10th.
Sunday 8:00 & 10:30 a.m.
Thursday 7:00 p.m.
Our Sunday morning Education Hour will also resume on the 10th with Bible Study and Sunday School at 9:15am.
Bible Studies will resume in September! At this time, we have a Bible Study offered nearly every day of the week, so we hope there will be one that works for your schedule and you'll be able to join us! Watch for more details in next month's newsletter on what topic each group is studying.
Confirmation Information
Church Picnic
It's time for an end of summer celebration!
Please join us on Sunday, August 27th for an Outdoor Worship Service at 10am (please bring your own chair), followed by our annual Summer Picnic. We'll have yummy food, yard games, and Kona Ice!
Blessed Savior will provide the meat for the picnic, so please sign up on the bulletin board, or by calling the church office so we can have an accurate count.
Young at HeartWe would love your help and input in planning our next year of activities and events! On Thursday, August 3rd at 1pm, the Young at Heart planning team will meet in the Library to discuss our upcoming events for 2023-2024. If you have suggestions for things you'd like to see happen in the next year, please place them in the "Young at Heart" cubby on the north side of the mailboxes. Or, feel free to join us on August 3rd! | Stay at Home Servant EventSo far, we've had a fantastic summer of serving in the greater Milwaukee area!! We are eager to see how the Lord will use us during the month of August-for our final 3 weeks of service! August 2: Green Power Garden and Operation Gratitude August 9: Soles for Jesus and Phil's Friends August 16: Feed My Starving Children We would love for you to serve with us! For more information, please contact Jaime Greene. | RestartMiddle and High School Youth from around the South Wisconsin District will gather for an evening of worship, fellowship, and service at Immanuel Lutheran in Brookfield on Sunday, August 13th from 5-7pm. If you would like to attend, please contact Jaime Greene. As part of our service that evening, we'll be assembling Personal Care Kits for Lutheran World Relief. If you would be willing to donate any of the following items, we would appreciate it! Lightweight bath towel Bars of soap Toothbrush Comb Metal nail clippers |
Young at Heart
We would love your help and input in planning our next year of activities and events!
On Thursday, August 3rd at 1pm, the Young at Heart planning team will meet in the Library to discuss our upcoming events for 2023-2024. If you have suggestions for things you'd like to see happen in the next year, please place them in the "Young at Heart" cubby on the north side of the mailboxes. Or, feel free to join us on August 3rd!
Stay at Home Servant Event
So far, we've had a fantastic summer of serving in the greater Milwaukee area!! We are eager to see how the Lord will use us during the month of August-for our final 3 weeks of service!
August 2: Green Power Garden and Operation Gratitude
August 9: Soles for Jesus and Phil's Friends
August 16: Feed My Starving Children
We would love for you to serve with us! For more information, please contact Jaime Greene.
Restart
Middle and High School Youth from around the South Wisconsin District will gather for an evening of worship, fellowship, and service at Immanuel Lutheran in Brookfield on Sunday, August 13th from 5-7pm. If you would like to attend, please contact Jaime Greene.
As part of our service that evening, we'll be assembling Personal Care Kits for Lutheran World Relief. If you would be willing to donate any of the following items, we would appreciate it!
Lightweight bath towel
Bars of soap
Toothbrush
Comb
Metal nail clippers
What is Stewardship?
There are many factors that influence out Stewardship. There is giving of things and giving of self. The "things" are monetary or tangible gifts. People hear "stewardship" and all the think of is money. There is so much more.
The giving of "self" is volunteering and helping others. There is relational volunteering, being there for someone through compassionate listening, verbal encouragement and support.
There is also hospitality, welcoming others and helping people feel accepted and cared about. Visiting our homebound, volunteering to be greeters, to read during services or being on one of our many boards and committees are only a few ways you can practice Stewardship.
We need to be the hands and feet of Jesus in helping others and spreading the word of God. Our lives should be a reflection of what God wants us to be.
Are you ready to take "The Challenge" to invest yourself to give time, talent and treasure to the Mission and Ministry of Blessed Savior?
****If God is making you wait, then do what waiters do ------ SERVE****
Financial Update2023 - through June General offerings: $236,060.18 General Expenses: $241,898.54 Net: -$5,838.36 Designated income: $38,872.69 Designated expenditures: $52,048.57 Net: -$13,175.88 Preschool income: $138,025.86 Preschool expenses: $136,894.68 Net: $1,131.18 | Membership Total Membership: 501 Average Weekly June Attendance: 180 Average YouTube Worship Views: 91 | Official Acts Baptisms: Frances Virginia and Mathilde Ann Malone New Members: Membership Loss Due to Transfer: Membership Loss Due to Death: |
Financial Update
2023 - through June
General offerings: $236,060.18
General Expenses: $241,898.54
Net: -$5,838.36
Designated income: $38,872.69
Designated expenditures: $52,048.57
Net: -$13,175.88
Preschool income: $138,025.86
Preschool expenses: $136,894.68
Net: $1,131.18
Membership
Average Weekly June Attendance: 180
Average YouTube Worship Views: 91
Chairman - Tom Wartick Vice Chairman - Steve Hammill Secretary - Pat Mundstock Treasurer - Don Kazel Board and Committees: Altar Guild - Janet Steinhaus Education - Terry Ratayczak Elders - Jeff Driessen Evangelism - BobbieJo Koski Stewardship - Joan Hammill/Anita Burow Trustees - Matt Birr Endowment Committee - Jason Herried Greeter Coordinator - Lay Reader Coordinator - Carla Herried Personnel Committee - Steve Hammill Women's Ministries - Joy Ward | Summer Worship Schedule Sunday services will be at 8:00 and 9:30 a.m. Memorial Through Labor Day (No educational hour) The Thursday evening service will remain at 7:00 p.m. Holy Communion 2nd & 4th Sundays (Thursdays) | Pastor DeArmond Jaime Greene, DCE Jennifer Leinss, Preschool Administrator Kim Woller, Music Director Julie Luetzow Teaching Staff: Jennifer Otto Kate Dodge Angela Heisler |
Vice Chairman -
Steve Hammill
Secretary - Pat Mundstock
Treasurer - Don Kazel
Board and Committees:
Altar Guild - Janet Steinhaus
Education - Terry Ratayczak
Elders - Jeff Driessen
Evangelism - BobbieJo Koski
Stewardship -
Joan Hammill/Anita Burow
Trustees - Matt Birr
Endowment Committee - Jason Herried
Greeter Coordinator -
Lay Reader Coordinator -
Carla Herried
Personnel Committee - Steve Hammill
Women's Ministries - Joy Ward
Summer Worship Schedule
Sunday services will be at 8:00 and 9:30 a.m.
Memorial Through Labor Day
(No educational hour)
The Thursday evening service will remain at 7:00 p.m.
Holy Communion
2nd & 4th Sundays (Thursdays)
Pastor DeArmond
Jaime Greene, DCE
Jennifer Leinss,
Preschool Administrator
Kim Woller, Music Director
Julie Luetzow
Teaching Staff:
Jennifer Otto
Kate Dodge
Angela Heisler