April Newsletter and Worship Helpers

THE DEILY NEWS-
GLORIA DEI LUTHERAN CHURCH
NEWSLETTER APRIL 2009
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Dear Friends,
I have a good minister friend, who has a great tradition on Ash Wednesday. He gathers the palm branches saved from the previous year and burns them outside of the church to create ashes for the Ash Wednesday service.
The whole experience for him is an exquisite sensory pleasure. The smell of the palms burning is a sweet, earthy smell, and if the wind is blowing the right way, its plumes fill even the church and its corridors.
The experience is an auditory for him as well, because he likes to listen to a sacred and holy song – by Kansas. You remember the one, right?! “Dust in the wind”
I close my eyes
Only for a moment, then the moment's gone
All my dreams
Pass before my eyes, a curiosity
Dust in the wind
All they are is dust in the wind…
Same old song
Just a drop of water in an endless sea
All we do
Crumbles to the ground, though we refuse to see
Dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind…
Now, don't hang on
Nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky
It slips away
And all your money won't another minute buy
Dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind
Everything is dust in the wind
Then, for him, there is that profound moment of touch, as he brushes again the ashes across the forehead of his parishioners, his staff, his family, and as the ashes are brushed across his forehead “Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Or “All we are is dust in the wind…”
Yes, we begin Lent with that great reality check once again, from the rituals, from the words, from the way it engages our senses to remind us, our greatest pains and pleasures in this life are so fleeting.
And yet, while so much of life is dust in the wind, the season of Lent forces us to ask again – what holds fast, stands true, lingers constant beyond all that grows, withers, dies?
That’s where our Lenten journey gets interesting.
We begin to see ourselves again, as God sees us. On one hand, dust, yes. Stardust, atoms, particles, gathered that one day will return to dust in the earth. On another hand, more than dust – infused with the breath of the Spirit; claimed by Christ in our baptism; beloved by God our great creator who chooses and calls us to a particular time and task; to use our gifts by that God’s grace to share our love.
“What lasts?” we ask again during our Lenten time? We journey again to discover, the love of God lasts; and the love we share in the name of that God.
Throughout this Lenten time, we’ve explored some of the gifts we have as individuals and as a congregation. We’ve shined the light on some of the ways we’re called to shine – in ways we might not have expected or called holy. We’ve striven to cherish a little bit more the tears we shed, the laughter we share, the friendships we form, the prayers we offer, the chores we do and the blessings we impart – and how these gifts, so often given without thought or notice, give voice to the meaning of grace our lives have in Jesus.
The point of all this is to empower us to arrive at Easter once again with the answer to the question we ask on Ash Wednesday – “Who am I but dust in the wind?!” Our God shows us the answer through the Lenten journey again, and the story of the crucifixion during Holy Week and the triumph of life in the resurrection, “More than dust; in Christ, you are Mine.”
Blessings in Christ’s Easter hope! Pastor Vicki
CALENDAR OF EVENTS : APRIL
APR 1 Worship 9:00AM
Lenten Soup Supper 5:30PM
Choir Rehearsal 6:00PM
Worship 7:00PM
APR 2 Bible Study Terre Verde 6:30AM
APR 5 Palm Sunday Breakfast 8:00AM
Worship 9:00AM
Rotation Sunday School 10:15AM
APR 6 Non-Fiction Book Club 6:00PM
1491 by Charles C. Mann
APR 7 Gloria Dei Book Club 7:00PM
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
APR 8 Worship 7:00PM
APR 9 Bible Study Terra Verde 6:30AM
Exec. Council Meeting 8:00AM
Seder Supper 6:00PM
APR 10 Ecumenical Good Friday 7:00PM
Gloria Dei Hosts
APR 12 Easter Worship 9:00AM
No Rotation Sunday School
APR 14 Church Council 7:00PM
APR 15 Stewardship 7:00PM
APR 15 Worship 7:00PM
APR 16 Bible Study Terre Verde 6:30AM
APR 19 Worship 9:00AM
Rotation Sunday School 10:15AM
PV leaves for NC
APR 22 Worship 7:00PM
APR 23 Bible Study Terre Verde 6:30AM
APR 26 Worship 9:00AM
Rotation Sunday School 10:15AM
First Communion Instruction 11:15AM
APR 29 Confirmation Class 5:30PM
Worship 7:00PM

Gloria Dei Book Clubs
The Gloria Dei Fiction Book Club is discussing Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Saffron Foer on Tuesday, April 7 at 7pm. The Nonfiction Book Club will be discussing 1491 : New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann. Reviewing the latest, not widely reported research, Mann zestfully demonstrates that long before any European explorers set foot in the New World, Native American cultures were flourishing with a high degree of sophistication. Please join us!

***When You Desire a Hospital Visit***
Please read this!!! Because of the new changes in privacy laws, Pastor Vicki must be called by you or a family member if you desire a hospital visit. Even if the hospital asks you for your information, it is not always delivered, and when delivered, not always in a timely manner. Please call Gloria Dei’s office 920-898-5333 or Pastor Vicki’s cell phone 920-716-0661

Lent, Holy Week and Easter Activities
Please join us for our final Lenten soup supper on Wednesday April 1 at 5:30pm and join us for worship at 7pm. Join us Sunday, April 5th at 8am for a Palm Sunday Pot-luck! Sign up on the kiosk to bring a egg bake or side dish! We will process into church with our palms at 9:00am for worship. Our Holy Week schedule includes a final Lenten worship on Wednesday, April 8 (no soup supper) with a healing service. Join us Maundy Thursday, April 9, at 6pm for a Messianic Seder Supper. An RSVP is necessary for this event; please sign up on the kiosk or call Blanche Brenwall, 894-4940. Gloria Dei is hosting the area ecumenical Good Friday worship at 7pm. The service will be a Tenabrae service and feature our Gloria Dei choir. Finally, join us Easter Sunday for worship at 9am!

Electronic Giving or Simply GivingPlease consider using "Simply Giving," or automatic cash withdrawal/deposit as your method of giving. Since January we've been in a cash flow crunch with our current expenses and the building fund. Simply Giving allows a somewhat more stable cash flow picture. Contact Colleen Allee for the "Simply Giving" info. 920-889-1187’Barb Spiegel, Church Treasurer

Wednesday Worship Service
We now offer two worship services. In addition to our Sunday morning 9:00am service we celebrate worship on Wednesdays at 7pm. Holy Communion is served weekly at both services.

Counters for April
5- Roxann Ruechel, 12- Al/Jenny Krebsbach, 19- Allen Fett, 26- Julie Schaefer

President’s Thoughts
On Saturday, March 21st the Gloria Dei Church Council went on a Retreat to the Ledgeview Nature Center from 9am to 3:30pm.

Our plan was to connect with each member by learning about their individual Meyer’s Briggs personality profile. This hopefully will bring a closer relationship between members and improve our council communication. We were required to take a personality test before we came and give it to Pastor to analyze.

Each member then read aloud their personality traits to the rest of the group. It indicated what each member naturally brings to the team, their teamwork style, potential blind spots, and how the rest of us can best help each council member to succeed.

Pastor had the council members make something out of play dough that would tell something about us. Everyone went around the circle and told what they thought the sculpture represented and the artist revealed what they were intending to share. We found out a lot about each other in this exercise.

We enjoyed a walk in Ledgeview Nature Center led by naturalist and church member Jean Haack that took us into the Bat Cave and we were able to have individual discussions to learn more about each other.

We enjoyed a delicious meal prepared by Blanche Brenwall, Jean Haack and PV. Thanks - we all appreciate it!

We ended this session with our monthly meeting.

I thought this was a worthwhile retreat to help us work together during the coming year. Pastor, thank you for your presentations and arrangements! Michael Field

Church Cleaning
We rely on church volunteers cleaning. A list of jobs will be posted on the kiosk. If you or your family is able to clean during the week, please sign up! Al Fett, Facilities and Events


Prayer Chain
Remy Field, cancer.
Payton Lenhardt, brain injury
Pastor Tim Routh, serving in Iraq
Steffi Sabel, recurring illness
Private Tina Checkie, basic training
Ashley Rickert, serving in an orphanage in Mozambique
Please e-mail prayer requests to princess_vicki@hotmail.com if you would like them to be shared with the prayer chain. Please indicate if you would also like them to be shared with the Sunday morning prayers. If you would like to be added to the prayer chain, please send an e-mail to the address above as well. Thanks!

A Bunch of Thanks
To Mike Stephany and the youth and their adult helpers who donated items or worked to make the spaghetti supper a success!
To Mike Stephany and his adult chaperones for planning and leading the youth lock in!
To the Gloria Dei Council for taking a Saturday for our council retreat!
To Jean Haack who arranged for us to use Ledgeview Nature Center for our council retreat and who came in on her day off to give us a walking and caving tour!
To Jean Haack, Blanche Brenwall and PV for making the food for the council retreat!
To Coleen Allee for doing our financial secretary work and sending our statements this month!
To Doug Everson and the choir for the beautiful music during this Lenten season!
To Dianne Fett, Chris Klein, Jayne Meyer and Ruth Camomilli for cleaning the church this month!
To Tara Leithold for heading up our cookie dough sale!
To Kris Stephany for her leadership in bulletin creating/printing/folding!

From Your Financial Secretary
To save resources, financial statements will now be distributed bi-annually instead of quarterly. You may request a statement if you need one at any time.
Coleen Allee

Prairie Burn
Burning the prairie every 3-5 years helps control weeds and trees from establishing in the prairie. The growing points of native prairie plants are below the soil in early spring, the growing points of non-native weeds are generally above the soil. So, when a fire goes through the prairie the prairie plants are insulated by the soil, and the weed are toasted.

I am planning a burn on April 30th at 5:30 p.m. This will require cooperation from the weather --no rain, little wind. Shouldn’t take much more than an hour. Bring an old broom. You can just show up but if you would lie or let me know ahead and I will get a hold of you if the date needs to be changed. jeanlhaack@charter.net 920-483-0333

WORSHIP HELPERS
It is difficult to conduct a service without these needed helpers. If you cannot fulfill your obligation on your appointed Sunday please make arrangements to switch with someone.

WORSHIP HELPERS
It is difficult to conduct a service without these needed helpers. If you cannot fulfill your obligation on your appointed Sunday please make arrangements to switch with someone.

April May
Altar Set Up: Katherine Allee Altar Set Up: Carol Field
Laurie Argall Rachel Barrett
April 5: May 3:
Greeters: Argall Family Greeters: Barrett Family
Acolytes: Max Kornetzke Acolytes: Haleigh Stephany
RJ Leithold Abby Sabel
Lector: Jayne Meyer Lector: Coleen Allee
Ushers: Laurie Argall Ushers: Scott Rickert
Tim Argall Adam Ruechel
Communion Assist: Sherry Wilberscheid Communion Assist: Don Allee

April 12: May 10:
Greeters: Barb Spiegel Greeters: Blanche Brenwall
Acolytes: Jenna Pleshek Acolytes: Emily Anderson
Dana VanDyke Emily Kolberg
Lector: Angie Roth Lector: Miki Wise
Ushers: Dean Meyer Ushers: Al Fett
Jayne Meyer Dianne Fett
Communion Assist: adam ruechel Communion Assist: Rachel Barrett

April 19: May 17:
Greeters: Jensen Family Greeters: Stephany Family
Acolytes: Ellen Kildsig Acolytes: Christopher Jacobs
Mariah Barrett Trever Agnew
Lector: Mike Hetazner Lector: Tim Argall
Ushers: Craig Heller Ushers: Dick Welsch
Cheryl Heller Kathy Welsch
Communion Assist: Carol Field Communion Assist: Gene Telschow

April 26: May 24:
Greeters: David & Laura Hoban Greeters: Pleshek Family
Acolytes: Nate Kornetzke Acolytes: Austin Barrett
Marcus Wise RJ Leithold
Lector: Rachel Barrett Lector: Jeremiah Schaefer
Ushers: Jaremy Cobble Ushers: Bill Craig
Karren Cobble Wayne Zwart
Communion Assist: Cheryl Heller Communion Assist: Roxie Ruechel

May 31:
Greeters: Heller Family
Acolytes: Jenny Kolberg
Jenna Pleshek
Lector: Brodrick Barrett
Ushers: Dave Leithold
Tara Leithold
Communion Assist: Jayne Meyer


A big thank you to all who volunteer their time and talent to assist with worship service.