A Word from Jeff
As you may have heard, we are making a few changes to our holiday schedule. Please help spread the word.
On Christmas Day morning and on New Year’s Day morning we will celebrate with one service at 10:00. On Christmas Eve, we have planned three evening services, as we have done in the past, but we have moved the late service up to 9:00, because we have a Christmas Day service the following morning.
So, on Christmas Eve we have planned three services at 5:00, 7:00 and 9:00.
The 5:00 service is designed especially for families with young children. For the first time in almost fifteen years I am conducting a traditional Christmas Pageant. Over twenty adults and youths have offered to be part of the pageant, so it should be lots of fun for everyone!
At our 7:00 service we celebrate along with our Senior Choir and our Senior Handbell Choir. Lots of music, bell ringing and singing!
And then, at our 9:00 service, the evening gets peaceful and quiet as we celebrate the sacrament of Holy Communion. Special music is provided by several members of the Senior Choir.
All three services are quite unique, but all three services include candlelighting and a selection of our favorite Christmas hymns. Please feel free to invite your friends and neighbors to come and join us.
Last of all; let me once again remind you that we are still in the midst of our Annual Stewardship Campaign. Every member and friend of the church is asked to make a formal pledge to support the church financially in the year to come. Please give this commitment your prayerful consideration and return your pledge card before the end of the year.
As you may have heard, we are making a few changes to our holiday schedule. Please help spread the word.
On Christmas Day morning and on New Year’s Day morning we will celebrate with one service at 10:00. On Christmas Eve, we have planned three evening services, as we have done in the past, but we have moved the late service up to 9:00, because we have a Christmas Day service the following morning.
So, on Christmas Eve we have planned three services at 5:00, 7:00 and 9:00.
The 5:00 service is designed especially for families with young children. For the first time in almost fifteen years I am conducting a traditional Christmas Pageant. Over twenty adults and youths have offered to be part of the pageant, so it should be lots of fun for everyone!
At our 7:00 service we celebrate along with our Senior Choir, our Senior Handbell Choir, and Christmas Brass. Lots of music, bell ringing and singing!
And then, at our 9:00 service, the evening gets peaceful and quiet as we celebrate the sacrament of Holy Communion. Special music is provided by several members of the Senior Choir.
All three services are quite distinct from one another, but all three services include candlelighting and a selection of our favorite Christmas hymns. Please feel free to invite your friends and neighbors to come and join us.
Last of all; let me once again remind you that we are now in the midst of our Annual Stewardship Campaign. Every member and friend of the church is asked to make a formal pledge to support the church financially in the year to come. Please give this commitment your prayerful consideration and return your pledge card before the end of the year.
This week marks the beginning of the church season of Advent, four weeks of waiting and watching that lead us to the celebration of Christmas.
This coming Saturday, we host our 19th Annual Christmas Cookie Sale, from 9:00 – 1:00 in Fellowship Hall, in conjunction with the Winter Farmers Market. Please invite your neighbors and friends.
This coming Sunday morning, December 4, we light the Advent Candle of Peace and celebrate the Sacrament of Holy Communion at both services. The Senior Choir joins us at the 10:00 service.
Please help spread the word that we have planned three services for Christmas Eve at 5:00, 7:00, and 9:00. The 5:00 service is designed especially for families with young children and includes a Christmas Pageant. The 7:00 service features the Senior Choir, the Senior Handbell Choir and Christmas Brass. At the 9:00 service we celebrate the sacrament of Holy Communion and enjoy special music provided by several members of the Senior Choir. All three services include candle lighting and a selection of our traditional Christmas hymns.
Last of all; let me remind you that we are now in the midst of our Annual Stewardship Campaign. Every member and friend of the church is asked to make a formal pledge to support the church financially in the year to come. Please give this commitment your prayerful consideration and return your pledge card before the end of the year.
A WORD FROM JEFF
Thanksgiving will feel a little different for many of us this year with the undefeated Green Bay Packers playing the Detroit Lions at 11:30 in the morning. My hope is that the rest of the day will be quiet and restful with an opportunity to celebrate a good meal with family and friends.
I like the new and revised words to one of our oldest and most beloved Thanksgiving hymns. They help explain and define the day.
We gather together to ask for God’s blessing,
To turn to a wisdom surpassing our own;
The powers that oppress us now cease to distress us.
O God, be present with us, and make your will known.
Looking ahead to the end of the week let me remind you that our 26th Annual Christmas Tree Sale begins on Friday and runs through Christmas Eve. If you are able to help sell trees, please call the church office and Beckie can add your name to the schedule.
Believe it or not, Sunday, November 27, marks the first Sunday in the church season of Advent. We need to switch gears, emotionally and theologically, as we begin our preparations for Christmas. We celebrate with another Family Service at 10:00, which includes the baptism of twin boys!
I hope you have a blessed Thanksgiving and I hope to see you on Sunday!
A WORD FROM JEFF
As some of you know, our church is once again hosting the Winter Farmers Market. I’m pleased to report to you that last week the market got off to a great start. It might have been the largest turn-out yet! Not only was Fellowship Hall full of vendors, but there were a number of vendors set-up along the sidewalk in front of the church and in the church parking lot. The entire atmosphere was incredibly festive! Please help spread the word that this is a wonderful opportunity to pick up late fall produce and meats throughout the upcoming holidays. Their new hours are from 9:00 – 1:00.
Alongside the Farmers Market, let me remind you that we have planned an All Church Work Day for this coming Saturday, November 12, from 8:00 – Noon. We are hoping to rally as many people as possible to do a whole bunch of things all at the same time! We are hoping to set-up the Christmas tree lot, rake leaves, clean the gutters, trim our bushes and trees, and do another major cleaning and trimming of our park space along the bank of Sauk Creek. If you are at all able, please come join us.
Last of all; let me remind you that this coming Sunday morning, November 13, we receive New Members into the life of our church. The Senior Choir will help us celebrate. Immediately following the service, our Fall Congregational Meeting will be held in the church sanctuary. Our only item is business is the presentation of the proposed 2012 Church Budget. (We don’t vote on the budget until our Winter Congregational Meeting at the end of January.)
I look forward to seeing you on Saturday or Sunday, or perhaps both!
The sculpture was created by Adam Brown, a member of our church who owns a company called Sign Effectz. The sculpture is made of anodized aluminum and looks tree-like, wing-like, and flame-like, all at the same time. The sculpture is also kinetic, which means that it moves, ever so slightly, with the wind and breeze. It is meant to depict the Spirit of God.
I am pleased to report that our Church School program paid to light the sculpture with money collected during their Sunday morning offering. When you drive by at night, please remind your kids about their contribution to the memorial.
Last Sunday, October 16, we dedicated the new landscaping on the southwest corner of the patio in memory of David Herbert. This coming Sunday, October 23, we will dedicate the new landscaping on the southeast corner of the patio in memory of Robert Ewig. I hope you are able to join us!
Immediately following the 10:00 service, Jeanne Mantsch and Ralph Perez will host a Mission Trip Show and Tell in the church sanctuary. They will share pictures, and tell stories about their mission trip to Haiti this past June.
In other news, many of you know that Craig Modahl is a Specialized Minister who is affiliated with our church in partnership with the Southeast Association of the UCC. What you may not know, is that Craig is also an experienced woodworker and furniture builder.
Craig is a graduate of Chicago Theological Seminary in Chicago and he was commissioned to build a Communion Table and Lectern for their new chapel, which is scheduled to be dedicated in a couple of weeks. This coming Sunday morning, we have the privilege of seeing Craig’s work before it is delivered to the seminary and Craig will be the first one to celebrate communion using the new table. You might be interested to know that Craig built the table and lectern with wood from Black Walnut trees grown on his family’s farm near Galesville, Wisconsin.
Looking ahead to next week, please don’t forget that we are hosting our 7th Annual Homecoming Chicken Roast on Friday evening, October 7. Please contact the church office to purchase tickets or to volunteer to help.
In other news, I wanted to let you know that one of the exciting projects happening at church this fall is a complete refurbishing of the outdoor patio, on the south side of Fellowship Hall. As some of you know, the concrete pavers on the patio had settled over the last ten years and become quite uneven and lumpy. Joe Rychtik, the Chair of our Property Team, worked hard this summer to re-level the entire surface and to remove all of the invasive weeds and shrubs that were attacking the space from every side.
At the beginning of October, the southwest corner of the patio is going to be landscaped in memory of David Herbert and the southeast corner of the patio is going to be landscaped in memory of Robert Ewig. We are also going to install an outdoor sculpture on the southeast corner in memory of Brad Walden.
The outdoor sculpture is being created by Adam Brown, a member of our church who owns a company called Sign Effectz. The sculpture will stand about nine feet tall. It is being made of anodized aluminum and looks tree-like, wing-like, and flame-like, all at the same time. It will also move, ever so slightly, with the wind and breeze. It is meant to depict the Spirit of God.
Looking ahead a couple of weeks, please don’t forget that we are hosting our 7th Annual Homecoming Chicken Roast on Friday evening, October 7. Please call the church office to purchase tickets or to volunteer to help.
Please don’t forget that our Church School program is now underway and that all of our Church Choirs began rehearsing on Monday evening. If you, or your children, would like to get involved, all you need to do is show up. We would love to have you join us!
In other news, I wanted to let you know that one of the exciting projects happening at church this fall is a complete refurbishing of the outdoor patio, on the south side of Fellowship Hall.
As some of you know, the concrete pavers on the patio had settled over the last ten years and become quite uneven and lumpy. Joe Rychtik, the Chair of our Property Team, worked hard this summer to re-level the entire surface and to remove all of the invasive weeds and shrubs that were attacking the space from every side.
In the coming weeks, the southwest corner of the patio is going to be landscaped in memory of David Herbert and we are going to install an outdoor sculpture and landscape the southeast corner in memory of Brad Walden.
The outdoor sculpture is being created by Adam Brown, a member of our church who owns a company called Sign Effectz. The sculpture will stand about nine feet tall. It is being made of anodized aluminum and looks tree-like, wing-like, and flame-like, all at the same time. It will also move, ever so slightly, with the wind and breeze. It is meant to depict the Spirit of God.
I look forward to seeing you in the weeks to come.
Just wanted to remind you that this coming Sunday, September 11, marks the start of a new program year in the life of our church.
We move to two services on Sunday morning at 8:00 and 10:00 am.
Church School also begins this coming Sunday during the 10:00 service.
Let me also remind you that our Choir Program, for both children and adults, begins on Monday evening, September 12, and Wednesday Lunch at Church begins on September 14.
For more information about all of these programs, and more, please browse the pages of this website.
We are hoping to send email reminders and updates to members and friends of the church as we move through the program year. If you would like to be included in these email alerts please send your email address to office@portucc.org.
I hope to see you on Sunday morning!
Jeff
Because we have so much information on the website, this will be the last church Newsletter that we print and send out in the mail. For members and friends of the church who are not able to go online, we will print a few copies of News and Announcements to be available in church on Sunday morning.
For many of us, including myself, this will be a rather challenging transition. I am one of those people who still prefer reading the printed page rather than reading electronically, but there is no doubt that having an active and current website is a much more effective way of communicating basic information as we move into the 21st century.
In other news, let me remind you that Hobs Hobgood and Jeanne Kasza have offered to host a Summer Evening Meditation and Prayer Group beginning next Thursday evening, June 30. They invite you to come and join them for some summer stillness and silence. Let me also remind you that we have planned another Church Camping Weekend for July 1-3 at Harrington Beach State Park. We have reserved the group camping site for the weekend, so there is plenty of room for you and your family. You are invited to come for the weekend or just for a day.
Over the past couple of months, I’ve realized that it is a lot easier to conduct a wedding than it is to plan a wedding. I really had no idea that a wedding involves so many details, nor did I know how much even a simple wedding costs!
So, much of our summer will be spent preparing for the arrival of family and friends and doing projects around the house. The list of things that we are hoping to get done before August seems to grow longer everyday and I already know that it will be impossible to do all of them. In the midst of it all, I am trying to remember that completing 492 different projects is not what a wedding is all about and it’s not what summer is all about. Hopefully we can enjoy the process of planning and preparing as much as the wedding.
Speaking of enjoying the summer months ahead, let me remind you that Hobs Hobgood and Jeanne Kasza have offered to host a Summer Evening Meditation and Prayer Group beginning on Thursday evening, June 30. They invite you to come and join them for some summer stillness and silence. Let me also remind you that we have planned another Church Camping Weekend for July 1-3 at Harrington Beach State Park. We have reserved the group camping site, so there is plenty of room for you and your family. You are invited to come for the weekend or just for a day.
Otherwise, it’s summer in Port Washington! Please find time to enjoy the sweetness of the season and join me on Sunday mornings whenever you are able.
As some of you may recall, in the fall of 2009, our congregation voted to establish a Mission Fund with money given to the church by Fred and Gladys Marquardt. 10% of the Marquardt Bequest ($37,650) was placed in the fund to support mission trips and projects both within our country and throughout the world. Establishing this fund was consistent with our Constitutional requirement that we give at least 10% of our annual On-Budget income to mission. This fund represents our church’s tithe in response to the gift that we were given.
I am pleased to report to you that next month (June 16-22) two members of our church, Jeanne Mantsch and Ralph Perez, will be participating in a mission trip to Haiti organized by the Southeast Association of the UCC. For many years, the Southeast Association has had a partnership with an organization called CONASPEH. If you would like to support their work, you are invited to help fill two suitcases with supplies for them to distribute. The suitcases are located in the lower Narthex along with a complete list of needed supplies.
In other news, please don’t forget that this coming Sunday, May 29, we move to our summer schedule with one service on Sunday mornings at 9:00. Please come and join me!
This coming Sunday, May 8, we celebrate Mother’s Day with another Family Service at 10:00. Our 8th Grade Confirmation Class will assist me with the service, our Carol and Chapel Choirs will provide special music, and Amy Wilsnack will offer a special Children’s Mediation.
The following Sunday, May 15, is the date of our annual Spring Congregational Meeting, which is held immediately following the 10:00 service. We will be electing several new Church Council Officers and Team Representatives. On Sunday evening, I will be hosting another Inquirer’s Gathering for those who our new to our church.
Sunday, May 22, is the last Sunday of our church program year and the last Sunday for our Church School program. We receive New Members into our church at the 10:00 service and we celebrate the end-of-the year with our 3rd annual Church Picnic, immediately following the 10:00 service, at Kolbach Park.
The following weekend, Memorial Day weekend, we move to our summer schedule with one service on Sunday mornings at 9:00. It’s still a few weeks off, but please help me spread the word.
In other news, let me also remind you that our church continues to host the Spring Farmers Market in Fellowship Hall every Saturday morning in May from 8:00 – Noon.
Palm Sunday, April 17. The drama begins with the joyous celebration of Palm Sunday, as we remember Jesus’ triumphant arrival in Jerusalem. Both children and adults receive palm branches as they enter the sanctuary. We have planned a special Family Service at 10:00 that includes our Carol and Chapel Choirs.
Maundy Thursday, April 21. We gather in the sanctuary for a service of Holy Communion and Tenebrae. Tenebrae is the Latin word for “shadows”. The Tenebrae service involves a series of readings accompanied by the extinguishing of twelve candles. The candles symbolize the desertion of Christ’s disciples. Special music will be provided by several members of our Senior Choir.
Good Friday, April 22. The story continues on Friday evening as we gather to acknowledge Christ’s sacrifice and death. The sanctuary is quiet and dark as we listen to a reading of the Passion Story. We celebrate by burning incense made from frankincense and myrrh.
Easter Sunday, April 24. The Holy Week drama carries us even beyond death with the celebration of Christ’s resurrection on Easter morning. We have three services at 6:00, 8:00 and 10:00. The 6:00 sunrise service includes the Sacrament of Holy Communion. The Senior Choir and Easter Brass join the celebration at both 8:00 and 10:00.
With a few simple clicks on the homepage, members, friends and visitors will be able to view copies of the Sunday bulletins, the latest Newsletter announcements and my Word from Jeff. The site will also include a Calendar, Photo Gallery, and contact information for the entire Church Council and Staff.
Amy and Barb are planning to present a draft of the website to the Church Council at their April meeting and we hope to have the site up and running by the end of May. Our goal is to completely eliminate our “old fashioned” church Newsletter, saving us a considerable amount of money in paper, printing and postage costs, while at the same time, continuing to make us an environmentally friendly church.
Although this change may be difficult for some of us, it is undoubtedly a positive step forward in the life of our church. Rather than receiving the Newsletter every other week, our announcements, thanks, congratulations, and prayer requests will be updated weekly. In the long run, this will keep us more connected with one another and allow us to share information in a quick and easy manner.
In other news, I am pleased to report to you that last week we surpassed our pledge goal for 2011 and we now have a fully supported budget. In these tough economic times, I know that it’s not easy to make a financial commitment to the church. I want to personally thank you for your commitment and support.