March 2007

Celebration of

ATONEMENT

Newsletter of Atonement Lutheran Church,

Rev. Tina Koenig Ray, BCC, Pastor

"Called by God to serve and witness to all in response to God’s grace."

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From the Pastor…

This month I would like to share an excerpt from Keep Going The Art of Perseverance by Joseph M Marshall III (Sterling Publishing Co., Inc, New York, 2006.) The book was written in honor of ‘the strong-spirited people who endured Hurricane Katrina and are teaching the rest of us how to keep going.’

A young man’s father dies after being diagnosed with cancer and having surgery and treatment. He goes to his father’s father looking for answers to the question, "Why is life so hard?"

I highly recommend the book. It reads well and speaks to us all about the will to keep going. As Christians we believe in the power of the Holy Spirit to sustain us as we take the journey through lent towards Easter. The words of the Grandfather remind us that the dawn follows the darkest night, that it may be Friday, but Sunday’s coming.

‘A young man asked his grandfather why life had to be so difficult sometimes. This was the old man’s reply.

Grandfather says this: "In life there is sadness as well as joy, losing as well as winning, falling as well as standing, hunger as well as plenty, badness as well as goodness. I do not say this to make you despair, but to teach you reality. Life is a journey sometimes walked in light, sometimes in shadow."

Grandfather says this: "You did not ask to be born, but you are here. You have weaknesses as well as strengths. You have both because in life there is two of everything. Within you is the will to win, as well as the willingness to lose. Within you is the heart to feel compassion as well as the smallness to be arrogant. Within you is the way to face life as well as the fear to turn away from it."

Grandfather says this: "Life can give you strength. Strength can come from facing the storms of life, from knowing loss, feeling sadness and heartache, from falling into the depths of grief. You must stand up in the storm. You must face the wind and the cold and the darkness. When the storm blows hard you must stand firm, for it is not trying to knock you down, it is really trying to teach you to be strong."

Grandfather says this: "Being strong means taking one more step toward the top of the hill, no matter how weary you may be. It means letting the tears flow through the grief. It means to keep looking for the answer, though the darkness of despair is all around you. Being strong means to cling to hope for one more heartbeat, one more sunrise. Each step, no matter how difficult, is one more step closer to the top of the hill. To keep hope alive for one more heartbeat at a time leads to the light of the next sunrise, and the promise of a new day."

Grandfather says this: "The weakest step toward the top of the hill, toward sunrise, toward hope, is stronger than the fiercest storm."

Grandfather says this: "Keep going."’


Pastor Tina

My Mom moved into a new condo, and I went to visit for a couple of days. Searching for a coffee cup one morning, I sighed, "It seems like I’m always looking for something in your kitchen." "That’s good, " Mom said. When I looked confused, she explained, "Because when you know where to look, it’s time to go home."

 

 

From the Council President ....

 

 

We’ve had a tough winter but all we have to do is remember it’s almost over. The new members of the Council were installed on February 4th and our first meeting of the new year will be on the 19th . That is when we will elect officers and decide which committee we’ll serve on for this year.

I am excited about the new year and the ideas that come with new members on the Council. If anyone has ideas that they feel would help our Church I would hope they would feel free to approach anyone on the Church Council. After all, we are here to serve God and you the members of Atonement.

With Lent and the Easter Season upon us I encourage anyone with ideas about how we could celebrate Easter to contact Pastor or the Worship Committee. I would also ask everyone to make a conscious effort to invite friends and relatives to come and worship with us not just at this time of the year but all year round.

Yours in Christ,

Bruce Johnson

 

 

 

 

The Will of God will never take you to where the Grace of God will not protect you.

 

 

 

January/February Worship

DateAttendanceGeneral Fund Maint. Cans

Jan adults/youth

21 52/5 $1261.00 $ 17.00 $33.05

28 59/2 $1705.00 $ 38.00 $31.97

Feb adults/youth

4 50/4 $1643.00 $ 8.00 $24.86

11 69/2 $2660.00 $148.00 $41.42

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January financial update as of 1/31/07

Total income for January 2007 $ 10,316.60 Total expenses for January 2007 - $ 10,148.38

Net income (January 2007) $ 168.22

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Due to the new privacy laws regarding health information, the hospital will not release the names of patients. So if you are going into the hospital, or know someone who is hospitalized, please call the church office, or let Pastor Tina know.

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ëThe Bulletin Board

The following items are posted in more detail in the Klingberg Chapel or the hallway bulletin board:

ëNewest Caritas needs list

ëVoluntary Action Center volunteers needed list (the City of Beloit needs volunteers to serve on various boards and committees)

ëFlyer for the Milwaukee Bucks Faith & Family Nights

ëA newspaper article regarding the Beloit Film Fest, featuring a quote from Pastor Tina

 

Start gathering kits and bandages for GHM

By Pastor Richard Dowling, Rockdale and West Koshkonong Lutheran churches of Cambridge and Stoughton, wkpastor@merr.com

It is that time of the year to begin putting together midwife and hospice kits for Global Health Ministries. Once again we will be collecting the kits at the Synod Assembly, May 3-5. We also will be collecting any bandages that you might have, both the rolled or the ones that you make yourself by crocheting or knitting.

You can find information for the midwife and hospice kits as well as the bandages on the Global Health Ministries web site: http://www.ghm.org/ or as an insert in the middle of this newsletter. If you have a problem with the Global Health Ministries web site, drop me a line and I will send you the information by mail.

I hope those who are crocheting or knitting bandages have been hard at it. I slumped off a bit but am recommitting myself to a new bandage goal before the assembly.

Last year I, along with a couple of members from our church, got a chance to see the Global Health Ministries warehouse in Minneapolis. It's incredible and I would encourage anyone who gets up to that area to give them a call and ask if you can see the warehouse.

I'll close with a note about the bandages that I received from Bea Haagenson of Global Health Ministries: We regularly ship to Tanzania, Liberia, Cameroon, Papua New Guinea, Madagascar, Central African Republic and Bangladesh...We heard from Tanzania, "the bandages are wonderful-send as many as you can." The people are poor, they often have many miles to walk to a hospital, so being given a bandage that is durable and can be washed over and over again is a real blessing.

Women of the ELCA to convene in July


The South Central Wisconsin Synodical Women's Organization meets in convention every two years. The next convention will be held July 13 and 14 at the Voyageur Inn in Reedsburg.

Why is this important for you to know? As a leader in your congregation, you are asked to share this information with the women of your congregation, even if there is no group that calls itself "The Women of the ELCA." Every congregation in the synod can send a delegate to the convention. Those delegates representing an active Women-of-the-ELCA unit will have a seat with voice and vote. However, delegates from congregations with inactive units will still have a chair with voice!

The convention delegates will concern themselves with election of officers, approval of the biennial budget, election of delegates to the churchwide convention in 2008, and other matters that come up. However, ALL WOMEN (men, too, if they'd like) are invited to attend the interesting workshops, worship services and banquet.

In the middle of this newsletter are the official Call to Convention document and the registration form for this convention. Coming soon to your church will be a packet of convention forms for nominations, scholarships, balloting procedures and resolutions. Please, be sure to route these important documents to the appropriate women in leadership in your congregation.

Thank you for your attention,

Suzanne Bartells, President
Betsy Baguhn, Vice President
South Central Wisconsin Synodical Women's Organization

 

March Flower &

Fellowship Schedule

 

 

Eternal Candle: The Eternal Candle for March is from Bob & Deb Rowald in honor of Cole & Saumel’s 1st birthday

Altar Guild: Maggie Janke & Andrea Garvey

Weekly Beloit Daily News ad: Char & Rollyn Affeldt

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March 4

Flowers: Judy Gundry in honor of family

Bread of Heaven: Ray & Joanne Capes

Fellowship: open

Acolyte: open

KidsKorner: open

March 11

Flowers: Bonnie Ottow for her 74th birthday

Bread of Heaven: Arlene Ruegger

Fellowship: open

Acolyte: open

KidsKorner: open

March 18

Flowers: Bob Kristianson in memory of his son Donn

Bread of Heaven: open

Fellowship: open

Acolyte: open

KidsKorner: open

Y.A.G Host: open

March 25

Flowers: In memory of Melvin Doubleday from Carole Doubleday, Gene & Lorraine

Bread of Heaven: open

Fellowship: open

Acolyte: open

KidsKorner: open

Y.A.G. Host: open

March Birthdays

3/1Mary Mann3/10Bonnie Ottow

3/5Lloyd Holmberg3/24 Fern Miller

3/6Sally Luety3/26Cole & Samuel Rowald’s first birthday!

March Baptism Anniversaries

3/2Justin Reedy3/20Nancy Clickner

3/11Diana Schaefer3/21William Rowald

3/17Ron Guaginte 3/22Candy Hoefer

3/17Richard Mitchell 3/29Morris Hansen

3/17Gene Sanda

A Loss to the Atonement Family

Arlene Brauns February 9, 2007

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Newsletter Articles

April Newsletter Articles are due Monday, March 12. Newsletters will be assembled on Friday, March 16.

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March Dartball Schedule

3/6
Atonement Rebels @ Faith Lutheran
Atonement Rejects @ 1st Congregational

 

The League Playoff series games will be played Tuesday, March 13 thru Tuesday March 27, 2007, with the Championship series being played on Monday, April 2 and Tuesday, April 3, 2007

 

Cuppa Coffee in the Morning


A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. The conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.

Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain-looking, some expensive and some exquisite, telling them to help themselves to the coffee.

After all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is but normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress."

"Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases, it's just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups.....and then began eyeing each other's cups.

Now consider this: Life is the coffee, and the jobs, houses, cars, things, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life, and the type of cup we have does not define nor change the quality of life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us. God brews the coffee, not the cups.

Now, enjoy your coffee.

 

FROM A STRICTLY MATHEMATICAL VIEWPOINT

 

What equals 100%?

What does it mean to give MORE than 100%?

Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%?

We have all been in situations where someone wants you to give over 100%.

How about achieving 101%?

What equals 100% in life?

Here's a little mathematical formula that might help you answer these questions:

If:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

is represented as:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

Then

H-A-R-D-W-O-R- K

8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%

and

K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E

11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%

But

A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E

1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%

AND, look how far the LOVE OF GOD will take you

L-O-V-E-O-F-G-O-D

12+15+22+5+15+6+7+15+4 = 101%

 

Therefore, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that: while hard work and knowledge will get you close, and attitude will get you there, it's the LOVE OF GOD that will put you over the top!

Thank You!

Nels wants to thank you for all the visits and goodies brought to him by Bob. He really enjoys the visits. He also wants to thank the Sisterhood for the delicious cookies. He has really enjoyed them too. We both enjoyed the carollers that came to the house. They did a great job! Please tell the Boy Scouts how great they did. Thank you for all you do. It is much appreciated. We have a wonderfun church family and are very lucky!-Nels & Phyllis Steele

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Save your bulletins! Daylight Donuts, 2240 Prairie Avenue, is offering a fundraising promotion-bring in your bulletin from the weekend service on either Monday or Tuesday of the same week. They take your bulletin and staple your receipt to it. Every 2 weeks they add up the total sales from our church and send us a check for 10% of those sales.

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The next meeting of the Church Council will be at 6:30 PM, Monday, February 19th.

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Greetings! Come—be our guest as we usher in this joyous Lenten season. Gather those special to you and join us on Ash Wednesday morning, February 21st at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 617 St. Lawrence Ave. Call 365-7064 for reservations soon. Continental breakfast begins at 9 AM, the service with Communion at 10 AM. Freewill offering to benefit Lutheran Social Services and Caritas. Ground level entry from St. Lawrence parking lot and elevator to sanctuary. -Sincerely, Fran Winden

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March 2, 2007 is World Day of Prayer, a worldwide movement of women of many faith traditions who come together to observe a common day of prayer each year on the first Friday in March. Each year a different country serves as the writer of the World Day of Prayer worship service. For 2007, WDP Paraguay developed the theme, United under God’s Tent. You are invited join the 1 PM Service with Fellowship at Wesley CME Church, 1760 Shore Drive, Beloit.

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The Men of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church and the Lutheran Men in Mision task force would like to invite your men for a "Closer Walk: An Adventure into Men’s Ministry." We will journey into the world of men’s ministry, uncovering treasures that will light the path to closer relationships with our family, friends, and most importantly, Jesus Christ. Resource tools and ideas for congregations’ men’s ministries will be brought to the surface, regarding small groups, young men’s ministry events, and outdoor ministry. So, come along as we seek a "Closer Walk" with God through men’s minstry.

This event will be held at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church located at 1422 Center Ave, Janesville, WI, on Saturday, March 3, 2007, starting at 7:45 AM with a light breakfast and sample Bible study. We will then move into a DVD power point presentation discovering what Lutheran Men in Mission is all about. We will end around 10 AM. Please RSVP to St. Peter’s Lutheran Church Office @ 754-2891 with the number of men that God is calling to this event.

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The Sisterhood will meet at the church at 1 PM on March 6th. Jan Mitchell will be the hostess for the meeting.

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Join the Milwaukee Bucks for

Faith & Family Nights

 

 

Wednesday, March 7 vs. L.A. Lakers @ 7:00 PM

Saturday, March 10 vs. Cleveland Cavaliers @ 7:30 PM

Church members and guests receive an exclusive discount: Lower level seats regularly priced at $50 are discounted to $35, and upper level seats regularly priced at $36 and $28 are discounted to $20 and $15 respectively. To order tickets, call Konni Hibicke at (414) 227-0593.

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For your consideration: Dear Church Secretary: I am writing to you on behalf of the Project Linus - Make a Blanket Day event that will be held at the Job Center in Janesville on Saturday, March 10. Project Linus is a 100% volunteer organization that makes blankets to give to children (infant - 16) who have experienced trauma of some kind (ranging from hospitalization, to abuse, to loss of residence, etc.). Project Linus volunteers make and (others) present blankets to these children to provide them a bit of comfort during their experience. The national Make a Blanket Day event is scheduled for February, but the local chapter has had to reschedule the event to Saturday, March 10. They are in need of sewing machines for volunteers to use to make blankets on that day. Does your church have a sewing group that would be interested in participating in this event? If they choose not to participate, would they consider making their sewing machine(s) available to the event?

If they are willing to make a blanket or to loan their machine(s) to the event (or if they have other questions/concerns) would you have someone from the sewing group contact me (contact info below)? I will be featuring this need in the upcoming Bulletin Board for general publication, but I thought some of you might like to take advantage of the opportunity to do some "mission work" on a local level. Thanks so much for anything you can do to help out this worthy cause and local project. - David Zimdars, Voluntary Action Center

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What’s Happenin’ This Spring @ Lutherdale?

 

Spring Quilting Retreat, March 15-18 and April 26-29, 2007

Bring your sewing machines, your favorite coffee mug, an unfinished project or two, a few good friends, and spend time learning new quilt patterns and fellowshipping with friends. Cost $175

Men’s Work Weekend, May 4-5, 2007

Come and volunteer your time growing closer to God and others as you engage in bible study and work projects around the site. Bring your power tools and plan on working on projects such as building benches, chopping firewood, landscaping, etc. Cost $20

For more info, or to book your own event, contact us at: (626) 742-2352 or www.lutherdale.org

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A future event being considered for the W.O.W.’S is a trip to a Matinee Dinner Theater at White Pines State Park near Oregon, IL on June 14th. The cost is $25 per person and covers the whole package-the play, meal, tip and tax. Payment has to be made to Doris Betz by May 1st so she can make the reservation. If you would be interested in attending or have any questions, please contact Doris Betz @ 756-0705.

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One Sunday, a young child was "acting up" during the morning worship hour. The parents did their best to maintain some sense of order in the pew but were losing the battle. Finally, the father picked the little fellow up and walked sternly up the aisle on his way out. Just before reaching the safety of the foyer, the little one called loudly to the congregation, "Pray for me! Pray for me!"

 

 

Lenten & Holy Week Schedule 2007

(as of January 23, 2007)

 

February 21st
Ash Wednesday
10:00 a.m. Host: St. Paul’s Lutheran Church
7:00 p.m. Host: St. Paul’s Episcopal Church - Preacher: Rev. Kurt Handrich

February 28th
11:00 a.m. Atonement -- ;Service of the Word
7:00 p.m. Host: First Presbyterian Church -- Preacher: Sister Joselda Kuehl

March 7th
11:00 a.m. Atonement -- Service of the Word
7:00 p.m. Host: 2nd Congregational Church -- Preacher: Rev. Forrest Clark

March 14th
11:00 a.m. Atonement -- Service of the Word
7:00 p.m. Host:St. Jude’s Catholic Church -- Preacher: Rev. James Ivy

March 21st
11:00 a.m. Atonement -- Service of the Word
7:00 p.m. Host: Our Lady of the Assumption -- Preacher: Rev. Shawn Stapleton

March 28th
11:00 a.m. Atonement -- Service of the Word
7:00 p.m. Host: 1st United Methodist Church -- Preacher: Rev. Tina Koenig Ray

April 6th
Good Friday
12:00 noon Host: First Congregational Church -- Preacher: Rev. Dr. Floyd Prude, Jr

Frequently Asked Questions About Lent

Have You Ever Wondered . . .

Where did Lent get its name?

The word "Lent" originally meant "springtime." Because the church season always fell at that time of year, the name came to apply to it as well. Even after the word "Lent" was no longer used for spring, it was still used by the church to describe the season before Easter.

Why does Lent last for forty days?

The early church celebrated Lent only for a few days before Easter. Over the centuries, the length of the season grew until it was several weeks long. In the seventh century, the church set the period of Lent at forty days (excluding Sundays) in order to remind people of the duration of Jesus' temptation in the wilderness.

Why not count Sundays?

Sunday is always a celebration of Jesus' victory over sin and death. Even during Lent, Sunday is "a little Easter."

How did the tradition of "giving up something for Lent" get started?

Lent began as time of purification and preparation. In the early church, baptism was only performed on Easter Sunday. An entire year's worth of converts to the faith would be baptized and brought into the church on that day. Lent was the time before Easter in which these converts would fast and pray, preparing themselves to be members of Christ's church.

Over the centuries, the church began to baptize and confirm people on days other than Easter Sunday. Lent was no longer a time of preparation for these events, but it remained as a special time of prayer and fasting. After the Reformation, the discipline of fast-

ing became unpopular. Thus, as a way of preserving Lent as a

Heroes among us…

 

Hopefully by now, you have grasped that it's pretty important stuff that we do here at Meals on Wheels. Today only reinforced that premise. We often have clients "Missing In Action", and then we go into "search and recovery" mode. Usually we find that a client has merely forgotten to let us know of a doctor's appointment, or a last minute outing; sometimes it involves the fact that a client has made a last minute trip to the hospital, or was admitted overnight and family forgot to alert us. And then, every once in a while we become heroes. Today is one of those days :-)

Volunteers Gary & Vi Pankonien were making their usual route delivery on a route that they are very familiar with when they could not access the home of a client. (This is a special delivery to the back of the house, through a chain link fence to the unlocked glassed-in family room where the client is usually located.)

Today, the family room was locked, and the volunteers could not enter the home. Looking in the windows, they couldn't see anything or anyone. So they returned to the office with that information. We immediately began making the calls only to discover that the local emergency numbers originally given upon the client's intake were "disconnected". So I made the call to the son in Cottage Grove. When asked if he knew where his mother was, he replied "at home". I shared our problems in delivery, and he said he would probably have to make the trip down to check on her. I asked that he let us know what he discovered.

Well, Just 10 minutes ago (about 1:45 p.m.) the son called to let me know he made numerous calls to try to get someone to check on her, could find no one, so he called the police and asked them to break in. Here's the good news— the client had fallen and she received a hip injury. She was taken to the hospital, where she received the care she needed :-) She has Lifeline, but for some reason, failed to press it. Imagine this scenario, if she had not been on Meals On Wheels, we might have had a very different ending to this story.

The son is now on his way to Beloit to be with his mom and is very
grateful to our program.

Hope you are all as proud as I am. - Marcy Reedy

time of self-sacrifice, the church leaders encouraged people to give up something during Lent that they enjoyed.

How do Mardi Gras and Ash Wednesday relate to Lent?

Mardi Gras (French for "Fat Tuesday") is the last day before Lent. Since Lent was traditionally a time of fasting, the day before it began was always a feast day. People had to use up eggs, butter, and other perishables that would not last through the Lenten season, and Fat Tuesday was celebrated with many traditional and tasty baked goods. The next day, Ash Wednesday, was the official beginning of Lent. After prayer, people would have their foreheads marked with ashes as a sign of their repentance and humility.

How is the date of Easter determined?

According to a decision of the Council of Nicaea in the fourth century, Easter falls on the Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox (March 21). In practice, this means that Easter can never be earlier than March 22 or later than April 25.


What is Maundy Thursday?

Christians commemorate Jesus' Last Supper, when he broke bread and gave the cup to his disciples, initiating the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper. The word Maundy comes from the Latin word for commandment. At the Last Supper, Jesus said, "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another."

What is a Tenebrae service?

Following Communion on Holy Thursday or on Good Friday evening, a service of Tenebrae or "Darkness" recalls Jesus' suffering as candles are extinguished one by one.

What does Lent mean for us today?

Lent is the church season in which we prepare for Easter Sunday. It is a special time of prayer and reflection, of confession and self-sacrifice. It is a time to remember the temptation, the suffering, and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Most of all it is a time to ready ourselves for the humble thankfulness and sheer joy of Easter morning.

CHILDREN'S SERMON

ONE EASTER SUNDAY MORNING AS THE MINISTER WAS PREACHING THE CHILDREN'S SERMON, HE REACHED INTO HIS BAG OF PROPS AND PULLED OUT AN EGG. HE POINTED AT THE EGG AND ASKED THE CHILDREN, "WHAT'S IN HERE?" "I KNOW!" A LITTLE BOY EXCLAIMED. "PANTYHOSE!"

Celebration is published by Atonement Lutheran Church
901 Harrison Avenue, Beloit, WI 53511 (608) 362-8216

Office hours: Monday -Friday 9 AM -1 PM
Email: atonement@jvlnet.com
Web: www.jvlnet.com/~atonement

Rev. Tina Koenig Ray, BCC, Pastor 368-1041 (608) 449-6759 cell

Bruce Johnson, Council President 362-6805
Pattye Gilmour, Church Secretary 362-3488 (608) 201-8834 cell
Ray Capes, Custodian 362-8711(608) 290-8706 cell

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updated 2/18/2007 12:35:34