May 31, 2023

May 31, 2023

This Week

Hope in the face of death
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a French philosopher in the Age of Enlightenment, wrote, “He who pretends to look on death without fear, lies.” What words best describe how you look upon death? Paul wrote to a congregation of people in the ancient Greek city of Thessaloniki who had lost loved ones. The Holy Spirit inspired him to give them words of incredible hope and comfort. Now, by God’s grace, he gives those same words to us. Read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and come together with brothers and sisters who have grieved, are grieving, and will grieve but with hope. There’s power in the Spirit’s words to give us hope in the face of death.

Highlights

Events and ministry news needing immediate attention

Celebration Sunday
Review, ask questions, and celebrate our plans for ministry this Sunday, June 4, 9:25 – 10:15 AM. You can preview the Annual Plan for Ministry via CCB (click on “FILES” and “2023 – 2024 Proposed Annual Plan”) and you can preview the Mission and Vision through this link. The Voters of St. Andrew are invited to authorize a plan at a special meeting at 11:45 AM on Sunday, June 11.

Worship

Resources and opportunities for you to worship

Festival services 
Just like we have a calendar year, the Christian Church has a church year that begins with the season of Advent. This church year is split into two parts—the festival half where we focus on the birth, life, and death of Jesus, and the non-festival half which focuses on the life of the Church. The festival half, which we are in now, closes with three special services:

  • The ascension of Jesus into heaven (May 18/21)
  • The sending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (May 25/28)
  • The celebration of the Trinity: Father, Son, Spirit (June 1/4)

Worship check-in
If you worship on-site, please fill out the Connection Card attached to your worship folder. Online worshipers, please continue to check in here.

Weekend worship songs
Preview some of the songs we will use for worship this weekend. Obviously ours won’t sound exactly like this, but listening to the links provided will certainly help you be more comfortable participating in the service.

“This I Believe” by Hillsong
“Holy, Holy, Holy” by Don Chapman
“How Great Thou Art” by Paul Baloche
“I Will Rise” by Chris Tomlin

Nurture

Ways to be connected to Jesus throughout the week in your personal life and with others

Growth Groups
The foundational nurture ministry of St. Andrew is Growth Groups. Growth Groups provide you a wonderful opportunity to grow in faith and grow in Christian friendship. The summer semester is June 11 – July 30, and sign-up has begun. Click here to check out the summer lineup and find a group that works for you. Sign-up sheets are also in the atrium. Spending time with God’s Word and God’s people is time well spent.

Moms’ Group
Moms with little ones like spending time with other moms with little ones. That is why a group of St. Andrew moms started a moms’ group. They are getting together with their children every other Tuesday this summer. To join the group, send an email to St. Andrew Staff Minister for Nurture Mark Kjenstad.

St. Andrew Sports Camp
God’s Champions is the theme for this summer’s St. Andrew Sports Camp. The camp is July 10 – 13 from 8:30 – 11:30 AM for 4K – grade 6 in the 2023-2024 school year. Click here to register.

Impact
Do you number your days? Learn what that means and more with Pastor Clinton as we close out Psalm 90. You can find our St. Andrew podcast Impact here or wherever you listen to podcasts by searching “Kjenstad Impact.”

Service & Outreach

Opportunities for you to live your faith and love for Jesus by sharing Jesus with others

God’s Champions service opportunities 
St. Andrew Sports Camp is July 10 – 13. It presents many opportunities to have a lot of fun by serving.

  • Assistant coaches will help head coaches run drills and enhance campers’ skills.
  • Team managers will keep their group on schedule and ensure their positive participation in each activity.
  • Athletic trainers will be on call to tend to any minor injuries or illnesses that occur.
  • Concessions managers will prep and distribute snacks at halftime.
  • Spirit team will manage and implement God’s Champions décor for the camp.

Many of these opportunities are perfect for high school or college students. Many of these opportunities do not require any sports knowledge or skill. All these opportunities serve the God who gives us the victory and makes us champions. Contact Pastor Clinton or Mark Kjenstad to get involved.

Petting zoo | June 28
Join us at Southdale Park in Fitchburg on June 28, 4 – 7 PM. Havens Petting Farm will be on-site with lots of adorable creatures for the community to enjoy. Bring your children, get outside, and admire some four-legged friends. This is also a fun and fulfilling opportunity to serve. If you can help set up for the event or be a presence to talk with parents and kids and hand out fliers for our sports camp, contact Nancy Ninman.

Monthly Mission Partner
June’s Monthly Mission Partner is Wisconsin Lutheran Chapel. This is our sister campus ministry in downtown Madison. See Pastor Bilitz’s short gratitude video below.

WELS Connection
Every month, our church body releases a video to highlight a specific project or ministry of some of our brothers and sisters in faith. The May WELS Connection describes a recent leadership conference in Chicago for both called workers and laypeople.

Serving This Week 

Serving Jesus at St. Andrew this week, June 1 & 4, 2023

Musicians 
Lead musician:   Kris Lund
Vocalist:              Ashley Renstrom
Guitar:                  Clayton Grow
Drums:                 Elijah Grow
Saxophone:         Wayne Utke

Ushers
Thursday:           Dave Rortvedt
8:00 AM:             Jeff Grim, Paul Wittkamp
10:30 AM:           Sabastian Murray, Dan Simpson

Greeters
Thursday:           Ron and Piri Kerr
8:00 AM:             Pete and Cecile Peterson, Ellen Soukup
10:30 AM:           Pete and Alice Zimpelman

Communion Assistants
Thursday:            Mitch Hutter
8:00 AM:             Jack Murphy, Ed Murray
10:30 AM:           Matt Heckmann, Orv Jordahl

Communion Care
Thursday:           Cheryl Utke
8:00 AM:             Kylie Roekle
10:30 AM:           Stephanie Grow, Beth and Robert Ramos

Lay Readers
Thursday:            Mitch Hutter
8:00 AM:             Jamie Lundgren
10:30 AM:           Dick Smith

Slide Tech
Thursday:           Dan Fischer
8:00 AM:             Kim Gnewuch
10:30 AM:           Jacob Miller

Audio
8:00 AM:             Todd Kleman
10:30 AM:           Ben Kleman

Livestream Video
Thad Molling

Hospitality
Michelle Murphy, Skylar Fanello

Connection Card Assembly
Audrey Urban, Alice Zimpelman

Offering Caretakers
Phil and Dawn Otto

Growth Group Leaders:
Mark Kjenstad, Pastor Clinton, Jared Dammann
Posted in The Weekly