Well, this October newsletter is late for a couple of reasons. First, your Church Council and Call Team have been very busy the last couple of weeks. Second, I wanted to wait to write this letter  until that important work had been completed. By now hopefully most of you have heard that the Call Team and Church Council are excited to present Pastor Matt Short as the recommended candidate to be our next pastor. Pastor Short has 19 years of pastoral experience. Pastor Matt’s wife, Jessica, is also a Pastor. They have two children ages 17 and 19. The Short’s first calls were in North Dakota. They have been in Milwaukee since 2008. Pastor Matt’s first call in the Greater Milwaukee Synod was at St. Luke Lutheran Church in Slinger. For the past 7 years he has been Assistant to the Bishop for Evangelical Mission at the Greater Milwaukee Synod.
 
Some of you may remember Pastor Matt from his visit with us last November. He was here to preach and present information about the synod’s program for Adventures in Renewal. At the time he said we were a very joyful church, with a good sense of humor and that he could feel  our energy. Pastor Matt shared a story about that day with the call team. He said that he remembered going home that day and telling his wife that if he could get back into congregational ministry at a congregation like Resurrection, he would.
 
The Call Team had the opportunity to interview 5 candidates, all of which expressed a strong desire to be our next pastor. This was a lot of work and required a great commitment of their time and energy for which we all owe them an extreme debt of gratitude. When the Call Team met with the Council to present Pastor Matt, it was clear that they were all very excited about their choice. They each spoke of his infectious enthusiasm for ministry and his genuine enthusiasm for who we are as God’s people. Pastor Matt liked that, because of our size, he would be able to connect with members of the congregation directly. He was very supportive of our status as a Reconciled in Christ congregation and was excited about our ministry partnerships. The Call Team all viewed Pastor Matt as fitting well into our Resurrection Family.
 
The Call Team also viewed Pastor Matt as an excellent resource to meet the goals put forth in our Ministry Site Profile. He brings lots of synod experience and resources from contacts with other congregations over the past 7 years. He emphasizes teaching people to live their faith outside the walls of the church in very positive ways in his ministry. Pastor Matt has lots of ideas about community building and he is passionate about it. He describes his mode of operation as blurring the line between church and community and modeling ways of grace and love.
 
A long list of Pastor Matt’s positive personal and professional qualities were identified by the Call Team including; compassion, collaborative skills, organization and preparedness, dynamic speaking and preaching skills, and a good sense of humor. It was said that he clearly loves the Lord, is authentic about God’s love, and speaks so very positively about the gift of grace.
 
Everyone will have the opportunity to meet Pastor Matt at a Meet and Greet event on Friday November 1st at 6:30 pm. Pastor Matt will be introduced by members of the Call Team and there will be time for those in attendance to meet and visit with him. (There will be a sign up for a few people to bake some treats for that evening.) Then, we will have a Special Congregational Meeting on Sunday, November 3rd (immediately following the service) so that the congregation can vote to authorize us to extend a call to Pastor Matt Short to be our next pastor.
 
We are nearing the end of a long process that has involved the work and support of each and everyone of you. I am so grateful to have been on this journey with such a great group of loving and caring children of God. Peace and Blessings,
 
Tom
 
(Please note that ways to get involved or help out are in italics.)
Calendar in Brief:

• Suds & Stories of Faith  Wednesday October 23th. at 4pm at the Cleveland Pub. Come join the discussion and we discuss the question, “What one word describes your spiritual/faith journey?” Bring a friend or neighbor.
• Funeral for John Immel Saturday October 26th; visitation from 9:00 – 11:00 am, with the service immediately following.
• Meet and Greet for Pastor Short Friday November 1st at 6:30 pm. Members of the congregation will have the opportunity to meet and visit with Pastor Matt.  There is a sign up for members to bake treats for refreshments that evening.
• All Saints Sunday Service November 3rd at 10:00 am.
• Special Congregational Meeting The Church Council is calling a special congregational meeting on Sunday November 3, 2024, immediately following the worship service. The purpose of this meeting is to obtain congregational authority to extend a call to Pastor Matt Short to be our next pastor. This is the only business that will be conducted at this meeting.

​In preparation for the Outreach for Hope bike ride, I’ve been trying to get out there and pedal a bit each week. I was conveniently using the wet spring and hot summer as an excuse for my laziness. But the ride is coming up and there is no putting it off. I was riding along a heavily wooded segment of the Oak Leaf Trail. Parts of it sometimes make you forget you are riding in the city. I came across a tree. All of its leaves had already turned the brightest yellow. That was the trigger for me that, despite the warm temperatures, fall is here. Intellectually I know it’s fall but I always try to hang on to summer until something tells me otherwise. 
I guess there is no reason to doubt the calendar as we have had a very productive summer and are looking ahead to our usual many fall activities. Summer progress includes the significant work of the Call Team. By the time you are reading this they will have completed their first round of interviews with the pastoral candidates. They are excited by the quality of the candidates and the desire of each of them to be our pastor. This summer we have also been actively reaching out to our community. We offered outdoor services and hosted a very successful Food Truck Night and Community Picnic. We have also begun experimenting with being present in our community through our Suds & Stories of Faith and Coffee & Conversation events, held in local businesses. We rekindled our relationship with Reformation in Milwaukee by hosting a Faith Fellowship Dinner with them. On top of all that, we made significant improvements to the look of our campus by cutting and trimming trees and bushes that were dead, overgrown, and/or too close to the building. Last weekend (though this is really a fall event) we donated, made, and delivered 100 bag lunches to Street Angles as part of our God’s Work Our Hands service. Whew, I thought summers were supposed to be quiet. I am grateful for each of you that have played a part in any of these accomplishments, thank you!
Looking ahead to fall, after service on September 15th we will view a video and discussed how the church and the world are changing and just what God is calling us to do in response. We will continue to make brief presentations about our ministry partners at the start of Sunday services. This is both part of our stewardship emphasis leading up to Harvest Sunday in November and an effort to explain to newer members how these partnerships have developed over the years. We have a Coffee and Conversation scheduled for 10am on September 25th and will be scheduling a Suds and Stories of Faith event in October. Also in October we are hoping to put together a “Trunk or Treat” event for the community. For those not familiar, we will have this event in the parking lot. We’ll be asking members to decorate their vehicle trunks (we may have help for that) and hold a trick or treat-like event for kids from the community. We are looking for a food truck to be a part of this event too. Also this fall, Bible study is back on Thursday mornings as is our Learning Together intergenerational Sunday School. The choir is back rehearsing, and Dart Ball will begin on Monday, September 23. There is lots going on so pay close attention to the announcements and emails. 
(Please note that ways to get involved or help out are in italics.)
Calendar in Brief:

• Video and Discussion – How the church and the world has changed and what God is calling us to do in response Sunday September 15th after service. Come join the discussion.
• Coffee and Conversation Wednesday September 25th. at 10am at the Sunny Side Up Cafe. Come join the discussion and we discuss the question, “What encourages you to pray and worship?” Bring a friend or neighbor.
• Outreach for Hope Bike Ride, Run, Walk; Saturday September 21st. Ride, Walk, or Run to raise funds for the many ministries that Outreach for Hope supports or pledge your support for our Team Curly. https://ofhrrw.softr.app/all-teams-list

Gentle Reminder: Though we are one in our belief in our Lord and savior we are not necessarily one in our political beliefs. During this election season, please keep your political discussions private while at church. Thank You.
Blessings, Tom

(Please note that ways to get involved or help out are in bold italics.)
 
Calendar in Brief:

• Outdoor service; August 18th 9:15am Tent set up 8:30 am
• Community Picnic; August 18th 11:00 am - We will cook out. Of course there will be silly games! We are asking members to bring side dishes and desserts.
  
• School Supply Drive; Beginning August 18th bring in school supplies to donate to Journeys Lutheran School.
• Suds and Stories of Faith Wednesday August 21st. at 4pm at the Cleveland Pub. We will be discussing the question, “What helps and strengthens you in your faith life?”
• Return to 10:00 am Worship Sunday September 1st!
• God’s Work Our Hands Sunday; September 8th We will participate by making 100 bag lunches for Street Angels after our worship service.
• Outreach for Hope Bike Ride, Run, Walk; Saturday September 21st. Ride, Walk, or Run to raise funds for the many ministries that Outreach for Hope supports or pledge your support for our team.

 
Pastoral Transition Updates:

• The Call Team has completed their mock interview and, in the coming week, will be meeting with synod to receive input about that process and to receive names  and information about candidates for actual interviews.  Please continue to pray for these individuals and their work.
• As I indicated last month we are looking for volunteers to examine our relationship with Kikwe and Karangai in Tanzania. Questions could include: What do we want our relationship with the Kikwe and Karangai Parishes in Tanzania to look like?; How can we build relationships with them and what would that look like?; Would we like to plan another Tanzanian trip?; If we go, would we piggyback on the synod trip early next year or would we plan our own trip? We are looking for volunteers to form a small Resurrection Tanzania Committee to look at these questions and others. Reach out to Dave C. Sally W. or Tom if you are interested.

 
Events in More Detail:

• Sunday August 18th will be a big day at Resurrection! The day will begin with an Outdoor Worship at 9:15. Our Community Picnic will follow at 11:00 am. There is a sign-up sheet on the kiosk for set up help, volunteers to grill, and people to bring side dishes and desserts to go with the brats and hot dogs we will be grilling. Don’t worry about the sign up just come and help out or bring whatever dish you would like to share. (The sign up sheet was pretty evenly split between sides and desserts on 8/11 so bring what you like.) We will play some classic games like Clothespin Drop, try some new ones like This Blows, and may even see the return of the Wet Noodle Relay. It should be a great time for all!
• Beginning August 18th we will conduct a School Supply Drive to benefit Journeys Lutheran School. Please bring in school supplies. Journeys have indicated a particular need for Sharpie markers and colored pencils. Cleaning supplies (dish soap, window cleaner, paper towels, Kleenex, and Lysol wipes) and individually wrapped snacks would also be appreciated. 
• Our next “Suds and Stories of Faith” will be Wednesday August 21st. at 4pm at the Cleveland Pub. The question for discussion will be “What helps and strengthens your faith life?” Please attend if you are able and bring your neighbors and friends.
• On September 8th our Resurrection family will participate in God’s Work Our Hands Sunday. Please come and help make 100 bag lunches for Street Angels, a mobile outreach program, based out of Wauwatosa, that serves the homeless in Milwaukee County. We will be meeting after service to make the lunches and there will be a sign-up for donation of items needed to make those lunches.
• On Sunday August 11th we began our series to highlight our outreach partners. Prior to service a brief review of Outreach for Hope’s ministry was presented (please feel free to view it online). Our congregation's involvement with Outreach for Hope was reinvigorated by Jim Bendtsen. For the last several years we have formed a team to be part of the Outreach for Hope Bike Ride, Run, & Walk. Growing out of his love of cycling and his commitment to Outreach for Hope’s ministry Jim has been instrumental in the formation of our combined Resurrection & Reformation team, known as Team Curly. Thanks to Jim’s efforts, Team Curly provides an opportunity for some of our less able friends to participate in the ride on adaptive bikes. The ride, run, walk is coming up on Saturday September 21st. Ride, walk, or run with us to raise funds for the many ministries that Outreach for Hope supports or pledge your support for Team Curly here: https://ofhrrw.softr.app/all-teams-list​

Blessings,
Tom

​This month updates on a medley of topics. Please note that ways to get involved or help out are in italics.
 
On the calendar this summer:

• Food Truck and Music Night; Monday July 15, @5:30pm. KT's Wok will be on hand to sell their delicious Asian Fusion cuisine and we are asking members to bake hand-held desserts (cookies, bars, etc.) to share. Coltyn VonDeylen will provide live music.
• Outdoor service; July 21st 9:15am
• Blood Drive; afternoon and evening of July 31
• Outdoor service; August 18th 9:15am
• Community Picnic: August 18th 11:00 am - We will cook out and ask members to bring side dishes and desserts. Of course there will be silly games!
• Suds and Stories of Faith is slated for Wednesday August 21st. at 4pm at the Cleveland Pub.
• Food Truck & Music Night II; TBD in September

 
Pastoral Transition:

• Call Team has submitted its interview questions to synod and made a few edits. They are looking ahead to a mock interview some time in early-mid July. Then synod will begin the process of providing names for actual candidate interviews. Please continue to pray for these individuals and their work.
• At the request of both the MET and the Call Team, council has been working on examining and determining the status of our 3-way covenantal partnership with Reformation in Milwaukee and the Meru Diocese in Tanzania. After meeting with the leadership of Reformation it was determined that both them and us would like to reactivate this partnership at some level. As a first step Reformation invited us to participate in one of their “Faith and Fellowship Dinners.” So on Monday evening June 10th we hosted the event here at Resurrection. The dinner was attended by nearly 60 people from both of the congregations. It was an excellent event and was called “a family reunion” and “a homecoming” by attendees. This was a great first step toward reestablishing our relationship with Reformation. However, the council has also determined that it is important for us to look within ourselves and make some determinations about what we want our relationship with the Kikwe and Karangai Parishes in Tanzania to be. How can we build relationships with them and what would that look like? Would we like to plan another Tanzanian trip? If we go, would we piggyback on the synod trip early next year or would we plan our own trip? We are looking for volunteers to form a small Resurrection Tanzania Committee to look at these questions. Reach out to Dave C. Sally W. or Tom if you are interested.

 
Clearing up misconceptions about the Campus Plan
There is a lot of misunderstanding and resulting negative feelings out there about the Campus Plan. I feel this stems from several issues. First, everyone should be viewing the Campus Plan as a very long-term plan. The objective is to evaluate our outside spaces and make some determination about how we can use that space to better do ministry in the next 10, 15, or 20 years. It is not something we are looking to implement tomorrow.
 
Second, there is the notion that this is just a landscaping plan. In fact it would be better to consider it a land use plan. It includes; using native plantings in various places to improve drainage and cut down on lawn care and landscape maintenance, evaluating and adding a few ADA and some "reserved for senior" parking spaces, building a structure that is already partially funded as a memorial to a member, improving the appearance of the Community Garden, as well as dreaming a little bit about decks and other hard scape, construction, and garden projects. The timetable for any and all these projects is undetermined and would certainly be in stages as we could afford them (like I said a long-term plan). For right now it is important to have a cohesive plan so that if we are in a position to do even one of these projects, we won’t regret location and placement of that aspect of the design down the road.
 
Third, there seem to be concerns about the impetus and motives of the “Cutting and Chopping Crew.” In the early stages of the Campus Plan Committee work, it was acknowledged during brainstorming sessions that there were some things we could do ourselves to improve the look of our exterior spaces that wouldn’t cost a lot of money. Those ideas included some simple signage and removal of overgrown and dead trees and bushes around the building (many of those trees were too close to our foundation as well). I am grateful to Ron R. and his crew for the work they have completed so far this summer. There is only a little bit of that work left then attention will be turned to trimming up some of the remaining bushes. We are not clearing things out because we are going to turn around and plant some more. For right now less is more.
 
Fourth, some have indicated a concern that we are pursuing this Campus Plan and ignoring other significant buildings and grounds needs we have at this time. The truth is that we are in need of major parking lot repair (or replacement - probably not financially viable) and the asphalt shingle roof on the church is in need of replacement. These are both very costly items and will likely require us to look at financing those expenses. This is just like when we used our current mortgage to buy new windows and replace the mansard and the flat roof years ago. Such financing will require congregational approval when the time comes. We have just begun to investigate our options and like many homeowners we are hoping the rates will go down a bit.
 
Fifth, there are concerns about implementing any land use plan that would create more work for an already strapped crew of volunteers that maintain the landscape we currently have. This is a very legitimate concern! There is definitely a need for more “Weekly Weeders” and volunteers to trim and maintain our bushes. Here I would like to thank the ladies that have stepped up to beautify our memory garden. They have, and are, working very hard to make that space back into something we can be proud of. They would also welcome some more help and are looking for perennial plants. I have asked the Buildings and Grounds Chair and his committee to prepare a comprehensive list of the things that need to be done and a schedule of how often those tasks need to be completed in order to maintain our grounds. We will be looking to have informational meetings to share these needs, recruit more volunteers, and discuss concerns people may still have regarding the campus plan in the not-too-distant future.
 
Hopefully, this helps to clarify things regarding the Campus Plan. If you have any questions or concerns don't hesitate to reach out to me. I would much rather talk about things face to face than hear about grumbling second hand.
 
Reaching out to be present in our community (Faithful Innovations):

• Thanks to those that attended our first “Coffee and Conversation” in June at the Sunny Side Up Cafe to discuss the question “What would you like to see in the churches in your community?”
• Our next “Suds and Stories of Faith” is slated for Wednesday August 21st. at 4pm at the Cleveland Pub. The question for discussion will be “What helps and strengthens your faith life?” Please attend if you are able.
• In response to the teen mental health crises in our community we have reached out to the New Berlin School District to examine ways we can help. We are currently working with the school district’s police liaison officer to plan a presentation on the dangers of social media to be co-presented with a representative of NAMI (National Association on Mental Illness) who will present on mental health issues. We are trying to schedule the presentation in the schools in fall.

 
Blessings, Tom

​Garrison Keillor used to begin his stories by saying, “It’s been a quiet week in Lake Wobegon.”  I think it’s appropriate to begin this month’s letter by saying, “It is not going to be a quiet summer at Resurrection Church. We have much planned and even more planning is still in the works. In addition, our pastoral transition process has reached a very active phase as well.
 
Regarding the transition, as most of you know the Mission Exploration Team has completed its work and their Ministry Site Profile (MSP) has been reviewed by council and the congregation, accepted by the bishop, and published on the ELCA web site. The completion of their work puts us solidly into the call process. The Call Team has been installed and has begun their work. I would like to again thank the following individuals who have stepped up to do this important work: Kat Woods, Andy Toth, Arlene Tesmer, Karen Mannisto, Melissa Leighton, Aidan Leighton, Sue Koloske, and Larry Gnatzig. I had the opportunity to sit in with them on their first organizational meeting as well as their training with Pastor Afi Dobbins-Mays from synod staff. They are a spirit filled group with a sincere drive to select the right candidate to be our next pastor. At this point, the team is meeting to review the MSP and draft interview questions for candidates that will be sent to us by the synod. Please pray for these individuals and their work.
 
The calendar is full of activities and events this summer (and there are a few others still in the works)!
 
May 15th will be our Suds and Stories of Faith Event at Cleveland Pub. This will be an opportunity to listen to God, one another, and our neighbors while being present in the wider community. The discussion question for this event is “Where do you see God in your life?” We would like to plan a similar event at a local coffee shop and call it Coffee and Conversation. If you would be interested in helping to plan this event, please speak to a council member.
 
As a trial for the summer only, we will be switching to an earlier worship time. From June 2nd to August 25 worship will begin at 9:15 am.
 
June 2nd during the worship service we will be welcoming 6 new members into our Resurrection family. Some of these folks have familiar faces that have been around for a while, but it is exciting to formally welcome them into our community. Please also join us after the service for some fellowship and to listen as mentors introduce us to our new partners in faith.
 
Jane Fredach was an active and loved member of our Resurrection family for many years. On June 9th during the worship service we will have a brief remembrance of her and a prayer in her memory.
 
Monday evening, June 10th (6 to 7:30pm), we will be hosting a Faith and Fellowship Dinner with our partners from Reformation Lutheran Church in Milwaukee. Long time members of Resurrection will remember we have an extensive history of partnership with Reformation including active participation in various aspects of their ministry (meal and food pantry programs, women’s Bible study, summer youth programs, and more) as well as hosting and facilitating events (evenings in the garden, partnership worship services and fellowship, an annual Christmas event, and more). Most recently we have officially been in a covenantal three-way partnership between us, Reformation, and our Tanzanian partners. This three-way partnership has languished a bit during and since Covid. On June 10th, our goal is to rekindle old friendships and make new ones with members from Reformation and begin discussions on how we can reactivate our three-way partnership with them and Tanzania. We will be providing the main dish that evening and Reformation will be bringing sides and dessert. So even if you are a newer member to Resurrection, and don’t have “old friends” to catch up with, please come and join us for what promises to be an evening of good food and fellowship.
 
June 16th will be the first of our outdoor services for the summer. The other outdoor services will be July 21st, and August 18th.
 
In place of a June Community Picnic, we are working on a Food Truck night on a weeknight evening during the week of June 17th. We are still putting together the details, including some ideas about exciting live entertainment during the event so watch your emails, announcements, and my June message for details! It should be great fun, and who doesn't enjoy an evening when you don’t have to cook dinner? (We are hoping to be able to have a second Food Truck Night in September. More to come on that as well.)
 
Mark your calendar, our Community Picnic will be after the outdoor worship on August 18th. We will cook out and ask members to bring side dishes and desserts. Of course there will be silly games!
 
There will also be opportunities for those that want to roll up their sleeves and do a little work this summer. May 19th after service will be a Spring Cleaning Day for the interior of the church. May 25th, June 22nd, and July 27th (from 8-11:30am), weather permitting, are designated as Landscape Clean Up Days. We will continue to remove old, overgrown or dead bushes & trees to continue our work to beautify our church and church grounds setting us up to implement future landscape and hardscape plans being developed by our Campus Planning Committee. If you have questions about the spring clean-up day contact Brad Nelson and for the landscape days Ron Reichert.
 
As you can see. There is a lot going on and, as they say in the commercials, “We hope to see you there.”
 
Blessings, Tom

​One of our new members asked, “What are the perks to joining a church vs. just attending and participating?” The response that was given was a beautiful one and centered on these two points. Church membership confirms/affirms your faith and provides an opportunity to join a community. This got me thinking about being in community with my Resurrection family. I was reminded of my Catholic upbringing when we didn’t ask, “What church do you attend?” But asked, “What church do you belong to?” I firmly believe this same sense of belonging and being in community is at the root of our success and strength as a congregation. I mean, where else does pretty much every member of a congregation have a key to the building? This is our second home, and we care for it as such.
 
But our sense of community goes well beyond just being in a group and our care for the building and grounds. Our sense of community creates a sacred bond that holds us together by God’s love. It connects us to one another. We acknowledge that we are all broken and blessed. We celebrate together in times of great joy, and we try to restore wholeness by showing that unconditional love of God in times of need. Jesus’ command to love one another as I have loved you must be fulfilled in the company of others – in community.
 
Our sense of community has also refreshed the feeling and flow of our corporate worship. I was struck by this notion after worshiping elsewhere. I really feel our connection to each other strengthens that worship experience of the heart which brings us closer to God. For me, and I think many of us, it rekindles and revives the spirit in a way that it doesn’t in other churches.
 
Striving to become a community where God’s love and our lives connect strengthens us in our work as a church. While in community, we become our best selves, and by accepting ourselves and others there is that opportunity to encounter God’s love and heal. This reforms and refreshes our Resurrection family and equips us for our journey together as His church. In this relationship we live out a journey to educate, inspire, encourage, strengthen and serve one another, our community, and our partners. It is through living out of our mission that we become a collective resource for helping others that really makes a difference. We not only meet our needs, we also meet the needs of others. We are the church!
 
I’m not sure if these observations qualify as “perks.” But I feel they are a reflection of our Resurrection community. As we advance through this pastoral transition, I pray that the power of God’s love will continue to restore, refresh, and strengthen our community of faith. As we continue to be more present in our community, I further pray that our roots in God’s love will become an attraction that pulls others toward a faith in God. May that love be the measure of true discipleship and what Jesus pointed to when he said, “by this all people will know that you are my disciples (John 13:35)
 
Blessings, Tom

 
Your word is a lamp for my feet,  a light on my path. -Psalm 119:105
 
We are clearly on a path moving forward guided by the Word. I believe there are three major milestones in the pastoral transition process: the calling of an interim pastor, the completion of the Ministry Site Profile (MSP) by the Mission Exploration Team (MET), and the calling of a permanent pastor. Within the last week or so we can now say we have crossed two of those milestones. Our Mission Exploration Team consisting of Cindy Duffin, Tracy Hahn, Karen Mannisto, Pat Marohl, Mary Sukopp, Karen Leighton VanDomelen, and Matson Wick have completed the Ministry Site Profile. They have worked with great enthusiasm and purpose and have completed a profile that is a good reflection of us as a congregation and what we are looking for in our next pastor. I want to thank all these individuals for their excellent work and to especially thank Cindy Duffin for her leadership of this team.
 
The next steps are to have the council approve the draft profile and make it available to the congregation and the synod. The congregation will receive the MSP through email and by having several paper copies available. This is not for revision by the congregation but to receive input should there be any major concerns or omissions that members think should have been included. Please watch your email for this document and take the time to look it over. It is a very extensive document but an important one. The MSP will formally be presented to the congregation at a Town Hall Meeting after service on April 21st. The bishop and his associate will be joining us for worship and the meeting.
 
As the MET process comes to a close the call process ramps up. The following members have been elected to the Call Team (Committee); Kat Woods, Andy Toth, Arleen Tesmer, Karen Mannisto, Melissa Leighton, Aidan Leighton, Sue Koloske, and Larry Gnatzig. The Call Team will interview candidates and make a recommendation to the council and congregation of a candidate to be our next pastor. This is a very exciting time for us in the life of this congregation. Please thank these individuals for their commitment to this process and pray for their work together.
 
Even with all of these important pastoral transition updates it is also important to remind you that the most sacred part of the church year approaches (a little bit early this year). March 24th is Palm Sunday, and we will gather to recount the story of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem and His passion and crucifixion. The story flows into our Holy Week services, which are really one service over three days (the Triduum). On Maundy Thursday (3/28 @ 7pm), we will remember the last supper and Jesus’ establishment of the eucharist. Good Friday (3/29 @ 7pm) will bring us back again to Calvary in a solemn service commemorating Christ’s crucifixion. But then, Easter Morning (10am) brings a festival worship service celebrating Jesus’ resurrection from the dead! We will also enjoy Easter Breakfast together (sign up for attendance and to help out is on the kiosk).
 
Easter Blessings,
Tom

​2023 was a successful year for our Resurrection family. I purposely didn’t list people to thank in my annual report last month for fear I would leave somebody out. The truth is I really need to thank everybody. This feeling was brought home to me when I reviewed everything we accomplished last year. So if you contributed your financial resources and/or time and talents to our ministry in 2023 by; serving on council, helping make Pastor Mary’s Retirement a special occasion, leading bible study, helping with scheduling and welcoming supply pastors, contributing to our community picnics (even if it was just brining a dish to pass),  helping with outdoor worship services, contributing to our Cereal/Soup and Holiday Bake Goods Drives for the New Berlin Food Pantry or our School Supply Drive for Journeys School, Gathering data to get our MET off to a good start, welcoming Pastor Steve, serving on the MET, participating in our Faithful Innovation activity at the New Berlin Christmas Tree Lighting, performing in our Intergenerational Christmas Pageant, completing the many  tasks that usually get done around here, or helping in any other way – THANK YOU. This ministry is so richly blessed by all of you!
 
Going forward into 2024 we will continue to need that same level of participation to successfully complete the transition process and call a new pastor as well as to continue to move our ministry forward. As I have said many times, if asked to help with a task, by myself or any other congregational leader, please give the request careful consideration and say yes if you can.
 
With respect to the pastoral transition the MET is completing their writing of the Ministry Site Profile (MSP - a document that describes our ministry and our search for a pastor) with a goal of council approval during our March Council Meeting. Following that the MSP is submitted to Synod and we will provide copies to the congregation. The MSP will be formally presented to Congregation a final time for last questions and input at a Town Hall Meeting scheduled for April 21. The Bishop and his assistant will be at that meeting and may provide input or ask questions as well. Simultaneously as we are completing the MET process, we are forming a Call Team (Call Committee), with the hope of getting them direction and training from synod in early April. The principal job of the Call Team will be to interview pastoral candidates and make a recommendation as to who we should call as our new pastor.
 
Another thing that will take some of our effort and attention this year is our Campus Plan. For years we have talked about using our vast outdoor space for greater benefit. Our primary goals are to utilize the land to enhance our ministry, unify spaces, and update our current landscaping. To reach these goals requires professional expertise. Ron Reichert has formed a committee; they have completed group brainstorming to generate ideas, researched companies to do a land audit and develop a design plan and are in the process of reviewing references and obtaining bids. We have not budgeted for this process. We will need to do fundraising and likely will develop a phased plan for implementing the design. Ideas being considered to be a part of the plan are: Gazebo/Pavilion, Perimeter Walking/Exercise Trail, Youth area for all generations, Meditation Garden, and updates to the Community Garden.
 
In the near term we would also like to update our Congregation Constitution. This update is recommended as part of the pastoral transition process. The intent is to update our congregation constitution to bring it into conformity with the Model Constitution for Congregations of the ELCA. There have been two major updates to the model constitution (in 2005 and 2020) since we last updated our congregation constitution in 1990. We have been working with Pastor Sarah Stobie from the synod office to draft the necessary revisions. They will be published once complete, and we will have a special congregational meeting to ratify the changes. Watch your emails for notifications and the draft constitution.
 
Finally, in the year ahead we plan to continue our Faithful Innovation experiments of listening to God, one another, and our neighbors and being present in the spaces of our wider communities. Ideas being developed include sharing stories of faith at a local pub and finding ways to help the local school district address the mental health concerns of teens.
 
Looking forward to another year of successful ministry. Blessing,
 
Tom

 
Happy new year! Well for those of you that think I’m a little bit early, I’m actually a little bit late. Yep, for the second month in a row I’m getting my monthly message out late and indeed the start of December brought the beginning of Advent which is the beginning of the church year. At this writing we are actually halfway through what is the shortest Advent season possible with the fourth Sunday falling on Christmas Eve. I have to admit that Advent has become my favorite season of the church year. Although, when I was a kid that wasn’t the case. In those days (that sounds like an old guy talking) the color for Advent in the church was purple and the emphasis was on repentance. It almost became like a mini-Lent and even with the excitement of the coming of Christmas I dreaded the appearance of the advent wreath and those purple paraments in the church. Now though the liturgical color for Advent is blue, the color of hope. With the emphasis on preparation for both the birth of Christ and the second coming I am renewed by the focus on hope, peace, joy, and love that each week of the season brings. I pray that regardless of the demands the season brings that you can at least pause, even if it is for a moment, to reflect on what the coming of the Christ child means for you and that you too are renewed.

Our Wednesday Advent Services are a great opportunity to stop and reflect on the season. However, unfortunately we only have one of those left on 12/13 at 7 pm (again the calendar not being our friend). The Holden Evening Prayer is so beautiful! On Sunday 12/17 our service will feature our intergenerational, no rehearsal, Christmas Program. Children of all ages are encouraged to participate. So bring the kids and the grand kids and put a costume on yourself. We will also offer a very beautiful Longest Night Christmas Service on Thursday 12/21 at 6:30 pm. This is a special Christmas service for those coping with grief and loss during the holiday season. However, I attend every year. The holiday memories always bring some sense of melancholy and remind me of the many family members who have passed. There is a great sense of peace about their absence from holiday celebrations after attending the Longest Night Service and the warm cider, cookies, and fellowship after the service helps to settle my heart as well. If you haven’t attended, do give it a try. With Christmas Eve falling on the fourth Sunday of Advent we will be offering a 10:00 am Christmas (not Advent) service as well as our traditional Candlelight Christmas Service and 5:30 pm. These are both guaranteed to be beautiful services as well. Then on Sunday December 31st our 10 am service will be a special Service of Community Prayer. We will offer up the prayers and intentions of our community that we have received. We have created a special email account where community members can email their prayer requests. We passed out cards with information about our Community Prayer Service and some glow sticks for the children (they loved it!) at the New Berlin Christmas Tree Lighting last week. We have some extra cards left that you can pass along to neighbors and friends on the table at the back of church. We are using social media and our website to get the word out, but you can help us too. That email is [email protected]. You can see there is a lot going on at Resurrection this month.
 
I also want to take this opportunity to thank you all for a very successful Harvest Sunday. We raised over $13,000 for our ministry partners. Council will be determining during its December meeting how to best disburse those funds. I am overwhelmed by the generosity of this congregation. Please watch your snail mailbox for a letter recapping other aspects of this year’s Stewardship Campaign.
 
Blessing of the Advent and Christmas Season, Tom

I’m a little late getting this out. We are already a week into November but that allows me to share some information about all the activity around here. Last Sunday. November 5th was All Saints Sunday, and we were blessed by the presence of Pastor Matt Short, Assistant to the Bishop for Evangelical Mission. We began with our All Saints Remembrance, during which we read the names of our loved ones, those saints, who have gone before us. I had the opportunity to read those names aloud and I want to say that as emotional as it is to hear those names read it is even more so to be the one reading them. During Pastor Short’s message he spoke of this feeling when he said, “It feels like hallowed ground.” Indeed it did. He went on to remind us that all those we named as well as the countless ones we didn’t lived a life of discipleship and faith and the reading of the Beatitudes during the gospel lesson was a glimpse of what God’s kingdom looks like on earth. He challenged us to also live such a life. At the service we also installed your Mission Exploration Team (MET). Many thanks again to Cindy Duffin, Tracy Hahn, Karen VanDomelen, Karen Mannisto, Pat Marohl, Mary Sukopp, and Mattson Wick.
 
After the service, Pastor Short shared some really great information about ways to change our thinking to revitalize our ministry. Some of the information he shared comes directly from the book Leading Faithful Innovation that I wrote about last month. A book your Council is currently studying. The book proposes “simple” Spirit-led practices of listening to God, one another, and our neighbors and engaging in simple experiments of being present in the spaces of our wider communities where life takes place. One of the goals being to identify how God might be leading us into deeper relationships, connections and community where the gospel story speaks in conversation with ourselves and our neighbors. Pastor Short said one of his favorite quotes was, “We don’t think our way into new behavior, we behave our way into new thinking.” In that light we will be looking for your participation in some of these activities, meeting people where they are. The first one MAY be during the New Berlin Christmas Tree Lighting on December 2nd from 3:00-6:00 pm (try and keep that open on your calendar). We are hoping to pass out Holiday Greetings and an opportunity for people to share prayer requests during the event. We are still waiting for permission from the New Berlin Parks and Recreation Department, so I will forgo details at this point. I will just say watch future announcements and email for details.
 
Related to a ministry ideological shift from speaking to listening, Pastor Short shared another one of his favorite quotes: “For most people, feeling heard is so close to feeling loved, that the two are almost indistinguishable.” In the months ahead we will be looking for your participation in this as well. Our listening experiments will begin with listening to our own stories. This practice prepares us for listening to the stories of those in the community. Several congregation members have expressed an interest in presenting the message during a service. We will be encouraging them to share about their own spiritual journey. As they do think about what God might have been doing during these events in their lives. (Was God teaching, reassuring, encouraging, challenging, . . . them?). The hope is that the skills we develop while listening to one another will help us to better answer those same questions about the stories our neighbors share.
 
Looking ahead; next Sunday is Harvest Sunday (November 12th) when we will make our Harvest Offering for our outreach partners. Thanks to Sally Weiland for coordinating the stewardship and outreach presentations during the past weeks to make our commitments all the more meaningful. We will also be making our commitments of our time, talents, and financial contributions to our own ministry here at Resurrection. Don’t forget to stick around after service for the Bakery Auction, proceeds of which will also benefit our outreach partners. Finally, Sunday November 19th we’ll have pie!! This will be our annual Thanksgiving service followed by a Pie Social.
 
Blessings and Happy Thanksgiving,
Tom