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Connecting you with the ministry of Friedens Church January 2014 More information on page 3 NEW SUNDAY-MORNING CLASSES LOOKING AHEAD TO 2014 ENCOURAGING MISSIONARY LETTER
Connecting you with the ministry of Friedens Church January 2014
More information on page 3
NEW SUNDAY-MORNING CLASSES
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2014
ENCOURAGING MISSIONARY LETTER
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Senior Pastor By Brandon Lemons, Senior Pastor
Looking Ahead by Looking Back 2014 Edition
Each January, I devote my newsletter article to asking this question: “What happened in the past year that gives us clarity on where we’re going in the next year?” This is a great way to celebrate God’s work in our midst, along with casting vision for where we’re going. This year, I’m taking a slightly different approach. I’m using two book titles to explain what’s been happening and where we’re going as a church.
A Long Obedience in the Same Direction Eugene Peterson once wrote a book called A Long Obedience in the Same Direction. I love this
title as a picture of how the Christian life ought to be lived: in commitment to following Christ with intentionality and steadfastness (Phil. 3:12-14).
I think the idea of “a long obedience in the same direction” is important for a church, too, pro-vided that the “same direction” is a healthy one. There are certainly many churches that could use a major gut-check and re-alignment around Scripture and the Gospel. But if a church has a solid disciple-making vision, the key is to tenaciously pursue that goal over the long haul. Rather than seeking a “silver bullet” that will instantly supercharge the church’s disciple-making, this “long obedience” perspective looks at intentionally building for sustained spiritual vitality and fruitfulness. For years, Friedens has been talking a lot about making disciples of Jesus Christ. In 2013, as we continued to build toward a “long obedience” in this disciple-making direction, we’ve experienced significant fruit. The main way I can see this fruit is in the spiritual growth taking place in people’s lives. This growth is difficult to quantify but is ex-citing to see. The testimonies shared by the five people who were baptized in August are a great ex-ample of what we desire to see at Friedens; each
person who was baptized has experienced signifi-cant life transformation, and God has worked powerfully in their lives through the people and the ministries of Friedens Church! We’re seeing fruit borne through our disci-ple-making efforts, and we’re going to continue this “long obedience in the same direction” in 2014. I expect to see a continuation of what is already going well (such as Sunday-morning adult classes), along with greater intentionality, clarity, and alignment in all of our disciple-making efforts.
The Trellis and the Vine The image of “the trellis and the vine” is developed by Colin Marshall and Tony Payne in a book by the same name. The “trellis” represents the organizational structures of a church, and the “vine” represents peo-ple who are hopefully experiencing spiritual growth. The goal is not nec-essarily to have a fancy trellis but to have a fruitful vine. Unfortunately, many churches focus too much energy on building and maintaining the “trellis” and not enough time relationally investing in people’s lives to help them grow spiritually. The reason this image comes to mind as we enter 2014 is twofold. First, although a great trellis can’t create a
healthy vine, weak spots in a trellis can hamper the vine’s growth. During the past year, we’ve been addressing some of the “trellis” areas of our church that could use some improvement, such as: our financial structures, various policies, and the need for a new boiler and new exterior paint. We are going to continue to strengthen and streamline the “trellis” to en-sure that the growth of the “vine” isn’t impeded.
At the same time, our primary focus must always be on relationally investing in people’s lives to make disciples. One of our disciple-making values, which happens to be the theme of the upcoming RELATE Women’s Retreat, is Discipleship Through Relationships. We’re going to increasingly focus on how to most effectively invest in the “vine-work” of relationally making disciples.
As we look ahead to 2014, please be praying that God works powerfully to increasingly build us as a healthy, disciple-making church!
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Adult Discipleship InTouch for Women
Friedens Church is on Facebook! We encourage
you to “like” us!
Relate Women’s Retreat
Friedens’ InTouch Women’s Ministry will be hosting a retreat at the church on Friday, Jan-uary 24, from 6-10pm and Saturday, January 25, from 8:30am-noon. The theme of the retreat is “Discipleship through Relationships”; it’s all about how God’s “Plan A” for spiritual growth is to work through relationships among Christians to build us as followers of Christ. As Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man/woman sharpens another.” The retreat includes: praise & worship; engaging DVD teaching; inspir-ing testimonies from Friedens’ women; and breakout sessions for group discussion. The cost of the retreat is $10 per person, which includes supper on Friday and breakfast on Saturday. You can sign up on the Connection Card and make your check payable to Friedens Church and put it in the offering plate with a note stating that it’s for the retreat. Please invite your friends, too!
Membership & More!
The Friedens Foundations course is a 6-week course for anyone who would like to become a member of Friedens Church, and it’s also for anyone else who would like learn more about God or Friedens. This year, Friedens Foun-dations will begin on Sunday, March 9, and will meet six consecutive Sundays from 6:00-7:30pm at church. More information will come soon, but if you’re interested, please mark your calendar!
FRIEDENS FOUNDATIONS
New Adult Classes
A new set of Sunday-morning classes will begin on Janu-ary 5 at 9:25am. Each of these clas-ses focuses on our “IN” relationship with other Christians.
Living as God’s People - God has given us the in-credible privilege of being a part of something much bigger than ourselves that He is doing in the world. The biblical picture of who God calls His people to be, and how He intends for us to live, is breathtaking. This discussion-based class is rich in biblical study and practical application on how God has called us to live as His peo-ple. Led by David Toeller and Kevin Flierl in the classroom across from the nursery. The Five Love Languages - Jesus said, “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples” (John 13:35). But how do we love people around us in a way that is truly meaningful to them? This DVD-based class provides relevant, powerful principles that are appli-cable in all relationships - with friends, co-workers, children, spouses, and more! Led by Meghan Watry and Jesse & Justine Kopp in the church library. Uniquely Gifted - God has uniquely equipped each of us to contribute to building His Kingdom. Through biblical study and practical assessment tools, the Uniquely Gifted class will help you under-stand how God has uniquely equipped you to con-tribute to His Kingdom in a way that fits who you are and brings you joy (because God didn’t design service in His Kingdom to be drudgery). Led by Brandon Lemons in the Mezzanine-level classroom.
IN
UP
OUT
Men’s Ministry Brat Fry Sunday, January 26 Eat in or carry out!
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Buildings & Grounds
In December, the furnace at the Harrison Street parsonage was replaced by Coutts Heating & Cooling. The previous furnace was 22 years old and was becoming increasingly unreliable.
Annual Meeting Process
The time is approaching for Friedens’ annu-al congregational meeting. The process will be the same as it was the last couple of years. Here are important dates you’ll want to know:
Annual Report distributed: January 19 Congregational Forums: Sunday, January 26 @
noon and Tuesday, January 28 @ 6:30pm Annual Congregational Meeting, Potluck, &
Celebration: February 9 @ 11:45am
The following letter comes from Muammar and Nurgal Karakaya, who lead a church in Tur-key. Muammar, Nurgal, and their children came to faith in Christ through the ministry of Brian and Dana Phipps, who are Friedens-supported mis-sionaries. Due to the eco-nomic challenges of pastor-ing a church in Turkey, Friedens financially sup-ports this family’s ministry.
New Sermon Series starts January 5!
Missions Minute
Thank you to the 30+ people who helped decorate the church for Christmas!
40 people participated in caroling and a potluck
Dear Friends, Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I always thank God for you. Even though we live far away from each other geo-graphically, we are one family in Christ. Praise God, our church has grown in the last six months. Two Turkish women have come to faith in Christ. Their names are Melike and Mukaddes. Lord willing, we will organize a baptism celebration soon. In the meantime, these two women have officially changed their Turkish I.D. cards from Islam to Christi-anity. In our country, this is a very bold gesture. In the thirteen years that I have been a believer, only 9 people have done this in our city! Please pray for Melike and Mukaddes to continue to live with such great courage. Our church is also growing because of the un-stable conditions in Syria and Iran. Christian refugees have come to our city from these countries and are now worshipping with us. Consequently, our average weekly attendance is now thirty people. This is excit-ing, but it also presents challenges. Refugees are poor, needy people. Their difficulties far exceed our re-sources. Pray for God to lighten their troubles. As our church grows, Satan’s attacks have in-tensified. A few Christian friends have been tempted by Satan to be easily offended, and now these brothers have stopped attending worship altogether. Please pray that our church would grow in strength to ward off the deceitful darts of the enemy. Our Internet Evangelism is very fruitful. Each week we meet at least one new person and share the Gospel. Please pray that God would keep increasing the number of true seekers, and that as we open the Word of God they would understand what Christ has done for them.
Thank you for you kind support of our ministry. Love, Muammar and Nurgal Karakaya
Lessons from Nehemiah on building
a community for God’s purposes
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Student Ministry By David Toeller, Pastor of Student Ministries
Skateland outing on January 8 for all ages! Coming up on Wednesday, January 8, we are headed to Skateland in Cedarburg for this family event! Come out and join us as we spend 2 hours together skating, playing games, listening to Christian music, and meeting new people. The cost for this event is $4 for everyone who is skating and that price includes rentals and
skating from 6-8pm.
The pictures above are from Sunday 12/22 when some of the high school students shaved their heads or dyed their hair to support Natalie Bozikowski. Schedule for Sunday nights in January: 1/5/14 Discipleship Group at David’s House 1/8/14 Skateland 1/12/14 Gathering at Mike and Ilynn Brown’s House—1654 W Second Ave, Port Washington. 1/19/14 Discipleship Group at David’s House 1/26/14 Gathering at David’s House
Week of: Elementary Sunday School
Middle School Sunday School
High School Sunday School
iGnite Middle School Bible
Study
12/29-1/4 No Bible Study No Bible Study No Bible Study No iGnite No Bible Study
1/5-1/11 God Sends a Rainbow
Understanding How God Speaks
How can I be made right with God?
Skating @ Skateland
Skateland
1/12-1/18 God Appears to Abram in a Vision
Listening Together to the Voice of God
What does it mean to be a child of God?
Joseph Sent to Egypt
A new command
1/19-1/25 The Israelites Drink Bitter Water
Creation: The Story Begins
What does being “born again” mean?
Joseph’s Dream Came
True
Retreat at Timber-Lee 1/17-1/19
1/26-2/1 Samuel Anoints David King
The Fall: Paradise Lost and the
Aftermath
Why did Jesus have to sacrifice His life for me
to be saved?
Moses was Born and
Called
Daniel—stand up against
peer pressure
These are some of the pictures
from the Middle School
Christmas Party.
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OCS Corner By Doris Feider-Schlenvogt
Friedens Family News January 2014
Happy Birthday To...
Alan & Donna Schlenvogt 1/15
David & Charissa Toeller 1/16
Those who are Homebound
Mary Ann Fitzpatrick Ellen’s Home #6 1800 Granite Street, Port 53074 262-284-9250
Delores Leppla Lasata Care Center
W76 N667 Wauwatosa Rd., Cedarburg 53012
Lydia Swatek Harbor Village 284-2165 333 W. Walters St. Apt 2J, Port 53074
Lillian Schanen 6576 Silver Beach Rd N.
Cedar Grove, 53013 262-285-3855 She resides at Belgium Gardens
John & Winnie Ansay 418 Lisa Circle
Belgium, 53004 262-285-3625
Alice Rabenhorst Harbor Club 425 W. Walters St. Apt. #10
Port Washington, WI 53074 262-285-3525
Gerald Olson Allouez Parkside Village 1901 Libal St. #167 Green Bay, WI 54301
Dorothy Yurske Ellen’s Home #119
1800 Granite Street, Port 53074 262-268-9555
Scott Waranius 1/2
Mike Brown 1/3
Stacey Cline 1/4
Henry Nowak 1/4
Harper Stowell 1/4
Kyler Kelenic 1/5
Alice Rabenhorst 1/5
David Toeller 1/7
James Ward 1/11
Deborah Jones 1/15
Happy Anniversary To…
Roberta Schlenvogt 1/16
Duane Laessig 1/17
Don Schulze 1/21
Terry Wetzel 1/22
Sheli Benson 1/23
Sam Sternhagen 1/25
Terri Dekker 1/25
Ben Shively 1/25
Christine Betka 1/28
On Feb. 6 at 10am, OCS will host its first Kindergarten Information Sessions. There’s a second on Feb. 27 at 6:30pm. Come and find out how Christian Education can benefit both your child and your family. Contact OCS at 284-6980 with questions. Are you cleaning out your house after the holiday rush? Please remember Hidden Treasure Resale shop with your gently-used, saleable items.
Dear Pastor Brandon and the Friedens Church Family, Classical Conversations (CC) would like to show appreciation to the body of Christ in this local church for supporting our CC Community on our home education journey. For the past year and a half you have helped support us in our mission to reclaim educa-tion for the edification of the family and for the glory of God by allowing us to use your church building, and for that we are tru-ly grateful. Classical Conversations strives to give 10% of their profits toward kingdom building efforts, and this check for $500 is part of that effort. We consider it an honor to be able to sup-port Friedens Church here in Port Washington. You are helping us reach many families and fur-ther our mission “To know God and to make Him known.” Thank you. Sincerely, Katherine Wagenknecht Director/Support Manager Classical Conversations is a homeschool group that rents Friedens’ building on Tuesdays. It was a pleasant surprise to receive this $500 gift on top of their normal building-use fees.
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Prayer Calendar January 2014
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all genera-tions, for ever and ever! Amen.” (Eph. 3:20-21)
Wednesday, January 1 – Praise God for the gift of a New Year. Pray for Friedens Church, that we would be a community centered on the Gospel. Pray that we would live the mission statement by loving God wholeheartedly, connecting with one another authen-tically, and sharing God’s love generously!
Thursday, January 2 - Pray for Blaze, Friedens’ youth ministry, and for Pastor David Toeller. Pray that David would lead the ministry in a way that brings God great glory. Pray that students grow in their love for the Lord and their care for each other. Pray that each stu-dent would feel prepared to give an answer for the hope they have in Christ.
Friday, January 3- Praise God for the gift of adoption, that each of us who have a relationship with Christ has been adopted into God’s family. Pray for those in our church in the adoption process and that additional families in our church will consider adopting children. Praise God that He is the Father to the fatherless. Take some time to pray for those in our church who are fatherless or don’t see fathers often.
Saturday, January 4 - Pray for those in our church who are grieving the loss of a parent or loved one. Pray that they will cling to Christ in their griev-ing. Pray for Mark and Denise Lewis and their children as they minister with EFCA ReachGlobal and help pro-vide aid to victims of disasters and disease around the world.
Sunday, January 5 - Pray that people at Friedens will go out of their way to warmly welcome newcomers. Pray for the ministry of the greeters, ushers, hospitality team, and visitation team, and that God will work through Friedens’ ministry this morning. Pray for those who do not yet know the Lord: our neighbors, friends, family, and co-workers. Pray that we would be salt and light in their lives, and that Friedens would be a safe place for them to explore the Gospel.
Monday, January 6– Pray for Pastor Brandon Lemons, that God will give him wisdom to lead Friedens. Pray for Brandon and Shelly as they balance work time with family and couple time.
Tuesday, January 7 – Pray for missionaries Chip and Lisa Martinson and their children Lizzie and Emma,
serving with Cru in Milwaukee. Pray they would have wisdom each day to tackle the various chal-lenges and situations that come with campus min-istry.
Wednesday, January 8 - Pray for Shelly Lemons and Charissa Toeller as they partner in ministry with their husbands. Pray for Charissa and Shelly as they care for Luke & Jackson and Mikias & Tehi-la, that they will continue to look to God for re-freshment, joy, and wisdom. Pray that God will help them balance ministry and family. Thursday, January 9– Pray for Charissa Toeller as she leads the worship team once again. Pray for the Toeller family as they adjust to life with two children. Pray for Kevin Flierl, that God would open many support doors for Kevin so he can serve in full time ministry in Switzerland soon.
Friday, January 10 - Pray for area pregnancy cen-ters helping women make life-affirming choices. Pray that workers would succeed in saving lives and that abortion on demand will one day no long-er be practiced in our country.
Saturday, January 11– Pray for the ladies in Port Washington who are unable to come to church fre-quently: MaryAnn Fitzpatrick, Lydia Swatek, and Dorothy Yurske. Pray that they would recognize how vital their ministry of prayer is to our congre-gation.
Sunday, January 12 - Praise God for all of the peo-ple involved in the Sunday morning classes at Friedens. Pray for each teacher/facilitator, that they would represent the Gospel well. Pray for each learner, that they would have a soft heart and a teachable spirit. Pray for great times of learning and connection.
Monday, January 13– Pray for Natalie Bozikowski as she undergoes chemotherapy. Pray that God ease her pain, calm her heart, and bring her joy each day in this cancer journey. Pray that we as a church can partner with and encourage the Bozikowski family.
Tuesday, January 14 – Pray for Rodney and Faith Unruh and their children serving with Africa In-land Missions in Kenya. Pray for Jack and Joan Stockdale and family serving with Great Commis-sions Ministries as they transition from life in Po-land to life in the United States.
Wednesday, January 15 - Praise God for the gift of marriage. Pray that Christ will be at the center of all Friedens marriages. Pray for those whose marriages are struggling. Pray for good communi-
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cation, grace for each other, forgiveness, and re-building trust. Pray for those in our church who are newly married, that they will walk in unity and cling to each other as they adjust to married life.
Thursday, January 16 - Pray for Ozaukee Christian School students and staff. Pray that God will use OCS to assist parents in educating their children. Pray for Pastor Mark Voll and Village Bible Evangelical Free Church, where he serves as pastor.
Friday, January 17 - Pray for Friedens’ staff as they plan, pray, and encourage one another in ministry. Pray for a spirit of unity among the staff team, among church leadership, and in our entire church. Pray that God would be glorified through the words spoken and their actions taken.
Saturday, January 18– Pray for Jim and Debi Godsey as they minister in Milwaukee through KidzInThe Hood. Pray that many children and families would experience life transformation as a result of Christ’s love. Pray for recovering addicts who are trying to turn their lives around for the Lord, that churches would be a safe place for these hurting people and would point them to hope in Christ!
Sunday, January 19- Pray for Heidi Schuldt, Friedens administrative assistant. Pray that she will be encouraged as she serves at Friedens! Pray for Jon and Lauren Emanuelson serving with ZEMA in South Africa. Pray that God would give them wisdom as they balance ministry and family in a way that honors God
Monday, January 20 - Pray for healthy families at Friedens, and that parents will make decisions that prioritize the well-being of their family. Pray that our church would be a welcome oasis for families and empower parents to raise children in the truth of Scripture.
Tuesday, January 21 – Praise God for all of the chil-dren who come to iGnite each week. Pray that they would be very curious about the Gospel and would see it represented and lived out well by all who serve in this ministry.
Wednesday, January 22- Pray for the Evangelical Free Church of America and its president, Dr. Bill Hamel. Pray for the Forest Lakes District’s Superin-tendent, Galen Nagel. Pray for Jerry and Kathy Singh and their children as they serve God through One Way Evangelistic Ministries in Wyoming.
Thursday, January 23 – Pray for God’s vision and wisdom for Friedens’ elders. Pray that the church council will have discernment as they lead the
church. Pray for unity among those in leadership. Pray that they would live lives worthy of the calling they have received.
Friday, January 24 – Pray for the women’s retreat beginnings today. Pray that each woman who at-tends would be compelled by the Gospel to make disciples and grow in her understanding of disciple-ship. Pray that God would remove barriers of work schedules, child care, commutes and anything that would hinder women attending so that many wom-en can come to this time of growing and sharing.
Saturday, January 25- Pray for those in our church who feel lonely or disconnected, that they will find refuge in the Lord and encouragement in the Friedens community. Pray today for those God will be leading to church tomorrow! Pray that they would make choices today that would allow them to come to Friedens in the morning!
Sunday, January 26 - Pray that Friedens will be a faithful steward of our church facilities, and praise God for Gary Schlenvogt as he coordinates the care of our building and grounds. Praise God for our won-derful church custodians; pray they would be en-couraged as they serve.
Monday, January 27 – Pray for Bob Unkel and the finance committee, as they prayerfully track our church finances. Pray that Friedens attendees would give generously and experience joy in giving. Thank God for meeting Friedens’ needs.
Tuesday, January 28 – Pray for Paul and Susan Olmsted and their children as they raise funds need-ed to serve the Lord through New Tribes Mission. Pray for Sasha and AniaZubenko and their young family in Poland as they serve with Great Commis-sion Ministries. Pray they will effectively minister to the Polish people.
Wednesday, January 29 - Pray for Dan and Deb Kensel and their children as they minister to the Thai people through The Sowers’ Hands International. Pray for Brian and Dana Phipps and their children as they transition back to life overseas.
Thursday, January 30 – Pray that Trinity Evangeli-cal Divinity School would have spiritual vitality and faithfulness as they train pastors, missionaries, and ministry leaders.
Friday, January 31 – Pray for those who are no longer able to frequently make it to church: Lillian Schanen (Belgium), John and Winnie Ansay (Belgium), and Delores Leppla (Cedarburg). Pray that they would be encouraged each day by God and others.
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Pastors at District Conference
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1
Office Closed Happy New
Year!
No Ignite
2
3
4
Men’s Break-fast @ 8am
@ Firehouse Restaurant in Saukville
5
See Sunday schedule
above
6
7
Middle School
Bible Study 6:30-8:00
8
Skateland 6-8pm
No iGnite
9
10
11
12
See Sunday schedule
above
13
14
Middle School
Bible Study 6:30-8:00
15
Ignite 6:15-7:30pm
16
17
18
19
See Sunday schedule
above
20
Church Council Meeting 6:30pm
21
Middle School Bible Study 6:30-8:00
22
Ignite 6:15-7:30pm
23
24
RELATE Women’s Retreat 6-10pm
25
RELATE Women’s Retreat
8:30am-noon
26
See Sunday schedule
above
Brat Fry
Congregational Forum @ noon
27
28
Congregational Forum
@ 6:30pm
Middle School Bible Study 6:30-8:00
29
Ignite 6:15-7:30pm
30 31
January 2014
= Heidi in Office
LifeGroups and Bible
Studies meet throughout
the month. Check the
bulletin or call the church
office for details.
Regular Sunday Morning Schedule
7:30 am - Prayer in Library 8:00 am - Worship Service 9:25 am - Sunday School &
Adult Classes 10:30 am - Worship Service
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Senior Pastor
Brandon Lemons
Cell: 262-685-8838
Pastor of Children & Youth
David Toeller
Cell: 262-573-2526
Worship Team Leader
Charissa Toeller
Administrative Assistant
Heidi Schuldt
Office: 262-284-2471
Contact Information:
Church Phone: 262-284-2471
Fax: 262-284-3390
Web: www.friedenschurch.org
E-mail: [email protected]
Day Off:
Pastor Brandon - Monday
Pastor David - Friday
A Gospel-centered community that seeks to glorify God by...
loving Him wholeheartedly, connecting with one another authentically, and sharing God’s love generously.
Officers:
Terry Bartel (Council President) Bob Heine (Council Vice President)
Bob Unkel (Treasurer)
Church Leadership:
Church Council:
Terry Bartel (Elder)
Bob Heine (Elder)
Rose Morgan (Deaconess)
Jim Purdy (Elder)
Mary Unkel (Deaconess)
Friedens Evangelical Church
454 N. Milwaukee St.
Port Washington, WI 53074
