Here`s - Cross of Life Lutheran Church

A Cross of Life Monthly Newsletter
Crossroads ...
Where Information and Inspiration Meet
July 2015
Minister’s Minute
“No, if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing
this you will heap burning coals on their heads. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
~ The apostle Paul writing in Romans 12:20-21
NBC News was the first to report
one of the saddest elements of
the recent murder of nine people
in Emanuel AME Church in
Charleston, S.C. The shooter,
Dylann Roof, told authorities that
he almost didn’t carry out the
shooting “because everyone (at the
church) was so nice” to him.
I don’t blame her for expressing
this second sentiment. It is the
prevailing human instinct to want
vengeance in the face of evil. This
is what makes the response of the
families all the more inspiring.
The spontaneous outpouring
of their souls was to go against
human instinct and to follow their
Meanwhile, there has been a
faith. Somewhere within them
rapid retreat from the defense of
they knew Paul’s words from
flying the Confederate flag over
Romans 12 and Jesus’ similar
the South Carolina State House.
words throughout the gospels.
Many have speculated that in
Vengeance consumes us. Good
very-churched South Carolina this redeems us.
opinion change has been fueled
Many people don’t believe that
by the consistent actions of the
and there’s nothing I or anyone
families of the victims. From their
else can say if they aren’t willing
first public statements forward
to take Jesus and Paul at their
they have forgiven the shooter.
word. Still, if the South Carolina
I don’t know about you, but I
legislature votes to remove the flag
find both these things absolutely
from the capital, the aftermath of
remarkable and SO indicative of
this shooting will have changed
the true power of the Christian
in months what hasn’t changed in
faith.
150 years.
What mix of mental illness and
racism drove Dylann Roof? That
those nine people were so nice
to him that it almost caused his
best instincts to override his worst
... what an amazing Christian
witness.
Meanwhile, the governor of
South Carolina, Nikki Haley,
commendably called for the
Confederate flag to come down
while also terming Roof a “person
filled with hate” who needs to be
executed.
Part of that change will be
attributable to 9 families that held
onto their faith when everything
around them was falling apart.
Our faith has a very public
dimension precisely because it
goes against human instinct: those
9 caring for the killer in their
midst, and their families forgiving
it ... together they made it clear
hate would not define them the
way it did the killer.
Cross of Life Lutheran Church
A witness like that changes the
world and turning our fallen
world right-side-up is the essence
of Good News. We make a mistake
if in moments like this we forget
that equally powerful in our faith
heritage is the need to embrace
peace, not war ... the need to
work among the poor rather than
recline with the rich.
We regularly ignore Jesus’ words
on these matters, just as we do
with forgiveness. It should not
take tragedies to realize Jesus
meant us, not someone else ... and
that he meant now, not later.
I personally know I am blessed
because each year I spend time
in El Salvador and on the near
north side of Milwaukee, and
in Brookfield. These are such
different places! Worlds apart.
Each place has despicable, hurtful
people. But each of those places
also has prayerful, faith-full people
who I know, like those 9 families
in South Carolina, would hang
onto their faith even if everything
else fell apart.
Pray that you’ll never need to
doubt if you could do it tomorrow
... because you proactively chose to
be passionate about it today.
~ John
Page 2
Sunday School
Be Part of ABC Summer!
Catch the Buzz VBS
is a Wrap and a Win!
Sign Up NOW for
Evening VBS in July!
Kids, Crew Leaders and Adults from
Christ the King and Cross of Life had
an amazing week at Catch the Buzz
VBS! They spent the week laughing,
singing, making friends, hearing
great Bible Stories and learning about
MALARIA! That doesn’t sound like a fit
for VBS at all, but it was the best VBS
ever! We joined the worldwide fight to
make this very serious disease history!
Malaria affects millions of people all over
the world ... especially children. It was
“eradicated” (our new favorite word) in
the U.S. in the 1950’s, and with our help
we know it can be zapped forever. Check
out the great pictures of our week below
and be on the lookout for ways you can
join the fight. Catch the Buzz may be
over but our effort to send mosquito nets
and anti-malaria medicine continues.
The world is coming to the rescue and
we are helping make malaria history!
The VBS fun continues with an
evening VBS option for your whole
household! Sign up NOW for our
Evening VBS High Seas Adventure
on July 14, 15 & 16 from 5:308:00 p.m. Parents, grandparents,
aunts, uncles, kids, friends, random
houseguests who have wandered in
... Evening VBS is for all ages! Get
your crew ready to shove off on an
exciting adventure on the high seas
with Jesus. Your crew will enjoy
a nightly dinner at the Captain’s
Table, and each evening includes
awesome activities and working on
a super service project. It will be
filled with family fellowship and a
boatload of the best Bible stories;
Jesus did his best teaching on water!
BOOK YOUR PASSAGE WITH
JESUS ONLINE NOW through
our VBS web page!
Preschool-Grade 2 kids are having a
blast each week in our special ABC
Summer Sunday School program. Each
lesson follows a letter of the alphabet.
July is brought to you by the letters
“P,” “R” and “S.” (ABC SSS will take a
holiday break on Sunday, July 5.) There
is no registration; come when you can!
Friends, cousins and overnight guests
are always welcome. A few more ABC
Leaders are needed! Please contact Jo
Ann Tomm at [email protected] to
volunteer for your week and your letter.
Enroll NOW for Next Year!
We are already making plans for next
year’s Sunday school, so NOW is the
time to sign up the kids in your family!
SIGN UP ONLINE at the COL website
under ONLINE FORMS. Please complete
a new form for each child (age 3 through
entering Grade 6). Thank you!
Kids Daytime VBS 2015: Catch the Buzz! Held June 22-26 at COL & CTK Campuses
Christ the King has the biggest, best lawn
for running! (You should try it sometime!)
Watch out! Everyone’s getting wet at our
group Water Dump in the COL lot.
Think our kids are having fun? It
sure is all smiles at COL Craft Fever!
CTK’s Craft Fever was all a buzz as we
played with our straw mosquitos.
Kids have fun just hanging out, waiting for
their fried plantains to cool off.
Kids and Crew Leaders use wooden
blocks as they build ... friendships!
EPIC Student Ministries
Page 3
NATIONAL YOUTH
GATHERING: JULY 15-19
EAST COAST ROAD TRIP:
JULY 28-31
Sr. High students from COL and CTK
will attend the ELCA National Youth
Gathering in Detroit and will be gone
Wednesday, July 15, to Sunday, July 19.
Our East Coast Road Trip (ECRT)
will take place Tuesday, July 28, to
Friday, July 31. Our travelers will
visit Wisconsin State Parks along
the “East Coast” of Wisconsin.
It’s a great experience enjoyed
by students who have completed
8th Grade Confirmation Class.
Please keep our students and adult
leaders in your prayers as they get
to know one another in a whole
different setting and deepen their
faith through conversation and
shared experiences.
Please keep our COL and CTK youth
travelers in your prayers: Quinn
Brownell, Alexis Canitz, Kirsten Daly,
Katie Daul, Erin Dowling, Klaus
Ebenhoch, Greg Friestedt, Jacob
Gravenkamp, Spencer Gravenkamp,
Abby Hill, Nick Hill, Michael
Horner-Ibler, Marissa Jurasovich,
Kim Kapitan, Johnny Kelley, Sydney
LeClaire, Emmett Nelson, Adam
Nygard, Aaron Rooney, Kylie Sprecher
and David Wilkins.
Please also pray for (and thank!) our
adult travelers: Matt Griepentrog,
Sherrie Lorbeck, Cindy Ebenhoch, Eric
Gravenkamp, Ann Hill, Bill Rooney,
Susie Sprecher and Michelle Wilkins.
Check COL’s Facebook page and Sr.
High’s Instagram for photos & updates!
Above: Travelers to the 2012 ELCA
National Youth Gathering in New
Orleans pose in front of the St. Louis
Cathedral in Jackson Square shortly
after getting a caffeine and sugar
buzz on chicory coffee and beignets
at Cafe Du Monde. It’s true!
Questions on any of our trips?
Contact Matt Griepentrog
at [email protected] or
651-253-8515.
At right: Travelers on last year’s East
Coast Road Trip take time to pose for
our annual traditional photo at Ledge
View Nature Center near Chilton.
“Catch the Buzz” was the theme of Kids Daytime VBS 2015 and it was a hit! Held June 22-26 at the COL and CTK campuses, it was
VBS at its best: playful with a purpose. VBS kids were a part of life in an African village and had a blast buzzing and singing and
making friends ... but they also took part in the global campaign to fight malaria! Thanks to our amazing Crew Leaders (pictured
above) as well as Mo the Mosquito (aka Muriel Otto) and Plasmo the Parasite (aka Pastor John). They’re not hard to spot!
Page 4
Worship & Music
TWO Worship Times
on Summer Sundays!
Florist Closing;
Re-Opening Under APC
Check Out CTK’s
Summer Schedule!
We continue our Summer Schedule
with TWO Sunday worship times:
8:30 & 10:00 a.m. Saturday worship
remains at 5:00 p.m. Our Summer
Schedule runs through Labor Day
weekend. Our regular program year
resumes Rally Weekend: Sept. 12-13.
Last month was a big one for our urban
partner church Florist Avenue. On
June 14 they celebrated the retirement
of their pastor Carol Creitz and voted
unanimously to close as “Florist”
and turn all their assets over to All
People’s Lutheran Church (APC).
They are doing this to re-open as a
new, second campus for the vibrant
APC ministry, with a hip hop service
every Sunday night and lots of
outreach into the community.
Christ the King’s Summer Worship
schedule is now in effect:
Summer Schedule:
Now Until Sept. 12-13
As a reminder, many of our programs
have schedule changes or take a hiatus
during the summer months. Below
are some changes to keep in mind:
• Sunday Worship: 8:30 & 10:00 a.m.
• Sunday School: ABC Summer on
Sundays only: 8:30 & 10:00 a.m.
• No Sr. High Cafe or Youth Group
• No Adult Forum or Bible Study
• No Adult Choirs or Youth Choirs
• Small Groups: some are on hiatus
but many meet in summer ...
including some new ones! See the
article on page 7 for details, then
check out their web pages!
Our regular program year resumes
Rally Weekend: September 12-13.
They officially closed and re-birthed on
Sunday, June 28, at a closing ceremony
attended by Cross of Life-ers and
against the backdrop of a beautiful
banner made by our kids in Vacation
Bible School. This is a big and brave
step for our long-time urban partner,
and it is yet another example of
churches doing creative collaborations
to make more ministry happen, so
we will keep looking for ways to
support them and whatever this new
ministry looks like. Thank you to all
the COL-ers who have supported the
Florist community for so many years.
We look forward to a new chapter of
our partnership together!
• One Sunday service at 9:30 a.m.
(until September 20)
• Weekday worship on Thursdays
at 6:30 p.m. (through August 27)
Weekday worship is a wonderful
way to stay connected, especially if
you’re out of town for the weekend!
CTK’s Rally Weekend
Festival: Sept. 11-12
Christ the King will hold its 4th
Annual Rally Weekend Festival on
Friday-Saturday, September 11-12.
Below is the tentative schedule:
Friday Sept. 11 ~ 4:00-11:00 p.m.
Fish Fry Dinner, Car Show, 50’s and
60’s Music (Cold Sweat and the Brew
City Horns return)
Saturday Sept. 12 ~ 3:00-11:00 p.m.
Chicken Dinner, Band, Children’s
Activities & Games, Magic Show,
Dance Performance, Talent Show.
Please mark your calendars and plan
to attend ... and volunteer as needed!
Confirmation students who finished
7th Grade enjoyed a faith-filled week
together on June 14-19 at Imago Dei
Village Camp in Clintonville.
“Because true belonging only happens
when we present our authentic,
imperfect selves to the world, our sense
of belonging can never
be greater than our level
of self-acceptance.”
~ Brené Brown
Our VBS Kids & Crew created an awesome
banner for the former Florist Avenue
Lutheran Church, now re-opened as a
new, second campus for the vibrant All
Peoples’ Lutheran Church ministry.
Find the fun for yourself at CTK’s Rally
Weekend Festival September 11-12.
(These are not paid actors; they’re
really having that much fun at last
year’s event! Come find out why!)
Servanthood
Page 5
Rutilio Grande Gets
Computer Center!
Cross Lutheran
Looks for Listeners
Service Opportunities
Spread Son-Shine
Check it out – your benevolence dollars
at work! Thanks to your generous
giving to COL and some incredibly
hard-working friends in El Salvador,
our rural partner Comunidad Rutilio
Grande is going to have a computer
center at last! So cool! Speaking of
cool, their newly constructed room is
complete with air conditioning! (This
is a first for Rutilio Grande and was
done to protect the equipment from
fluctuations in heat and humidity.)
This is a big step for education in rural
El Salvador. Next step: computers and
Internet. Stay tuned! We can’t wait to
see the new center in person in August!
Every Wednesday, our urban partner
Cross Lutheran Church dedicates the
entire day to outreach programs for
their neighborhood: a community
meal, food pantry, Bible study, and
drug and alcohol recovery support
groups. Community Minister Easter
Dethrow says, “There’s something
about Cross; when you get mixed
up with all these different people
you just come out a different person.
A better person. God has a way of
knocking you off your square every
now and again, and it just changes
your life in a big way.”
This summer, make someone’s life
a little sunnier by showing up and
showing you care. There are lots of
ways to spread your light, so see
the list below and contact muriel@
crossoflife.org with any questions.
Kids from Rutilio Grande pose in their
new computer center, made possible
through your generous giving!
El Salvador Travelers
Head Out Aug. 8-15
Please pray for our COL travelers who
will be going on our next mission trip
to El Salvador August 8-15. This is our
annual relationship-building trip where
we spend time with our rural partner
community of Rutilio Grande and
our urban partners at Pastor Norma’s
church, Cordero de Dios (Lamb of
God) in Soyapango.
Want to know something really cool?
For this trip, COL will be sending
five parent/child pairs! They will be:
Muriel Otto & Mathew Chasanoff,
John & Michael Horner-Ibler, Brian
& Maddy Flynn, Lynn & Katherine
Dolan and Maria & Ashleigh Manby.
Bonding and blessings abound!
This month, there’s a unique and fun
way for you to get “mixed up” with
some very inspiring people who live
a very different life than the one most
of us know in Brookfield. In an effort
to quantify the ministry’s impact,
get to know clients and gather
stories of empowerment for grant
writing, Cross Lutheran is looking
for volunteers to administer a
survey to guests of the Wednesday
outreach programs. They’re looking
for 10 volunteers who are friendly,
welcoming and who are good
listeners to talk with people about
their experiences in the programs.
They need help three Wednesdays –
July 22, July 29 and August 5, all
from 9:00-11:30 a.m. – and you can
pick one, two or all three weeks.
This is a very cool excuse to hear
people’s stories! Contact muriel@
crossoflife.org if you’re interested.
Love to hear peoples’ stories? Check
out the opportunity to do so at Cross
Lutheran Church this month!
Cross Lutheran’s Food Pantry
Every Wednesday ~ 10:30 am-noon
Agape Community Meal
Thursday, July 2 ~ 4:00-7:00 pm
Cook and/or Serve Dinner at
Serenity Inn with Cross of Life
Friday, July 10 ~ 5:45-7:00 pm
Cook and/or Serve Dinner at
Serenity Inn with Christ the King
Tuesday, July 14 ~ 5:45-7:00 pm
Monday, July 20 ~ 5:45-7:00 pm
Survey Guests at Cross Lutheran’s
Empowerment Outreach Programs
Wednesdays, July 22 & 29 and Aug. 5
9:00-11:30 am
Serve at Waukesha Food Pantry
Saturday, July 25 ~ 9:00 am–noon
Serve at Waukesha Food Pantry
Thursday, July 30 ~ 6:00-8:00 pm
Serve Lunch at COL for Family
Recovery Program
Saturday, Aug. 1 ~ 10:30-12:30 pm
The COL/CTK Community Vegetable
Garden at CTK provides our partners
with much-needed fresh produce. If
you can help tend the garden in any
way, please contact jrconstable@
sbcglobal.net. You will benefit, too! As
they say, “Gardening is cheaper than
therapy ... and you get tomatoes.”
Page 6
Messages & More
Council Corner
Take the COL Quiz!
Cross of Life’s many ministries
continue to depend on the support
and generosity of our members.
There are many convenient ways in
which you can share your gifts with
Cross of Life.
EFT giving is an area that has been
very successful and which we hope
will continue to grow. Setting up
regular transfers directly from your
bank account is easy and convenient.
It also helps make Cross of Life’s
revenue stream more consistent
throughout the year, and helps to
smooth over some of the seasonal
peaks and valleys associated with the
church calendar.
If you aren’t set up for EFT giving
and would like to do so, or if you
are set up for EFT but haven’t
updated your giving amount in a
while, you can contact Ann Hill
at [email protected] to get more
information and the forms to do so.
(The EFT Authorization Form is also
on our Online Forms web page.)
Updating EFT giving levels will also
be a focus of upcoming stewardship
campaigns.
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THIS PHOTO?
1) To increase Sunday School
enrollment, Jo Ann Tomm uses the
ELCA-frowned-upon method of
catching kids with nets, known as
“Catch the Kids!”
2) Kids and Crew Leaders learn about
ELCA’s campaign to fight malaria
during VBS 2015, “Catch the Buzz!”
There are also ways to give on a
less regular basis. By visiting Cross
of Life’s homepage and clicking on
the blue “Donate Now” button, you
can make gifts directly from your
bank account or your credit card.
Additionally, Cross of Life also
accepts gifts in the form of stock. As
with EFT questions, contact Ann Hill
if you would like to make a stock gift.
Of course, there is always the
tried-and-true weekly offering
at Saturday and Sunday services.
Whatever the method, your support
is critical in continuing and growing
the ministries we all enjoy at Cross of
Life, and is greatly appreciated.
~ Greg Schrieber,
Finance Cmte. Chair
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THIS PHOTO?
1) Muriel Otto and John Horner-Ibler
have been making poor wardrobe
choices as members of a church staff.
(But who wants to tell them?)
2) Muriel Otto (aka Mo the Mosquito)
and John Horner-Ibler (aka Plasmo
the Parasite) were a “memorable”
part of VBS 2015!
Money Matters
After a slow stewardship start to
2015, COL is getting closer to our
budgeted giving levels in recent
weeks. Thank you for continuing
your generous giving to support
all the ministries at COL. Another
fact is that worship attendance in
summer is lower – so if EFT can
help smooth out your contributions,
please consider that option. A great
example of what our contributions
support is Daytime Kids VBS the
week of June 22 – a huge number
of children learning about faith and
having a great time doing it.
Thank you also for completing our
Stewardship Survey! So far we have
114 responses, and I will keep the
survey open for a few more days.
If you have not had a chance to
complete the survey, please contact
Ann Hill at [email protected] for
the link. Your thoughts on pledging,
stewardship and related matters
really help us plan the finances of the
church. I will report survey results
later this summer.
Early responses to the survey
revealed some confusion about
the effect of our relationship
with Christ the King. In fact, our
relationship with CTK has been a
net positive for COL – we are saving
expenses through this relationship so
far. Further, the partnership between
COL and CTK is separate from any
building projects to be considered
in the future – some people seem to
have mixed those two issues. As we
consider 2015, we will most probably
combine our stewardship appeal with
both congregations – your input is
always welcomed!
~ Lloyd Brown
Stewardship Chair
Stewardship forms can be found
on our Online Forms web page.
The “Bulletin” Board
Page 7
Some Small Groups
Still Meet in Summer
Join Our Evening VBS
for Families: July 14-16
Are You Continuing
to Connect the Dots?
While most of our Small Groups
are on summer hiatus, we do have
a few that continue to meet year
‘round, including some new ones
that have been recently formed.
Below are the Small Groups that
meet this summer. Please check
out their web pages (under Invite /
Small Groups for more info!)
Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles,
kids, friends, random houseguests
who have wandered in ... Evening VBS
is for all ages! Sign up your whole
household for our Evening VBS High
Seas Adventure on July 14, 15 & 16
from 5:30-8:00 p.m. It will be filled with
family fellowship and a boatload of the
best Bible stories. After all, Jesus did his
best teaching on water! BOOK YOUR
PASSAGE WITH JESUS ONLINE
NOW through our VBS web page!
Questions? Contact Jo Ann Tomm at
[email protected] then hop aboard!
Sometimes summertime is the BEST
time to Connect the Dots! Schedules
are a little bit lighter, so maybe now
you’ve got the time to try something
new. It’s never too late to take up
COL’s “Connect the Dots” challenge
that lasts the whole year! Here’s how
it works: Pick anything you want that
we do together as a congregation
and which you haven’t done before.
Once you’ve done one thing, go to
the big fish in the narthex and place
a colored dot that corresponds to an
area of our Mission: Worship, Learn,
Serve, Invite. Get fished in!
• Lunch Bunch Group
• Men’s Tuesday Breakfast Group
• Occasional Small Groups
• Quilting Group
• Running Group
• Women’s Small Groups
• Women’s Thursday Night Book
Group
Note: Our Small Groups are open
to adults from COL and CTK!
Our Quilting Group is just one of our
Small Groups that meets during the
summer. Whether you quilt, run, read
or eat (or do all at the same time) we
encourage you to be a part!
cross of life staff
John Horner-Ibler
Sherrie Lorbeck
Jo Ann Tomm
Muriel Otto
Christine Standley
Matt Griepentrog
Debbie Riederer
Ann Hill
Lynn Key
Christine Bjorklund
Ben Leon
Mike Johnson
Pastor
[email protected]
Pastor
[email protected]
Dir. Christian Ed
[email protected]
Dir. Adult Ministries [email protected]
Dir. Music Ministry [email protected]
Dir. Youth Ministry [email protected]
Member Care &
[email protected]
Volunteer Coordinator
Admin. & Bookkeeper [email protected]
Accompanist
[email protected]
Dir. Handbell Choir [email protected]
Dir. Praise Band
[email protected]
Council President
[email protected]
Join us for next year’s Vacation Bible
School to have THIS .. MUCH ... FUN!
The Disciples said “follow us!”
Find us on Facebook: search
Cross of Life Lutheran Church
cross of life lutheran church
20700 w. north avenue
brookfield, wi 53045
www.crossoflife.org
phone: 262-785-9420
Page 8
Calendar & Special Events: July
SUMMER SCHEDULE:
Through September 6
Summer Saturday Schedule
5:00
WORSHIP
Summer Sunday Schedule
8:30
10:00
WORSHIP &
ABC Sunday School
WORSHIP &
ABC Sunday School
Sundays in July
July 5
8:30 am: WORSHIP & ABC Sunday School
10:00 am: WORSHIP & ABC Sunday School
July 12
8:30 am: WORSHIP & ABC Sunday School
10:00 am: WORSHIP & ABC Sunday School
July 19
Sr. High: ELCA National Youth Gathering
8:30 am: WORSHIP & ABC Sunday School
10:00 am: WORSHIP & ABC Sunday School
Lutherdale Bible Camp
July 26
8:30 am: WORSHIP & ABC Sunday School
10:00 am: WORSHIP & ABC Sunday School
Wednesday, July 1
10:30 am: Volunteer: Cross Food Pantry
Saturday, July 18
Sr. High: ELCA National Youth Gathering
Thursday, July 2
4:00 pm: Agape Meal
6:30 pm: Weekday Worship at CTK
Monday, July 20
Lutherdale Bible Camp
9:30 am: Quilting Group
5:45 pm: Serve Dinner: Serenity w/CTK
Saturday, July 4 ~ Independence Day
Monday, July 6
9:30 am: Quilting Group
Tuesday, July 7
6:30 am: Men’s Tuesday Bkfst. at Perkins
Wednesday, July 8
10:30 am: Volunteer: Cross Food Pantry
11:30 am: Lunch Bunch: Perkins
Thursday, July 9
6:00: Women’s Thursday Night Book
Group: Lynn Shannon’s Home
6:30 pm: Weekday Worship at CTK
Friday, July 10
5:45 pm: Serve Dinner: Serenity w/COL
Friday, July 24
Lutherdale Bible Camp
Saturday, July 25
9:00 am: Waukesha Food Pantry: Adults
Tuesday, July 14
5:30 pm: Evening VBS
5:45 pm: Serve Dinner: Serenity w/CTK
Tuesday, July 28
East Coast Road Trip
Wednesday, July 15
Sr. High: ELCA National Youth Gathering
10:30 am: Volunteer: Cross Food Pantry
5:30 pm: Evening VBS
July 14-16
Vacation Bible School: Evening
Friday, July 17
Sr. High: ELCA National Youth Gathering
July 28-31
East Coast Road Trip
Thursday, July 23
Lutherdale Bible Camp
6:30 pm: Weekday Worship at CTK
Monday, July 27
9:30 am: Quilting Group
Please Pray For Our
Summer “Travellers”
July 19-24
Lutherdale Bible Camp
Wednesday, July 22
Lutherdale Bible Camp
9:00 am: Survey Guests at Cross Lutheran
10:30 am: Volunteer: Cross Food Pantry
Monday, July 13
9:30 am: Quilting Group
Thursday, July 16
Sr. High: ELCA National Youth Gathering
5:30 pm: Evening VBS
6:30 pm: Weekday Worship at CTK
July 15-19
Sr. High National Youth Gathering
Tuesday, July 21
Lutherdale Bible Camp
Wednesday, July 29
East Coast Road Trip
9:00 am: Survey Guests at Cross Lutheran
10:30 am: Volunteer: Cross Food Pantry
Thursday, July 30
East Coast Road Trip
6:00 pm: Waukesha Food Pantry: Adults
6:30 pm: Weekday Worship at CTK
Friday, July 31
East Coast Road Trip
WEEKDAY WORSHIP AT CHRIST THE KING
THURSDAYS ~ 6:30 PM
Through August 27
Join them at 4600 N. Pilgrim Road
(North of Capitol Drive)
August 8-15
El Salvador Trip
summer worship times:
saturdays: 5:00 p.m. &
sundays: 8:30 & 10:00 am
through september 6
Thanks to all who made
Kids Daytime VBS 2015
such a special event!
Birthdays at Cross of Life
July
1. Darcy Constable
Karen Kuchar
Julia Weber
10. Caylee Gerrits
Aimee Halquist
Jeffrey Pelzel
Melissa Schumacher
Isaac Smith
Randy Syse
Kristin Urban
2. Joseph Anklam
Alex Bukvich
Rebecca Bukvich
Sabrina Bukvich
Marjorie Heyworth 11. Ryan Denu
Barbara Horner-Ibler
Matthew Flynn
Jack Miller
Justin Leeds
Aaron Zimmel
Timothy Peterson
3. Jason Bukvich
12. Tom Leeds
Sebastian Dandridge
13. Lynn Gaworski
Carly Gill
Jayden Kruswicki
Matthew Wilkins
Fran Lupardus
4. Juliette Thenot
Jeff Ritchie
Bill Rooney
5. Randy Daul
Jerry Schmidt
John Kelley
Linda Koszyczarek
14. Dan Martin
Madeleine LeClaire
Deborah Nustad
Alison O’Brien
William Rader
Katherine Rader
15. John Heal
6. David Schwartz
Libby Wistrom
Tom Vraney
16. Leslie Dehn
Lucy Klabunde
7. Harper Guenther
Katelyn Koremenos
Jennifer Nowak
Joel Nellis
8. Steven Nemcek
Jacob Ozolins
Kayla Vogt
Sarah Weber
9. Dorothy Baugh
17. Nicholas Hahn
Sarah Ozolins
Jill Hollman
Sheila Schrieber
Marissa Jurasovich
Madeline Rader
Lauren Schlapman
Steven Wettstein
18. Sarah Dressler
Troy Filipek
Kristin Hegna
Tessa Jester
Kaitlin Kapitan
Greg O’Connell
Grant Ross
19. Barbara Purnell
Evan Siderits
20. Heather Butkiewicz
Vaydaant Ebenezer
John Koeble
James Nelson
Madilyn Stiedaman
Jill Tostrud
21. Courtney Leeds
22. Rhonda Bartel
Max Drescher
Jacob Graves
Olivia Jonas
Art Keup
John Purnell
26. Danielle Canitz
Mark Nelson
Chloe O’Connell
Eric Schleicher
27. Jim Wenzel
28. Lina Ruiz
29. James Lorbeck
Hannah Maas
Clare Pelzel
Morgan Swan
Daniel Wettstein
Olivia Wettstein
30. Bill Kobs
Jason Steichen
31. Kevin Bierce
Kevin Bryden
Amy Bukvich
Bob Koszyczarek
Karen Mischuk
Matthew Mueller
Jacquie Vraney
23. Sue Fisher
Samantha James
Christopher Jansen
24. Tim Hamm
McKenzie Poetzel
Jan Zimmerman
25. Mark Denu
Jim Groneck
Wendy Janke
Jennifer Johnson
MacKenzie Reid
“And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”
~ Abraham Lincoln
Cross Of Life New Members: Spring 2015
We Welcome these New Members to the Cross of Life Family!
AXFORD: Cheryl (& Richard)
I have been married to Richard Axford
for 43 years and have two married
children: a son and a daughter. We
have been blessed with five wonderful
grandchildren. I am employed by
Goodwill Industries as the Manager of
Volunteer Services. My favorite part of
my job is presenting vintage fashion
shows for a variety of organizations
across southeastern Wisconsin. I was
first introduced to Cross of Life seven
years ago by my daughter, Elizabeth
Klick. I have attended many services
including baptisms, first communions
and holiday services. Pastors John
and Sherrie always made me feel
welcome as did the congregation. Most
importantly I came away with the
message that God loves me. After much
searching, I truly believe I have found
my religious home at Cross of Life and
look forward to sharing my time in my
soon to come retirement.
DANDRIDGE: Erin & Michael
Sebastian (10 mos.)
Michael is the Fitness Director at
the WAC West Allis and an avid
racquetball and softball player. Erin
is a former collegiate (UWSP) and
current adult volleyball player; she
works in trade show management at
Tarsus. We recently bought a house
in Camelot Forest and will move
in this June. Until then, it’s life
with the folks but the babysitting
is great! We love Wisconsin sports,
going to the movies (Erin loved
working at Marcus in high school),
and spending time with our family.
And yes, our 10-month-old son,
Sebastian, consistently gives us a
run for our money.
DAUL: Jean & Randy
Beckie (19), Jordan (21) & Katie (17)
The Daul family has made Pewaukee
their home for the past 23 years. Randy
is the middle school principal at Asa
Clark in the Pewaukee School District.
All three kids had their dad as their
principal; thank goodness for Randy
it was only one at a time! Jordan is
at Cardinal Stritch University and is
completing his junior year. Beckie
is a freshman at the University of
Minnesota-Mankato, and the littlest
Daul, Katie is a junior at Pewaukee
High School. Jean is the Milwaukee
Region Sales Manager for Knight Barry
Title Company.
More families are listed on
the back page. Please help us
warmly welcome all of our
Spring 2015 New Members!
GUENTHER: Gary and Reghan; Kelsey (3) & Harper (5)
Reghan is a lifelong Brookfield resident (Brookfield Central) and we moved
into Camelot Meadows two years ago. Gary is a partner in his family
remodeling business, JG Remodeling, and Reghan is a second grade teacher at
Wales Elementary in the Kettle Moraine district. We have two children: our son
Harper is almost 5 and daughter Kelsey just turned 3. They both attend ECCEC
preschool at Elmbrook Church, and Harper is looking forward to starting
kindergarten this fall at Brookfield Elementary. Our family enjoys our backyard
as well as walking and biking to the nearby parks and playgrounds, often
accompanied by Jones, our playful black lab. Ask Gary about his racquetball
game – he’s a longtime State Open level player.
Cross Of Life New Members: Spring 2015
We Welcome these New Members to the Cross of Life Family!
HAMILTON: Karin & Ian
Inara (3) & Satya (1)
We have two daughters: Inara (3)
and Satya (1). We moved to the
area last summer from Gig Harbor,
Washington. Karin grew up in
Waukesha and we moved back to be
close to family again. Ian grew up
in Washington; he has survived his
first Wisconsin winter and being a
Seahawks fan in Packers country.
Ian works as an Operations Project
Analyst and Karin is a Pediatrician.
Inara loves anything related to the
movie “Frozen” and shopping with
her grandma. Satya loves her books
and to climb.
KEMPER: Kristin & Dan
Eden (3) & Logan (7)
Dan & Kristin have lived in Sussex
for almost three years and were in
Wauwatosa before that. Dan was
raised in Cincinnati, Ohio and Kristin
in Brookfield / the Chicago suburbs
before meeting in Ohio when Kristin
was at Miami University. They have
two children: Logan who is 7 and in
1st grade, and Eden who is 3. Dan is a
Senior Software Developer for Thomson
Reuters and Kristin works from home
taking care of the kids after spending 7
years with GMR Marketing. They enjoy
exercising, trying out new restaurants,
and spending time as a family rooting for
the Bengals, Packers, Reds and Brewers.
MAASSEN: Eric & Nicole
Evelyn (6) & Ella (4)
The Maassen family lives in Elm Grove.
Eric hails from Mason City, Iowa and
is a lawyer practicing litigation at Foley
& Lardner. Nicole is a Milwaukee
native and also an Attorney. She left
full-time practice to teach within the
School of Business at Alverno College.
Evelyn (“Evie”) is a Kindergartner at
Tonawanda Elementary School and a
new avid reader and violinist. Ella is
in preschool at Elmbrook Preschool
and loves art and gymnastics. The
Maassens are avid foodies and are
looking forward to creating a new
backyard garden with the girls over
the summer.
NORTMAN: Bill & Jane
We have two children: Katie, who is married to Matt and living in Chicago
(Lincoln Park area) and Brad, who is married to Lexi and living in Charlotte,
North Carolina. We have lived in Brookfield since 1986. Bill is a CPA specializing
in the tax area. Jane works part-time as a Dental Assistant. With our children and
their spouses living out of town, we enjoy visiting and travelling with them.
SITTERLY: Tony & WHELPLEY: Becky
Ethan (9), Max (13) & Anna (7)
We have three kids: Max (13), Ethan (9) and Anna (7). We moved to Brookfield
recently from Watertown where we had lived for the past 17 years. Becky is an
active piano and organ instructor, Accompanist for the Milwaukee Children’s
Choir, and a freelance organist. Tony has been with Safway Group holdings
in Waukesha as a Programmer Analyst for the past 8 years. Our kids attend
Brookfield Elementary and Wisconsin Hills Middle School. We have 2 cats (Lily
and Cleo) and enjoy working around the house and attending our kids’ activities.