November 2018—Page

Mt Pleasant SPIRIT!

Monthly Newsletter of Mt. Pleasant Lutheran Church-ELCA

November 2018

Blessed to Welcome, Worship and Serve

Inside this Issue…

From Pastor Beth Ann.…….2

Adult Ed…………………………..3

All Saints Day………..…..…....5

Advent…………………………….6

Thanksgiving Pie Social…….8

Welcome New Members...8

Financial Update……………10

SCS News……………………….11

Confirmation News….…….12

High School News………….12

Middle School News….…..13

Music News………..………….13

Life Group Ministry…..…...15

Social Ministry……............16

Endowment News………….23

Church News………………….24

MPLC Birthdays……..........27

Staff & Council…………......28

Worship Times Weekly… Saturday: 5:00 p.m. Sunday: 8:30 a.m. & 11:00 a.m.

Coffee Fellowship Sundays: 9:30 – 10:00 a.m.

Education Sunday Church School 9:45—10:45 a.m. Adult Ed 10:00 a.m. Little Lambs 10:00 a.m.

Church Office Hours Monday – Thursday: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Friday: 9 a.m. – Noon Other times by appointment; call the church office at 634-6704.

Our Website https://spaceshipchurch.org

On facebook facebook.com/spaceshipchurch

Please “like” us!

November 2018—Page 2

From Pastor Beth Ann L. Stone

I just keep thinking about how they used to burn up the offer-ings on the altar. Back in the day, ancient Israelites used to bring their offerings—grain,

calves, lambs, or if the givers were poor, birds—to the altar to be burned to a crisp. Incinerated. “What a

waste!”, you might argue. “Those offerings might have been used to feed hungry people!” True. But the point of the offering was less how it might have been used and more about the act of faith in turning it over to God. It pleases God when we release some of what we value as a demonstration of our worship. “Then the priest will burn the entire sac-rifice on the altar as a burnt offering. It is a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord.” (Leviticus 1:9b, NLT)

We celebrate and give thanks for all the offerings MPLC members give to God through our church! Our leaders work hard to steward those gifts well, turning offerings into food and hope for hungry people, wor-ship and community, pastoral care, ministry with children, and much more. But even more important than how those gifts will be used is the faith practice of giving them in the first place. An offering to God should-n’t be like a tip for good service; giving an offering is intended to be a regular practice of releasing some of what we value. It’s an act of trust, of discipline, of community. And it pleases God to be worshipped this way.

At worship on November 10/11, Commitment Weekend, we will ask for God’s blessings on all the financial commitments we will be making for 2019. You’re invited to return your household’s Commitment Card in advance, ideally by November 4, so we can include it in the offering bas-kets being lifted up that weekend. As you consider the amount of your commitment for this next year, I hope you’ll also consider ways to keep this commitment through a regular, spiritual practice of giving over some of what you value…through your offerings given in regular wor-ship attendance or made through an electronic funds transfer as part of your budget. God is doing great things among us and through us at MPLC! Thank you for doing your part to make that happen!

Peace in Christ, Pastor Beth Ann

November 2018—Page 3

Adult Ed, Sundays from 10—10:40 a.m. in Fellowship Hall Speaker Series Schedule through December

November 4—Special Guest Elizabeth Ruthmansdorfer, hosted by the MPLC Endowment Committee

In Giving, a Legacy is created. What is your Legacy? A person does not have to be wealthy to create a legacy. Giving includes life lessons and our stories as well as complex estate planning for charities. Join Elizabeth to discuss various options for how to include your faith and create a legacy through your estate plan, be it small or generous.

Elizabeth Ruthmansdorfer, a 2003 graduate of Marquette University Law School, is a shareholder at Moertl, Wilkins & Campbell, S.C. Elizabeth concen-trates her practice in the areas of lifetime and estate planning, which includes wills, trusts, including special needs trusts, powers of attorney, probate and trust administration, and tax planning and preparation. Elizabeth also assists clients with elder law issues including Title19/Medicaid planning. She is an ac-credited attorney with the Department of Veterans Affairs. In addition, she practices guardianship law. We look forward to have her speak at MPLC on November 4. Join us!

November 11—Judith Smith Join MPLC member Judy Smith as she shares her experiences as teacher in the prison system. Learn how the experience shaped her understanding of incar-cerated people and how her faith was impacted by her work.

November 18—Pastor Beth Ann “Generation Together: Part 1” The Church is one of the only organizations that actively involves people from FIVE different generations. How do different generations experience Church, Faith, and Community differently? Folks of all ages are invited to this four-part series led by Pastor Beth Ann. The series will continue on Dec. 2, 9, and 16.

November 25—High School Youth Trip Don't mess with Texas! Join us for adult Ed as our high school youth give us a round up of the National Youth Gathering in Houston, Texas. They will share their experiences from this important faith-building experience complete with a video that they created during the trip!

-continued-

November 2018—Page 4

Adult Ed Speaker Series Schedule—Continued

December. 2—Pastor Beth Ann “Generation Together: Part 2” The Church is one of the only organizations that actively involves people from FIVE different generations. How do people of different generations experience CHURCH differently? Folks of all ages are invited to this second in a four-part series led by Pastor Beth Ann. The series will continue on Dec. 9 and 16.

December 9—Pastor Beth Ann “Generation Together: Part 3” The Church is one of the only organizations that actively involves people from FIVE different generations. How do people of different generations experience FAITH differently? Folks of all ages are invited to this third session in a four-part series led by Pastor Beth Ann. The series will conclude on Dec. 16.

December 16—Pastor Beth Ann “Generation Together: Part 4” The Church is one of the only organizations that actively involves people from FIVE different generations. How do people of different generations experience COMMUNITY differently? Folks of all ages are invited to this last session in a four-part series led by Pastor Beth Ann. The Adult Ed Speakers Series will re-sume after the holidays.

Note: There will be NO Adult Ed December 23 or 30.

Coffee Fellowship Time Sundays at 9:30 a.m. in Fellowship Hall

All are welcome to join us on Sunday mornings for coffee, treats and fellowship immediately following the 8:30 a.m. worship ser-vice. Our coffee is delicious! It’s fresh roasted each week by member Curt Hubmann. Fellowship Hall is located down two ramp levels from the sanc-tuary—just follow the crowd and join us!

November 2018—Page 5

TUESDAY BIBLE STUDY 11 a.m. & 6:30 p.m. through November 6 Pastor Beth Ann welcomes you to study each week’s upcoming Gospel text with her on Tuesdays in Fellowship Hall from 11 a.m.—noon or 6:30—7:30 p.m.. Bible study will continue through November 6, then sus-pend with Advent midweek services beginning the following week. Tues-day Bible study will begin again after the holidays on January 8, 2019.

In early October, Council members Barb Galis and Casey McIntosh, along with Pastor Beth Ann, attended “Fed for the Journey”, a conversation with Greater Milwaukee Synod Bishop Paul Erickson. Along with several dozen people from neighboring ELCA congregations, the

three heard Bishop Erickson talk about our synod of 121 congregations in seven counties, two campus ministry locations, and three new worship-ping communities. Attendees shared examples of how our congregations are helping to foster life-changing relationships with God, one another, and the world through different programs and initiatives. The group re-turned with ideas to share with the Council and staff at MPLC, and a greater understanding of the ministry we all share through our synod.

During the week-end of Novem-ber 3 & 4, during all worship ser-vices, we will remember in the prayers all the saints who have gone before us

to join the Church Triumphant. If you wish, arrive to worship a few minutes early and write the names of loved ones you’d like to remember, on a white ribbon, provided at church. The ribbons may be placed on the altar during the opening hymn. The ribbons will be transformed into bows, which will decorate a Christmas tree in the narthex during the Christmas season.

All Saints Day

November 2018—Page 6

NOVEMBER—NOW WITH MORE ADVENT! Many people think of Advent as the annual countdown to Christmas. After all, you can find any number of Advent calendars (just Google “luxury Advent calendars” for an eyebrow-raising sample!) with 25 treats tucked behind windows, all the more to build anticipation of the arrival of Christmas morning. But the church’s Advent season lifts up a different kind of anticipation. Our Advent season is a reminder of just what it is Christians are truly waiting for…the coming of Christ’s kingdom. The coming Kingdom of God, proclaimed by Jesus and brought to life in him-self, is a gift and promise more exciting than anything we might unwrap on December 25. How can we lean into God’s kingdom in a fresh way this year?

One way is to start our Advent season early, on November 11, to be pre-cise. This year, MPLC will join a number of congregations across the country in celebrating a seven-week Advent season. The focus of our Ad-vent will be the same as always…looking forward to the coming of our Lord and his Kingdom. But we will take the time to really settle into Ad-vent this year, and let Advent settle us in the midst of a busy holiday sea-son. We’ll light seven, blue candles in worship, and meet for midweek Advent services six times before Christmas. We’ll take time to be togeth-er, and to anticipate God’s future.

Whose idea is this? It started with something called “The Advent Pro-ject”, which you can read more about at http://www.theadventproject.org. There’s lots more historical, theological background available there, if you’re interested.

• What will change? Our liturgy and décor will change for Advent sea-son three weeks earlier than usual, but the Bible texts appointed for these Sundays will be as before. The biggest change is to direct our focus as we enter a new church season/year, and wrest our gaze from the Christmas “to do” list to something even more meaningful.

• What about my Advent calendar/wreath? You can still enjoy your 25 days of treats come December, and wait to light four Advent candles at home, if that’s your home practice. Or you can sneak three more can-dles into the mix, and pick up one of the seven-week, family Advent cal-endars we’ll make available. It’s up to you!

• What about the Cantata? Or the kids’ Christmas program? Or the Thanksgiving service? Or midweek Advent dinners/services? Relax! It’s all there. See the following schedule for more details!

November 2018—Page 7

Weekends of Advent We light the first of seven Advent candles this year starting on Novem-ber 10/11. (See related article.) Come and be reminded of what we’re waiting for…the reigning (or kingdom) of God! • Nov. 10/11, First Sunday in Advent; Commitment Weekend (dedication of Commitment Cards for 2019) • Nov. 17/18, Second Sunday in Advent

• Nov. 24/25, Third Sunday in Advent • Dec. 1/2, Fourth Sunday in Advent

• Dec. 8/9, Fifth Sunday in Advent; Cantata on Sunday at 8:30 and 11 AM • Dec. 15/16, Sixth Sunday in Advent; Children’s Program at 11 AM • Dec. 22/23, Seventh Sunday in Advent

Wednesdays of Advent Our midweek Advent services will begin on November 14 at 6:30 PM, with our midweek meals set to begin on November 28 at 5:30 PM. All meals will be provided (no potluck needed), and freewill donations will be accepted towards the meal. Come from school/work/practice/home and share a meal with us! If you’d like to bring something to share, des-sert contributions are welcomed! • November 14, 6:30 PM Worship

• November 21, 6:30 PM Thanksgiving Worship followed by Pie Social at 7:30 PM • November 28, 5:30 PM Meal, 6:30 PM Worship

• December 5, 5:30 PM Meal, 6:30 PM Worship

• December 12, 5:30 PM Meal, 6:30 PM Worship

Christmas Service Times Announced! Invite your friends and family to join you for worship this Christmas! • Christmas Eve, Monday, December 24: 2 PM, 4 PM and 10 PM • Christmas Morning, Tuesday, December 25, 9:30 AM

November 2018—Page 8

We are pleased to welcome the following people as new mem-Please join us for a coffee and cake reception in

We are pleased to welcome Raven Renje & Griffin Cofell through Baptism and Affirmation of Baptism at our 11:00 ser-

Thanksgiving/ Advent Offering to benefit ELCA Disaster Response

Over the past year, we have seen so many places all over the country and the world that have been ravaged by natural disasters. ELCA Disas-ter Response is always one of the first organizations to show up to help with emergency needs and stay through long-term recovery and re-building. Please give toward this important ministry during our extend-ed Advent and at our Thanksgiving Services. For more details see https://www.elca.org/Our-Work/Relief-and-Development/Lutheran-Disaster-Response/

Everyone is invited to attend the annual Mt. Pleasant Lutheran Church Pie Social on Thanks-

giving Eve, November 21, following the 6:30 p.m. service. Each family is asked to bring a pre-cut pie (8 slices) to the kitchen prior to the service, and join us following the service for a time of fellowship. Beverages will be provided. There’s always plenty of pie, so join us, even if you run out of time to bake!

We were so pleased to welcome 17 new members to MPLC in October! Here’s a little more about each of them…

Jason Leissner and Elizabeth Bates are engaged to be married. They join Jason’s mother, Patricia Whit-worth, in membership at MPLC. Jason works for King Trucking in Cudahy and Elizabeth works for Andis Company. She enjoys singing, baking and vol-unteering for United Way. Jason enjoys video games and volunteering for Adopt-a Highway. Gage is an 8th grader and he enjoys the violin, vid-

eo games and reading. Jace is a 4th grader who enjoys sports and the piano. Welcome to MPLC!

November 2018—Page 9

Jennifer (Jenny) Dorman, lives in Kenosha and works for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources as an Environmental Program Associate. Some of her hobbies include singing, reading, danc-ing, kick-boxing and spending time outdoors. Wel-come, Jenny, to MPLC! Gordon (Gordy) Graves, lives in Kenosha and joins his son, Tim Graves and family in membership at MPLC. Gordy is retired and some of his hobbies in-clude watching TV and reading. Welcome to MPLC, Gordy!

Raven Renje and Griffin Cofell are engaged to be married. They are both students at UW-Parkside and both enjoy music. Raven sings classical and op-eratic music and she loves working with children and animals. Griffin is a music major and loves per-cussion, and singing and playing in bands. Wel-come, Raven & Griffin! Richard and Susan Stearns live in Mt Pleasant and are both retired. Richard enjoys exercising at the Y, watersports and reading about history. Susan en-joys reading, exercising, traveling and spending time with her granddaughter. Welcome to MPLC, Richard and Susan!

The Poulson Family: Kevin and Jaclyn, and Con-nor, Jackson &

Parker.

Maribel Salo

Richard Jonas (not pictured), joins his wife, Diane Blackmon, in membership at MPLC. Richard is retired and he enjoys reading, history and play-ing games. Wel-come to MPLC, Richard!

November 2018—Page 10

Financial Update

Following is an update on our giving and our spending for January – September 2018.

January – September 2018

Through September, we contributed $542Thousand toward benevolence and current expenses. This level of giving was approximately $40Thousand less than last year and $32Thousand less than the nine month budget. Expenses for the nine months were $530Thousand, $12Thousand less than budget and $25Thousand less than last year. The lower expenses versus last year are primarily in lower salaries/benefits as a result of one less pastor. Comparing income and expenses, we had a shortfall of $20Thousand for the nine months through September. We are doing a good job of managing expenses, however our giving is not living up to our pledges and we need to increase our momentum on giv-ing as we move into the final three months of the year so we can elimi-nate the income shortfall and avoid a deficit for the year.

Giving toward our mortgage retirement was $81Thousand through Sep-tember, up $2Thousand versus budget, yet down $11Thousand versus the same period last year. Giving has exceeded the required mortgage payment by $2Thousand. It is important that giving on our mortgage re-tirements exceeds our required payments as we do not want to have to use reserves for these payments.

In summary, while expenses have been well managed so far this year, as a congregation we have not met our giving commitments. Please consid-er increasing your giving as we enter this holiday season.

If you have any questions on the financial update, please contact Larry Berger, the Council Treasurer at lwlkberger@gmail.com. Thanks.

Actual Giving

Budgeted Giving

Actual Expenses

Budgeted Expenses

Actual Giving – Actual Expenses

Current and Benevolence

$510,000 $542,000 $530,000 $542,000 -$20,000

Mortgage Retirement

$81,000 $79,000 $79,000 $79,000 +$2,000

November 2018—Page 11

Sunday Church School News

• Fire Drill Update: We had our yearly fire drill on October 14. The

South Shore Station 8 Fire Station was on hand to help. We threw a curveball by blocking off the main exit, and added less than a mi-nute to our time. Even though we added time to our drill the Station 8 Firefighters were happy with our drill. Thank you to everyone who was here and participated.

• Collection Update: Last month the Middle School youth were

challenged to help supply the Community Meal site at Living Faith Lutheran Church, with items for hygiene kits. They were asked to raise enough money to purchase 20 kits and they raised enough for 35 kits! Be proud of our youth for stepping up when our community needed them!

• Collection for HALO: During the Advent Season, our SCS Families

are asked to donate essential items for HALO. Our goal is to help HALO start the new year with fresh new items. Please consider do-nating an item or two throughout the holiday season. You can find a bin in the Education Wing by the Parent Information Station. From November 11 through December 16, we are collecting pillows, pil-low cases, twin sheets, blankets, bath towels, wash cloths, and dia-pers; sizes newborn through 6. We will need a few families to help deliver these items sometime in January. If you are interested in helping please contact Rebecca Cairns, at rcairns@mplc.us Thank you!

• Advent Event—Friday, December 7 at 5:30 p.m. Save the date for this family fun night! For children age 3—5th grade and their parent/s, grandparent/s. We’ll have dinner, dessert, a few fun crafts, a scavenger hunt and a movie—all with an Advent theme. This is always a fun evening of preparing for the holiday sea-son. See the sign up sheet on the pillar in the narthex.

November 2018—Page 12

Confirmation News

High School News

Sunday Church School News • Sunday Church School takes place on Sunday mornings from

9:45—10:45 a.m., for 3 yr. old – High School. All are welcome to join at any time. The education wing is located on the lowest level of the church—3 ramp levels down from the sanctuary. For questions, con-tact director of youth education, Rebecca Cairns at rcairns@mplc.us

• Little Lambs is a special class for children under three years old,

and their parent/s. It takes place in the library (in the education wing), from 10—10:40 a.m. on Sundays. There’s a story, snack and crafts—great fun for kids and parents!

Confirmation Class is going great! We’ve been learning about the 10 Commandments. Our last class for the fall will be November 14. That is our annual shopping service project. Each confirmation group will be sent out to a local grocery store to purchase food for the Holy Commun-ion Lutheran Church Food Pantry! This is always a favorite night of con-firmation! Confirmation class will resume after the holidays on Wednesday, January 9. Until then, there’s lots of opportunities to come to midweek services throughout our extended Advent!

High Schoolers! Come to High School Sunday School to find out what we’re up to! Every Sunday from 9:45—10:45 a.m. in the Youth Room!

November 2018—Page 13

Music News

Middle School News Youth Quake

6-8th Graders are invited to Quake! Quake is a fun Christian retreat for middle schoolers that our congregation has been participating in for years. Youth Quake will be at The Wilderness Waterpark Resort in Wis-consin Dells; Friday—Sunday, January 18—20. To hold your child's spot, a deposit of $50 is due by November 4. The total price of participating is $225 per person. Each child has the opportunity to lower their final payment by working at a Bake Sale which will be announced soon. Sign up in the entryway on the sign up pillar. Payment envelopes for the de-posit are located on the table. OR—pay your deposit online at https:spaceshipchurch.org , then click the “Give Now” tab. Or simply scan the QR Code shown here to go directly there.

• Senior Choir: Anyone high school age and above is welcome to

join the senior choir at any time. Rehearsals are Wednesday eve-nings at 7 p.m. in the choir room. Would you like to sing in the Christmas Cantata? It will be performed during worship services on December 9. Beginning November 7, cantata rehearsals will take place the first 30 minutes of rehearsal. Please join us! Questions? Contact our choir director, Dr. Eduardo Garcia-Novelli at edu-ardo@mplc.us

• Bell Choir: The senior bell choir meets Tuesday evenings at 6:30

p.m. For questions contact director Greg Schroeder at 262-496-4354 or email: gschroeder89@gmail.com

• Cherub Choir: The cherub choir is for any child age 3—first grade.

The Cherub Choir meets on Wednesdays from 6:30-7:00 p.m. If in-terested, or for questions, contact director Kim Haigh at ehaigh3@wi.rr.com or 262-977-0133.

November 2018—Page 14

Project Night and DAY Friday, November 9 & Saturday, November 10 Come to work on any project (scrapbooking, stamping, painting, stitch-ing, organizing) in Fellowship Hall on Friday, November 9 at 6:30 p.m. Then, come back for Project Day on November 10, between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. There is plenty of space and lots of tables to work on. Come join this great group for fun and fellowship!

THANK YOU! Our thanks to Logan Kolaske and his fellow members of Boy Scout Troop 222, Mt. Pleasant, for raising the bricks that make our labyrinth! This was Logan's Eagle Scout project. Over the years, the bricks had sunken in the ground and were barely visible. We are so grateful to see them again - thank you, Logan, and Troop 222!

Sound System Volunteer/s Needed We are in need of a volunteer/s to operate the sound system at the 8:30 a.m. worship service each week, beginning sometime after the first of the year. The system is controlled from an iPad, so you may sit in your regular seat during worship. The main responsibilities of the job are turning micro-phones on and off for the lector and the choir, adjusting volume levels as necessary, and recording the worship service for our website’s pod-cast. We are looking for someone now, so we can be proactive about train-ing that person or persons. This could be a great job for a teen, or perhaps a non-singing spouse of a choir member…really anyone who is tech-friendly and has a good set of ears. Interested? Please speak to Brandon Boerner, our current technician, one of the pastors, or Michael Becker mi-chael@mplc.us.

November 2018—Page 15

Life Group Ministry News

“Plug In!” to life at MPLC This is an initiative aimed at connecting members through common inter-ests and needs. Look for the bright green surveys and wooden dropbox on the table in the narthex for more information. Or visit www.spaceshipchurch.org/ministries/life-group-ministries

Need a Ride? Give a Ride? We’d like to connect members who might need a ride to and from church, with members who would be willing to provide rides! It’s simple—if you need a ride, whether short or long term, give us a call. If you can provide rides—whether occasionally or regularly, give us a call. Project coordina-tors are Jennifer Pennings and Joe Silvius. They will work to match up driv-ers and passengers. Call either one of them if you need, or can provide rides. Call Jennifer at 262-498-2134 OR Joe at 262-694-5484.

GriefShare Class meets Mondays from 6—8 p.m. from 9/10—12/3 at MPLC (Mygatts Corner) It’s not too late to join the class!

“Help and encouragement after the death of a spouse, child, family member or friend”

GriefShare is biblical, Christ-centered teaching that focuses on grief top-ics associated with the death of a loved one. The DVD seminar features nationally respected grief experts and real-life stories of people, fol-lowed by a small group discussion about what was viewed. Past partici-pants have related how helpful the information and follow-up discus-sions were to them. Here are the remaining GriefShare class topics going forward: • October 29th Week 8: Complicating Factors • November 5th Week 9: Stuck • November 12th Week 10: Lessons of Grief – Part One • November 19th Week 11: Lessons of Grief – Part Two • November 26th Week 12: Heaven • December 3rd Week 13: What Do I Live for Now? There’s a sign up sheet on the pillar in the narthex. Though the class has already begun, it’s not too late to join. Workbooks available for $15. For questions, please contact Bill or Barb Galis at 262-497-0987.

November 2018—Page 16

Social Ministry News

Our “Mittens & More”, project, located in fellowship hall, is designed to provide mittens, hats and scarves for children and adults in need. If you like to knit or crochet, (or sew with fleece) take some yarn home to make hats, mittens and/or scarves. Bring them to MPLC and place on the mitten display area. If you are a social worker, a teacher or a volunteer who works with those who could benefit from these items, please take some to share. Questions? Call the church office at 634-6704.

Small Group Kick- off Dinner update: A big thank you to Kate Lingsweiler and Teresa Jacobs for providing a delicious meal for our Small Group kick-off dinner in September. As a result of the dinner, we’ve begun working on bringing new groups to-gether. If you were unable to attend the dinner but are still interested in joining a small group, please call Barb Galis at 262-497-0987.

Life Group Ministry News

New Fellowship Opportunity! MPLC Senior Ladies Afternoon Social Join us for the first Senior Ladies Social, on Wednesday October 31 at 1:00 p.m. in fellowship hall. This will be an opportunity for senior ladies to gather for some fellowship, treats and coffee or tea. Be part of the first event to help plan what other activities we might want to pur-sue. We are looking at meeting on a monthly basis. Possible activities could include a salad luncheon, chili dump luncheon, speakers, an after-noon of board games or just to sit and socialize. See the signup sheet on the pillar in the narthex, or just come on October 31. Any questions, contact Sue Hess at 886-1430 or suehess1@wi.rr.com

November 2018—Page 17

Open Table Update New ways to volunteer and donate—online!

Amazon.com Wish List: As the Open Table community meal program continue to grow, we have an on-going need for kitchen supplies to pre-pare and serve dinner to our 150+ monthly guests. A “Wish List” has been created on Amazon.com; similar to a baby or wedding registry, it includes a list of specific items needed and the ability to purchase online. Items can be purchased directly from the site and either shipped directly to church or to your home. Check back periodically, as the list will be updated regularly to reflect the latest needs.

Online Volunteer Sign ups: You now have the ability to sign up online to volunteer for Open table to work and/or donate food, through Sign up Genius.

Links to the Open Table Amazon wish list and the Open Table sign ups can be found on our website under the “Helpful Links” section on the sidebar, at https://spaceshipchurch.org

PLEASE NOTE: You may still sign up to volunteer or donate food, on the sign up pillar in the narthex.

Open Table is the Last Sunday of each month. Meal Dates for the next three months are: October 28, November 25 and December 30.

Thank you to all who help make Open Table possible!

This year’s giving tree recipients will be Wadewitz Elementary School and Starbuck Mid-dle School. Gifts will be given to at risk students as identified through their school social workers, who are also members of MPLC. Ornaments will be available to pick up from the giving tree in the

narthex, beginning at our Thanksgiving Eve service on November 22. Wrapped gifts will be due back to church by Sunday, December 9. Please consider participating in this wonderful MPLC tradition!

November 2018—Page 18

MPLC SCRIP…make mission happen!

Plan ahead now for those small gifts for the holidays! We have the following low denomination gift cards on hand for

purchase now: $5 Starbucks, $5 Panera, $5 Barnes & Noble

$10 Buffalo Wild Wings, $10 Panera, $10 Barnes & Noble, $10 Star-bucks, $10 Chipotle, $10 Dunkin Donuts, $10 Noodles, $10 Subway

Do you want other low denomination cards? Order on Sunday to pick up

the following week. The following $5 cards are available to order for a limited time:

Taco Bell, Panera, Starbucks, Barnes & Noble, Blimpie, Cold Stone Creamery

These $10 cards are available to order for a limited time: Walmart, Target, Red Lobster, Outback, Meijer, Applebee’s, Amazon,

IHOP, CVS, Home Depot, Olive Garden

SCRIP Table Hours are Sundays from 9:30—11 a.m. We’re located at the curved Welcome Desk.

Joseph’s Granary UPDATE! Thank you to all who donated and who pur-chased produce from our Joseph’s Granary table in the narthex! This season, we collect-ed a total of $224.18 in donations, which went to the food pantry at Holy Communion Lutheran Church.

Vintage Items Sought MPLC member Mark Trinklein is collecting items for a memory care unit in Racine. The patients there love to play “dress up” using vintage items, reminiscent of their past. Some of the items needed include parasols, lace handheld fans, men’s ties, scarves, costume jewelry, ledgers, desk blotter set and more. A complete list is in the narthex, along with a col-lection box, which will be available through November 18.

November 2018—Page 19

Election Day Bake Sale—Baked Goods Needed

The Food Pantry at Holy Communion Lutheran Church will host another election Day bake sale on Tuesday, Novem-

ber 6, at the Mt. Pleasant Town Hall during voting hours. Past Election Day sales have raised $2500 and more, and we are hoping for a similar result! Can you bake for the sale? Items that sell well are sweet breads, pies, bars, brownies, cookies, Chex mix and trail mix. Please package items for selling. Bring your baked goods donations to MPLC during office hours (9 a.m.—3 p.m. ) on Monday, November 5. From there, they will be delivered to the bake sale. Please contact Sharon Wilczynski, 262-909-7016, if you have any questions.

For the month of November, we are asking for donations of these items. November 4 - corn muffin mix, stove top stuffing mix November 11 - instant potatoes, packaged gravy mix November 18 - canned cranberries, macaroni & cheese November 25 - canned pasta with meat, fruit cocktail

Quilter’s Corner The quilters hope you enjoyed seeing the quilts we made for Lu-theran World Relief this year! Over 100 quilts were boxed and sent on the train on October 13th. Thanks so much to Rosie and Ron Johnson for getting and assembling the boxes, packing and delivering them to the train! (See photo below). If you would like to join us in mak-ing these quilts, please join us on Thursdays; November 8, 15, and 29 in fellowship hall at 9 a.m. If you have any questions please contact Linda Berger at 262-456-4779 or email me at lwlkberger@gmail.com.

November 2018—Page 20

School & Health Kit Collection UPDATE

This faithful quilting group made more than 100 quilts last year for Lutheran World Relief. They would love more help! See article on previous page for more information. Pictured, back row, from left: Barb Hubmann, JoAnne Wright, Vicki Schmidtke, Kate Lingsweiler, Sharon White. Front row, from left: Linda Berger, Lois Solberg, Willine Svendsen, and Joyce Friend.

On October 7, youth in our high school Sun-day school class, packed up 125 health kits and 125 school kits for Lutheran World Re-lief. Great Job! Thanks to all who donated supplies and special thanks to Carol Hogue and Marianne LaCanne for coordinating the collection effort!

November 2018—Page 21

Environmental Stewardship Articles: For many years, John Berge of MPLC’s Environmental Stewardship Com-mittee has written a monthly column focusing on issues relating to caring for God’s earth, in terms of public policy options and personal ways we can aid in keeping the gift of God’s creation sustainable. The Committee meets with a consortium of other Racine Churches quarterly to discuss ways to creatively leave a life filled creation to our children.

Care of God’s Creation by John Berge

The words procrastination and environmental stewardship are sel-dom linked together, but at this time of year they should be. Never do today what you can put off until next spring! That is true for at least one chore — the cleaning up of our garden beds. Many butterflies, moths, bees and other insects need that material to protect themselves over the winter. Monarch butterflies are one of the few insects that seasonally mi-grate to get out of the cold. The great majority dig into the ground, which is kept relatively soft and at a more even temperature by the layers of leaves and other plant material, or they winter-over in the stems and oth-er parts of dead or dormant plants. They can stay there as adults, eggs, larvae or pupae, depending on the species. If, in an effort to be neat, you pull up the dead annuals and cut down the stalks and leaves of perennials in the fall, you are depriving the beneficial insects of their winter homes and depriving the birds, bats and amphibians of next spring’s sustenance. Of course, that doesn’t mean you get out of raking the lawn if you are blessed with a lot of trees as we are. If the leaves are not too numer-ous, chopping them up with the lawn mower and leaving them in place is a good idea. It adds organic matter to the soil and gives extra protection to those bees that burrow into the soil for the winter. Other bees burrow under the bark of trees or downed branches for the winter. One type of bee does seasonally migrate. Many honey bees migrate in hives on the back of a truck, traveling from crop to crop, starting in Texas or Mexico and spending the summer in beautiful Wisconsin. They don’t fly south by themselves. Remember, those leaves that are raked up should be composted to use as mulch or to dig into the garden which you put off until next spring. This is good environmental stewardship.

November 2018—Page 22

Crafter’s Corner

Our meeting dates in November will be Thursdays; No-vember 1, 8 & 15, in Mygatts Corner at 9 a.m. We are working hard on completing items for our annual fall sale which will be the week-end of November 17 & 18. Stop by and visit with the crafters and check out the wonderful things made during the year. All proceeds from the sale will be used for special projects at the church. This year, we purchased a home theater pro-jector and a Lifepack CR. This is our 25th year of crafting at MPLC!

Christmas Craft Sale ~ Our 25th Year! Brought to you by the Mt Pleasant Crafters

Saturday, November 17, 4:30—6:30 p.m. Sunday, November 18, 8 a.m.—11 a.m.

Lots of great items including wall hangings, centerpieces, pillows, snowmen, santas, ornaments, scarves and more!

Proceeds will benefit special MPLC projects

Don’t miss this chance to get

some Christmas shopping done!

November 2018—Page 23

MPLC Endowment Committee News By Ron Schulz, Committee Member

For more information visit our webpage at:

https://spaceshipchurch.org/endowment-fund-giving-options

As highlighted on page 3 of this newsletter, please make sure you mark your calendar to attend the MPLC Endowment Fund Com-mittee’s next educational event between services on Sunday Novem-ber 4, from 10—10:40 a.m. Our special guest speaker will be Attorney Elizabeth Ruthmansdorfer of Moertl, Wilkins & Campbell. Coffee and refreshments on November 4 will be courtesy of a Thrivent Action Team grant. All coffee hour donations that day will go directly to the Endowment Fund. Thrivent Financial will match all do-nations up to $500. Don’t miss this event!

If you can’t attend that day, or miss some points made during the presentation, you will be able to listen to it on a podcast on our website at https://spaceshipchurch.org/ministries/adult-education/adult-education-podcasts/

Here’s a look back at Pastor Beth Ann’s Installation, on October 21. Pictured, from left: Pastor Krista Zimmerman, Pastor Beth Ann L. Stone, Pastor Jennifer Arnold and Bishop Paul Erickson.

November 2018—Page 24

Box Tops for Education Please continue collecting the

Box Tops for Education for West Ridge School. (Please remember to check the expiration date!)

In addition, West Ridge is collecting Kwik Trip Milk Moola caps and bag milk coupons. Collection boxes are on the long table in the narthex.

DID YOU KNOW? There’s a gold tab on the menu bar of our website that says: “GIVE NOW”. Here, you can make a payment for your weekly offering, you can pay for altar flowers, and going forward

there will be more opportunities to make payments for other activities here as well.

Go to www.spaceshipchurch.org Or, from your smart phone, click the QR code above to go directly to the online donation page. If you have any questions please feel free to contact Stephanie Szabo at 634-6704 ext. 114 or sszabo@mplc.us. Thank you.

The High School Youth Group Wants Your Aluminum Cans!

You Can Help Our Youth and The Environment at the Same Time Over the last couple of months, we’ve received another $34 for over 272 pounds of aluminum cans that have been donated to our high school youth group for the 2019 High School Summer Trip! (We’ve a Super Grand Total is over $3,000!) Please remember to bring in your bagged empty alumi-num soda cans and put them by the soda machine in Fellowship Hall. It is a simple way to raise lots of money for the high school summer trips, and care for creation all at the same time.

Please make sure there is NO GARBAGE in the bags. Also…Please do NOT include any other type aluminum (aluminum foil, aluminum pie tins, etc.) or other recycling (plastic bottles, glass, paper, etc.) in the bags, as the recycling center will not accept our recycling if those items are included. Thank you!

November 2018—Page 25

Texas Roadhouse Church Rebate Program Texas Roadhouse, located on the Northwest corner of Green Bay Road and Durand Avenue, has launched a new Sunday Church Program and we’re participating! If you head to Texas Roadhouse for lunch (or din-ner) after church on a Sunday, bring along our bulletin and show it to your server. In return, the church will receive a 10% rebate from the total of your food bill! We will receive a rebate check from Texas Roadhouse on a quarterly basis, and will put the money towards youth programs here at MPLC.

If you have a submission for the December Mt Pleasant SPIRIT

Newsletter, please mark your calendars for Sunday, November 11. Please email or drop off your articles in the church office by the end of the day on the 11th, to Julie Rossman (jrossman@mplc.us).

November 11

Phone – address - email Changes? Please let us know!

If you have dropped your land line or your number has changed for any rea-son, please let the church office know. Please also notify us of any address or EMAIL changes. Please call 634-6704 or send an e-mail to Becky Litwin at blitwin@mplc.us and let us know of any changes.

Are YOU on facebook? Have YOU “liked” our page? Please log on and check us out:

www.facebook.com/spaceshipchurch

Lost & Found

There is a permanent Lost & Found area in the entry way, behind the curved Welcome Desk. Please check it out!

November 2018—Page 26

Church Office Hours Church office hours are: Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Fridays 9 a.m.—Noon. Appointments can always be made for other times by calling the office or the pastors.

Please keep the following members in your prayers

Lila Berge, Louisa Larsen, Cori Martin, Letty Larsen, Marilyn Rossman, Darrell Reynolds, Wayne Rossman,

Dave Fanelli, Kristina Randelzhofer

A Few Friendly Reminders

Food and Drink All of the carpeting in the church was recently professionally cleaned. It looks great! Please help keep it that way by consuming food and bever-ages (other than water) in fellowship hall only. Parents—be sure your child/ren have finished their snacks before heading down to Sunday School. Thank you! Noise Travels Just a reminder that noise travels very well in the spaceship! During wor-ship, voices in the narthex, on the ramps and in fellowship hall can be heard in the sanctuary. Please be mindful of worship start times—and keep your voices down. Thank you!

Our sympathy and prayers go to: Ralph and Chesterlyn Kelsey and family on the death of Chesterlyn’s broth-er, Jim McQuillin, on September 26.

Extra Halloween Candy? If you end up with extra Halloween candy at your

house you can donate it to Confirmation and Sunday Church School min-istry. We use it each week for treats for the kids. Please drop it off at the church office. Thank you.

November 2018—Page 27

Happy Birthday to the following

MPLC members!

November 1 Chris Meader Christina Kovacs November 2 Linda Lehrmann Matthew Droster November 3 Tracy Frederiksen Olivia Garner Jim Kusters November 5 Robb Luehr Chris Nielsen Julie Reynolds Jamie Schacht Martin Comstock November 7 Rod Gordon November 8 Kari Gordon Pastor Beth Ann Stone November 9 Bob Mausing Becky Thorn Matt Kaesermann November 10 Nick Christensen Ben Douglas November 12 Vera Hills Dan Smith Tina Ketterhagen Vern Svendsen

November 13 Kimberly Johnson JoAnne Jensen Cindy Skovsted Frank Santalucia November 14 Karen Tenuta November 16 Joanne Hoornstra November 18 Marty Pingle Laura Olson November 19 Wayne Thompson Daniela Lehmkuhl November 20 Christine Miller November 21 Brad Lee

November 23 Bob Peck Kris Hansen November 24 Patty Svendsen Sally Vlasak Gwen Lutz November 25 Julie Lang Nichole Watts November 26 Jane Seiter Julie Sego November 27 Nancy Sander Chuck Svoboda Suzanne Santalucia November 28 Jeanine Hays Joe Gleason November 29 Rick Klinkhammer Stephanie Szabo Penny Mycon Bonnie Christensen November 30 Kevin Rattle

November 2018—Page 28

Mt Pleasant Lutheran Church ~ ELCA 1700 S. Green Bay Road - Racine WI 53406 Phone: 262.634.6704 – Fax: 262.634.6690

Website: www.spaceshipchurch.org

Staff Beth Ann L. Stone (bastone@mplc.us) Senior Pastor Krista Zimmerman (kzimmerman@mplc.us) Pastor

Eduardo García-Novelli (Eduardo@mplc.us) Sr. Choir Director Michael Becker (michael@mplc.us) Organist Sue Cawley Assistant Organist Greg Schroeder (gschroeder89@gmail.com) Bell Choir Director Holly Hess (hhess@mplc.us) Director of Faith & Life Becky Litwin (blitwin@mplc.us) Dir. Of Parish Services Stephanie Szabo (sszabo@mplc.us) Business Manager Rebecca Cairns (rcairns@mplc.us) Director of Youth Education Julie Rossman (jrossman@mplc.us) Director of Communications Dave Fanelli Meal Coordinator Rick Sill Sexton Jasmine Cherry Nursery

Congregation Council David Santalucia (262-664-1867 or dsantalu@alumni.iu.edu) President Casey McIntosh (676-9020 or cpmcintosh@gmail.com) Vice President Ryan VanDeLoo (414-688-7265 or ryanvandeloo@gmail.com) Financial Secretary Larry Berger (456-4779 or lwlkberger@gmail.com) Treasurer Kurri Cecchini (262-554-6107 or kurri@wi.rr.com) Secretary Ed Jacobs (262-770-3032 or egjacobs@outlook.com) Property Garrett Meader (498-5610 or gdmeader@uwalumni.com Youth Steve Ketterhagen (456-6542 or stketterhagen@gmail.com) Worship and Music Chris Ryshkus (945-8403 or chris.ryshkus@gmail.com) Welcome Barb Galis (262-598-0912 or bbgalis@sbcglobal.net) Small Groups Yolanda Lewis (262-498-3906 or coyolewis@yahoo.com Education Chip Lutz (960-2034 or chip@unconventionalLeader.com) Social Ministry