Newsletters
Join us for the fun!
From Our Pastor’s Desk
Pastor Ryan Henning
What I’ve been reading:
- From the Bible (A Summer Recap): Because I still haven’t resumed my daily reading plan, I thought I’d give you a glimpse into some other studies that I’ve done.
While the Bible-in-a-year plan has stalled, I still read from two devotional books nearly every morning – the Meditations booklets we have available from church, and New Morning Mercies by Paul David Tripp. I appreciate the deeper insights into the weekly themes of worship, and Pastor Tripp’s book gives a variety of approaches to considering God’s mercy and grace to us. Also, I get a “verse of the day” from a Bible app on my phone, which I then pass along to three guys – a blood brother and two brothers-in-faith. In addition, during the summer months, Bob Fink, Alex Enter, and I met on Wednesday morning to go through a Bible Study on selected Psalms. This was also a cherished time for us to slow down, chew on the text a bit more, and especially read a few psalms that we were less familiar with before. Praise be to God for an abundance of resources to help us appreciate his Word to us!
- For fun: Here are my September personal reading highlights.
o Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult – multiple narrator perspectives following the aftermath of a school shooting
o Know My Name by Chanel Miller – the memoir of the victim of a rape case
o No-Drama Discipline – a parenting book available on the bookshelf in the Jesus’ Lambs of Grace hallway, looking at how to handle discipline without the drama
o Competing Spectacles – a book loaned to me by one of our members, analyzing our Christian perspective on all the visual stimuli competing for our attention
o The Alchemist – a short novel about a boy’s journey to find his life’s treasure
o Boundaries – a personal improvement book about establishing healthy boundaries in various areas of life and the benefits of those boundaries
o The Farm – another multiple narrator story of women working as surrogates for a new business venture
The Fall Busy Flurry: The school year has kicked off with a fast and furious flurry of activity! Even though it’s business as usual for the most part, that business = busy-ness. I appreciate your prayers and patience, especially as October contains the extra special outpour of gratitude. I look forward to all the excitement and growth in the months to come, and I also look for the out-of-the-blue chances to connect with you with God’s Word.
In the midst of the busyness, “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).
Truth in Love Ministry
Join us for an impactful presentation led by Truth in Love Ministry as we explore ways to proclaim Christ to Mormons and empower Christians to witness. Discover the WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY, and HOW of Truth in Love Ministry and how YOU can partner with us. Don’t miss out on this informative and inspiring presentation from Seminarian Charlie U and Manitowoc’s-own Gina Z after worship on November 1st.
Hosting for WELS Choral Fest
Every fall, the area Lutheran High Schools of the WELS host a Choral Festival, a weekend of music and fun with choirs from around the country. This year, Manitowoc Lutheran High School is hosting one of the regional festivals. Because many schools come from quite a distance, they rely on churches to host students and directors. Grace has agreed to host a school. The housing coordinator predicts that we would need a MAXIMUM of 7-9 host families if each host family only took 2 students. However, you are certainly welcome to host more students if you’d like! You would be expected to provide a place to sleep, access to a bathroom, transportation to and from MLHS, and possibly evening and morning meals as needed. The dates of the Choral Festival are Friday, November 13th through Sunday, November 15th. Look for more details as November approaches.
Helping a Brother or Sister in Need
Lately, we have had an increasing number of people around us in need in one way or another. I thought it would be good to make you aware of opportunities you have to help in specific and general ways. At any time, you are welcome to contribute to our Brother’s Keeper fund which supports people who bring requests in times of extra burdens. Also, you can support your brothers and sisters through cards and prayers. Lift up their cares and concerns to our LORD who has the power to bring us through our trials. If you are blessed to help in a more direct way, here are some individual needs to address:
- A family in need of clothing for children from infancy through 8th grade
- A couple in need of temporary housing (1 bed, 1 bath, handicap friendly) after a fire
- A young adult in need of financial assistance for utilities, as well as caring Christian friends to watch out for her
- A member recovering from surgery who could occasionally use transportation
- A member looking for help painting at her house, as well as transportation to church and GriefShare
If you want to help in any of these circumstances, please reach out to Pastor Henning, Staff Minister Enter, or any member of the Brother’s Keeper team, and we can share more details. Again, we encourage you to lend a listening ear to your fellow believers and to keep remembering them in your prayers. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).
Coming in November – a little over a month away – we need to elect four individuals to serve on our Grace Lutheran Coordinating Council. We are asking all of the men of Grace Lutheran to please think about serving in such a capacity. Please talk to Pastor Henning, Staff Minister Enter or Chairman Jeremy Falck if you are interested in a seat on the Council and would like to look at some ministry position documents to explain the vacant positions to you.
Please consider serving your LORD in this exciting and rewarding way.
Fall Fest is approaching fast and will take place on Saturday, October 24th from 10:00am to 12:00pm. There will be games, crafts, a basket raffle, a bake sale and dollar hot dogs. All proceeds will go to tornado relief in Menasha, Wisconsin.
The Fall Fest Committee is looking for:
Bake sale items and donations of bags of individually wrapped candy.
Volunteers to help with set up, to work during the event, and to help take down after the event ends. Please look for sign-up sheets in the back of church.
A committee chair to oversee the Bake Sale.
New or gently-used stuffed animals and trinket prizes for games.
Lastly, if anyone wants to donate a basket or an item for a basket, please direct your questions to Ann H at singingbowler@aol.com. There is more information about baskets later in this newsletter.
Fall Cleanup: Time to place the Grace Lutheran Fall cleanup date on your calendar for Saturday, November 7th at 9:00am. Please come dressed for the weather and be ready to help beautify the church for winter. You can direct any questions to Mike Remiker at 920-901-0768.
Repeat Performance: Are you looking for a place to volunteer and bring joy to your community? Look no further than volunteering at Repeat Performance with Jack Meisner. Repeat Performance is a resale store which provides vital financial support to MLHS for general operations as well as tuition assistance. Jack is willing to answer any questions you have and get you set up with volunteering at Repeat Performance today. Jack can be reached at (920) 323-7779.
Sunday School: Thank you to the Sunday School teachers who continue to spread God’s word to our children through the weekly lesson. Sunday School is for ages five through thirteen. The students meet each Sunday after worship – that being around 10:15 AM.
We are looking for additional Sunday School teachers to assist in rotating with the teachers we already have serving. Anyone is welcome to join. You don’t have to be a teacher to jump in and help. All you need is a willing and patient heart, a passion for working with children, and maybe a little humor here and there. If you would like to be a Sunday School teacher or know anyone that is interested, please reach out to one of the teachers or to Mr. Alex Enter, our Family and Outreach Minister.
Manitowoc Lutheran High School Updates:
MLHS is now hiring a Director of Finance. The job description calls for a full-time employee to manage all aspects of finance associated with the high school. This includes budget preparation, preparing financial reports, developing and maintaining an effective system of accounting, managing the payroll system, maintaining accurate financial records for audit, working with tuition assistance, and helping in administrating the Wisconsin Parental Choice Program. In addition, this person will be responsible for Human Resources, which includes responsibilities in functional areas such as benefits, compensation, and maintaining required paperwork. Call the office for more information or email David U at duhlhorn@mlhslancers.org for more information.
Registration is OPEN for Jr. Lancer Boys and Girls Basketball. All information and registration information is available at www.mlhslancers.org/jrlancers
MLHS Fall Festival and Concert: Sunday, October 25th . Craft vendors will be set up from noon to 4:00 P.M. This is a good time to get ahead on Christmas shopping and support local craft creators. There will also be a silent auction, pie and ice cream all afternoon and the fall concert at 4:00 P.M. featuring the students of Manitowoc Lutheran. Bring the whole family.
Details and more at www.mlhslancers.org/fallfestival.
Jesus Cares Ministry is designed to be welcoming, comfortable and meaningful for individuals with special needs. They meet on the second Saturday of every month (October 10th this month) at Bethany Lutheran Church, who hosts Worship at the Cross - a simplified worship service with songs, prayers, an offering and a Bible lesson. Then, on the third Saturday of each month (October 17th) Grace Lutheran hosts a deeper look at the Bible lesson, including uplifting music, an art project, snacks, and a supportive environment where everyone is valued and included. This month we’ll focus on the first sin in the Garden of Eden.
If you know someone who might enjoy the experiences of Jesus Cares, let us know. Information is available in the church office.
October is Pastor Appreciation Month: Let’s show our appreciation by surrounding Pastor Henning with prayers throughout the month. Please visit the back table to choose a day to sign up and pray.