Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church

P.O. Box 45

Arlington, WI 53911-0045

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STANDARD

U.S. POSTAGE PAID ARLINGTON, WI 53911

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ST. PETER’S NET MAY 2012

When the Old Becomes New Again

To paraphrase King Solomon of old, “Of the making of

many books [lamenting the decline of our faith and culture]

there is no end.” But every once in a while one ap-

pears that is worth reading. Ross Douthat, a New

York Times op-ed columnist, has written such a book:

Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics (New York: Free Press, April 2012). Douthat’s book is a neatly laid-out discussion

about people of faith and their place in American

society. It chronicles from the 1950s until today

where faith communities went right—as when

churches were in the forefront of significant social

change; where congregations misstepped badly—

through over-accommodation to culture, self-

defeating Biblical scholarship, and the East-ward turn

to “the God Within”; and where—through embracing the so-

called “prosperity gospels” and a therapeutic, self-help version

of Christianity catering to the worst instincts of our post-binge

capitalist society—American churches simply went mad.

The notion that a faith perspective is as worthy to stand on

a soapbox in the public square as any other perspective is

hardly a novel idea. Until very recently, freedom of religion

was understood to mean not only the freedom to worship but

also to practice and profess one’s religion openly, and to recog-

nize the role that religion has played in the formation of one’s

own ideas.

What Douthat does is to make a credible argument that this

is still the case in our American culture. He notes that few

secularists take issue with the publicly shared “spiritual but not

religious” doctrines of Elizabeth Gilbert, Deepak

Chopra, and Eckhard Tolle. But he also does an ex-

cellent job in tracking how faith communities them-

selves have contributed to their own unwelcomed

presence in the public square through the self-

immolation of their moral credibility by “trying to be

like everyone else.”

He writes, “Our appetites have increased in pro-

portion to our unprecedented wealth, and our imme-

diate-gratification culture has been made possible by

material abundance and technological progress….

The Tolles and Winfreys and Chopras [are] telling an

affluent, appetitive society exactly what it wants to

hear: that all of his deepest desires are really God’s

desires, and that he wouldn’t dream of judging.”

One would think that a traditional Lutheran/Christian faith

wouldn’t stand much of a chance among these seductive, pre-

vailing winds. But Douthat argues otherwise. “Like W.H.

Auden wandering amid the shuttered churches of 1930’s Spain,

perhaps Americans will survey the wreckage all around them

and turn once again to a more rigorous and humble form of

Christian faith. Perhaps the experience of a financial meltdown

will help vindicate orthodox Christianity’s critique of avarice

Continued next page

Dear Members

of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church,

If memory serves, my first newsletter

article as the Deacon was about C.F.W.

Walther, the first president of the Lutheran

Church—Missouri Synod. This month, I’ll

write about another “founding father” of

the LC-MS, Friedrich Wyneken, commemorated on May 4.

Friedrich Conrad Dietrich Wyneken was born in Germany

in 1810, and came to the United States (Baltimore, to be pre-

cise) in 1838. Soon after, he was called to serve as a pastor in

Indiana, then as a missionary in a territory including Indiana,

Ohio, and Michigan, especially among Native Americans. He

also helped establish Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort

Wayne, Indiana, in 1846. Pastor Wyneken also served as the

second president of the LC-MS (he was both preceded and suc-

ceeded in this office by his friend, C.F.W. Walther).

Concordia Publishing House published a children’s book

about him in 1974 ago called The Preacher’s Yellow Pants. I

won’t give the story away, but these were leather pants that

would not wear out on the rugged preacher (Pastor Wyneken

died in 1876, three years after eight US patents were awarded to

Jacob Davis and Levi Strauss in 1873, even though some jeans

had been marketed to miners in California in the 1850s).

If you would like to read some of the writings of Pastor

Wyneken, CPH carries a book edited and largely translated by

the current president of our Synod, Pastor Matthew Harrison,

titled At Home in the House of my Fathers, which we have a

copy of in the church library. This book contains a number of

sermons and essays and letters written by the first five presi-

dents of the LC-MS, and over 100 pages come from Wyneken.

Lutheranism 101 for High School Youth continues to meet

at 6:00 p.m. on Sundays in my office/church library. More are

welcome to join us (four plus me), but I’d be happy to teach an

additional section on a different day to suit your schedules.

I’d like to start a new class for the newly-confirmed 8th

Grade members of our congregation. Now that they’ve mas-

tered Luther’s Small Catechism, they can advance to Luther’s

Large Catechism, which pretty much covers the same territory

but goes in greater depth. I will probably lead more than one

section because not everyone can meet at the same time. This

will also allow us to have smaller group sizes. We can begin

anytime they are confirmed, and the Large Catechisms have

already been ordered. They’re sitting on my desk as I type.

Most Sundays, a certain member of our congregation will

ask me how my Greek is going. Well, it’s not going bad; it’s

just not going at all, because I’ve been focusing on other things.

But I had a crazy idea a while ago. Greek Grammar is puzzling

to me, but vocabulary is pretty straight forward; it’s just learn-

ing words. And often our English words are derived directly or

indirectly from Greek. Kardia is heart. Hence, we have cardi-

ologists, a.k.a. heart doctors. “I baptize” is simply one word,

“baptidzo.” See how much Greek you already know? This sum-

mer, I’d like to teach a Greek Vocabulary class. This class is for

ABSOLUTELY ANYONE who is interested. It’s going to be

fun, not stressful; it will go very slowly, not at a frantic pace;

and when we're done, you will know more than when you

started. We’re going to set the bar really low because we have

nowhere to go but up. IF THIS SOUNDS AT ALL INTEREST-

ING TO YOU, please talk to me in person.

In Christ,

Deacon Schroeder

and greed. Perhaps the lived reality of family breakdown and

social isolation will make Christianity’s emphasis on chastity,

monogamy, and fidelity more compelling. Perhaps the specta-

cle of polarization and gridlock will inspire greater realism

about the ability of politics to serve God’s purposes, and put an

end to the persistent conflation of partisan and religious loyal-

ties.” Perhaps so.

Still, Douthat is cautious: “Sometimes cultural crises lead

to reassessments and renewals. But sometimes they just make

people double down on their original mistakes.” This is most

certainly true, as even a superficial survey reveals how often

congregations abandon their tradition to accommodate them-

selves to the newest cultural trend (even when there are signs

that such a trend is fading away as quickly as it appeared)!

Douthat’s concern is that if the public square becomes off-

limits to the opinions and ideas of those formed in the Christian

faith, (or if the opinions and ideas of faith expressed by the

churches in the public square are no different at all from those

of secular sources), many people will not even know that there

is any other option.

Pastor Hendrickson

The 7th & 8th Grade Midweek students clean-up along Hwy 51

and then clean-up several pizzas! Good job!

Our former vicar, Travis Sherman, receives his first Call on

Tuesday evening, May 1st. You can watch the 7:00 p.m. Call

Service live online at: http://callday.csl.edu/

Blue-tagged clothes and other

items will be on sale in may. We have

received a shipment of new socks to

sell.

The store is located at 201 Cottage

Grove Rd (just off Monona Dr). The

hours are Monday through Friday 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. and

on Saturdays 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Donations are welcome

during these hours. The phone number is: 223-1228.

Members of St. Peter’s work on the first Friday (May 4th)

and the third Wednesday (May 16th) of each month. Please call

Alice Hanson if you have any questions or would like to be-

come part of the House of Thrift team.

Thank you!

HOUSE OF

THRIFT

ANNUAL YOUTH & FAMILY DAY

Friday, June 15th Adults: $27 (reg. $35.99+tax, no lunch)

Children: $23 (reg. $35.99+tax, no lunch)

Ages 3-12 (2 yrs and under are free)

It’s that time of year again when our South

Wisconsin District sponsors an all day event

at Noah’s Ark Water Park in the Dells. Your price includes a

one-day unlimited use pass and an all-you-can-eat lunch buffet.

This is a great savings over the regular admission price. Order

passes by June 6th online at <swd.lcms.org/registration> or

check in the Church Office for an order form.

St. Peter’s Child Care & Preschool WMELS, Pre-K and NAEYC Accredited

By Connie Hendrickson, Director

OUR ST. PETER’S CHILD CARE & PRESCHOOL

WILL BE HOSTING THEIR

ANNUAL SPRING BAKE SALE SUNDAY, MAY 20TH

THE CHILDREN & THEIR FAMILIES BAKE &

DONATE GOODIES FOR SALE TO HELP RAISE

MONIES WHERE THE BUDGET FALLS SHORT.

THIS SPRING WE WILL RAISE MONIES

FOR STAFF & CHILDREN’S CURRICULUM,

UPDATES AND REPAIR

FOR OUR OUTDOOR PLAY AREA.

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

MMMMM...SOMETHING SMELLS GOOD!

The 2012

Easter Egg

Hunt

Plenty of

smiles, eggs,

and candy…

and no snow!

DIVINE SERVICE SCHEDULE FOR THE MONTH OF MAY

May 3/6 5th Sunday of Easter

Acts 8:26-40

Psalm 150

I John 4:1-11

John 15:1-8

Sermon: Simple Botany

Text: John 15:5

Order: (Thu) Holy Communion

(Sun) DSI w/HC, p. 151

Rite of Confirmation, 10:30

Hymns: 807 - 595 - (604)* - (722)* 680, 744 - 803

Organist: David Hoffelt

Choir: (Sun) TBA * for the 10:30 Service

May 10/13 6th Sunday of Easter

Acts 10:34-48

Psalm 98

I John 5:1-8

John 15:9-17

Sermon: What We Do For Love

Text: John 15:9-17

Order: (Thu) Contemporary Service

(Sun) DSI w/o HC, p. 151

Hymns: 466 - 556 (st. 1-5, 6-10) - 862 - 700

Organist: David Hoffelt

Choir: (Sun) TBA

May 17/20 The Ascension of Our Lord

Acts 1:1-11

Psalm 47

Ephesians 1:15-23

Luke 24:44-53

Sermon: Faith Seeking Understanding

Text: Luke 24:44-49

Order: (Thu) Holy Communion

(Sun) DSI w/HC, p. 151

Close of Sunday School, 8:00

Hymns: 799 - 493 (st. 1-4, 5-6) - 821, 605 - 492

Organist: David Hoffelt

Choir: (8:00) All Sunday School

May 24/27 The Day of Pentecost

Ezekiel 37:1-14

Psalm 139:1-12

Acts 2:1-21

John 15:26-27; 16:4-15

Sermon: “Take Up Our Quarrel with the Foe”

Text: John 15:26-27

Order: (Thu) Contemporary Service

(Sun) DSI w/o HC, p. 151

Hymns: 498 - 497 - 717 - 650

Organist: David Hoffelt

Choir: (Sun) TBA

Scenes of Easter’s Joy

COUNCIL NOTES – March 13, 2012 The April 10, 2012 St. Peter’s Church Council meeting was

called to order by President William Steffenhagen at 6:30 p.m.

members present were Tom Daughterty, Greg Frank, Steven

Hustad, Gregory Latzig, Mark Manke, Marvin Manke, Keith

Podoll, Shannon Rohrbeck, Stephen Saager, Jennifer See, Wil-

liam Steffenhagen, Lynnette Taylor, Mary Witt, Brad Zimmer-

man, Elizabeth Hutchinson, Pastor Hendrickson and Deacon

Schroeder. Michael Post was excused. Tom Crum, Verna

Mueller, Glenn Puntney and Sandra Sandstrom were absent.

The opening devotion was given by Deacon Schroeder from the

Book of Luke.

The Agenda was presented. Keith Podoll moved to accept

the agenda, Marvin Manke seconded and the motion carried.

The Secretary’s minutes were read and approved. Brad

Zimmerman moved to accept, Jennifer See seconded and the

motion carried.

The Financial Secretary’s Report was read. Mary Witt

went over the numbers with the council and presently the

budget is looking good. Greg Frank moved to accept the report,

Mark Manke seconded and the motion carried.

The Treasurer’s report was given. There were no ques-

tions. Steve Hustad moved to accept the report, Stephen Saager

seconded and the motion carried.

The Board of Elders report was presented. It was an ex-

tremely busy Lenten and Easter Season for the elders and every-

thing went smoothly. There will be some additions to the usher

teams coming up. The

Altar Guild was recog-

nized for all their work

during Lent and Holy

Week. There were many

positive comments on

how everything looked .

The Endowment Fund

received four scholarship

applications on time. A date will be set up to review the appli-

cations. The Christian Women’s council has their plant sale

coming up May 3rd, 4th and 5th. Greg Latzig reported on the out-

reach of Spiritual gifts. The documents that church members

fill out need to be streamlined so that it is easier to match mem-

bers with special gifts to those that need the assistance. This

will be an ongoing project. Lynnette Taylor moved to accept the

report, Jennifer See seconded and the motion carried.

Board of Trustees report was given by Keith Podoll. The

trees have been taken care of on the Wilson House property.

Thanks go out to Henry Schroeder and his brother Bill for all

the work they did on the project. Marvin Manke moved to ac-

cept the report, Mary Witt seconded and the motion carried.

The Board of Christian Education report was presented

by Brad Zimmerman. The Child Care Center currently has 33

children enrolled. The 4 K program has 19 children enrolled .

Work has begun on the summer program for the child care cen-

ter. They will also be holding their annual Spring Bake sale in

May for the purchase of outdoor equipment. The Sunday School

children will sing one more time during the church service. The

last Sunday School will be May 20th. Midweek is wrapping up

for the students with confirmation being May 6th. The Easter

egg hunt was a success with 24 children participating. The

Easter breakfast was also a success with 94 people being served.

There were many volunteers who contributed to the enjoyable

breakfast. Deacon Schroeder

wants to do more with the

youth during the summer

months instead of less. The

Bible Bowl was not attended

but preparation will start ear-

lier this year. Bible classes are

wrapping up their studies.

The men have been discussing Matthew and the Women’s’ Bi-

ble class has been studying Mark. The Sunday Bible study will

have guest speaker Rev. Wayne Dobratz sharing his experi-

ences about the Horicon haunting.

The Pastor’s Report- Pastor Hendrickson reported that the

Lenten Season went well and there were many positive com-

ments. Pastor gave a special thanks to the elders and Deacon

Schroeder for all their extra help and service.

Membership changes-To receive as communicant mem-

bers: Riley Barnharst, Brooke Bindl, Brea Falstad, Katelyn

Conklin, Derek Gordon, Shayne Brasda, Lauren Kriewaldt.

Anthony Rittmeyer, James Saager, Matthew Saager, Danielle

Sandstrom, Tierney Woodward, and Elizabeth Yamriska.

Membership changes are contingent on the completion of the

requirements for confirmation. Mark Manke moved to accept

the membership changes, Brad Zimmerman seconded and the

motion carried.

Old Business- none to report.

New Business-Lynnette Taylor attended a meeting as our

congregational advocate for Thrivent. Thrivent Building Spe-

cialist for Columbia County, Bill Schleichert went over the

Habitat for Humanity project with those attending. It was

decided there would be more discussion and consideration of

this worthwhile project at the next meeting.

The Lord’s prayer was recited and at 7:20p.m. President

Bill Steffenhagen adjourned the meeting.

~~Elizabeth Hutchinson, Secretary

FINANCIAL REPORT

CURRENT EXPENSE FUND:

Balance on Mar 31, 2012 ........................................ $6,332.62

Receipts for Apr (est) ............................................ $17,527.00

Expenses for Apr (est) ......................................... ($13,280.86)

Shortage/Overage ................................... $10,578.76

LOAN BALANCES:

Organ - $50,509.07. The interest for this loan is costing us

approximately $261 per month.

Wilson House - $47,652.00. The interest for this loan is cost-

ing us approximately $235 per month

Repair Projects - $16,625. 50.

Elders May 3 6:30 p.m. Greg Latzig

May 6 8:00 a.m. Thomas Daugherty & Mark Manke

10:30 a.m. Tom Crum & Glenn Puntney

May 10 6:30 p.m. Greg Latzig

May 13 8:00 a.m. Greg Frank

10:30 a.m. Steve Hustad

May 17 6:30 p.m. Greg Latzig

May 20 8:00 a.m. Marvin Manke & Greg Frank

10:30 a.m. Tom Daugherty & Stephen Saager

May 24 6:30 p.m. Tom Crum

May 27 8:00 a.m. Marvin Manke

10:30 a.m. Glenn Puntney

May 31 6:30 p.m. Stephen Saager

May 6 & 13

Early Late Mark Witt ,Chr. Tyson Miller, Chr.

(635-4673) (635-8504)

Wade Senft Mark Schoeckert

George Schoeneberg Mitch Schoeckert

Mitchell Amundson Michael Hendrickson

John Frank Matthew Hendrickson

Jeff Rowe Shannon Rohrbeck

Trevor Giese Stephen Saager

Trent Olson

May 20 & 27

Philip Hanson, Chr Robert Caldwell, Chr.

(635-2244) (635-4225)

Randy Schuster Jerran Hanson

David Caldwell James Dobratz

Mark Hirssig Bob Hagenow

Robert Rittmeyer Jim Mueller

Buck & Ty Woodward Tait Halvorsen

Justin & Jacob Reddeman Al Stoltenberg

Tom Daugherty

March

MAY

5/3 Lois Abel

5/3 David Qualle

5/3 Herb Schultz

5/4 Jerran Hanson

5/4 Jacquie Penshorn

5/5 Charles Schultz

5/23 Rozella Gunderson

5/24 Brita Schoeneberg

5/29 Jane Tomlinson

Christian Women’s Council

Updates:

PLANT SALE: May 3, 4, & 5.

Takes place at 415 Main St.,

Arlington. Come start your

gardens here!

NEXT MEETING: May 13, 2012

9:30 a.m. between services,

in the chapel. Agenda items to

Include Plant Sale wrap up

and planning for Community

Picnic in the fall!

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