Incarnation Image

I recently had a phone conversation with a friend of mine who is leaving the ministry. He grad-uated the same year as I did from the seminary; in fact, we were dorm mates. Our discussion centered around his total disappointment in the people of God for their lack of commitment to discipleship. He was also angry at the underhanded methods used by some people who claim to be sons and daughters of God. Several hours

later I Emailed him a newsletter article I had read that addressed his issues. Here are some excerpts from that article.

The fact is that not all of those who claim Christ as Lord actually follow the dictates of Jesus. Some have not made a decision for Christ and spend their time sitting on the sidelines as they dabble with the church and their faith. Then again it is important for us to remember these words of Jesus, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the

earth? No, I tell you, I have come to bring division.”

Jesus came to the world to offer life, hope, inner peace, healing, and forgiveness. But each person must decide wheth-er they want to receive these gifts. Jesus literally draws a line in the sand and asks us to make a choice. That choice is to

stand beside Jesus or to stand on the other side of the line and make someone or something else # 1 in our life. Christ’s challenge, as the Gospel indicates, causes division. Not even everyone in the same family will chose to step onto his side

of the line. Jesus’ ultimate goal is to have each person choose the fullness of life found in a life in which he is # 1.

His challenge faces each one of us today. That decision requires the choice to invite the Holy Spirit into our lives and the discipline to continually make the invitation. The fruits of such discipline and continual invitations are inner peace, joy, healthier life, longer life, purpose in life, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and eternal life. These fruits are available to all people who step over the line and stand by Jesus. Jesus beckons, invites, and calls each of us to step into the fullness of

life with him, but he cannot force us. Jesus must wait for each of us to step over the line and make him # 1 in every choice.

In a world that offers many other excuses for not choosing Jesus as #1, Christians are challenged to make a compelling invitation to others to step into the fullness of life that Jesus offers. Studies show that only 24 % of Americans make Jesus # 1 on Sundays by participating in worship. If a Christian does not begin each week with making Jesus # 1 through wor-ship, it is hard to convince his or her children and friends that Jesus really is # 1. This is a matter of life and death. What

excuse is there for choosing the other side of the line and death?

Statistics indicate that only 10 % of people who are confirmed and currently in their twenties, thirties, and forties partici-pate in weekly worship. If Christian parents and grandparents want their children to be on the same side of the line, to

have a happy, healthy, peaceful and purposeful life, then they must teach them in their formative years the precious val-ue of making Jesus # 1 in their life. This can only happen by modeling a life of no excuses, a life where each week starts

with worship and each day starts with prayer.

If Christians want to invite family and friends over the line, they must first step over the line and witness to the joy and peace, the power and serenity, the hope and healing that are found when Jesus becomes # 1 in a person’s life. Jesus drew a line in the sand not to divide but to invite people into real life. There is only life on one side of the line. I encour-age you to make a compelling invitation to the people you love, but first I encourage you to lift up your own feet and

plant them firmly on the side of Jesus the Christ.

As you continue to encourage yourselves and others in this year of our Lord 2020, consider the following ten suggestions.

Yours in Christ’s Service,

Pastor Ralph

The fact that you have taken the time to even read this article indicates that you are concerned about where you stand.

That’s a very good sign, because concern is the first step in the process of change.

• Ignite the spiritual fires of your own soul.

• Study God’s Word with the aid of good resources and

others with a similar desire.

• Remember that people are the church; the place

where you worship is a building.

• Support your church with regular attendance.

• Pray for your church’s leaders.

• Look for ways to encourage others in Christ.

• Discover your unique way of witnessing to others and

do it often.

• Give generously of your time, talents, money, and

prayers.

• Believe in your church and speak highly of its possibilities.

• Invite people to attend church with you often.

P A G E 2 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 0

Worship Updates & Schedules

SUNDAY SCHEDULE Worship - 9 am

Fellowship, Adult Forum 10 am

Special Praise Worship Every 4th Sunday:

This month - Feb. 23

Scrappy Stitchers Quilting Group at 9:30 am

2nd & 4th Fridays—Feb. 14 & 28

Church Council 2nd Thursday at 6:30 pm

February 13

Men’s Bible Study To be determined

Women’s Bible Study 1st & 3rd Thur. at 9:30 am

February 6 & 20

The beginning of Lent...Ash Wednesday, February 26. Worship at 6:30

No council notes this month. Because of the Annual Meeting of the

Congregation, council met on Thursday, January 23...too late to be included in this

newsletter. Notes from January and February will be in the March 2020 Newsletter.

TRANSITIONS

Changes in our

Community

On December 31. 2019, our loving Mother, Carol Jean

(Osmunson) Nieft passed away. She was born to the late

Jacob Osmunson and Leta Webley Osmunson on March

22,1925. Carol grew up enjoying band and choir. She

graduated from Sturgeon Bay High School in 1043. She

married Phillip E. Nieft on January 26, 1946. at Bay View

Lutheran Church, Sturgeon Bay. He proceeded her in

death in 2006. Her Husband was a Lutheran Pastor, and

served parishes in Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Ohio, and

Minnesota. They retired and built their home in rural

Sturgeon Bay in 1970. She was the elementary school

secretary in Sturgeon Bay form 1971 to 1987. Carol and

Phillip lived in Sturgeon Bay for 30 years before relocat-

ing to Green Bay.

Carol and Phillip took advantage of retirement to travel

around the country, enjoying the beauty of America and

visiting relatives. And even made a trip to Europe.

Carol was known for her kind

and compassionate spirit. She

was quick to smile and loved

to socialize. She passed her

love of music and animals on

to her children. She has a

deep faith in God and rarely

missed a chance to feel closer to God.

Carol is survived by a son, Michael (Dawn) Nieft, daugh-

ter Nancy (Tim) Zmyslo, grandson Adam Nieft and his

fiancé Shawana Petrasek, sisters-in-law Francis Roskom,

Bonnie Nieft, and brother-in-law Herb (Donna) Nieft,

many nieces and nephews.

Carol was proceeded in death by her brother, Donald

Osmunson and granddaughter Tayler Nieft.

Carol’s family would like to thanks the caring staff at

Woodside Lutheran Home.

A Service of Praise and Thanksgiving in

Memory of Carol Jean Nieft. - January 10, 2020

In Memoriam Prayers and sympathy extended to those

families who have lost a loved one.

P A G E 3 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 0

From our Stewardship Chair Hello Dear Members of Incarnation:

I have always felt that at the beginning of each year we are able to renew our personal journey with our Lord and Savior. This year is no exception; we look to the past and see what we did accomplish and what we have left un-done, we look at ourselves today and take stock of who we are, and we look to the future to see where we can dream and what we want to aspire to.

Incarnation Lutheran Church has taken those same steps. We looked to the past, we evaluated where we are today and we have hopes, dreams and prayers for tomorrow. At our Annual Meeting, we discussed our Annual Budget. We have compared it to the past and analyzed all the de-tails of where our money was spent and where it is to be spent. We talked about where we stand today with Mort-gages, Capital Funds and Expense accounts. We then set out to plan for the future. Myrna Herrbold did an excel-lent job of preparing some preliminary financial numbers and presenting them to the Church Council. Over several weeks of debate and discussion, a budget was proposed by the Church Council and presented to the members of Incarnation at the annual meeting. Our 2020 Annual Budget was approved.

This is a great milestone for Incarnation with one excep-tion; it is a larger budget than 2019. It is a realistic budg-et but in looking directly at the numbers and at the mem-bership of Incarnation, we realize that we will need to increase our personal giving on a weekly basis. It is not much, and if each attending member were to give a couple

of dollars more a week we would make our annual budget and continue to support Incarnation, to take care of the members of Incarnation and to help those in the commu-nity programs we are supporting now. We know that some individuals and families just cannot give the dollar or two that we need, and we are hoping that some people may be able to help with an additional $5.00 or $10.00 each week.

Over the past year, I have been supporting Stewardship as it pertains to the role of Time, Talents and Gifts that our members bring to Incarnation. This year I have to start out with a realization that Stewardship is also about the giving of tithes and the financial support the church needs. Let’s all work together, whether in prayer or deeds, to make 2020 a great year for all of us to be part of Incarnation Lutheran Church.

In Christ Allan Kvam Stewardship

P A G E 4 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 0

treasurer’s report

12/30/2019 8:59 AM

Warming Items

greatly

appreciated

A thank you note from the Green Bay Public

School District was read to the congregation by

Pastor on January 5. The “warming items” for

the homeless children were received with many

thanks.

So Thank You to all of Incarnation for your

response to this Christmas Outreach.

Thank you from Pastor, Linda, and Aaron

Dear Incarnation Family,

Thank you so much for the

generous Christmas gift.

Your thoughtfulness is greatly

appreciated.

God bless you.

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Ralph and Family

INCARNATION LUTHERAN CHURCH

ANNUAL MEETING MINUTES

JANUARY 19, 2020

1. Determination of a Quorum a.. A quorum was declared

2. Call to order

a. The meeting was called to order at 10:10 a.m. by President

Don Kneisler

3. Opening Devotions and Prayers

a. Pastor Ralph Hankermeyer led the congregation with the

ELCA Litany and Prayer

4. Approval of Minutes from the Annual Meeting of 2019

a. Reviewed by Secretary Allan Kvam

b. Motion by Aaron Hankermeyer, seconded by Sandy Krakow

to accept the Annual Meeting Minutes of 2019

c. Motion Approved

5. Review of 2019 Treasurer’s Report

a. Treasurer Myrna Herrbold reviewed the actual vs. budget

from last year, dated January 1, 2019 through December

31, 2019.

b. No questions

6. Approval of the 2020 Annual Budget

a. Treasurer Myrna Herrbold reviewed the budget for this year,

dated January 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020.

b. Short discussion on budgets items that were increased or

decreased

c. Short discussion on the Capital Fund and how it is being

used and replenished

d. Short discussion on the Administrative Assistant duties asn

the increase in weekly hours

e. ILC Church Council has proposed “Be it resolved that the

Incarnation Lutheran Church adopt the 2020 Budget as

presented by the Incarnation Lutheran Church Council.”

f. Motion by Allan Kvam, seconded by Rick Manning

g. Motion approved—two abstained

7. Election of Incarnation Lutheran Church Council Members

a. Two-year term—maximum 3 terms

b. A Thank You to Tim Kesy for his 6 years of service on the

council

c. Current Members and their terms

i. Tim Kesy 12-31-2019 Term Limit Reached

ii. Judy Trow 12-31-2019

iii. Don Kneisler 12-31-2019

iv. Bob Brumm 12-31-2020

v. Karen Flood 12-31-2020

vi. Aaron Hankermeyer 12-31-2020

vii. Allan Kvam 12-31-2020

ix. Sherry Rasmussen 12-31-2020

d. Members who have volunteered to be on council (verbal or Time and Talent sheets) i. Judy Trow (second term) ii. Don Kneisler (second term) iii. Myrna Herrbold (first term) e. Nominations from the floor i. none

f. Nominations closed by President Don Kneisler

g. ILC Council proposed ”Be it resolved that the congrega

tion cast a unanimous ballet to elect Judy Trow, Don

Kneisler, and Myna Herrbold as Council Members.”

h. Motion by Ken Anderson, seconded by Dennis Finell

i. Motion approved

8. Old / Ongoing Business

a. Renewal of Mortgage Note

i. To be renewed between now and May 2020 depending

on the lowest interest rate

ii. Discussion on the reasoning for increasing the

mortgage by $13,000.00

º Windows, Doors, Other

iii. LC Council has proposed: “Be it resolved that

Incarnation Lutheran Church renew the Mortgage

Note for the amount due at the renewal

plus $13,000.00 for capital improvements as

presented by the Council.”

iv. Motion by Karen Flood, seconded by Delores Rosio v. Motion Approved

9. New Business a. Email Distribution of the Church Newsletter i. Email Distribution of the Church Newsletter Overview ii. Email Distribution of the Church Newsletter Discus-

sion b. Transition of outgoing council members and incoming

council members i. Thursday, January 23rd, 2020 at 6:30 p.m.

10. Motion for Adjournment

a. Motion by Aaron Hankermeyer, seconded by Tim Kesy

b. Motion Approved

c. Time 10:55 a.m.

Incarnation Newsletter Delivery...your

choice

Yes, I want the Incarnation Newsletter…

A. Electronically

B. Printed

No, thank you.

If you want an electronic copy, please provide your e-mail address:

Please attach the newsletter to an e-mail sent to me. To read: download and open. Save to your comput-er, if you wish.

Please include a link to the newsletter in my e-mail. This is a link to the newsletter page on our website. Just click the month that you want to read. A year of newsletters is kept on the site.

I do not want a church newsletter.

Please leave a copy in my church “cubbie,” for me to pick up.

Please mail it to me immediately after printing it.

Name Date

Please return to the church office when you come to worship or mail it: 2071 Ninth Street — Green Bay, WI 54304 Thank you

Please know that you can read the church newsletter anytime on our website: www.incarnationgb.com. Click to Calendar and Events.

P A G E 7 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 0

Please cut out this calendar, On the back ( page 6) are the details of the events.

2

4th Sunday after Epiphany Worship 9 a m Fellowship 10am Adult Study 10:15

3

4

C o n f i r m . C l a s s 6 : 3 0 p m

5

6

W o m e n ’s B i b l e S t u d y 9 : 3 0 a m

7

1

8

9

5th Sunday after Epiphany Worship 9 a m Fellowship 10am

10

11

C o n f i r m . C l a s s 6 : 3 0 p m

12

13

C h u r c h C o u n c i l 6 : 3 0 p m

14

S c r a p p y S t i t c h e r s 9 : 3 0 a m

15

16

6th Sunday after Epiphany Worship 9 a m Fellowship 10am

17

18

C o n f i r m . C l a s s 6 : 3 0 p m

19

20

W o m e n ’s B i b l e S t u d y 9 : 3 0 a m

21

22

23

Transfiguration of Our Lord Praise Worship 9am Fellowship 10am Adult Study 10:15

24

25

C o n f i r m . C l a s s 6 : 3 0 p m

26

Pot Luck 5 pm Ash Wednesday Worship 6:30 pm

27

28

S c r a p p y S t i t c h e r s 9 : 3 0 a m

29

March 1 1st Sunday in Lent Worship 9 a m Fellowship 10am Adult Study 10:15

March 2 March 3

C o n f i r m . C l a s s 6 : 3 0 p m

March 4

Lenten Wednesday Worship 6:30 pm

March 5

March 6

March 7

Plan Ahead for Ash Wednesday—

February 26,

Calendar also on our

website:

www.incarnationgb.com.

Click on Calendar and Events.

P A G E 8 F E B U R A R Y 2 0 2 0

Church Calendar and all pictures in color

on our website: www.incarnationgb.com

Back-to-back “scoop” on church activities: page 5 is the calendar and page 6 has the details.

Cut this page from the Newsletter for a daily reference to Church Activities.

YAHs : Plans for February YAHs not quite finalized. Please look for upcoming details in the Sunday bulletins.

Reframe Titletown returns June 14-20, 2020 Assistance in basic home repair offered by youth in this Group Mission Workcamp

This is FREE home repair to disabled, elderly or low/moderate income homeowners who qualify. If you are a disabled, elderly, or low income homeowner and would like to apply for basic home repairs at no charge to you, please contact Cindy at trinity@netnet.net or 920.437.8124 for an application. Applications are being accepted through March 2020.

About this program: Reframe Titletown activates Christian teens to reach out and help disabled, elderly, and low income homeowners who need basic repairs and maintenance done to their homes. These repairs can in-clude: interior/exterior painting, weatherization, porch and wheelchair ramp construction, etc. and at no cost to the homeowner.

Youth on this mission trip strengthen and transform their faith through team building, serving others, devotions, and group worship. The teens are not the only ones transformed – most of the home-owners would attest to the fact that they benefited not only by the home repairs but also by the vol-unteers who truly gave of themselves and showed compassion for the homeowners.

2020 Reframe Titletown sponsors are: Group Mission Trips, NeighborWorks Green Bay, Resurrec-tion Lutheran Church and Trinity Lutheran Church. Co-sponsors are: The Greater Green Bay Com-munity Foundation, Howard-Suamico School District, Kimps ACE Hardware and Menards in Howard.

A good way to think of Evange-

lism is “helping others find Jesus

on their own terms”.

We often think of Evangelism as

knocking on a stranger’s door

and telling them about Jesus.

While this is usually the first im-

age that comes to mind when

speaking the word “EVANGELISM”, there are

other ways to reach and teach the good news

of Jesus Christ.

We will explore these ways during the teach-

ing time on the 4th

Sunday of each month,

asking the Holy Spirit to use us to be a beacon

of hope in this troubled world.

Gardening in February??? Sign up for a space on our

Incarnation Garden new! Yes Now!

We have 2 empty garden beds this spring. Join gardeners Carol Szarowicz, Monica Halverson, Sue Johnson, and Am-ber Horn. Being a member is not neces-

sary so invite a friend. The garden boxes are open to apartment dwellers, those with shady conditions, or just those who enjoy working along side others. You can grow for yourself or a local pantry. Please respond to Linda Snell, 920.309.7679 by the end of February if you or some-one you know would like a join our gardeners.

P A G E 9

outreach

F E B U R A R Y 2 0 2 0

Our last glimpse of Christmas is the arrival of the Wise Men, marking Epiphany.

The Sundays after Epiphany focus on Jesus’ manifestation of Himself as God. Bible readings and sermons during this time of the year deal with Jesus’ identity.

February has the last Sundays after Epiphany, concluding in the Transfiguration of our Lord on Sunday, the 23rd.

This ushers us to Ash Wednesday (please see back page) and the Season of Lent...the 40 days of Lent.

The arrival of the Wise Men

Lent marks Jesus’ temptation in the desert. His forty-day fast becomes the basis of our Len-ten pilgrimage.

In the early church Lent was a time of intense preparation for those to be baptized at the Easter Vigil.

This catechetical focus on the meaning of faith is at the heart of our Lenten journey to the baptismal waters of Easter. Hungry for God’s mercy, we receive the bread of life to nourish us for the days ahead.

As in recent years,

you are invited to

mark Lent with

gifts of food for

both Trinity's and

Resurrection’s

Food Pantries.

INCARNATION LUTHERAN CHURCH

920 499-2011 incarnationgb@gmail.com 2071 Ninth Street Green Bay, WI 54304 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Joel 2:1-2, 12-17

Return to the Lord, your God

Psalm 58:1-2

Have mercy on me, O God,

according to your steadfast love

2 Corinthians 5:20b—6:10

Now is the day of salvation

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-20

The practice of faith

On Ash Wednesday we begin our

forty-day journey toward Easter.

Marking our foreheads with dust,

we acknowledge that we die and

return to the earth. At the same

time, the dust traces the life-giving

cross indelibly marked on our fore-

heads at baptism. While we journey

through Lent to return to God, we

have already been reconciled to

God through Christ. Returning to our

baptismal call, we more intentionally

bear the fruits of mercy and justice

in the world.

Readings and Psalms

Please join in a Potluck at 5 pm. Sign up sheets in the Narthex.