May 2015

The Voice O f P e n t e c o s t L u t h e r a n C h u r c h www.pentecost-racine.org

As forgiven children of God, we, the Pentecost Family of Faith, are committed to show everyone Life in Christ.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

The month of April found us taking two excursions from our journey through the Gospel of

Matthew. Our first excursion was to celebrate the empty tomb on Easter morning!! And the second

was to celebrate Concordia Sunday and used their school theme for the year: “Mercy Forever.”

Below are the themes and major takeaways from April…

April 5 “Going Home…Heartened and Hopeful” (Easter) (1 Peter 1:3-9) Knowing that God’s mercies are helping you through tough times as you are heading home gives you

heart and hope.

April 12 “In the Eye of the Beholder” (Matthew 5:27-30) That God's definition of sexual purity is NOT what the world says is okay

April 19 Concordia Sunday (Mark 10:35-45) Service and Mercy should be our example to the world

April 26 “Committed Relationships” (Matthew 5:31-32) Divorce is a sin with major implications on fellowship and community

Besides our two excursions from Matthew, we also covered two important topics for our current

culture today…Adultery and Divorce. While these are not easy subjects to talk openly about, we as a

church should not shy away from them. As our cultural world continues to influence us and those

around us, we must be cognizant of the impact that our culture has on us. If we become passive and

tolerant of sin we lose sight of God’s vision and plan for our lives. My encouragement to you is to

remain faithful, seek forgiveness from God and one another, and look evermore toward the day when

Jesus returns.

- Pastor J

Gianni Greco – 05/03 Debby Cooper – 05/20

Mike McCray, Jr. – 05/04 Ian Barclay – 05/21

Kevin Erb – 05/06 Zach Christensen-05/21

Hannah Heldt – 05/06 Kathy Merrill – 05/22

Judy Mueller – 05/06 June Kolonick – 05/23

Dorothy Klingenmeyer-5/10 Hannah Perez – 05/25

Sheri Werner – 05/13 Dan Geyer – 05/27

Natalie Scott – 05/14 Richard Walters – 05/27

Kelley Grant – 05/17 Ellen Geyer – 05/28

Shane & Cindy Honore – May 8

th – 11 years

Tom & Sue Hasko – May 15th – 22 years

Wes & Diane Larsen – May 16th – 45 years

May 9th

– 8am-2pm Feel free to bring your items to the Parish House until

May 2nd

, after May 2nd

, please bring your items to the

church basement during office hours – M, W, Thu & F –

12:15-3:15pm, or drop them off before or after a church

service.

Please sign up to help cut the grass for the church and

Parish House this summer. It’s a great service

opportunity for everyone! Your help saves the church

thousands of dollars in hiring a service to do the job.

We have a riding mower as well as a push mower you

can use. If you need help with operating the equipment

please contact one of the Trustees. There is a sign-up

sheet on the table in the narthex.

We would like to recognize all of

our graduates in the June issue of

“The Voice”. If you would like

your son or daughter mentioned,

please contact the church office or by email at

pentecostlutheran@gmail.com.

The RLHS Association board members are honoring all

past and present Racine Lutheran High School Ladies

Guild members and regularly scheduled Thrift Shop

volunteers (men and women) with a complimentary

dinner on Thursday, May 7 at RLHS. Punch will be

served at 6:00 pm with dinner at 6:15 pm. Come meet

and greet your fellow members and workers. If you

need to bring a companion for transportation, they are

also welcome to attend. The Thrift Shops are an

ongoing blessing to RLHS and we appreciate each and

every volunteer. Thank you for your support. Please

make reservations by Monday, May 4 at either Thrift

Shop or call Barb Tertel at 632-1070.

SPRING CONCERTS -

Racine Lutheran High

School’s Spring

Concert is on Friday,

May 8, at 7 p.m. Enjoy

the sounds and songs

of grade school Beginner

Band and Symphonic

Band as well as the

RLHS Concert Choir, Concert Band, and Handbells

Ensemble.

PERFORMING ARTS NIGHT The kindergarten

through eighth grade students at Concordia Lutheran

School will be presenting a variety of performances for

your entertainment and enjoyment on Friday, May 15th at

6:30 p.m. in the gymnasium. Come and indulge your

senses as the kindergarten and first grade share a number

of patriotic songs both vocally and using bells. Grades 2

– 4 will present a delightful Disney Musical Revue. A

Reader’s Theater performance will be brought to you by

grades 5 and 6. Finally, a New Zealand Rhythmic Stick

Activity will be shared by our 7th and 8

th eighth grade

students. A book fair will also be on display this

evening. We hope to see you there!

mailto:pentecostlutheran@gmail.com

WHO WANTS TO GO

TO GERMANY? If the thought of

an overseas trip intrigues you,

please attend a meeting to discuss

this opportunity. Join us

on Wednesday, May 6, at 7 p.m. at

Racine Lutheran High School, 251

Luedtke Avenue, in room 129. Contact Nick Gasau at

637-6538 or ngasau@RacineLutheran.org with

questions.

ELECTRONIC FUND GIVING Just as you rely upon receiving income on a regular

basis, Pentecost relies on your regular contributions.

Pentecost appreciates the efforts of congregation

members to make consistent donations throughout the

year---especially during the popular summer travel

periods. To assist you, the church provides a convenient

electronic giving option for setting up regular

contributions. Please contact the church office for

details.

Sunday School News The children are eager to raise money for

our mission project, which is to be split between

something for our church

kitchen, and the block

party, so they have

decided to celebrate

mothers and all of the

women of our

congregation by having a

breakfast before the

service on Sunday, May

10th. All are welcome to

join us for a delicious breakfast at 8:00 and any

monetary donations will be used towards the

mission.

Believe it or not it is almost the end of the

Sunday School year! We will be having our wrap

up and end of the year celebration on Sunday, May

17th. Everyone is invited to help us celebrate

downstairs after the service.

We are taking a survey to see if

there is a need for a nursery

attendant at our weekend services.

If you have a need for a nursery

attendant, please fill out the survey

on the table in the narthex and place

it in the “Wagner” mailbox.

The 55+ Club will meet at

Applebee’s on Tuesday, May 5th

at 11:30am. If you have any

questions please contact Jane

Maloney at 635-0625.

May 14th

5:00 pm

Buona Vita

Sign up with Kathy Foss

Dear friends at Pentecost,

Thank you so much for you recent

donation to the Wisconsin Humane

Society – Racine Campus. Your generosity is greatly

appreciated. On behalf of the animals served by your

generosity, many thanks. Sincerely, Anne Reed,

President & CEO

Thank you to those who donated to our recent outreach

for the Hospitality Center, Humane Society and HALO.

Lord, bless those who give. – Janet Greco

Something to Think About

I am your King and you do

not respect me.

I am your Lord and you do

not visit me.

I am your best friend and

you do not talk to me.

I am your creator and you

do not know me.

I gave you everything and you give me nothing.

I gave you life and you think that it’s your own.

I am your origin and you say you depend on yourself.

“I am” when you were not.

I gave you freedom and you have become your own

slave.

I gave you the universe and you blame me for the war.

I gave you time but you have no time for me.

I gave you eyes and you look for pleasure.

I gave you a mind and you know so little.

I am beauty and you are ashamed of me.

I died for you and you never thank me.

I love you and you don’t care!

- Submitted by Janet Greco

mailto:ngasau@RacineLutheran.org

Stewardship Corner

Happy Birthday, Pentecost

On May 31st our church will be 107 years old! This year we have two Sundays to celebrate its birthday – Pentecost Sunday (May 24th)

and the actual “birth date” (May 31st)

Our church was started on Pentecost Sunday in 1908 – that was May 31st that year. The 31st falls on a Sunday in 2015 also, but it’s not Pentecost Sunday

this year, so… God really loves us and is giving us

TWO Sundays to celebrate! The last two Sundays

of May a special Birthday

Gift envelope will be available in the narthex. As you know, we got a little behind during the snowy days of January and February. This Birthday Gift in addition to your regular offering will give us a chance to catch up. The good news is – our treasurer reported that we ended March “in the black” for the month. The bad news is – we’re still behind because we were playing catch up from January and February. April has been an up and down month, also.

Needed Weekly to Cover Our Budget Needs

$2,789.00 Our “Noisy Offering” returns at the end of June so start collecting those coins now. Last year was a great offering. Can we top that this year? Lisa Wilckens, RN will be working with Pastor to set up a blood pressure weekend

Bring One Back… Vacation time is soon upon us, and many people visit different churches during their travels. No, we don’t want you to bring back the church, but we would like you to bring back a bulletin from the churches you visit. Put them in Pastor Jacob’s mailbox. As we look at things other churches are doing, maybe they can give us some new ideas, too.

Our March Music Madness has ended and the winner is: How Great Thou Art. We found out the results on Easter

Sunday so it was one of the hymns we sang that day.

Other favorites from the Top 90 List have been used many times on Sundays. Since our Hymn Sing doesn’t seem to be working out very well right now, we have often used a medley of three songs at the beginning of the service. If you had a favorite you wanted to suggest for Hymn Sing, please let Joyce know and we’ll work it in.

How Great Thou Art – The History of the hymn
 http://www.AllAboutGOD.com/how-great-thou-

art.htm

The history of the hymn How Great Thou Art begins with Mr. Carl Gustaf Boberg (1859-1940). He was a Swedish pastor, editor, and member of the Swedish parliament. Mr. Boberg was enjoying a nice walk when a thunderstorm suddenly appeared out of nowhere. A severe wind began to blow. After the storm was over, Mr. Boberg looked out over the clear bay. He then heard a church bell in the distance. And the words to How Great Thou Art begin to form in his heart -- O Lord, my God, When I in awesome wonder, consider all the worlds Thy hands hath made. . . Can you imagine what Boberg felt as he formed these words? There was such calmness after the fierce storm he could only utter those words of peace. 

This poem, titled O Store Gud (O Great God) was published in 1891 in Witness of the Truth, the weekly newspaper that Boberg edited. It was later translated in German. In 1927, it was published in a Russian version of the German text. How Great Thou Art was translated by Stuart K. Hine, the English missionary to Ukraine. He found some version of the Russian text and sang it at an evangelistic meeting with his wife. He then translated the first three stanzas into English, which was sung at an evangelistic meeting in England during World War One. He published the first three verses (in both English and Russian) in 1949 in Grace and Peace, a Russian evangelistic paper which Hine edited. He later wrote the fourth verse as a triumphant message of life eternal. 

Of the hymn’s importance he said: “When we reach that heavenly home, we will fully understand the greatness of God, and will bow in humble adoration, saying to Him, O Lord my God, how great thou art.” May we all live in such a way that we will be ready when Jesus Christ appears to receive the saints. Our heavenly home awaits us, all of those who have received Christ in obedience. 

Dr. J. Edwin Orr of Fuller Theological Seminary, is said to have brought the hymn to America. After hearing it sung in India, he introduced it to various Christian groups in America. In 1954, Dr. Cyrus Nelson of Gospel Light Publications copyrighted

and published the song. The melody is a Swedish folk song.

#1