​Weekly View From Da Pews
September 24, 2021
“Life is not what it is supposed to be!  Life is what it is!  What you do with it determines your success!”
  In my 78 years of life I have known a few struggles and I have also observed many of the struggles of other people.  I have observed that those people who have a “can do” attitude are those who succeed in life.  If you say I cannot, than you will not.  If on the other hand you ask God to help you, give it your best shot and still come up short, you may find that you have had a positive impact on those around you and that is success.  Stay strong, stay the course and keep the faith!
  This past Wednesday I attended the worship service at Dekorra and I came away with a renewed appreciation for the youth of Dekorra.  I was impressed by their positive attitudes and their willingness to engage in the worship service.  Yes there were some gaffs, but they serves as learning experiences.  Where all of us born knowing how to lead a worship service?  It is a learning process that teaches us about our faith and prepares our youth for their future roles as leaders of Dekorra.  I urge all of our senior members to attend these Wednesday night services, too interact with our youth and share your life experiences with them.
  When you come to church this Sunday there are a couple of things to remember.  First of all worship is at 9am, second, remember to pick up your yellow bag and third, it is PIZZA Sunday.  If you ordered a PAPA Murphy’s pizza from the youth they will be delivered this Sunday and you will need to pay the bill.  The Packers play this Sunday night and it is a great time to enjoy that pizza.  GO PACK!
  Very shortly we will be putting together the budget for 2022.  If you are on a committee we will need to know what you expect to spend on your committees activities next year.  Also, as we re-write the churches constitution we will need to re-write the “continuing resolution” for each committee and we would like you to be a part of that process.  This would be a good discussion for ‘ALL Committee” night in October.
  Fearings continues to work on the upgrade to our Audio/Visual system.  I have already noticed the improvement of the sound system.
  We continue to make good progress at the Habitat build in Baraboo.  The electric is all roughed in and the plumbers are working on their part.  We have a snag with two of the windows.  We will not get them until mid-October so we cannot finish the siding on the back wall until then.  We can use more help from Wednesday to Saturday.  The same 5 or 6 volunteers are doing all the work and they are getting tired out.
  Worship Committee Needs a Minister of PowerPoint ASAP for a Short Project in September
By September 20th, we expect to be able to use the new A/V system. This will include having the order and content of worship on the screens. That means we need to start the long process of transferring everything into PowerPoint. The bright side is that I have all of Trinity Lutheran of Lake Mill’s PowerPoint decks for worship with a lot of hymns. The templates just need to be edited, the readings transferred into slides, and some other tasks. If you are saying to yourself “I could help with that” or feel the Holy Spirit nudging you, then please call the office or shoot an email to Pastor Sterling at pastorsterling@centurytel.net. Thank you!
 
 
From Social Ministry Committee: Quilts and School and Personal Care Kits Delivered to the Train on September 18th
We will once again be leading the synod in amounts donated to this project.  The committee put together 62 quilts 113 School Kits and 25 Personal Care Kits for Lutheran World Relief.  A huge “atta girl” to Kathy Pederson for all her hard work coordinating this project.  The items above were delivered to the train on September 18th by Pete and Margo Holzman.  Mission work in action, Thank you!
 
Needed: Crafters for Prayer Cloth Ministry A prayer cloth is a mini-version of a prayer shawl. The crafter infuses prayer to provide love and comfort to the person who will receive the Prayer Cloth. They are small enough to be tucked in pockets, and purses.  They also can be carried into surgery and taken on vacations. Anyone who needs comfort or wants support in their prayer life could use one. Our Pastor could take them on visits, have a basket available to take, or donate to local community facilities. Are you a knitter, crocheter, or quilter? Just want to help? You can sign up on the bulletin board, and patterns and yard will be in the Fellowship Hall starting in October. Please contact Jill Emmons if you have any questions or details on what these look like – (608) 692-1425 or jillyemmons@gmail.com. Also, check out the October newsletter for more details.
 
Worship Ministry Sunday, September 26, 2021
Worship Assistant: Marj Weingandt, Lay Reader: Dave Kinnunen, Greeters: Judy Brownrigg and Sharon Kampen, Sanctuary Ushers: Paul Knuteson and Bill Priske, Parking Lot Ushers: Bob Acker, Jerry Carncross and Harry Benson, Acolyte: None, Cantor: Bill Emmons, Stewardship: Sharon Kampen and Holly Priske
 
That’s all for this week, time to get busy cleaning my home.
 
william 

​Weekly View From Da Pews
September 17, 2021
“We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men!”  Herman Melville
  It was good to see that connection on Wednesday night at our first Wednesday night Intergenerational worship service.  There was a connection between the ages exemplified by the youth, the teachers, the mentors and just some of the old people like me who enjoyed the interaction between all involved.  That interaction gives people my age a feeling that we will be OK, that we do have a group of young people who are concerned and committed to keeping the faith alive and growing.  My hats off to Pastor Sterling for taking the time and putting in the effort to make this a success.
  It was also a very pleasant surprise to have the sound system up and running.  Fearings has been working very hard to get us modernized and into the 21st century.  It will be a nice addition to our worship experience when it is all done.  Just a reminder that this upgrade is not cheap and council is counting on each of you to contribute a little extra each week to help pay off the loan.  My hope is that you will respond like you did with the roof repair and pay off the loan way ahead of time.
  My hats off to the Property committee group for all their hard work installing the new light pole in the parking lot.  It is a much needed improvement and a job well done.
  I have been toying with the idea of re-energizing the Dekorra Men for Christ.  I would like to know if any of the men in our congregation or even non-members would be interested in a men’s bible study on Wednesday nights after church service.  This would be a lay led study with input from Pastor Sterling and using the Master Builder Bible study section.  I think we could keep the sessions to about one hour.  If you are interested reply to my e-mail.
 
    
 
 Giving of Bibles to Third Graders – Sunday, September 19th at 9 am Worship
As part of child Baptism, parents and guardians promise to place the scriptures in their kids’ hands, nurture them in their faith, live with them among God’s people, teach them the Lord’s Prayer, Creeds, and Ten Commandments, and other important things. On this Sunday, we will support those parents/guardians in keeping that promise by giving Bibles to the Third Graders in our community. We will pray over and ask God to bless these kids and their parents/guardians during worship.
 
Sunday School Teacher/Coordinator Installation – Sunday, September 19th at 9 am Worship
As we start a new youth education term, let us celebrate and ask God to bless our Sunday School Teachers and Coordinator
 
A Packers Pizza Sunday – ELCA Youth Gathering Fundraiser, September 26th
What are your plans for the big 7:20 pm Packers vs. 49ers game on September 26th? It could include supporting our youth (4 so far) by going to the ELCA Youth Gathering in 2022 and some Papa Murphy’s pizza! Details are coming but expect to see an order form in these announcements and for the tasty food to be delivered on the Sunday of the fundraiser. Pizzas can last 2 days in the fridge and a couple of weeks in the freezer.
 
Work continues at the Habitat home on Lily Court in Baraboo.  We are siding the exterior walls, running the electric wire and installing fixtures. This weekend they will be pouring cement for the garage floor and the front stoop.  We are almost done with the use of the scaffolding and that can be returned to Sauk Prairie warehouse.  The plumbers need to start their work and it won’t be long and we will be installing the wall insulation and dry walling.  This next week we will go to Madison and pick up the furnace and air conditioner.
 
  That’s all for this week, time to clean my house and wash some clothes.  Stay healthy, stay strong and keep the faith! See you all on Sunday.
 
William