A monthly publication.
Volume, No. 5
Sunday morning worship, sing a Luther Hymn of the
Month. My portion of our newsletters during that time
will introduce and consider those hymns as we sing them
together.
May 2017
Where Can You Find a Gracious God?
Fellow pilgrims,
Last month, I attended a Reformation Symposium at
Concordia University, Chicago. Five speakers from four
Christian denominations addressed the historical,
cultural, political, and theological significance of the
Reformation. Along the way, each speaker distilled
Luther’s message in their own way. One emphasized
Luther’s doctrine of creation and the way it gives
meaning to the mundane: “What most people do for
most of the week actually matters to God.” Another
emphasized Luther’s distinction between self-centered
human love and the selfless love of God for us in Jesus
Christ: “I am His and He is mine.” Our own Missouri
Synod representative emphasized Luther’s spiritual
struggle and gospel breakthrough with the poignant
question that still rings in our ears: “Where can I find a
gracious God?”
In his commentary on Psalm 51, Luther himself says,
“The proper subject of theology is man guilty of sin and
condemned, and God the Justifier and Savior of man the
sinner. . . All Scripture points to this, that God
commends His kindness to us and in His Son restores to
righteousness and life the nature that has fallen into sin
and condemnation” (LW 12.311). Echoing Luther,
David Lumpp writes, “Jesus Christ is God’s merciful
response to human rebellion and fallenness, and, in the
death and resurrection of the Son of God, congenitally
sinful men and women find pardon and peace” (First
Things First, 25). In other words, the heart of the
Lutheran movement and the Reformation is the doctrine
of justification. In Jesus, God finds us and we find a
gracious God.
Over the last few months, we have considered Lutheran
Worship in our Sunday morning Bible class. The triune
God, present and active through His Word, finds us in
the Divine Service and there we can, with certainty, find
and have a gracious God. We will complete that study
on Sunday, May 7.
On Sunday, May 14, our Director of Music, Nicole
Moritz, will present on the hymns of Martin Luther
during the adult education hour. Luther’s hymns
beautifully express the fact that we have a gracious God
in Jesus Christ. That presentation will prepare us for the
months of June through October when we will, during
On Sunday, May 21, we will begin a study called, “A
Man Named Martin: The Man.” This is a video-based
study from Lutheran Hour Ministries on Martin Luther.
On Sunday, July 16, we will begin the second part of
that study called, “A Man Named Martin: The Moment.”
I hope you will plan to join us.
As we continue to celebrate this 500th anniversary of the
Reformation, we do much more than repristinate* old
doctrinal formulae. We wrestle with the central question
of the faith: Where can I find a gracious God? We also
celebrate and receive again the awesome truth that our
gracious God has found us and continues to find us by
His gracious Word through His Son, Jesus Christ.
In Christ, our gracious Lord,
Pastor Rusnak
Pilgrim Lutheran School News:
Our scholars continue to amaze
us! They showed so much
perseverance
during
state
testing (Forward Exam). Our
theme was “Fly Forward”. Our
K4-2 grade scholars supported
our 3-8 grade scholars by decorating their classroom
doors and praying for them. We would also like to give
a special shout out to 3rd grade as they had the best
attendance during Forward testing…they won two nonuniform days!
We are so excited to announce that we will have summer
school through the Center for Urban Teaching at Pilgrim
this summer. Summer school is a positive program that
helps ensure ALL scholars do not fall behind in the
summer and are prepared for the next school year. We
encouraged all of our scholars to attend!
You’re invited to Pilgrim’s first Gallery Night on
Thursday, May 11th from 3:45-6:30PM! At Gallery
night, you will see our scholars’ best academic work
from the 2016-2017 school year. Please pick up a
passport at the front entrance. You will learn about
different countries in each classroom and be entered into
a raffle when your passport is full! You will also be able
to stop by our book fair and art exhibit. We would love
to see members of Pilgrim Lutheran Church at the
event.
Ms. Neiman
PCDC CLOSURE
As most of you are already aware, on April 2nd the
Voter’s Assembly made the very difficult decision to
close the PCDC effective August 31st. A trend of
declining enrollments and the fact that the PCDC fund
balance is in a deficit position of $200,000 led to this
decision. An Ad Hoc committee has been established to
find someone to take over the PCDC building on a lease
or sale basis. The PCDC Board and Director will be
working with our staff and the families we serve to make
this transition as smooth as possible. We thank God for
the opportunity to reach out to the community these past
17 years, touching the lives of these little children and
their families with the knowledge of God’s love for them
in Jesus Christ. We are also thankful for the tremendous
investment of time and resources our members have
devoted to supporting this outreach. We ask your prayers
that God will provide, hopefully, another day care
provider at this location and that, in God’s gracious will,
the needs of our staff and families will be met.
FINANCIAL STATUS REPORT
Receive
d
Needed
33
weeks
Church
PCDC
TOTAL
37
weeks
Church
PCDC
TOTAL
Differen
ce
YEAR TO DATE (through 3/19)
$
$
163,446
445,064
$
608,510
$
176,303 $ (12,857)
402,534
42,530
578,837 $
29,673
YEAR TO DATE (through 4/16)
$
183,258
499,011
$
202,570 $ (19,312)
454,224
44,787
$
682,269
$
656,794 $
ANNIVERSARIES
Jim and Janet Frank
Justin and Jessica Beckman
Mike and Gail Zawacki
5/8
5/11
5/17
Another Easter season is upon us as we have been
reminded of the certainty of our salvation through faith
in Christ and His resurrection and the promise of eternal
life with Him in heaven. It is this certainty that is
important to share with the world so all may know of
God’s love and forgiveness.
To this end, the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League
(LWML) has been used by God for 75 years, and here at
Pilgrim for 60 years. On May 12, 2017, Pilgrim LWML
will host a “Diamond Dazzle Event” to celebrate God’s
grace through these years and to look to the future. All
women of Pilgrim will receive a special invitation,
especially those who have been a part of Pilgrim LWML
in the past. This “Time to Celebrate!” will be a light
luncheon from 11:30 – 2:00. We hope this will make it
easier for those who don’t go out at night to join us. If it
is possible for those who work to take a ‘lunch break’
at this time, that would be great! We are asking for an
RSVP by May 10th, to 476-0735 or 476-0472.
Our Pilgrim congregation has been supportive of
missions by contributing to Mites in the large mite box;
showing interest in our three international workers and
families; and helping to gather items for local needs
through the ingatherings. A hearty THANK YOU to
all! See you, ladies, on May 12th!
25,475
This report is for the four week period ending April 16th
and it shows that our deficit was reduced by $4,200. This
was the result of our Lenten/Easter season offerings.
However, with our decision to close the PCDC, there
will be a significant transition period over the next three
months, resulting in a downturn of PCDC revenue. We
will probably need to borrow additional funds on our
Line of Credit to see us through, until such time as we
can find someone to take over the building.
Gary L. Mueller, President
WHY LWML?? ?
INSPIRATION
S
S
SERVICE
O
EDUCATION
Name
Bristow-Mclean, Mason
Baker, Marilyn
Fink, James
Felber, Lori
Rusnak, Rev. Jonathan
Bartel, June
Maahs, Sue
Stempkowski, Jon
Swenson, Eric
Pierson, Roger
Swenson, Kelli
Rusnak, Julie
Swenson, Katie
Date
5/1
5/8
5/10
5/10
5/12
5/12
5/13
5/20
5/25
5/27
5/29
5/30
5/31
~2~
Pilgrim Sunday School Celebrates Easter
The children processed on Palm Sunday with hand
print palms. They also shared a song.
Projects such as these will be included in the Family
Intergenerational VBS event, happening after church
on Sunday, June 25th. Hubert the Hound will be
visiting to lead us in devotions and song. A picnic-type
lunch will also be included. See you there and bring a
friend!
Mrs. Rusnak helped the children with several
projects, designed for use in sharing the true
meaning of Easter with their families.
Here is Jesus’ crown of
thorns. The
Resurrection Eggs each
contain a symbol
representing an event
of the Passion story.
Dioramas of the
first Easter
morning were
made using real
grass and dirt.
The children
anxiously waited
for the seeds to
sprout.
Mark your calendars! Friday, May 19th, is Family
and Faith Fiesta night! Families with young children
will meet in the church basement any time from 5-7pm
to enjoy a free ongoing taco bar. PCDC families and
staff are especially welcome to join, as we will take this
opportunity to honor our PCDC staff for all their
hard work! Along with dinner, there will be activities
for children while parents have time to browse ideas
and resources available to teach the faith to their
children at home. Each family will be given a bag with
materials to support them in this important part of
their family life. Please contact Julie Rusnak,
[email protected]., or Jessica Beckman,
[email protected], if you'd like to help with this
event in any way!
MEET MARTIN LUTHER! As part of our
Reformation 500 celebration at Pilgrim, come and hear
the story from the Reformer himself and enjoy a carryin dinner with 100 of your closest friends. MARK
YOUR CALENDARS for Friday, June 2! Dinner is
served at 6:00 and the “edutainment” by David
Wiedenkeller begins at 7:00pm. Admission is FREE
and suitable for ALL AGES. Please bring the kids
and a dish to share. (Presented by the Evangelism
Committee)
Reflect: God has called you by name and saved you
through Jesus’ death on the cross as you go forward in
your life and into the place God has taken you, whether
to your home, your workplace, or your community, we
are reminded that He will be with us. [Isaiah 43:1-7
~3~