Fed by God’s Word and led by the Holy Spirit, we gather together as a community of faith,

to proclaim God’s love by ministering to our congregation, community and world.

Volume #5 Issue #6 June 2020

Dear Friends in Christ,

We celebrated the last Sunday in May

as the Day of Pentecost. We’re famil-

iar with the Pentecost story of the Ho-

ly Spirit coming onto the disciples as

tongues of flame, bring with it the gift

of languages. We’re less familiar with

the Gospel of John for Pentecost. This

verse caught my attention:

Jesus said to them again, “Peace be

with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send

you.” 22When he had said this, he breathed on

them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

Jesus breathes on this disciples, and even though

he will no longer be with them in flesh and blood

and bone, that breath will remain in with them.

The Holy Spirit is the reassurance that they’re

now alone. They will have a constant sense of

God’s love.

And how is it with us? We, too, have received that

breath. We, too, have had our Lord embrace us,

hold us close and breathe on us, saying “Receive

the Holy Spirit.” It happened in our baptism.

That’s when the Spirit was poured out upon us

and the arms of Christ embraced us and called us

his own.

That breath of God does many things for us. By

reassuring us of God’s love, by offering that con-

stant presence of Christ, by whispering

gently that Jesus love us and is with us,

that we need not be afraid – by doing all

these things, that Breath of God is heal-

ing us, strengthening us, changing our

fear into confidence, our loneliness into

connectedness, our sorrow into joy.

Even though it is not yet time to return

to worship in the building, God’s pres-

ence is still sure. It has been there since

our baptism, surrounding us in new ways as new

circumstances arise. We are in uncharted and un-

certain times. Even now, the breath of God is

with us, reminding us that we are God’s own, that

we belong to Jesus, that we are embraced and

will not be abandoned.

Edwin Hatch was an Anglican priest and scholar.

He is best remembered for a prayer what has

found its way into many hymnals. May it be our

prayer as we live in faith during these unusual

days:

“Breathe on me breath of God;

Fill me with life anew,

That I may love what Thou does love,

And do what Though wouldst do.”

Yours in Christ’s Service,

Pastor Bill

2 | The Journey A publication of Living Faith Lutheran Church

NEWS FROM THE COUNCIL

April 2020 - Council Highlights

1. Vicar Deb presented a “Church by Phone” pro-

gram which we will be looking into for those in

our congregation that don’t have internet.

2. The Council President was given authorization

to make contact with the Synod office regarding

next steps in our process to heal from the de-

parture of Pastor Chad and move forward in our

congregational journey.

3. All in-person worship services and church

groups continue to be cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic, and will not resume until

it is safe to do so. An online format for worship

has begun.

4. Based on guidance from the ELCA, the council

adopted the policy that the church is not open

for funerals until it is safe to resume in-person

worship.

5. A hiring committee has been formed to find re-

placements for Jill Steiner and Kim Saunders.

6. Living Faith was able to obtain a federal

Paycheck Protection Program loan so that we

can continue to pay our staff during the pan-

demic.

7. Fix-It Campaign – projects around the building

are continuing to be worked on, both defibrilla-

tor boxes have been put up at the East Campus,

and we are looking for someone to replace the

tile on the elevator floor.

8. Sadly, Vicar Deb made the announcement that

her last day with us would be May 17th due to

the complications of the COVID-19 pandemic

and no longer having a supervisor since Pastor

Chad left.

9. New Business – we got information from AIM

Now about their planned playground rebuild

which will vastly improve how our building

“presents itself” to the neighborhood.

Church by Phone

Exciting news! We have a new way to access our sermons! It’s called “Church by Phone” and it is very

easy to use.

1. Dial 1-262-475-1237

2. Listen to the short greeting: it will instruct you to

3. Press 1 to listen to last Sunday’s sermon OR Press 2 to listen to the prior week’s sermon

4. There will be a short pause before the sermon begins, so don’t give up, the sermon will start!

Now we can listen to our sermon no matter where we are – even if we don’t have access to a computer. Isn’t technology amazing!!

Sermons can also be found on our website: www.livingfaithracine.org/news/

sermons as well as on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/livingfaithracine (you

do not need to have a Facebook account to view them.)

Living Faith Financial Picture - May 2020

Avg. Weekly Attendance: N/A

Total Year to Date Income: $168,622.32

Total Year to Date Expense: $148,519.14

JUNE 2020 ∙ Volume #5, Issue #6 3

We Need Your Help

Our first priority as a congregation is

to make sure that you are ok and

safe in these unprecedented times.

You as members of Living Faith have loved and cared

for the congregation (and predecessors) for decades.

We all look forward to the days when we can resume

in-person worship and the relationships that we

have with our Church family.

While we anticipate what is possible in the future,

we also need to continue to make an impact in our

congregation, community and the world by preserv-

ing a sustainable faith organization.

It will not likely come as a surprise that our financial

giving has been severely negatively impacted by the

pandemic. We know that some of our member’s in-

comes have been greatly reduced and they are no

longer able to provide the financial support that they

did prior to the crisis.

Understanding that not everyone is in a position to

do so, we ask those that are able to continue the

faithful stewardship of their financial gifts. We real-

ize that no one is passionate about giving to a budget

but everyone wants to make a difference in the

world today.

No matter what the size of an offering it will help us

continue the mission of Living Faith. Thank you all

for your sustaining gifts.

Ways to Give

Electronic giving:

• Through your bank or credit union’s on-line

bill pay

• Living Faith Website*

• Open the Give tab

• Checking, Savings, or Credit Card may be

used

• Give Plus Mobile*

• Download the free App to your i-phone

or Android device

• Checking, Savings, or Credit Card may be

used

• Simply Giving

• Monthly automated withdrawal from

your checking/savings account through

Thrivent & Vanco)

• Download form at: thefellowship.com/

downloadssimplygiving.pdf

* There is a 3% processing fee to the church which you

may choose to offset.

Via U.S. mail:

• Checks payable to:

Living Faith Lutheran Church

2915 Wright Ave.

Racine, WI 53405

STEWARDSHIP

Best Wishes, Vicar Deb!

As you know, Sunday, May 17, was

Vicar Deb’s last day with us. Normal-

ly we would hold some kind of con-

gregational gathering in her honor to

say thanks for her ministry among us

and to wish her God’s blessings as she moves onto a

new place, eventually as a called and ordained pas-

tor. Sadly, we can’t do that in these challenging and

uncertain times. Rather than running the risk of in-

fecting vulnerable people by gathering, we have

decided to express our gratitude for Vic-

ar Deb’s presence and ministry with a

card and note shower. Take a moment to

write something that tells Deb what her

presence has meant to you. If you are so

inclined, enclose a token of your

thoughts and feelings.

Address the envelope to Vicar Debbie Hartfield in

care of Living Faith Lutheran Church, 2915 Wright

Avenue, Racine, WI 53405. We will make sure she

receives them all.

4 | The Journey A publication of Living Faith Lutheran Church

MEMBER NEWS & UPDATES

Names in the News

Anniversaries: Del & Phyllis Fritchen will be married for 59 years on June 17th … Bob & Laila Youngman

will celebrate their 54th wedding anniversary on June 18th ... Glenn & Marie Abbott will also celebrate

their wedding anniversary on June 18th when they will be married 65 years … Tom & Vicki Siefert will be

married for 50 years on June 20th … Richard & Carole Thompsen will celebrate their 72nd wedding anni-

versary on June 26th and finally Clois & Val Shook will be married for 51 years on June 28th. Congratula-

tions to one and all!

Nonagenarian Birthday: Happy Birthday to Janice Tomasek who will turn 90 on June 1st … to Jeanette

Wright who will turn 97 on June 27th and to Beverly Riedi who will turn 91 on June 29th! Best wishes to

you all!

Known to be Hospitalized

Home Again: Mark Johnson and Helen Zelinger

Strict patient confidentiality rules prevent the hospital from notifying the church if you or a loved one is hospitalized. If you’d like a pastoral visit, please let the church office know.

Condolences

Heartfelt love, sympathy and support to the family and friends of MICHAEL LUDWIGSON,

who passed away on April 30, 2020 in the city of Racine.

“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” Psalm 116:15

We Care!

These are strange times.

We can’t get together in church

due to the pandemic, and at the

same time, we’ve experienced

the losses of Pastor Chad and Vicar Deb as spiritual

leaders within our congregation. The Church

Council is aware that not being able to express how

you are feeling to the larger group can be frustrat-

ing, and many of our members may be feeling

“unheard.”

So, let’s fix that! We would like to hear from you –

by email, phone call or regular mail – whatever is

the most comfortable for you. We’ve listed some

questions that might spur your thoughts, but don’t

feel limited by them. We want to hear ANYTHING

you may have on your mind. Or, maybe, you have a

question of your own. If so, ask away! We’ll an-

swer any questions you have to the best of our abil-

ity.

In regard to Pastor Chad and/or Vicar Deb:

• What is your favorite memory?

• How are you feeling, really, about losing Pastor

Chad, Vicar Deb or both?

• Did you learn something from Pastor Chad, Vic-

ar Deb or both that surprised you?

• How were you or our congregation blessed?

In regard to you:

• How are you coping with the health crisis we

are in?

• Is there anything Living Faith can do for you?

• What are you worried about?

• How have you been blessed lately?

• What do you want to know about Living Faith

and our current situation?

Thank you and we look forward to hearing from

you!

JUNE 2020 ∙ Volume #5, Issue #6 5

COVID-19 Updates

As you know, virtually all activities at Living Faith (and the state of Wisconsin) have been cancelled due to the virus. Please check our website and Facebook page for updates! (You don’t need a Facebook account to see our page.)

Website: www.livingfaithracine.org/covid-19-0

Facebook: www.facebook.com/LivingFaithRacine

Church Office - The office is temporarily closed. Staff is still working hard, but from our homes, and the

church doors will be locked. We will still be checking voice mail and emails, so you can still contact us with

questions and concerns.

If you mail a payment to the church office, please use the regular address of: Living Faith

Lutheran Church, 2915 Wright Ave., Racine, WI 53405. Even though staff is working

from home, the church mail is being collected once per week at the post office. So have

no fear, your checks will make it to us and will be deposited into the church bank ac-

count. Thanks for remembering us!

THIS & THAT

Nice to Meet You!

A number of members have asked how they might introduce themselves to our new

Interim Pastor, Bill Mains. Since we will not be worshipping together for a while yet,

he would sure appreciate an introductory or welcome email from you, and to put the

icing on the cake, a picture of you would be great (but not necessary)! Although he has

a copy of our last directory, many people did not have pictures. This would be a great

way to make him feel welcome. You can use the email prbill@livingfaithracine.org.

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE

Church Ladies with Computers

The following sentences (with all the BLOOPERS) actually appeared in church bulletins or were an-

nounced in church services. (Hopefully not at Living Faith!)

• The sermon this morning: Jesus Walks on the Water. The sermon tonight: Searching for Jesus.

• Ladies, don’t forget the rummage sale. It’s a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping

around the house. Bring your husbands.

• Miss Charlene Mason sang “I will not pass this way again,” giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.

• At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be “What Is Hell?” Come early and listen to our

choir practice.

• The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment and gracious hostility.

• Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM – prayer and medication to follow.

6 | The Journey A publication of Living Faith Lutheran Church

MISSION & MINISTRY

In the Spotlight:

J.O.Y. - A Guest’s Perspective

We have participated in JOY

since we joined Atonement

in 2010. At that time, it was

known as the “Seniors” group.

We had known Anne Jaworski, the Cookie Lady”

prior to that and she invited us immediately.

Anne told her doctors that she could see them any-

time for appointments except the first or third

Wednesdays of the month because that was re-

served for church.

We have found ourselves doing the same thing.

We pretty much

schedule our lives

around JOY. Vicki

developed a sea-

sonal theme for

each meeting and it’s always fun. We have activi-

ties: play table games, have lunch and share stories

with each other. We celebrate birthdays. On the

third Wednesday of the month, we play bingo and,

or of course, there are always prizes for the win-

ners.

JOY is not for members only. We enjoy visitors and

participants from other congregations as well.

~ Jim & Elaine Peters

It’s Time to Gather Items for Lutheran World Relief Fabric Kits

A Fabric Kit contains the following items:

• Pieces of cotton or cotton-blend fabric (no knits or 100% polyester);

fabric should have no stains or holes and be cut into pieces measuring:

2 1/4 yards of 60" wide fabric, or

3 yards of 44" wide fabric, or

4 yards of 36" wide fabric

• Spools of matching general purpose thread, 250-300 yards each

To quote the Lutheran World Relief website: “Teach a person to sew and

you’ve given them tools they can use to earn an income, support their fami-

ly, and break out of poverty. Many of the thousands of Fabric Kits Lutheran

World Relief distributes are used in vocational training programs to teach

young men and women useful and marketable sewing skills.”

While our building is locked-down due to COVID-19, please save your donations or contact Karin

Langlois at 262-672-0635. Another option: Sponsor a Fabric Kit for $25, and we will purchase the need-

ed items. Please mark any offering given for this purpose “Fabric Kit.”

Thank you for your support of people in crisis around the world!

“You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.” - John Bunyan

JUNE 2020 ∙ Volume #5, Issue #6 7

Fix It Campaign Update

As of this writing, we have raised the amazing amount of $17,387.82 for the Fix It Cam-

paign and have a current balance of $11,102.82!

We have been able to address many of the items on our Wish List of Repairs & Mainte-

nance: shampooing, floor stripping & waxing, replacing two doors in the education wing, rekeying the

building (bill not yet received), replacing the broken tiles in the south entrance as well as the floor in the

elevator. Ollie’s Fix It Team has done a number of repair jobs inside and outside the building which has

saved us a great deal of money!

Thank you for all your donations and volunteer time in helping us to keep the building and grounds safe,

healthy and in good repair. It is a good feeling to know that when repair/maintenance issues arise, we

have been able to cover the costs of contracting out or have been able to call on the Fix It Team to work

their magic! Living Faith is a friendly and welcoming presence in the community and neighborhood be-

cause of the giving of your time, talents and resources! We will keep you posted with future projects com-

pleted. God bless!

FUNDRAISING

News from the Crazy Scrip Lady!

Summer is finally upon us, and although

we aren’t having parties, we’re still buy-

ing gifts for those special graduates we

know! Whether you’re buying that

special person a new computer (like we

did for our son when he graduated

from high school), getting them some-

thing fun, or stocking up on supplies for

a college dorm room, there are Scrip

cards for over 100 retailers available – check out

our order form.

So, why buy your gift cards from us when they’re

available at stores like Walmart or Target? All of

the retailers for the gift cards you see for sale pay

to have their cards there. If you buy the cards

from us, Living Faith gets the profit, but if you buy

them in the store, the store – Walmart, Target, or

whatever store you’re at – gets the profit.

We have the potential to make our Scrip program

much more successful. You don’t have to use scrip

for everything, but consider using Scrip for your

groceries… or your gas… or your new coat… or

your home improvement supplies…

the opportunities are endless. Some-

one will get those charitable dollars

from the retailers – why not help bring

that money to Living Faith to support

our ministries?

Until we can meet at church again,

we’ve been thinking about ways we

can get scrip to you when you need it. We would

be happy to deliver it to you (this could be done

without direct contact, just call me and we’ll figure

it out) or we can mail it to you. Call me, Karin

Langlois, at 262-672-0635 or email me at cin-

ders216@yahoo.com to order your Scrip. I can al-

so email you a copy or send you a paper copy, if

you would prefer.

Please note: Due to a change in how Great Lakes

Scrip is operating during this COVID-19 crisis, or-

ders will be placed on Sunday evening, so please

have orders in or contact me by Sunday afternoon.

8 | The Journey A publication of Living Faith Lutheran Church

TerraCycle Update

Focus: Oral & Personal Care Program

Each and every year, the products we use every day to make our bodies clean, our

teeth bright and shiny, and keep us smelling fresh, end up being thrown away after

use and ultimately end up in landfills. Tom’s of Maine (a pioneer in environmental

stewardship since 1970) and Colgate have partnered with eco-innovator TerraCy-

cle® to provide a second life for empty and used toothpaste tubes, toothbrushes, floss

containers, mouthwash bottles, soap packaging, and antiperspirant and deodorant

containers. Together we can convert these would-be waste materials into fun and

unique products!

Oral & Personal Care Program accepted waste: ANY brand of toothpaste tubes, toothpaste caps, floss

containers, mouthwash bottles, mouthwash caps, deodorant containers and caps, soap packaging, and

toothbrush and toothpaste tube outer packaging. Please note: This program does not accept aerosol deo-

dorant cans.

DURING THIS TIME, WHILE OUR BUILDING IS LOCKED-DOWN DUE TO COVID-19, please save your

program donations or contact Karin Langlois at 262-672-0635. We will go back to regular collections in

the south entrance when things get back to normal.

Mail ’em or Save ’em When You Find ‘em!

Thank you to everyone who has been collecting and bringing in the Box Tops for Education symbols.

WHILE WE ARE NOT MEETING AT CHURCH please mail them to church or save them until we start

meeting at church again. Eventually, the Box Tops program will become digital-only.

“No More Clipping” means just what it says; we can’t turn in that symbol for credit.

When you see that symbol, you have 2 choices:

1. Follow the directions for choosing Knapp School to receive the credit at BTFE.com & download the

Box Tops app to your smart phone, or

2. WHILE WE ARE NOT MEETING AT CHURCH, mail them to church or save them until we meet at

church again and Karin Langlois will make sure Knapp gets the credit for you.

As an added plus, during the transition, Box Tops for Education will award credit for both ways of collect-

ing. Questions? Contact Karin Langlois: 262-672-0635

Shop Scrip & Amazon Smile

SCRIP offers cards for local retailers as well as eGift cards.

Think AMAZON SMILE for your on line purchases! Just click on Living

Faith Racine when they ask you what charitable organization you would

like to donate to. Thanks and happy shopping!

JUNE 2020 ∙ Volume #5, Issue #6 9

10 | The Journey A publication of Living Faith Lutheran Church

JUNE 2020 ∙ Volume #5, Issue #6 11

June Readings

June 7: 1st Sunday after Pentecost First Reading: Genesis 1:1–2:4a Psalm: Psalm 8 Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 Gospel: Matthew 28:16-20

June 14: 2nd Sunday after Pentecost First Reading: Exodus 19:2-8 Psalm: Psalm 100 Second Reading: Romans 5:1-8 Gospel: Matthew 9:35—10:8 [10:9-23]

June 21: 3rd Sunday after Pentecost First Reading: Jeremiah 20:7-13 Psalm: Psalm 69:7-10 [11-15] 16-18 Second Reading: Romans 6:1b-11 Gospel: Matthew 10:24-39

June 28: 4th Sunday after Pentecost First Reading: Jeremiah 28:5-9 Psalm: Psalm 89:1-4, 15-18 Second Reading: Romans 6:12-23 Gospel: Matthew 10:40-42

Service Times

Sunday Service at Living Faith East Campus ……………………….. . 9:00 a.m.

Sunday Service at Living Faith West Campus ................................ 10:30 a.m.

Wednesday Afternoon Service East Campus ..................................... 2:00 p.m.

Thursday Community Worship East Campus .................................... 5:15 p.m.

Living Faith Church Office Hours

Monday - Friday (located at East Campus) .................... 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Living Faith Staff

Ministers ....................................... The People of Living Faith Lutheran Church

Interim Pastor ............................................................................. Rev. Bill Mains

Administrative Secretary/Bookkeeper ............................................... Jill Steiner

Secretary ...................................................................................... Kim Saunders

Organist/Pianist .......................................................................... Jill Wanggaard

Organist/Pianist .................................................................................. Tina Perri

Pianist ........................................................................................ Tina Tempesta

Part time Janitorial ......................................................................... Ollie Nielsen

Part time Maintenance ................................................................... Guy Koleske

Senior Friendship Center Director .................................................. Vicki Siefert

Nutrition Site Supervisor ................................................................. Joyce White

‘The Journey’ Editor ................................................................. Diane Thygeson

Staff E-mail Addresses

Pastor Bill Mains ....................................................... prbill@livingfaithracine.org

Jill Steiner .......................................................... jillsteiner@livingfaithracine.org

Kim Saunders ............................................................. kim@livingfaithracine.org

Diane Thygeson ..................................................... diane@livingfaithracine.org

General Church E-mail Address

Living Faith E-mail .................................................. office@livingfaithracine.org

Living Faith Website ................................................... www.livingfaithracine.org

Living Faith Facebook .......................... www.facebook.com/LivingFaithRacine

Living Faith Instagram ..........................www.instagram.com/living_faith_racine

Locations

Living Faith East Campus .................................... 2915 Wright Avenue, Racine

Living Faith West Campus ............................ 8700 Durand Avenue, Sturtevant

FaithWorks Food Pantry

Volunteer Food Pantry Coordinator .................................... Margaret Robinson

Volunteer Food Pantry Coordinator .............................................June Klingbeil

Food Pantry Hours ................................................... Tuesdays 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.

................................................................................. Thursdays 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Food Pantry Facebook ........... www.facebook.com/faithworksfoodpantryracine

Food Pantry E-mail ........................................................mrobinson8622@att.net

Newsletter Deadline

Articles to be included in the July issue of The Journey should be submitted no later than June

20. Articles and photos may be sent to diane@livingfaithracine.org. If you are not receiving

The Journey please call or email the office to let us know.

Struggling to Stay Positive?

Get a jar and some pieces of colorful

paper. Each day jot down one thing you

are grateful for on a piece of paper and

put it in the jar.

If you’re having a bad day, take one out

for a quick positivity boost!

The prayer chain is operated through a phone tree as

well as a private group on Facebook. To add some-

one to the prayer chain, call the church office at 262-

637-5671.

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

Living Faith Lutheran Church

2915 Wright Avenue

Racine, WI 53405-5094

A Message from Pastor Bill

Church by Phone

We Need Your Help!

We Care!

Lutheran World Relief Fabric Kits

On the Lighter Side