November 2012

3700 S. Casper Drive, New Berlin, WI

(262)786-2900 www.starofbethlehem.org

Thanks A Lot! Give thanks in all circumstances. 1 Thessalonians 5:13

“Thanks a lot!” Those are words that are often said with a good dose of sarcasm. At such times, we are not really thankful. Perhaps we have been given the news that the car repair is going to be more extensive and far more expensive than we had anticipated. “Thanks a lot!” We had our hearts set on playing basketball this year, but we get cut from the team after tryouts. “Thanks a lot!” The doctor breaks the news to us that the cause of our problems is a chronic condition that we will have to live with for the rest of our lives, and treating the symptoms with medication all that we can do is. “Thanks a lot!” Because the economy is struggling, our employer finds in necessary to downsize, and it is our job that gets the ax. “Thanks a lot!”

There are many situations in life where we are disappointed, frustrated, and sometimes even frightened. If we had ultimate control over what happened in our world, all “bad news” and troubling circumstances would never touch our lives. But we live in a world that has been ruined by sin, and the things that happen to us reflect that reality.

The Apostle Paul’s advice to the Thessalonians was to give thanks to the Lord not only during times of plenty or when the Lord blessed them, but “in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:13). It can be challenging even for seasoned Christians to be thankful when life becomes difficult and the clouds grow dark. At such times the believer is tempted to question God’s love and faithfulness. “Why did you let this happen to me, God?” or “Where were you when I needed you most?” Even though we know we are to give thanks in

all circumstances, at such times we may do so half-heartedly, or worse yet, tongue in cheek.

“Thanks a lot, God!”

However, even in challenging situations, we can say, “Thanks a lot, God!”

and really mean it, because God has a plan for

us! Through his prophet, the Lord said, “For I know the plans I

have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope

and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11).

We may not know the full extent of God’s plan – why he would let our loved ones die, why he would let us become

injured or ill, why he would allow us to suffer financial loss, or whatever challenge we

are facing – but we know that his love for us will not grow cold. We know that God will remain faithful

to his promise to be with us always. And we can count on the fact that God is going to work all things – even things that seem to be bad – for our spiritual good, so that we might be brought closer to him and to have our faith and trust in him to be strengthened. Then we will be able to say, no matter what the circumstances might be, “Thanks a lot, God,” and truly mean it.

As a family of believers united in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the members of Star of Bethlehem Congregation are committed, with the help of the Holy Spirit and directed by God’s Word, to glorify God by -

SUPPORTING

One another in daily living –

empowered by the freedom God’s

forgiveness brings.

REACHING Out with our

diverse gifts to bring the lost to a saving knowledge

of Jesus Christ.

ACKNOWLEDGING

That God’s grace is the only means of saving sinners and God’s Word is the

only source of Truth.

TEACHING God’s Word to

people of all ages so they can

continually grow in faith.

SERVING The Triune God through regular

worship and faithful use of

the Sacraments.

OUR

MISSION

The weekend of November 3-5, we will observe the anniversary

of the Lutheran Reformation of October 31, 1517 in our Worship

Services. Join us as we will focus on the blessings that the Lord has

given to us through his servant, Martin Luther, and the Gospel of

our Lord Jesus Christ that he rediscovered that we are saved, Sola

gratia, sola fide, and sola scriptura (by grace alone, by faith alone,

and by the Scriptures alone. There will be

special vocal and instrumental selections

to enhance our worship. The Word

they still shall let remain, nor any

thanks have for it; He’s by our side

upon the plain with his good gifts

and Spirit. And do what they will –

hate, steal, hurt, or kill – though all

may be gone, our victory is won; the

kingdom’s ours forever! (CW 200:4)

The special Area Reformation Service, for the churches of our

Southeastern Wisconsin District and metropolitan area, will be held

again at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary on Sunday, Nov. 4, at 4:00

p.m. President Mark Zarling of Martin Luther College will be the

guest speaker. Special music will be provided by members of area

church choirs and the Seminary Chorus. You are all cordially invited

to attend.

Sunday Morning

Adult Bible Class Heroes of Faith, a study of Hebrews 11, is

our present course of study in our Sunday

Morning Adult Bible Class. If you cannot

make it every Sunday, the lessons do also stand

alone if necessary. Come whenever you can.

Future lessons include:

Nov. 4 Abraham, a Man Content to Live in a Tent

Nov. 11 Abraham, a Man Who Believed the Impossible

Nov. 18 Isaac, Jacob and Joseph – Men Who Were

Certain of Their Futures

Nov. 25 Moses and His Parents

Dec. 2 The Israelites – People Who Relied on God’s

Supernatural Power

Dec. 9 Rahab – A Woman of Repentant Faith

Dec. 16 The World Was Not Worthy of These

Join us any Sunday morning in the Fellowship Hall at 9:20 a.m. for

our Adult Bible Class. Come early for some coffee, donuts and

fellowship! Join the many who are making our Sunday Morning

Adult Bible Class a regular part of their Sunday morning schedule.

Two Thanksgiving Services will be held; one, on

Wednesday, Nov. 21, at 6:30 p.m., and another on

Thursday, Nov. 22, at 9:30 a.m. Both services will be

the same. Our Men’s Chorus and Adult Choir will

enhance our Thanksgiving Worship Services.

With voices united our praises we offer;

To you, great Jehovah, glad anthems we raise.

Your strong arm will guide us; our God is beside us.

To you, our great Redeemer, fore’er be praise! (CW 609:3)

Advent by Candlelight This special event, especially intended for the women

of Star of Bethlehem and their guests, will be held on

Sunday, November 25, at 2:00 p.m. There is a signup

sheet on the church bulletin board for anyone that

would like to serve as a

hostess for a table of ladies.

A general signup sheet will

follow for you, any guests,

friends, relatives and co-

workers to join you at this

year’s Advent by

Candlelight. Additional

information is provided on

the bulletin board. All

women are encouraged to make use of this special

time to prepare your hearts and minds for another

Christmas Season.

Nov. 2-10 and 23-24 our

Star family members will be

photographed for our new

Pictorial Directory. We hope

all of you will be a part of it.

There are still openings for

you or your family, if you

have not yet had the chance

to reserve a date and time for

yours to be taken. You may

sign up on the sheets near the

bulletin board after a Service or

on the website during Tuesday-Friday,

www.starofbethlehem.org Just go to the website and

follow the link for LifeTouch. Again, we would like all of

our Star of Bethlehem family pictured, if possible, so

that we can all get to know you and one another better.

Thanks so much. You don’t have to buy anything from

LifeTouch if you don’t want any pictures. However each

family or individual will receive a free 8X10 and a copy

of the new directory for participating. If you have any

questions, please contact any member of the

Stewardship Committee, which is organizing the project.

SIMPLY GIVING Star of Bethlehem is pleased to

announce a convenient new way to make

your regular offerings. With our new

electronic giving program, you can easily set

up a recurring giving schedule. Your regular

contributions can be automatically

withdrawn from your bank account rather

than writing a check or putting cash in your

offering envelope.

Simply Giving Authorization Forms and a

Frequently Asked Questions document are

available in the narthex or on Star of

Bethlehem’s website. You can also contact

Glenn Reinhardt, Financial Secretary at

2626-549-9639 with questions.

We welcome this month to our Star of

Bethlehem family; Jeff Balfanz, Helen Eisert, Peter and Nicole Lohr, and their children,

Emily and Christian. May the Lord

strengthen your connection with Jesus through your membership among us, and

provide you with many opportunities in

which to serve our Savior. Welcome to Star of Bethlehem!

Monday Night Bible Class Every Monday evening after our Monday

Night Service, a group of our members are

part of the Monday Night Bible Class. It

begins about 7:45 p.m. God Speaks To Us, a

study of Genesis 1-22, is the present topic.

STAR STAR STAR STAR SENIORSSENIORSSENIORSSENIORS Our Star Seniors will be attending the play,

The Miracle Worker, at Wisconsin Lutheran

High School on Sunday, Nov. 4. We will be

leaving from the church parking lot at 12:45

for the play which begins at 1:30 p.m.

Tickets are $6.00, and may be purchased at

the door. The group will be having supper

together at the Peachtree Restaurant in New

Berlin. Everyone is on their own for the cost

of supper.

BIBLE INFORMATION BIBLE INFORMATION BIBLE INFORMATION BIBLE INFORMATION

CLASSESCLASSESCLASSESCLASSES These classes,

especially

designed for any

prospective

members or anyone

who would like to learn

the basics of Christian doctrine, are on

Thursday nights from 7:00-8:30 p.m.

The classes are topical not

chronological, so that you may begin

any Thursday night. The classes are

held in our Small Bible Study Room

each Thursday night. There is no cost

for the classes. All materials will be

provided. To enroll, please speak with

our pastors or the Administrative

Assistants. Bring a friend, relative, or

co-worker to go through the classes

with you. The classes run for 10 weeks

to get through all of the lessons.

Another season of men’s basketball is

just beginning. Open gyms for men are

on Thursday nights at 8:00 p.m. If

anyone would like to compete with our

Star Men’s basketball team, please

contact Pastor Gawrisch or Marc

Meyer. There will be another season

for our Star Men’s Basketball League

on Sunday afternoons beginning at

1:00 p.m. on Dec. 2. Twelve teams

from area WELS churches are again

going to participate in the league.

Good luck, Star men, on another

basketball season. If any of our young

people would like to work as scorers

for the men’s

basketball league,

please speak with

Pastor Gawrisch.

He will be happy

to plug you into the

rotational schedule.

The�Miracle�Worker�This play will be presented on Friday,

Nov. 2, and Saturday, Nov. 3 at 7:30

p.m. It will also be presented on

Sunday, Nov. 4, at 1:30 p.m. Cost is

$6.00/adults and $3.00/Children. For

tickets, please call 414-453-4567.

Voters’ Meeting Our next Quarterly Voters’

Meeting will be on Tuesday,

October 30, at 7:00 p.m.

Membership changes, board and

committee reports and financial

updates will be on the agenda.

We encourage all of our voters

to come and do our Father’s

business.

We are excited to announce our

new church and school website.

Check it out at www.starofbethlehem.org the

same address as the old one. It

is our hope that this site is informative and offers our

members and visitors a

wonderful picture of our church and school families for those

who want to learn about us.

Contact Mr. Mueller at tmueller@starofbethlehem.org

with any questions and/or

comments. Sincere thanks to everyone that helped with this

on-going project.

FOOD BARRELS

Food barrels

will be available throughout the church and school facilities for

our annual food collection for

needy families in our metro-area. Your donations of non-

perishable food items are

greatly appreciated. Sincere thanks for your generous

donations throughout the

Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons.

Congratulations to Andrew Kasten

and Ashley Schueller who were married on October 6th; and to

Myron Sankey and Darlene Gehrig who were married on October 13th.

God’s blessings to you!

Holiday Party Quiz: Prepare

for a Healthier Holiday

From RD411.com

Submitted by Nicole Marrari, RD, CD

What do you know about traditional

holiday foods?

1. Which appetizer contains the least amount

of fat? a. Three stuffed mushrooms b. 2 Tbsp of

cheese ball with nuts c. Three pizza rolls

2. Which cookie has the most calories? a. One

medium gingerbread man b. One medium butterscotch chip cookie

c. 2” square lemon bar

3. Which cocktail has the least calories? a. A rum and Coke® b. A

whisky sour c. A martini

4. Which candy has the least fat? a. 2 cubic inch square of chocolate

fudge b. One fudge-dipped Oreo® c. One medium piece peanut

brittle

5. Which meat has the most fat? a. 3 oz. boneless ham (lean and fat

eaten) b. 3 oz. boneless duck (skin eaten) c. 3 oz. bones cooked

chicken leg (skin eaten)

6. Which starch has the most sodium? a. ½ cup homemade bread

stuffing b. ½ c homemade mashed potatoes c. One dinner roll

7. Which warm beverage has the least calories? a. 1 c hot chocolate

made with whole milk b. 1 c apple cider c. 1 c eggnog made with

whole milk

8. Which of the following contains the most sugar? a. One piece of

fruit cake b. One pecan roll c. 2” square frosted brownie

Answers: 1. c. 2. c. 3. b. 4. c. 5. b. 6. a. 7. b. 8. a.

On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all

peoples, a banquet of aged wine— the best of meats and the finest of wines.

Isaiah 25:6

is on Sunday, Nov. 4, 2 at 6:00 p.m. for any 7th and 8th grade

families. During this time you will have the opportunity to meet

teachers, tour the school, and learn how academic excellence and

Christian values can make a difference in your child’s life.

SPAGHETTI DINNER Wisconsin Lutheran High School will be serving a Spaghetti Dinner to

benefit the choirs at WLHS on Friday, Nov. 2, 4:30-7:00 p.m. Tickets

are $7.50/adults and $5.00/children. The Wisco Kids and Inspiration

will be performing throughout the dinner.

Gift cards will be available for purchase after our Sunday Services.

There are a select number of cards available for immediate

purchase, and many more to choose from if you place an order for

pick-up the following Sunday. A portion of your purchase will benefit

the Star Student Fund, money to aid families with Tuition Assistance.

Thank you for any support you can give this program.

VETERAN’S DAY CELEBRATIONS All former and present armed forces personnel are

invited to some special Veteran’s Day Events. A special

celebration will be held at New Berlin Eisenhower on Monday, Nov. 12, at 9:00 a.m. A complimentary brunch will follow the program. To RSVP, please call

262-789-6335. On Thursday, November 8, veterans, military

personnel, family members, and friends are invited to WLHS for breakfast in the cafeteria beginning at 7:30

A.M. and for a special service at 8:30 A.M. in the gym. Our guest speaker will be Joshua Wege, one of our “Wounded Warriors” from Afghanistan. He will speak

on the theme “All Gave Some and Some Gave All.” If you wish to join us, please call the school to reserve a seat at (414) 453-4567.

Colors of Christmas This annual craft fair will be held at Wisconsin Lutheran

High School on Saturday, November 17, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. $3.00 is the entry fee to view and purchase many craft items.

WARRIOR 5K IN THE PARK

Coach Steve Travis and the Wisconsin Lutheran College

Cross Country Team are hosting a 5K run at Greenfield Park on Saturday, November 3rd at 10 am at Greenfield Park in West Allis. This race is to benefit the cross country teams at

WLC. The Warrior 5K is in its tenth year and had over 220 participants last year. There is also a 2.25-mile walk and a kid's run at the event as well. Register on-line at: http://wlcsports.com/page.asp?articleID=1069

BAPTISM I was only six weeks old when I was

adopted by my parents. I didn’t choose them; they chose me. I am grateful that I was able to grow up in a stable Christian home.

I was only eight days old when I was adopted by God. I didn’t choose Him; He chose me. I am grateful to go to the house of the Lord and know that I am His child.

My parents made my adoption official in a ceremony at the court house. Even though I was not born their child, now I share their family name, and I will receive their inheritance.

God made my adoption official when I was baptized into his name (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). Even though I was not born His child, he has placed his name on me, and I belong to him. I will receive his inheritance.

I will share my parents’ inheritance with my siblings, three adopted and one natural-born. It will be divided evenly among us.

The only begotten Son of God has already received his inheritance: resurrection from the dead. Because He received His, I know that my inheritance will be the same thing! And I will share it with all the rest of God’s children by faith.

I don’t know if adopted children appreciate their baptisms more. I do know that I appreciate mine.

Rev. Paul Prange, administrator for the Board of

Ministerial Education reflects on his baptism.