St. Paul’s Lutheran Church May 31, 2020

1201 Main Street, Onalaska 608.783.2552 stpaulsonalaska.org

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St. Paul’s

EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH

St Paul’s Mission Statement: "St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church exists to support each other with God's Word and sacraments, share Christ with our community and the world, and serve others in Christian love."

Welcome to worship at St. Paul’s! Today we celebrate Pentecost, the day our Savior poured out his Holy Spirit upon his Church. We'll see that the Holy Spirit equips and empowers believers in Jesus to share confidently and boldly the saving message of Jesus. We also have the privilege of saying thanks to the Lord for the ministries of Mr. Dan Schoeffel, Mrs. Beth Wichmann, and Mrs. Beth Wrobel. We will recognize the blessings the Lord has given to us through these faithful servants and ask the Lord to continue to pour out his gifts on his Church.

Today’s Theme: Come, Holy Spirit

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:

Preacher: Pastor Brett Ehlke Musicians: Pastors and faculty from St. Paul’s Cover Art: Corissa Nelson

© 2008 Northwestern Publishing House. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Lyrics and music printed in today’s service folder and viewed on the screens are used by permission through CCLI #1906774 and OneLicense A-715642, “Holy Spirit, Living Breath” Keith Getty and Stuart Townend. “By Faith” Keith and Kristyn Getty and Stuart Townend

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BELLS AND WELCOME

OPENING HYMN: CW 176 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .“Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord”

Pastor: In the name of our Triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Congregation: Amen. (spoken)

P: On Pentecost, we celebrate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on God’s people and his work of creating and strengthening faith through the gospel in Word and sacrament.

P: Flesh gives birth to flesh,

C: But the Spirit gives birth to spirit. (John 3:3)

P: The Spirit gives life. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. (John 6:63)

C: Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:17)

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P: He saved us, not because of righteous things we had but because of his mercy.

C: He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. (Titus 3:5)

P: I am not ashamed of the gospel, C: because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes. (Romans 1:16)

P: There are different kinds of gifts,

C: But the same Spirit.

P: There are different kinds of service, C: but the same Lord.

P: There are different kinds of working,

C: but the same God works all of them in all men. (1 Cor. 12:4-6)

P: We confess our sins before our Almighty God: Have mercy on me, O God, C: according to your unfailing love;

P: according to your great compassion,

C: blot out my transgressions.

P: Wash away all my iniquity C: and cleanse me from my sin. (Psalm 51:1-3)

P: Do not cast me from your presence

C: or take your Holy Spirit from me.

P: Restore to me the joy of your salvation, C: and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. (Psalm 51:11-12)

P: Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless (Ephesians 5:25-27). Therefore, as a called servant of Christ and by his authority, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C: Amen. (spoken)

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HYMN OF PRAISE: CW 183 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .“Holy Spirit, Light Divine”

GOSPEL LESSON. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .John 16:5-11

But now I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things. 7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away,

the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 about sin, because people do not believe in me; 10 about

righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11 and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

SERMON HYMN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .“Holy Spirit, Living Breath of God”

Holy Spirit, living breath of God, Breathe new life into my willing soul. Bring the presence of the risen Lord,

To renew my heart and make me whole. Cause Your Word to come alive in me;

Give me faith for what I cannot see, Give me passion for Your purity;

Holy Spirit, breathe new life in me. Holy Spirit, come abide within,

May Your joy be seen in all I do. Love enough to cover every sin,

In each thought and deed and attitude. Kindness to the greatest and the least,

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Gentleness that sows the path of peace. Turn my strivings into works of grace; Breath of God show Christ in all I do.

Holy Spirit, from creation’s birth, Giving life to all that God has made,

Show Your power once again on earth, Cause Your church to hunger for your ways.

Let the fragrance of our prayers arise; Lead us on the road of sacrifice, That in unity the face of Christ

Will be clear for all the world to see.

SERMON LESSON. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Acts 2:1-21

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of

fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly

amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and

Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12 Amazed and

perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” 13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”

14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in

Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

17 “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy,

your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.

18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days,

and they will prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in the heavens above

and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke.

20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood

before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. 21 And everyone who calls

on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

Sermon Theme: The Spirit Turns Fear into Confidence

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EXPLANATION TO THE THIRD ARTICLE OF THE APOSTLES’ CREED

C: I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

What does this mean?

I believe that I cannot by my own thinking or choosing believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to him.

But the Holy Spirit has called me by the gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith. In the same way he calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith.

In this Christian Church he daily and fully forgives all sins to me and all believers.

On the Last Day he will raise me and all the dead, and give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ. This is most certainly true.

GATHER THE THANKOFFERING

If you would like to make an electronic gift, these options are available for your convenience: 1. Online giving – visit our website, www.stpaulsonalaska.org and click “Give.” 2. Text giving – text the amount you wish to give starting with the dollar sign to 608-371-6891. 3. If you prefer to mail your offering envelope, please send to St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, P.O Box

128, Onalaska, WI 54650

SPECIAL MUSIC: CW 411. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .“What a Friend We Have in Jesus” (Hymn chosen by Mrs. Wrobel; pre-recorded song and slide show by children of St. Paul’s Lutheran School)

What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry ev’rything to God in prayer!

Oh, what peace we often forfeit, oh, what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry ev’rything to God in prayer!

Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged—take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our ev’ry weakness—take it to the Lord in prayer. Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior, still our refuge—take it to the Lord in prayer.

Do your friends despise, forsake you? Take it to the Lord in prayer. In his arms he’ll take and shield you; you will find a solace there.

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RITE OF RETIREMENT

P: Dear Brother and Sisters in Christ, the Holy Spirit through this congregation has called you to serve in the public ministry and to teach the saving message of the gospel to those entrusted to your care. Mrs. Wichmann and Wrobel, you have served faithfully as teachers in our Christian day school. Mr. Schoeffel, you have served faithfully as a staff minister for our congregation. The Lord has blessed our ministry with your service here. Through a wide variety of ways, you have helped the believers here to carry out the mission that Christ has called us to carry out here at St. Paul’s.

P: We give thanks to the Lord for your families. It is a great blessing to not only have called workers eagerly serve but families who support and encourage them in their service. We give thanks for their example of Christian living and for the many sacrifices they have made for our ministry here at St. Paul’s. We thank them for the ways they have let their light shine both in our congregation and our community.

P: We realize that our ministry is not about us – that we are only servants doing the work the Lord has called us to do. We rejoice in God’s forgiveness for our sins and the ways we have failed. We give thanks to Lord for our Savior who gave his life for us. We think of these words from John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” It is Jesus who enabled you to serve him throughout your ministries. May Jesus continue to give you peace in his forgiveness, in his promises, and in his presence in your life.

P: On behalf of St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, I thank you Mr. Schoeffel, Mrs. Wichmann, and Mrs. Wrobel. May the Lord bless you in your retirements as you serve him in different ways. The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forever.

PRAYER

SPECIAL MUSIC: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . “By Faith”

(Hymn chosen by Mrs. Wichmann; pre-recorded song and slide show by children of St. Paul’s Lutheran School)

By faith we see the hand of God in the light of creation's grand design, In the lives of those who prove His faithfulness who walk by faith and not by sight.

By faith our fathers roamed the earth with the power of His promise in their hearts Of a holy city built by God's own hand a place where peace and justice reign.

Refrain:

We will stand as children of the promise. We will fix our eyes on Him our soul's reward Till the race is finished and the work is done we'll walk by faith and not by sight.

By faith the prophets saw a day when the longed-for Messiah would appear With the power to break the chains of sin and death and rise triumphant from the grave.

By faith the church was called to go in the power of the Spirit to the lost To deliver captives and to preach good news in every corner of the earth.

Repeat refrain

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By faith this mountain shall be moved and the power of the gospel shall prevail For we know in Christ all things are possible for all who call upon His name

Repeat refrain

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH

LORD’S PRAYER

C: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.

BLESSING (sung by the choir)

May the Lord bless you; may the Lord keep you. May the Lord lift up his face to shine on you.

May the Lord bless you; may the Lord keep you. May the Lord lift up his face to shine on you.

May the Lord hold you in his hand. May his love always protect you from all harm.

May God go with you where’re you walk. May his love guide you throughout your life.

May the Lord bless you; may the Lord keep you. May the Lord lift up his face to shine on you.

May the Lord bless you; may the Lord keep you. May the Lord lift up his face to shine on you.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

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CLOSING HYMN: CWS 728 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . “Jerusalem the Golden” (hymn chosen by Mr. Schoeffel)

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This Week at St. Paul’s: May 31, 2020

Church News PASTORAL UPDATE

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, On Tuesday evening May 19, our Church Council approved a plan that will allow for the reopening of public worship services at St. Paul’s. The plan was put together after many hours of prayerful consideration, discussion, and consulting many local churches. We thank you for your patience, charity, and Christian love over the last two months, and we have confidence that you will continue to display those same Christian virtues in the weeks and months to come. Despite having different opinions about how we should do public worship in the future, keep in mind that what unites us is far greater than what could divide us. Christ’s saving grace and love have brought us into his family of believers, and we live together as brothers and sisters in Christ. These words from the Apostle Paul are great ones to keep in mind at this time: Ephesians 4:2-3 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Here are the main highlights of the plan: Worship services will resume the weekend of June 7. We plan to open our sanctuary at 25% of capacity at this time (100 people). We will space people out so that there is an empty pew in between each filled pew. We will offer additional worship services to help more people worship. Here are the worship services times:

Thursdays at 6:30 pm in the sanctuary (Starts June 4) Saturdays at 5:00 pm in the sanctuary (Starts June 6) Sundays at 8:00 am in the sanctuary (Starts June 7) Sundays at 9:15 am in the gym (Starts June 7 - this service will be contemporary) Sundays at 10:30 am in the sanctuary (Starts June 7) Since space will be limited, people must sign-up for each service they wish to attend. To sign-up online, please head to our website: www.stpaulsonalaska.org. For those without internet, you can call the church office by Thursday noon in order to sign-up. Leave a message if no one answers, and our office staff will confirm with you. Signing up will be easy to do. Please make sure to do it.

We do plan on offering the Lord’s Supper in each of the first weekend’s worship services. Afterwards, we will offer the Lord’s Supper at our regularly scheduled times (first and last weekends of the month). We plan on following a continuous flow method instead of communing tables of people at a time. This will allow for people to spread out and

In Our Prayers: Retirement for the Ministry—Beth Wrobel, Dan Schoeffel, Paul and Beth Wichmann, Connie Bader High School Graduates 25 year anniversary of Dean and Kenda Fluegge

For frontline workers of Covid-19

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keep within a safe distance from each other. Those distributing will wash their hands thoroughly before serving and will drop the wafer into each person’s hand in order to avoid contact. Individual cups will be spaced out in the Communion trays so that each person can safely grab a cup. If you feel uncomfortable receiving the Lord’s Supper in this way, we would be very happy to commune you privately.

We will continue to provide livestreaming services at 8 am each weekend. If attending makes you feel uncomfortable in any way at all or if you fall into a high risk category, don’t be afraid to stay home until you feel comfortable. If you are sick, please stay home. If you prefer to wait to receive the Lord’s Supper or would like to receive it privately from one of the pastors, please contact one of us. Some other details to be aware of: You are welcome to wear a mask, but they are not required.

All doors will remain open so that no door knobs or handles will have to be touched.

Please be respectful of other people’s personal space. If you feel comfortable being close to other people, that doesn’t mean everyone has that same level of comfort. Please no handshakes or hugs at this time.

Offering plates will not be passed. We will have a spot for people to drop off their offerings.

Parents, please keep your children close to you throughout the service.

All items in the pew such as hymnals, Bibles and Connection Cards will be removed. A limited number of large print copies of the worship folder will be available, but we encourage folks to use the screens.

We will arrange for cleaners to wipe down pews after each worship service. If you are interested in being part of a cleaning team, please see the online sign-up form or contact the church office. If you are part of a lower risk category (younger/healthier), please consider volunteering for one of these positions.

There will be no Bible Class or Sunday School for the time being. We will continue our Wednesday 6:30 pm Bible Class via Zoom on June 10.

We will continue to monitor and evaluate the situation as we move forward. Once again, we thank you for your patience and understanding. What a wonderful time for us to put our Christian love into practice and let the light of Christ shine in all we do.

Yours in Christ, Pastors Ehlke, Krause, Olson

SUMMER BIBLE CLASS VIA ZOOM We’ve decided to offer our summer Bible Class via zoom. On June 7, we’ll be starting a sermon series based on the Heroes of Faith section of the Bible (Hebrews 11), and our summer Bible Class will build on the previous Sunday’s sermon. Each week we’ll be studying a different Hero of Faith seeing what we can learn from them and how God’s grace and forgiveness changed their lives. We’ll be meeting on Zoom Wednesday nights at 6:30 pm starting June 10. The pastors will alternate leading the study. We ask that you sign-up for the class by filling out this form, and then each week we’ll email the zoom link: Bible Study Sign-Up. f you’ve never used Zoom before, it’s relatively easy. You don’t need an account, and there is also a call-in feature for those who don’t have internet. Email Pastor Ehlke with any questions: behlke@stpaulsonalaska.org.

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CONGREGATIONAL OPEN FORUM There is a Congregational Open Forum scheduled for Sunday, May 31st at 6:30 pm and a Congregational Voters' Meeting for Sunday, June 7th at 6:30 pm. For the May 31st Open Forum we will be socially distancing ourselves in the sanctuary and will discuss the Financial Ministry Plan for this fiscal year. For those who do not yet feel comfortable being present in the church, we will provide an option so that you can join the meeting virtually via Zoom. Please contact Pastor Krause (skrause@stpaulsonalaska.org) if you'd like a link to that Zoom meeting. We will not have a virtual online option available for the June 7th Voters' meeting.

The Importance of Volunteers for our Reopening In order to reopen our church with additional worship times, there are a number of extra volunteer positions available. I know that in a big church like ours it’s easy to assume that someone else will do it. But please, take it upon yourself to consider one of these opportunities to serve, which are needed immediately. Don’t discount the importance of your place in the body of Christ (Romans 12) if you have the gifts and are available to help. We especially are looking for younger people who are lower in health risk. We will have training available for all positions. Please contact the church office (608-783-2552; info@stpaulsonalaska.org) or any one of the pastors if you would like to help. Ushers – We are planning on having only two ushers available for every service. But these individuals will be busy directing people to their seats with a type of courtesy that reflects Christ-like love. Duties also include ushering people up for the Lord’s Supper, ushering people out after the service and being available for any type of help that is needed of those attending worship. Greeters – We are planning on two greeters in the lobby before every service. We want the first impression that people have of our congregation to be a positive one. A smiling face, an open door and a “Welcome to St. Paul’s” goes a long way both to new visitors and lifelong members. Powerpoint Technicians – We need one for all 5 worship services, including the gymnasium. This person clicks through the worship service in the control room and controls the screens. Since we don’t have bulletins, we completely depend on this person moving the service along. Typically we have used teenagers to do this job in the past, but we welcome all ages to be a part of this important ministry. Sound Board Technicians – This is a new position that opened up since our sanctuary technology upgrade in March. We need one person for every service in the sanctuary, specifically a person who has a good ear for music and is fairly capable with technology. We will train you in on how to use the sound board, making sure that an instrument and a singer isn’t too loud or too soft both for the livestream viewers and for those in the sanctuary. Cleaners – If you are attending a specific worship service please stick around to help with wiping down the sanctuary for the next group of people coming in. It’ll be a quick job if we get enough people to help. We are specifically targeting the 5pm Saturday service and the 8am Sunday service. You can sign up for this position on our website when you sign up for attending worship for one of those services. Livestream Technicians – As you can imagine, we’ve had more people tuning in to our livestream worship service over the last two months than ever before. Some in our congregation will not feel comfortable returning to worship right away. For that reason, this is an important ministry we want to continue. There will be training involved to help someone learn how to use the cameras and software. We need one person for every 8am Sunday service. Musicians – With an additional two worship services throughout the week, we are going to need more than the typical amount of singers and instrumentalists. Even if you can only play or sing for one of the worship services in a week, we’d love the help. Please contact our worship coordinator, Wendy Schibbelhut (wschibbelhut@stpaulsonalaska.org) to volunteer.

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USHER/GREETER/CANDLELIGHTING SCHEDULES We will not be following the current published schedules for ushers, greeters, power point technicians, and candlelighters. Schedules are being reworked to cover the additional in-person worship times. Thank you for serving the Lord with your time and talents.

CALL UPDATE On Saturday, May 16, Corey Paske was assigned to serve St. Paul’s Lutheran School as eighth grade teacher. Mr. Paske will be part of the Principal Training Program for the next three years, mentoring under Mr. Bain. Mr. Paske is engaged to Erin Wenzel, who was assigned to serve Christ-St. John’s Lutheran School in West Salem. Their wedding is scheduled for June 19 in Appleton, Wisconsin. We are excited to welcome them soon. Look for further information about Mr. Paske in the June St. Paulite.

SUMMER OFFICE HOURS Summer office hours will be Tuesday through Thursday from 8 am to 2 pm. If you need to reach the office during non-scheduled office hours, messages can be left at 608-783-2552 ext. 0 or emailed to lpeters@stpaulsonalaska.org or kmiller@stpaulsonalaska.org.

FACE MASKS AVAILABLE A member of our congregation has generously donate face masks for those in need. They are free of charge and may be picked up in the hallway outside the church/school office. What a wonderful example of using your time and talents to be a blessing to others. MEDITATIONS AVAILABLE FOR PICK-UP The Meditations devotional booklet is an excellent resource for daily time in the Lord’s Word. Due to social distancing, we’ve placed a mailbox outside of the main church entrance near the carport to make Meditations available to you. Feel free to pick one up anytime. PASTORAL CONTACTS: Pastor Brett Ehlke (608) 799.2717 behlke@stpaulsonalaska.org

Pastor Shane Krause (608) 217.5660 skrause@stpaulsonalaska.org

Pastor Dan Olson (608) 797.5793 dolson@stpaulsonalaska.org

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Years of Blessings Today, St. Paul’s honors 5 individuals in our congregation as they retire from the Called Ministry. Our church, school and high school have been richly blessed by their many years of service to the Lord.

Serving the Lord at St. Paul’s

• Beth Wrobel—most recently as 1st grade teacher • Beth Wichmann—most recently as 3rd grade teacher • Dan Schoeffel—Staff Minister

Serving the Lord at Luther High School

• Paul Wichmann—Principal • Connie Bader – Art, Business, Accounting and Theater

Learn more about their ministry and lives in their bios below.

In respectfully keeping with the practice of social distancing, we are not able to host a live retirement event today, but thank and honor them in the Livestream service. This service can be found in the archives at the St. Paul’s website, stpaulsonalaska.org.

Cards may be sent to the church office at PO Box 128 Onalaska, WI 54650 and they will be forward on to the appropriate person. If you wish to call them and extend your well wishes, please call the church office at 608.783.2552 ext. 0 for their phone number.

Beth Wichmann

As I conclude my service as a teacher at St. Paul’s Lutheran School the first thought that comes to mind is our school’s purpose statement. “St. Paul’s Lutheran School exists to assist parents in carrying out their responsibility to bring their children up in the Lord by providing a Christ-centered education.” For the past 23 years God has granted me the privilege to be a part of a staff committed to that purpose. Previously I served as a teacher in grades K-4 at Salem Lutheran School in Ann Arbor, Michigan, a second grade teacher at St. Paul’s Lutheran School in New Ulm, Minnesota, and grades 1-3 teacher at Peace Lutheran School in Livonia, Michigan. Each of those schools shared a common purpose: to assist parents by providing a Christ-centered education. As my husband, Paul, and I enter retirement in Lake Mills, Wisconsin, we are most grateful to God and give thanks to the congregations, schools, students, and parents we have had the opportunity to serve. We now look forward to spending more time with our children and grandchildren; Rachel and her husband Jason and their three children; Lily and Ethan attend Lakeside Lutheran High School and Ella a 7th grader at St Paul’s Lutheran School in Lake Mills. Emalie and her husband, Andrew, who live in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Andrew, who resides in New Berlin, Wisconsin. We give thanks to God for all of these special blessings and pray that God continues to bless the Christ-centered ministry at St. Paul’s.

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Beth Wrobel

When I think back on my years as a St. Paul’s teacher, the one word that comes to mind is gratefulness. I’m grateful for the opportunity to share the love of Jesus with his children. I’m grateful for the families, co-workers, and staff who made it a joy to come to work every day. Most of all, I’m grateful for a loving God who allows jars of clay to carry out his work. My teaching career began 37 years ago when I graduated from Dr. Martin Luther College in 1983. My first call was to teach grades 4-6 at Peace, Green Lake. I also taught Kindergarten at St. Peter’s, Eldorado before starting a family with my husband, Steven Wrobel. While raising our children, I was a substitute teacher at schools in WI, CA, and MN. I began teaching at St. Paul’s 18 years ago in 2002. In retirement, I look forward to reconnecting with our four children and three grandchildren. Son Brian and his wife, Cara (Schmeling), and their daughters: Charlotte, Lorelei, and Juliette, are from Gainesville, FL. Son Samuel is closest in proximity to us and resides in Madison. Daughter Janae and her husband Kurt (Stratman) live in Longmont, CO. Our youngest, Mitchel, lives in Chicago. It is exciting to think what may lay ahead for St. Paul’s ministry. I pray that God continues to bless St. Paul’s as it shares the love of Jesus. God bless and keep you, Beth Wrobel

Dan Schoeffel

I grew up in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. After graduating from high school I spent four years in the United States Coast Guard. In 1976, my wife Elaine and I were married. The Lord blessed us with five children who all are now adults. We have fourteen grandchildren. When I got out of the Coast Guard I began eight years of schooling to enter the pastoral ministry, attending Bethany Lutheran College, Mankato, Minnesota and Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, Mequon, Wisconsin. In 1985, I was ordained a minister in the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. I shepherded five flocks over the sixteen years I spent in the ministry in Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan. In 2001, I left the pastoral ministry and pursued secular employment. After working in Michigan for a little over a year, I accepted a job in Onalaska, Wisconsin, as the office manager in a Law Office. In October 2007, the members of St. Paul’s Ev. Lutheran Church, Onalaska, hired me to be their first Parish Administrator. My roles as Parish Administrator include: office management, supervision of the hired staff, coordination of staff, board and committee activities, technology support, facility use scheduling and member database management including enlisting the use of member’s talents to serve the church. In 2010, St. Paul’s called me to serve as a Staff Minister which included most of the administrative duties I had been doing, but also adding some pastoral duties, like hospital and homebound visits, an after-school program and the Sunday School program. In 2012, I also took on all of the bookkeeping for St. Paul’s with a multi-million-dollar annual budget. On a personal level, I enjoy anything that has to do with working with my hands from home repair and remodeling to car repair to just plain fixing things. Among family and friends, I am known as Mr. Fix-it. Computers and technology are also another favorite past-time. I am very fond of spending time with my wife of forty-four years. I also cherish opportunities to spend time with the many good Christian friends I have made through the years.

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I look forward to my retirement the end of June 2020. I am excited to be able to do many other things to serve my Lord and Savior. I plan to continue to look for opportunities to serve him through my Christian congregation as well as through volunteering and continuing to do my handyman jobs. My wife and I also plan to do some traveling and sightseeing.

Connie Bader

Connie (nee Loeschen) Bader was adopted as an infant in 1954 by loving Christian parents and raised on a farm on the southern city limits of St. James, Minnesota. Connie attended St. Paul’s Lutheran School in St. James, and was confirmed in 1968. She continued her high school education at Martin Luther Academy in New Ulm (Class of ’72), MN and moved to a dorm across campus for 4 more years attending Dr. Martin Luther College. After graduation in June 1976, Connie accepted her call to teach grades 1-3 at Christ the Lord Lutheran School in Houston, TX. In her free time, she took oil painting classes at a nearby studio, which was the beginning of her formal art studies. In 1979, Connie married Bill Bader before entering his vicar year at St. Paul’s, Lake Mills, WI. Bill’s call out of Seminary took them to Stanton, NE. Here they started their family of 4, Zachary, Ryan, Seth and Breanna. In 1990, the Baders moved to Onalaska where Pastor Bill would serve St. Paul’s Lutheran Church for the next 29 years. Connie taught preschool 1 year at St. Paul’s and was called to serve part-time as an emergency teacher at Luther HS in 1995. This part-time call turned full time in 2000. Over the years she has taught a variety of classes, mainly teaching Business and Accounting and Art. Her extracurricular duties included cheer leading, yearbook, Pro-Life Knights and Drama. Her duties extended beyond the classroom to help and encourage students in what has become the Individualized Instructional Assistance program. Mrs. Bader will retire at the end of this 2019-20 school year. She and Pastor Bader will continue to live in their home and serve in areas where the Lord sees fit. Mrs. Bader will now have time to focus on her art and family, especially grandchildren.

Paul Wichmann

“Serve the Lord”, our theme for this most unusual 2019-20 school year, also serves as a fitting reminder and conclusion to my years of service in the teaching ministry. That service to the Lord since the 1996 – 97 school year has been to serve as Luther High School’s principal. During those years serving with Luther’s faculty and staff, Board of Control, and association congregations in keeping Christ in high school education has be a distinct honor and privilege. For all of these co-workers and supporters of Luther High School I express my profound gratitude to God and them. Before serving at Luther High, God granted me the opportunity to serve as a 7th grade teacher and athletic director at St. Paul’s in New Ulm Minnesota; a social studies instructor and coach at Minnesota Valley Lutheran High School in New Ulm; and principal of Huron Valley Lutheran High School in Westland, Michigan. Throughout my teaching ministry God has also blessed me with my wife, Beth, and family. I thank them for their understanding, encouragement and support. Our new home in Lake Mills, Wisconsin, will give Beth and me more opportunities to be with our family; Rachel and Jason and grandchildren Lily, Ethan, and Ella in Lake Mills, Emalie and Andrew in Minneapolis, and Andrew in New Berlin, Wisconsin. As we conclude our current service in God’s kingdom of grace at Luther High, we also look forward to serving God in other ways. God’s continued blessings to the entire Luther High family, as together you serve the Lord with gladness in support of Luther High’s mission to provide Christ-centered high school education.