Rev. Zachary M. DeArmond Senior Pastor

Rev. Scott Hirssig Associate Pastor

1712 Menasha Ave., Manitowoc, WI 54220

Phone: 920-684-3989

Newsletter – February 2020 Ash Wednesday

The Holy season of Lent begins on February 26th. There will be multiple opportunities to begin your Lenten journey that day.

6:45 AM-8:00 AM The Sanctuary will be open for private prayer/meditation/reflection and the opportunity to receive ashes. 5:00 PM Soup and Sandwich Supper

6:00 PM Ash Wednesday Worship with Holy Communion and Imposition of Ashes.

The Imposition of Ashes At Redeemer, as part of our Ash Wednesday devotion, we offer the opportunity to receive "the imposition of ashes" upon the forehead. The following is a brief explanation about this practice. Q. Are the ashes "blessed?" Do they give a special blessing?

A. No. They are simply a physical symbol to aid in your meditation. The blessings we receive are

through God's means of grace, His Word and Sacraments.

Q. Do I have to receive them?

A. No! Any compulsion to receive the ashes would be contrary to the freedom we have in the

Gospel. They are simply offered as an opportunity for you. If they will help you, please receive

them. If not, please feel comfortable not receiving them. No one will think any less or more of you if

you do or don't!

Q. Do I have to leave them on?

A. No. You may wash them off at any time. Again, whatever is most helpful to you. In fact, washing

them off can be a joyous thing, as you remember that the water of baptism has rescued you from sin

and death!

Q. What about Jesus' words in the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 6:16-18)? Those words read: "And when

you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be

seen by others. . . . But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may

not be seen by others . . ."

A. These words of Christ refer to our motivation: "that you may be seen by others." If this is why you

want to receive ashes, to be seen by others, you should not receive them! This would be contrary to

the Gospel.

Midweek Lent Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside

every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set

before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set

before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne

of God. Hebrews 12:1-2

“Eyes on Jesus” will be the theme that we explore on Wednesday evenings during the

season of Lent as we prepare to see our God and Savior on the cross and see the empty tomb

on Easter morning.

When the characters in the Passion narrative look at Jesus, what do they see? In most cases,

people misunderstood who He is and what He was doing. In some cases, by faith, people

recognized Him correctly. Our Lenten series this year, based on St. Mark’s Gospel, will examine

how the various people around Jesus viewed Him and how we should view Him. We will “fix

our eyes” on what Jesus has done to save us from our sins by His holy, precious blood and

innocent sufferings and death, and celebrate what God sees on account of His work: our

justification for His sake. Join us each week for dinner at 5:00 P.M. and worship at 6:00.

Theology and Technology

Make sure to “Like” Redeemer on Facebook for event

reminders, articles, special announcements, etc.

Download a Bible App on your smartphone.

Download Luther’s Small Catechism App.

Download the official App of the LCMS.

2020 Executive Board President: Mike Kaczkowski

Treasurer: Tim Zinkel

Director of Spiritual Growth-Evangelism: Aaron Utecht

Director of Education-Children’s Ministry: Johanna Harris

Director of Human Care: Lisa Van Sickle

Director of Property & Legal: Steve Pribek

Director of Property & Legal: Kirk Eichmann

Director of Spiritual Growth: open

Director of Education-Family Life: open

Director of Education-Youth & Confirmation: open

Financial Update

Tax Saving Charity Contributions

If you are 70 ½ or older, you can direct your church contribution from your traditional IRA with a

Qualified Charitable Distribution and the distribution counts toward your Required Minimum

Distribution for the year. As long as the money goes directly to a charitable organization without

making a pit stop in your bank account, it won’t be recognized as taxable income. Contact your

financial advisor or institution for more information. Redeemer presently has several members that

participate in this program annually.

$-

$50,000.00

$100,000.00

$150,000.00

$200,000.00

$250,000.00

$300,000.00

Dec. Year toDate

Income $36,370 $294,583

Expenses $25,406 $276,112

Summary of Income & Expenses

Choir & Handbells

Senior Choir and Handbells are now beginning rehearsals for

2020. Now is the perfect time for new members to join in the

singing and ringing for our upcoming worship services.

Senior Choir meets on Sunday mornings in the choir loft from

8:15 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. prior to Sunday morning service. Handbells meet on Wednesday

evenings from 6:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. here at church. (We are in immediate need of 1-2

additional handbell ringers, 2 additional tenors, 2 additional basses, 3 more altos, and 2 more

sopranos—just show up at the rehearsal time listed.)

Also, any instrumentalist who might like to join in on special music for special occasions

should contact Pastor or Gary Neustadter at 920-242-6489.

Brenda, Skyler, Joan

Joan Schmidt

Welcome to two new members, Joan Schmidt and her grand-daughter, Skyler Lisowe, who have

joined our Redeemer family. Joan and her husband, Delbert, lived in New Holstein for over 40 years

until he passed away on July 20, 2018. They attended Trinity Lutheran in Kiel. Joan had been

employed at Tecumseh Products in New Holstein for 33 ½ years before retiring in July, 2000.

Joan has three daughters. The oldest, Diane Drew, and her husband live in Appleton and have one

child. Brenda Beckmann, from Kiel, has atteneded Redeemer with Joan and Skyler. Brenda is married

and they have a son and daughter. Joan's youngest daughter is Jennifer Lisowe. Jennifer and her

husband live in Two Rivers with three sons and a daughter. Joan moved to their home after her

husband passed away in 2018. She may be retired but keeps very active helping at Jennifer's home

and with the family. Joan enjoys traveling so she and Jennifer are planning a Caribbean cruise. She

also enjoys reading.

Skyler Lisowe

Skyler Lisowe also joined Redeemer with her grandma, Joan. Skyler is the only daughter of Jennifer

but also has three brothers. Skyler is 12 and in 7th grade at L. B. Clark Middle School in Two Rivers.

She has started attending Catechesis class here at Redeemer. Skyler enjoys drawing and occasionally

playing the piano. She also loves to read and play soccer.

Joan and Skyler attend Redeemer regularly and are enjoying worshipping here.

Joan Schmidt & Skyler Lisowe

3204 Parkway Blvd., Two Rivers, WI 54241

Joan: 920-762-0044, Birthday: June 23

Skyler Birthday: May 9

Mission Board Update

The Mission Board completed sending Redeemer’s 2019 end-of-year donation to the Dominican Republic Mission

Project with a check for $4656 on Jan. 9, 2020. This resulted in a total donation for calendar year 2019 in the

amount of $10,000, of which half came from congregational donations, the October Mission dinner, and a special

contribution from the Redeemer Men’s Club, and the other half from matching funds from the Redeemer

Endowment Fund. All these funds go directly to the DR Mission Project, with no restrictions or withdrawals.

Since the DR Mission Project has just recently added an additional outreach to provide for refugee support, our

donation in October 2019 went directly toward providing necessities for several Lutheran pastors and numerous

refugees from Venezuela that had been experiencing political persecution.

Our own Pastor DeArmond will be experiencing the operation of the DR Mission Project when he visits there

from March 5-9, 2020, to see the first hand workings of the mission. He will then be able to directly witness the

needs of the mission projects and report to us here at Redeemer what is most needed in our continued support of

the DR Mission Project.

Also on Jan. 9, 2020, we provided monetary support to the LCMS Concordia (St. Louis) Seminary Food Bank in

the amount of $1088.28. This is the fourth year that we have been able to provide for groceries and household

needs for our seminary students and their families. You may ask ‘why the strange amount?’ This was the final

amount that had been left from the old Thailand Mission Project fund. So, over these four years, we have

contributed almost $6600 toward the support of our future LCMS pastors and families.

Finally, we have initiated weekly deliveries of ‘Weekend Meals for Kids’ for those designated needy children at

Jefferson School, starting on January 10, 2020. (Prior to the January date, we had been providing the weekend

meal bags on a bi-weekly basis from 9/13/19 through the end of 12/2019.) Fifty (50) weekend meal bags will be

taken to the school to be sent home every Friday through the end of the 2019-20 school year. We can credit this

to the generous support of the saints here at Redeemer. In addition, since we significantly exceeded the collection

goal for ‘Weekend Meals’ in early December 2019, we will be able to start weekly deliveries earlier for the next

school year (2020-21), beginning in September 2020.

We sincerely thank all our supporters here at Redeemer, and ask that you continue to pray for the mission work

that is being done through your gifts, here locally in Manitowoc, at our seminary in St. Louis, in the Dominican

Republic, and throughout the world with Operation Christmas Child.

Redeemer’s Board of Missions and Outreach

2020 Altar Flowers

If you would like to provide altar flowers for any week in 2020, the sign-up sheet is on a

clipboard at the Welcome Center. Please indicate if you plan to order the flowers or if you

would like Church to order flowers. If the office orders the flowers, the cost is between $45-

$50. Thank you to everyone that donated flowers in 2019!

2020-21 Preschool Registration

Registration forms for the 2020-21 school year are now available at the church office or on our

website. The forms can be returned to the office. For more info, call the office at 684-3989

or email preschool@redeemermanty.com. Classes fill up fast, so do not delay! If you know of

any families that are interested in our preschool, please let them know we are taking

registrations. We appreciate your support in passing this information on to interested families!

Redeemer Lutheran Church 1712 Menasha Ave., Manitowoc, WI Phone: 920-684-3989

Office Hours: Monday – Friday 8:00am-1:00pm Senior Pastor: Zachary DeArmond (Home: 629-4833) Associate Pastor: Scott Hirssig (Home: 629-2949)

February 2020

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1)

Men’s Bible Class 9-11am

2) Senior Choir 8:15am Worship 9am Educ. Classes 10:15 Hmg. Worship 11am

3) Finance 7:30am Women’s Bible Class 1pm Praise Band 5:30pm Worship 6pm Chorus Sectionals 7pm

4) Bible Classes Men’s 7am Women’s 9:15am

5) Catechesis 6pm Spanish Bible Study 6pm Handbells 6:30pm

6)

7)

8)

9) Senior Choir 8:15am Worship 9am Educ. Classes 10:15 Hmg. Worship 11am

10) Finance 7:30am Women’s Bible Class 1pm Praise Band 5:30pm Worship 6pm Chorus Sectionals 7pm

11) Bible Classes Men’s 7am Women’s 9:15am

12) Catechesis 6pm Spanish Bible Study 6pm Handbells 6:30pm

13) Executive Board Meeting 6:30pm

14)

15) Men’s Bible Class 9-11am

16) Worship 9am Educ. Classes 10:15 Hmg. Worship 11am

17) Finance 7:30am Women’s Bible Class 1pm Praise Band 5:30pm Worship 6pm Chorus Sectionals 7pm

18) Bible Classes Men’s 7am Women’s 9:15am

19) Spanish Bible Study 6pm Handbells 6:30pm

20)

21)

22)

23) Senior Choir 8:15am Worship 9am Educ. Classes 10:15 Hmg. Worship 11am

24) Finance 7:30am Women’s Bible Class 1pm Praise Band 5:30pm Worship 6pm

25) Bible Classes Men’s 7am Women’s 9:15am

26) Ash Wednesday Private prayer 6:45-8am Soup Supper 5pm Senior Choir 5:15pm Worship 6pm Handbells 7pm

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