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Sunday Worship

7:30, 8:30,
& 11:00 a.m.

Education Hour:
9:45-10:45 a.m.

Office phone:
414-774-0441

 

 

Pastoral Transition

 

Tentatively scheduled: Congregational Meeting, June 3 -
Mission Exploration Team report to the congregation
As the Mission Exploration wraps up its work to determine the leadership and ministry needs of St. Matthew’s, they will report their findings to both the church council and to the congregation.

 

Pr. Elias Kitoi returns to St. Matthew’s!
We are pleased to announce Pr. Elias Kitoi will be returning to St. Matthew’s to help out during this time of pastoral transition. As Pr. Fran Odden completes the MET process and transitions away from St. Matthew’s we will continue to have a need for some additional pastoral support.

Pr. Elias is completing his call to Galilee in Pewaukee and has accepted a call to Redeemer Ev. Lutheran Church in Racine. Beginning August 1, he will serve 3/4ths time at Redeemer and 1/4 time at St. Matthew’s. Pr Elias will help with our Tanzanian partnership - we have a delegation coming this fall and a trip to Tanzania planned for the summer of 2013 - and he will help with preaching and visitation.

Pr. Elias served St. Matthew’s from 2003-2005 and is fondly remembered by those in the congregation at that time. We are grateful for Pr. Elias’s availability as we continue in this time of transition. Please join us in welcoming Pr Elias.

 

Pastoral Transition Process
St. Matthew’s Mission Exploration Team is now reviewing and assessing your responses about the future mission and ministry of St. Matthew’s, as well as the skills and characteristics you desire in a lead pastor. In this review and assessment, members of the MET will prioritize and define strategic imperatives to be presented to the congregation.

Where are we at on the timeline? With Holy Week and Easter being a main part of our spiritual journeys, we will take a two-week “Sabbath” from this process and begin again a week after Easter Sunday. A proposed report on strategic imperatives will be presented to the church council and the staff in the first or second week of May. After joint study and dialogue by the Mission Exploration Team, church council and staff, the report will be finalized. The final report will then be presented to you, the members of St. Matthew’s. It is anticipated that this will take place at a special meeting of the congregation the first part of June.

Thank you, members of St. Matthew’s, for your excellent, supportive and challenging input. We will continue to keep you informed on the progress.

The MET Team members are: Debra Endean, Mike Gifford, Dale Kirchner, Doug Krekling, Scott Manske, Nathan Rockenbach, Cheryl Serafin, Bridget Smith, and Emily Wanezek.

 

Pastor Fran Odden to serve as Interim Minister at St. Matthew’s
Introduced to the congregation at Town Hall Meeting Dec. 18, 2011

The St. Matthew’s Church council has chosen Pr. Fran Odden to serve the congregation as an interim pastor after Pr. Gary Erickson’s retirement last month. Pr. Odden will begin his interim ministry with us on Sunday, Jan. 1, 2012, when he gives the sermon during worship.

Pr. Odden is a graduate of Luther College and Luther Seminary and has served as a lead pastor in several congregations throughout his years of ministry. He has served in interim ministry for the Greater Milwaukee Synod and on the Synod staff during the 2010 Bishop search process. During his experiences in interim ministry, he has led Mission Exploration Team (MET) processes for several congregations in our synod.

Pr. Odden’s primary responsibility will be to assist us in the MET (Mission Exploration Team) process used when a congregation prepares to call a new pastor. The MET process is a structured plan to reflect upon the ministries and dynamics of the congregation as well as its strengths and growing edges. It will also help the congregation to arrive at a current understanding of the mission of the congregation and identify the gifts that are most important for the next pastor to possess.

The MET process is separate from the Call Process. The Call Process begins after the Mission Exploration Process is complete.

Pr. Odden will facilitate this process, as he has done for other congregations in our synod. His experience with the MET process is one of the reasons that he was asked to assist us at this time. He will also be preaching one Sunday per month and helping Pr. Chris and Pr. Margaret lead worship on another Sunday each month. His ministry here will be equivalent to 0.25 of a fulltime position.

Pr. Margaret Schoewe, whose ministry position here has been half-time, will be increasing her work to full-time during this interim period. We are thankful to her for being willing to expand her work here as a pastor who is familiar with St. Matthew’s people and ministries. She will focus her additional time on visitation, social ministry, Cross and Reformation Partnerships, adult education and fellowship/ evangelism.

Pr. Chris Manke will be the lead interim pastor for St. Matthew’s during the MET process time and will be taking over many of the areas of ministry for which Pr. Gary was responsible including building and grounds, building renovation, finance and budget, stewardship and worship and music.

All three pastors will be working cooperatively together to meet the needs of our congregation and the serving ministries we support. We may also be blessed with the assistance of retired pastors in our congregation.

We give thanks for the transition plan in place for St. Matthew’s pastoral leadership. If you have questions, please contact Kristen Charlson, Congregational President, or any of the pastors.

 

Celebration of Ministry and Retirement, Nov. 19-20, 2011
During the weekend of Nov. 19-20, 2011, the congregation of St. Matthew's celebrated the 38 years of ministry and retirement of Pastor Gary Erickson.

On Saturday night, Nov. 19, family, friends, Synod representatives, and members of St. Matthew's (past and present) celebrated the 38 years of ministry of Pastor Gary. The
Celebration included speakers, poetry, song and videos, including a special video from "President and Mrs. Lincoln" (see below [here]). The evening concluded with a Reception.

It was announced during the evening that Pastor Gary has been honored with the title "Pastor Emeritus" in recognition of his 38 years of ministry at St. Matthew's.

More information about this celebration is online [here].

Links to photos and other items related to Pastor Gary's retirement [here].