The usual schedule for the Sunday School and Preschool kids to sing for church is on the first Sunday of the month. The kids will sing for the last time for the 2022-23 school year on Sunday, May 7.
The Sunday Bible class will finish the book of Jonah on Sunday, April 30, with a study of chapter 4. For May, the Bible class will continue a study of the life and ministry of Jesus using the newly arrived season three of "The Chosen" video series.
In the month of May, the men's Bible class will work on finishing up the study entitled, "Irreconcilable-A Study of the Pharisees and Their Conflict With Jesus." Men's Bible class, which includes lunch, begins at 11:30 AM and ends by 1:00 PM.
Examination for the lone eighth grader is scheduled for noon on Sunday, May 28. The examination will be held in the New Life Café. Confirmation Sunday will be Sunday, June 4.
The Little Sprouts will be slithering and sliding into May as we begin the theme "Creepy, Crawly Bugs". The children will examine some bugs with magnifying glasses, make a bug book and listen to the classic story The Very Hungry Caterpillar. We will also remember our wonderful moms by making a special surprise. Our school year ends "Down on the Farm". This favorite theme lends itself to some fun craft activities including a hen and eggs name craft and some "muddy" pig finger painting. We will practice our listening skills through farm sounds Bingo game and enjoy a funny felt story about "Mrs. Wishy Washy". Our featured Jesus Time stories are: "Jesus Teaches Us to Pray", "Zacchaeus You Come Down", "Jesus Returns to Heaven", and "God Takes Care of the Birds".
- Mrs. Rachel Andrews
Wow, what a great year it has been! We have a lot planned for the last month of preschool. Both classes will be learning the theme "Farms". Additionally, both classes will enjoy a field trip to Volkening Heritage Farms on Tuesday, May 16th and Monday, May 22nd. I'm sure they will all enjoy this field trip (hopefully the weather will cooperate). On Sunday, May 7th we will have our last opportunity to sing with the Sunday school children of New Life. I am hoping to see many of our families join us that day. Please mark your calendars and try to come! Our final "Spring Show" will be held on Sunday, May 21 at 1:30pm, all the children are expected to participate in this. If you have a scheduling problem please let me know ASAP.
During Jesus time we will learn the following stories: "The Coming of the Holy Spirit", "Faithful Stephen Tells a Man About Jesus","and "Jesus the Good Shepherd". Finally, we will have Monday, May 29th off for Memorial Day and then return for two final days of preschool, Tuesday, May 30th and Wednesday, May 31st. These will be fun filled days consisting of games and an ice cream party to wrap up our school year.
I want to thank everyone for a wonderful year and especially all my helpers: Mrs. Rachel, Mrs. Kelly and Ms. Katie. Good luck to all the children going off to Kindergarten and hope everyone has a fantastic Summer Break!
- Mrs. Lori Dundore, Teacher/ Director
The Spring preschool program is scheduled for Sunday, May 21 at 1:30 PM. Something to eat and drink will be served after the program. The members of New Life, who make the preschool program possible, are invited to attend. The program usually lasts 20 minutes.
Vacation Bible School is scheduled for the week of July 24-28. Please mark your calendar so that your child / children can attend VBS.
Training Camp is scheduled for July 16-21, 2023 at YMCA Camp Duncan in Ingleside, Illinois. The cost for a week of camp is $450. At our Ash Wednesday meal, a total of $966 was donated to help defray the cost for sending as many of ''our'' kids as possible to Training Camp. If you'd like to help send our kids to camp, you can make a donation, place it in the plate and mark it ''Training Camp''.
On Mother's Day, Sunday, May 14, the church council will be serving breakfast before the service, starting at 8:30 AM. This year's breakfast will have a Polish theme. Everyone is invited to this breakfast.
A second preschool open house is scheduled for Tuesday, May 9 from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM. Most of the new students enrolled in our preschool come because of word of mouth. If you know of any parents with preschool aged children, please encourage them to stop by for a tour and to meet the staff. This past school year, our preschool had full enrollment for the first time ever. It would be great to continue that trend. The open house will also be for the Sprouts program.
At the end of our six-month debt reduction drive we reported that $20,550 was given to reduce the principal on our mortgage. In April we completed refinancing with Lutheran Association for Church Extension (LACE), our mortgage lender, and can now share the impact of our debt reduction drive efforts.
In a time when the Fed is battling inflation, and mortgage rates are high, refinancing can be a frightening endeavor. However, since LACE is not a regular banking lender, we were able to take advantage of several opportunities to save costs. First, is that our interest rate remains unchanged at 4.75%. Second, the refinance was extremely streamlined. There were zero out of pocket closing costs and zero costs added to the principal. Our debt reduction efforts lowered our mortgage balance to $489,261. This reduction in principal will result in $11,321 in interest savings over the remaining 20 years of the loan. The refinance also facilitates recalculation of our monthly mortgage payments. Our monthly payments will drop, saving our congregation $2,197 a year going forward. Every dollar saved from our monthly mortgage payment provides needed funding for other areas of our ministry. Our mortgage will be due for refinance again in 5 years.
Your generous gifts given towards debt reduction, during a financially challenging time, were over and above regular giving. At the same time, we are close to meeting our regular offerings for the year. This is another opportunity to be thankful for the blessings the Lord has shown to our congregation.
- Brent Anderson, Treasurer
Green Team will meet twice in the month of May, on the 11th and 25th. At the meeting on the 11th the kids will learn about the career of cook / chef and on the 25th they kids will learn about the career of janitor. On the 25th will also enjoy a cookout and outdoor games. Green Team begins at 6:30 and ends at 7:00 PM.
The kids raced their pine cars on Thursday, April 27th.
It's that time of year again to clean-up our section of Long Grove Road. More helpers mean a faster cleaning time. Scratch the itch to don one of those stylish orange vests on Sunday, May 7th at Noon. Picking up the garbage people hurl out their car windows can be a great way to get some fresh air.
The Branch Connection Spring Banquet was held on Sunday, April 23. Twenty-six ladies attended the banquet, had a nice lunch and then had an opportunity to work on a painting.
The United Way's fall fund drive is underway right now, and many employers will match employee contributions. Tree of Life Lutheran Preschool is recognized by the United Way, so this is a great opportunity to help out with our education and community outreach efforts via the preschool. "10438331" is the ID number for Tree of Life. All contributions are greatly appreciated!
Prior to the pandemic, members would sign up to bring something to eat and drink for after the service. For the past several months, pre-packaged goods have been kept at church and served. It's time to get back to normal. Please consider taking a Sunday for fellowship. The sign-up sheet is located on the bulletin board in the basement.
Heading to college can be exciting, stressful, and everything in between. WELS Campus Ministry can help! Let us help you stay connected to God's Word. To begin go towels.net/campus-ministry and click the button "College students register here". You can register for free subscriptions to Forward in Christ and Meditations booklets and will be connected to the campus pastor for your school. Students who have previously registered for WELS Campus Ministry are encouraged to check your profile and preferences and make any necessary updates. For questions please contact Ginny Mundstock at the WELS Campus Ministry office: 414-256-3279.
While updating Ministry plans for the next fiscal year it was noted that again the Elder's plan includes assisting members or friends of New Life with emergency assistance. Emergency assistance is often needed due to weather related emergencies. Be mindful that New Life has access to equipment and tools not always readily available to the person in need. Examples include generators, chainsaws, etc. Often times it may be as simple as just needing some extra hands to address a need. So, in the event you need help, please do not hesitate to call. To request assistance, simply call church at 847-438-5018 and leave a message. Have a wonderful safe summer!
The Thrivent Choice® program lets eligible members recommend where some of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans' charitable outreach funds go by directing Choice Dollars®. You can direct your funds to New Life Lutheran Church and/or Tree of Life Lutheran Preschool. If you have any questions about how to do this, please speak to Craig LaPlante the Stewardship Chairman.