We were hosting a party [at someone else’s home] and were looking forward to eating outside at the picnic tables and using the fire pit to roast marshmallows. We had a problem, at the start of the day there was 70% chance of rain in the forecast. So one of my daughters said, “Don’t worry mom, I’ve already started praying and asking God to hold off the rain.” I thought, well that’s a good idea, except we really need the rain. Selfishly I agreed with her prayer because being outside would be so much more fun. The evening started, the people arrived, and there was no rain! We enjoyed eating outside, the little kids running around and sitting around the campfire. Then the clouds started to come, and as the sun was starting to set, a few drops began to fall. We moved inside, grabbed some of the things that couldn’t get wet and headed indoors. There were several of us, including all of the youngest in attendance [those 4 and under] that were caught away from the house when the rain started to really pour down. What took place next will be a memory I cherish for many years to come. One by one, the little ones began to play in the rain. And soon they were joined by the not so little kids! There was dancing, and twirling, and jumping and complete unbridled JOY! What I loved most was there was not one parent that said no. There was no hesitation and everyone embraced the moment. It was the definition of serendipity. The quote that popped in my head was: There was such freedom to enjoy and appreciate the thrill of splashing in a puddle, or looking up and catching rain drops on their faces. There was no difference between the big kids [the adults] and the little kids! And here are a few things I learned as I reflect back on that evening. God’s plan is always the best plan. Be open to it. It is good to pray, and include God in my plans. Always Trust God, He knows what He is doing. Without the rain, we would not have had that opportunity. We would not have had those memories. We could not have captured these pictures. As I consider what kind of legacy I want to leave behind, it includes knowing that my God has a perfect plan and that He is completely 100% trustworthy. Including Him in my plans by talking to Him in prayer about everything: seeking His guidance, asking Him to lead and direct my steps, asking for His wisdom as I make choices, depending on Him, thanking Him, is of the utmost importance. And to choose joy, even when it rains!

  This is taken a bit out of context, and yet the same principle applies. Far too much of the time we treat things as if they belong to us, as if we have earned them on our own, as if we deserve them, as if we own them. Our attitudes and actions betray the fact that we consider the things of this world anything but a gift. God tells His people over and over to remember, to remember what He has done. And it’s quite apparent what when people don’t remember God, gifts become gods and life gets flipped upside down. A few weeks ago [as I’m writing this], Pastor Jeff challenged us to see how long it takes every day to stop and praise God, to thank Him for what He has done, and for His blessings, and to record how long it took, and what we thanked Him for. This is the first challenge I’ve really done in a while, and I have to say, it changed my attitude a lot of the time. Not only was I praising Him earlier, but I was praising Him more often, and I found myself looking more for His blessings throughout the day. Over these next two months we’re exploring things that get in our way, and our legacy, or what we do with what we have been given. What will you do with what you have been entrusted with, with what you have inherited? I want to start from a place of thanksgiving, and recognizing that God is the Creator and owner of all things, the giver of all blessings, the only true God, who loves all people and wants all people to be saved. It’s not like this isn’t something I know, but I realized over the week of the original challenge that the daily reminder helped me operate from that truth, instead of just being able to answer the quiz question correctly. Since I want that to be my starting point, I am going to extend Pastor Jeff’s challenge a 1 month challenge, beginning today. Take a piece of paper [more if you need] and every day for the next month write down what time you woke up, what time you first praised God, and what you praised Him for. You can do all of that on one line, if you want, and then have a record that lasts the whole month on one sheet [front and back] of paper. As you’re going through the month, also record what changes you notice. I would love to hear what you are praising God for, how He is opening your eyes, how He is giving you a thankful heart, and how you’re sharing your thankful heart with other people. Leave your comments below or email me at [email protected].

What’s yours? Haven’t thought about it much?

“I’ll concern myself with that later,” you say? “That’s not for me to worry about or concern myself with. I’ll let others determine that.”

While staying with my friend Rod in New Orleans over the past few months as I’ve worked with his church I have been thinking a lot about “legacy.” Walking with Rod as he wrestles daily with the most significant loss of his life [the sudden and tragic death of his wife, Karen] I have been contemplating the end of things. Does all our effort pay off in the end? When life is suddenly over, will the investments and invitations I have made be something that has enduring value? What legacy do the investments I’ve made and invitations I’ve extended really leave? Legacy has two sides. We are recipients and distributors. As recipients we have been entrusted with someone else’s gifts. As distributors we share what we have received. Legacy is established now. Legacy is created daily. Decision by decision you leave a legacy. You cannot determine it later. After you are gone, you have no influence or control on what you leave behind. TODAY is the day to live your legacy. During the month of October we invite you to stop and consider your legacy. Stop and think a moment about what your invitations and investments mean. What legacy will they leave?

“Inheritance:” [1] Something that is or may be inherited; property passing at the owner’s death to the heir or those entitled to succeed; legacy. [2] The genetic characters transmitted from parent to offspring, taken collectively. There are a lot of moving parts in that definition. I have been thinking about inheritance quite a bit lately. I had a large investment portfolio at work that was set up as a remainder trust. Upon the death of the trustee, the proceeds of the trust were to be passed on to three survivors. The interesting aspect of a trust account like this one is that the beneficiaries of the trust didn’t have to do anything in particular to receive a rather substantial amount of money other than to be a relative of the deceased. In another case, I have been invited to serve as an investment consultant to the 1impact Community Endowment Fund committee. Quite frankly I was surprised by the number of families [and the dollar amounts] that have decided to make the Church part of their inheritance offering upon their departure from this world when Jesus calls them to their permanent home with Him. Finally, and most importantly, I was privileged to be by the bedside of a dear woman who passed into eternity surrounded by family. We prayed and read Scripture together [Psalm 23 always brings great comfort during these times] as we grieved our loss but celebrated the sure victory over death that Jesus promised her in her baptism. I would say that this is an inheritance of faith that passed from one generation to the next and the next. Three generations were present in the room. So how do we view our inheritance? The first example is a simple transfer of wealth from one person to another. How will it be used? Will the new-found increase be used to consume more of what the world has to offer? I’ve witnessed families torn apart by perceived inequalities on how estates are settled or divorce property is divided. The Bible certainly has many examples of upset heirs “not getting what they deserve.” In one example, Jesus tells the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15. You can read it for yourself, but the central arc of the story is a son who wanted his money right now even though his father was alive and well! We may shake our heads in disbelief, but how many examples can you think of where a family member has murdered another family member to accelerate the inheritance process through life insurance proceeds or other material benefits? Jesus knows the depths of our sin, especially when greed consumes our lives. The second example would point to the concept of legacy, when it comes to distributing our inheritance. A legacy of what? I am glad you asked. Look at the words in the Church’s endowment fund: Impact. Community. Fund. All wrapped up in our mission to Connect People to Life in Jesus. The families that have committed to this fund want to leave a legacy of disciple-makers. They want to “fund” our mission -- no, God’s mission -- to “impact” our “communities” by providing resources to help those in need and equipping our members to fulfill the Great Commission. Now that is a legacy all of us are called by Jesus to leave to future generations until He returns. You have heard the expression that “All politics is local.” The same could be said for an inheritance of faith. We have made family the core of sharing our faith to each succeeding generation. Deuteronomy 11 is a very sobering word from God about passing on the faith; verses 18-19 make it clear: “So commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these words of mine. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your foreheads as reminders. Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to and when you are getting up.” I saw those words in action at the bedside of a Jesus follower entering the gates of heaven. Three generations of faith in our Lord. A legacy that far exceeds the monetary blessings from a wealthy man. A legacy that even exceeds funding a church endowment. Faith, created in baptism, strengthened in hearing and studying God’s Word, assured in the forgiveness of sins in Holy Communion and continually nurtured in a loving family and a faithful community of believers. Now that is a true inheritance!

Passing on a legacy of faith in Jesus is the most important job of Christian parents. It may also be the most important job of grandparents! The following is taken from an article “Twenty Ideas for Grandparents,” by Kara Powell, shared by Emily Powers. As a result of increased life expectancy, new ways to connect through technology, and more grandparents providing child care, researchers at the University of Southern California conclude that kids today “will have greater involvement with their grandparents… than any previous generation of grandchildren in American history.” That involvement translates into religious influence!     Here are 20 ideas to help leave an inheritance of faith: 1. Invite your grandchildren for individual “sleepovers” at your house. While they are over, do some of their favorite activities together. 2. Pray with your grandkids. As you pray, thank God for the special qualities he has given them. 3. Teach your grandchild a new skill or one of your favorite hobbies. 4. Let your grandchild teach you a new skill or share a hobby with you. 5. Enter a race and run/swim/ride or walk it with your grandchild. 6. Talk with your grandchild about a family tradition that you enjoyed as a child. Then continue that tradition with your grandchild. 7. Bring out photo albums and talk about when your grandchild was born, how you prayed for them before they were born, and how blessed you feel that they are now part of your family. 8. Serve together at a local ministry. 9. Cook with your grandchildren. Play loud music, sing and cook [maybe even dance] together. 10. Have breakfast together once a week using Skype or FaceTime. 11. Share times when you have blown it, or disobeyed what you sensed God was telling you to do. Let them know how glad you are that Jesus is bigger than any mistakes. 12. Choose a book series to read with your grandchildren. Read to them using Skype, or as they get older and the books get longer, read them individually and then discuss highlights by phone. 13. Build something with your grandchildren. 14. Start a collection of something with your grandchild, and continue adding to the collection when you travel or when you are together. 15. Text them on an ordinary day and let them know you’re thinking about them. 16. Call or send a letter when kids have special events or milestones at school or church. 17. At gatherings of extended family, have devotions that include questions for all family members. This way the children hear their parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins share on a deeper level. 18. If financially possible, at the age of 12 or 13, take your grandson/granddaughter on a weekend away. Include time to discuss what it means to be a Christian man/woman. Give them something that will remind them of the weekend. 19. Have “Grand Camp” with your grandkids either at your house or another destination. Do things together that they’d do at camp—crafts, sports, singing, cooking, treasure hunts, etc. 20. Go on a mission trip with your grandchild, either locally or abroad. Consider making this a rite of passage experience at a certain age with each grandchild. “Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come.” [Psalm 71:18]

What is the most important thing you do with your money? What carries with it the biggest consequences? How do you make sure you always pay your mortgage, or your insurance? Allow me a bit of latitude, if you will (please read at least to the end of the paragraph that follows this one), to suggest that the most important thing you do with your money, the thing that carries with it the biggest consequences, is returning the first portion of any money you make to the Lord. It is more important than the money you spend on food, on a place to live, on your family, and even more important than any money you give away to help people (yes, even through the church). The church-y word for this is tithe. If you’re still reading, thank you! Please believe me when I say that God doesn’t need your money. And believe me when I tell you that I believe that the church would get along just fine without your money. But, I almost as firmly believe that you will not get along just fine without tithing. How can tithing possibly be the most important thing you do with your money? It puts God’s gifts to you in perspective. (they are all His gifts) It honors God. It teaches you to trust in the Giver, and not the gifts. Have you ever wondered why conversations about how much you pledge to give to the church can be stressful? Or why sometimes it’s hard to just give what you say you want to or feel like you give? Check your grip on your money, and where your trust is. Do you trust more in the gift, in your ability to manage the gift, or in the Giver? I can tell you from experience that God will work in you through your first fruit offering to Him. He’ll stretch your trust, and help you loosen your grip on your money. The gift will no longer run the show. What bigger consequences are there than becoming a slave to an insatiable master, who never intends to let you go free, or to let you live the life you were created to live. Now, things with far lesser consequences you pay on time, every month. You might even set up an auto payment. So why wouldn’t you consider making your offering a recurring payment? I want to challenge you to give it a shot. Sign up for our new database (Elexio) if you haven’t already, and log in to the web portal to schedule recurring online payments.

  Who? the Church in East Madison What? Public Launch When? Saturday, December 19th with worship at 5:00pm Where? 258 Corporate Dr. Suite 262, the center of the first floor Why? To connect people to life in Jesus, where God has placed us The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. – John 1:14a [MSG] How? I’m glad you asked how you can help…

1. Keep praying for us, and for all of our current and future sites, that God would show us how He has sent us into our neighborhoods to be a blessing.
2. Visit us. Please! Do you want to know what’s going on? Come and see! We already worship weekly on Saturdays at 5:00pm.
3. Get the word out. Tell people you know about the new site, and the option to engage with the Church possibly closer to their own neighborhood.
4. Adopt the East Side as an attender for a season. We are currently a pretty small group, and it can be easier to visit a place if there are a few more people.
5. If you would like to be part of a worship team, know someone who would like to be, or if you already are and want to play once more a month, we would love to have you on the East side.

Thank you for supporting the vision of the Church, for sending us to the East side, and for praying for our activity in our neighborhoods. Join us in praying for us all as we continue to experiment with and learn what it means to be part of the body of Christ that God has sent into our neighborhoods to live life together with, and to connect to life in Jesus.

  Imagine the difference… - actually giving joyfully and generously. - actually inviting people. - your friend actually discovering the same friendship with Jesus that you enjoy! - a stranger searching for compassion and mercy, actually finding it in your act of friendship. Two milestones for 2016 will make a difference. We’re hopeful that... 200 people will make 16 personal and passionate invitations to their friends and neighbors to join them where they are already enthusiastically engaged at the Church! We will raise our congregational financial commitment by 16%! 2016 is gonna be different. Here are a couple other noteworthy examples of the difference you’ll see in 2016: Gary and Beth Roberts will be joining our ministry team in Verona. Gary will be our new site leader in Verona and join our team as the Director of Community Involvement. Gary specializes in training and coaching missional leaders in the competencies of community listening, a process he calls Missional Listening. His primary mission is to help churches listen to their communities using the principles and practices of missional lifestyle and asset-based community development. As such he will oversee our Human Care / Mercy Ministry and help us grow in our capacity to engage and listen attentively to our community. Learn more about Gary in the Nov/Dec issue of the Good News, or check out his website at www.glroberts.com. Our East Side Region will publicly launch in December 19th. Find out how you can be praying as you read Pastor Matt’s article. 2016 is gonna be different… 1person – 1neighborhood – 1region at a time.

  On Sunday, December 13th, from 12pm-1pm, our church will have its Annual Voters Meeting. A few key points of the agenda include learning about the ministry plan for the church and electing board members. This year we are electing two board members for full three year terms and welcoming another new board member to complete a one year term. I find the Annual Voters Meeting is the perfect chance to become more informed about some of the servant leaders of the Church as well as the specific ministry plan of the church. And in preparation for electing new board members, here is just a little information about each person. You can also meet the rest of the Leadership Board here.

Laura Potter - Board Nominee

Laura lives in Oregon with her husband Jim and attends the Church in Fitchburg.. She loves gardening and she has several animals including 15 chickens! Laura & Jim have six grown daughters and seven grandchildren. When Laura was searching for a church home in 1991, she was drawn to the Church because of the friendly people. Over the years, she has served in many ways including Sunday school and altar guild. Laura attends lifeGroup with the Huebners and also is intentional about living life together with the people in her neighborhood. As a board member, she is most looking forward to serving and using her gifts in a different way than she has in the past.

Eldon McLaury - Board Nominee

Eldon and his wife Ginny live in Fitchburg and attend the Church in Fitchburg. Eldon grew up on a farm in Iowa, served in the Army, and after college went on to a career in waterfall management.  He and Ginny have lived on several National Wildlife Refuges.  They have three married sons and nine grandchildren. When Eldon moved to Madison in 1981, he looked for a Missouri Synod church and found CMLC.  Once he attended, he became friends with Fred and Carol Tiemann, who introduced him to Dick Lee (wife Judy) who later built their house for them! Eldon’s lifeGroup has been assisting at Oakwood church service once a month for several years. They are building relationships with residents and that's been a pleasure.  Eldon looks forward  to serving on the board and representing the congregation.

Donna Meyer - Board appointed to complete a one year term

Donna describes herself as a single lady working full time at CUNA Mutual Group as a Project Specialist.  Music is a welcome pastime - she is a member of the worship team here and of the Unkalung Choir with the Adult Christian Education Foundation. Although Donna grew up in the Church in Fitchburg, she left in her early 20’s and then came back when she was a caregiver for her parents. She knows it is through God’s work through his people at the Church and His Word that she is here. Currently, Donna is not part of a formal lifeGroup but is intentional about meeting regularly with a fellow church member in order to share life’s challenges and to learn and grow together in their relationship with Jesus. As a board member, Donna is looking forward to seeing what God will do in and through His people here at the Church in the next year as we live life together in Jesus, worship Him, and share His love with those in our neighborhoods and around the world. I look forward to seeing you on Sunday, December 13th, for the Annual Voters Meeting. And don’t forget that the Packers play the Cowboys at 3:25 pm that day, so we won’t miss it! Do you have other questions or comments for the Leadership Board? Sign in and leave your questions or comments in the comment section below

  On Sunday, December 13th, from 12pm-1pm, our church will have its Annual Voters Meeting. A few key points of the agenda include learning about the ministry plan for the church and electing board members. This year we are electing two board members for full three year terms and welcoming another new board member to complete a one year term. I find the Annual Voters Meeting is the perfect chance to become more informed about some of the servant leaders of the Church as well as the specific ministry plan of the church. And in preparation for electing new board members, here is just a little information about each person. You can also meet the rest of the Leadership Board here.

Laura Potter - Board Nominee

Laura lives in Oregon with her husband Jim and attends the Church in Fitchburg.. She loves gardening and she has several animals including 15 chickens! Laura & Jim have six grown daughters and seven grandchildren. When Laura was searching for a church home in 1991, she was drawn to the Church because of the friendly people. Over the years, she has served in many ways including Sunday school and altar guild. Laura attends lifeGroup with the Huebners and also is intentional about living life together with the people in her neighborhood. As a board member, she is most looking forward to serving and using her gifts in a different way than she has in the past.

Eldon McLaury - Board Nominee

Eldon and his wife Ginny live in Fitchburg and attend the Church in Fitchburg. Eldon grew up on a farm in Iowa, served in the Army, and after college went on to a career in waterfall management.  He and Ginny have lived on several National Wildlife Refuges.  They have three married sons and nine grandchildren. When Eldon moved to Madison in 1981, he looked for a Missouri Synod church and found CMLC.  Once he attended, he became friends with Fred and Carol Tiemann, who introduced him to Dick Lee (wife Judy) who later built their house for them! Eldon’s lifeGroup has been assisting at Oakwood church service once a month for several years. They are building relationships with residents and that's been a pleasure.  Eldon looks forward  to serving on the board and representing the congregation.

Donna Meyer - Board appointed to complete a one year term

Donna describes herself as a single lady working full time at CUNA Mutual Group as a Project Specialist.  Music is a welcome pastime - she is a member of the worship team here and of the Unkalung Choir with the Adult Christian Education Foundation. Although Donna grew up in the Church in Fitchburg, she left in her early 20’s and then came back when she was a caregiver for her parents. She knows it is through God’s work through his people at the Church and His Word that she is here. Currently, Donna is not part of a formal lifeGroup but is intentional about meeting regularly with a fellow church member in order to share life’s challenges and to learn and grow together in their relationship with Jesus. As a board member, Donna is looking forward to seeing what God will do in and through His people here at the Church in the next year as we live life together in Jesus, worship Him, and share His love with those in our neighborhoods and around the world. I look forward to seeing you on Sunday, December 13th, for the Annual Voters Meeting. And don’t forget that the Packers play the Cowboys at 3:25 pm that day, so we won’t miss it! Do you have other questions or comments for the Leadership Board? Sign in and leave your questions or comments in the comment section below

  Do you know what happens at death if you have no will? Generally state law dictates what happens to your remaining wealth – your investments, house, vacation property, etc. If you live in Wisconsin then Wisconsin law dictates what happens, but if you own a second residence out-of-state, then that state’s laws may be relevant as well. An exception exists where you have already dictated where certain assets go – for example, the beneficiary of an IRA or an insurance product. Without a will several unintended results can occur: There may be no direction as to who will raise minor children and who will manage the remaining assets on their behalf. Final distribution of estate assets is greatly delayed when handled by the courts. Sizeable wealth may be left to young adults who are unable to responsibly manage the wealth. Legal costs of administering the estate are higher. There is no legacy – nothing goes to your church or to other charitable causes that may be dear to your heart. So with all these negative consequences why do people die without a will? Younger people think they’re too young to worry about such matters. Others don’t want to incur the legal costs, while others simply don’t want to think about this unpleasant event. Many don’t realize the amount of wealth they have accumulated. Yet we all know death can occur at any time and we need to be prepared. Others are relying on us. 1impact Community Endowment Fund is a permanent fund established to provide financial assistance to others in our community and church body in purposeful and enriching ways. This fund is separate from the operating fund used to run daily and normal operations of the Church. The purpose of the 1impact Community Endowment Fund is to receive gifts and bequests for the further growth of our church and the mission and ministry of the Church – to connect people to life in Jesus! An Endowment fund is designed to preserve the principal and use the earnings to fulfill our mission. The Fund provides a permanent source of support. Please consider including our endowment fund in your will. Part of making a charitable bequest is demonstrating your values and beliefs to your family, reinforcing what you have done during life and setting an example of kindness to people you may never know, but wish to assist. You become an immortal philanthropist. Interested in hearing more? Contact anyone on the 1impact Endowment Fund committee: Rich Frohmader, Peter or Candi Huebner, Cindy Simon, Jim Haas, Brian Wilmot, or Pastor Jeff. Your conversations and decisions always are kept in confidence. We can refer you to attorneys in the area or help your existing attorney add the endowment fund to your will. We also have a gift planner on retainer who provides free advice. Please feel free to call any of us. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart. Luke 6:45 Rich Frohmader, Partner with Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP, has been with the firm since 1989. He is a Manufacturing/Distribution Services Group Tax Partner and a member of the Baker Tilly Renewable Team. Rich previously served as the Firm’s Tax Director. He has over 30 years of public accounting experience, including over ten years with an international firm.

Let me share a story with you and a lesson I recently learned. I was looking on Facebook and noticing all sorts of pictures of beautiful sunsets that people were capturing from one particular evening. I had noticed the pretty sky that evening as well, but from my living room window my view only has a small slice of the western sky. I found myself being a little envious of those people who have a wide open view of the sun setting each night from their home. Instead of complaining, or coming up with excuses the next evening I checked what time the sun was going to set and I intentionally got myself to a place for a perfect view of God’s amazing artwork. I was not disappointed as I sat on the grass at the top of a hill and watched the sun set. It didn’t take much for me to move from my living room to a place where I could see the sun set better. It was a small shift in location, and I was intentional about following through on my idea. Is there a shift that you need to make to take part in the blessing of living life together with others in lifeGroup? Perhaps there is a shift in your calendar of activities that needs to be made. Is there one night a week that you can set aside as a family to put lifeGroup as a priority? What do you need to be intentional about following through on? Has someone invited you to lifeGroup but you have come up with all sorts of reasons why you can’t go? Maybe you could be intentional about saying yes, or contacting them and asking if you could come check it out. If you are in a lifeGroup, who could you invite to join you? I have been blessed over and over again by gathering weekly with other Jesus followers. There is encouragement and challenge and laughter and prayer support. There is depth of relationships that goes far beyond “Hi, how’s it going?” on a Sunday morning. They are people that I care about and they genuinely care about me. They remind me of God’s promises and his faithfulness. Living life together with others and connecting in lifeGroup is a gift. Being able to multiply those groups so more and more people can take part in them is a privilege and a joy.