Retired & Re-Fired Group
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Members of the Retired and Re-Fired Small Group have a wealth of experiences that make our meetings very interesting. We are learning so much about one another as we share our personal stories. We’re a group of really interesting and “Neat” people, and I’m so thankful I have the opportunity to really know them.
Sharing and mutual support is the main focus of our meetings, but we also have some Bible study, prayer, and a topic for each meeting. Our meetings are held on the 2nd Monday of each month at Noon in the Serenity Room. If you are retired or semi-retired, we’d love to have you join our group. Come and get re-fired for the next chapter of your life. Contact Mary Gensler at 608-482-2753 for more information. |
September update:
Dear Friends,
September marks a season of change, like the beginning of the school year and the beginning of fall. Some are facing changes in their family, their work, their health, or their finances beyond their control. Our lives are better when we recognize that change is coming and we prepare ourselves for the change. Let us pray for wisdom to navigate the changes we face, for patience with ourselves and others in times of change, and for strength to put our trust in God who is always with us through every change we face.
The next meeting of the Retired & Re-fired Group will be on Tuesday, September 8 at noon in the Serenity Room upstairs. Please bring your own lunch; coffee, tea, and dessert will be provided. May the Lord bless and guide you through each season of change!
In the meantime, I’ll see you in church.
July update:
Dear Friends,
I hope you all are staying away from the extreme heat and humidity we’ve had lately, as much as possible. I am very happy that our church is a blessed haven of air-conditioned comfort! I encourage you to gather for fellowship each Sunday morning to learn more about Jesus. He has provided many lessons we need for daily living. Please continue to pray for each other, for our Pastor, and for those who deal with pain, sickness, and want.
The next meeting of the Retired & Re-fired Group will be Tuesday, August 11 at noon in the Serenity Room upstairs. Please bring your own lunch; coffee, tea, and dessert will be provided. We’ll share stories about what we’ve been doing this summer. Be sure and bring pictures! May the Lord bless and guide you through these happy busy days of summer. If you have never joined us in Retired & Refired, this is an open invitation to start! I’d love to see you!
As always, call me at 608-482-2753 if you have news to share about our fellow church family members. In the meantime, I’ll see you in church!
June update:
Dear Friends,
The season of graduations, showers, weddings, reunions, and summer vacations is upon us. Consequently, our group will be on vacation, too, for the months of June and July. Enjoy these special gatherings and celebrations!
The next meeting of the Retired & Re-fired Group will be on Tuesday, August 11 at noon in the Serenity Room upstairs. Please bring your own lunch; coffee, tea, and dessert will be provided. We’ll enjoy lunch and swap stories about what we did on summer vacation. Be sure and bring pictures! May the Lord bless and guide you through these happy days of summer.
After the July/August issue of the Upper Room, we will no longer be providing them. If you are interested in paying for one to be sent to you, let Becky U in the office know, and she will set you up.
As always, call me at 608-482-2753 if you have news to share about our fellow members. In the meantime, I’ll see you in church!
May update: Happy spring! The grass is getting green, trees are budding, and the early spring flowers have begun to bloom. Yes, and we’ve had some of those April showers, too!
We put together 20 Personal Comfort Kits to take to this year’s Ingathering at the United Methodist Annual Conference in Middleton, Wisconsin. If you’d like to support this ministry, please mark your donation “Ingathering.”
The next meeting of the Retired & Re-fired Group will be on Tuesday, May 12 at noon in the Serenity Room upstairs. Please bring your own lunch; coffee, tea, and dessert will be provided. I look forward to seeing you there!
In the meantime, may the Lord bless and guide you.
April update:
Welcome to April as we prepare to celebrate the most sacred days in the life of the church. I hope you will choose to walk with Jesus through the events of his last days. From the Last Supper, the Garden of Gethsemane, the court of Pontius Pilate, his crucifixion and burial, to the empty tomb on Easter morning, we will follow Jesus and share again his victory over sin and death! Alleluia!
Our group’s next meeting is Tuesday, April 14 at noon in the Serenity Room. We’ll share lunch, lift up those celebrating birthdays and anniversaries, and plan for annual church conference. Coffee, tea, and dessert will be provided. Until then, I’ll see you in church!
March update:
Welcome to the month of March. I have only one prediction about the weather for this month, and that is we’ll have a little of everything, so don’t put away the sweaters and winter coats just yet. Every mild day we get will be greatly appreciated by all of God’s creatures, I’m sure!
Have you heard of the 3 R’s of Lent? They are reflection, repentance, and reconciliation. I would add one more R and that is “relationship”. God sent Jesus to bring us into a closer relationship with Him. Let us draw nearer to Him as we follow the 3 R’s.
Our next meeting is Tuesday, March 10th at noon in the Serenity Room. We’ll share lunch, lift up those celebrating birthdays and anniversaries, and work on Easter cards. Coffee, tea, and dessert will be provided. Until then, I’ll see you in Church!
February update:
Our cold Midwest winter continues and brings challenges for people and animals. Cold wind, snow, and ice make it difficult to get to work, do chores, or get groceries. I’m glad that February is a short month and that it includes a day devoted to love. Happy Valentine’s Day to you!
If you’re looking for help in starting (or re-starting) a daily devotional plan, please pick up one of the Upper Room pamphlets on the table outside of the church office. They are free!
Our next meeting is Tuesday, February 10th at noon in the Serenity Room. We’ll share a potluck lunch, lift up those celebrating birthdays and anniversaries, and prepare for the start of the Lenten season on February 18, Ash Wednesday. Coffee, tea, and dessert will be provided. Until then, I’ll see you in church!
January update:
As we ring in the new year, we can look back on many blessings we shared in 2025. Our church family has been blessed with the loving and faithful work of our Pastor, our church secretary Becky Upmann, our financial secretary Sharon Teutschmann, the leader of our Fellowship Team Pam Harker, Jamie Roberts, who is a master facilitator for many activities in the church and our coffee meister, the folks on the ALB board, the Trustees, the Re-Awaken band, Pam Teasdale and the Prayer team, Garrison and the Tech Team, our pianist Tina Cruse, the Wednesday night Youth and Adult Group leaders, and the many volunteers who have worked at the food pantry, coffee fellowship, communion, readers, greeters, and counters for the offering. Each task is important to the life of the Church.
Because of the efforts of so many, our church is a warm, comfortable, and welcoming place to come together to worship God and serve His people! Thank you to all who have served! God bless you!
Our next meeting is Tuesday, January 13 at noon in the Serenity Room. We’ll share lunch and work on Valentines Day cards. Coffee, tea, and dessert will be provided. Until then, I’ll see you in Church!
December update:
The end of the church year has passed, and the season of Advent begins on Sunday, November 30. A candle on the Advent wreath will be lit on each of the four Sundays before Christmas to symbolize hope, peace, joy, and love. On Christmas Eve a 5th candle will be lit to symbolize the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Make plans to share this holy and reverent season with your loved ones and with your church family in song, scripture, and worship. You are always welcome here! The church has an Advent calendar of devotions available for anyone who’d like to have one to use at home. Be sure to ask for one!
The next meeting of our group is Monday, December 8 at noon in the Serenity Room. We’ll share lunch and take a photo for our Christmas cards. Then we’ll pack Christmas gift bags. Coffee, tea, and dessert will be provided. Does anyone have a recipe for Figgy Pudding? Until then, I’ll see you in Church!
November update:
November is a busy month with many special days starting with All Saints Day on the first. We remember the leaders and founders of our faith as well as the beloved people in our lives that have passed away. Then on November 2nd our clocks will “fall back” one hour, ending daylight savings time. Veterans Day is November 11th. Honor all the men and women who have served our country by attending our local Veteran’s Day program at Shullsburg Public School or one near you. Our church will celebrate Thanksgiving with a potluck supper on November 20th with the national holiday celebrated on November 27th. Honor, remembrance, celebration, and thankfulness, these will have great power if we do them together and with prayer. God bless you during this busy month!
The next meeting of our group is Monday, November 10th at noon in the Serenity Room. We’ll share a potluck lunch and finish our Thanksgiving Day cards. We will also make plans for celebrating Christmas. Coffee, tea, and dessert will be provided. Until then, I’ll see you in Church!
October update:
Welcome to fall, everyone! It’s definitely a well-named season considering what is happening to leaves and walnuts. It is harvest season, too, so please take extra precautions when traveling our country roads where farm machinery and grain trucks may be present. Let’s pray for our farm families, for their health and safety, and for a successful harvest.
The next meeting of our group is Monday, October 13 at noon in the Serenity Room. We’ll share a potluck lunch, then get busy crafting greeting cards to celebrate Thanksgiving. God is good and we have so much to be thankful for! Coffee, tea, and lemonade will be provided. Until then, I’ll see you in church!
September update:
And just like that, summer ends, school starts again, and a few cool nights let us know that change is on the way. I hope everyone experienced the joys of summer; whatever that means to you. Let’s remember to pray for the safety of the schoolchildren in our community and to watch out for them crossing the streets as they go to and from school.
Our monthly meetings start again on September 8 at noon, upstairs in the Serenity Room. Invite your friends to come with you! We’ll discuss ideas for getting fired up as followers of Jesus. Please bring your lunch. Coffee, tea and dessert will be provided. We will be signing cards and making plans for our activities for the rest of 2025. Until then, I’ll see you in church!
August update: I hope you are all enjoying the summer break. Its almost time for us to return to our monthly meetings...I can’t wait.
Our next meeting will be Monday, September 8 at noon. Watch the September newsletter for more information.
July update: Hot weather and humidity have arrived just in time for the 4th of July! I hope everyone is ready to celebrate the birth of our nation with their family and friends. Remember to give thanks to God for the many blessings He has provided to us and to pray that we may life in peace together.
There are folks that are celebrating a birthday this month that we lift up in prayer: Steve Leitzinger, Janet Monahan, Eugene Uehling, Duane Wedige, Tom Teutschmann, and Penny Walter. May God bless and keep them another year through!
Our card ministry will continue through the summer to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries. Please contact me at 608-482-2753 if you have a prayer concern or to request a home visit. In the meantime, enjoy the summer, and I’ll see you in church!
June update:
Make way for summer! We’ve had one really warm day so far, but that will change as the calendar turns to June. The Retired & Re-Fired Group is on summer break from June through August. We will resume with our next meeting scheduled for Monday, September 8 at noon.
At our May meeting we assembled 24 complete personal comfort kits to take to this year’s Ingathering at the United Methodist Annual Conference in Middleton. We also received donations of extra toothbrushes and soaps to deliver, too. Thanks to all who contributed items or cash to support this ministry!
Our card ministry will continue through the summer to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries. Please contact me at 608-482-2753 if you have a prayer concern or request for a home visit. In the meantime, enjoy the summer, and I’ll see you in church!
May update:
Happy spring! The grass is getting green, trees are budding, and the early spring flowers have begun to bloom. Yes, and we’ve had some of those April showers, too! Newness of life is all around us. We can have new life in ourselves as well. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” Only through Christ can we be made new.
The next meeting of the Retired & Re-fired Group will be on Monday, May 12 at noon in the Serenity Room upstairs. Please bring your own lunch; coffee, tea, and dessert will be provided. After lunch we’ll work on assembling personal comfort kits to take to this year’s Ingathering at the United Methodist Annual Conference in Middleton, Wisconsin. If you’d like to support this ministry, please mark your donation “Ingathering”. We will also watch and discuss the next episode of The Chosen. I look forward to seeing you there!
In the meantime, may the Lord bless and guide you.
April update:
Greetings, church family! The Lenten season continues this month with Palm Sunday on April 13 (bring your little ones to church to join in the procession of palms), Maundy Thursday on April 17, Good Friday on April 18, and Easter on April 20.
The next meeting of the Retired & Re-Fired Group will be on Monday, April 14 at noon in the Serenity Room upstairs. Please bring your lunch; coffee, tea and dessert will be provided. After lunch we’ll watch and discuss the next episode of The Chosen. I look forward to seeing you there!
In the meantime, may the Lord bless and guide you.
March update:
Greetings, church family! The Lenten season begins on March 5, 2025. Join me in taking a little time each day to read, to pray, and to prepare for the most important event in the life of the church.
The next meeting of the Retired & Re-fired Group will be on Monday, March 10 at noon in the Serenity Room upstairs. Please bring your lunch; coffee, tea and dessert will be provided. After lunch we’ll work on Easter cards and, if there is time, watch and discuss the next episode of The Chosen. I look forward to seeing you there!
In the meantime, may the Lord bless and guide you.
February update:
A big thank you to Sharon Teutschmann and Deb Unbehaun for working with me to finish our valentines. We celebrated our accomplishment by having lunch together. I hope you all give and receive a Valentine from the people you care about. Whether you send a card, an email, a visit, or call on the phone you can let others know they are important to you. It will make the day special for them and for you!
The next meeting of The Retired & Re-fired Group will be on Monday, February 10 at noon in the Serenity Room upstairs. Sandwiches, dessert, and coffee will be provided. After lunch we’ll watch and discuss the next episode of The Chosen. We’ll also talk about the upcoming Lenten Season that starts on March 5. I look forward to seeing you there!
In the meantime, may the Lord bless and guide you.
December update:
December 1 is the first Sunday of the season of Advent. The next 24 days are for remembering the birth of Jesus and anticipating his second coming on earth. Take some time each day to focus yourself spiritually whether with prayer, reading the scriptures, listening to Christian music, or serving others. Time to let go of the negatives and be the hands and feet of Christ!
The next meeting of The Retired & Re-fired Group will be on December 9 at noon in the Fellowship Hall downstairs. Hot soup, sandwiches, and a dessert will be provided. After lunch we’ll be assembling Christmas gift bags and signing Christmas cards. Thank you in advance for your help which makes this possible! I look forward to seeing you there!
In the meantime, may the Lord bless and guide you.
November update:
And before we know it, it is November. The wind is busy re-arranging the leaves. We are still watching and waiting for rain to arrive. Until we get a good soaking we are at high risk of fire, so please be patient with any plans to burn leaves or garden waste.
The next meeting of The Retired & Re-fired Group will be on November 11th at noon in the Serenity Room upstairs. Please bring your own lunch. Coffee, tea and a dessert will be provided. After lunch we will review plans for making Christmas gift bags and Christmas cards in December. Then we’ll enjoy a new episode of The Chosen. I look forward to seeing you there!
In the meantime, may the Lord bless and guide you.
October update:
Welcome to October, the true start of the harvest season! We are lucky to live where an unseen hand works day and night to paint new colors everywhere we look. The cooler nights are appreciated, too. Thanks be to God for the changing beauty around us!
The next meeting of The Retired & Re-fired Group will be on October 14 at noon in the Serenity Room upstairs. Please bring your own lunch. Coffee, tea, and a dessert will be provided. We’ll share lunch, get caught up with each other, and pray for our friends celebrating birthdays and anniversaries and for those who need healing. Then we’ll enjoy a new episode of The Chosen. I look forward to seeing you there!
In the meantime, may the Lord bless and guide you.
September Update:
Hello to everyone in my church family! Here we are in September; a month that always feels like the start of something new as schools and colleges resume after their summer breaks. New things can be exciting, but also a little scary. Kids sometimes worry about finding acceptance and friendship in school. They worry about expectations of their teachers and being asked to do new things. Adults can have these thoughts, too, even about their church. But fear not! The door is open to all who are seeking a relationship with God and their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Come as you are and be welcomed!
The next meeting of The Retired & Re-fired Group will be on September 16th at noon in the Fellowship Hall downstairs. Lunch will include hot dogs, chips, and whatever potluck you bring. Lemonade, tea and a dessert will be provided. We’ll share lunch, get caught up with each other, and celebrate our summertime birthdays and anniversaries. Then we’ll get crafty and make some birthday cards for our friends. I look forward to being together again!
In the meantime, may the Lord bless and guide you.
August Update:
August has arrived, the last true month of summer. I hope you all are taking advantage of the good weather days by getting outdoors and seeing the beauty all around us here in southwestern Wisconsin! We have been richly blessed!
The Retired & Re-Fired Group are back from vacation with our next meeting planned for August 12 at noon in the Serenity Room upstairs. Please bring your own lunch; coffee, tea, and a dessert will be provided. We’ll get caught up with each other and celebrate our summertime birthdays and anniversaries with cake and ice cream. Let’s have some fun and play some games together, too! I look forward to seeing you again.
In the meantime, may the Lord bless and guide you.
July update:
Happy Summer!!! It’s the time of year where Retired & Re-Fired group will go on Summer Break.
Our next meeting will be on August 12 at noon in the Fellowship Hall. Bring your own lunch; coffee and tea will be provided.
In the meantime, please let me know if there are any joys or concerns I can forward to the pastor. Have a great summer!!
June update:
At our meeting on May 13, we assembled 30 personal care kits to help people in crisis. The kits ill be delivered to the UMC Annual Conference in Green Bay in June. Thank you to Art & Lois Finnigan for shopping for all the supplies to make the kits!
After lunch we discussed our joys and prayer concerns in our church family. We also decided to take a summer break during June and July, so our next meeting will be on August 12 at noon.
In the meantime, please let me know if there are any joys or concerns I can forward to the pastor. Have a great summer!!
May update:
To all the mothers reading this, I want to be the first to wish you a happy Mother’s Day!
Becoming a parent was the most daunting role I ever tried to fill in my life, and it remains so now at my age. This isn’t because of my child, but because of my own shortcomings. Many times I have looked to the life of Jesus to find inspiration on how to raise a child, teach a child, and love a child. God bless and thank all mothers for their lifelong caring and love of their families! Know that you have a friend in Jesus for comfort and strength during difficult times.
The Retired and Refired Group’s next meeting is coming up on Monday, May 13 at noon. We’ll meet upstairs in the Serenity Room, eat lunch together, then assemble the personal care kits we are donating to the Ingathering mission at the 2024 United Methodist Annual Conference in Green Bay. Thanks to all who will donate toward sending these tokens of our love and caring to God’s people in need! If you want to be a part of this effort, please mark your gift “for Ingathering”. We will also watch the seventh episode of The Chosen entitled, “The Invitation.”
Please bring your own lunch. Coffee, tea and dessert will be provided. I hope you’ll be there to share the video and the discussion after it.
May God bless you and guide you until we meet again!
April update:
Welcome to Spring in the Midwest! I hope you had a joyful and blessed Easter with family and friends. God has shown us His unfailing mercy and grace through our Savior, Jesus Christ. Halleluiah! The Retired and Refired Group’s next meeting is coming up on Monday, April 8 at noon. We’ll meet upstairs in the Serenity Room, eat lunch together, then watch the sixth episode of The Chosen entitled, “Indescribable Compassion”. This episode is packed with important turning points in the lives of many of the people surrounding Jesus, including his followers and their families, the local pharisees, believers and skeptics.
Please bring your own lunch. Coffee, tea and dessert will be provided. I hope you’ll be there to share the video and the discussion after it. It is also time to plan for the Ingathering event at this year’s Annual Church Conference held in June.
May God bless you and guide you until we meet again!
March Update:
Welcome to the Lenten season!
Our next meeting is coming up on Monday, March 11 at noon. We’ll meet upstairs in the Serenity Room, eat lunch together, work on Easter cards, then watch the fifth episode of The Chosen. This one is entitled, “The Wedding Gift”. We’ll get an idea of what a wedding celebration was like in biblical times and see Jesus perform his first miracle, turning water into wine.
Please bring your own lunch. Coffee, tea and dessert will be provided. I hope you’ll be there to share the video and help with our Easter cards.
Dear Friends,
September marks a season of change, like the beginning of the school year and the beginning of fall. Some are facing changes in their family, their work, their health, or their finances beyond their control. Our lives are better when we recognize that change is coming and we prepare ourselves for the change. Let us pray for wisdom to navigate the changes we face, for patience with ourselves and others in times of change, and for strength to put our trust in God who is always with us through every change we face.
The next meeting of the Retired & Re-fired Group will be on Tuesday, September 8 at noon in the Serenity Room upstairs. Please bring your own lunch; coffee, tea, and dessert will be provided. May the Lord bless and guide you through each season of change!
In the meantime, I’ll see you in church.
July update:
Dear Friends,
I hope you all are staying away from the extreme heat and humidity we’ve had lately, as much as possible. I am very happy that our church is a blessed haven of air-conditioned comfort! I encourage you to gather for fellowship each Sunday morning to learn more about Jesus. He has provided many lessons we need for daily living. Please continue to pray for each other, for our Pastor, and for those who deal with pain, sickness, and want.
The next meeting of the Retired & Re-fired Group will be Tuesday, August 11 at noon in the Serenity Room upstairs. Please bring your own lunch; coffee, tea, and dessert will be provided. We’ll share stories about what we’ve been doing this summer. Be sure and bring pictures! May the Lord bless and guide you through these happy busy days of summer. If you have never joined us in Retired & Refired, this is an open invitation to start! I’d love to see you!
As always, call me at 608-482-2753 if you have news to share about our fellow church family members. In the meantime, I’ll see you in church!
June update:
Dear Friends,
The season of graduations, showers, weddings, reunions, and summer vacations is upon us. Consequently, our group will be on vacation, too, for the months of June and July. Enjoy these special gatherings and celebrations!
The next meeting of the Retired & Re-fired Group will be on Tuesday, August 11 at noon in the Serenity Room upstairs. Please bring your own lunch; coffee, tea, and dessert will be provided. We’ll enjoy lunch and swap stories about what we did on summer vacation. Be sure and bring pictures! May the Lord bless and guide you through these happy days of summer.
After the July/August issue of the Upper Room, we will no longer be providing them. If you are interested in paying for one to be sent to you, let Becky U in the office know, and she will set you up.
As always, call me at 608-482-2753 if you have news to share about our fellow members. In the meantime, I’ll see you in church!
May update: Happy spring! The grass is getting green, trees are budding, and the early spring flowers have begun to bloom. Yes, and we’ve had some of those April showers, too!
We put together 20 Personal Comfort Kits to take to this year’s Ingathering at the United Methodist Annual Conference in Middleton, Wisconsin. If you’d like to support this ministry, please mark your donation “Ingathering.”
The next meeting of the Retired & Re-fired Group will be on Tuesday, May 12 at noon in the Serenity Room upstairs. Please bring your own lunch; coffee, tea, and dessert will be provided. I look forward to seeing you there!
In the meantime, may the Lord bless and guide you.
April update:
Welcome to April as we prepare to celebrate the most sacred days in the life of the church. I hope you will choose to walk with Jesus through the events of his last days. From the Last Supper, the Garden of Gethsemane, the court of Pontius Pilate, his crucifixion and burial, to the empty tomb on Easter morning, we will follow Jesus and share again his victory over sin and death! Alleluia!
Our group’s next meeting is Tuesday, April 14 at noon in the Serenity Room. We’ll share lunch, lift up those celebrating birthdays and anniversaries, and plan for annual church conference. Coffee, tea, and dessert will be provided. Until then, I’ll see you in church!
March update:
Welcome to the month of March. I have only one prediction about the weather for this month, and that is we’ll have a little of everything, so don’t put away the sweaters and winter coats just yet. Every mild day we get will be greatly appreciated by all of God’s creatures, I’m sure!
Have you heard of the 3 R’s of Lent? They are reflection, repentance, and reconciliation. I would add one more R and that is “relationship”. God sent Jesus to bring us into a closer relationship with Him. Let us draw nearer to Him as we follow the 3 R’s.
Our next meeting is Tuesday, March 10th at noon in the Serenity Room. We’ll share lunch, lift up those celebrating birthdays and anniversaries, and work on Easter cards. Coffee, tea, and dessert will be provided. Until then, I’ll see you in Church!
February update:
Our cold Midwest winter continues and brings challenges for people and animals. Cold wind, snow, and ice make it difficult to get to work, do chores, or get groceries. I’m glad that February is a short month and that it includes a day devoted to love. Happy Valentine’s Day to you!
If you’re looking for help in starting (or re-starting) a daily devotional plan, please pick up one of the Upper Room pamphlets on the table outside of the church office. They are free!
Our next meeting is Tuesday, February 10th at noon in the Serenity Room. We’ll share a potluck lunch, lift up those celebrating birthdays and anniversaries, and prepare for the start of the Lenten season on February 18, Ash Wednesday. Coffee, tea, and dessert will be provided. Until then, I’ll see you in church!
January update:
As we ring in the new year, we can look back on many blessings we shared in 2025. Our church family has been blessed with the loving and faithful work of our Pastor, our church secretary Becky Upmann, our financial secretary Sharon Teutschmann, the leader of our Fellowship Team Pam Harker, Jamie Roberts, who is a master facilitator for many activities in the church and our coffee meister, the folks on the ALB board, the Trustees, the Re-Awaken band, Pam Teasdale and the Prayer team, Garrison and the Tech Team, our pianist Tina Cruse, the Wednesday night Youth and Adult Group leaders, and the many volunteers who have worked at the food pantry, coffee fellowship, communion, readers, greeters, and counters for the offering. Each task is important to the life of the Church.
Because of the efforts of so many, our church is a warm, comfortable, and welcoming place to come together to worship God and serve His people! Thank you to all who have served! God bless you!
Our next meeting is Tuesday, January 13 at noon in the Serenity Room. We’ll share lunch and work on Valentines Day cards. Coffee, tea, and dessert will be provided. Until then, I’ll see you in Church!
December update:
The end of the church year has passed, and the season of Advent begins on Sunday, November 30. A candle on the Advent wreath will be lit on each of the four Sundays before Christmas to symbolize hope, peace, joy, and love. On Christmas Eve a 5th candle will be lit to symbolize the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Make plans to share this holy and reverent season with your loved ones and with your church family in song, scripture, and worship. You are always welcome here! The church has an Advent calendar of devotions available for anyone who’d like to have one to use at home. Be sure to ask for one!
The next meeting of our group is Monday, December 8 at noon in the Serenity Room. We’ll share lunch and take a photo for our Christmas cards. Then we’ll pack Christmas gift bags. Coffee, tea, and dessert will be provided. Does anyone have a recipe for Figgy Pudding? Until then, I’ll see you in Church!
November update:
November is a busy month with many special days starting with All Saints Day on the first. We remember the leaders and founders of our faith as well as the beloved people in our lives that have passed away. Then on November 2nd our clocks will “fall back” one hour, ending daylight savings time. Veterans Day is November 11th. Honor all the men and women who have served our country by attending our local Veteran’s Day program at Shullsburg Public School or one near you. Our church will celebrate Thanksgiving with a potluck supper on November 20th with the national holiday celebrated on November 27th. Honor, remembrance, celebration, and thankfulness, these will have great power if we do them together and with prayer. God bless you during this busy month!
The next meeting of our group is Monday, November 10th at noon in the Serenity Room. We’ll share a potluck lunch and finish our Thanksgiving Day cards. We will also make plans for celebrating Christmas. Coffee, tea, and dessert will be provided. Until then, I’ll see you in Church!
October update:
Welcome to fall, everyone! It’s definitely a well-named season considering what is happening to leaves and walnuts. It is harvest season, too, so please take extra precautions when traveling our country roads where farm machinery and grain trucks may be present. Let’s pray for our farm families, for their health and safety, and for a successful harvest.
The next meeting of our group is Monday, October 13 at noon in the Serenity Room. We’ll share a potluck lunch, then get busy crafting greeting cards to celebrate Thanksgiving. God is good and we have so much to be thankful for! Coffee, tea, and lemonade will be provided. Until then, I’ll see you in church!
September update:
And just like that, summer ends, school starts again, and a few cool nights let us know that change is on the way. I hope everyone experienced the joys of summer; whatever that means to you. Let’s remember to pray for the safety of the schoolchildren in our community and to watch out for them crossing the streets as they go to and from school.
Our monthly meetings start again on September 8 at noon, upstairs in the Serenity Room. Invite your friends to come with you! We’ll discuss ideas for getting fired up as followers of Jesus. Please bring your lunch. Coffee, tea and dessert will be provided. We will be signing cards and making plans for our activities for the rest of 2025. Until then, I’ll see you in church!
August update: I hope you are all enjoying the summer break. Its almost time for us to return to our monthly meetings...I can’t wait.
Our next meeting will be Monday, September 8 at noon. Watch the September newsletter for more information.
July update: Hot weather and humidity have arrived just in time for the 4th of July! I hope everyone is ready to celebrate the birth of our nation with their family and friends. Remember to give thanks to God for the many blessings He has provided to us and to pray that we may life in peace together.
There are folks that are celebrating a birthday this month that we lift up in prayer: Steve Leitzinger, Janet Monahan, Eugene Uehling, Duane Wedige, Tom Teutschmann, and Penny Walter. May God bless and keep them another year through!
Our card ministry will continue through the summer to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries. Please contact me at 608-482-2753 if you have a prayer concern or to request a home visit. In the meantime, enjoy the summer, and I’ll see you in church!
June update:
Make way for summer! We’ve had one really warm day so far, but that will change as the calendar turns to June. The Retired & Re-Fired Group is on summer break from June through August. We will resume with our next meeting scheduled for Monday, September 8 at noon.
At our May meeting we assembled 24 complete personal comfort kits to take to this year’s Ingathering at the United Methodist Annual Conference in Middleton. We also received donations of extra toothbrushes and soaps to deliver, too. Thanks to all who contributed items or cash to support this ministry!
Our card ministry will continue through the summer to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries. Please contact me at 608-482-2753 if you have a prayer concern or request for a home visit. In the meantime, enjoy the summer, and I’ll see you in church!
May update:
Happy spring! The grass is getting green, trees are budding, and the early spring flowers have begun to bloom. Yes, and we’ve had some of those April showers, too! Newness of life is all around us. We can have new life in ourselves as well. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” Only through Christ can we be made new.
The next meeting of the Retired & Re-fired Group will be on Monday, May 12 at noon in the Serenity Room upstairs. Please bring your own lunch; coffee, tea, and dessert will be provided. After lunch we’ll work on assembling personal comfort kits to take to this year’s Ingathering at the United Methodist Annual Conference in Middleton, Wisconsin. If you’d like to support this ministry, please mark your donation “Ingathering”. We will also watch and discuss the next episode of The Chosen. I look forward to seeing you there!
In the meantime, may the Lord bless and guide you.
April update:
Greetings, church family! The Lenten season continues this month with Palm Sunday on April 13 (bring your little ones to church to join in the procession of palms), Maundy Thursday on April 17, Good Friday on April 18, and Easter on April 20.
The next meeting of the Retired & Re-Fired Group will be on Monday, April 14 at noon in the Serenity Room upstairs. Please bring your lunch; coffee, tea and dessert will be provided. After lunch we’ll watch and discuss the next episode of The Chosen. I look forward to seeing you there!
In the meantime, may the Lord bless and guide you.
March update:
Greetings, church family! The Lenten season begins on March 5, 2025. Join me in taking a little time each day to read, to pray, and to prepare for the most important event in the life of the church.
The next meeting of the Retired & Re-fired Group will be on Monday, March 10 at noon in the Serenity Room upstairs. Please bring your lunch; coffee, tea and dessert will be provided. After lunch we’ll work on Easter cards and, if there is time, watch and discuss the next episode of The Chosen. I look forward to seeing you there!
In the meantime, may the Lord bless and guide you.
February update:
A big thank you to Sharon Teutschmann and Deb Unbehaun for working with me to finish our valentines. We celebrated our accomplishment by having lunch together. I hope you all give and receive a Valentine from the people you care about. Whether you send a card, an email, a visit, or call on the phone you can let others know they are important to you. It will make the day special for them and for you!
The next meeting of The Retired & Re-fired Group will be on Monday, February 10 at noon in the Serenity Room upstairs. Sandwiches, dessert, and coffee will be provided. After lunch we’ll watch and discuss the next episode of The Chosen. We’ll also talk about the upcoming Lenten Season that starts on March 5. I look forward to seeing you there!
In the meantime, may the Lord bless and guide you.
December update:
December 1 is the first Sunday of the season of Advent. The next 24 days are for remembering the birth of Jesus and anticipating his second coming on earth. Take some time each day to focus yourself spiritually whether with prayer, reading the scriptures, listening to Christian music, or serving others. Time to let go of the negatives and be the hands and feet of Christ!
The next meeting of The Retired & Re-fired Group will be on December 9 at noon in the Fellowship Hall downstairs. Hot soup, sandwiches, and a dessert will be provided. After lunch we’ll be assembling Christmas gift bags and signing Christmas cards. Thank you in advance for your help which makes this possible! I look forward to seeing you there!
In the meantime, may the Lord bless and guide you.
November update:
And before we know it, it is November. The wind is busy re-arranging the leaves. We are still watching and waiting for rain to arrive. Until we get a good soaking we are at high risk of fire, so please be patient with any plans to burn leaves or garden waste.
The next meeting of The Retired & Re-fired Group will be on November 11th at noon in the Serenity Room upstairs. Please bring your own lunch. Coffee, tea and a dessert will be provided. After lunch we will review plans for making Christmas gift bags and Christmas cards in December. Then we’ll enjoy a new episode of The Chosen. I look forward to seeing you there!
In the meantime, may the Lord bless and guide you.
October update:
Welcome to October, the true start of the harvest season! We are lucky to live where an unseen hand works day and night to paint new colors everywhere we look. The cooler nights are appreciated, too. Thanks be to God for the changing beauty around us!
The next meeting of The Retired & Re-fired Group will be on October 14 at noon in the Serenity Room upstairs. Please bring your own lunch. Coffee, tea, and a dessert will be provided. We’ll share lunch, get caught up with each other, and pray for our friends celebrating birthdays and anniversaries and for those who need healing. Then we’ll enjoy a new episode of The Chosen. I look forward to seeing you there!
In the meantime, may the Lord bless and guide you.
September Update:
Hello to everyone in my church family! Here we are in September; a month that always feels like the start of something new as schools and colleges resume after their summer breaks. New things can be exciting, but also a little scary. Kids sometimes worry about finding acceptance and friendship in school. They worry about expectations of their teachers and being asked to do new things. Adults can have these thoughts, too, even about their church. But fear not! The door is open to all who are seeking a relationship with God and their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Come as you are and be welcomed!
The next meeting of The Retired & Re-fired Group will be on September 16th at noon in the Fellowship Hall downstairs. Lunch will include hot dogs, chips, and whatever potluck you bring. Lemonade, tea and a dessert will be provided. We’ll share lunch, get caught up with each other, and celebrate our summertime birthdays and anniversaries. Then we’ll get crafty and make some birthday cards for our friends. I look forward to being together again!
In the meantime, may the Lord bless and guide you.
August Update:
August has arrived, the last true month of summer. I hope you all are taking advantage of the good weather days by getting outdoors and seeing the beauty all around us here in southwestern Wisconsin! We have been richly blessed!
The Retired & Re-Fired Group are back from vacation with our next meeting planned for August 12 at noon in the Serenity Room upstairs. Please bring your own lunch; coffee, tea, and a dessert will be provided. We’ll get caught up with each other and celebrate our summertime birthdays and anniversaries with cake and ice cream. Let’s have some fun and play some games together, too! I look forward to seeing you again.
In the meantime, may the Lord bless and guide you.
July update:
Happy Summer!!! It’s the time of year where Retired & Re-Fired group will go on Summer Break.
Our next meeting will be on August 12 at noon in the Fellowship Hall. Bring your own lunch; coffee and tea will be provided.
In the meantime, please let me know if there are any joys or concerns I can forward to the pastor. Have a great summer!!
June update:
At our meeting on May 13, we assembled 30 personal care kits to help people in crisis. The kits ill be delivered to the UMC Annual Conference in Green Bay in June. Thank you to Art & Lois Finnigan for shopping for all the supplies to make the kits!
After lunch we discussed our joys and prayer concerns in our church family. We also decided to take a summer break during June and July, so our next meeting will be on August 12 at noon.
In the meantime, please let me know if there are any joys or concerns I can forward to the pastor. Have a great summer!!
May update:
To all the mothers reading this, I want to be the first to wish you a happy Mother’s Day!
Becoming a parent was the most daunting role I ever tried to fill in my life, and it remains so now at my age. This isn’t because of my child, but because of my own shortcomings. Many times I have looked to the life of Jesus to find inspiration on how to raise a child, teach a child, and love a child. God bless and thank all mothers for their lifelong caring and love of their families! Know that you have a friend in Jesus for comfort and strength during difficult times.
The Retired and Refired Group’s next meeting is coming up on Monday, May 13 at noon. We’ll meet upstairs in the Serenity Room, eat lunch together, then assemble the personal care kits we are donating to the Ingathering mission at the 2024 United Methodist Annual Conference in Green Bay. Thanks to all who will donate toward sending these tokens of our love and caring to God’s people in need! If you want to be a part of this effort, please mark your gift “for Ingathering”. We will also watch the seventh episode of The Chosen entitled, “The Invitation.”
Please bring your own lunch. Coffee, tea and dessert will be provided. I hope you’ll be there to share the video and the discussion after it.
May God bless you and guide you until we meet again!
April update:
Welcome to Spring in the Midwest! I hope you had a joyful and blessed Easter with family and friends. God has shown us His unfailing mercy and grace through our Savior, Jesus Christ. Halleluiah! The Retired and Refired Group’s next meeting is coming up on Monday, April 8 at noon. We’ll meet upstairs in the Serenity Room, eat lunch together, then watch the sixth episode of The Chosen entitled, “Indescribable Compassion”. This episode is packed with important turning points in the lives of many of the people surrounding Jesus, including his followers and their families, the local pharisees, believers and skeptics.
Please bring your own lunch. Coffee, tea and dessert will be provided. I hope you’ll be there to share the video and the discussion after it. It is also time to plan for the Ingathering event at this year’s Annual Church Conference held in June.
May God bless you and guide you until we meet again!
March Update:
Welcome to the Lenten season!
Our next meeting is coming up on Monday, March 11 at noon. We’ll meet upstairs in the Serenity Room, eat lunch together, work on Easter cards, then watch the fifth episode of The Chosen. This one is entitled, “The Wedding Gift”. We’ll get an idea of what a wedding celebration was like in biblical times and see Jesus perform his first miracle, turning water into wine.
Please bring your own lunch. Coffee, tea and dessert will be provided. I hope you’ll be there to share the video and help with our Easter cards.
