​The Deaf Ministry Committee appreciates your generosity and donations to help cover the Holding Hands expenses.
 
Virginia Baumann, Janet Bongey,
Joan Schenck, Erline Trapino                                         
M/M Marshall Venz  
 
Our Savior  Deaf  Lutheran and the HH  reporters
Bless you all for your hard work in getting this issue of the HH  out
Thank you very much
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Here comes Autumn Beauty!
 
​As you know we are trying to keep up with different activities and holidays (football/soccer, Voting, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.   Keeping busy is a good idea but not always true, often we forget why we celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas.   I am sure Both holidays are important to you but be sure to take time  when you explain why we celebrate holidays  Teach your children and grandchildren  about how important the holidays mean to us.    Are we giving thanks  to  God for giving us opportunities  for freedom of our country.   With a lot of shootings are we  willing to show our love, help and kindness to our neighbors, friends and even strangers?
 
“Be kind to  everyone you, for everyone is fighting some kind of battle.”  I know it is not easy to be kind at all times but  at least we try to be kinder than before.    My nephew sent me  this. quotation.
 
Enjoy and appreciate the fall colors. 
 
Deloris Erlandson
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Blessings, 
Deloris
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts….And be thankful
—-Colossians 3:15
 

Family Worship- Our Savior Deaf Church in Madison, WI

 Family News by DCE Denise Pulfer
 

​Summer is over and it is time to go back to school.  At Our Savior Deaf in Madison, we just finished wrapping up our summer program and God was everywhere!
We averaged 26 people a week during the summer and 61 different people attended at least one time.  Some of our families did not have bibles so we gave away 15 bible thanks to Thrivent.  The best part 4 children we baptized!  God is adding to His kingdom.
Ask any of the kids that came to Family Worship what their favorite part is and they would say “CRAFT TIME!”  We were blessed with two volunteers that created some awesome and fun activities.  Painting our family cross was the favorite.  We not only painted the beautiful craft but also each other.  (Thanks again to Thrivent for providing the t-shirts.)
Now that fall is starting we are looking at our schedule.  We will host sign language classes again before the worship service while continuing serving dinner to the families.  We will be studying a verse a month to encourage everyone to start memorizing the Bible. 
Sept. – John 3:16
Oct. - Joshua 24:15
Nov. - Psalm 23
Dec. – John 1:1
Jan. – Jeramiah 29:11
Feb. – Romans 6:23
March – Hebrews 11
April – 1 Timothy 4:12
May – Philippians 4:13
 
If you would like to learn more about what we do or have any questions, you can contact Denise Pulfer
 
Because of Christ, Denise

by Rebecca Catchpole
​ 
 “So do not be afraid. I am with you. Do not be terrified. I am your God. I will make you strong and help you. I will hold you safe in my hands.  I always do what is right.” Isaiah 41:10
 
“Alzheimer’s disease.”  These words bring sadness, dismay and fear. This disease has an effect on both the victims and caregivers. We hear our Brothers or Sisters-in-Christ’s loved ones that have this disease and how this really affect their whole family. 
 
Several of us from Our Savior Deaf Lutheran Church made a long trip to visit one of our members who have this disease.  It was a joy to see her but unfortunately she does not remember us. She’s such a very sweet lady who enjoyed chatting with us. We also enjoyed visitation with her one of her sons who came and met with us. We shared simple God’s Word with her before we went back to Madison. 
 
I’ve heard comments from other people “don’t bother to visit him/her because that person don’t recognize us.”  Sometimes these adult children have been comforted simply to see their parent’s face become more calm when they hear the Apostles’ Creed, John 3:16 or the Lord’s Prayer. God work in an amazing way!  Please pray and share God’s Word with them.
 
Another elder and I also visited other members who were admitted to hospital or home bound. Please pray for Bob Nichols, Joan Schenck, Allen Blackmore, Dianne Oppriecht, Francis Thompson, LeRoy Elmer and Karen Byington for their physical healing. Most importantly please pray for their spirituality. 
 
We also made another long trip to visit Bob Nichols. It was a perfect weather day to celebrate his 89th birthday with his daughter, sister and friends. He really enjoyed seeing us. He needs deaf friends who can sign and enjoy conversation with him.
 
Prayers
 
 
Please pray for the Lord to give Bob comfort and strength.
 
Please pray for others that you and I know who are struggling with different issues.
 
Pray for the Lord to give them strength, wisdom and guidance.
 
Remember never give up praying! 1 Thessalonians 5:17 “Never stop praying.”

 Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church
1215 Redwood, Onalaska, WI 54650
 
Join us for Worship in church
For more information contact Mike and Theresa Lewis: 
Lewis2197@charter.net or Regina at ashleejana01@yahoo.com
 
 
We begin gather Oct 28 Friday night
6 PM with the Pastor

​Family Time around the fire after Family Worship!  Teach and sharing fun together as His Family.  Thank You Jesus!
 

November 5th - Bazaar
November 13th—Election of officers
November 23rd - Thanksgiving Eve worship  6:30PM
November 24  - Thanksgiving morning service 9:30
December 11th - Christmas Party
December 25th - Christmas Day worship  9:30

by Dawn Werth

Give THANKS to the Lord for he is good, his love endures (never stop) forever”    ~ 1 Chronicles 16:34~
 
Thanksgiving is around the corner and we remind you what are you thankful for?

We have been working a lot to improve the church such as the worship platform with new carpet, installed a fire pit outside on the south side of the church, and cut down seven trees due to carpenter ant infestation and several dead trees.
 
We had three baptisms this past summer and 11 more baptism coming up, hooray! Thanks to God!
 
Karen Byington had her hip replacement surgery recently. She was supposed to have it in late October however was moved back earlier as she was happy to get in sooner.  She is on the road to recovery slowly.

Joan Schenck had her root canal procedure then ended up in a hospital for a day due to high infection spreading throughout her body.  She is at home now to get better!
 
Janet Jordan flew to Denver, Colorado to visit her daughter Ruth for four days.  She is anxious to see God’s beauty of autumn and mountains.
We were amazed and in shock to hear what had happened to Janet Jordan and Dianne Oppriecht.  One night, a drunken burglar broke into their apartment; Janet took a broom to defend herself and blocked him with it and called 911.  We are thankful for God’s protection over them.
 
Several of our members went to Evergreen Campground in Wild Rose for Labor’s Day weekend.  They had a good weather and enjoyed new game called baseball bean bags also had a lot of fun as well.
 
Shirley and Lee Frazier along with Milton Griepentrog drove up to Door Country, Wisconsin to visit their daughter Pam who bought a summer home.  They enjoyed a break from everyday life for the weekend.
 
Not too far from the Frazier’s home, A house was exploded and destroyed the whole house completely and nine others houses were partially destroyed or severely damaged.  Frazier’s home only had minor damage to their garage and front porch light was broken.
 
Martha Essig’s son was married last October 8th in Lake Tahoe, California.  We wish their son and daughter in law the best of luck in their life.  We will miss Martha and Mike Essig as they escaped to Florida for their winter home in Fort Meyers.
 
Dawn and Gregory Werth’s niece Amanda were married on a beautiful Indian summer in a barn that used to be an abandoned then remodeled the barn prior to the wedding. We enjoyed our ride back road to see all the autumn leaves started to change.
 
Fish dinner was a huge success again! Special thanks to George Evans and Otto Zabura for their time to prepare & cook the fish.  They fished from the Delavan Lake and caught blue gills, walleye, and perch. Also, we had baked cod as well.  It was such a beautiful day to eat outside before it gets colder.
 
Leroy Elmer went to emergency hospital Sunday before Labor Day and he had surgery for kidney stones.  Now he is doing real good.
 
Pastor John Reinke went to Liberia to work with Borbor Taifaka Arku, he has 20 deaf people who will be traveling with him to learn how to share God’s Word about Jesus.  You can see pictures and updates on WLDO in Liberia blog.
 
 Upcoming events        See flyers for more info

Sunday November 20-Thanksgiving Dinner
Sunday December 11- Children Christmas Party, 2 to 4 pm more info.(tentative)
Saturday December 24 – Candlelight Service (to be announced at later date)
 
 

​December 18…. Madison Christmas Dinner after worship
Potluck Dinner at noon
Meatballs will be provided
Bring a dish to pass
Bring your favorite sweets/candies/cookies
Bring a friend….
Free will offering is welcome
 

​Save Nov 20 for Madison Thanksgiving Dinner
right after church service (noon).
Turkey and ham will be provided.
Bring a dish to share
 
We welcome free will offering.
Come and bring a friend…
 

​Happy Fall Time!

Sad news : We lost our two members in August. Our sister Carly Hallada (99) passed away on August 4th, and our brother Harold Klusman Jr(74) passed away on August 6th. Pray for their families and friends.
Lynette Skibinski had a sinus  infection on July 18, 2016. She is  is improving. Thanks for prayers. 
James Muehlbach had a right neck surgery. His neck is improving better. But his left neck is sore (mild)
Carol Comp went to Boston, MA in August for 18 days. What an experience. Saw many historical sites. She saw Paul Revera's house and his grave in Boston downtown. She went to Salem,Quincy and Plymouth. She said she would love to go back again to see more places.
Joy Rader 's great nephew Callahan Jack Praefke was baptized on September 25th,2016.
Mary Barton, deaf friend with two men friend will go to Norwiegan Breakfast at Mount Horeb on Saturday, October 1st.
Patricia Reineck of Sheboygan,Wi finally will have right knee replacement surgery in Grafton, Wi Aurora Hospital.
We have a new 70" tv by D.SC. and our church. 

Prayers:
Karen Japp  is still waiting to have her head surgery and will have vein leg surgery this week.
(Hearing )Judy Robinson is having cancer in her throat.
Health issues:
(Hearing) John Auter, Pastor Bud Palmer's brother David, Charles Klusman, Karen Turluck  and her great grandson Jason.
 
Joy Rader is excited  about going to 2016 Fall Retreat in Cantrall, Il At Friday -Sunday, October 28,2016. Theme is Serving with Jesus. 

 

by Becky Epple
​
​Again, Holy Cross would like to thank Preston and the guys from Texas for the many repairs at our church. The study/craft room is amazing and the students have already been commenting that they are very much looking forward to using the room. Preston and his Cowboy fans even fixed the TV antenna on top of the church roof. 
 
We are looking forward to using this as an outreach and mission opportunity by hosting some Praying Packer Backer Parties on Sunday afternoons after the 1PM worship. We welcome any Backers!  Tentatively, one is scheduled for 12/11/2016 which is the 2nd Sunday in December. More information will be shared soon.
 
School is in full swing and so are the Wednesday Bible classes. We continue to pray for more students to attend. The adult/staff class has recently been studying the book of Daniel and an in-depth look at the purpose and value of the Lord’s Supper.
On September 11, 2016 the family of Christopher and Andrea Rawlings gave their son, Brock, the most precious gift a parent can give a child – a grand welcome into God’s family via Holy Baptism.  Many members of their family where in attendance for this special event. 
 
We pray that the Lord with watch over Rev. Dr. John Reinke as he travels to Liberia to spread the Good News to Deaf people there.  He will be on the mission trip for about 2 weeks with other pastors and missionaries. This is his first time to Liberia. We pray that God blesses his work there and that he is able to reach out to many Deaf people.

​Northern Illinois Deaf Worship
Come and join us every 3rd Sunday of the month
 
2:15pm for social, 3:00pm for bible study and 4:00 for worship
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
195 Nesler Rd., Elgin, IL  60124

​Sycamore by Dee Mills
We want to share our exciting news that our son, Tom proposed to his girl friend in Jamaica recently. They will get married next year.  We are so happy for them. 
 
David went to Homecoming game in Jacksonville for his class reunion. He enjoyed there. He went to Jacksonville Lutheran church on Sunday. Pastor Tom Phillips was happy to see him again.
 
We volunteered to paint someone's house from Lutheran Immanuel church in Palatine that had Paint-A-Thon organization.  Betty Jo, Paul, & Bill were there too. It was a good feeling for us to be involved to help painting. There were other hearing members from the church to help too even two pastors helped too. The owner of the house was very happy and served us some food and drinks.
 
Our church interpreter had to move to a different state because of her husband being laid off from his job. Right now, we don't have an interpreter at our church. Hope to find one soon.
 
We still go to Lutheran church in Elgin on third Sunday where we had our deaf picnic this summer. It was fun. 35 people came. Dee still goes to church for quilting on Thursdays. Have a happy Fall. God bless all of you. David & Dee Mills. 
 
Rockford by Billy Bowers
On most 2nd and 4th Sundays, we have interpreted services on the main floor with the hearing congregation.
 
On most 1st and 3rd Sundays of each month, we have Bible Study in the Fireside Room. After finishing a study of the New Testament, which begins in October, we will have a new lesson series (thanks to Rev. Reinke).

​We NEED to expand!  YES—We NEED to expand what we are doing!
In Wisconsin we have 4 trained Deaconesses and a Deacon who will soon become a Pastor.  Yes, Deacon Ted Pulfer is in progress to become Pastor Pulfer next year—Please pray!
 
Many other areas around the country (and the world!) do not have any Deaf leaders or Deaf Pastors.  God is calling us to EXPAND the training we are doing to reach more areas.    Will many things change here?  NO!   Our leaders, Deaconesses, and Pastors will continue in all areas of Ministry.  But we need your help…
 
In Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12 Paul talks about you and I are parts of the body of Christ.  Same your body needs hands, feet, fingers, mouth, heart, etc… the same you and I are all joined together in His church.  ALL of you are important.  We need work together continue sharing His love and forgiveness!  WHY??
 
1.  Many people do not believe in Jesus and are going to hell
2. Many false teaching are in the world—Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormon, Muslim, etc… do not believe Jesus is God and do not believe He died forgive ALL our sins
3. The world continues reject God’s Word and what He says in the Bible--
God is calling you and me to stand strong in this world for His Truth. 
 
We are God’s Body (His Church) in the world.  We want to support each other.  We want to encourage each other.  We want to remember His promises and learn His Word.  God’s Word gives us strength to stand for His Truth.  His Word never changes.  His promises never fail.  He wants everyone to know/believe in His love and forgiveness. 
Please pray as God leads us to expand