CURRENT BIBLE CLASS SERIES - His readers were dealing with persecution. Some in their midst were questioning the validity of Scripture. False teachers were spreading their heresies. Others had doubts about Creation and the Flood, and also about Judgment Day. So the apostle Peter wrote a second letter to them filled with instruction and encouragement. That’s what we will be studying in our Bible classes for the next few weeks. Join us as the Holy Spirit uses Peter’s words to help us “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” This series begins next Saturday and Sunday, May 5 & 6, plus Thursday, May 10.

May 5 – 6 – WISCO WORK DAYS – To help raise funds for the annual “Our Hands for His Service” project, WLHS students will be available to help you with your spring cleanup chores such as window washing, yard work, painting, and cleaning. Contact Marissa Krohn at 262-389-8186 or Christopher Jossart at 262-751-0464, or at workday@wlhs.org. Money raised will go toward renovations at Cristo Palabra De Vida (Christ the Word of Life), a multi-cultural ministry in Detroit, MI.

May 12 – RUN FOR THEIR LIVES! LIFE-A-THON!The annual walk/run supporting WELS Lutherans for Life, Metro-Milwaukee’s pregnancy care centers will be held on Saturday, May 12, at two locations simultaneously: McCarty Park
in West Allis AND our new second site, Calvary Lutheran Church &
School in Thiensville. All paid registrants will receive an event T-shirt and snack. Registration/check-in start at 9:00am and the walk/run begins at 10:00am. Come celebrate life and support God-pleasing alternatives to abortion!  To register go to LIFE-A-THON or call 414-727-8176.

May 20 – Fishers of Men Classic: – Join in the fishing and the fun at the 8th annual Fishers of Men Classic on Sunday, May 20 at Smokey’s Bait Shop on Pewaukee Lake. Sponsored by the WLHS Science Department, proceeds benefit the science department by upgrading technology from smart boards to lab computers, with a portion applied toward a student scholarship. For information on how to register, go to Wisconsin Lutheran High Schoool, and click on ‘news from Wisco.’ Deadline is April 30th. For more information contact Matt Bilitz, matt.bilitz@wlhs.org or 414-453-4567 Ext. 2015.

June 3 – GRADUATES – In our 10:00 service on Sunday, June 3, we will be honoring our high school and college graduates.

June 27 – 30 -The WELS International Youth Rally is being planned for June 27-30, at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. If you  are a confirmed teen (as of this summer) and are at all interested in this opportunity for faith-filled presentations, worship, fellowship, recreation, and FUN contact  Lynn Wessel or call (414) 545-0688.

July 15 – CHURCH PICNIC watch for more details

SEE: The monthly calendar for more events and details.

BIBLE CLASS  – NEW BIBLE CLASS SERIES – Translating the Bible – Have you heard that the New International Version of the Bible has changed? This is the version we read in our worship services, and is used in all the materials from our Northwestern Publishing House (Sunday School, Lamb of God school, confirmation classes, Meditations, “Forward in Christ”, etc.). Which translation should we use? What’s the difference between the various ones on the market? What should we look for in purchasing a Bible? What goes into translating the Bible? How can I be sure it’s the Word of God? To help address those questions and more, we are offering a new Bible Class series simply called, “Translating the Bible.” It begins the weekend of March 17 & 18 and consists of four lessons:

1) Which Bible is the Word of God?
2) Understanding the Challenges of Translation
3) The Problem with Language
4) Principles and Purposes

Participants are encouraged to bring Bibles of various translations which they may have. Classes will be on Saturdays at 3:45pm in Room 206, Sundays at 9:15am in Room 101,and Thursdays at 10:00am in Room 101 (no classes will be held on April 5, 7 or 8).

• R.E.A.L. – TEENS’ BIBLE STUDY – Relevant Everyday Active Life — our Bible study offering for high-school age youth will start again September 11, 2011.
• SUNDAY SCHOOL – Woodlawn’s Sunday School for age 3 through 5th grade will start September 11, 2011.
• PUBLIC SCHOOL CATECHISM – Catechism for 7th and 8th grade students attending public and other private schools will begin begin a new session in fall of 2011 during the Bible Hour in Room 113.
• Contact one of the Pastors with any questions on the religious education or call (414) 321-2126,  e-mail Pastor Wessel or Pastor Kneser.

Our synod president, Pastor Mark Schroeder, has released a statement reacting to the recent discussions regarding the requirement of all health care plans—including those of religiously affiliated organizations—to provide coverage for contraceptives, abortion-inducing drugs, and other procedures. The full statement is available online at WELS NEWS

LUTHERAN RADIO – The Lutheran Radio Church Service, airs on Sunday mornings at 7:00am on 1340 (JYI).

S.H.A.R.E. . . . stands for Singles Helping one Another on the Road of Eternity. Their summer Newsletter is available for all our singles. Copies are in the carousel outside Pastor Kneser’s office.

NPH – So much has changed! What’s happening to Lutheranism in the 21st century? Recently America’s largest Lutheran church body approved of clergy involved in same-sex relationships. How can this be? It’s certainly not the policy of all Lutherans. In the revised WELS & Other Lutherans, author John F. Brug describes recent doctrinal changes in major Lutheran church bodies and in smaller Lutheran groups. Order WELS & Other Lutherans: Second Edition at Northwestern Publishing or call Northwestern Publishing House at 1-800-662-6022.

MENTORS NEEDED – Wisconsin Lutheran Institutional Ministries is in need of several men and women to serve as mentors to people who have been under their spiritual care in various institutions. If you are interested in serving in this way, WLIM will offer training and assistance. Please contact Pastor Kneser for more information.

MOTHERS AND GRANDMOTHERS NEEDED! – Are you an experienced mother? Are you a great auntie and nurturer? Would you like to help young single moms learn to love and care for their babies? This is your opportunity to pass on the basics of Spirit-led mothering to the next generation. WELS Lutherans for Life, Metro-Milwaukee needs leaders (women of any age) for the Loving Moms program. We provide all training and materials necessary for you to work with the expecting and new moms 2 hours (or more) each month. P For more info call 414-727-8176 or e-mail WELS Lutherans for Life.

THE WELS BARGAIN CENTER – The Bargain Centers are located at 5005 W. Howard Avenue and 8401 W. Lisbon Avenue in Milwaukee. They have been busy with more customers than ever; consequently more donated merchandise is needed (especially furniture)! All the proceeds from sales go to help fund ministries in the Milwaukee area. The Bargain Centers are open from 9:30am to 3:30pm Tuesday through Saturday. Please contact the South store at 327-2529 or the North store at 463-2595.

The Corner Bazaar is announcing a new service: “The Transition Team.” Utilizing the hands and backs of WLHS students, the Transition Team will help people downsize or close up a home. Participants receive a tax receipt from the Milwaukee Federation of WELS Churches for the full value of items donated. The household goods then support ministry through their sale at the North or South Bargain Centers and the Corner Bazaar. Call 259-0654. The Corner Bazaar is looking for additional volunteers to help expand business hours during the upcoming holiday season. Any amount of time is a welcome gift to this ministry. Volunteers are needed for a variety of tasks. The Corner Bazaar is a ministry of the Milwaukee Federation of WELS Churches and is located on the corner of 76th and Greenfield. Please call (414) 259-0095 if you would like to volunteer.

TIME OF GRACE – Time of Grace has made a big change in the SE Wisconsin area and wants you, our friends, to be the first to know. Time of Grace will now air on WDJT CBS Channel 58 at 7:30am on Sundays instead of Fox 6. We also have two new times in SE Wisconsin! Time of Grace now airs on WPXE ION Channel 55 at 9:00am on Thursdays and WTMJ NBC Channel 4 at 1:00am on Friday nights.

Some info on what the Coptic Church teaches: http://www.coptic.net/EncyclopediaCoptica

John 10:27-30 “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

The wind is brisk and cold, and the rain makes it worse. Yet a look out the window and at the temperature on Sunday morning does not keep the family from the trip to church. They still go.

Jack braves the weather because he believes that it is one way to show his faith. His neighbors probably take his family’s church attendance for granted by now. But each time he drives out the driveway, he confesses that Jesus is important–important enough to go to the Lord’s house. Jack feels that since he goes to work in good and bad weather, he should also go to church.

Mary, his wife, feels the same way, and even though she has the extra burden of getting the kids ready, she also wants to let the world know what her priorities are. Jesus and his Word are important, so the whole family goes. And, of course, at times they might want to be somewhere else, but Jesus is more important.

They don’t go to just any church either. They are specific about the church they attend. If you asked the neighbors, they know. Jack and Mary chose their church because it teaches the truth of God’s Word. Coming through the doors is one way for them to say that they believe as this church believes. Other members who come into the Lord’s house give the same confession.

When they sit in the Lord’s house, the reason they’ve come is clear. They rise with others who have come and confess, “I believe in God the Father almighty . . . .I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. . . .I believe in the Holy Spirit. . . .” They come because Jesus has claimed them from sin, death, and hell and made them his children. It is important to say that with others.

On Communion Sundays, they have another way to confess their faith and their unity with the others who come into the Lord’s house. When they receive the Lord’s body and blood with others, they demonstrate a unity–a fellowship with others. The apostle Paul helped the Corinthians understand the unity expressed by receiving the Sacrament. He wrote about the loaf of bread, which in the Sacrament is also the body of Christ: “Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf” (1 Corinthians 10:17).

When we come into the Lord’s house, we confess our faith and let our light shine so others may know what we believe. We are the beacons God has placed in this world.

© 2010 Northwestern Publishing House. All rights reserved. Scripture is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION.®

God tells us to be wise both in our relationships and our time. It’s a tension I will always struggle with.

Colossians 4:5,6 — Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.