Moderator Musings

Spring has come to Rhinelander!  Larry and I were snowbirds for nearly three weeks in March, and now that we’re back we see that most of the snow is gone, and the March 19 big snowfall missed us, too. Personally, I am looking forward to seeing spring bulbs coming up through the ground.  This year I tried planting bulbs in pots in the garage, because my bulbs haven’t done well in the ground over recent winters.  A few of them are coming up already in the garage, despite not having sun.  Maybe that’s like our congregation right now; we are looking forward and sending up positive thoughts and actions for our future.

We owe some major thanks to Rev. Dale Bishop, who has been an invaluable help to us during our time of transition.  Besides giving us advice, officiating at funerals, and leading our services on a regular basis for several months, he also led all of our Advent services and is now leading our Lenten services.  THANK YOU DALE!

Easter is coming on April 20.  Check the announcement sections of this newsletter and the weekly bulletins for details on when and where the Holy Week services will be.  We are looking forward to seeing family members and friends.  Please check the announcements regularly to keep up with what’s happening.  Our office manager, Wendy Huhn, does a great job on them.

The Reverends Susie and Tim Grade will have led our March 23 service by the time you read this, and we will have voted on formally calling them to be our pastors. The plan is that they will begin here on June 1.  We encourage you to make their family feel welcome here as they get to know us and we get to know them.

We have recently lost some long-time members of our congregation: Chet Johnson, Pam Gilbert, and Norma Christiansen.  We miss them, and are keeping their families in our prayers.  We also have two people who have expressed to me an interest in joining our congregation, so stay tuned for that when it can be arranged. If anyone else wants to join, let me know.

Our vocal choir and handbell choir continue to provide music for us during our services, but both would like to have more members.  Think about joining either one or both.  We have great directors in Mary Peterson and Tom Winquist, and it’s fun to be part of the choirs.  You can join now, even though they will take a break during the summer.

The heating fix, needed to ensure reliable heating during the winters, will be done this summer.  As I mentioned last month, we are taking donations specifically for the $15,000 that will be needed, because there is not enough money in the 2025 budget to fund it.  If you can donate for this, label your donation as being for “Heating Fix”.

If you have comments or ideas about how to help our congregation, talk to a member of one of our standing boards: Spiritual Life, Building & Grounds, Trustees, or Outreach.  You can also speak with me or with Wendy in the church office.

Sandy McKitrick, Moderator