Our Redeemer Lutheran Church of Mazomanie

November 19, 1998

Friends and Supporters of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church Mazomanie, WI 53560

Dear Friends in Christ

We are sadden to report that the Mission at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church of Mazomanie, WI has decided to close its doors due to a combination of events which we summarize as:

1) our lack of growth in membership,

2) our inability to put a generous enough financial package together to attract a part-time worker priest and thereby feel that we as a church we were adequately providing for his worldly needs,

3) our inability to find a permanent pastor interested in the tenuous (at best) prospect of a one-year term as 1/2-time worker-priest,

4) our inability, despite the gallant and often exhausting efforts of our Circuit Counselor, the Rev Donald Fehlauer, to find a interim pastor willing to serve as a vacancy pastor when he also had from 3-to-4 other full-time vacancies within our Circuit (for his work in both #2, 3, and 4, this man-of-God truly deserves and gets our highest respect and accolades), and finally

5) our entering into the Advent/Christmas season demands we provide more opportunities satisfying the spiritual thirst and providing for the Christian education of our children and selves than we can without a vacancy pastor.

It is our consensus belief that a bible-based, pro-life, pro-family values Lutheran church in Mazomanie will someday become a reality. We have not given up on our LCMS "grass-roots" mission concept, but we are unable to continue without doing more to provide for the spiritual needs of our children and ourselves. We hope we can someday see our dream, and the dream of our many supporters, come to fruition. This mission start was a bold move and generated phenomenal discussion, effort and spiritual & personal growth among our members and within our fellow LCMS church neighbors. It also sparked significant discussions within our community, especially our fellow Mazomanie Lutherans not associated with the LCMS. Hopefully our efforts were pleasing to the Lord, but simply mistimed.

We the members of the Mission at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church of Mazomanie want to thank our many supporters and friends. Each of the churches listed below gave monthly, quarterly, or annual donations to our mission:

Our Savior Lutheran Church of Baraboo,

St John Lutheran Church of Loganville,

St Paul Lutheran Church of LaValle,

Zion Lutheran Church of LaValle,

St Paul Lutheran Church of Hillpoint,

St James Lutheran Church of Necadah,

St John Lutheran Church of Portage,

St Peter Lutheran Church of Reedsburg,

St Peter Lutheran Church of Muscoda ,

Christ Lutheran Church of Highland,

Trinity Lutheran Church of Wisconsin Dells, and

Hickory Grove Lutheran Church of Fennimore.

We also had on-going support from Mrs. Ruth Halverson and Mr. and Mrs. Marshall Gruening all from Lutheran Church of the Living Christ in Madison. We pray that all of your generous gifts will be returned to all our LCMS brothers and sisters many fold in ways and means known today only to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

In summation, after we negotiate the termination of our lease and other obligations, we will be sending a letter to our many supporters detailing and explaining our plans for dispersing our remaining assets, both physical and financial. Please help us spread the word to your parishioners and to our many other friends, that we the members of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church of Mazomanie wish to thank them all. We give thanks to the Lord because you gave of yourselves and your possessions to do what we all thought was pleasing to the Lord. May His will be done.



OUR BELIEFS:

We build our lives on Jesus Christ. We believe Jesus Christ is the only, perfect, Son of God. We believe that Jesus lived a life of perfect obedience to God's Law, died for us and for every person in the world. And We believe that Jesus rose from the dead and lives for us--and for all people who believe in Him as their Savior.

We view Baptism and the Lord's Supper as the means by which God gives people His grace. We teach that people--no matter how hard they try--cannot earn God's forgiveness or a place in heaven. It is a gift from God that you receive through faith in Jesus Christ.

We believe that through the scriptures, God reveals His great love for us. Because of His love, we have forgiveness and life now and through eternity.

The Bible is God's Word, spoken through human writers. God is three Persons in One: the Father, who created and sustains the world; the Son, who lived as a man, died, and rose from the dead; and the Holy Spirit who works God's will in the world. Sin is revolt against God in thought, word and deed. Every person is guilty of sin against God. Sin also is the cause of the bad things people do to each other. Everyone will have existence after death--either in heaven or hell--forever. God has a plan to end the world, when He will judge everyone--both the living and the resurrected dead.

Information on Our Redeemer Activities

-From May 1997 to Dec 1998 we were located at 31 Brodhead St. in downtown Mazomanie, WI. Prior to that we had held weekly Services in the Basement of the Sauk City Public Library from August 1996 to May 1997. For more details on Our Redeemer, please call Elder Dale Bladow 608-795-4344.

-- For Mazomanie/Northwestern Dane County or Sauk County RIGHT-TO-LIFE information contact Marsha Miller of Our Redeemer at 544-2030.

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