Omicron is over. It's time to makes sure the kids are in Sunday School at New Life every Sunday. The kids are scheduled to sing for church on March 6, and need to attend Sunday School to learn about Jesus and to learn the song they will sing in church, which is called, "The Battle Belongs to the Lord".
The usual schedule for the Sunday School and Preschool kids to sing for church is on the first Sunday of the month. Instead, the kids will sing for the last time during the school year on May 15, the third Sunday of the month.
Examination for the two eighth graders is scheduled for noon on Sunday, May 22. The examination will be held in the New Life Café. Confirmation Sunday will be Sunday, June 5.
The Sunday morning Bible class has moved from the chapel to the more-intimate setting of the New Life Café. Pastor Bauer continues to use video clips from the series called THE CHOSEN to take a different look at the ministry of Jesus.
In the month of May, the men's Bible class will work on finishing up the study entitled, "Positively Lutheran." Men's Bible class, which includes lunch, begins at 11:30 AM and ends by 1:00 PM.
The Spring preschool program is scheduled for Sunday, May 15 at 1:30 PM. In the past, due to Covid, attendance has been restricted to two relatives of preschool parents. The kids were immediately sent home after the program as well. Now, those restriction are being removed and something to eat and drink will be served after the program. The members of New Life, who make the preschool program possible, are invited to attend. The program usually lasts 20 minutes.
Ladybugs and butterflies and bees, oh my! The Little Sprouts will begin the month of May by exploring all kinds of bugs. We will read Eric Carle's popular book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, with a prop/flannel story using a decorated sock puppet for the caterpillar. The children will color and put together an "I See Bugs" book and will also practice their fine motor skills by using a hole puncher to put holes in a paper leaf which will mimic the holes a caterpillar might make when it eats through a leaf. Our final unit of the school year will be "Down on the Farm." We will focus our study on farm animals, including pigs and chickens. The Little Sprouts should have fun fingerpainting "mud" (brown paint) on a pig and creating a chicken who lays eggs with the letters of the children's name on them. Of course, we won't forget our mothers this month, so a special surprise craft will be created early in the month, and we will also be working on something special for dad at the end of the month.
For Jesus Time, we will look at the lessons "Jesus Visits Mary and Martha, Jesus Returns to Heaven, God Takes Care of the Birds," and "Jesus is Our Rock." It will be a busy month to end a wonderful school year.
--Mrs. Rachel Andrews
Wow, what a fantastic year we had! It's hard to believe we are in our final month of Preschool. Both classes will be busy learning all about "Farms and Planting" this month. In addition, both classes at the end of the month will enjoy another field trip. This time each class will take a turn going to Volkening Heritage Farm, where they will learn about life on a farm. We will be continuing to get ready for our final "Spring Program," which will be held on Sunday, May 15th at 1:30 PM. Please mark your calendars as ALL children are expected to join us for this fun show. Our final parent/teacher conferences will be held on Wednesday, May 4th. A few more exciting activities we will experience are watching butterflies grow and then releasing them by the end of the month and a juggler will visit the four-year-old class on Monday, May 23rd. We will wrap our school year with an ice cream party and game day on their last school days.
Before the year ends, I would like to give a shout out to all my amazing helpers this year: Mrs. Rachel, Mrs. Kelly and Ms. Katie, as well as the parent volunteers that helped throughout the year and/or donated food and drinks for our parties. Hope everyone has an amazing summer and I look forward to seeing those who are returning in the fall. Finally, Good Luck to all my four-year-olds moving on to Kindergarten next year. I will miss you all!
-- Mrs. Lori Dundore
New Life's building addition mortgage, currently held by LACE, will be due for refinancing at the end of the first quarter 2023. Refinancing is required because we hold a commercial loan which lasts 5 years compared to a 30-year home loan. At that time, with our current monthly mortgage payment of $3,345, the loan principal to refinance will be approximately $511,066. Our current interest rate is 4.75%.
Certainly, we want New Life to be in the most favorable position possible when we refinance. With this in mind, the church council agreed to launch a six-month mortgage debt reduction campaign beginning July 1, 2022 and ending on December 31, 2022. You will recall that mortgage debt reduction during 2022 was one of the original goals of the five-year plan approved at our July 11, 2021 voter's meeting.
There are several advantages to debt reduction. It lowers our loan principal reducing the amount of interest paid over the remaining life of the loan. Since our efforts are also combined with the timing of the refinance the amount of debt reduction can reduce the monthly mortgage payments over the next five years and/or shorten the length of our loan. Keep in mind, every dollar saved from our monthly mortgage payment is a dollar available for use in other areas of ministry at New Life.
Here are two examples to illustrate the impact of reducing debt. At a debt reduction level of $40,000, estimated budget savings are $3,603 per year, and interest savings of $22,037 over 20 years. Under this example we would not payoff the mortgage any faster, but we would still save on interest and free up money in the annual budget for other areas of ministry immediately. At a debt reduction level of $80,000, estimated interest savings of $109,097 over 15 years, while keeping mortgage payments at the current level. Under this example we save significantly more interest by cutting 5 years off the mortgage.
At New Life, we have often used special events and activities such as this to come together as a congregation to glorify God. We know that God promises to bless our efforts for Him and His kingdom. Please give this debt reduction initiative prayerful thought and begin making plans for this important expression of our Christian Stewardship.
Additional information regarding the debt reduction drive will be shared with the congregation as we approach the July 1, 2022 start date.
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.- 2 Corinthians 8:9
-Mike Spangle, Chairman, Elder, & Brent Anderson, Treasurer
On Mother's Day, Sunday, May 8, the church council will be serving breakfast before the service, starting at 8:30 AM. Everyone is invited to this breakfast.
A second preschool open house is scheduled for Tuesday, May 10 from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM. Most of the new students enrolled in our preschool come because of word of mouth. If you know of any parents with preschool aged children, please encourage them to stop by for a tour and to meet the staff. Currently, the three and four-year-old classes are half full. Coming out of Covid, it would be great to have a maximum enrollment for the 2022-2023. The open house will also be for the Sprouts program. Currently, the Sprouts have three kids enrolled.
The Branch Connection Spring Banquet is May 1st at noon in the lower level! All women and girls are welcome to attend! The group will enjoy light fare, fellowship, and a flower potting craft. Look for the sign-up sheet to attend and bring a salad or appetizer to share-sandwiches and lemonade will be provided. Hope to see you there!
Green Team will meet twice in the month of May, on the 12th and 26th. At the meeting on the 12th the kids will learn about the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. We will also hope to race our pine cars that evening. On the 26th the kids will learn about our final American landmark, Mount Rushmore and enjoy a cookout.
Green Team begins at 6:30 and ends at 8:00 PM. All kids of the congregation and preschool as well as their friends are welcome!
When Pastor Bauer asked when the material for the kids camp known as Training Camp will be coming out, he was told that YMCA Camp Duncan was still attempting to enforce Covid restrictions that would make a week long group camp next to impossible to hold. So, Training Camp is being postponed until the summer of 2023, if Jesus doesn't come back before then.
The Lake Zurich school district summer schedule is out. It appears there is no summer school the week of July 25-29. The theme for this year's VBS is ROAD TRIP. The kids will be taught that Jesus is the road to heaven. Please include the week of VBS in your summer schedule.
It's that time of year again to clean-up our section of Long Grove Road. Our Spring ADOPT-A-HIGHWAY clean-up is scheduled for Sunday, May 15th at Noon. More helpers mean a faster cleaning time. Scratch the itch to don one of those stylish orange vests. Picking up the garbage people hurl out their car windows can be a great way to get some fresh air.
The Branch Connection will host a church rummage sale on Saturday, June 25, from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM. If you have items in your home you'd like to get rid of, set them aside at your home and then bring them to church the week prior to June 25. Assistance in transporting larger items will be available prior to June 25.
Prior to the pandemic, members would sign up to bring something to eat and drink for after the service. For the past several months, pre-packaged goods have been kept at church and served. It's time to get back to normal. Please consider taking a Sunday for fellowship. The sign-up sheet is located on the bulletin board in the basement.
The United Way's fall fund drive is underway right now, and many employers will match employee contributions. Tree of Life Lutheran Preschool is recognized by the United Way, so this is a great opportunity to help out with our education and community outreach efforts via the preschool. "10438331" is the ID number for Tree of Life. All contributions are greatly appreciated!
While updating Ministry plans for the next fiscal year it was noted that again the Elder's plan includes assisting members or friends of New Life with emergency assistance. Emergency assistance is often needed due to weather related emergencies. Be mindful that New Life has access to equipment and tools not always readily available to the person in need. Examples include generators, chainsaws, etc. Often times it may be as simple as just needing some extra hands to address a need. So, in the event you need help, please do not hesitate to call. To request assistance, simply call church at 847-438-5018 and leave a message. Have a wonderful safe summer!
The Thrivent Choice® program lets eligible members recommend where some of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans' charitable outreach funds go by directing Choice Dollars®. You can direct your funds to New Life Lutheran Church and/or Tree of Life Lutheran Preschool. If you have any questions about how to do this, please speak to Craig LaPlante the Stewardship Chairman.