YELLOWSTONE – ARGYLE/APPLE GROVE
   PARISH NEWSLETTER
Office Phone: 608-543-3088
Web Site: www.YellowstoneArgyleAppleGrove.com

Our Ministry Focus: "Sharing God's grace from a hopeful place​

 

Pastor's Letter

    If you journey with Jesus all the way to the cross, you will never again question how deeply you are loved by God. Let me say that again: if you journey with Jesus all the way to the cross, you will never again question how deeply you are loved by God. 
   Pastor Bob Winston tells about when he was in his new parish and making the rounds to introduce himself to the members. At one house he was talking to a woman who had a rambunctious five-year-old sitting on her lap. As they were talking, Pastor Winston noticed that the boy kept trying to pull up the right sleeve on his mother’s shirt and he saying, “Mom, show him the scars. Show him the scars.”
   She kept brushing the comment off until Pastor Winston asked her what her son was so excited about. At that point, she rolled up her sleeve and revealed to the pastor two huge scars on her arm, one running completely around her arm, just below her elbow, and another one running completely around her arm, just above the elbow. 
   Taken a bit back by the revelation, all Pastor Winston could say was, “What happened to you?” 
   Before she could say a word, her son broke in and said, “Mom fought an alligator to protect me.” Looking from the boy to the pastor, this mother filled him in on the story. One day, the two were walking by a marsh, and a rogue alligator shot out towards her son. Without thinking, his mother ran towards the alligator and threw herself at it. The alligator got hold of her right arm, spun her around once, but then let her go and went back into the water.
   The boy smiled proudly, pointed to the scars and said, “That’s how much my mom loves me.” 
   Following Easter, Jesus showed himself to the disciples and when he did, they saw his scars ... and it told them how much he loved them ... and you. 
   Journey with Jesus to the cross. Look at his scars. Do that and you will never again question how deeply you are loved by God. 
                       ~ Blessings, Dan

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Lent has begun – services to take advantage of: 
   Our Wednesday evening services entitled “Overheard: Conversations by the Cross” will be highlighted by sermons that look at what some of the conversations might have sounded like at the foot of cross. We will meet figures such as Mark, Barabbas, Caiaphas, Pilate and his wife, Simon of Cyrene, the centurion and others. Let’s listen in on what they were thinking while Jesus hung on the cross.
   The theme of our Sundays in Lent will be “The Holy Week Revolution.” What Jesus said and did during holy week (Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday) was revolutionary, and he asks us to become revolutionaries as well.

 

Lent offering: Our special offering during Lent will go to our “Good Samaritan Fund.” This fund helps people in and around our community. We also assist the Lafayette County’s Salvation Army. Please give generously. Offering envelopes can be found by the offering plates in the narthex, or you can write out a check and put in the memo line: “Good Samaritan Fund.” Thank you.

 

The A/Applestone Youth Palm Sunday Breakfast! The youth group is ready to serve everyone a great breakfast on Palm Sunday. Once again we are asking some bakers in the parish to help supply coffee cakes. Our youth group remains small and we don’t want to overburden families of youth who are already bringing items for the breakfast. We will have a sign-up at both churches, asking if people would be willing to supply homemade coffee cakes, donuts, muffins, etc. As always, the youth will do all the work. Thank you in advance for your help.  Palm Sunday is April 13th and serving time is from 8:00 a.m. until 10:45 a.m. at Yellowstone.

 

We would like to decorate the church sanctuary with Easter Lilies on Easter Sunday. If you would like to purchase an Easter Lily to help do this, please sign up in the narthex, or contact Pastor Dan at 543-3088, or via email: adbohlman@gmail.com. Orders must be placed by Tuesday April 8th. Cost is $13.

 

Thank you from Shannon and Scott Marion: “We would like to express our gratitude and thanks to our church families for your Christmas offering contribution to InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and our ministry work. We are incredibly blessed to have your financial and prayer support to help reach students and faculty on campus for Jesus. God is moving on campus, and you are a part of this work. 
       ~God bless, Shannon and Scott Marion.

 

Thank you from the Salvation Army of Lafayette County: Thank you so much for your very generous donation (We donated $1,000 from our special offering) to the Salvation Army fund for Lafayette County. It is only through the generous donations like yours that we are able to continue to assist so many who are in need of assistance. 

Thank you from the ELCA for its continued support for the ministry’s of the church both within the United States and throughout the world. 

 

The Yellowstone WELCA Spring Cleaning will take place at Yellowstone on Tuesday, April 8th beginning at 9:00 a.m. Following the cleaning of the church there will be a potluck lunch. 

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Quilters will meet on Tuesday, April 22nd at Argyle Lutheran, beginning at 9:00 a.m. Everyone is welcome! 

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Coming in May – Community Bible study: “Called to the Deeper Life” This study will combine topics from “The Critical Journey” and “The Holy Week Revolution.” We will look at where our spiritual journey leads us and what it calls from us. Time and location will be in next month’s newsletter.

 

Reminder to Confirmation parents: During Lent, confirmation classes will meet from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., as we have worship at 7:00. 

 

To get a receipt of your church giving for 2024 for tax purposes: Argyle-Apple Grove: talk to Diane Martin or email her at rdmartin@centurytel.net. Yellowstone: talk to Peter Herman or email: him at peter@argylefibermill.com

Help Maintain our church at Argyle! Your time and talents are needed. A walk through was done at the church and a number of items came up that need to be fixed. Below is a list. If you would be willing to take one of these tasks upon yourself, please contact Pastor Dan, or Tim and Joann Rucker:
   Upstairs:
   -Carpet in front left corner of the church needs to be reglued.
   -Office bathroom floor needs some repair.
   -Carpet in the cry room needs to be looked at
   -Mop boards – cry room, narthex, Sunday school room and coat closet needs to be fixed.
   Downstairs: 
   -Some of the electric outlets aren’t working
   -Wall to right of fireplace needs work
   -Paneling above the fireplace and to the left near the floor   needs work. 
   -Removal of the fireplace.
   -Bathroom walls have some damage and mold.
   -Walls around the back entrance and near utility closet need     work. 
   -The outside steps of the office needs repair/replacement.

 

Women of the WELCA Spring Gathering will be held on Saturday, April 26th at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church in New Glarus. Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. Business meeting at 10:00 a.m. That will be followed by a guest speaker: retired Chief Meteorologist Bob Lindmeier. A lunch will follow the program ($7 per person). 

Stewardship: We thank everyone for your generous support of the ministries of our congregations. If you are unable make it to church to give your offering, you may mail it to the following address: Yellowstone/Argyle-Apple Grove; Box 217; Argyle, WI 53504.

 

SNOW ON SUNDAYS – If we cancel church due to bad weather, Pastor Dan will send out an email (if you aren’t on the church email list, please let Dan know and he’ll get you on it). There will also be a posting on our church website, or call the parsonage 608-543-3088.

 

February Treasurers’ and Pastor’s reports:
                Yellowstone                      Argyle-Apple Grove 
  Beginning balance:   $11,012.15     Beginning Balance:   $9,054.03
                       Income:    $5,763.27                        Income:   $4,660.00                        

                   Expenses     $5,775.76                       Expenses: $5,519.47
   Ending Balance       $10,999.69           Ending Balance:   $8,194.56   
   *Not recorded in this statement is that both churches added $5,000 into the accounts that are shown in this statement. This prevents us from worrying about going under the limit set by the bank which would cause a surcharge.
 

First Communion
   Leah Erickson – Yellowstone on February 23rd 
 

Committal Service
   Howard Maas at Woodlawn Cemetery on March 14th 

 

Argyle-Apple Grove Council Hi-Lites
*Building Committee:
   Council met with the newly-formed building committee: We thank the following people for agreeing to be on the committee: Stan Bigelow (Head of Committee), Beth Fransen, Jay Newman, Tim Rucker (council liaison), Peggy Soehnlein, Jeff Wilhelmson.
   *Building Committee    First steps: 
   1. Contact Lafayette County about feasibility of existing septic and well.
   2. Call to lawyer about options for expansion of plot – possibility of buying back land from cemetery association
   3. Will need to get a survey done – Stonemill has offered to do a survey free of cost
   4. General contractor options
   *The building committee or council will have monthly updates to be shared at a church service about the progress of the rebuild. 
*We received the first check from Church Mutual.
   ~$250,000 in money market account at Bank of New Glarus at 4% interest
   ~$250,000 in six-month CD at Woodford State Bank at 4.1% interest
   ~The remaining money (app. $50,000) will be placed in three-month CD at First National Bank at 3.5% interest.    ~Designated signers: Joann Rucker, Pastor Dan Bohlman, and Stan Bigelow
   *The April Newsletter will have a list of work that has to be done at  Argyle asking for volunteers to take a task or two.
*A defibrillator has been purchased for the church.
   *We will ask a contractor to look at the windows by the front doors and advise us on what the best next step is.
   *After Easter, will be having a study on “Critical Journey” and “Holy Week Revolution”
   *Will continue to devise more ways to engage congregation and community through technology, i.e. Village website
   *Also, will advertise in bulletin the concept of a “church buddy” for those members who do not engage with technology

 

Yellowstone Council Hi-lites
   *We will go back to the old way of presenting the current finances in the newsletter. An asterisk will let people know that $5,000 is also in the account to prevent the church from receiving a penalty from the bank.
   *The council accepted a bid by Krahenbuhl Construction to renovate the back rooms. The bid came in at $16,199.32. 
   *A church direction sign in Blanchardville is down – that will be taken care of.
   *Part of Pastor Dan’s insurance through Portico will shift into Medicare part A and B when he turns 65 next month. 
   *Large print “Christ in our Homes” have been purchased for those who need them.
   *Following Easter, we’ll be having a study on the “Critical Journey” and “The Holy Week Revolution” at Argyle Lutheran.
   *A group will be formed to help us use more of the technology at hand to reach out to more people. We will emphasize our great setting and community. We also discussed having special events at Yellowstone to get people to our location.

Yellowstone Cemetery is looking for someone to mow the cemetery this summer. If you are interested, please contact Rene Hendrickson at 608-543-3431.

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