LUTHERAN COLLEGES
Lutherans tend to be modest people. We don’t like to ‘blow our own horns’ too much. But there are some things that we ELCA members can be proud of and one of them is our Lutheran Colleges and Universities! Did you know that we have 28 of them?
That they are as close as Carthage in Kenosha and as far away as Pacific Lutheran in Tacoma WA? The latter was my husband’s alma mater. We have several Carthage College grads in our congregation.
Standing at the rail on the Staten Island ferry in New York harbor a month ago, I chatted with a young man who lived on the island. I asked him if he knew of Wagner College, which is on Staten Island. He said “Yes, of course. It’s a very fine school!” Well, I felt proud; saying that I was an ELCA pastor and that Wagner was one of “our schools”.
If you are a parent of a junior high or high school student, I suggest you and they consider one of our ELCA schools. They offer a fine education in a wide variety of programs and degrees. They are smaller, and give students the attention they need with great teachers and resources. They have regular worship on campus as well as Bible studies and events/programs that build student faith.
Talk with Julie Starks or Kelly Sachse, graduates of Carthage, about their college experiences, or Tom, Sarah, and Emily Raasch, graduates of St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN. Jenny and Kurt Koeff are graduates of Wartburg College, Waverly Iowa; ask them about that fine school! Our Music Director Bill Bravener can tell you of the excellent music programs at Luther College, Decorah, IA. I spent my internship year there and know Luther to be a top-notch school.
From Thursday to Sunday, October 28-31, high school sophomores, juniors and seniors are invited on a bus tour of several of these colleges: Luther; Augusburg in Minneapolis; Gustavus Adolphus, St. Peter, MN; St. Olaf; and Augustana. See page 6.
of this newsletter for more details about the trip. You might also go to the ELCA web site: www.elca.org. and look for the colleges link.
I encourage parents and others who love their students to have them ‘check out’ these wonderful Lutheran Colleges and Universities.
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I hope you are having a delightful and refreshing summer! When on vacation, I encourage you to worship wherever you are. When you are in town, I look forward to seeing you at St. Stephen the Martyr. Remember, as our sanctuary cools our bodies, God’s Word warms our lives!
See you in worship.

Pastor Gail

The next Family Gathering Meeting will be September. 12th. Look for details soon.

Family Camp will be at Imago Dei Village in Clintonville, WI from August 15th-20th.
Everyone is welcome!  We will be building Faith Chests to be presented in the upcoming year.  Please contact Char Guiliani, Stephanie Gordon or Tim Falksen for more information.
Thanks to YOU!
Youth and Family would like to send a great big THANK YOU to everyone who donated food, helped and attended the fund raisers for Family Camp!!  It is certainly appreciated!!
- Char Guiliani

Lutheran Colleges
Plan ahead to board the bus for the Greater Milwaukee Synod’s Lutheran College Tour! All High School sophomores, juniors, and seniors are invited to take the tour this fall.
The bus will leave on Thurs., October 28th with the option of returning Sat. October 30th or Sunday, October 31st. You’ll likely visit Luther College, Augsburg College, Gustavus Adolphus, and St. Olaf, and possibly Augustana or a Lutheran Campus Ministry site at a public university. Cost is minimal because of a grant from the Siebert Lutheran Foundation. Talk with Pastor Gail if you are interested in going. You can also go to www.WhyGoLutheran.com for more details.

Noah’s Ark Day
Youth & Family would like to get a group of 6th-9th graders together for a day at Noah's Ark. The date will be determined by the youth attending and the chaperones.  Please contact Carol Malinowski, (414) 423-1041 for details.

Three Cheers for Vacation Bible School!
In June, we set sail on a great VBS adventure: High Seas Expedition—“Exploring the Mighty Love of God!” What a wonderful week it was! The weather cooperated; the children were enthusiastic; the curriculum was volunteer & kid friendly, fun and engaging, and the decorations really set the scene for a life changing time!
No matter what station they were exploring, kids heard and experienced God’s mighty love in a new way!  At High Seas Expedition, the daily Bible Point was specially integrated into each station’s activities to reinforce Bible learning.
Approximately 86 children participated (46 from SSM and 40 from Faith/Santa Fe).
Our relationship with Faith/Santa Fe is developing into a real partnership.
At least 50 staff were involved in some capacity from station helpers, crew leaders and helpers to kitchen crew. The wonderful thing is that it was not necessary to “recruit” any staff. Lots of volunteers came forward to make this VBS a great hit. Thanks to all!
We already look forward to next year’s program, “Panda Monium—Where God is Wild About You.”
- Bob & Sue DeFrank

The Music and Worship committee would like to extend a warm welcome to all members of SSM to our next committee meeting to be held on August 4. 2010 at 6:00 PM
We are looking for members to join the team as we start to plan the new fall schedules for greeters, ushers, lay readers, and communion setup and servers. We also be discussing the plans for Rally Day to be held on September 12, 2010.
We will also be preparing the schedules for these tasks, assigning members of SSM and if you would like to consider to volunteer, please contact one of the following members:
Ushers: Bob Rasmussen, 421-5170
Readers: Bob De Frank, 761-2165
Greeters: Jenny Koeff, 425-0073
Communion Set-up or Serving:
Cathy Peterson, 325-6620 or Sue Jarchow, 526-9785

Ushering—no small task
It's that time of year again - the time when it becomes necessary to recruit people to serve as ushers at all of our weekend worship services that begin after Rally Day.
The Ministry of Ushering is a vital part of our church ministry. Ushers represent the church in a very visible way, and help set the tone in preparation for the worship service, as well as assist with the smooth operation within the service.
Ushers are needed to serve from September through mid-February.
All veteran ushers should look for an usher survey form in their church mailbox shortly after August 1st.  Please fill it out and return it to Bob Rasmussen's mailbox, so an usher schedule can be created.
Members who are interested, but have never ushered at SSM should contact Bob R. No experience is needed - we will train you! Teenagers are especially welcome to serve, and it should be noted several have ushered over the past several years.
Because of the large number of people who volunteer to usher, individual ushers serve every three to four weeks. Interested?  Try it - you'll like it, it's a great way to serve your church and meet new people.
- Bob Rasmussen
(414) 421-5170

Music Notes from Bill Bravener, Director of Music/Associate in Ministry
Summer Choir will rehearse at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, August 1 and will sing at the 9:30 worship service that day.  All are welcome.
 This month's hymn sing will be on August 7 & 8 about 10 minutes prior to worship.  Think of your favorite hymn to request.
 Summer Handbell Choir will rehearse at 8:30 a.m. on August 22 and 29 and will ring at the 9:30 worship service on the 29th.  All are welcome.  It's your chance to give bells a try!
 Looking ahead - Choir rehearsals will begin on September 8 with Handbell Choir at 5:30 p.m. and Senior Choir at 7:00 p.m.  All are encouraged to give choir a try!
 You have probably said it too, but where has the summer gone?  See you at worship.—Bill

Choir Picnic
The Senior & Bell Choir end-of-summer picnic will be on Wednesday, August 25th at Bob & Rose Ann Dieck's at 5121 Russell Court West. Activities start at 6:00 pm. Please bring a dish to pass and your own meat for grilling. If you are interested in joining the choir for the upcoming year please join us. RSVP to Rose Ann at 421-9337 or if you have any questions.

Diakonia… equipping the saints, building up the body of Christ. Ephesians 4:12
To all persons who are interested in participating in diakonia this year, this is a reminder that it is time to fill out an application and forward to the attention of Dave Groenewold at the Synod office, 1212 S. Layton Blvd, Milw, 53215.  An application can be found at the www.diakonia.makedisciples.com/ web-site (click on “forms”). Scholarship aid is available for those who need assistance with tuition costs.
Classes will start the week after Labor day.  Diakonia brochures explaining the courses offered during the two year program are in the kiosk.

The Women’s Bible Study will meet at 10:15 a.m. on August 11th. Everyone is invited to come as we study the following Sunday’s texts.

Loose Ends Lunch
Where: El Fuego Mexican Restaurant; 909 W. Layton Ave. When: Wednesday, August 11th
Time: 11:45 a.m.
Please sign up by August 8th on the kiosk in the narthex. Indicate if you will need a ride from your home or if you want to car-pool from church. We will leave church around 11:30 a.m.
Contact Diana Gastrau for more details, especially about directions because of road construction. (414)304-8284

Pine Lake Women’s Retreat—There’s Still Time to Sign Up!
The theme for this year’s Pine Lake Women’s Weekend Retreat is “Reflecting God”. The date is August 20-22, 2010. Pastor Laurie Veenendahl from Lakeview Lutheran Church in Madison will lead the Bible Study. We will be looking at various passages from both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible where we will see how we can be connected, created, called, saved and sent to serve. In addition to the Bible Study, there will be a program, a Taize service, a Cross Walk, fellowship with other Lutheran women, great meals that are prepared for you and more.
The cost for the weekend is $85 for all cabins except a new facility, Evergreen Lodge, which costs $105. For those choosing to stay at Evergreen, bedding and towels are furnished. Registration forms are posted on the kiosk and are due August 5th.
The Loose Ends group of the Women of the ELCA at SSM is offering one $80 scholarship to help defray the cost to attend the Retreat. Application forms for the Scholarship are also posted on the kiosk.
Pine Lake is located near Waupaca, Wisconsin. Contact Sue Jarchow at 414-526-9785 or Carole Ropel at 262-523-4130 with any questions.

Annual Thankoffering Service for the Women of the ELCA
SEPT. 25-26
On this special weekend you will see the Women of the ELCA participating at SSM as ushers, greeters, readers and communion assistants. You will also see the quilts made by the Piece Makers Quilting group on display, along with the school bags sewn by the Loose Ends ladies and other helpers from our church community and items made by our Knit Wits group.
A special offering will be taken that will be passed on to the Women of the ELCA churchwide. The money received does not go to any one benefit or cause….it becomes part of the annual churchwide budget and is used to support all the functions of the Women of the ELCA, just like your regular contributions to St. Stephen the Martyr.
Watch for additional detail in the September issue of the Martyr Monthly newsletter.

23rd Annual Women of the ELCA, SWO Convention
OCTOBER 1 & 2, 2010
“Fill My Cup, Lord”
Atonement Lutheran Church
S70 W16244 Martin Drive, Muskego WI 53150
(Located just west of Moorland Road, just north of Janesville Road)
“Early Bird” Special Deadline – August 9, 2010
All interested individuals (referred to as Visitors) are welcome to attend on Friday, October 2nd, as well as on Saturday, but you do have the option of attending only on Saturday along with the Delegates. We will all worship together on Saturday morning beginning at 8:30 a.m. Included in our time together are four workshops (you pick two to attend):
Four workshops available on Saturday:
How Lutherans Interpret the Bible – Frank Waltz presenter
Kenya – Pastor Diane Olson, presenter
Women Walking to the Well – presenter Audrey Riley
Prayer Journey: Walking the Labyrinth, presenters, M. Marquart & J. Kolstad
Churchwide Representative of Beth Wrenn: Charleen Walker-Horton
In-Kind Gifts that attendees bring will be presented to All People’s Lutheran Church on North 2nd Street. Items being requested are:
Laundry detergent Dishwashing soap
Powder drink mixes enriched with Vitamin C
Coffee, Tea, & Juices
Hand/Liquid Soaps
Windex
Cost to Attend is noted on the Registration Forms posted on the kiosk. “Early Bird” fee for attending Friday, late afternoon and evening and all day Saturday is $65 until August 9th.
To attend only on Saturday, the “Early Bird” is $40. Meals are included. To attend on Friday only, the cost is $30, including an evening meal.
Refer any questions to Carole Ropel at 262-523-4130. Plan to attend; you’ll be glad you did.
- Carole Ropel

Help Us Keep Our Records Up to Date
Are you moving or have you moved? Do you have an address, phone number e-mail or status change, a new addition in your family?
Don’t forget to contact your church to report any changes for your family records.
Would you like to receive the Martyr Monthly in your church mailbox, instead of by mail? Let Lynda know in the office and she will make the change for you.
You can also received the newsletter by email as well as viewing it on our website.

Attention Golfers
The annual SSM Bill Gray Memorial Golf Outing will be held on Sunday, September 26th at Whitnall Park Golf Course. Tee times will begin at 1:04 p.m. and continue at 8 minute intervals. There is NO Packer game that day!!!
Our day will include an opportunity to stroll through Whitnall Park with family and friends, play nine holes of golf (Best Ball) with a motorized cart, and gather and church for fellowship, food, beverages and prizes.
COST: Golf, cart & dinner—$35
Dinner Only—$10
Look for the sign up sheet on the Kiosk in the Narthex. You can sign up individually, as a twosome, threesome, foursome or for dinner only. Deadline for golf is the 16th of September.
Make your check payable to St. Stephen the Martyr and indicate “Golf Outing” on your envelope. Contributions beyond the $35 are greatly appreciated. All proceeds exceeding our costs will be given to the SSM Endowment Fund in honor of Bill. The event is open to members, friends, and friends of friends.
Last year we had 44 golfers and raised $367.50 for the SSM Endowment Fund.
Thank you for your support.—Doug W.

Kiddie Keep Helpers Needed
We love children! And we are looking for other friends who love children who would like to help out in our Kiddie Keep nursery. Sign up for a 9:30 am service — A sign up sheet is on the cabinet of the Kiddie Keep room to your right as you walk in.
You don't have to be on the permanent schedule, you can volunteer to fill in once in a while— it’s a great opportunity for youth needing service hours!
If you’d be willing to help, you can also contact Paige Ceku at 526-1950. Thank you, and the little ones thank you too!