Merry Christmas
From
Our Savior Deaf Lutheran Church
December 2013
The Jesse Tree
Have you ever made a Jesse Tree? Its name is from
Isaiah 11:1 - "A shoot will spring forth from the
stump of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots."
I love this picture in Advent. We start with a bare
branch and we add different symbols each day to
show Gods promises from the Old Testament a
boat for Noah, burning bush for Moses,
etc leading up to Jesus. No matter if everything
else falls away (bare branch), Gods promises always
come true.
Sometimes I think of Deaf Ministry this way. It feels
like it is being cut off, there are many challenges,
what will happen next? The Jesse Tree helps me remember all the faithful people God has placed around
us. He stays faithful to
His people, He fulfills
ALL His promises. He
will continue to do the
same for us!
This year as I think of the
Jesse Tree, I am not only
thinking about all the
faithful people in the
past, I am also thinking
of you! Though someday
everything else will be
gone, we thank God for
His faithfulness to us,
and to the many people
He is helping us touch with the truth of His
Word. As you see the bare branches this
time of year, imagine them filled with the
faces of all the people whose lives are
changed because of your support!
Merry CHRISTmas!
O Give Thanks . . .
We would like to thank the people who have
continued to support the mission and ministry
of Emmanuel Lutheran Church of the Deaf
(Milwaukee area), Our Savior Deaf Lutheran
Church (Madison, WI) and Holy Cross Lutheran Church (Delavan, WI).
We continue to give thanks for the mission
grant from the South Wisconsin District
LCMS. The grant makes it possible for us to
continue to pay the health insurance for our
pastors and their families.
Your gifts make it possible for us to continue
to pay the salaries of our two pastors who teach
us how to share Jesus with deaf people in the
Southern Wisconsin/Northern Illinois stateline
area.
Page 2
Our Savior Deaf Lutheran Church
Dawn & Loreena PAH!
Graduation from Deaf Institute of Theology
Dawn Polzin and Loreena Stennes graduated from the
Deaf Institute of Theology (DIT) program at Concordia
Seminary in St. Louis on Friday, October 25, 2013.
Dawn and Loreena completed four years of intense seminary training and are now ready to become Deaconesses.
They will be working with Our Savior Deaf Lutheran
Church in Madison, Wisconsin to share Jesus with other
deaf people.
They were mentored by Rev. John Reinke.
They join Patricia Hycnar from Holy Cross Deaf Lutheran Church in Delavan, Wisconsin as deaf women who
have become deaconesses in the Wisconsin/Northern
Illinois stateline area.
DIT Deaconess Dawn Polzin & DIT Deaconess Loreena Stennes
Chapel of St. Timothy and St. Titus, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, MO
Installed at Our Savior Deaf Lutheran
Dawn and Loreena were installed as DIT Deaconesses at Our
Savior Deaf Lutheran Church in Madison, Wisconsin.
Dawn will continue to help in the Madison area. She helps
teach ASL Bible studies, visits the shut-ins and visitors,
makes hospital visits, and works with the coordinating events
at the church.
Loreena lives in Duluth, Minnesota. She continues to reach
out to the deaf people in the Duluth area with leading Bible
Studies and visiting Deaf people. She also leads studies over
the internet and does a lot of contacts and outreach with Deaf
family and friends on the videophone (it is similar to Skype).
November 2013
Page 3
We Need Your Help
98% of deaf people have no way of knowing about the love and salvation that Jesus Christ gives each of us
every day.
We thank God for all of the faithful people who continue to give and share your time and resources for Deaf
Ministry thank you.
How can you help? Pray for us, share this ministry with members of your congregation or hold a 5th Sunday
door offering for Deaf Ministry.
As you share information with your congregation about Deaf ministry ask if they know of deaf people in
their area and share those names with us.
We need your help to continue bringing deaf people to know of Jesus. All money raised will be used to pay
costs to continue this ministry. This includes paying the salaries of our two pastors.
If you wish to send a donation to Our Savior Deaf Lutheran Church to help us continue to pay the salaries
of our pastors, please send it to:
Our Savior Deaf Lutheran Church
PO Box 1795
Janesville, WI 53547
Online giving coming soon!
At Deaf Expo 2013
We shared Jesus with a lot of people at the Deaf Expo held November 2, 2013 in the Chicago, IL area.
DeafNation Expo is the foremost touring trade show for, by, and
about deaf people. We host a booth to share about Jesus. We
give away 100s of Childrens Bible Story Books donated to us
during the year plus over 100 Bibles.
Please join us in praying for all the Deaf people as the Holy Spirit
works in their lives
DIT Deaconess Patricia Hycnar
Our Savior Deaf Lutheran Church
Non Profit Organization
PO Box 1795
Janesville, WI 53547
US Postage Paid
Janesville, WI
Permit #1363
Sharing Jesus with Deaf People
Return Service
Requested
Please Pray For . . .
. . . God to bless this ministry
. . . God to provide funds for Pastor Reinke and Pastor Palmer to continue in Deaf Ministry
. . . Our DIT Deaconesses Pat, Dawn and Loreena
. . . Our DIT Deaconess Intern Becky King as she completes her DIT studies
. . . Our ministry leaders in northern Illinois
. . . Our ministry leaders in southern Wisconsin
. . . The members of our Board that God would continue to sustain them
. . . More Deaf people to learn about the love of Jesus
. . . God to bless the families of our workers and members
. . . God to open up doors and bless our planning for the future
