Newsletters

April-May 2026

Suffering for the good

Pastor Schopp

          This is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in His steps.    –  1 Peter 2:19-21

First, I must issue a mea culpa for the tardiness of the newsletter.  The delay is entirely my fault.  Things did not slow down after Easter Sunday came and went.

St. Peter warns us that as servants of Christ, we must be prepared to suffer for doing good.  There are many people who claim that any minor mishap or inconvenience in their lives is proof of this, but that is not what this passage above means.  Getting a speeding ticket on the way to church is not Christian persecution.  That would fall squarely under the category of “For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure?” (v.20)  Suffering for our misdeeds is to be expected… that is why they are “misdeeds”.

But suffering for doing good is another thing entirely.  It smacks of injustice and so we want to complain, we want the world to notice, we want the wrong put right.  Unfortunately, that is not what this passage promises us.  We are not urged to endure these injustices because eventually it will all work out and we will be rewarded.  That is simply a delayed quid pro quo, receiving payment later for something we do now.

What this passage says, and others in the New Testament warn us of, is that as bearers of Christ’s name we will suffer wrong for doing good and will not see justice this side of glory.  We will be slandered by those who hate the Church, and our names will not be cleared.  We will lose promotions at work and possibly our jobs because we will not hide our beliefs about God’s design for marriage.  We help the poor and we get scammed… and we do it again.  We continue to do good, to show mercy and speak God’s truth because we follow the example of Christ, who endured much worse for us rebels.  The world is hostile to God and so is hostile to those who hold up His Name, who warn about sin and lead by Jesus’ example.  This is not a matter of who is in Washington or Pierre.  Politicians come and go, but the nature of our fallen world does not change.  We don’t look to elections to give us justice.  We have received mercy from Christ.

Like wandering sheep, we are easily scared by the storms in our lives and run to and fro, looking for shelter.  Jesus has brought us that shelter.  He assures us that what we endure in this life is not divine judgement, but only the precursor to divine peace.  We will suffer for doing good… and we will continue to do good.  Because the good that Jesus has won for us outshines the darkest day in this life.

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Holy Week Schedule
Maundy Thursday – April 2^nd at St. John’s in Columbia. A light supper, pie, and coffee will be served starting at 5:30 pm, followed by a service with Holy Communion at 6:30 pm. The van will go to St. John’s if anyone wants a ride (call Eric Johnson 605-216-6701, or the church office 605-225-7106 by 2:00 pm).

Good Friday – April 3^rd at Our Savior at 6:30 pm.

Holy Saturday – Our Savior will host the circuit Easter Vigil service with Holy Communion on April 4^th at 7:30 pm.

Easter –We will have Divine Service with Communion at our regular times: 8:00 am at St. John’s, and 10:45 am at Our Savior. The youth group will serve breakfast at Our Savior starting at 9:30 am.  There will be no Sunday School or Bible Class.
   
Do You Know a Christian Couple Interested in Adoption?
Lutheran Family Service is looking for additional families to be part of our Newborn Infant Adoption Program. We welcome Christian couples of all backgrounds and ethnicities who feel called to adopt.
Eligibility Requirements:
• Must be a male/female married couple for at least three years
• Must reside in Iowa, North/Central Illinois, Eastern South Dakota, or
  Eastern  Nebraska
• Must be active in a Christian congregation
• Adoption program is fee-based
For over 120 years, Lutheran Family Service has been creating families through adoption, providing Christ-centered, ethical, and compassionate adoption services. As a Recognized Service Organization (RSO) of the LCMS Church, we follow all LCMS biblical principles and offer free unplanned pregnancy counseling for birth mothers. Learn more at LutheranFamilyService.org/adoption-services
 

April                      
             Our Savior Birthdays
  1  Linda Rauscher          16  Aurian Tschappat          
  3  Kinsley Christianson  18  Phyllis Lassanske
  4  Peggy Dennert            20  Muriel Pigors
  8  Ethan Andreasen         20  Tom Siebert
  8  Levi Haar                    22  Dawn Neussendorfer
  8  Mitchell Nehlich         23  Justin Scepaniak
  9  Maralyn Hoops           25  Kierra Navurskis
14  Cheryl Pietz                27  Mark Wendt
15  Elena Kerzman           28  Tevin Johnson
16  Dorothy Maas             28  Charlotte Scepaniak     

              Anniversaries
              3  Nairn & Joyce Hermansen
            11  Paul & Jody Haar
            17  Vernon & Anna Korab
            24  Dale & Joelle Thone
            30  Charles & Morgan Angerhofer   
                
Acolyte Schedule:
April 5 – Grace Rausch & Maci Johnson
April 12 – Cassie McKown & Ella Brick
April 19 – Teigan McKown & Caleb Siebert
April 26 – Tucker Brick & Aurian Tschappat

Portals of Prayer for April through June are available in the narthex.

The Lutheran Witness – LW magazine provides great information, instruction, and encouragement from our confessional Lutheran perspective. Pick up your monthly copy in the narthex!  
 
Blood Drive – Help save a life! Vitalant Blood Services will be at Our Savior on Monday, April 6^th from 2:00–6:00 pm.  To schedule your donation, call Vicky at 605-216-8967.

Higher Things Regional Youth Retreat – Where is my burning bush? Paths to professional church work. At Our Savior April 10 & 11. Registration begins at 5:00 on Friday. A fun weekend of worship, teaching, and games. Includes supper on Friday, breakfast and lunch on Saturday.

Men’s Club will meet Monday, April 13^th at Our Savior at 7:00 pm.

The Senior Potluck will be Tuesday, April 14^th at noon at Our Savior.  Join us for good food and fellowship!

Saturday Bible Study – There will be no Saturday Bible study in April; we will resume on May 9^th, with the topic of war.

Catechism Class – The last day of catechism class for this year will be Wednesday, April 22^nd.

Family Game Day, Potluck, & Teacher Recognition will be Sunday, April 26^th at Our Savior, hosted by the Board of Education. There will be a potluck after the service, followed by Bingo and other games. All are welcome! Enjoy the afternoon with your church family.  St. John’s - Columbia
       April Birthdays

         2  Desa Larson
         4  Maddox Podoll         
         6  Eric Hermans
         9  Tanner Podoll           
       10  Easton Larson
       18  Jason Podoll
       21  William Wolter
       22  Jessica (Podoll) Snyder
       24  Joann Saunders
       26  Cole Kampa
       27  David Yeske
       29  Katie Moser

St. John’s Usher List
        April 5            Lyle & Cathi Podoll
        April 12        Josh & Desa Larson         
        April 19          Jack & Jennifer Hieb
        April 26          Mike & Molly Ringgenberg

St. John’s Quarterly Voters Meeting will be Sunday, April 19^th after the service.
   
Vacation Bible School is set for June 7 – 11, 2026 at Our Savior. The theme is “Tropical Trek.” We will learn how Jesus came to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10)! As we traverse fun and exciting places like a dormant volcano and island caves, we’ll discover how God finds us and helps us in every challenge we face.
Hours are from 6:00 to 8:30 pm, with time for a sack lunch from 5:30 to 6:00. Registration forms will be in the Sunday bulletins soon.  Friends, neighbors, and relatives are welcome also!
The Board of Education needs teachers and helpers in all areas. There will be a sign-up sheet in the library area soon.  Please consider your talents and how you can help serve.  
 
District Student Aid Available for Church Work Tuition
May we help you with your church work college tuition? 
The South Dakota District has a scholarship fund set aside to aid people going into full time Church work. District student aid is given to defray the cost of tuition for those studying to enter fulltime church work within The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.
 Please act quickly, as applications close May 1! 
Check out the links below for the student aid guidelines and the student aid application.  

• https://sddlcms.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Student-Aid-Application-Fillable.pdf
• https://sddlcms.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/District-Student-Aid-Guidelines-1.pdf

You can also find this information on our website, sddlcms.org.

LCEF Announces 2 College Scholarship Opportunities

 

LCEF’s Take Heart Scholarship now open High school seniors who have a Young Investors StewardAccount® with Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF) are eligible to apply for the Take Heart Scholarship. Answer this question, and you could receive up to $3,000: Other than Jesus, which person in the Bible would you love to talk with?? Recipients will be awarded scholarship amounts of up to $3,000. Apply by May 1, 2026. For more information, visit lcef.org/scholarship.

                       
 
OUR SAVIOR MAY BIRTHDAYS
  3  Ian McHenry                     18  Wendy Meyers                 
  3  Caiden Siebert                  22  Troy McKown
  3  Doris Vilhauer                  22  Abby Rausch
  4  Bob Rusch                        23  Cherise Johnson
  5  Darlene Rusch                  25  Teigan McKown
  7  Brayden Schopp               25  Ray Pomplun
  9  David Johnson (Cherise)   26  David Hopfinger
10  Vicky Baumgartner          26  Briella Klipfel
10  Amanda Dahme               29  Chelsea Fryer
12  Anita Small                      30  Tucker Brick
13  Eric Johnson                     31  Charlotte Bohling
14  Ella Brick                          31  Leroy Fryer

               ANNIVERSARIES
                4  Bob & Darlene Rusch
              10  Dave & Wendy Meyers
              15  Fred & Linda Rauscher
              27  Terry & Anita Small
 
Nursery Circle will not meet in May due to Mother’s Day being on the second Sunday. They will take a break for the summer and resume meeting in September.

Acolyte Schedule:
May 3 – Rhyan Johnson & Grace Rausch
May 10 – Maci Johnson & Jaylynn Siebert
May 17 – Caleb Siebert & Teigan McKown
May 24 – Ella Brick & Grace Rausch
May 31 – Maci Johnson & Cassie McKown

Grocery Receipts – It’s time to turn in your grocery receipts from Ken’s and Kessler’s! We can only use receipts from the current school year: Sept. 2025 – May 2026.  Place them in the container in the narthex at Our Savior. We can still collect Best Choice UPC codes anytime. (Best Choice products are found at Ken’s SuperFair Foods.) 

Saturday Bible Study – May 9^th 9:00-11:00 am at Our Savior. The topic will be: War.

Sunday School – May 10^th will be the last day of Sunday School until fall. The children will be going to Avera Mother Joseph Manor on that day to sing for the residents.

The Rite of Confirmation at Our Savior will take place during the Divine Service on Sunday, May 10^th. Our confirmand this year is Tucker Brick.

Graduate Recognition at Our Savior will take place during the service on Sunday, May 10^th.  Congratulations to Audrey Braun, Riley Lee, and Joshua Rausch!

The Senior Potluck will be Tuesday, May 12^th at noon.  Join us for good food and fellowship!  We will not have a senior potluck in June, July, or August.

Ascension Day – We will remember the day of Jesus’ bodily ascension into heaven 40 days after Easter with a Divine Service at Our Savior on Thursday, May 14^th at 6:00 pm.

Coffee & Confessions – We continue to look at the Lutheran Confessions from the Book of Concord on Tuesday mornings at 6:30 am. All are welcome!

Wednesdays – Through May, there will be a short midweek prayer service at Our Savior on Wednesdays at 6:00 pm, followed by Bible Study at 6:30. Then Wednesday activities will be on hiatus for the summer, and will resume in September.

Annual Reports for 2025 are available in the narthex at both churches. More will be printed if they run out. These reports include membership changes, a list of officers, financial reports, and more. The Our Savior report also includes an updated list of funeral groups.

   
LCMS Singles Retreat - The fourth annual LCMS Lutheran Singles Retreat is being planned for August 21-23, at Kamp Okoboji in Milford, Iowa. This retreat is open to all single men and women, ages 21 to 41. Register at www.faithwinterset.org. Cost for the retreat is $100. Contact Dr. Keith Schweitzer with questions at (641) 745-5143 or keithlcms@gmail.com.
 
 
All parents are invited!
Parenting Toward the Kingdom
Registration 8:30 to 9:00 am
Workshop 9:00 am to 2:00 pm
Saturday, May 9, 2026
401 Main St., Britton, SD
Hosted by St. John’s Lutheran Church of Britton with the help of a grant from Rural Gospel Initiative
This four-part series outlines the core principles of Christian parenting from a solidly Biblical perspective. We will cover such topics as godly discipline, our role as parents, screen time, socialization, influential books, education, and more. Throughout this course, we will refocus on what is truly important and eternal in our parenting. We will examine how secular parenting strategies and beliefs have led may Christian families astray, and outline a different, Biblical path forward for you and your children.
Our presenter, Kyle Townes, is the wife of a military veteran and mother of five children. After spending years in the public school system teaching middle school, she left the profession to classically educate her children at home. Townes is now a conference speaker and freelance writer. Recently, she authored The Road Less Traveled: Reclaiming Childhood for Christianity. She also maintains a blog at Kidsarecapable.net.
This workshop is free, but so we may plan for the noon lunch, we ask you to register by May 5^th with Pastor Robert Moeller. Email seelsorge8@aol.com or call or text 605-321-1641.