BUILT ON THE ROCK CAMPAIGN
God’s Will for St. John’s
What do these things all have in common?
• 34 ministry meetings with 800 responses.
• 4 priorities focused down to 1.
• $10 million narrowed to $5.9 million in construction cost.
• $977,000 in paid down debt to $0 in 6 weeks.
• $0 to $3,800,000 in commitments in 8 weeks.
These are all pieces of evidence of God’s will for St. John’s West Bend.
In 2023, the St. John’s Leadership Board set out to seek God’s will for St. John’s West Bend and our 30-Year Master Plan. In this 3 year journey the Leadership Board, the Building Committee, the Preparing the Way Committee, the Built on the Rock Committees, Pastoral Team, Management Team and Staff all put in thousands of hours directly and indirectly in seeking God’s will for St. John’s.
And by asking, seeking and knocking over and over and over in the last 3 years, the Leadership Board was ready to ask, seek and knock one last time on Wednesday night at the Special Voters’ Meeting by presenting our recommendation for the Built on the Rock Ministry Expansion Campaign.
If God speaks through His people, He spoke LOUD and CLEAR Wednesday night. With a near unanimous result, the congregation approved the financing and construction of 6 classrooms and support spaces, a new gymnasium and the resurfacing of the parking lots at a cost of $5.9 million.
While we as mortal humans could try to claim credit for these amazing results, we need to recognize that only by connecting, caring and sharing in Christ can we accomplish great things together.
But our work has only begun. As Derrick Iseler pointed out in his introductory speech on Wednesday night, by using this campaign as a springboard to connect, care and share within our own campus, we can continue to accomplish great things through Christ for our membership and our community.
God’s Blessings,
Mike Bryan
Leadership Board President
Thank you, Building Committee, for sharing your God given talents & endless dedication!
Last weekend in worship, the congregation came forward to make commitments to the Lord for the Built on the Rock Ministry Expansion Campaign. As of Friday, March 27, the Lord has raised up...
$3,800,000 in commitments to help people Build on the Rock that is Jesus Christ!
So, what’s next?
1. Everyone is invited and encouraged to submit a Built on the Rock Commitment Card in the weeks ahead (if you haven’t already) as you are moved by the Lord to pray, volunteer, or make a financial pledge. All gifts are appreciated and will be faithfully deployed for the Lord’s work! If you still desire to make a commitment, please call the church business office, drop off a commitment card at the church office or put your commitment card in the offering box located in the church narthex. Commitment cards will be available in the pews and in the narthex for a few more weeks and are available at the church offices.
2. If you have a child in school, your child should have brought their Built on the Rock Jar back home after chapel last week. Place it in a prominent spot in your house as an encouragement to remember this whole process in prayer. As the Lord provides, feel free to fill the jar again. This is a 3 year ministry campaign, and there will be opportunities for students to continue to support the Ministry through their banks in the future.
3. There will be numerous opportunities going forward to support the Built on the Rock Campaign. Contributions promised through Commitment Cards will begin to be collected on May 2 and 3. We'll notify you when giving opportunities are live, and we do invite you to share those opportunities with any family members, businesses and community members you are connected with.
4. As plans and timelines are finalized, there will be other opportunities, such as volunteer work and in-kind donations, to be involved with the project. Stay tuned for updates in the near future.
Look for more information in the coming weeks to come alongside and join in the Lord's work!
In the meantime, please keep this project and all who are diligently working to expand Christ's Ministry in this place in your prayers. It is a blessing to be able to continue to Connect, Care, and Share in Christ with students and their families, and we praise God for what He is doing in His Kingdom in West Bend!
Joyfully Giving at Chapel
During chapel, the children of St. John's School and Early Childhood Center brought forward their commitments for Built on the Rock. I was personally touched by the generosity of EVERY child as they boldly stepped forward with their banks and commitment cards, joyfully giving what they had collected over the past month. I witnessed joy in every gift no matter what the size! It was very overwhelming to see the work of the spirit in and through these children and the gifts they brought forward. A total of 67 commitment cards were received and $4,486.53 was collected in cash and coins from the banks! Plus, an additional $1,000.00 was gifted to the Built on the Rock campaign from the St. John's Lutheran Junior Honor Association.
PRAISE GOD for the gift of $5,486.53 that was collected this morning through the children at St. John's School and Early Childhood Center. A video will be shown this weekend at all worship services of the children bringing forward their commitments. May the Lord continue to work in and through each of them through ALL of life as they live to love and serve Him as their Lord and Savior!
Cheryl Rudolf
Connections Coordinator
Built Up in His Love
St. John’s has been impactful to our family in many ways. My husband, Jeremy, attended St. John’s School which greatly impacted his character, development and faith. Along with being grounded in faith at home, it was at St. John’s—the principals, teachers, pastors and friends—that influenced and supported him in growing into the man he is today.
There was no doubt in Jeremy’s mind that our oldest, Sebastian, would attend St. John’s. Sebastian attended St. John’s K-8 which gave him a solid foundation rooted in God’s grace. There was an 11 year gap between Sebastian and our next child. When Brody and Eden were born, we were led down a path to St. John’s once again. We were blessed by the opportunity for them to attend Circle of Friends daycare, being supported by faithful childcare providers who loved them just as much as we did. As a parent, seeing how God was at work through loving and supportive staff, pastors and families gave us confidence in our decision to have Brody and Eden also attend St. John’s school. Over the years, we witnessed God at work not only in the education they all received, but also through relationships and life experiences with friends and their parents, teachers, coaches, youth group, chapel services and other extra curriculars. Jeremy and I now have a 10 year old grandson baptized at St. John’s and attending 4th grade in the school. Our three children and grandson have been built up in love through the people God surrounds them with at St. John’s, and I will be forever grateful.
The Built on the Rock campaign is important to me because of the blessing that St. John’s has been to our family and the community. Being able to join the St. John’s staff has also enriched my life in many ways. What stands out most is seeing God at work within the walls. Every day I see teachers sharing Jesus’ love with little children. I hear children joyfully singing about Jesus and learning about forgiveness. Partnering with parents and witnessing families grow stronger in faith makes this campaign so important, considering all the children and families that might also be built up in His love through St. John’s school.
As I reflect on how God planted a seed many years ago to first build a church, then a school, and an early childhood center, I am so thankful for the people He chose for His mission back then. The people didn’t know us, but God knew. They followed His call and He led them to step out in faith…for us! Now we have opportunity to trust and follow Him just the same to bless the generations to come.
Blessings,
Nicole Janisse
Director of Children’s Ministry
Building on a Solid Foundation
We discovered St. John’s while trying to decide where to send our oldest daughter for Kindergarten in 2015. As soon as we toured, we knew it was where our kids would attend. The Christ-centered culture and family feel of the school drew us—plus, the wife of Noah’s favorite high school teacher was (and still is) teaching 2nd grade. The connections were clear and the values aligned with our own. We could send our kids there and still remain members of our home church without paying extra for tuition. It was an easy decision.
Fast forward 11 years, our youngest is in her last months of 6th grade. Though staff and structures have changed, the Christ-centered focus remains and we have been very grateful for that. Even though we are not Lutheran, we have felt welcome and valued as partners with the school. It has led to great conversations with our daughters and has given them a solid foundation for their walk with Jesus. We are very thankful for the years that St. John’s has given us!
Blessings,
Billie & Noah McCardell
More Space Would Be Music to Our Ears
Every Tuesday, I take 15 minutes of my planning time to set up all of the chairs and music stands on the stage for our band rehearsals. Since the stage is used as the scoring table for athletic events, the stage must be cleared after my rehearsals. With the addition of a larger gym, the stage would be able to stay set up for rehearsals and performances, allowing me to use my planning time more efficiently. Also, the music room would move into one of the new larger classrooms. Currently, the music room is one of the smallest classrooms in the school. If the music room moves to one of the new classrooms, the larger space would allow instruments to remain set up for classroom activities. The addition of this learning space would be a blessing for many school children.
“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,
with the lyre and the sound of melody!
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord!”
~ Psalm 98: 4-6 (ESV)
Joyfully serving,
Esther Hesse
Music Teacher
Growth Brings Blessings and Challenges
I have been blessed to teach both Kindergarten and First grade classes at St. John’s for the past 13 years, and my family and I have been members since 2006. There has been amazing growth and changes over the years. St. John’s has been immensely blessed by God’s providence since the vision, planning, and building of the Early Childhood Center over a decade ago. The school’s student population continues to grow, and we have seen an increase in double-grades over the past few years. We have run out of space in our school building.
It was a blessing to spend 11 years in the school building, and two years ago, I moved from the school building to the upper floor of the ECC to accommodate the double 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades in the school, keeping those grades/teachers in close proximity. I appreciate the provision of an accommodated classroom in the ECC, yet it has its challenges.
I called it “moving from my house to my condo.” My current classroom is 630 square feet - half the size of the school’s Kindergarten classroom, and it was overcrowded during my first year there with 18 students in the tight space. This year, we reduced my class size by four to accommodate the much smaller classroom, therefore leaving the other kindergarten class in the school building with more students. I make a concerted effort to visit the school and collaborate as I can with my colleagues and grade level team - visiting their classrooms and checking in, but I miss not being able to be in proximity with my team when needs arise, on a daily basis.
I enjoy making connections with ECC staff and families, yet I miss making daily connections with school students and staff by passing them in the halls. My hope and prayer for St. John’s is for God’s will to be done in planning for the needs of our current and future generations of staff, students, and their families.
Joyfully serving,
Marcia Milam
Kindergarten Teacher
God Led and They Followed
Lisa and Dave St. Peter became members of St. John’s Church after they married and moved to West Bend. When their daughter, Rachel, was old enough to start kindergarten, Lisa thought she would go to the local public school. Both Lisa and Dave had attended public schools and finances at the time were tight. She didn’t think sending their daughter to St. John’s Elementary School would be an option for them. Her husband, Dave, had different plans. He thought Rachel should go to St. John’s.
After meeting with the school principal, they decided to enroll their daughter at St. John’s. Lisa said she will never forget that first year with Mrs. Wolf. “She was the quintessential kindergarten teacher. It was a fantastic experience,” she recalled. “If God wants you to do something, He will make it happen,” Lisa stated. When it came time for their son, Joe, to attend kindergarten he went to St. John’s too. In fact, the children stayed through 8th grade and then attended Living Word Lutheran High School. Lisa said she knows that God led Dave to choose St. John’s School.
The St. Peter’s were comforted knowing that their children were learning in a safe, loving, Christian environment and they were getting a great education. She said each year was like moving from one family to the next. They have fond memories of their children singing in the children’s choir, Joe performing in the musical, and both children competing in the basketball tournaments.
St. John’s school became a great way for Lisa and Dave to connect with other parents. Being a “room mom” kept Lisa in touch with other moms. Since both of their children were active in sports, selling concessions and going to games became social events. Eventually, they became more active at church too and their faith grew. Even though their children are now grown and have families of their own, Dave and Lisa continue to stay in touch with some of those friends. Plus, now two of their granddaughters attend kindergarten at St. John’s!
Why is Built on the Rock important to you? Lisa said, “Other people sacrificed to build St. John’s School and now it is our turn—for the next generation.”
View the Built on the Rock Educational Forum Video
What Is the Built on the Rock Ministry Expansion Campaign?
A lot of work has been done over the past 2+ years as we have looked at the next steps of the Campus Master Plan and what the needs are within our ministry campus. In recent months we have been discussing a new ministry expansion campaign called Built on the Rock. When it became clear that we may not be able to complete everything that was originally proposed as part of this campaign (Church, School, Faith Haven and the 6th Avenue properties), we received feedback from the congregation, and the overwhelming message was that we need to focus Built on the Rock towards the school expansion.
With the success of the completion of the new ECC building in 2013, the opportunities provided with School Choice, and the ever-shifting educational environment, the school enrollment has grown from 151 in 2013 to 268 today, a 77% increase. To support that growth, and the growth that will continue to funnel in from the ECC and the community, two classrooms are required for each grade, which could maximize student capacity at 324. School leaders and staff have done an incredible job utilizing every square inch of the school, but today we are out of room and need to act to foster an environment that the students and staff deserve. We are blessed to share the love of Christ with these children and the St. John’s Built on the Rock ministry expansion is focused on addressing this opportunity that God has provided.