Morning Star Ev. Lutheran Church & School

06/10/2026

These are important times in our church and we need YOUR input!

A Voters Call Meeting is scheduled for THIS Sunday, June 14th at 10:45am (immediately following the 9:30 service) to extend a call for a third pastor. All members of the congregation are invited and encouraged to attend!

We'll see you there!

06/09/2026

COME CELEBRATE A FAITHFUL SERVANT!

As many of you may know, Morning Star's Staff Minister, Mr. Tom Banaszak, will be retiring at the end of this month. We at Morning Star Lutheran Evangelical Church are grateful for his and his family's spiritual leadership and dedication. We congratulate him on his retirement from 40 years of Ministerial Service (1986-2026).

A Retirement Reception will be held Sunday, June 28, 2026, at 11am (following the late worship service) in the Gathering Area. Refreshments will be provided by the Family Nurture and Worship Boards. Please join us to congratulate them, share your favorite memories, enjoy fellowship, and wish Tom along with his family, God’s richest blessings on his retirement and their new adventures together.

06/09/2026

Happy Tuesday!

As God's children, we want nothing more than to daily live in His grace, showing gratitude and bringing glory to Him all the days of our lives. Our motet choir beautifully sang the following song ("O Breathe on Me, O Breath of God") this past weekend. Use the lyrics this week as you ask God to continue to guide you in His ways.

"O Breathe on me, O Breath of God,
Fill me with life anew,
That I may love the things you love,
And do what you would do.

O Breathe on me, O Breath of God,
Until my heart is pure;
Until my will is one with yours,
To do and to endure.

O Breathe on me, O Breath of God,
My will to yours incline,
Until this selfish part of me
Glows with your fire divine.

O Breathe on me, O Breath of God,
So I shall never die,
But live with you the perfect life
For all eternity."

06/08/2026

Most Christians (and perhaps even some non-Christians) know the story of Saul, turned Paul. Saul, an esteemed Pharisee and persecutors of Christians, appeared to be an extremely unlikely choice for God to use as a key person in spreading the Gospel. He stood watch as countless Christ-followers were stoned for their faith. He even went so far as to persecute Christians living in cities outside of Jerusalem. One could possibly even consider him one of the greatest opposers to Christianity in history.

The Bible tells us, however, that God had much bigger and better plans for Saul. Through a divine and miraculous intervention, God revealed himself to this persecutor, changed his name to Paul and guided him in advancing the Gospel throughout the entire region and beyond. God's grace and love transformed Paul. Shocking, isn't it?

And yet, isn't grace always shocking?

Perhaps our lives are not as dramatic as the apostle Paul's. We may not be blatantly opposing the advancement of God and His kingdom. However, our sins are just as numerous and just as serious. When we look in the mirror of God's Law, we cannot deny our sinful nature. We love loving ourselves. We believe the lies of the devil and give into temptation time and time again. We justify our actions by considering what we think about what we deserve.

Yet despite all of this, there is grace, mercy and love for us also which was poured out on us at our Baptism. We learn about this grace, mercy and love again and again through His Word. And we partake of the sacrifice made for us by Jesus on the cross when we come to the Lord's table in Holy Communion.

The same amazing grace which transformed Paul transforms us, too. The fact that God could love the apostle Paul, the chief of sinners (according to himself), reminds and assures us that there is no sin too big and no person too wretched to be saved and loved by God. This grace then flows through our lives and produces gratitude and thankfulness. As a result, we cannot help but share this greatest news with those who do not know so that they, too, may be transformed by the incredible love and forgiveness of God.

06/07/2026

Second Sunday after Pentecost 6/7/2026
Please fill out our online Friendship Register at https://bit.ly/3kpfej0
Second Sunday after Pentecost Worship at Morning Star Lutheran Church in Jackson, WI
Visit us at www.morningstarwels.org

06/06/2026

The Main Character Is God.
A Thought for the Week from Morning Star Lutheran Church in Jackson, Wisconsin.
Visit us at www.morningstarwels.org

06/05/2026

Coming up THIS WEEKEND (June 06/07) at Morning Star:

- Weekly Worship Service at 5pm on Saturday
- Weekly Worship Service at 8am and 9:30am

It's a relatively quiet weekend at Morning Star this week -- but don't leave Jesus out of your summer plans! We hope to see everyone there!

06/05/2026

Morning Star's very own Louisa Felgenhauer will be commissioned at this year's WELS Taste of Missions at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary on Saturday, June 13th! Louisa will be serving as the kindergarten teacher at Peridot-Our Savior’s Lutheran School on the San Carlos Apache Reservation in Arizona.

The WELS Taste of Missions event is a super fun day consisting of the commissioning of new missionaries and stay for the fellowship, ethnic food, and afternoon program on all things WELS Missions. Registration ends this coming Sunday, June 7th. Learn more and register today HERE >>> https://tasteofmissions.com/

Louisa Felgenhauer will be serving as the kindergarten teacher at Peridot-Our Savior’s Lutheran School on the San Carlos Apache Reservation in Arizona, where she looks forward to sharing the message of their Savior while reflecting Christ’s love in all she does.

Felgenhauer sees how the Lord’s guidance throughout her life has prepared her for service in a world mission field. She was born in Straubing, Germany, in June 2002. Shortly after, her family moved to Malawi, Africa, where she spent her early childhood. Her grade school years were marked by several international moves, living and attending school in Calgary, Canada; Zwickau, Germany; Watertown, Wis.; Malawi for a second time; and finally, St. George, Kan. She spent her freshman year of high school at Nebraska Lutheran High School before transferring to Luther Preparatory School, where she graduated in 2021. Her family lived in Lusaka, Zambia, during her high school years.

Felgenhauer attended Wisconsin Lutheran College and graduated in June 2026 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in elementary and special education. She is thankful for the opportunity to become immersed in a new culture once again as she begins her ministry in Peridot.

Join us for the commissioning of new missionaries and stay for the fellowship, ethnic food, and afternoon program on all things WELS Missions.

Learn more and register before June 7 at tasteofmissions.com/register.

06/04/2026

We'd love to hear from the women of Morning Star!

Thank you to all who have already completed the survey regarding the past year of Women's Ministry at Morning Star -- we've received some extremely helpful feedback already! If you haven't completed the survey yet (link, we ask that you do so by the end of the day tomorrow (Friday, June 5th) so that we can begin to discuss the results and begin our planning for the upcoming year. Thanks in advance for your attention to this and in helping us serve you better!

We are asking all women (Confirmation age and above) to complete the quick 5-minutes or less anonymous survey HERE >>> https://tinyurl.com/472n42pt

06/02/2026

This past weekend we had our Annual Worship in the Park service -- what beautiful weather we were blessed with! We also were extremely blessed to have the band "Unworthy" (which even contains a few Morning Star members!) lead our worship songs. One of these songs, "I Believe", had lyrics which went so well with the theme of our service. Use these lyrics as a prayer of praise throughout the coming week!

"From the beginning
You've been unchanging
Age to age, You stay
Constant, You remain
Every mystery, the questions I've carried
Are safe within Your will
So I trust You even still

I believe
You are who You say You are
You do what You say You'll do
You'll come through
You are always able
I believe You've already made a way
So I'm running through parted waves
Straight to You
You are always faithful

Jesus, You're for me
Holding me steady
Every word, every word You Speak
Is a promise that You keep
This firm foundation cannot be shaken
My God You never fail
Never once, You never will

I believe, yes, in the mighty name of Jesus, oh (I believe)
That on that cross Your blood was spilled
And by Your stripes I have been healed
And every promise You've fulfilled
I believe, I believe

That You rose again in victory
And that same power lives in me
I'm born again, I've been made free
I believe, I believe
That the gates of hell will not prevail
Your church is still alive and well
This gospel truth I live to tell
I believe, yes

That one day soon You'll split the sky
You're coming for a spotless bride
Until my faith has been made sight
I believe, I believe

And on that day when I've run my race
I'll finally see You face to face
And nothing then will separate
I believe, I believe

I'll join with every tribe and tongue
And bow before the Lamb of God
Singing Holy, Holy, Holy One
I believe, I believe"