Willowcreek's Little Chapel Hosts Mark Jeske, Church and Change Conference

WLC

Keynote Speakers

Pastor Mark Jeske

Time of Grace Ministry

Keynote: “It’s Time!”

Pastor Mark Jeske will speak on the theme of this year’s rally (“It’s Time”) which is based on Ecclesiastes 3:1-8: “There’s a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven.” God in his infinite wisdom and power fits everything into his eternal plan. We work hard as the Lord calls us but then we trust and leave the outcome to Him.

Pastor Jeske believes our times are in God’s hands. Since 2001, he has brought the Word of God to viewers of Time of Grace through weekly 30-minute television broadcasts on six continents to hundreds of thousands of viewers each week.

Pastor Jeske also serves St. Marcus Lutheran Church, an inner city church in Milwaukee, WI. He did not abandon the inner city when racial tensions caused urban flight to accelerate. Instead, with God’s help, he led the struggling church and its elementary school through those troubled times, not only keeping their doors from closing but also helping both to flourish.

He also recently authored a devotional book with a written message from God’s Word for each day of the year. The book? Time of Grace (Concordia Publishing House, 2010)

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1. “Faith & Reason”

   Rhodes Scholar Joe Jewell, currently a PhD candidate in Aeronautics at California Institute of Technology, will create discussion on the struggle and blessings of faith and reason in life and the world of academia. Think about Martin Luther’s comment: “Reason is both the devil’s bride and the good gift of God.” Joe is also a Sunday School teacher and member of the Board of Elders at St. Paul’s First Lutheran in North Hollywood, CA.

2. “The Importance of Friendship”

   Do you have friends who feel isolated and empty? Maybe you’ve felt that way in your life. It has been said, “If you want a friend, be one.” Pastor Nate Krause will lead a discussion on the importance of Christian community and learning the skill of friendship. Church and Change.

3. “Is There a Right Way to Worship?”

   Traditional, Contemporary, Blended? How unified does God demand our worship services to be? What’s Jesus’ view of worship? Bill Limmer, campus pastor at UW-Milwaukee, will lead this discussion. Church and Change, famous for plagiarizing a Hybels email while at St. Mark, Depere - Fox Valley.

4. “Be Relational”

   How do we build relationships so we can share the good news of Jesus? Pastor Jim “Ski” Skorzewski from The Core ministry in Appleton, WI will lead this biblical discussion of how to tell your friends the best news in the world! Church and Change board member.

5. “Understanding & Witnessing to Muslims”

   Dr. Erhard Opsahl, who has a doctorate from UW-Madison in medieval Islamic history and the Crusades, will present the historical background of our Muslim neighbors and compare their view of Jesus with Holy Scripture.

6. Christ-like Leadership: Shepherd or Sheep Dog?

   Longtime organizational consultant Kerwin Steffen has facilitated more than a dozen weekend Servant Leadership Retreats for UW-Madison students. In this fast-paced, interactive workshop designed especially for the rally, he will help you explore leadership from a fresh biblical perspective. You will take home new tools that can transform the way you lead—right now and for the rest of your life.

7. “Think Like Jesus – A Biblical Worldview”

   “What’s a worldview, and why should I care about it?” Think of a worldview as a set of basic assumptions that shape us and who we are. Today in America, there are a lot of worldviews that aren’t close to being Christian. Those worldviews are even hostile towards Christianity. This workshop will help us identify those differences and how to hold on to a Biblical worldview. Pastor Glenn Schwanke of Michigan Technological University (Houghton, MI) will lead the discussion.

8. “Leaving the Gay Lifestyle”

   In his article “Desperate for God” (Forward in Christ, May 2010), Scott Barefoot writes that “God’s promise of forgiveness is very real—for all of us.” Scott will explain why he left the gay lifestyle and what Jesus means to him.

9. “Straight Talk About Satan’s Traps”

   Maybe you have a friend with a drug/alcohol addiction or sexual struggles to stay chaste or maybe you are apathetic towards the life God gave you…search the Scriptures with Pastor Jon Bilitz, campus assistant at UW-Lacrosse and discover ways to overcome these traps.

10. “Helping the Helpless”

    Jeff Lang (2001-04 Wisconsin Badger football player who played with Heisman winner Ron Dayne) is a firefighter for the Milwaukee Fire Department as well as a servant of the Lord traveling the world helping people in need, like in Haiti and on the border of Thailand and Burma. Hear about his work (through a group called “Operation Rubicon”) helping people medically and spiritually with the good news of Jesus. See Galatians 6:10. WELS CARE will be at the Rally to present specific opportunities for similar services designed for students.

11. “Here I am, Send Me!”

    Learn ways you can exercise your faith and serve with disaster relief and humanitarian aid while sharing the love of Jesus with people in great need. Mark Vance, Director of Operations with the WELS CARE, will share heartwarming stories from past relief projects, including Haiti, and discuss ways you can get involved at home and around the world.

12. “What’s God’s Will for My Life?”

    How does God want me to use my skills? What major should I take? Should I get married? Baseball great Yogi Berra’s advice is: “When you come to a fork in the road, take it!” Campus pastor Charlie Vann from the U of South Florida, will give you biblical (and better) advice.

13. “Put Your Faith in Action”

    Hear about mission opportunities from WELS Kingdom Workers representatives Judy Eisenmann & John Wiederhold.

...Plus seven more workshops! Stay tuned…

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A Note from Pastor Trapp

We are delighted if you can be a part of our Chapel family.
At the Chapel we are learning what it means to be a follower of Jesus and to love one another as he loves us.
We hope you choose to visit us, whether you have questions about God, or about being a life-long follower of Jesus, or somewhere in between.

Our prayer is that you find the Chapel a place where you can meet new friends, have fun, and grow in your journey towards knowing God.

Thomas H.Trapp
Campus

Trapp had his Willowcreek Chapel listed as a member of the Willow Creek Association, just as Parlow and Kelm did.

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GJ - "It's Time" was the political slogan in the LCMS for replacing Kieschnick with Harrison, making me wonder if that makes it easier for dual-synod Jeske to give the same speech at whatever synod he visits.