Jeske Does Evangelism for LCMS

Pastor Mark Jeske 
Rev Jeske led an evangelism program at Good Shepherd on Saturday, January 29th. You may be interested in watching him in person on TV.  Pastor Mark Jeske:  Time of Grace, Sundays at 6:30 am on KDNL

Good Shepherd, Collinsville, Illinois 

A layman asks: WHY is a WELS pastor leading an evangelism program at a LCMS congregation?

This Gunn For Hire:Mene, Mene, Tekel, Awesome

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Top Gunn Shrinking":

Rumor also has it that WLC's campus pastor (Pastor Strobel) recently took a trip down to Crosswalk to find out what it was about. As apprehensive as he *claimed* he was before the visit, he sure did come away with a positive impression. He even described the experience as "Awesome".

I wonder if Strobel's trip down there was more than just a visit. Could have been a recruiting mission? Strobel has started a 'nontraditional' service at WLC on weeknights. Maybe they want to go into that new service with Gunns drawn.

A hopeful part of that rumor is that several of the theology faculty at WLC are strongly against the Babtist direction that *certain* individual's are following.

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GJ - Didn't the new WLC prez come from CrossWalk? Leviticus is clear about the dangers of inbreeding.

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "This Gunn For Hire:Mene, Mene, Tekel, Awesome":

The new WLC Prez DID come from Crosswalk.

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "This Gunn For Hire:Mene, Mene, Tekel, Awesome":

I see your crack research department is right on it again as usual. Johnson was principal at Arizona Lutheran Academy and was a member at Grace Glendale (WELS of course.
(sic - The crack teamleader of the Chicanery minders has not learned to use a second parenthesis.)

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GJ - Johnson probably had to be a member of Grace in Glendale because CrossWalk has never been a member of the Wisconsin Synod. I imagine that ALA required its principal to be a member of the WELS.

The post above asked whether Johnson was from CrossWalk, and that was confirmed. The language used suggests friendship with, affiliation with, cuddling with, but not necessarily membership in. We know Church and Chicaneries always tell the truth and never ShamWow their mistakes, don't we?

A typical Chicanery tactic is to argue a minor, irrelevant point to obscure the main issue. The WELS laity are is no longer falling for the scams.

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Troubling Signs at The CORE":

CORE provides an excellent case study in everything that is wrong with WELS. Unfortunately WELS finds it almost impossible to learn from their mistakes because in their minds they don't make any.

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GJ -
WLC Faculty Profiles are here. Mark Braun, on the theology faculty, wrote in FIC The Northwestern Lutheran about "Effective Church Growth Principles," turning the Parable of the Sower into a Fuller catechism - "We hamper the kingdom if we sow carelessly...." No retraction has been recorded. An unrepentant Mark Braun gave a sermon at the 2007 Church and Chicanery political convention.

If you haven't already read it, Mark Braun's article in the most recent issue of CHARIS (how's this for a flagrant act of self promotion?) talks about this tension. His quote from Koehler's "Gezetslich..." is especially to the point. I've attached the link to the online version of the article. (Source - Church and Chicanery listserve)

http://www.charis.wlc.edu/publications/charis_fall03/braun.pdf

Dr. John E. Bauer
Executive Director, CHARIS
Wisconsin Lutheran College

Bruce Becker's Anti-Biblical Question Echoes

Rim shots heard after each pulpit joke are an important addition.
Ba-da-bing!
Congregations of Influence in the WELS

Our own St. Matthew Church has been recognized as a "Congregation of Influence in the WELS." Thirty-four other congregations across the United States have also been recognized with this special honor. Recognition comes from two areas:

1) Consistent growth over the course of several years

2) High percentage of members in worship

Each congregation is asked to have as many members as possible respond to this question. "What factors beyond the power of the Gospel are prompting the growth of your congregation?"

Each response is to be around 300 words and all responders will be anonymous. If you are willing to serve in this capacity, please e-mail Pastor Enderle or send an e-mail to church@stmatthewsonline.org.

Church Dedication

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Read the pastor appreciation page.

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GJ - I just copy and paste. It's called kelming in Milwaukee. In Fox Valley, the pastors will say to the secretary, alternately, "Would you parlow this report?"

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Not Alone +++ PAS has left a new comment on your post "Bruce Becker's Anti-Biblical Question Echoes":

Skubalon!
Skubalon!!
Skubalon!!!

I checked the site and you weren't making this up!

"What factors beyond the power of the Gospel are prompting the growth of your congregation?"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

300 Words?!

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C and C Stormtrooper, after diversity training.

GJ - I do not make things up. Church and Chicaneries write my satire for me, even though they take themselves seriously.

The original question came from Bruce Becker, C and C Board Member, head of Perish Services, now a paid Mark Jeske Stormtrooper.

Some Elementary Ejukashun About Counting Lenten Days

High church beach ministry:
the trash can base of the altar is covered with a green plastic bag
to add dignity to the scene.
Apparently designer sunglasses were also worn.

The 40 days of Lent are counted from Ash Wednesday until Easter. In fact, Ash Wednesday was invented to make the days add up to 40.

The 40 days are an obvious parallel to Jesus' temptation, which is the Gospel lesson for Invocabit, The First Sunday in Lent. Some of us have retained the Latin names, just as the Irish once preserved our ancient classical heritage. See How the Irish Saved Civilization.

The Sundays are not counted as Lenten days, but they are Sundays in Lent. If it is not really Lent on Sunday, someone will have to explain why the paraments are purple.

If Rock and Roll Lutheran were high church, the bandannas for the Praise Band would be purple during Lent. And the Lil Rockers would wear purple pull-ups.

Resignation of Bruce Becker, WELS Perish Services

Bruce Becker, former head of Perish Services,
board member of Church and Chicanery.

Conference 09
Nov 5th - 7th
Wyndham Milwaukee Airport Hotel and Convention Center

C&C events are a great place to network with people who have similar ministries, situations and problems. Come, learn and benefit from everyone's experience!


More information is coming soon! [March 2nd - Still no world on Stetzer as the speaker]

WELS Call List:

Resigned call

Becker, Rev Bruce H Board for Parish Ser - Milwaukee WI 03/15/2009

But re-signed at Time of Grace.


Mark Jeske had two employees on the board of Church and Chicanery, but lobbed Ski to A-Town. Now he has two employees on the board again.

"1,000 hits on our website, but where are they now?"

Over 1,000 hits on our website just last week! Thanks to everyone who made that possible. We are on the google map.
about 4 hours ago from TweetDeck
[GJ - Ichabod made it possible, but Ski refuses to be my friend on Facebook. Is that reaching out?]

From the pricey executive assistant:

looking back through "unChrisrtian" (sic) and this made me stop & think: "we have become famous for what we oppose, rather than who we are for"
about 7 hours ago from TweetDeck.

@thompsonworld yeah, pretty sad isn't it? but what are we doing to fix it? God's Word is powerful but we sure do a lot to keep ppl from it
about 17 hours ago from Tweetie in reply to thompsonworld [GJ - Rejecting the efficacy of God's Word is one of the best ways to keep people from it.]

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GJ - Church and Change was begun to oppose the Confessions, good spelling and grammar. Bailing Water comment: "Oh, and before anyone accuses me of slander for calling Becker a heretic, please remember that he just initiated a study to find find out what 'besides the Means of Grace' causes congregations to grow. That's heresy."

A School for Gunn with My Tax Dollars: When Private Grants Are Not Enough

Brought to you by your friends at Church and Change, changing your synod with your offering dollars...plus some loot from foundations and Thrivent on the side.

http://www.eagleprep.org/

Click on a name to read that staff member's Bio.

Administration

Paul Kremer
Founding Executive Director

Michelle Forbes
Dean of Students

Dr. Wendy Noble
Principal

Michelle Meyer
Office Manager

Stephanie Hansen
Director of Special Education

Teaching & Support Staff

Kindergarten
Ecaterina Avelar
Elizabeth Flores, Teacher
Maura-Lynne Coffey, Teacher

1st Grade
Ariel Elgar, Teacher
Edith Kastenschmidt, Teacher

2nd Grade
Kristi Sebald, Teacher

3rd Grade
Marygrace Barber, Teacher
Glenna Steiner, Teacher

Music / Physical Education
Melissa Van Hofwegen

Instructional Aides
Susan Law
Judy Simpkinson
Brenda Grams

Before & After Care Director
Chrissy Swearingen



Founding Governing Board Members

Jeff Gunn, Chairperson
Harry Tolliver
Dr. Mary White
Claudina Douglas


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Here is Hope in Milwaukee. Another acronym. It is difficult to find any Lutheran connections, so it sounds like a Jeske operation.

DP = Dog-matic President

A WELS Layman Discerns the Obvious

Luther at the Diet of Worms.


Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "CORE Ignores the Obvious":

As a WELS layman whose eyes were opened through Ichabod to this apostasy only a month ago, let me ask if this is a proper summation of the CORE matter:


CORE says "Christ is at the CORE of everything* we do."

Footnote:
* Except:
a) they don't trust in the efficacy of the Word alone;

"Therefore you had better not boast much about the Spirit if you do not have the visible, external Word; for it will surely not be a good spirit but the wretched devil from hell. The Holy Spirit has embodied His wisdom and counsel and all mysteries of the Word and revealed them in Scripture and ****so no one needs to excuse himself or took and search for anything else."*** [emphasis mine in Luther's sermon words]

b) they provide false testimony about WELS beliefs by openly attending religious training with those that we would not even permit to sup with us at Holy Communion;

c) "Church and Change" scrambles to find ways to augment church worship experience and slick them up, instead of holding dear to the Theology of the Cross and the orderly worship of our forefathers.

d) The longer we lay-leaders let SkiCOREski prance in the Fox Valley without running him out of town pelting him with dog sh*t, the more wrath we'll face from our fellow WELS congregants when their eyes are opened, not to forget the double-edged sword of Christ Almighty Himself;

e) WELS doesn't have the money for such nonsense;

f) we must be on guard in our own congregations for pastors trying to water down liturgical worship, especially in the loosey-goosey Northern Wisconsin district (see the "Rite Worship for Outreach" Bible Study/presentation from the 2008 District convention; even Pastor Schroeder's research showed "contemporary worship" was the bottom of the list of things the unchurched were looking for);

g) I'm now on double-secret probation from the Church & Chicanery cabal for violating Matthew 18, because I didn't first sit down with Ski, hold his hand, and politely explain and itemize this pastors (sic) apostasy to his own satisfaction.


I submit in Love, not Fear, (1 John 4)
Your reader,
Diet O. Worms

"For Satan needs do no more through the enthusiasts than always produce doubt. He thinks it is enough where he can speak haughtily and contemptuously about us, as the rebel sacramentarians do. None of them take pains to make clear and to prove their arrogance, but their concern is to make our interpretations contemptible and uncertain. They teach doubt, not faith... The devil knows he can accomplish nothing in the bright light of truth, so he stirs up the dust, hoping to raise a cloud before our eyes so that we cannot see the light. In the cloud he dazzles us with will o' the wisps to mislead us. Having made up their minds concerning their peculiar notions, they attempt to make the Scriptures agree with them by dragging passages in by the hair. But Christ has faithfully stood by our side up to this point and will continue to trod Satan under our foot. He will protect you all against the seductions of your tyrant and Antichrist and mercifully help us to gain his freedom. Amen." Martin Luther, "A Letter of Martin Luther to Two Pastors"


"From now on, Diet, you are on double secret-probation!"

Church Solutions - Feel the Hype?

"Double frapachino caramel mocha de-caff double shot? Aww-right!"

Wisc. Movie Theater to Become Church – Permanently

02/12/2009

The former home of the Big Picture movie theater in downtown Appleton, Wisc., is the new branch home of Freedom, Wisc.-based St. Peter Lutheran Church.

Pastor Jim Skorzewski is starting up The Core, a new ministry of the church aimed at 19-to-35 year olds. The movie theater they have purchased has an IMAX screen, which Skorzewski can’t wait to use. In that room, the church will construct a 30-foot by 90-foot performance platform.

The former concession stands will be turned into coffee lounges and cafes with free WiFi.

The official opening is April 19, but the services have started already, meeting at 5:30 p.m. Sunday evenings.

Source:

WWLP.com: Big movie theater to turn into church

Related Content:

Movie Theater Churches Consider Staying Put

Willow Creek Began in Movie Theater

CORE Ignores the Obvious

The Obvious - Fellowship with the Babtists, who oppose infant baptism and baptismal regeneration as Romanism.

The Obvious - Ski bragging about skipping Deutschlander for Stanley.

The CORE website:


For all who may read this, fans and critics alike, we’re not going to try and “sell” you on anything or try to convince you to see things from our perspective. However, we do feel we need to clarify our stance on some things as there are far too many incorrect assumptions out there. And, since we cannot force people to put the best construction on our actions all we can do is make it very clear what we at The CORE believe and if people want to skew that or twist it then so be it.

Let’s start with this: We DO NOT believe there is anything inherently wrong with traditional worship. We are not saying that everyone has to worship the way we plan to. For some, an organ and a traditional worship space are wonderful. For others, however, that fails to connect with where they are at in their spiritual walk of faith. Would you force a mission congregation in the middle of Africa to worship in a traditional worship space with a pipe organ? We highly doubt it. You would allow them to make their culture a part of how they do corporate worship. Why then is it any different here? We will do worship with screens and a band because we believe there are thousands of Lost souls who need Jesus and that more modern music is a way to engage them so that we are able to share the Gospel with them.

If you have ever been to one of our worship services you know that the Law and Gospel are very clearly presented. There is no sugar coating or watering down the Word. Ski’s sermons slap you in the face with your sin and also offer you God’s grace and forgiveness through his Son’s death on the cross. We will regularly celebrate the Lord’s Supper together at an altar of sorts even if it may not look like the altar you have in your church and Lord willing will celebrate many baptisms at a baptismal font that also may not look like the one you have in your church. We don’t believe the early Christian’s worshiped with an organ in a building with pews, an altar, a baptismal font, and stained glass windows. Would you still call what they did worship? We certainly would.

Numbers in and of themselves do not equal success. But the fact that numbers represent souls who heard the Gospel at any given service? Now in that regard, they do represent success. Even if the only ones present were ourselves, the Law and Gospel preached in their truth and purity equals success. Can we do anything to add to that Law and Gospel? Most certainly not. However, we CAN do and often actually do a ton to distract people from the truth of God’s Word. Our unkind words and actions towards our fellow believers is a prime example of that.

We love that critics conveniently overlook the fact that we say over and over again “Christ is at the core of everything we do as a church.” That’s pretty hard to criticize now, isn’t it? If you are skeptical of what we do, we don’t blame you. However, before you criticize, all we ask is that come to a service and see for yourself what it is that we do. See that the Law and Gospel are preached; that we don’t have to compromise our beliefs in any way to reach people in a different way.

“Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.’” Acts 5:38-39

Janinne Skorzewski at 3:10pm February 21
Well said!

Pamela Plamann at 7:18am February 22
A BIG thank you to The Core for reaching out to those that are in dyer (sic) need of having Christ in their lives.


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Keep an eye on: The Big Picture
February 21, 2009

What's the issue: The state's only large-format theater closed its doors Oct. 15 after 19 months of operation.

The Big Picture Theater of Adventure and Discovery began operations at 215 E. Washington St. on March 19, 2005.

In an interview with The Post-Crescent, co-owner Jim Bork, president of Big Picture Concepts, said low attendance led to the closure, which put 13 employees out of work.

The building is for sale.

Why is it important: The $5.1 million, 300-seat theater opened showing educational films such as "Lewis & Clark: Great Journey West."

The top adult ticket price was $8.50. It was later reduced to $7.50.

In September, the theater played host to a Star Trek convention, showing films like "Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan."

The local Wildwood Film Festival held its fifth annual event at The Big Picture in April.

The theater, which boasts a screen 80 feet wide and 60 feet tall, closed after a well-received foreign film festival.

The city had deeded the property, formerly occupied by a printing company, to Bork and co-owners Chuck and Donna Barnum with a promise the owners would repay a city investment in the property.

The city improved the property years before the theater project was proposed.

Bork told The Post-Crescent attendance was less than half of the 200,000 to 250,000 the theater needed annually to meet financial obligations.

By August 2006, the theater was $4 million in debt, including $1.6 million owed to the city of Appleton.

The theater made one partial payment of $74,724.46 on that debt. In its developer's agreement with the city, the theater was responsible for 14 annual installments in $118,400.

The city has not foreclosed on the property.

— By Steve Wideman

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Big Picture Could See Big Regional Draw
Marketplace , Jan 25, 2005 by Lebrun, Margaret
EmailPrint
Jim Bork and partner Chuck Barnum are after a "wow" factor when they open The Big Picture Theater of Adventure & Discovery in downtown Appleton in March. The state's second large-format film theater boasts an 80-foot wide and 6-story high screen and seating for about 300.

Under construction since last fall, the 19,000-square-foot, $51 million project has been a dream of Bork's for years. He recalls seeing largeformat films in larger cities across the country and being wowed" by the experience.

"I remember thinking that would play well in this area," says Bork, who spent 25 years with Aid Association for Lutherans (now Thrivent) and the last seven years teaching business and social sciences at Fox-Valley Technical College. "The films are family friendly and they have a little educational value. This is a family area, and we're anticipating success here."

Bork and Barnum, who owned an Appleton nursing home, bought the 215 E. Washington St. site from the city of Appleton with a tax incremental financing arrangement.

The Big Picture's executive director, Ed Bisaillon, played a big role in bringing the Humphrey IMAX to Milwaukee in 1998. Bisaillon has also been involved in large-format theaters in Nebraska, Illinois and Ohio. In Hastings, Nebraska, the museum he directed more than quadrupled its annual 50,000 attendance when it added a large-format movie screen. He expects Appleton's theater to draw 250,000 a year.

"The fact that one of these large-format theaters is coming to Northeast Wisconsin is a real feather in the cap of the area," Bisaillon says.


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Big Picture’s name is no exaggeration




By Stefanie Scott


Walking into the lobby of The Big Picture Theater of Adventure & Discovery, the smell of buttery popcorn hits the senses and makes the stomach rumble.

From the framed movie posters on the wall to the box office where tickets are sold, it seems like a typical day at the movies.

But once patrons make their way into the theater portion of the facility, they immediately realize they’re not entering the local Cineplex. The immense movie screen hovers before them measuring 80 feet wide and six stories tall.

“It was just huge,” said Dvin Kohls, 10, of Winneconne, who recently viewed “Everest,” a dramatic true story of climbers who tried to make it to the summit of the magnificent mountain. “The whole thing was just great. If I had the chance, I’d come back all the time.”

Kohls and his buddies said they never expected the film to be so exciting, but that the action and special effects rival that of summer blockbuster movies.

The Big Picture, 215 E. Washington St., downtown Appleton, opened its doors in March providing family-friendly, non-violent films about science, nature and history.

“I was the dreamer behind this,” said Jim Bork, one of The Big Picture owners. “For many years, I wanted to bring this to the Fox Cities. The facility couldn’t have turned out better.”

The screen size and sound system create an immersive experience extending beyond the field of vision so viewers feel like they’re part of the film.

Doug Nelson and son Cody, 10, definitely felt like they had been transported from the streets of Appleton to the Himalayan mountains.

“When the woman slid down the rope and started spinning, I felt like I was spinning,” said the younger Nelson.

His father recalls a collective sigh from the audience as the picture panned over the steep cliffs.

In fact, the overwhelming quiet spoke volumes to the father who knows that kids only remain silent when they’re truly captivated.

“It was exciting because you never knew what was going to happen next,” Cody said.

Keeping with a complete theater experience, co-owner Chuck Barnum gets groups together to take a picture before the film. He climbs high on a ladder and gets a bird eye view for the visitors to take home as a memento, he said.

“When the kids leave, they always say they’ll be back,” Barnum said. “My motivation for being a part of this is to provide an exceptional experience and when they say that, I know we’re connecting.”

The theater shows three different large-format documentary films throughout the day. In addition to “Everest,” The Big Picture currently presents one or two other large-format movies.

A new film will replace an existing one every month and a half. “Speed,” a film about the human drive to go faster will debut in summer 2005. Shows typically last an hour, with seven showings daily.

The owners like to gauge audience reaction to the films. “In the pre-show, when they see some of the special effect, they’re just like ‘Wow,’ with their mouths hanging open – that’s really rewarding,” Bork said.

Theater management likens their films to programming seen on the Discovery and National Geographic channels. Topics for large-format films range from ocean creatures to car racing, many often crated in a first-person perspective.

“It gives kids a chance to experience history rather than just read it out of a textbook,” Bork said.

The local owners invested $5.1 million to make The Big Picture the second large-format theater in Wisconsin. While the Milwaukee Public Museum operates an IMAX system, the Appleton theater uses German-made Kinoton product.

The theater uses special, large film called 8/70 – a single frame measures four times larger than standard 35 mm and captures more details and boasts clarity, vivid detail and realism.

A 7,000-watt projector lamp brings brightness to the production. The system proves 3-D capable, a technology that filmmakers say they will be making more use of in the future.

Clear, crisp sound effects emit from the digital Dolby sound system.

Every one of the 298 roomy seats have been carefully arranged to ensure an obstructed view. Customers always get the best seat in the house.

The Big Picture has already received tremendous response from school and other youth groups. Now they hope the summer will bring more family outings and tourists.

“We really want to appeal to the family market,” Bork said. “This is the type of place grandparents, parents and kids can enjoy together.”

Sally Korn was excited to hear about the new facility because she had taken her three kids – ranging in age from 11 to 18 – to several similar theaters around the Midwest.

“We’ve always enjoyed these movies,” she said. “We’ve been going since the youngest was 3 years old.”

In addition to the exciting, edu-tainment that The Big Picture has already been showing, the management hopes to mix it up a bit this summer with a few classic Hollywood titles.

While the theater stands out for its ability to show large-format films, it can also present 5/70 film, the format in which many early Hollywood movies was shot. Although no specific titles have been chosen, Bork says “How the West was Won,” “2001 Space Odyssey” and “Sound of Music,” are just a few of the well-known films created in this format.

“We’re not interested in competing with area cinemas or making a steady diet of these movies, but we want to expose people to what’s available,” Bork said.

The facility offers assistive listening devices and wheelchair spaces with companion sitting on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Patrons should arrive about 20 minutes before a showing to ensure a seat. Refreshments such as popcorn, nachos, candy and soda are sold at the lobby concession stand.

The gift shop sells souvenirs from books to stuffed animals with an educational focus. DVDs of some of the other large format documentaries are available in the shop.

Tickets available online at www.bigpicturetheater.com or by phone at (920) 731-7700. The box office is open noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Prices are $8.50 for ages 12 to 59, $7.50 for 60 and older, $6.50 for children ages 3 to 11. Matinees offer a 50 cent discount. Stay for additional films for $4.50 each. Children under 3 should sit on the lap of parent.


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GJ - The Appleton area already has a surplus of WELS congregations, and many in the area are not happy with this new development.

It would be interesting to see the budget and who is paying the bills. A building that large is an energy hog, even before the 20 Sub-Woofers Behind That Screen! are fired up.

Bankrupt Theatre a Stage for WELS Emergent Church

Ski, now known as Pastor Jim, prepared to start a WELS mission by skipping Deutschlander's WELS presentation for Andy Stanley's Babtist presentation. That has been a WELS tradition for decades - learn missions from the false teachers
who hate Lutheran doctrine and worship.
Hasn't that worked just great?

"We can fill this space if we keep having three-hour parties."

Logo for webpage.

Here is the link, where clicking on the little camera will open up the video report.

Downtown Appleton Theater Gets New Lease on Life

Updated: Feb 21, 2009 08:46 AM MST

Big Picture's New Lease on Life

By Matt Smith

An empty building in downtown Appleton sees life once again.

The Big Picture Theatre, which almost instantly failed several years ago. For nearly two-and-a-half years it sat empty, leaving the city unable to collect tax revenue on the property.

It lost about $3 million in its property valuation and cost the city $48,000 in potential tax revenue but now it breathes new life.

Pastor Jim has a big mission for the movie theater-turned-church. It's called The Core, an outreach of St. Peter Lutheran Church in Appleton.

Three weeks in the building, it finds 100 people coming each Sunday night -- and the official launch doesn't begin until this weekend on the World Wide Web.

"I see this space, we view it very much as a community space, so we'd love to have people in and out of our building," Pastor Jim Skorzewski said.

The church signed a one-year lease for the building. It doesn't change much for the city since it's still technically on the market.

"Where will we be at a year from now? I wish I could tell you. Is it going to be just the right size? Is it going to be too big? Too small? I don't know," Skorzewski said.

For the city this could become somewhat of a Catch-22. One one hand, it's great that a building this size downtown is occupied. On the other hand, if the church decides to buy the building it becomes a non-profit, meaning the city couldn't collect any tax revenues.

But arguably the city could see a much greater impact. The argument: Bring more people to The Core and you bring more people downtown.

Jennifer Stephany of Appleton Downtown Inc. said, "That's exactly what you need in the central district, certainly at a time we're trying to bring more people into the district, and that kind of foot traffic is going to be good for everybody."

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GJ - Get a bankrupt property to start something new in WELS - when was that last tried? I remember - Prairie, the prep school property created from a failed Roman Catholic prep school. Prairie is now a prison, giving new meaning to the question, "When did you get out?"

WELS is much better at turning their property over to non-Lutherans - the Coral Springs church in Florida, run into the ground by Church Growth superstars, now Roman Catholic; Crossroads in S. Lyons, Michigan, now Evangelical Covenant. If memory serves me, some of the same CG scoundrels were involved in both disasters.

Church and Change Takes Off the Mask, Reveals the Slavering Fangs

Anonymouse has left a new comment on your post "The Ichaslang Lexicon":

I think that you should be angrier, more negative. I love the way that you quote Luther as if he were God. Do you have any scripture quoted in here? You talk about growth as if it were a plague - fine, go ahead and ignore it, and 20 minutes after you start moldering in your grave (something everyone can celebrate) - the last Lutheran can turn out the lights.

You are so dim. It's about saving people by preaching Christ and him crucified. The word can go out in so many ways. It is his message, not the methods - you worship the methods, not the message. It's about changing lives through the Gospel, not about keeping sad old traditions alive. It doesn't have to come from a pulpit, with organ music droning in the background with lifeless stiffs mouthing the words from their comas. Get real.

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GJ - I hope the innocents see the real spirit of Church and Change in this comment.

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Some Scripture for Mouse, via Brett Meyer:

2 Peter 2:12-22, "But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption; And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you; Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet. These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire."

1 Peter 3:12-17, "For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ. For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing."

Jude 1:10, "But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves."

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Church and Change Takes Off the Mask, Reveals the ...":

"It doesn't have to come from a pulpit, with organ music droning in the background with lifeless stiffs mouthing the words from their comas. Get real." And yet "it is his message, not the methods." Such logical inconsistency! If the method supposedly doesn't matter, why such disdain for historically tried and true methods, which are centered on "his message" (better said, the Word of God)? It reminds me of postmodernism - there is no absolute truth... but if you don't believe that, you're wrong.

It is just the same pattern of upheaval as always: tolerance, acceptance, dominance, oppression. First they sought "only tolerance" of their false ways, but then they wanted acceptance on an equal footing. And now, apparently, they have both an attitude of dominance and even the gall to oppress God-centered worship. Hopefully it is just the conceited attitudes and oppression of some and not the reality among the church at large.

-K

Yes, I Joined Facebook

One of my courses for journalism is advanced digital media, and that includes social networking, for example - Facebook, LinkedIn.

Facebook uses software to connect people with common interests (work, school, hobbies) and makes it easy for them to share links, photos, messages. Facebook's policy is: "We own everything you give us." For those who value privacy, that is a real downer.

LinkedIn is another approach, which is far more left-brain (logical, text-oriented) and is often used for professional networking for jobs. I keep track of some people because of their LinkedIn updates. Academics can keep track of professionals who move and get job referrals that way. With online teaching, distance is no barrier to income, but time and eyestrain are.

Both approaches use the email directory to identify friends. I found out about where some relatives were, since it takes so much effort for them to send an email.

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Anonymouse has left a new comment on your post "Yes, I Joined Facebook":

No wonder you get things so back asswards, Greg. The right brain is the logical reasoning side. The left is the creative freeform side of the brain. This has been well accepted in our society.

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From the Herald Sun, and many other sources:

LEFT BRAIN FUNCTIONS
uses logic
detail oriented
facts rule
words and language
present and past
math and science
can comprehend
knowing
acknowledges
order/pattern perception
knows object name
reality based
forms strategies
practical
safe

RIGHT BRAIN FUNCTIONS
uses feeling
"big picture" oriented
imagination rules
symbols and images
present and future
philosophy & religion
can "get it" (i.e. meaning)
believes
appreciates
spatial perception
knows object function
fantasy based
presents possibilities
impetuous
risk taking

***

GJ - That is why I get the big bucks for teaching. I can keep the two straight, unlike Anonymouse, who is letting his disturbed nature show through in his use of foul language. Crude words may seem eloquent at Hooters, but not in print. I thought they taught better at DeVry. Here is how to keep it straight: l or left is for logical. R or right is for r-tistic.

The CORE on Facebook

"Performance stage, rock band, popcorn, gourmet coffee, Danish.
What am I forgetting?"

WORSHIP AT 5:30PM and then PARTY from 6PM - 9PM

Join us for the unveiling of The CORE website. There will be lots of food, a brief presentation to highlight the functions of the website, and stand up comedy entertainment. This is a night at The CORE you will not want to miss. Everyone is welcome so spread the word and bring a friend.

Follow the CORE on Facebook.


The CORE (http://www.gotocore.com/) updated their profile. They changed the following: Phone and Location.

First of all, a huge "thank you" to everyone who came out tonight for the first worship service at The CORE. We will continue holding worship on Sunday nights at 5:30. Worship right now consists mainly of a sermon and prayers. We will add the band on April 19th.

http://www.gotocore.com/
http://www.twitter.com/gotocore
General Information: The CORE exists to transform lives for Christ through faith that is real, relevant, and relational. We are a WELS church in Appleton that loves the city of Appleton but recognizes it is sick with sin. We strive to live as a city within that city in order to transform the city for Jesus. We love Him, and we want to show His love to others.

Fox 11 video.

February 2nd: Big shout out to all who came and helped out tonight. I'd say 35+ isn't bad for our first "event." Thank you for your time and service.

January 29th: that is indeed the old IMAX theatre:) what better use for a failed business than a church, right?

From the website:

core (n): (1) the central, innermost, or most essential part of anything; (2) the deep and superficial muscles that stabilize, align, and move the trunk of the body

We now have a presence on Facebook - follow the progress or just say hi, click here to check us out on Facebook.

Services are being held at 5:30 on Sundays - we'd love to see you!

Join us for the website launch party - Its February 22nd at 5:30 pm at The CORE. [GJ - Their worship time - when most congregations launch their websites. Commune with the Internet.]


You may be asking yourself, The CORE? What kind of a name is that for a church? The idea behind it is simply that Christ will be at the core of everything we do as a church and ought to be at the core of everything we do in our day to day lives as Christians here on earth. At The CORE we will focus on strengthening our most important core - that is our spiritual one.

At The CORE we strive to connect people in a personal, intimate, and lifelong relationship with their Savior. We will do that through worship that is relevant as well as through small groups where Christians can be real and relational, and live their faith together to bring others into a relationship with their Savior. Our goal is to create an environment where people can connect on a personal level with their Savior and other Christians.

We are opening soon! For more information please contact us at: info@gotocore.com
Or call Katie at: 920-540-5298.

Jim Buske (fellow worshiper at Andy Stanley's Babtist conference) and Matt Doebler (Rock and Roll Church) are fans. What a surprise. Tim Glende is listed.

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "The CORE on Facebook":

The band is coming April 19th. When will the Lord's Supper make an appearance?

A half hour "worship service" followed by a three hour party. Do we really need to know more?

Oh, wait, just in case we did: success of the first night measured in...(drumroll, please)...NUMBERS.

The Big Picture - with CORE

Another innovation: Long-time friend--since MLS--Tim Glende issued Ski the call. Since when do individuals issue calls?


APPLETON — There will be a new focus for the former Big Picture Theater of Adventure and Discovery.

A one-year lease was signed Feb. 3 to turn the large format theater, which has been closed for more than two years, into The Core, an outreach ministry of St. Peter Lutheran Church in Freedom.

The daughter congregation will target the 18-to-35-year-old demographic, said the Rev. Jim "Ski" Skorzewski, who will pastor the 300-seat (plus handicapped seating) church.

The Core's vision is to become a city within the city, Skorzewski said.

"In the same way we've been transformed by Jesus, then our responsibility and opportunity is to share that Gospel message that transforms lives," he said. "We're going to start very small like a township and our goal is to grow into a city that affects the city for our Savior Jesus."

More than 100 people turned out for an impromptu service and Bible study Sunday.

The $5.1 million Big Picture opened in March 2005. It closed in October 2006 and has remained vacant since.

In August, Skorzewski, formerly with St. Marcus Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, received a call from St. Peter's pastor, the Rev. Tim Glende, to start the new ministry. Skorzewski and a friend had began working on a new model for starting a church a year ago targeting two areas in the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod: Oconomowoc and Appleton.

"A year later I got a call from both places the same night four minutes apart to do almost the exact same thing," Skorzewski said. "My philosophy has been if we're going to go after and target the 18-to-35-year-old age group you need to be downtown."

Once interior modifications are made to the theater — such as shrinking the size of the 80-by-60-foot screen using curtains and installing a performance platform, The Core hopes to launch its first service April 19. A Web site launching party is planned Feb. 22.

"It's an exciting time for our congregation and also for this daughter congregation," Glende said.

"Our tag line is real, relevant, relational," said Skorzewski. "We're going to be a pretty non-churchy church. It will be the more reverent irreverent service you've been to. … We're going to do something I haven't seen done in the Valley, so to speak. …So often churches become 'I have to,' not 'I get to.'"

***

GJ - Would CORE be a clone of what Ski and Parlow drooled over in Atlanta - the Emergent Church, multi-screen, Rock and Roll Babtist Northpoint Community (sic) Church?

Read your publishing house's books, Ski and Glende. Deutschlander calls this kind of mission "whoopee worship."

Your Daily Mouse Attack

"I love Rock and Roll,
Put another grant in the off'ring plate, baby."

Anonymouse has left a new comment on your post "What Would Luther Buy?NPH Sale Only Through Saturd...":

Well, I suppose that commenter has a point in that you get up day after day not taking people's words and actions in the kindest possible way, but rather you slander against others telling lies or truths for some sick pleasure that you assure yourself at the end of the day is right and just and that God will pat you on the back for it. (sic: run-on sentence) But do as you please, you will answer to God for it on the last day.

***

GJ - The post above reminds me of an email from the daughter of a WELS Church Growth guru. After calling me every name in the book, she added, "You are unloving and violate the Eighth Commandment." But at least she identified herself and signed her email.

Bayification - "Twenty sub-woofers!"

Louder, dumber, with more visual tricks and less logic. It's not just in Emerging Churches of WELS and Missouri.

It is actually a new movie term: Bayification.

James Huebner, Trained at Fuller Seminary:2nd Vice President of the Wisconsin Synod

James Huebner: The congregation has been doubly blessed because of his expertise as a church consultant. They also support him in his synodical positions as Vice President of the Southeastern Wisconsin District and Chairman of the WELS Commission on Evangelism. Grace

But say it I must, say it I must:

You have the cool, clear

Eyes of a seeker of wisdom and truth;

Yet there's that upturned chin

And that grin of impetuous youth.

Oh, I believe in you.

I believe in you.

I hear the sound of good, solid judgment

Whenever you talk;

Yet there's the bold, brave spring of the tiger

That quickens your walk.

Oh, I believe in you.

I believe in you.

And when my faith in my fellow man

All but falls apart,

I've but to feel your hand grasping mine

And I take heart; I take heart

To see the cool, clear

Eyes of a seeker of wisdom and truth;

Yet, with the slam-bang tang

Reminiscent of gin and vermouth.

Oh, I believe in you.

I believe in you.

(Sung to the mirror in How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, a musical made from a satirical book of the same name. The author retired.)

Yes, But Theology - From Paul Kelm's Playbook

"'Church growth.' I've seen people cringe when they hear those words. I think I know why. They react negatively because they feel 'church growth' implies an obsessive fixation with numbers and statistics."
Pastor James Huebner, Spiritual Renewal Consultant, Notebook, School of Outreach IV, Seventeen Ways to Keep Your Church from Growing, p. 178. ["In 1982 Pastor James Huebner became the eighth pastor in the 150-year history of Grace Church. Since then the membership has more than doubled..."]

"We can't do a thing to make his Word more effective. But surely we can detract from its effectiveness by careless errors and poor judgment. It just makes good sense to utilize all of our God-given talents, to scour the field for appropriate ideas, concepts, and material (sic), to implement programs, methods, and techniques so that we do not detract from the effectiveness of the gospel we proclaim. Church growth articles, books, seminars, and conferences can offer such ideas and programs."
Pastor James Huebner, Spiritual Renewal Consultant, Notebook, School of Outreach IV, Seventeen Ways to Keep Your Church from Growing, p. 178.

Sadly, this is another WELS leader who is not "apt to teach." He scorns the efficacy of the Word alone. He is a unionist who sings the praises of Fuller's doctrine. He might have said we detract from the Word when we teach false doctrine, but they might have wounded a few toes, including his own. These galoots are all elected, Ichabodians. Some voters at convention must have developed a taste for Deformed theology during their formative years.

***

GJ - Huebner told me an interesting story about his first call. He said, "Tiefel thought he was getting Grace, but I said - No - I am getting Grace." Tiefel was the only professor at The Sausage Factory to worship away from the Mequon/Thiensville congregation. He is reported to have said about traditional liturgical worship at Lindloff's church - "I can't worship there." So now we know why the feminist hymnal was so bad.
The last I heard, Tiefel attended Grace.

Joe Krohn Blog Stats

Joe must be there somewhere. This is posted as his photo.

Name: An Apology for a 'Rock and Roll' Lutheran Church

Six posts in 2009.

Sixteen in 2008.

Followers - only two: Tim Felt-Needs and Ichabod.

Joe Krohn
I am a member of Christ the Rock in Round Rock, Texas and part of the worship team. I started this blog to temper the legalistic opinion of some of our brothers and sisters in our Lutheran fellowship.

[GJ - Legalism is the charge made by David Valleskey against anyone who criticizes the Church Growth Movement of his alma mater, Fuller Seminary.]

Krohn's inspired words:

The Last on the Ichabodians...

I ran across this (see below) today on Tim's blog. Classic. It really put things in perspective for me.

I'll be posting much less. I have so many other constructive things I can be doing. It amazes me how much time people can and do spend on these blogs. It would serve the Ichabodians well if they actually got out from behind their computers and actually had human contact with the outside world. Sometimes I think it was Satan and not Al Gore who invented the internet. It's a great way for him to get you isolated so he can lie to you.

I originally set this up as a counter to the Ichabodians as I truly thought that this was a big deal. But I realize that it has been the accuser all along messing with me. How easy it is to fall prey. I expected a lot of heat on this blog, but am pleasantly surprised at the lack of it which tells me that Tim was right on in his assessment of the two groups being on the fringe(CG vs. the Confessional Crusaders).

I challenge any one of them to come on here and back up their behavior with one scripture passage and leave their identity. Where in the Bible did anyone ever demean, slander, make fun of or ridicule anyone of faith? I dare say that if the one person who exuded perfect love came back to earth, not one of the Ichabodians would recognize Him even if He bit them on the cheek. (Yes, I mean that one!)

I can only top it with this passage from Matthew 15:

Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:
8" 'These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
9They worship me in vain;
their teachings are but rules taught by men.

Parsing Parlow, Part Deux

What every Rock and Roll cat wants, lots of sugar, no substance.

Anonymouse has left a new comment on your post "Parsing the Parlow Motto":

Pastorless Jackson, Seeing you no longer have original thoughts wouldn't it be easier just to refer your readers to previous posts? For example if you want to exhume Kelm's WLC class topic you could just say "see previous post dated October 1, 2008" or "see previous post dated October 20, 2007". Just an idea.

***

GJ - Once upon a time I smoked out Joe Krohn as a regular anonymous poster. He was a member of the Luveen WELS stealth church, which continues to function as an Emergent Church under the watchful eye of the Arizona-California-Las Vegas District. He is now a member of Doebler's Rock and Roll Church in Texas. He even has a blog to promote Rock and Roll services. However, he hardly ever writes there and admits giving up on Ichabod. But he still wants a free ride with anonymous posts. Joe Krohn posts as soon as something about Church and Chicanery appears.

Krohn does not admit his friendship with Kudu Don Patterson, VP of the Central Southern Babtist District of WELS. I recall a comment which sounded like the cat who found an ice cream cone. "I just happen to know that the COP met with Doebler." And - "I just happen to know they got another grant." Now, who would that be, but Krohn channeling Patterson?

As a baby journalist I realize that few read Ichabod as obsessively as Krohn. I don't even look for past repositories of Megatron treasure, and I gathered them. But, Ichabodians, my real crime is showing Kelm in his own words for the heretic he is. He even threatened students who plagiarized at WLC! I imagine some of them thought later, "But it's OK for a pastor?" Long ago, one WELS pastor told me, "We used to think Kelm was creative, but we found out he was just copying the Reformed."

St. Mark Depere even plagiarized Hybel's email message and sent it out as their own. "I grieve that..." Very sad.

If Krohn was troubled by the report that Babtist Stetzer was speaking to the Church and Chicanery conference in November, so disturbed that he asked on the listserve about it, then why is he so antagonistic about a Lutheran?

The C and C faction knows their number is up. Once they lose their grip on money, they will fade fast. No one will give them huge grants for being third-rate Babtists. I am sure their C and C money men are hurting as much as everyone else. Also, the foundations are all based on equity investments, which have tanked. The loot dispersed in 2010 will be pathetic, no matter who the recipient is.

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Parsing the Parlow Motto":

Same s---, different day.

***

GJ - How original! I had to edit the comment above, which proves the C and C gang is really coming unglued. I had one pastor, years ago, phone me - screaming and carrying on, denying there ever was a Pilgrim Community Church (for example) and a CrossRoads in S. Lyons. I calmly said, "I have the brochures." He swore and slammed down the phone. Ichabodians, C and C is on the ropes. They know how little support they have if they fight in the open. Their information is all over the Net and people know how to find it. The truth is coming out.

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Bruce Church has left a new comment on your post "Parsing Parlow, Part Deux":

C&C asking you why you "recycle" material is rather like a boxer on the ropes asking why there's Round 2 through 9 instead of just Rome 1. Anyone can last through Round 1, but their mettle is tested in the later rounds.