Newsletter 

This Week

Sunday, Sept. 20: Worship service 9:00A with coffee & rolls following.

Wednesday, Sept. 23: Meal 5:30P.  Confirmation & Religion 6:15P. Youth Group

Sunday, Sept. 27: Worship service 9:00A with coffee & rolls following.

Donation statements are in your mailboxes at church from January 1, 2026 – August 31, 2026.

Sign up sheet for Wednesday night meals starting Sept. 9 is in the fellowship hall.  Please consider making a meal for our youth before Confirmation and Religion classes.

Wednesday Night Education began.  We will again be offering dinner for anyone and everyone (even if you are not in school), beginning at 5:30 and running until 6:10. Education hour begins at 6:15 for all youth pre-K through 9th grade.  7-12th grades can join us on the first and third Wednesdays for Youth Group starting at 7:30-8:30.  

Visits from Pr. Jon: Would you like a visit from Pr. Jon, please call the church office (507-342-5327) or Pr. Jon’s cell (563-564-7249) and let us know.

Here is Pastor Jon's September letter  - - - - - - 

“My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds, of your saving

acts all day long—though I know not how to relate them all.” 

– Psalm 71:15

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on

you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all

Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” – Acts 1:8

Over the years, I have heard many people often talk about how they wish they knew more about the Bible.  When I have pressed them upon this issue, many have portrayed the desire to know more, but unwillingness to take the time to do anything about it.  I have offered Bible Studies to help.  Our churches have offered weekend (and weekday) one-time events to study a particular section of the Bible.  And I have even seen various churches provide packets for people to have at home so they could do so when they are sitting on the couch after a hard days work.  Though these are all possibilities to dig into the Bible deeper than just a Sunday morning, it takes a bit of work on the part of the individual.

         When I first started here at St. Matthew 4 years ago (it’s been that long already, but it seems like just a few months), there was a small Bible study provided on Wednesday nights for adults.  This coincided with the education hour that the youth already were doing.  I remember it being led by Cindy VanDorsten, and the focal point was on the television series “The Chosen”.  Each week they would watch an episode and dig into the Bible verses that were presented in the hour long show.  It was attended by a handful of devout people who were engaged, enthusiastic, and had a drive to deepen their faith.

         I have also talked with many people who are in assisted living and nursing homes who enjoy the weekly gathering with a chaplain or roaming pastor, who comes in to do a service and Bible study.  Each week it is something different, a different part of the Bible, but all have agreed that this little time set aside to study was very beneficial to their faith lives.

         Yet, it seems, we want to deepen our faith, but often put this part of our lives low on the priority list.  We want to join a study, but work, children, and travel demand our energy and time.  We are more apt to sit on the couch scrolling on our devices than we are to attend a Bible study somewhere.  And that is one of the obstacles that I often hear about when someone says that they want to know more about the Bible.

         So, how do we change the priority lists so that someone can spend more time on their relationship with God?

         Unfortunately, as I have often taught Matthew, a person can’t change another person.  The only one who can change a person is the person themselves.  Though I am his father, I can’t make Matthew believe to do something if he chooses not to.  We have all seen this in action – a young child throwing a temper tantrum in the store because they don’t get the candy that is at the check-out.  No matter how much pleading, yelling, threatening, and anguish a parent gives, the child just doesn’t give up.  The only one who can make that happen is the child themselves. 

         Therefore, the change in priority has to come from the person who wants to change.  They need to put away their Tik-Toks, Facebook scrolling, and news real watching to open the Bible.  They need to decide to leave the comforts of home to participate in a study somewhere.  They need to make the choice, and nobody can do that for them.  All we can do for them is to offer them support, guidance, and a personal witness to how our lives are changed by our relationship with Christ.

         So, I offer you this way to witness from my life.  One of the things I often do is to look at a daily scripture/study on my own phone.  I use a free app called “d365”.  Not only does it have a Bible verse and a short prayer, but it also has a part that challenges you to think on the verse, and it offers a way to take the verse into the day and/or week.

         I also enjoy using the app called “Catechism” that is an online version of Luther’s Small Catechism.  It is a place for me to not only check out what Luther pushed as important aspects of ones faith life, but also gives explanations of why we do things.  And if you really want to dig into the Lutheran faith, then there is no other reading that “The Book of Concord”.  The Book of Concord is a collection of Lutheran confessional documents published in 1580, which serves as the authoritative doctrinal standard for many Lutheran churches. It includes key texts such as the Augsburg Confession and the Formula of Concord, summarizing the teachings of the Lutheran Reformation based on the Bible.

         This can be utilized by going to the website www.bookofconcord.cph.org.  It is a great way to dig further into the beliefs of Lutherans across the globe, and a great place to see why we believe what we believe in the mind of Martin Luther, who only wanted to reform the Catholic faith in which he was a Biblical scholar and professor.

         There are many more resources that are available today that weren’t available when I was in seminary.  The only thing stopping anyone from dwelling into the dogma of the Lutheran faith, into digging into personal faith beliefs, wrestling with the theological ideas is the person themselves.  Hopefully you can take advantage of these resources and share them with others.  Not only will you deepen your faith, but will also be a witness for others.

-          Pastor Jon Wendt

You can find information as well as service livestreams for St. Matthew on our Facebook page: St. Matthew Lutheran Church Wabasso.

We also have a new website: www.stmatthewwabasso.com.  Here you will find all the information about church and schedules.

You can also e-mail the church office at stmatthewwabasso@gmail.com If you could please send an email to the church office with your name and phone number, that will help us update our church directory (name, phone, email).