Download Pastor’s Report from the Voters’ Meeting. All other minutes and financial information from yesterday’s meeting is available at church at or in your church mailboxes downstairs.

Faith Resolves to Open Sursum Corda Classical School Next Fall

At our Voters’ Meeting on Sept. 24, Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church further resolved to open a Christian, Classical, Hybrid school in Oregon, WI.  

Since last summer, members of the congregation, along with others from the community, have been working to determine what a private school might look like that could serve the Oregon community and surrounding areas.  The answer is taking a space at the church formerly used as a preschool and using it for a school-homeschool hybrid, at least until more room is needed.

The school will be called “Sursum Corda Classical” – a Latin phrase meaning, “Lift up your hearts” and will open officially next Fall.  Initially, Sursum Corda will open with a grammar school cohort (K-3rd grade), adding logic school grades and cohorts (4rd-8th) in future years at a natural pace.  Classical education, which has seen an explosion in interest around the country since the pandemic, aims to hand down both traditional morality and clear thinking through study of grammar, logic, rhetoric, and the best of ancient literature and wisdom.  

The Hybrid model means that classes will be offered in school two days a week, with parents given the tools and resources to teach the rest of the days at home.  In this way, parents are invited to be the primary influencer in their child(ren)’s life, with the professional guidance of the school’s teachers.  

Much work still needs to be done, and help is still needed. The school is looking for business partners and patrons in the community who might like to help sponsor a Christian education for children.  

Questions can be directed to the newly called Headmaster of the School, the Rev. Jeff Hendrix at Pastor@FaithLutheranOregon.com.

Pre-registration as well as general information can be found at SursumCordaClassical.com.

For the past three-quarters of a year, a committee has been hard at work exploring the idea of opening a classical school at Faith. To this point, the committee has settled on the idea of a “Hybrid School.” For a great overview of what a Hybrid School is, as well as the “Hybrid School revolution,” listen to this podcast.

Ideally we will be recommending to the Voters Assembly of Faith that a teacher be called eventually, on at least a part-time base to manage curriculum and to teach. We’ve been the grateful recipients of some generous gifts already, including from another ELS congregation, but to make sure we have enough to sustain a teacher, we will need more start-up funds. Consider being a donor or patron for this school!

In the near-term, we will be operating as a Co-Op this coming Fall (2023) with a young grammar-age cohort. We’ll meet at Faith two days a week, begin with Matins (morning prayer service), Pastor will teach religion and a language (beginning Latin or Greek), and parents will fill-in other areas of study in the quadrivium.

A fuller overview of our goals and timeline is available in our Prospectus.

If you’d like more information about joining this Fall, or if you have thoughts or comments on the idea of a Co-Op, Classical School, Hybrid School, curriculum, etc., please contact Pastor Hendrix!

SOUTH-MADISON AREA ELS/WELS JOINT EASTER VIGIL

Join Faith, Resurrection, and Western Koshkonong Lutheran Churches for our annual joint Easter Vigil Service. This year’s service in our yearly rotation will take place at the historic Western Koshkonong Lutheran Church.

The Easter Vigil is an ancient (c. 350 A.D.) tradition that connects our Baptism to Jesus’ Resurrection. The service, which is unlike any other in the church, begins outside with a fire. Believers then process into the darkened sanctuary with candles, as the lights are gradually illumined, when finally the feast of the Lamb, the Lord’s Supper, is celebrated and the Alleluias are sung! Join us as we await the dawn of Easter together!

When: Holy Saturday April 8, 2023.  Service begins at sunset: 7:32pm.  

Where: Western Koshkonong Lutheran Church, 2633 Church Street Cottage Grove, WI 53527 (between Stoughton and Cottage Grove)

Sunday after our Easter Festival Divine Service, join us for some fun finding over a hundred Easter eggs!

From 7:45am–8:45am, a free breakfast will be served in the fellowship hall in the basement.

At 9:00am is our Easter Festival Divine Service, the feast of victory for our God!

Afterward at around 10:15/10:30 will be the family Easter Egg Hunt! Every family will receive a take-home gift!