608-752-7434 | office@flcj.org
612 N. Randall Ave. Janesville, WI 53545
This church has long been a place of comfort, learning, and community for so many families. After the recent flood, those spaces were deeply impacted—but we are moving forward with hope, rebuilding together.
You can be part of that effort. If 100 people give $5, $10, $50, or $100, it quickly adds up and brings us closer to reopening our doors. Will you be one of the 100?
WAYS TO STAY UPDATED
Weekly updates will be sent via email on Wednesdays and shared on this page, Facebook, and Instagram. To be added to the email list, contact Office Assistant Nan Bandt at 608.752.7434 x15 or NBandt@flcj.org, or sign up at the bottom of our homepage under the “Staying Connected” section at flcj.org.
STAYING CONNECTED WITHOUT INTERNET ACCESS
If you don’t use the internet or aren’t receiving our updates, please contact Office Assistant Nan Bandt at 608.752.7434 x15, or speak with her when you see her at Good Shepherd. We will make sure you stay informed. If you know of members who may not see this message in the bulletin, please reach out to Nan on their behalf.
SUMMER WORSHIP
8am: Drive-In Worship at First Lutheran
10am: Worship at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church (700 N. Wright Rd., Janesville)
10am: Sunday School at Good Shepherd (will not meet the month of July)
11am: Coffee Hour with Good Shepherd
EVENTS & MEETINGS
Most of our events and meetings will take place at Good Shepherd during this time. Please check with your group leader for new location details. Enter on the south side of the building (small parking lot).
MEDICAL LOAN CLOSET
The Medical Equipment Loan Closet is closed until further notice. We cannot accept donations at this time.
Here are this week’s updates:
FEMA – Disaster Assistance
I shared last week that we are beginning the process of applying for FEMA disaster assistance. The process requires applying for a Small Business Administration loan at the same time as we apply for FEMA grant assistance.
FEMA representatives have scheduled to meet with us next Friday morning, Aug 7, to investigate our building site, review the grant application process with us, and answer our questions. This is a hopeful step forward!
The SBA loan, up to $2 million, can be used to repair or replace real estate, equipment, fixtures, and inventory. The loan would have an interest rate of 3.625% and would need to be repaid. The FEMA Public Assistance Grant would cover building repair costs beyond what could be covered by the SBA loan (repairs exceeding the $2 million). It would also cover all costs associated with emergency work (debris removal, etc.).
Engineering Evaluation
Last week, I reported that the Council approved a proposal for an engineering assessment to help us determine what steps we need to take to protect ourselves against a flood disaster in the future.
The results of this work should be available in a few weeks. It will inform any planning to remodel or rebuild on our current site.
The assessment will involve building a computer model of the stormwater drainage on our site. Engineers will then use a computer program to run simulations of various rainfall events from a typical 2-year storm to a 200-year event, determining the highwater elevation on our site for each of those events, based on various scenarios.
Next Steps after Leadership Retreat
We will soon be inviting your input on the themes and ideas discussed at our leadership retreat on June 27. The retreat focused on exploring connections between our sense of mission as a congregation and ways that we need a building to serve that mission. Whether we choose to remodel, rebuild, or even relocate, we need to understand the design priorities for a building that can best serve our ministry purposes into the future.
A congregation-wide survey is being finalized and will be sent later this week to invite responses from everyone. It is designed to take 10-12 minutes for most people. We hope that you will take time to share your ideas and honest feedback.
In addition, we are making plans to schedule several focus group meetings in the middle of August. The groups will represent a range of our congregation’s demographics. These conversations will allow us to gain a greater depth of input. If you would like to be part of a focus group, respond to the question at the end of the congregation survey or call the church office.
We have already received many responses from a community survey that we sent out last week through the Forward Janesville network and posted on Facebook and various community pages. This survey will help us understand what community members desire and need from our church and give us insight into how we might become a better neighbor to the people of Janesville. We are distributing cards throughout Fair Week that include a QR code to this community survey, which will remain open through August.
A second retreat on Saturday, August 29, will give us a chance to pursue a focus for the direction and shape of our building project, based on all the input we will have received from the congregation and community.
The FLC Council and staff are committed to keeping you informed and engaging our congregation in the conversation as we continue forward. Our Council President, Jarod Wasson, has created a new email address to make it easier for you to communicate with him directly. You can write him at councilpres@flcj.org.
If you have questions or ideas you want to share specifically related to flood recovery, you can send them to flood@flcj.org.
Office Hours in the Parsonage
The offices are open for regular hours during the week. Mon-Thurs, 8am-4pm and Fri, 8am-Noon. Stop in to see us on a weekday or take a tour on Sunday morning during the coffee hour after 8am worship.
The living room has now been furnished as a comfortable conversation space and a meeting place for small groups. Both the living room and the conference room are available for meetings. Contact the office (608.752.7434, x10) to schedule these rooms.
Good Shepherd also remains available to us for meetings and larger events. To schedule space there, you can also contact our church office.
Flood Recovery Team
Flood Recovery Team members include Nate Anderson, Tim Drinkwater, Kevin McMullen, John Westphal, Kristi Reuter, Jude Tropp, Arwen Twitchett, and Pr. Michael Mueller. This group currently meets every other Wednesday afternoon on Zoom. Messages to flood@flcj.org will be distributed to all members of this team.
Prayer for this Week
Lord, keep us from growing weary in the restoration process. You are our refuge. Fill our temporary spaces with joy!
Join our new Prayer Team — Becky, Jessi, Christina, and Renee — as we pray for our church community, asking God for direction, strength, patience, clarity, and courage as we continue our recovery efforts. The team’s next prayer gathering is this Sunday, August 2, at 9am in the Parsonage.
Can’t join us in person? Pray with us by text! To receive a weekly prayer by text, email Renee at rengen@flcj.org.
I pray for you, as I know you are praying for me.
Pr. Michael Mueller
Changeless and calm, deep Mystery, ever more deeply rooted in Thee.
I know that some of you are feeling impatient about our progress. It may seem that more should be happening, that you would expect to see more action. In fact, the groundwork is being laid for action that is coming. What we are facing is not merely a simple set of repairs to get back to the building as we have known it. This is a major reset. Our congregation will need to make a huge investment, which we will only get a chance to do once.
So, it is important that we take many things into account: our building needs as we envision our mission for the next few decades, the needs we feel called to serve in our community, the deferred and scheduled maintenance projects that will need to be included in this building project if we stay at our current site, our financial sustainability for the future, and how to avoid another flood disaster.
The Flood Recovery Task Force and the Church Council are looking at this whole picture. We’re trying to avoid unnecessary delays in moving forward, but we are taking time to make sure that we ask the right questions. We need to have confidence that we are developing a plan that will serve our congregation and community well, with a vision toward the next 50-75 years. This will allow us to tell a compelling story when the time comes to ask our congregation and community for the financial support to make our vision a reality.
The FLC Council and staff are committed to keeping you informed and engaging our congregation in the conversation as we continue forward. Our Council President, Jarod Wasson, has created a new email address to make it easier for you to communicate with him directly. You can write him at councilpres@flcj.org.
If you have questions or ideas you want to share specifically related to flood recovery, you can send them to flood@flcj.org.
Some important steps are taking shape this week! Read below for the details.
Here are this week’s updates:
FEMA – Disaster Assistance
As you have probably heard, FEMA announced earlier this month that federal disaster assistance is available to the state of Wisconsin. A question was raised at our Annual Meeting about whether we would be eligible for that assistance as a church. Good news! We are, in fact, eligible.
Members of the FLC Finance Team attended a grant briefing for Rock County last week. First Lutheran is categorized as a non-critical essential social service. As such, the process for us requires applying for a Small Business Administration loan at the same as we apply for FEMA grant assistance. The Finance Team recommended, and last night the Council approved, initiating the application process for the SBA loan and FEMA Public Assistance Grant Program.
The SBA loan, up to $2 million, can be used to repair or replace real estate, equipment, fixtures, and inventory. The loan would have an interest rate of 3.625% and would need to be repaid.
A FEMA Public Assistance Grant would cover building repair costs beyond what could be covered by the SBA loan (repairs exceeding the $2 million). It would also cover all costs associated with emergency work (debris removal, etc.).
Within a few weeks of receiving our interest application, FEMA representatives will arrange a meeting with us to guide us through the grant application process and answer our questions. We still have much to learn about how this funding process works, but it is encouraging to know that we are eligible and that we can soon begin applying.
Engineering Evaluation
What will be needed to avoid future major flooding on our church’s property? That is a question that has been on all our minds. Before we invest millions of dollars to remodel or rebuild our current site, we need assurance that we won’t be vulnerable to a similar flooding event in the future.
Last night the Council approved a proposal to work with a local engineering firm to explore possibilities. The engineering assessment will involve building a computer model of the stormwater drainage on our site. Engineers will then use a computer program to run simulations of various rainfall events from a typical 2-year storm to a 200-year event, determining the highwater elevation on our site for each of those events.
The simulations can also model different scenarios. If we installed a check valve system to prevent the city storm sewer system from backing up into the parking lot when it becomes overfilled, rainwater would also not flow out from our site, making the parking lot a collection basin. How much rainwater on our own property could we safely accommodate? How would that change if there were some level of backflow from the city system into the parking lot? We can also explore the impact of potential site improvements that could reroute or limit external runoff from flowing into our property.
The data from these simulations will give clarity to determine what combination of changes will be needed to protect ourselves against a flood disaster in the future. This is an important, necessary step in any plan we make to remodel or rebuild on the current site.
Building Winterization
The Flood Recovery Team has explored ways to heat the building in the winter months to avoid damage from freezing pipes. We have determined that it will be most cost effective to refurbish one of the boilers, replace needed pumps and related equipment, and use other undamaged elements of the HVAC system. The goal is to provide enough heat and air circulation to the building to protect it through the winter months, while we are preparing and taking action for the future. The Flood Recovery Team has been actively reaching out to get quotes, and the Council approved a spending limit last night, authorizing the Team to act on this. This is the last remaining task to secure and protect the building after the initial recovery work.
Next Steps after Leadership Retreat
The Council took steps last night to follow up on our retreat three weeks ago.
We will soon be inviting your input on the themes and ideas discussed at that retreat. A congregation-wide survey will be created to invite responses from everyone. In addition, we will invite several focus groups, representing the breadth of the conversation, to meet and discuss these ideas for a greater depth of input. So, watch for further announcements when these are ready to go.
The FLC Communications Team has also prepared a survey, inviting input from the wider community, to help us understand what community members desire and need from our church and to give us insight into how we might become a better neighbor to the people of Janesville. This survey will be open through August.
We will schedule a second retreat at the end of August to reflect on the input we have received from the congregation and community and seek a focus for the direction and shape of our building project.
Office Hours in the Parsonage
The offices are open for regular hours during the week. Mon-Thurs, 8am-4pm and Fri, 8am-Noon. Stop in to see us on a weekday or take a tour on Sunday morning during the coffee hour after 8am worship.
The living room has now been furnished as a comfortable conversation space and a meeting place for small groups. Both the living room and the conference room are available for meetings. Contact the office (608.752.7434, x10) to schedule these rooms.
Good Shepherd also remains available to us for meetings and larger events. To schedule space there, you can also contact our church office.
Flood Recovery Team
Flood Recovery Team members include Nate Anderson, Tim Drinkwater, Kevin McMullen, John Westphal, Kristi Reuter, Jude Tropp, Arwen Twitchett, and Pr. Michael Mueller. This group currently meets every other Wednesday afternoon on Zoom. Messages to flood@flcj.org will be distributed to all members of this team.
Prayer for this Week
Father, you started this church years ago,
and we know you will complete its restoration beautifully. (Philippians 1:6)
Join our new Prayer Team — Becky, Jessi, Christina, and Renee — as we pray for our church community, asking God for direction, strength, patience, clarity, and courage as we continue our recovery efforts. The team’s next prayer gathering is Sunday, August 2, at 9am. in the Parsonage.
Can’t join us in person? Pray with us by text! To receive a weekly prayer by text, email Renee at rengen@flcj.org.
I pray for you, as I know you are praying for me.
Pr. Michael Mueller
Changeless and calm, deep Mystery, ever more deeply rooted in Thee.
Here are this week’s updates:
Next Steps after Leadership Retreat 1
As I reported two weeks ago, a gathering of 20 FLC leaders came together on Saturday, June 27 to discern what our mission as a congregation will look like in the coming years and to begin identifying specific ways that our building will need to serve that mission.
A particular challenge of the remodeling option is how to make use of that whole building in a way that is both missionally oriented and financially sustainable. This includes bringing the building up to 2026 codes, which would include a sprinkler system throughout the building, and it would involve investing in changes to avoid future flood damage. In the meantime, LSS Counseling Offices and Child’s First have moved out of the building.
During the June 27 retreat, it was relatively easy to determine the kinds of spaces we would create to serve our own congregation’s needs. But, unless we downsize the building, we need to develop mission-oriented use(s) for the extra space that align with the congregation’s sense of calling, serve a real need in the community, and support the cost of maintaining the building into the future. That’s a harder set of questions to answer, and we will need the congregation to share a vision.
The FLC Council and staff are committed to keeping you informed and engaging our congregation in the conversation as we continue forward. Our Council President, Jarod Wasson, has created a new email address to make it easier for you to communicate with him directly. You can write him at councilpres@flcj.org.
If you have questions or ideas you want to share specifically related to flood recovery, you can send them to flood@flcj.org.
Office Hours in the Parsonage
The offices are open for regular hours during the week. Mon-Thurs, 8am-4pm and Fri, 8am-Noon. Stop in to see us on a weekday or take a tour on Sunday morning during the coffee hour after 8am worship.
The living room has now been furnished as a comfortable conversation space and a meeting place for small groups. Both the living room and the conference room are available for meetings. Contact the office (608.752.7434 x10) to schedule these rooms.
Good Shepherd also remains available to us for meetings and larger events. To schedule space there, you can also contact our church office.
Flood Recovery Team
Flood Recovery Team members include Nate Anderson, Tim Drinkwater, Kevin McMullen, John Westphal, Kristi Reuter, Jude Tropp, Arwen Twitchett, and Pr. Michael Mueller. This group currently meets every other Wednesday afternoon on Zoom. Messages to flood@flcj.org will be distributed to all members of this team.
Worship in the Park!
On August 9, we will take our worship service out into the community. The 8am drive-in service will take place as usual, but the 10am service will move to the south pavilion in Riverside Park. A potluck meal will follow a family- and child-friendly worship service. Mark your calendars for this outdoor summer celebration!
It will be an opportunity to bring families together before Sunday School resumes on August 16 and to invite the VBS children and their families to join us. A splash pad is nearby, as well as other opportunities for children to play.
In case of inclement weather, we will be indoors at Good Shepherd for worship and the potluck.
Prayer
A new Prayer Team has been activated to help guide our prayer together during this recovery journey:
Join Becky, Jessi, Christina, and Renee as we pray for our church community, asking God for direction, strength, patience, clarity, and courage as we continue our recovery efforts.
The team’s next prayer gathering is Sunday, August 2, at 9am in the Parsonage.
Can’t join us in person? Pray with us by text! To receive a weekly prayer by text, email Renee at rengen@flcj.org.
Prayer for this week:
Lord, let your Word be the unshakable foundation that no physical floodwaters could ever shift or destroy. John 8:31-32
I pray for you, as I know you are praying for me.
Pr. Michael Mueller
Changeless and calm, deep Mystery, ever more deeply rooted in Thee.
If you missed the Wednesday update last week, it’s because I didn’t send one! I took a break, and we didn’t have much new to share. I will take several days away next week to get some rest, so I will write again in a couple weeks, on Wednesday, July 15.
Here are this week’s updates:
Parsonage offices are open
The offices are open for regular hours during the week. Mon-Thurs, 8am-4pm and Fri, 8am-Noon. Stop in to see us on a weekday or take a tour on Sunday morning during the coffee hour after 8am worship.
The living room has now been furnished as a comfortable conversation space and a meeting place for small groups, and the conference room is available for meetings. Contact the office (608.752.7434, x10) to schedule these rooms.
Good Shepherd also remains available to us for meetings and larger events. To schedule space there, you can also contact our church office.
Lutheran Social Services has moved their counseling offices
Lutheran Social Services had continued their counseling services remotely after the April 17 flood closed our building, but they have now moved out of their offices on the third floor to a new location.
Child’s First Child Care Center announces closure
The staff and Board of Child’s First have worked diligently to find appropriate, affordable, long-term space for the childcare center, but the temporary lease at One Parker Place ends on July 31, and they have not found a new location. The Board has made the difficult decision to close the Center. The last day will be July 24.
This is a difficult time for staff, Board members, and the Child’s First families. Please keep them all in your prayers as they work through this closure.
Discernment Retreat 1, June 27, 2026
A gathering of 20 FLC leaders came together this past Saturday to discern what our mission as a congregation will look like in the coming years, so that we can identify ways that our building will be needed to serve that mission.
We affirmed the vision we have been living into and the intergenerational connections that have been built. We named our desire to keep growing into this vision and to create welcoming and nurturing spaces for families and people of all ages.
We also expressed in various ways our desire to incorporate multi-use spaces that will make our building flexible for various purposes, so that it can serve our congregation and the community throughout the week.
I’m working this week to collate our notes and summarize the important themes of our discussion, so that we can invite the rest of the congregation into our conversation. Among other ways of communicating, I intend for us to invite a series of focus groups later this month to discuss the key themes and give further input to our discernment.
The FLC Council and staff are committed to keeping you informed and engaging our congregation in the conversation as we continue forward. Our new Council President, Jarod Wasson, has created a new email address to make it easier for you to communicate with him directly. You can write him at councilpres@flcj.org.
If you have questions or ideas you want to share specifically related to flood recovery, you can send them to flood@flcj.org.
Flood Recovery Team
Flood Recovery Team members include Nate Anderson, Tim Drinkwater, Kevin McMullen, John Westphal, Kristi Reuter, Jude Tropp, Arwen Twitchett, and Pr. Michael Mueller. This group currently meets every other Wednesday afternoon on Zoom. Messages to flood@flcj.org will be distributed to all members of this team.
Prayer
At our staff meeting this week, Jessi Garvin had the opening reflection. She invited us each to draw a card from a jar of “Positive Jesus” statements, which we had received as part of a staff support gift from Central Lutheran Church in Edgerton. We then shared how the message on the card spoke into our lives.
The card I drew said: “You already have it all.” And the bible quote was Psalm 23:1, “The Lord is my shepherd; I need nothing more.” Since yesterday morning, I’ve been thinking about how that could be a word to our whole congregation.
We already have it all. All that we need for this time. We have committed leaders who are eager to share a rich variety of gifts. We have a dedicated and creative staff. We have one another – and we’re finding ways to stay connected and reasons to remain grateful, as we walk this part of our life’s journey together. We have the parsonage as a new office space during this in-between time. We have new friends at Good Shepherd and a regular place to worship with them for as long as we need it. We still have the need and opportunity to serve with others in our community, and we’re finding ways to keep doing that too. We really have all that we need to continue growing our life together and developing into our vision, even as we discern our direction and ask all the necessary questions that remain unanswered. We are not like sheep without a shepherd. The Lord is our Shepherd. The Spirit is present and active, leading us forward. What more could we ask for?
Even so, it can be hard to wait patiently. I feel saddened that our partners, LSS and Child’s First, have had to make decisions about moving on and closing. Like most of you, I would like to be done with the whole flood recovery process and get back to life as usual. But this is the adventure we’re on now. We don’t have everything we could want. Do we ever? We can’t just go back to April 16. But in terms of what we need in this present moment, I’m reminded this week that we have all that we need to create a strong plan for shaping the building that will serve our mission into the future. And we have all that we need to live our calling together in the meantime.
Generous God, draw our roots down deep into your presence and water us with the life of your Spirit, that through this time of challenge we may learn to trust you more deeply and grow to love like Jesus. Amen.
I pray for you, as I know you are praying for me.
Pr. Michael Mueller
Changeless and calm, deep Mystery, ever more deeply rooted in Thee.
Here are this week’s updates:
Parsonage Offices are Open
The offices are now open for regular hours during the week. Mon-Thurs, 8:30am-4pm and Fri, 8:30am-Noon. Stop in to see us on a weekday or take a tour on Sunday morning during the coffee hour after 8am worship.
The living room has now been furnished as a comfortable conversation space and a meeting place for small groups.
The FLC Annual Meeting last Sunday, June 14
We experienced a highly engaged, positive meeting on Sunday with 135 in attendance. The space in the Craig HS cafeteria provided a great environment for interaction.
Outcomes from this year’s meeting included:
Following the meeting, the Council met briefly to elect new officers. For 2026-27, our new officers will be:
Jarod Wasson, President
Elisa Ried, Vice-President
Lexi Frank, Treasurer
Tom Dorscheid, Secretary
In addition to regular business, we also used the opportunity on Sunday for conversation that moved us into the next phase of our discernment: rooting imagination in our purpose and identifying the kind of spaces we most need to serve our mission.
We talked at our tables about three questions:
The notes from these conversations have been gathered and will inform our leadership retreat on Saturday, June 27, which will dig deeper into these and similar questions. You can be encouraged that we are indeed moving forward with the discernment process that was outlined at our congregation meeting on May 26.
One of the exercises on Sunday was to rank your top 5 in a list of 16 potential spaces. If you didn’t get a chance to do that, I am keeping the poll open through tomorrow. Go to www.slido.com. At the top of the page where you see “Joining as a participant,” enter #3502062. Choose and rank your top 5 choices and then hit the send button at the bottom of the list.
We also did a “pulse check” to get a sense for what we are thinking at present about the three directions of remodeling, rebuilding, or relocating. Among those at the meeting, the majority were inclined at this point to “rebuild, altering the structure in some way to serve our mission into the future.” It helps to have an idea what we are thinking and feeling as we begin our discernment, but I want to be clear that this was just a pulse check and not a vote.
It’s important to know that no decisions have been made yet. We are just at the beginning of discerning the spaces we will need and want in the future, so that we can work with an engineering firm to get cost projections for the general design we want. We won’t make decisions until we can make well informed choices, knowing the costs and practical considerations involved with each direction we might go.
The FLC Council and staff are committed to keeping you informed and engaging our congregation in the conversation as we continue forward. If you have questions or ideas you want to share, you can send them to flood@flcj.org.
Flood Recovery Team
Flood Recovery Team members include Nate Anderson, Tim Drinkwater, Kevin McMullen, John Westphal, Kristi Reuter, Jude Tropp, Arwen Twitchett, and Pr. Michael Mueller. Messages to flood@flcj.org will be distributed to all members of this team.
Prayer
As we continue to listen together for the Spirit’s leadership, I invite you to pray this week:
From Jeremiah 17 (echoing Psalm 1):
7 Happy are those who trust in the Lord,
who rely on the Lord.
8 They will be like trees planted by the streams,
whose roots reach down to the water.
They won’t fear drought when it comes;
their leaves will remain green.
They won’t be stressed in the time of drought
or fail to bear fruit. ceb
Generous God, draw our roots down deep into your presence and water us with the life of your Spirit, that through this time of challenge we may grow to love like Jesus. Amen.
I pray for you, as I know you are praying for me.
Pr. Michael Mueller
Changeless and calm, deep Mystery, ever more deeply rooted in Thee.
Here are this week’s updates:
Parsonage Offices are Open
We are excited to announce that the parsonage is open, and the staff has begun to work from their new office spaces. Thank you again for the terrific effort by so many members of the congregation who have helped to prepare the house for our use. It feels great to be together again, working from the same location with plenty of office and meeting spaces and all the utilities functioning!
The FLC Annual Meeting this Sunday, June 14
Our Annual Meeting will be held in the Craig HS cafeteria on Sunday, June 14.
Here again is the schedule for the day:
8am: Drive-In Worship at FLC
9am: Transition to Craig HS. Coffee and light refreshments will be available at Craig HS when you arrive. Enter through doors 15 and 16, in back of the school.
9:30-11am: Annual Meeting. We will conduct usual business, including approval of a budget for 2026-27, approval of bylaw updates, and election of Council members. We will also take some time together to work on next steps in the recovery process.
About parking at Craig High School:
The lot near doors 15 and 16 has only about 25 spaces. So those who can walk further are encouraged to park further away. We will have people outside to greet you and direct you to appropriate parking areas.
Where Are We on the Path of Discernment?
I expect that many of you, like me, would like to have clarity about where we are headed. We’d like answers to all the questions about what we will do, how long it will take, and how much it will cost. One of our leaders said to me: “wouldn’t it be great if we could just leap ahead six years and see how we got there?” That would be nice!
But we’re on the front end of all that, and we need to find our way together.
The first part of our discernment process has been a matter of getting our bearings. Over the past eight weeks, we have learned the extent of the damage to our building and what that means –- that we have no quick, easy, or inexpensive way to regain occupancy. We have increasingly begun to experience the reality of that loss.
We have also been hard at work. A Flood Recovery Team formed. We developed a communication strategy, including these weekly email updates and a short series of congregation meetings leading up to this Sunday’s Annual Meeting. We stabilized the building — the first level is cleaned out and continues to be dehumidified; it is secured; and temporary electric service has been installed to provide for basic needs while we determine our direction for rebuilding. The parsonage has been renovated for temporary office space. We have established a great working partnership with Good Shepherd, which is benefiting both of our congregations. We have identified resources in the community and the wider church, and we have begun to research our options for how to move forward. That’s a lot in eight weeks!
The next step will involve some creative imagining as we consider what kind of spaces we need and want to best live out our congregation’s purpose. Whether we remodel the current building, more radically rebuild it, or move to a new location and start fresh, we need clarity about what to include in a design for the future. We will start that conversation on Sunday at the Annual Meeting, preparing the way for a deeper exploration at a leadership retreat later this month.
Much as we would like to have a final answer, we can’t just leap ahead. But we have created a process for getting to the answers we need, and we are moving forward together.
Prayer
As we continue to listen together for the Spirit’s leadership, I invite you to pray this week:
Generous God, you provide strength to those who trust in you. Give comfort and clarity of vision to us in this time of need. Open our ears to hear your voice and give us the will to follow where you lead, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
I pray for you, as I know you are praying for me.
Pr. Michael Mueller
Changeless and calm, deep Mystery, ever more deeply rooted in Thee.
Here are this week’s updates:
Outdoor Coffee and Refreshments
The Relationship Building Team at FLC hosted a time of coffee and refreshments on the patio behind the parsonage this past Sunday. It was a beautiful space to gather for conversation after the drive-in worship service. We will continue to offer this during the coming weeks, so come sit for a spell and enjoy a conversation break after worship. You can park along the drive behind the parsonage.
The regular schedule this summer is 8am drive-in worship at FLC, followed by 10am worship at Good Shepherd. Sunday School is at 10am at Good Shepherd.
The Annual Meeting on June 14
Our Annual Meeting will be held in the Craig HS cafeteria on Sunday, June 14.
Here is the schedule for the day:
8am: Drive-In Worship at FLC
9am: Transition to Craig HS. Coffee and light refreshments will be available at Craig HS when you arrive. Enter through doors 15 and 16, in back of the school.
9:30-11am: Annual Meeting. We will conduct usual business, including approval of a budget for 2026-27, approval of bylaw updates, and election of Council members. We will also take some time together to work on next steps in the recovery process.
First Lutheran Building Updates
Temporary Electric Service
Good news! Temporary electric service was activated on Friday, so the generator we’ve rented since April is no longer needed. This temporary service will power fans and dehumidifiers, security lighting in the building and the parking lot, and other things needed to maintain the climate and safety within the building while it is shut down.
Parsonage Upgrade
More good news! The parsonage mostly passed inspection on Tuesday. A few small things need to be corrected yet, but we will be ready to move into that space at the beginning of next week, if not sooner.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! Many have worked diligently to repair, paint, clean and restore the parsonage to serve as our temporary office space.
Contractors and the Offering of Special Skills
Some of you have connections to potential contractors. We request that your suggestions for contractors be sent to flood@flcj.org, so that the Flood Recovery Task Force can responsibly coordinate our efforts.
If you have special skills that you would like to offer, please contact Jeanie or Arwen. We are compiling a list, so that we can reach out to the right people for the right need at the right time.
Thank you for offering your own talents and for helping us to connect to resources outside of our congregation!
Reminder about Phone Access
The following staff members have call-forwarding. You can simply call First Lutheran at 608.752.7434 and choose our extension. Your call will be forwarded to our personal cell phone:
Jeanie Pomplun, office administrator
Nan Band, office assistant
Arwen Twitchett, business administrator
Pr. Michael Mueller
Prayer
As we continue to listen together for the Spirit’s leadership, I invite you to pray this week:
Here is an example, written by a member of our congregation, Rebecca Baird.
Prayer for Healing
Heavenly Father,
We are asking now that you inspire in our hearts and minds the direction we need to move to accomplish your will. Father, calm our fears that we may move with faith and assuredness into the task at hand, to nurture, grow and restore this church to the vibrant community of believers we have been for so many years. To excite our hearts with dreams and commitment to embrace the possibilities God has handed us and cast away all doubts and fears. Though we did not ask for this devastation, we will triumph through it with You Father by our side. You, Oh Lord, are our strength and we lean wholly on You, trusting in You alone.
In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen.
I pray for you, as I know you are praying for me.
Pr. Michael Mueller
Changeless and calm, deep Mystery, ever more deeply rooted in Thee.
As we continue to listen together for the Spirit’s leadership, these are some things I invite you to keep in your prayer:
Here are this week’s updates:
Special Congregation Meeting, Tuesday, May 26
Bishop Joy Mortensen-Wiebe joined us last night. She began in prayer and introduced Maryn Olson, the director of Lutheran Disaster Response, who spoke to us on Zoom about the ups and downs of the path ahead of us and about the support and resources available to us through the ELCA. We were encouraged by both of them to know that we are not alone.
Here are some additional highlights:
We offered signup sheets for three groups that will be part of our discernment process. If you didn’t get the chance to indicate your interest, please contact me.
Summer Worship Schedule and Annual Meeting, June 14
The summer worship schedule got off to a good start. Keep in mind that the regular schedule this summer is 8am drive-in worship at FLC, followed by 10am worship at Good Shepherd.
Sunday School resumes this weekend, at 10am at Good Shepherd.
If desired, a coffee/refreshment fellowship time after drive-in worship needs to be organized. Call the office if you would like to take a lead.
The Annual Meeting on June 14 will be held in the Craig HS cafeteria. We will worship outdoors at FLC as usual at 8am. Coffee and light refreshments will be available at Craig HS when you arrive. Enter through doors 15 and 16, in back of the school. The meeting will begin at 9:30am.
First Lutheran Building Updates
Temporary Electric Service
Westphal Electric has completed their work to install temporary electric service to the building. Alliant Energy now needs to complete the hookup, which should happen this week. This temporary service will power fans and dehumidifiers, security lighting in the building and the parking lot, and other things needed to maintain the climate and safety within the building while it is shut down.
Parsonage Upgrade
A new furnace and air conditioner have been installed.
Painting and cleanup work continues. Volunteers are needed for painting and cleanup during the week, as well as the specialized skill of anyone with glue-down LVP experience. Call the church office and we will organize times that work with your schedule.
Contractors and the Offering of Special Skills
Some of you have connections to potential contractors. We request that your suggestions for contractors be sent to flood@flcj.org, so that the Flood Recovery Task Force can responsibly coordinate our efforts.
If you have special skills that you would like to offer, please contact Jeanie or Arwen. We are compiling a list, so that we can reach out to the right people for the right need at the right time.
Thank you for offering your own talents and for helping us to connect to resources outside of our congregation!
Reminder about Phone Access
The following staff members have call-forwarding. You can simply call First Lutheran at 608.752.7434 and choose our extension. Your call will be forwarded to our personal cell phone:
Jeanie Pomplun, office administrator
Nan Band, office assistant
Arwen Twitchett, business administrator
Pr. Michael Mueller
Prayer
Here are three simple questions to consider as you explore your own experience of grief:
Holy Lover, you persist in loving us, creating new and good things out of every circumstance. Renew our hope and lift us out of sorrow into joy, through the Spirit of Christ who lives among us. Amen.
I pray for you, as I know you are praying for me.
Pr. Michael Mueller
Changeless and calm, deep Mystery, ever more deeply rooted in Thee.
Here are this week’s updates:
As we continue to listen together for the Spirit’s leadership, these are some things I invite you to keep in your prayer:
Special Congregation Meeting, Tuesday, May 26
We gather again next Tuesday, May 26, at 6:30pm, to explore next steps. The meeting will be at Good Shepherd, 700 N Wright Road.
The Council has invited us all to discuss together two primary questions:
Three basic directions are available to us for recovery. We could remodel within the current structure. We could rebuild by altering the current structure in some way to serve our ministry needs better for the future. We could design a new building in a new location.
Clearly, we will need to keep researching to understand the full costs and implications of each of those directions. We will need much creative imagination to envision the possibilities. But the questions above can frame our thinking.
To prepare yourself for the discussion on Tuesday, here are some additional questions to ponder:
Summer Worship Schedule Begins Memorial Weekend
The summer worship schedule begins this Sunday, May 24. We will have the usual 8am drive-in worship at FLC. The later service will be at 10am at Good Shepherd. The 10 AM start time is a change for us, but it was the regular worship time at Good Shepherd, and it will allow transition time for worship leaders to move from FLC to Good Shepherd.
Sunday School will not meet on Memorial Weekend but will resume on May 31, at 10am at Good Shepherd.
If desired, a coffee/refreshment fellowship time after drive-in worship needs to be organized. Call the office if you would like to take a lead.
Second Harvest Food Distribution, Thursday
Our monthly distribution of the Second Harvest Mobile Food Pantry will be tomorrow afternoon. We will set up in the FLC parking lot for a drive-through pickup. Volunteers should arrive at 2:15pm. Contact the church office with any questions.
First Lutheran Building Updates
Temporary Electric Service
Westphal Electric has been at work to install temporary electric service to the building, which can power fans and dehumidifiers, security lighting in the building and the parking lot, and other things needed to maintain the climate and safety within the building while it is shut down. That work should be completed this week.
Parsonage Upgrade
The work has continued in the last week to prepare the parsonage to serve as temporary office space for our staff. We have received bids to replace the furnace/air conditioner and a decision will be made later today. The copy machine has been moved. The internet connection is being prepared. Small crews have been at work to do cleaning and repairs. Painting is next. Our goal is to be ready to move staff into the space during the second week of June.
Contractors and the Offering of Special Skills
Some of you have connections to potential contractors. We request that your suggestions for contractors be sent to flood@flcj.org, so that the Flood Recovery Task Force can responsibly coordinate our efforts.
If you have special skills that you would like to offer, please contact Jeanie or Arwen. We are compiling a list, so that we can reach out to the right people for the right need at the right time.
Thank you for offering your own talents and for helping us to connect to resources outside of our congregation!
Reminder about Phone Access
The following staff members have call-forwarding. You can simply call First Lutheran at 608.752.7434 and choose our extension. Your call will be forwarded to our personal cell phone:
Jeanie Pomplun, office administrator
Nan Band, office assistant
Arwen Twitchett, business administrator
Pr. Michael Mueller
Prayer
As we approach the celebration of Pentecost this Sunday, the opening stanza of Harry E. Fosdick’s hymn speaks into our current moment:
God of grace and God of glory,
on your people pour your power;
crown your ancient church’s story;
bring its bud to glorious flower.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage
for the facing of this hour.
I pray for you, as I know you are praying for me.
Pr. Michael Mueller
Changeless and calm, deep Mystery, ever more deeply rooted in Thee.
Here are this week’s updates:
This Sunday marks the first month since the flood. These have been intense weeks for us as a congregation. The work has focused on cleaning out the first level of the building and protecting our facilities from further damage. We’ve done great work together. We ‘ve also established a team to lead the recovery work and have reached out to our contractors and to the city to understand the damages and the cost of the work needed to restore the systems that were destroyed.
The next stage will require less intense, hands-on work, but it will still need our engagement together. Now, we start to find the path forward, which isn’t clear yet.
As we listen together for the Spirit’s leadership, these are some things you can hold in your prayer:
Special Congregation Meeting, Monday, May 18
At our congregation meeting a week ago Monday, we raised some big questions for the future.
Do we simply want to restore what we had before the flood? Since that would already cost several million dollars, should we not consider taking this opportunity to redesign the building, as we have been talking about for years? Or would it make sense, given the level of spending required, to consider a more radical rebuilding project to create a space that could serve more effectively the needs of our ministry in 2026 and into the future? Could it make sense even to relocate and design a new building from scratch?
We agreed to gather again at Good Shepherd on Monday, May 18, at 6:30pm, to begin to explore next steps.
I am consulting this week with our own leadership and others in the wider church to get their wisdom about how to enter this next phase. We will need to be honest about our grief and what we’ve lost. We will need to listen for the Spirit’s creative voice and talk together about how we can imagine our building serving our mission into the future. We will need to research the implications and costs of various options. I hope we can soon develop a road map for the process forward, so that we can be confident that we are listening, deciding, and acting together toward a vibrant, faithful future.
Graduation Sunday at Good Shepherd Lutheran, 700 N Wright Road
This Sunday, May 17, we will celebrate our graduates. A cake reception in their honor will be hosted in the fellowship area between services. The graduates are all invited to wear their graduation gowns and sit together at the 9:30 worship service. The sermon for this day will be delivered by the team of Renee Engen, Lexi Frank, and me.
We continue to worship together with the people of Good Shepherd at our regular worship times, 8am and 9:30am, with Sunday School beginning at 9:30am. Have you noticed anyone missing from worship since the flood? Reach out and invite them to join us at Good Shepherd!
We continue to give thanks for the members of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church who have generously invited us into their space.
Child’s First Child Care Center Has Reopened!
Child’s First opened again on Monday! They have temporary space in two suites on the lower level at One Parker Place downtown. This is exciting, good news for the families and the staff, and we celebrate with them.
First Lutheran Building Updates
Temporary Electric Service
The generator that we have needed to run dehumidifiers throughout the first level has been very costly. We have taken action this week to install temporary electric service to the building, which can power fans and dehumidifiers, security lighting in the building and the parking lot, and other things needed to maintain the climate and safety within the building while it is shut down.
No Workday this Saturday
Last Saturday, a great volunteer crew once again came together and did an amazing job. They completely cleared out the parsonage to create temporary staff office space! Old and damaged items were sorted out, and things for storage were moved to other locations. A small team kept busy sweeping floors and wiping down walls.
Next steps, including some painting, cleaning and repairs, can be done by smaller teams. Office equipment will need to be moved over, and internet access will need to be established before the staff can move in. But we don’t need a major workday at this point. We’ll take a break this Saturday and let you all rest!
Thank you to all who have participated these last four weekends. You have made a tremendous impact! Thanks again to new members Mark and Beth Stibbe who grilled hamburgers and hot dogs for the lunch last Saturday.
Meeting with City Officials
Members of the Flood Recovery Task Force met last Thursday with the city manager and key leaders related to building safety. We named our intent to work in partnership with the city to accomplish our goals. Together, we gained clarity about codes and certifications that will need to be met to regain occupancy of the building and for using the parsonage as staff office space. We also discussed briefly some initial ideas for avoiding future potential flood damage.
WCLO Interview
Tim Bremel at WCLO interviewed me last Friday about our experience with the flood. If you missed it, you can hear it here: https://www.wclo.com/episode/5-8-26-pastor-michael-mueller-senior-pastor-first-lutheran-church-janesville/
The interview begins at 18:28 in the podcast recording.
Reminder about Phone Access
The following staff members have call-forwarding. If you call First Lutheran at 608.752.7434 and choose our extension, your call will be forwarded to our personal cell phone:
Jeanie Pomplun, office administrator; Nan Band, office assistant; Arwen Twitchett, business administrator; and Pr. Michael Mueller.
Prayer
This week I was reminded again of a prayer by the 20th century mystic Thomas Merton, from his book Thoughts in Solitude. It speaks to some of my concerns, and perhaps yours also. May it express our collective desire to trust God amid all the uncertainty we face.
My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself,
and the fact that I think that I am following your will
does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.
And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road,
though I may know nothing about it.
Therefore will I trust you always,
though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear, for you are ever with me,
and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.
I pray for you, as I know you are praying for me.
Pr. Michael Mueller
Changeless and calm, deep Mystery, ever more deeply rooted in Thee.
Here are this week’s updates:
Special Congregation Meeting, Monday, May 4
Nearly 200 of us showed up on Monday evening! That level of turnout demonstrates the depth of your commitment to the life and the future of this congregation. Thank you!
In the meeting, leaders of the recovery process laid out what we have learned so far about why the flood occurred, the impact of the damage, the efforts we have made to protect the building from further damage, and what we can project as we move forward.
In short, most of the mechanical systems will need to be replaced and the electrical system to the whole building will need to be rebuilt at a projected cost of about $2M. The cost just to restore the building as it was before the flood would be several million dollars.
That gives us pause to discern our direction. The Council called this special meeting a couple weeks ago with the intent to vote on a not-to-exceed spending limit for the initial recovery plan. What we’ve learned in the last two weeks changed that purpose. This will be a months-long project, rather than weeks, and it will be a multi-million-dollar project whatever we decide to do. Before we start spending anything on restoration, we need to first determine our goal.
Do we simply want to restore what we had before the flood? Since that would already cost several million dollars, should we not consider taking this opportunity to redesign the building, as we have been talking about for years? Or would it make sense, given the level of spending required, to consider a more radical rebuilding project to create a space that could serve more effectively the needs of our ministry in 2026 and into the future? Could it make sense even to relocate and design a new building from scratch?
These are big questions. Before we determine a direction, we must ask together what we need and want from our building. The current building was created for a different world in 1954. What has changed in the meantime? Who are we now, and how does a building relate to our purpose and our vision for life and ministry, now and into the future?
On Monday evening we agreed to meet again to explore these questions. We will gather again at Good Shepherd on Monday, May 18, at 6:30 PM.
An additional action from the meeting was approval to spend no more than $25,000 to recondition the parsonage for temporary office space. We will work to keep that expense as minimal as possible. This will provide space that is easily accessible to the main building and to members, and it will allow staff to work and communicate together well until we are able to return to the building.
Sunday Schedule at Good Shepherd Lutheran, 700 N Wright Road
We will welcome new members into the First Lutheran community this Sunday: Mark and Beth Stibbe, Amber Wiest, and Richard Rapant.
It will be Mother’s Day, and special refreshments are planned.
We continue to worship together with the people of Good Shepherd at our regular worship times, 8:00 AM and 9:30 AM, with Sunday School beginning at 9:30.
We continue to give thanks for the members of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church who have generously invited us into their space.
First Lutheran Building Updates
Saturday Workday
Another workday is being organized for this coming Saturday, May 9, beginning at 9 AM. This week we will be clearing space for staff offices at the parsonage. Materials stored in the parsonage will need to be moved to the second floor of the church, so we will need people who can carry thing up stairs. The parsonage also had 2-3 feet of water in the basement. The electrical system was not damaged, but clean-up is needed and some drywall needs to be removed.
Mark and Beth Stibbe will provide a meal of grilled hamburgers and hot dogs.
Thank you to all who have participated in these weekly Saturday workdays. You have made a tremendous impact!
Moisture Remediation
Our initial contract with ServPro has been terminated. Corporate Contractors, Inc. has supplied dehumidifiers, large fans, and a generator to continue the remediation process until all the moisture has been drawn out of the walls. Deeper cleaning will wait until we have decided how we want to move forward with the building.
Meeting with City Officials on Thursday
Members of the Flood Recovery Task Force will meet on Thursday morning with the city manager and city engineers to learn what codes and certifications will need to be met to regain occupancy of the building. We hope that this will give us a clearer timeline for when we might return to use of the second and third floors.
Fundraising Strategy
A team of communication and finance leaders met last week to begin planning for an eventual capital campaign. A representative from the Small Business Administration visited this week to let us know about low-interest loans that may become available as the damage assessment continues in Rock County. We have also investigated loans available through the ELCA Mission Loan Fund. We will explore all the funding options available to us, while we keep asking the questions about what restoration should look like.
Child’s First Child Care Center
The Child’s First Center has secured temporary space in two suites on the lower level at One Parker Place downtown. They are currently making upgrades to meet code and intend to open again soon.
Phone Access
The following staff members have call-forwarding. If you call First Lutheran at 608-752-7434 and choose their extension, your call will be forwarded to their personal cell phone:
Jeanie Pomplun, office administrator; Nan Band, office assistant; Arwen Twitchett, business administrator; and Pr. Michael Mueller.
Prayer
Here is the text of the chant I shared on Sunday, which we sang at the beginning of the meeting on Monday:
Changeless and calm, deep Mystery, ever more deeply rooted in Thee.
May this prayer lead you deep into the mystery of God’s love for all of us in this moment. Continue to pray for wisdom and guidance as we seek the way forward together. Pray also for staff and leaders who are giving themselves far beyond the usual expectations during this time.
Thank you for your support in words and action!
I pray for you, as I know you are praying for me.
Pr. Michael Mueller
To begin this update, I want to thank you for your patience and good spirits. I know that we’re all carrying grief for what has happened, but the work together and the opportunities to gather for meals and worship have provided valuable opportunities to connect and encourage one another.
I am grateful for the many people who have stepped up to offer their talents, experience, time, and labor. We have become more organized this week for the steps that are still ahead of us. Our leadership groups are seeking to think clearly, explore carefully, and ask the right questions as we plan a strategy for recovery.
We want to know the questions you are asking. Please let us know, so that we can do our best to provide timely responses.
Here are this week’s updates:
Special Congregation Meeting next Monday, May 4
By now, you should have received notice in the mail that the FLC Council has called a special congregation meeting on Monday, May 4, 6:30 PM, at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. This meeting will give us the chance to hear more detailed updates and to confirm a not-to-exceed spending limit for the initial recovery plan. It is important that we have strong attendance to be able to authorize the spending needed to get the mechanical systems back online, so that we are able to return to using the upper levels of the building.
Sunday Schedule at Good Shepherd Lutheran, 700 N Wright Road
We continue to give thanks for the members of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church who have generously invited us into their space.
While we are still discovering what it will take to return to regular gatherings in the building at First Lutheran, we and the people of Good Shepherd will join together at Good Shepherd for our regular Sunday worship schedule: 8:00 AM and 9:30 AM. To lessen the commotion between services, Sunday School will shift to 9:30 going forward. The Foundation Board will provide refreshments and host the fellowship time this Sunday.
Revised Plans – 4H Fair
As a consequence of the flooding, the Council has voted to cancel the 4H Fair food booth for this summer. I know that this will be another grief for those who have been committed to pie-baking or serving each year at the food booth. We have lost our kitchen, including freezers and a three-door refrigerator, as well as the food preparation and serving equipment used at the fair. Organizing the many shifts of volunteers, gathering donations, buying food, and then serving throughout Fair Week is a major effort in a normal year. Recognizing that we would face an even greater challenge to accomplish this after the flooding event, Council determined unanimously that we must focus on the more immediate priorities.
We will still provide our parking lot for the fair, so we will shift our volunteer focus to signups for serving in the parking lot. We can also think creatively about what else we might do to communicate our mission and to serve the community, as people walk from the parking lot to the fair entrance.
The 4H Concessions Manager has assured us that they understand our situation and are thinking of us during this time. They have graciously offered to hold our space open for us if we choose to return to it in 2027.
First Lutheran Building Updates
Last Saturday, an energetic crew of volunteers worked to deconstruct damaged cabinetry, doors, shelving, flooring, etc. A small group also began cutting out water-damaged dry wall. Once again, much work was accomplished in a short space of time. The volunteer efforts in the last two weeks have saved a significant amount of the cost for removal and cleaning. Thank you to all who have participated!
Another workday is being organized for this coming Saturday, May 2, beginning at 9 AM. Work will include more drywall removal, some frame removal, removal of the stage deck, and general cleaning.
ServPro is now scheduled to take up the next stage of cleaning and remediation, beginning Monday.
We are still exploring what it will take to get the electrical system restored. We are also getting quotes for the cost of cleaning, repairing, or replacing each of the building mechanical systems. This is a complex set of challenges and will take some time. We will share more detailed information at the congregation meeting on Monday.
Flood Recovery Task Force
The Flood Recovery Task Force established by Council has formed and will hold their first meeting this evening. The group includes Nathan Anderson, Tim Drinkwater, Kevin McMullen, Kristi Reuter, John Westphal, Jude Tropp, Arwen Twitchett, and Pr. Michael Mueller. The task force reports directly to Council and is empowered to manage the restoration and reconstruction process.
Fundraising Strategy
Funding the renovation project to get our building’s mechanical systems working again and to eventually restore the first level will require a capital campaign. A group that includes members of staff, Council, the Communications Team, and the Finance Team is beginning this week to develop a strategy to lay the groundwork for the eventual capital campaign
Child’s First Child Care Center
The Child’s First Center is working to secure a temporary space to be able to reopen and keep the families and the staff together. In the meantime, they have been receiving generous donations and strong support from the community to be able to rebuild their program. Samantha Zbigniewicz, the center’s director, says they are “staying hopeful, grateful, and arms wide open!”
Phone Access
The following staff members have call-forwarding. If you call First Lutheran at 608-752-7434 and choose their extension, your call will be forwarded to their personal cell phone:
Jeanie Pomplun, office administrator; Nan Band, office assistant; Arwen Twitchett, business administrator; and Pr. Michael Mueller.
Prayer
This prayer from the Lutheran service of Morning Prayer speaks to this time of transition and uncertainty:
O God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Do not let your hearts be troubled! I pray for you, as I know you are praying for me.
Pr. Michael Mueller
As First Lutheran Church begins the flood recovery process, we will need generous support from our own congregation members and beyond. The cost estimate to get back into our building again is up to several hundred thousand dollars. Utilities must be safely restored, motors cleaned or replaced, boilers cleaned, fire panels replaced, HVAC controls replaced, elevators repaired — it’s a long list. And that initial cost figure doesn’t include renovating the damaged parts of the building or replacing all the contents that could not be saved.
Your generous donation today will help us to get back into our building soon and empower us to keep serving our community. Please share this email message with others you know who would also like to give.
We prefer to receive gifts through the link below, rather than through outside funding appeals like GoFundMe. The link will take you directly to the giving page on our website to support Flood Repair. That way, you know that your gift is coming directly to the church. Thank you for your generosity!
Child’s First Childcare Center is a separate nonprofit organization, which has been based at the church and housed on the first level. They lost everything in the flooding. If you wish to support their work also, you can find donation information on their website at childsfirstjvl.com.
Donate Today!
https://secure.myvanco.com/YKJM/campaign/C-16CVA
As you all know, a major storm caused serious flooding in Janesville last Friday evening. The city’s sewer system was overwhelmed, streets became rivers, and the FLC parking lot suddenly transformed into a lake that poured into the lower level of our building, filling it over four feet deep.
The losses from this event have been devastating. Area schools, businesses, homes, and our church have been profoundly impacted. Reality is settling in after several days of feverish work to clear out flood-damaged properties and begin the cleanup work. How are you feeling? Most of us are probably feeling a strange mixture of grief, gratitude, anxiety, and uncertainty about what comes next.
Clear communication and up-to-date information will help to calm our anxiety, so that we can focus on the priorities and the things that we each can do to help recover from this storm.
FLC’s leadership team will seek to be transparent, providing weekly updates on Wednesdays. You can also check our website for updates. When you go to www.flcj.org, a pop-up page will provide the most current updates.
In these last days, we have needed to make many decisions quickly. Council met in emergency session on Saturday and on Tuesday evening for the regular April meeting. We are trying to stay calm, think clearly, and ask questions, so that we make good decisions. Please share with us your questions, so that we can provide timely responses.
Here are some current updates:
New Temporary Location
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church at 700 N Wright Road has generously invited us into their space. We filled the house last Sunday for a shared worship service, and we enjoyed a meal together afterward, prepared and served by Chad Measner (and his family) of our congregation. It was encouraging to find strength in one another.
It will likely take one to two months before we can resume regular gatherings in the building at First Lutheran. In the meantime, we will maintain our regular Sunday worship schedule at Good Shepherd: 8am and 9:30am, with Sunday School at 9:15am. The Good Shepherd congregation will worship with us at 9:30am. Refreshments and fellowship time will follow both services.
Most of our regularly scheduled meetings and gatherings will take place at Good Shepherd, until we can get back into First Lutheran.
First Lutheran Building Condition
In the first two days after the flooding, we removed and hauled away nine dumpster loads of water-damaged and contaminated items. The experience was devastating. The Child’s First child care center lost virtually everything, including their kitchen renovation that had been completed only a few weeks earlier.
Encouragement came from over two hundred volunteers from our own congregation, other churches, and from across our community. Our spirits have been lifted by the many people who came out to help and by all those who continue to pray for us that we find wisdom and strength for the steps ahead of us.
At this point, the first level of the building has been completely emptied, and the remediation work has begun. The FLC Council contracted with ServPro to do the moisture remediation and cleaning work. Dehumidifiers have been running since Monday. Water service was restored to the building today, but no hot water is available until gas and electricity are back. ServPro will set up a temporary generator-run water heater so that they can begin cleaning the first level on Monday.
Electrical systems are currently being assessed. We hope that power can be restored to the building by the end of the week or early next week.
Steve Shulta was traveling through Janesville on Tuesday morning and stopped to help us evaluate and clarify the steps to restoring our mechanical systems. Steve was our facilities maintenance specialist on Council until he and his wife Kathy moved to Wausau last year. It was reassuring to have his knowledge and experience on hand to give direction.
Both elevators were flooded, and the boiler room was totally under water. Fire panels will need to be replaced, motors replaced or repaired, and utilities and mechanical systems restored. Until these are back up and running, we won’t be able to return to having gatherings in the upper floors.
Flood Recovery Task Force
The Council took action at our meeting on Tuesday to establish a Flood Recovery Task Force. This group will manage the restoration and reconstruction process. They will direct the ongoing cleanup and storage of property, recruit volunteers, and guide the recovery effort.
Fundraising Efforts
It is apparent that $10,000 is the limit of what we can expect from our insurance for flood damage. The coverage is minimal and was not designed for this unexpected catastrophic loss. We are exploring every option for disaster relief through the wider church and government channels.
We have also set up to receive donations for our flood recovery efforts. Anyone who visits flcj.org/rebuilding will find a “Donate Here” button at the top of the page. This takes you directly to our donation page for flood repair.
Child’s First Child Care Center
The Child’s First Center is a not-for-profit childcare center that has been housed at First Lutheran Church with 73 children enrolled, from six weeks to six years old. They are starting over, having lost everything. The center is seeking temporary space to be able to reopen and keep the families and the staff together. They are also seeking funding support to be able to rebuild their program.
Special Congregation Meeting
The Council has called a special congregation meeting on Monday, May 4, 6:30pm, at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. This will give us the chance to gather in-person for updates and to confirm a not-to-exceed spending limit for the initial recovery plan.
Prayer
A couple days ago, my mom shared with me this quote from the April 19 reflection in her devotional: “God’s help is timely. He places himself between you and the need. And at the right time, he gives you what you need.”
Jesus taught us to pray for daily bread, so let us pray that God will provide what we need at each step. Even as we are taking needed action, we can trust, wait, and watch for the gift to be given.
I am grateful for your love and faithfulness. I pray for you, as I know you are praying for me.
Pr. Michael Mueller