Published: July 13, 2018
Going all out for the Lord
Expansion and renovation at Good Shepherd
Lutheran is almost complete
By Nicholas Dettmann
ndettmann@conleynet.com 262-306-5043
West Bend’s Dennis Tennier loves his church
and loves the Lord.
He proved it in a painful way.
On Jan. 31, Tennier was working inside Good
Shepherd Lutheran Church, 777 S. Indiana Ave., West Bend, assisting with the
multimillion dollar expansion and renovation project. On that day, an accident
cut off the top of the middle finger on his left hand.
He was back at Good Shepherd the next day
working and volunteering his time.
“Jesus Christ gave his life for the church,”
Tennier said. “I just gave a part of my finger.”
Some finishing touches remain on the $3.2
million project, such as carpet and light installation and sweeping away the
saw dust. But the congregation’s excitement increases with each passing day as
the project, two years in the making, nears its completion.
“It’s really amazing to see just an idea ... I
remember teaching Bible class and saying, ‘Wouldn’t it be just be wonderful if
we had a small fireside room where we could have an intimate setting,’” said
Marilyn Sievert, a member at Good Shepherd for about 25 years. “I was not
really thinking that it would happen. Now, two years later ... that dream and
hope will be realized.”
Volunteer and member Dennis Tennier of West
Bend explains Tuesday morning how he lost a portion of the middle finger on his
left hand while volunteering to help with the expansion project at Good
Shepherd Lutheran Church in West Bend. Tennier lost the part of his finger
during a demolition project in the fellowship area; he said he was back to work
the next day. TOP: Volunteer and member Jim
Ciriacks of West Bend paints the door to the kitchen area in the gymnasium
Tuesday morning at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in West Bend.
The fireside room, which is off the main lobby
through the main doors facing Decorah Road, offers a relaxing and intimate
setting for whatever use it will be used for. Most of the time, Bible classes
will be taught in there.
There are memories of teaching Bible or other
classes in classrooms with desks not quite suitable for adults. Or classes,
Sievert said, were taught sitting Indian-style on a floor.
“We were cramped,” Sievert said. “There was no
space.”
A public open house is planned in September to
celebrate the project’s completion. A dedication event and service will take
place at 10:30 a.m. Sept. 9, followed by a banquet.
For the celebration, a time capsule from 1979
will be opened.
The Rev. Robert Hein said the changes that have
been made throughout the church and the connecting school were much needed.
“There is a lot of joy,” Sievert said. “There
is this buzzing energy that we’re alive, we’re growing and we’re here for the
future generations.”
Among the upgrades were four new classrooms, an
elevator, a welcome center — the fireside room — an expanded narthex, a
parent’s room, new heating and air conditioning, new bathrooms, alarm system,
offices and a church library.
The elevator was important because if someone,
especially someone handicapped or wheelchair bound, they’d have to get in a car
and be driven around to the other side of the property
whether it was from the school to the church or
vice versa.
Hein and the congregation have been impressed
with the speed of the project, courtesy of 120 volunteers who offered whatever
time and skill they had.
“It speaks to the love and the care that we
have for God and each other,” Sievert said. “Our vision is ‘Connected to
Christ.’” Marcia Weber, a member of the church for about 40 years, had an
important role in the project. She was the volunteer coordinator, which was
something in her skill set as she was once in property management.
“There’s people that actually filled out forms
and what their talents were to help us here,” Weber said. “I made calls to them
and asked them their availability, people for painting, people for cleaning,
people for outside work.”
Hein said the dedication of volunteers saved
“tens of thousands of dollars.”
“The people are enjoyable to work with,” Weber
said as her other reason to why she was involved in the project the way she
was. “It’s a home away from home. It’s a family. It’s really tight.”
And the other neat part about it, Weber and
others learned more about their fellow members.
“Some of those people have more talent than
what I called them in for; what they signed up for,” Weber said. “I found out
they could do other things too.”
They did it for the right reason and there is
plenty of pride because of it.
“It shows a servant heart,” Weber said. “We
cannot out-give God. They’re willing to put whatever they’ve got into it, 100
percent.”
Tennier was at the church nearly every day
doing something — despite losing part of a finger — and could be the symbol for
the congregation’s makeup.
“I enjoy it,” he said.
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