RE-FOCUS
A Publication of Reformation Lutheran Church
Volume 19 August 1999 Number 8

From the Pastor

Reformation Church implemented a major structural change earlier this year. In January the era of committees ended, and ministry teams began. In the place of a few committees, we now have over 100 ministry teams in place, in process of being formed, or in the case of some, already done with their work.

But how does this new structure work? How do all the pieces fit together? Who does a member talk to about a ministry idea, concern or suggestion? In what ways is Reformation Church living out its vision and mission? How are the gifts of the people connected to ministries?

These questions will be addressed in a Ministry Fair on August 29. The Ministry Staff along with several members (a Ministry Fair Ministry Team, if you will) has been at work for several months planning and preparing for this major event.

In services of worship we will lift up the vision -- Servants of God, Guided by the Holy Spirit, to Make Christ Known -- and the mission of the congregation -- To Tell as Many People as Possible about Jesus Christ and Help Them Grow in Discipleship.

In the Parish Hall a center display, designed by Kimberly Lindemann, will highlight God’s vision for Reformation. Radiating from the center will be the congregation’s various ministry teams. They will show how the gifts of God in the people of Reformation are used for inviting people into discipleship, growing deeper in discipleship, sending forth disciples as servants, and for disciples at worship. Ministry Staff and Ministry Coordinators will be visible around the Parish Hall to explain various ministries, answer questions, and receive suggestions.

Personally, I am enthused by the emphasis of this Ministry Fair. It is an opportunity for seeing more clearly Whose we are and what we are called to do

- Pastor Jerry Mansholt

ELCA Churchwide Assembly

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America will meet in Assembly on August 16-22, 1999, in Denver, Colorado. One of the delegates from the Central States Synod will be Johnie Pearl Nulan of Reformation Church. Two major ecumenical decisions are before the assembly: a proposed agreement for full-communion with the Episcopal Church, entitled Called To Common Mission; and an ecumenical resolution, Following Our Shepherd to Full Communion, supporting full-communion with the Moravian Church in America.

Homebound Communion Training

Do you enjoy visiting people? Have you a reverence for the sacrament of Holy Communion? Do you desire the strengthening of faith for others? Then perhaps serving as a Homebound Communion Assistant is a ministry for you. Training for Homebound Communion Assistants will be offered on Wednesday, September 1, at 7:00 p.m. Responsibilities include taking the sacrament to the sick and homebound on the first Sunday of the month following worship. If you are interested in serving in such a capacity, please speak to Pastor Mansholt or Marla Schmale.

ELCA at the State Fair

The ELCA will have a display at the Kansas State Fair, to be held September 10-19 in Hutchinson. An informational booth in the Industrial Building will provide information about Lutheran mission and ministry. The synod’s Assembly V (Wichita/ Hutchinson area) is the sponsor, with ten congregations each taking a day. They will purchase informational materials for distribution. You may contact Pr. John Schroeppel, Emanuel Lutheran Church, Hutchinson, (316-662-8622) with any questions or good ideas. Volunteers from Reformation Church are needed to staff the booth for a few hours. If interested, please contact the church office.

I would like to thank the members of Reformation for recognition of my 45th ordination anniversary. Also, thanks for all the cards and expressions of congratulations on our 45th wedding anniversary. They were all deeply appreciated.

- Pastor Bob & Pat Kloth

Letter by Larry Lemke, Parish Ministry Associate: During my lifetime I have received three very clear calls to the ministry. The first came as a boy of 12. I did nothing with it, except to file it away in memory. The second was a very clear call to the pastoral ministry at age 42. I had lots of discussion about that call with my wife Janet and my pastor at the time, Pr. Steve Sigmon. For many reasons I never answered that call. Then in 1992 my pastor, Pr. Art Going, telephoned from the fall Bishop’s Convocation to tell about a new program in the Central States Synod--the Parish Ministry Associate program. Pastor Art felt the Holy Spirit was working in his life to make the phone call to me rather than wait until he returned to St. Louis. After much prayer and deliberation, I answered that call.

I enrolled in the PMA first class in January 1993. In May that year I announced I would take early retirement from McDonnell Douglas, and in January 1994 I began lay professional church work as director of adult discipleship at Trinity Lutheran Church, and I finished the PMA program in the spring of 1995--certified as a PMA. I was installed May 14, 1995, as assistant to the pastor at Trinity, and my responsibilities included adult discipleship, caring ministry, and church administration.

Since then I have become involved in a number of churchwide functions, and in the CSS I serve on the team overseeing operation of PMAP. After five years service at Trinity my ministry there has changed somewhat, and in the future will be focused on caring ministry. Last January 17 while serving as preacher for services at Trinity, Pastor Going surprised me and recognized five year of service, describing me as his Barnabas--much the same way as Barnabas worked with Paul. I could not have received a more complimentary recognition. I thank God that He has given me this opportunity to serve Him in this particular way. I thank all of you in the CSS who have supported me as a Parish Ministry Associate.

Reprinted from Mission Link for July & August 1999, a newsletter for congregations in the Central States Synod

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The Parish Record

BAPTISM

• Elizabeth Margaret Weaver, April 3
• Michelle Renee Desmarteau, April 19
• Preston Charles Peer, April 25
• Paige Elaine Peer, April 25
• Maxwell James Dumler, May 9
• Elise Kay Lindemann, May 16
• Kara Elizabeth Hayen, May 23
• Nicole Marie Brink, June 6
• Taylor Nicole Cusick, June 20

MARRIAGE

• Amy Ryding and Geron Bird, May 28
• Amy Smith and Chad Helin, May 29

TRANSFER

• Todd & Jenny Dougan, Matthew, Christopher, to Christ Lutheran, Madisonville, KY
• Steve & Liz Smith, Rachel, Rebekah, to Grace Lutheran, Wichita
• Mike & Laura Nott, to Galilean Lutheran, Corpus Christi, TX

DEATH

• Lillian M. Bullis, April 10
• Mateel L. Borel, April 28

New Members

We give thanks for the following persons who were received into membership at Reformation Church on July 25:

• Don & Virginia Arnold, 684-8391, 2535 Welgate Cir., Wichita 67226
• Vernette Chance, 682-9256, 6514 E. Beachy, Wichita 67206
• David Dibble, 685-5897, 4340 E. Bellaire, Wichita 67218
• John & Kathleen Haeker, 691-8507, 5400 E. 21st., #521, Wichita 67208
• Maureen Hofrenning, 652-0248, 8624 Stoneridge, Wichita 67206
• Marque & Denise Peer, 681-3447, Preston, Paige, 4217 N. Ironwood Ct., Wichita 67226
• Laura Ulicky-Weerts, 524-2916, 4632 Hemlock Ave., Wichita 67216

We pray that we will be bound close to one another in love and strengthened for service in making Christ known.

NO CIRCLE MEETINGS IN AUGUST

Women of Reformation

Board Meeting: Monday, August 2, 1:00 p.m. in the library at church. All circle leaders and officers need to attend to make plans for the fall.

Lindsborg Trip: 15 women caravanned to Lindsborg on July 15 for a very enjoyable day. After time for shopping and lunch together, the day was topped off with a visit to Bethany Home, a care facility affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Thankofferings help keep ELCA "in the city for good."

Gwen B. helps children learn to read as a volunteer at Messiah Lutheran’s after-school program in South Central Los Angeles. One of Gwen’s young students, Ricky, was embarrassed in school because he was falling behind. Teachers wanted to put him in special education classes. Ricky even put "learning to read" on his Christmas list. "I told Santa my best Christmas present was to learn to read," said Ricky. With Gwen’s help, Ricky now reads as well as other kids his age. With your Thankofferings through Women of the ELCA, the "In the City for Good" project of the ELCA Division for Outreach is making a difference in urban areas and in congregations like Messiah.

Discover Your Gifts: You Can Make A Difference!

Attention all new members of Reformation -- and all members who have not yet had the opportunity to "Discover God’s Vision for Your Life":

This informative and enlightening study of spiritual giftedness will be offered again -- for the second time this year -- in a seminar format at the end of August.

The seminar will begin with a 2-hour session from 7 to 9 p.m. on Friday, August 27, and will continue from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, August 28. Lunch will be provided on Saturday.

Who should attend the "Discovery" seminar?

The experience is helpful to all those who want to understand themselves better, to find greater purpose in life, to understand their own unique calling, and to deepen their spirituality. Because the format is highly interactive, "Discovery" also provides a great opportunity for building relationships with other members of the congregation.

The course focuses on a series of exercises designed to help each person unwrap his or her personal package of spiritual gifts and come to understand how those gifts can be used to serve God in all aspects of life.

Advance registration is required. There is no fee for the course, but participants may choose to make a donation to help defray the cost of materials. Watch the church bulletin for more information about registration, or call Dallas Cronk at 733-2454.

Ministry Activities Questionnaire

If you attended the "Discovery" classes during Lent but have not yet turned in your Ministry Activities Questionnaire, please do so as soon as possible. The MAQ replaces old-style Time and Talent sheets and represents the best way for you to indicate the ways in which you feel called to use your Spiritual Gifts.  Copies of the MAQ may be obtained from the church office, in case the one mailed to you earlier has been misplaced

From the Seminary . . .

Dear Friends,

This has been an interesting summer. Most Sundays I have been a "supply preacher" in congregations currently in the call process or whose pastor is on vacation. As I write this, I have spent two Sundays in three different congregations. Two of the congregations still have the altar against the wall, and one still uses the old red service hymnal.

Salem Lutheran outside Rosebud, TX, was my first venue. The church is in a rural area about nine miles west of Rosebud, which is east of Temple. The church is surrounded by corn and milo fields. Cotton is also grown in the area. This congregation uses the red hymnal, which is not encouraged by the ELCA. I enjoyed leading worship with the book I barely remember, but it has been made clear to the congregation that when a new pastor is called, the 25-year-old green book will be initiated.

Next I went to Hutto Lutheran Church in Hutto, which is down the road from where I live. The church is a traditional white frame building. There was a big pipe organ in the front. The interim organist is a 95-year-old retired physician. The congregation is quite small, and there were only 50 people in attendance when I preached. Most of those attending were retired; there were half a dozen kids in the service. This, unfortunately, is the situation in many of our congregations.

The last two weeks I have been at Eben Ezer Lutheran Church in Brenham, TX, about 85 miles east of Austin. The congregation was established in the 1850s by German immigrants. Interestingly, this is the congregation that has moved the altar away from the wall, where the presiding minister can be one with the people. I had the pleasure of preaching there on the 4th of July. There is question about the theological validity of preaching holiday themes. Those of you who know me know how much I love holidays, so I decided to take a chance. The sermon title was "The Immigrant’s Yoke." Two of the hymns were from the section on national songs in the LBW, so it worked out well.

One of the challenges of supply preaching is that I don’t know the people, and I don’t know their world. I must be sensitive to their needs, and careful not to offend. Prayers of the people are delicate because I don’t know the faces and hearts of the people for whom I am praying. The worship traditions of each church are unique, and the worship space is organized differently, requiring flexibility with each new setting. The people in each of the congregations were warm and welcoming and showed an honest discipleship to Christ.

I have had a wonderful summer of Sundays in Texas.

Peace of the Lord, Dawn Gorges

Stephen Ministry

On Sunday, August 15, there will be two orientation sessions to provide details and to answer questions about the Stephen Ministry program. Both sessions will be held in the conference room. The first session will begin at approximately 9:15 a.m., and the second session will begin at approximately 11:00 a.m.

The Stephen Ministry program at Reformation is about giving love and care to those persons who are in need. Stephen Ministers are lay persons who are trained and committed to providing distinctive Christian care, through one-to-one relationships, to people experiencing a difficult time in their life.

Every Stephen Minister receives approximately 50 hours of training prior to commissioning. We expect to begin a new class of Stephen Ministers this September. Has God given you the gifts to be a Stephen Minister? If so, please plan to attend one of the orientation sessions.

Telecare Ministry

During the last week of August and the first week of September, 37 Telecare callers will implement this ministry at Reformation. Their caring calls will touch many lives. Look forward to your caring call and ask God’s blessing on this ministry.

Usher Schedule for August

8:30 Bob Weaver Randy Worrell

11:00 David Day Mike Metz Fred Hambright Jan Moyer Ben Langel Ken Woodard Mark Metz

LSS Adoption Information Meetings

Lutheran Social Service is preparing to accept new applications for infant adoption. Applications for strictly Caucasian infants will be limited in number. However, applications are accepted at any time from families interested in adopting school-age children, children with special needs, or children of African-American heritage.

All families who wish to apply to adopt an infant through Lutheran Social Service must attend one of their Adoption Information Meetings. Application forms and other pertinent materials will be available at the meetings. It will also be an opportunity to discuss additional questions.

Adoption Information Meetings will be held:

• Thursday, August 12, 2:00 p.m., St. John Lutheran Church, 302 S. 7th St., SALINA
• Sunday, August 15, 3:00 p.m., Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, 3625 SW Wanamaker Rd., TOPEKA
• Saturday, August 21, 2:00 p.m., Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 1101 N. River Blvd., WICHITA