RE-FOCUS
A Publication of Reformation Lutheran Church
Volume 23 March 2003 Number 3
Ash Wednesday - March 5
Two opportunities to share the fellowship of a meal and worship are
planned for Ash Wednesday. Reformation members are encouraged to attend and invite friends
and neighbors to join us.
The mid-day service will begin at 12:00 and will be followed by lunch, to be served in
the narthex. In the evening, the congregation is invited to enjoy pancakes and sausage
prepared by the ever-popular Chris Cakes. Serving will begin at 5:30 p.m. and
continue until 6:45. The cost is $4.00 per person.
The worship service will follow at 7:00. Both the noon and evening service will include
the Imposition of Ashes and Holy Communion.
The worship assistants will be for 12:00 - 7:00
- Assisting Min: Marjorie Bender - Greg Keith
- Comm. Assist: Eva Whetstone - Marsha Meili - Dallas Cronk
- Lector: Ruth Koepsel - Jeff Johnson
- Acolyte: Eva Whetstone - Joey Davis
- Crucifer: Ruth Koepsel - Pearce Ramsey
Reminder: NO LOGOS, Confirmation, or Youth Choir on Ash Wednesday.
FOLLOWING WEDNESDAYS IN LENT:
The Marks of the Church
- March 12 - CHURCH
- March 19 - ONE
- March 26 - HOLY
- April 2 - CATHOLIC
- April 9 - APOSTOLIC
Lenten Devotional Book: "Promise for a New Day"
This is the 12th year for Reformation’s publication of Lenten
Devotionals. The theme for this year is "Promise for a New Day."
If you are a member of Reformation congregation, you are receiving your printed copy of
the booklet with this newsletter mailing. You are encouraged to take time to meditate on
the daily scriptures and read the words of devotion written by your fellow members.
A small number of extra copies are reserved for members of Reformation and have not
been distributed. If you would like to send a copy to a friend/relative, please check with
the church office.
You may also shepherd people to the Reformation web site, where the devotions are
available each day, beginning with Ash Wednesday. The web site address is:
http://www.reformation-lutheran.org/lent.
We give thanks to those who have worked so hard to bring this booklet into being,
especially Dallas Cronk, Mark Yeskie, Rev. Sally Fahrenthold, Wil Johnson, Tom Cronk,
and Lori East.
Church Leadership Retreats
On Saturday, February 22, council members, staff, and ministry team
leaders from Reformation and Gloria Dei met for a retreat at each other’s church. In
this way, each group enjoyed a "change of scene" and experienced the hospitality
of a sister congregation. Women from both churches provided a delicious lunch for
approximately 20 guests at each site. On behalf of Reformation, a sincere "Thank
You" to the following who prepared and served lunch to our friends from Gloria Dei:
Mary Ann Mercer, Nora Steg, Doris Steg, Jan Barr, Shirley Metz, Nadine Norton, Shari
Ryding, Pauline Latham, and Emma Born.
The Jess Manor Family would like to thank everyone for their kind expressions of
concern during his six-month illness and recent death. Your love and prayers guided us
through this difficult time.
Thank you and God bless,
Steve & Pat Manor, Marilyn & Steve Hayes, Ashley Hayes
* * *
Thank you for all the prayers, cards, hugs and expressions of concern after the death
of my mother. What a blessing and comfort to know the caring support of our Reformation
family! God bless all of you!
- Barbara Lee
* * *
Dear Christian Friends,
My thanks to all of you for the beautiful flowers, cards, phone calls, and visits while
I was in the hospital. Special thanks to Pastor Hallstrom, Jette Mortensen, and Barb Lee
for their visits. May God bless you all.
- Reola Lerager
* * *
CPR Training
On the recent Health Ministry survey, twenty-six members indicated a
strong interest in CPR training. Arrangements have been made with the American Red Cross
for CPR training to be held at Reformation Lutheran Church on Saturday, March
8 (time to be determined later).
The cost of the course is $45 per participant. To help make the course more affordable
for all, $25 of the fee will be paid with funding from Health Ministry, making the cost
$20 per participant. If you are able to pay the $45, please indicate so when enrolling,
and we will save the $25 for use in a future class.
Class size is limited to 6-12 participants and is offered on a first-come, first-serve
basis. The $20 fee is non-refundable and must be paid upon enrollment. The deadline for
enrollment is noon, Tuesday, March 4. To enroll in the CPR course, call Susan Martin
at 686-4348. Please leave a message if no one answers.
March Choir Worship Schedule
- March 5 - Ash Wednesday, 7:00 p.m. - Parish Choir
- March 9 - Lent 1 8:30 a.m. - Cantor, 11:00 a.m. - Parish Choir
- March 16 - Lent 2 8:30 a.m. - Cantor, 11:00 a.m. - Parish Choir
- March 23 - Lent 3 8:30 a.m. - Quartet, 11:00 a.m. - Parish Choir
- March 30 - Lent 4 8:30 a.m. - Parish Choir, 11:00 a.m. - Adult Handbell
Choir and Youth & LOGOS (grades 3-6) Choirs
Coming Up in April:
- April 13 - Palm Sunday, 8:30 & 11:00 a.m. Adult Handbell Choir, Parish Choir, Youth,
LOGOS & Sunday School
(Youth, LOGOS, and Sunday School Children may choose one service or the other.)
Women of Reformation
CIRCLE MEETINGS
- Sarah - Monday, March 17, 7:00 p.m. at the home of Pat Anderson, 8008 Morningside Dr.
Lesson Leader: Kathy Drake
- Dorcas - Wednesday, March 19, 1:30 p.m. at the home of Barb Everson, 204 Burr Oak Rd.
Co-Hostess: Carolyn Pitts. Lesson Leader: Shari Ryding
- WELCA Board Meeting will be Monday, March 3, 1:00 p.m., at the church.
- Blanket Makers will meet Mondays, March 3, 17, & 31 at 9:00 a.m. at the church.
- Monthly Outreach Ministry: Please join us at Cornerstone Assisted Living, next to our
church, on Tuesday, March 11, 3:15 to 4:00 p.m, to visit and bring cheer to their
residents. All are welcome to come.
- Church Women United will meet at our church for "World Day of Prayer" on
Friday, March 7, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
- Please join us for Women’s Night Out. We will be meeting at Timberline Steak House,
8310 E. 21st, on Tuesday, March 25, at 6:30 p.m. A sign-up sheet will be posted on the
nursery door, or call Marcie Fosdick, 733-0340, for reservations.
- Cluster Meeting will be Saturday, April 26, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., at Gloria Dei
Lutheran Church. A light lunch will be provided.
Lawn Care
Do you need lawn mowing or lawn care? We do commercial and residential.
Call Adam, Aaron, or Bryan Watkins at 733-9668 for a bid.
Best Times of Life
Best Times of Life, Reformation’s fellowship group for those 55
years and over, will meet Monday, March 10, at noon in Parish Hall. Come and
join us for a potluck luncheon and good fellowship. The program will be presented by The
Lewis Street Singers, directed by Virginia Leikvold. Bring a covered dish to share,
your table service, and call Betty (682-2030) or Pauline (942-4885) so the hosts will know
how many tables to prepare.
A Taste of Jewish Traditions
You are invited to a special tea and exhibit of Jewish traditions and
customs, sponsored by the Hebrew Congregation Sisterhood, to be held on Sunday, March
30, 12:00 to 4:00 p.m., and also Monday, March 31, 10:00 a.m. to
5:00 p.m. View beautifully decorated table arrangements depicting 11 major Jewish
holidays, customs, and life cycle events. Visitors will receive an informative program
describing each Jewish holiday and life cycle event. Tea and traditional Jewish treats are
included with admission. Exhibit location is the Hebrew Congregation, 1850 N. Woodlawn.
Tickets are $10/advance, $12/at the door (no children under 8, please). Call 682-1012 for
further information and to purchase advance tickets.
Oaks Indian Center Update
A letter was received this past week from the Oaks Indian Center
director, James Morrison. In the letter Mr. Morrison stated that he had been notified by
the Oklahoma Department of Human Resources that they would no longer be providing
assistance to Oaks. This is a loss of revenue in the amount of $50,000 per year.
Obviously, this is a severe blow to the Center and will result in loss of services to the
residents unless alternative sources of income can be obtained. Please consider helping in
this time of need and send your contribution (any amount will help) to:
- Oaks Indian Center
- P.O. Box 130
- Oaks, OK 74359
If you have questions, please contact Jerry Whetstone, 681-2007.
Community Ministries
Local Community
Yellow Bag Food Ministry -
Thanks to everyone who brought food in February,
helping, especially, families with babies. In March, our suggested Meal-a-Month menu is
back to grown-up food, as our community continues to be hit hard with unemployment and so
many in need. Remember there is always a need for basic items such as peanut butter, tuna,
soup, canned fruit and vegetables, canned meat, and non-fat dry milk.
Faith in Action - Our congregation is a partner in this exciting new program to
serve the elderly and disabled of the Wichita Community, helping them remain in their
homes. Faith in Action has a director of volunteers who will coordinate and train
volunteers and match them with clients for service.
The types of services that may be needed include: Prepare a meal, write a letter or
read a book, provide a ride to a doctor’s office or to get groceries, make a nursing
home visit, provide respite for a caretaker, walk a dog, wash dishes, do minor house
repairs, pick up prescriptions, be a friend, etc. If you would like to be a Faith in
Action volunteer or are in need of services, call Keri Meinking, 264-9303, Ext.142.
Faith in Action is made possible through a grant to Inter-Faith Ministries
from the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation. Faith in Action grants are awarded to
local groups, like Inter-Faith Ministries, that represent many faiths working
together to care for their neighbors who are chronically ill, frail, elderly or disabled.
The grant will be used for general operating expenses and volunteer training. Each grant
recipient is expected to seek local support to supplement the funding. As a partner, we
have agreed to refer both potential clients and volunteers to Faith in Action. We also
pledged to contribute financially. In 2002 Reformation supported Faith in Action
with $400 from our Local Benevolence budget.
Planning Ahead
Mennonite Housing is working on a new approach to meeting the needs of elderly and
disabled for home repairs. Often an elderly individual on a fixed income, or disabled and
not able to do the task himself or herself, finds home repair difficult or impossible.
Watch the Community Outreach bulletin board and Re-Focus to learn how
you can help.
Michele Groves
Community Outreach Coordinator
634-0553
From Our Graduate Seminarian . . .
Dear Reformation friends,
By the time you read this I will have completed interviews with 5-6 Internship
supervisors from throughout the United States. Upon completion of these interviews, the
site for my upcoming Internship, which will begin this summer, will be decided upon. It is
determined by the best match between the style of supervisor, the needs of the
congregation, and the gifts of the seminarian. I ask that you would keep the decision
making process in your prayers, asking that God would bless my placement into the
congregation He deems best.
This month I will also be meeting for Endorsement (the second phase of a
three-phase process) with a joint committee of members from the LSTC faculty as well as
several from the Central States Synod Candidacy Committee. Again, I would ask for your
support through prayer. Each phase of candidacy is a thorough and tedious one, and I want
to be ready for all that this process entails.
I humbly bestow to you my thanks for all your support, and I rest in the promise of
your prayers and care for me as I move ever forward into ordained ministry in the ELCA.
Blessings and peace,
Laura
New Member Classes
New Member Classes will be offered Tuesday evenings in March, beginning
March 4, at 7:00 p.m.
New members will be received on Sunday, April 6. Please contact Pastor Hallstrom if you
are interested in becoming a member of Reformation.
This Month’s Health Ministry Message . . .
(Brought To You by Our Health Ministry Team)
Herbal / "Natural" Remedies
The most popular herbal ("natural") remedy for colds is echinacea. The
National Institutes of Health (NIH) is funding several echinacea trials to determine its
effectiveness in boosting the body’s immune system.
Clinical trials have produced inconsistent findings in zinc’s ability to boost the
body’s defenses against infectious diseases. Zinc, in excessive amounts, can
be harmful to your liver.
It has been more than 30 years since Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling stated that large
doses of Vitamin C (also known as ascorbic acid) prevents the "common
cold." Since that time, no clinical trials have ever supported his claim, in fact,
several clinical trials suggest that megadoses of Vitamin C may be harmful. Don’t
exceed 500 mg. of Vitamin C per day.
"Natural" remedies (like herbs) are not screened by the Food and Drug
Administration for safety and effectiveness and DO NOT meet the same manufacturing
standards that pharmaceutical companies do. If you wish to try "natural"
remedies anyway, let your physician and your pharmacist know. Some herbal remedies can
interact dangerously with other medications.
Health and fitness are better than any gold, and a robust body than countless
riches. There is no wealth better than health of body, and no gladness above joy of heart.
-
Sirach: Chapter 30 (15-16)
Help Wanted
Resurrection Lutheran Church is looking for a part-time office
administrator. Computer and literacy skills required. Organizational skills and outgoing
personality a must. Duties include answering phones, filing, record keeping, data entry,
correspondence and mailings. Office hours would be 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Monday through
Friday. Starting pay approximately $7.50 per hour. Please mail your resume to:
Resurrection Lutheran Church, 521 W. Grand, Haysville, KS 67060-1211. Phone: 522-1091.
Health Assessment Surveys
On Sunday, January 12, the Health Ministry Team distributed and
collected health assessment surveys during both church services. The results include:
- a total of 139 survey forms were returned
- 112 of the surveys were completed by married people
- 128 indicated they had insurance coverage
- 82 were involved in some form of regular exercise, and 50 were not
- 70 stated "excellent" health, and only 2 stated "poor"
health
- approximately 29 different types of regular exercise were listed; the most
popular were: walking (34), YMCA/gym workout (14), and running (11)
- the most common health concerns were arthritis (17) and hypertension/high
blood pressure (15)
- support group interest was greatest in weight control/weight management
(18), followed by teenage parenting (12), caregiving to an aged relative
(9), and loss & grief (8)
- there was strong interest in exercise (28), CPR training (26), and nutrition
(24) - other areas of interest were in stress management (14), aging issues
(11), and adolescent issues (11)
- 33 different health concerns were listed; weight management was the
leading concern (7)
Who responded to the survey?
There was only one completed survey for the age group "under 20 years of
age" and 45 completed surveys in the age group "40-49 years of age."
The group with the lowest percent participating in regular exercise was the age
group 40-49 years (45%). There was a 69% participation rate for exercise in
the 60-69 years of age group and a 63% participation rate in the 70+
age group. Hooray for our seniors!
The Health Ministry Team is very pleased with the response to the survey and wishes to
thank all who participated. In responding to the survey results, a CPR training course
will be offered on Saturday, March 8, at Reformation. Watch for nutrition
and exercise programs/information in the near future.
Our Mid-Week Children’s Program
Building Christianrelationships in a four-part retreat experience.
Ash Wednesday, March 5 - NO LOGOS, but we will have the World Famous
Chris Cakes Pancake Supper. All you can eat pancakes, sausage, and drinks for $4.00 per
plate. Hope to see you there! LOGOS is a four-part congregational ministry dedicated to
nurturing school-age children (K-6th grade) into discipleship. The four-part program
consists of: Recreation, Worship, Family Time and Bible Study. LOGOS meets every Wednesday
evening (October-May) from 5:00 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.
The March LOGOS themes will be as follows:
- March 5 - NO LOGOS, Chris Cakes Pancake Supper
- March 12 - Farm Country (Lent)
- March 19 - NO LOGOS
- March 26 - Silly Hats (Lent)
Join the fun on Wednesday nights . . . Bring a friend!
Summer Camp 2003 - Spiritlife
There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one
hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is
above all and through all and in all.
(Ephesians 4:4-6)
The theme for this summer at Camp Tomah Shinga is Spiritlife.
By the Holy Spirit, we receive gifts for the lives to which God calls us. By the Holy
Spirit, we are forgiven and freed to new life. By the Holy Spirit, we are empowered to
love as we have been loved. By the Holy Spirit, God holds all creation together in unity,
including all of us. Join us this year as we explore who the Holy Spirit is and the job
that he has as the third person of the Trinity.
Camp Tomah Shinga-Lutheran Outdoor Ministries has a full schedule of camping
experiences planned for this coming summer. Sessions are available for children who are entering
Kindergarten through 12th grade, and the length of stay ranges from an overnight with a
parent to five nights.
Our current 7th grade confirmation class will be attending Confirmation Camp with Pr.
Hallstrom, June 22 - 27. There are several Reformation families whose younger children are
interested and planning to attend other sessions. If you and your family are interested or
would like more information, watch for the Tomah Shinga display in the narthex or contact
the church office, Nancy Watkins, or Angela Davis. Some scholarship money is available.
Please keep in mind that sessions fill up quickly. Discounts on camp fees are offered for
early registration, siblings, and full payment.
Update on High School Youth
Plans are proceeding for 13 of our youth and sponsors to travel to
Atlanta, Georgia, in July to attend the National Lutheran Youth Gathering.
They will be a part of a group of 30 from our Area 5 congregations, including Christ
Lutheran and Cross of Glory. Those who are planning to attend from Reformation include:
Julie Buxton, Jenny Larma, Sara Koepsel, Sam Martin, Stephen and Lauren Lofing, Hillary
Pfeiffer, Ryan Woodard, Tom and Jill Pletcher, Dan and Kathy Wegner, and Tina Alstrom.
The Reformation congregation has generously supported our youth through various
fund-raising activities, free-will offerings, and matching funds. At this time, they have
earned $14,510. The anticipated cost per person is $1,250 ($16,250 for the group-so there
is yet work to be done).
A Bake Sale is planned for Sunday, March 30, so be prepared
for lots of tempting aromas and goodies. Some of our youth and sponsors will also be
assisting in worship that day.
Last update
August 03, 2008
