RE-FOCUS
A Publication of Reformation Lutheran Church
Volume 23 April 2003 Number 4
We would like to express our sincere appreciation for the
many cards, prayers and thoughts expressed by the congregation during Craig’s recent
bout with bladder cancer. As one parishioner noted to Craig, "When my mother was
praying a lot, she would comment, ‘she was bothering the Lord’." The Lord
must have really been "bothered" during the past month. To simply say
"Thank You" seems inadequate!
- Craig & Nina Stallwitz
* * *
We would like to express our thanks and appreciation to all of you for the support you
gave us through cards, flowers, phone calls, visits, and prayers during Bill’s
illness. The meals that many of you brought enabled us to focus on taking care of him at
times when we were feeling overwhelmed Bill appreciated it so much and said several times
he wished he could thank everyone personally. A very special thanks to Pastor Tom, Jette
and Barb for all their support. We felt very loved by everyone’s sincere concern and
care for us. God bless you all.
- The family of Bill Herrold
* * *
Our sincere thanks to the Church Council and members of Reformation for the Servants
of God recognition we received on Sunday, March 23. We are greatly touched and
appreciative of this most thoughtful gesture.
- Waldo & Lotus Gerards
The Parish Record
JANUARY - MARCH
BAPTISM
- Aaron Hayes Gutierrez, January 19
- Madisen Louise Ciesielski, February 16
- Nicholas Mark Wetta, February 23
- Tara Elizabeth Dawn Rindt, March 16
TRANSFER
- Brandon & Robyn Brammer, Evan to Woodlawn United Methodist, Derby, KS
- Eivind & Gwenn Djupedal, Jennifer, Kristofer to Zumbro Lutheran, Rochester, MN
- Douglas & Jo Ellen Vandersee, Megan, Mason, Madison to St. Paul Lutheran, Sterling,
IL
DEATH
Choir Worship Schedule
April 6 - Lent 5
- 8:30 a.m. - Cantor
- 11:00 a.m. - Parish Choir
April 13 - Palm Sunday 8:30 & 11:00 a.m.
- All Choirs, LOGOS, and Sunday School children (Youth Choir, Sunday School, and LOGOS
children may choose to sing at either service)
April 17 - Maundy Thursday
April 18 - Good Friday
April 19 - Vigil of Easter
- 6:00 p.m. - Parish Choir & Brass
April 20 - Easter 8:30 & 11:00 a.m.
- Parish Choir & Handbell Choir & Brass
April 27 - Easter 2
- 8:30 a.m. - Cantor
- 11:00 a.m. - Youth Choir & All LOGOS children (LOGOS Sunday)
Women of Reformation
CIRCLE MEETINGS
- Dorcas Wednesday, April 16 1:00 p.m. at the home of Barb Lee, 6903 E. 14th St. N. Lesson
Leader: Pam Adams
- Sarah Monday, April 21 7:00 p.m. at the home of Shirley Anderson, 1140 Apache Dr. Lesson
Leader: Deanne Fortney
- WELCA Board Meeting will be Monday, April 7, at 10:00 a.m. at the church.
- Blanket Makers will meet Mondays, April 7 & 21, at 9:00 a.m. at the church.
- Monthly Outreach Ministry: Tuesday, April 8, 3:15 to 4:00 p.m., is the date for our
visit to Cornerstone Assisted Living, south of our church on Broadmoor. The residents
would enjoy a visit with you.
- Please join us for Women’s Night Out. We will be meeting at Café Mediterranean,
9747 E. 21st St., on Tuesday, April 22, 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.
- Church Women United will meet Friday, April 4, 1:00 p.m., at Inter-Faith Ministries, 829
N. Market.
Easter Breakfast
Reformation will continue its long-standing tradition of
serving Easter breakfast to all members, family and friends. Our high school youth and
sponsors will coordinate and serve the breakfast in Parish Hall from 9:15 to 10:30 on
Easter morning. Help in preparing the breakfast casseroles (recipes and baking pans
provided) will again be requested from the congregation. Watch for more detailed
information.
Best Times of Life
Best Times of Life, Reformation’s fellowship group for
those 55 years and over, will meet Monday, April 14, at noon in Parish Hall.
The program will be presented by Mike Kennedy, the voice of the WSU Shockers. Come and
join us for lunch and good fellowship. 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.
Borrowing from the Church
Many of us, from time to time, have asked to borrow
something from the church—whether it was a large coffee pot, folding chairs,
tablecloths, or a wheelchair. The church is happy to share and accommodate members
whenever possible. The problem arises, though, when items are borrowed without notifying
the staff or are not returned in a timely manner. In order to improve our accountability
and our awareness of where things are, the staff requests the help of the congregation in
the following ways:
- If you have borrowed something recently and still have it, please let the office know
that you have it, or please return it.
- Please understand that some items in the church are not allowed to leave the building.
Included in this category are the round tables in Parish Hall and anything from the
"Wedding Cabinet" in Parish Hall.
- If you wish to borrow something, please contact the church office and then check the
item(s) out on a pad that will be kept by the counter. A written record will help all of
us keep better track of things.
Let’s all work together to be better stewards of all that we have.
Lost, Found, or Forgotten
Check our "Lost, Found, or Forgotten" table in
the narthex. Please claim any items that belong to you by Sunday, April 6. The items have
been on display since March 16, and those not claimed will be donated to a worthy cause
after April 6. Thank you!
Health Ministry Minute . . .
Shopping for Vitamins: The DOs and DON’Ts (from
the ADA Forecast, Feb., 2003)
- DON’T purchase vitamins with added herbal supplements. They could cause an
interaction with other medicines you are taking.
- DON’T
think more is better when it comes to RDAs. Large amounts of certain
vitamins can be toxic.
- If you have diabetes, DON’T worry if a vitamin supplement contains sugar.
The amount is usually negligible and shouldn’t affect blood sugar levels.
- DON’T
treat the multivitamin as a meal. There’s no substitute for a
well-balanced diet.
- DO
read labels for possible allergy-causing ingredients like soy or wheat.
- DO
take expiration dates seriously. Vitamins lose their potency over time.
- DO
test your vitamin for how well it will dissolve in your body by putting one
tablet in a glass of vinegar (vinegar mimics stomach acid). If it dissolves fully within
20 minutes, keep it. If it takes longer to dissolve, consider trying another brand to reap
the full benefits of your daily multivitamin.
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)
Community Ministries
Local Community
Meals on Wheels – Volunteers are needed to deliver meals to homebound seniors and
disabled persons. Individuals or teams may volunteer. An hour a week is all that is needed
to provide a needed and appreciated service. Volunteers can sign up for a regular route or
on a will-call basis. Mike or Liz at Meals on Wheels may be reached at 267-0122,
after 1:00 p.m. They would be glad to answer any questions and arrange a convenient
schedule for you. Reformation members who are already Meals on Wheels volunteers
include Howard and Virginia Leikvold, Jack and Mark Dickerson, Art and Pauline Latham,
Nadine Norton, and James and Carolyn Pitts. These members would also be glad to talk to
you about being a volunteer. Our congregation provided $250 in support to Meals on
Wheels last year through our Local Benevolence budget.
Home Repairs – Mennonite Housing will not be sponsoring the Annual
Repair Affair this spring due to a shortage of funds. However, help is still needed.
Often elderly individuals on a fixed income, or disabled and not able to do the task
themselves, find home repair difficult or impossible.
There is sometimes a need for a wheelchair ramp to be built at someone’s home. If
you would be interested in being part of a small team available to build a wheel chair
ramp this spring, please contact Mike Buxton, 721-3394, or Lou Stadler, 759-4665, or sign
up on the Community Outreach Bulletin Board on the kiosk in the narthex. A
convenient date for the volunteers will be worked out. Mennonite Housing will
provide the materials, tools, and a leader to direct the work.
Yellow Bag Food Ministry – Please continue to remember the many Wichitans
in need of food, with your Yellow Bag donations. Suggested menu items or any
non-perishable food items are welcome. There is always a need for non-fat dry milk, peanut
butter, tuna, soup, canned fruit and vegetables.
Michele Groves
Community Outreach Coordinator
634-0553
Welcome Spring!
From Our Graduate Seminarian . . .
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and
with all your soul and with all your mind. And love your neighbor as yourself."
Dear Reformation friends,
As we have made our journey through Lent, we have been reminded of the true and
persistent love of God, through God's Son, in his willingness to suffer death on our
behalf. It was the fallen state of our human condition that led him there. His selfless
act was a means to heal the break in the relationship between God and humanity, and it is
only in the fulfillment of the Great Commandment– to love God first and then, as its
result, to love our neighbor as well–that we can find our unity with God. This is
only possible by our embrace of the One who went to the cross. It is when we try to
replace this true source and center of our lives by our own efforts that this dynamic of
sin most profoundly impacts our lives. For humanity's life, separated from God, becomes an
increasing source of anxiety amid one's existence. Life is then haunted by fears, leading
people to desperately try to secure themselves against all conceivable dangers and every
perceived competitor. These anxieties come to threaten the meaning of one's life, and the
result is either despair or the search for meaning in life at the expense of others.
Without our relationship with God at the core of our existence, all hope for inward unity,
security, and fulfillment vanishes.
Herein lies the paradox: "He who seeks to gain his life will lose it and he who
loses his life for my sake will find it." Isn't that, in fact, what happened with
Jesus? He was willing to suffer death–even death on a cross–for the restoration
of our relationship with God.
In light of the submission of the cross, fulfilled in the resurrection, I would like to
propose this challenge to you. When you see the neighbor who has sinned against you, and
for whom you find it difficult to forgive, think about how sin changes the very
core of a person, not unlike a bodily disease that infects the very structure of one's
health. Their brokenness, their separation from God, is the cause for the pain you now
experience. To forgive, then, is to pray for the restoration of their spiritual health.
Our anger and resentment toward them can only exasperate the frailty of our own
spiritual well-being. Let go, then, of the burdens you are carrying because of the pain
one has caused you. Ask God to transform your life in such a way as to be able to
embrace the power of the Resurrection both in your life and for the healing of the one you
are called to forgive.
May this Resurrection power be yours this season and always,
Laura Ulicky-Weerts
* * *
Lilies
Orders will be taken for Easter lilies on Sundays, March
30 and April 6, before and after worship. Envelopes for your order
and payment will also be available in the narthex or in the church office during the week.
The cost will again be $12.50 per plant. If you are away on those Sundays, orders may also
be made by calling the church office. Plants may be taken home following the Easter
services.
April Worship Assistants
During the month of April, many, many worship assistants
will be needed for services on Sunday mornings as well as the special worship services
during Holy Week. All of the worship schedules are posted in the narthex. Please consider
your calendars and sign up to serve as you are able. You may also contact Ruth Koepsel in
the church office by phone or e-mail. If you are new to Reformation and would like to
serve as a lector or have been trained to serve as a communion assistant or an acolyte, we
would welcome your gifts of service in worship.
Easter Candy Needed
The Middle School Youth will be distributing Easter treat
bags to the children on Easter Sunday. INDIVIDUALLY WRAPPED candy is needed for this
ministry. Please place your donations in the basket in the narthex by Sunday morning,
April 13. Bags will be assembled by our middle school students during the Sunday School
hour.
Our Mid-Week Children’s Program
Building Christian relationships in a four-part retreat
experience.
April 30 will be our LOGOS End-of-the-Year Party! All the down-home
western fun will begin at 5:00 p.m. 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 April LOGOS themes will be as follows:
- April 2 - Pizza Party (Lent)
- April 9 - Spring is Here! (Lent)
- April 16 - NO LOGOS
- April 23 - Mexican Fiesta
- April 30 - Western Hoe-Down
End-of-the-Year Party!
Join the fun on Wednesday nights . . . Bring a friend!
Youth & Education Staff Search to Begin
Good News! The Youth & Education Staff
Task Force has been formed and is up and running! The members are: Pastor Tom,
Rhonda Larma (chair person), Stephanie Larma, Julie Buxton, John Lee, Barbara Borg, Mary
Brittain, and Galen Blume (council representative). The group is looking forward to the
task of calling a new Youth & Education staff person, and we encourage any member that
might have helpful information pertaining to a potential applicant to please contact Mary
Brittain or any other member. There will be updates on our progress in future Re-Focus
articles and we ask that you please keep this commission in your prayers.
Robert Pfeiffer Receives Award
Robert Pfeiffer was presented the "Unsung Hero"
Award by the Optimist Club of Northeast Wichita in appreciation for the inspiration given
to the club, his fellow students, and the community. Robert was nominated by Carol Brooks,
Southeast High School sophomore counselor, for his positive attitude, hard work, and high
academic achievement, despite his low level of vision. Robert received a certificate from
Mayor Bob Knight at a City Council meeting and from the Northeast Optimists at their
awards dinner.
2003 National Youth Gathering
A meeting has been scheduled for all youth attending the
2003 National Youth Gathering in Atlanta, as well as their parents, on Sunday, April
27, at 4:30 p.m. at Reformation. Parents, this will give you the opportunity to
learn the specifics of the trip as well as to brainstorm fund-raising ideas to help cover
the cost. Pizza will be provided.
Journey Toward Ordination
Our seminarian, Laura Ulicky-Weerts, has recently completed
an interview important to her candidacy for ordination. It’s called the Endorsement
Interview and is the second of a three-part process that will enable her to continue with
internship and ordination. She writes via e-mail that she was "enthusiastically
approved" and "blessed" by the evaluating panel to continue with the rest
of the process. Please keep Laura in your prayers as she continues on her journey.
It’s Time for Softball
Over many summers, Reformation has fielded a softball team
to compete in the Wichita Church Athletic Association. There are options to play
"Men’s" or "Co-Ed," as well as choices of nights and number of
games per week. If Reformation wants to play this summer, we must register by April 14.
Please contact the church office by phone or e-mail ASAP if you are interested. Those
who play may be asked to help cover the cost of team registration. Friends are most
welcome!
Spruce Up the Gardens Saturday, April 5
We had such a successful churchyard cleanup last
fall—let’s do it again!! We will gather at 1:00 p.m. to pick up litter,
spread mulch, trim rose bushes, etc. Please bring tools with you, wheelbarrows too if you
have one. We recommend that you bring garden gloves as well. In case of rain, we will
reschedule for April 12. Please come and help— we’ll even serve you
refreshments!
Lenten Devotional
Thank you to everyone who participated in the 2003 Lenten Devotional. Copies of
Reformation’s publication were shared with Andover Health Care Center, Cornerstone
Assisted Living Facility, Venture House, and Sleepy Hollow and Mid-Town Ronald McDonald
Houses.
TV Docudrama on St. Francis of Assisi
The Hallmark Channel will present a one-hour docudrama on
the life of St. Francis on Palm Sunday, April 13, 7:00 p.m. ET. The film,
"Reluctant Saint: Francis of Assisi," was shot on location in Umbria, Italy,
where St. Francis lived and worked. It is based on the recent biography by best-selling
author Donald Spoto. Check your local TV listing or call your cable or satellite provider
for channel number. For details on the docudrama and on the life of St. Francis, you may
visit www.reluctantsaint.tv .
Last update
August 03, 2008
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