RE-FOCUS
A Publication of Reformation Lutheran Church
Volume 23 December 2003 Number 12
Holiday Progressive Dinner
The final day to make reservations for this year’s holiday dinner
will be Sunday, November 30. Four routes for appetizers and salads
will take place in members’ homes and everyone will gather at the church
for the main course, dessert, and musical entertainment. The cost is
$12.50 per person. Names of youth willing to babysit are available at the
reservation table or through the church office.
Our high school youth will again help serve the main course in the
Parish Hall at 7:00 p.m. and will assist in the cleanup afterwards. They
will meet beforehand at 6:00 p.m. to enjoy pizza.
Danish Treats for the Lord’s Diner
Once again, our favorite Danish chef, Jette Mortensen, will bake
aebleskivers for members and friends to enjoy between services on December
7. These have become a holiday tradition at Reformation. The free will
offering received will be given to the Lord’s Diner, with a request for
matching funds from the Northeast Sedgwick County Chapter of Thrivent
Financial for Lutherans. Come and enjoy!
Help is needed to decorate the church (both inside and out) for
Christmas. If you have some time available Dec. 4-6 and/or Dec.11-12
(daytime and/or evening) please contact Ruth in the church office.
Angel Tree
Again this year, we will help answer the Christmas wishes of the
children and youth of the Oaks Indian Center in Oaks, OK. Beginning on
Sunday, November 30 and continuing through December 7, the Angel Tree will
stand in the narthex, covered with angels which identify the children and
their gift requests. Each will indicate boy or girl and the age of the
child or youth, as well as sizes. Our gifts may respond to the child’s
wish or provide another age-appropriate item(s). It is important that
all gifts be brought to the church by Sunday, December 14. We
appreciate Jerry and Eva Whetstone offering to deliver the gifts to the
Oaks later that week. If you have questions, please contact Marla Schmale,
Angel Tree Coordinator at 686-2064.
Poinsettias
Members and friends of Reformation who would like to purchase a
poinsettia for the sanctuary may place their orders on Sunday, Nov. 30 and
Dec. 7. The cost this year will be $10.00. Envelopes for your order and
payment will be available in the narthex or you may call/email Ruth
Koepsel in the church office.
The Tradition of the Chrismons
“Chrismon” is a combination of parts of two words: Christ
and Monogram. A Chrismon is just that, a monogram of Christ. Made
in combinations of white and gold, each symbol is created to witness to
the love and glory of Jesus, the Christ. If you have ever wanted to know
more about the meaning behind the Chrismons and how they are made, come
to the Adult Forum in the Parish Hall on Sunday, Dec. 7
.
Middle and High School Youth Activities
Fund-Raising Projects:
Thank you to all who have helped and assisted with the fund-raising
projects for November:
The Bake Sale was a great success and raised $262.00 for
the middle school youth.
To date we have raised $228.00 in 2004 Calendar sales.
The middle school youth will continue selling them on Sundays, after both
services. They sell for $6.00 and make wonderful gifts for family,
friends, or for one of our church members in a care facility or just to
hang and use at home. Michon will also have them available during the week
in the office.
Christmas Turkey orders will be taken after both services
through December 14. You may also call Sheryl Johnson, 733-9830, or Michon
Weingartner, 634-0586, to place an order. Turkeys will be available for
pickup at church on Wednesday, Dec. 17, between 7:00 & 8:00 p.m. or on
Sunday, Dec. 21, after both services. Please help our middle school youth
by purchasing your Christmas turkey from them.
We are continuing to sell the Dillon’s Dollars to help
the high school youth attend the 2006 National Youth Gathering in San
Antonio, Texas. Tina Alstrom and the youth will have them available in the
narthex after both services.
The receipts from eating at City Bites or enjoying the Women’s
Spa are not available at this time.
Thanks for all your support!
Youth Christmas Program
The Christmas program is just around the corner. It will be held
Sunday, December 14, during the 11:00 a.m. service. December rehearsal
schedule is as follows:
- December 7, 9:45 to
10:15 a.m. meet in the sanctuary to rehearse music. 10:15 to 10:45
a.m. rehearse play without music.
- December 13, rehearsal
of play in the sanctuary from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m.
- December 14, 9:45 to
10:45 a.m. Rehearsal and final prep.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to
call, 634-0586, or e-mail michon@reformation-lutheran.org.
Our annual Christmas Caroling on the Trolley will be Thursday,
Dec. 11, from 5:45 to 8:45 p.m. We will travel to several homes in the
neighborhood and serenade them with our Christmas carols. After
caroling, we will return to the church for hot cocoa and treats. This is
primarily a middle and high school youth event. Please let Michon,
634-0586, know if you will be participating.
Attention High School Youth: the annual Progressive Dinner is
Sunday, Dec. 7. We will meet for pizza at 6:00 p.m., serve dinner at
7:00 p.m., and clean up afterwards. To sign up to assist or for more
information, please call: Kathy & Dan Wegner, 683-6172; Jill &
Tom Pletcher, 684-1573; or Tina Alstrom, 634-1006.
December Choir Rehearsals
December 3, 10, & 17
:
- 5:45 p.m. - Children, Youth Handbells
- 6:15 - 6:45 p.m. - Youth Choir
- 6:15 - 7:20 p.m. - Handbell Choir
- 8:00 p.m. - Parish Choir
December 24 & 31:
Dear friends at Reformation,
A very sincere thank you to all for your many words of encouragement
and your many prayers during Doug’s illness and recent death. A
special thanks to Jette Mortensen, Barb Lee and pastor for the many
visits and calls. We are grateful too, for those who participated in the
service and the ladies that provided the luncheon following the service.
Special thanks to Eva Whetstone for organizing the luncheon.
Jolene, Warren, and Stuart Dougherty
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We are truly grateful for the many words and deeds of support shown by
our Reformation family upon the death our mother and grandmother, Marcie
Schramm. Even in this time of grief and sorrow, we are made hopeful by God’s
assurance of the gift of eternal life. We thank you for living out God’s
love for us.
Marlene, Pastor Tom, Eric,
Erin and Betsy
Hallstrom
Since 1992, our Reformation Prayer Ministry (the prayer chain) has been
an active and effective ministry in the life of our Reformation family. It
is very comforting and supporting to know that forty or more members are
praying for you, your family, or friends in a time of crisis or sorrow. If
you would like to be involved in the prayer ministry and are nor currently
a part of it, we would like to hear from you as we will be updating our
groups soon.
We are presently seeking a new coordinator for the prayer
chain, beginning in January 2004. The coordinator receives the
prayer request, calls it to the contact person on each of three groups and
starts the request on the e-mail list. We all thank Carol Ott who has
served so faithfully in this role for several years.
If you are interested in participating in this ministry in any way, or
have questions about it, please call Lotus Gerards, 683-8602, or you may
call Carol Ott, 683-5482. We hope to hear from you!
From Our Graduate Seminarian...
Dear Reformation friends, I am in the midst of many changes that are
taking place here at Lord of Light in Ann Arbor, Michigan. This past month
my supervising pastor took a call to a congregation in West Los Angeles.
He is a beloved pastor here and will be sorely missed. He will be leaving
the end of December. That means there will be a significant transition
taking place in the weeks to come. My changes will include the assignment
of a new supervising pastor, a review and possible reconstruction of my
job description, and the like. It is an interesting time in terms of my
potential learning, but it is also a stressful time because of the
unknowns. I ask that you would keep me and this congregation in your
prayers.
I also want to extend a special note of thanks for your fund-raising
efforts this fall toward the seminary support fund. Your gifts are
extremely helpful in easing financial burdens during this process. Your
consistent efforts in supporting candidates for ministry in the ELCA are
very important in assisting those who are working diligently to prepare
for the work of God's church. I am especially appreciative, personally, as
I run this final lap toward ordination.
Peace in Christ, Laura Ulicky-Weerts
Care in Congregations
As many of you know, it’s been a year since Aid Association for
Lutherans (AAL) and Lutheran Brotherhood (LB) merged into the new
organization called Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. Many of the programs
that support the congregations and communities are still in place but some
of them have changed. We still provided Confirmation gifts this year and
Baptismal medallions continue to be presented to each newly baptized
person at our church. You now have three required congregational
coordinators who help acquire funding. They are Kathy Drake, Keith Martin,
and Marsha Meili.
We wanted to make sure you know how you can be involved in hands-on
service and fund-raising activities and help Reformation receive its Care
in Congregations money. This year, we have received matching funds for the
Easter breakfast, the Pit BBQ and the Garage Sale. A total of $1500 in
matching funds was available. In the future, funds will be allocated based
on the size of the congregation and its level of volunteerism. On all of
the projects, we need to put together a planning team consisting of a
minimum of six Thrivent member households. The activity is then cleared
through Thrivent as meeting the intent of service or fund-raising. The
event is publicized and conducted with Thrivent support being noted. After
the event, we report the net proceeds, number of volunteer hours and
number of Thrivent members and non-members involved in planning or
conducting the activity. This year Ruth Koepsel has helped me tally these
numbers for reporting purposes and I’m glad we were able to use all the
funds. Next year I hope we can be even more active and involve more
Thrivent members. If you were a member of either previous body, you are
automatically a Thrivent member and we NEED your ideas and help. There are
additional programs that benefit the community and the larger geographic
region. I plan to tell you more about that in another article.
Thanks for your involvement this year and let’s work on more exciting
projects next year. If you have questions or ideas for projects, please
contact Kathy, Keith or me for the details.
For the congregational coordinators,
Marsha Meili
2003 Memorial Gifts
With praise and thanksgiving, the Reformation Gifts and Memorials
Committee wishes to acknowledge the following gifts given to date in 2003.
These gifts were given in honor and memory of our loved ones and friends.
- Communion Ware, Scarlet Paraments and Chasuble,
Worship Assistants’ Albs - Elsa Baum,
William Herrold, Emilie Knipe, Albert and Lydia Nielsen, Jeanne
Winquist
- Seasonal Burse and Veil Sets - Dr.
Ingolf Mork
- Music Folders/ Parish Choir - Jeanne
Winquist
- Drama Ministry - Ruth
Blackburn
- Grand Piano Humidifier - Elsa
Baum, Robert J. Uplinger, Sr., Rev. Werner Wadewitz
- Paper Folding Machine, - Emilie
Knipe
- Stephen Ministry - Irvin
Miller
- Credence Tables - Jess
and Dorothy Manor
- Altar Cloth - Emilie
Knipe
Gifts & Memorials Committee Members:
- Margo Stratton-Lang, Chair; Doug Brantner (through
10/03), Mary Ward-Pfeiffer, Marsha Meili (as of 11/03); Pastor
Hallstrom, Dallas Cronk, Mike Lofing
Women of Reformation
CIRCLE MEETINGS
- Sarah Monday, December
15 7:00 p.m. at the home of Virginia Arnold, 2535 Welgate
Circle Lesson Leader: Muriel Hansen
- Dorcas Wed., December
17 12:30 p.m. at the home of Jeanne Tiller, 1720 Barrier Cove
Christmas Luncheon
- WELCA Board
Meeting will be Monday, Dec. 1,
at 1:00 p.m. at the church.
- Blanket Makers
will meet Mondays, Dec. 1, 15, & 29, at 9:00 a.m. at
the church.
- Church Women United
will meet for the “Annual Assembly” on Friday, Dec. 5, 1:00
p.m., at West Heights United Methodist Church, 745 Westlink.
- The Women’s Annual Christmas Luncheon
will be held at the church on Dec. 2, 12:00 p.m. All women of
Reformation are invited and encouraged to attend. Lunch will be
provided by the members of Sarah Circle and the members of Dorcas
Circle will present the program. Remember to bring your Thank
Offerings.
- Women’s Night Out
will not meet in December as originally scheduled. The next meeting
will be at Sweet Basil on Tuesday, Jan. 27 at 6:30 p.m.
- Monthly Outreach Ministry
at Cornerstone Assisted Living will be Tuesday, December 9,
3:15 to 4:00 p.m. Virginia Leikvold will lead the residents in singing
Christmas carols and each resident will be given a small gift. Mark
your calendars and come share the Christmas spirit.
Michele Groves
Community Outreach Coordinator
634-0553
Best Times of Life
Reformation’s fellowship group for those 55 years and over, will meet
Monday, Dec. 8, at noon in the Parish Hall. We will be
entertained by the singing of Bill Skidmore, who you may have heard sing
the national anthem at Dumont Stadium. Come and join us for lunch, good
fellowship and share the Christmas holiday atmosphere. Bring a covered
dish to share, your table service, and call Pauline, 942-2885, or Betty,
682-2030, saying you will be there, so the hosts will know how many tables
to prepare.
2004 Flower Chart
The flower chart for the new year is posted in the narthex. If you
would like to provide flowers for the altar on a special occasion, please
sign up for the date(s) of your choice. You will be contacted by
Mary Lou Bengtson with more detailed information prior to your date. The
cost per week is $40.00, which includes delivery to the church.
Southwest College Music Department presents:
Portraits in Sound
Music to warm the soul on a cold winter’s eve
Tuesday, December 2, 2003
7:30 p.m.
Featuring: Eugenia Oi Yan Yau, vocalist
Joyce Anne Wilder, Flutist
JuleAnn Troutman, keyboardist
Jane Burrow, cellist
