Via de Cristo Newsletter

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1 South Dakota Lutheran Secretariat Via de Cristo Newsletter 2016 In this edition: Married Couples Decision Upcoming 2017 Weekends South Dakota Via de Cristo Secretariat Members National Via de Cristo Gathering Minutes from June 9 Meeting Website Information and Save Applications (attached) Mark the 2017 dates on your calendars now! Men's Weekend, January Women's Weekend, January Married Couples Decision Thank you 4th Day for the outpouring of input! In the last newsletter, we asked for input from the 4th Day Community on the Secretariat evaluation of the requirement that married couples must attend the same set of paired weekends. The Secretariat was considering the change to make this a recommendation rather than a requirement, leaving the option for one spouse to attend when the other cannot or does not desire to attend. The outpouring of input from the SD Via de Cristo 4th Day Community was a strong testament to the commitment and caring so many have for the VdC program. Feedback was heartfelt, honest, and in every single instance, respectful of the task the Secretariat was undertaking in considering the issue at hand. Best of all, there were many reminders to trust the Holy Spirit for guidance and the assurance that prayers for the decision were taking place all throughout our region! Wow - what an amazing Christian Community we have in SD VdC! The majority of the responses were in favor of making the change to remove the requirement. Overwhelmingly, it was also clearly stated that while the time has come to make the change, we cannot set aside entirely the value of attending as a couple, and joint attendance should also be encouraged where possible. Ultimately, the Secretariat voted unanimously to remove the requirement and make joint attendance a recommendation. The

2 Secretariat felt the ultimate call for Guests to attend a weekend is the work of the Holy Spirit, and we do not want to put obstacles in place. We trust that Sponsors will prayerfully approach sponsorships to ensure the readiness of any candidate invited to attend as a Guest, including joint or separate attendance for married couples. A few comments from our 4th Day community: I hope this change is approved by the Secretariat. I believe it is the will of the Holy Spirit to let His Presence and the revelation of God s Word through the VDC talks, discussions, sharing of the Peace, and fellowship at the Tables, to bring a change in lives. Dave Luhman While I understand the rationale for having a married person go to Via De Cristo only if both spouses sign up, in reality, this will continue to exclude many people from ever attending a Via De Cristo. Therefore I do support the suggestion that the requirement be changed to a recommendation. Pastor Dani Jo Ninke I totally support the idea of allowing married couples to attend a VdC weekend at different times, other than the paired weekends. In my experience of asking guests to attend, often the response was, I am so ready, but my spouse won t consent to going. I don t think one should be held from attending, just because the other spouse won t commit to going. When we talk about our relationships with God and Jesus being the most important ones in our spiritual lives, then why would we not encourage any married person to further that relationship by attending a VdC weekend?. I understand that if both spouses go it makes for wonderful sharing of the experience within a week, but that is the perfect scenario and our lives, marriage included, are not perfect. Sean Potas Upcoming 2017 Weekends Upcoming 2017 Weekends Much has already happened in preparations for the upcoming 2017 Men s and Women s Weekends. Two special training sessions have been conducted. The first was for just the rectors, Ken Van Essen and Julie Luebke where the calendar was set for practice weekends, the individual Weekends, and the Ultreya. Both rectors made known their selected verses for their weekends. For the Men s Weekend, Ken selected from Psalm 46:10, Be still and know that I am God. Julie has selected for the Women s Weekend from Ephesians 1:7-8, In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight. The second training has also been held and included the leadership teams. For the men s weekend, agreeing to serve in leadership roles are: Perry Pickens, 1 st Assistant; Karl Seggerman, 2 nd Assistant; Troy Diede, 3 rd Assistant; Doug Auch, Palanca Rector; Jim Ewoldt, Assistant Palanca Rector; Pastor Steve Carmany, Head SD. In addition, Pastors Matt Bahnfleth and Rick Slattery have agreed to join the team with their roles not solidified at this time. For the women s weekend, agreeing to serve are: Belinda Leavitt, 1 st Assistant; Kathy Ewoldt, 2 nd Assistant; Kaye McAfee, 3 rd Assistant; Darla Van Rosendale, Palanca Rector; Charlotte Charles, Assistant Palanca Rector; Pastor Dani Jo Ninke, Head SD. From here, the members of the leadership teams will be making calls to the 4 th Day Community asking individuals to prayerfully consider serving on team for one of the two weekends. If you feel

God nudging you or have a desire to serve on either the Men s or Women s teams, please make your intentions known to one of the two rectors or any member of the Secretariat.

3 God nudging you or have a desire to serve on either the Men s or Women s teams, please make your intentions known to one of the two rectors or any member of the Secretariat. Every effort will be made to afford you that opportunity. At this time, as we move ever closer to the weekends, we would ask each member of our 4 th Day to keep these weekends in your prayers. Lift the leadership team members in prayer as well as prayerfully considering serving on team yourself. Additionally, pray for the guests for the two weekends. It is not too early to begin the process of prayerfully considering people you know from your churches to sponsor. Begin by planting seeds and ask that they prayerfully consider attending the weekend. Both the Guest Registration forms and the Team Registration forms are newly updated. They are included in this newsletter and are available for copying from the South Dakota Lutheran Via de Cristo website; South Dakota Via de Cristo Secretariat

4 Meeting Minutes from June 9 Meeting South Dakota Lutheran Secretariat Council Meeting June 9, 2016 Christ the King Lutheran Church, Yankton, SD Members present: Skip Gooch, Ken Van Essen, Julie Luebke, Jerry Merkouris, Allen Abraham, Lonnie Svitak, Margaret Svitak, Jim Ewoldt, Kathy Ewoldt, Dee Diede, Mike Diede and Lori Gooch. Meeting was called to order by Lay Director Skip Gooch. Devotions and prayers were provided by Pastor Jerry Merkouris. Minutes: Minutes of the April 23, 2016 meeting were approved with no changes. Treasurers Report: Ed Hansen was unable to attend, but sent a message that the Secretariat account has a balance of $7,674.35, with all outstanding bills being paid. Discussion related to what the average expected income and expenses is historically to help ensure we are on track for the future was held. Ed is the most knowledgeable on budget and finances, so Skip will connect with Ed to ask for this information for our next meeting. OLD BUSINESS: Membership List: Julie Luebke reported that the updated membership list is not complete, but she is in progress on completion before our next meeting. Trailer Transfer: No one present was sure of the status of the transfer of the trailer from the Kohl s to the Wenzlahf s. Discussion was held on the huge contribution that inventory and storage of the trailer is for the entire Secretariat. (In response to a text message sent, Dee Diede reported later in the meeting that the transfer has not yet occurred.) Manual Review and Updates: Julie and Lori have not yet met to review manuals, but are planning later in the month. An inventory of existing manuals shows some are missing, so efforts have been made to help track down manuals to prevent additional costs in production of more in the future. Lynette Mennen was contacted by Skip, and she will be sending an electronic copy of the manuals sometime in mid-july. Weekend Training and Team Formation: Day One Rector Training with Ken Van Essen and Julie Luebke, 2017 Weekend Rectors, has already taken place with Lay Directors Skip and Lori Gooch. Day Two Leadership Training with team leadership (Weekend and Palanca Rectors, Assistant Directors, and Spiritual Directors) will be held on Thursday, June 23 at 6:30 pm in Sioux Falls, hosted by Skip and Lori Gooch. A casual pizza dinner will be served prior to training with a free will donation to cover the costs. Team trainings for the weekends will be held November 4 & 5, and December 2 & 3, both in Yankton. The trainings are open to all who desire to serve on the weekends - Rollo Room, Support and Auxiliary staff. Everyone benefits from full attendance at trainings, as the intended purpose of the VDC is to develop Christian Leaders, not simply host weekends. It will be important for Rectors to reach out to call people to serve and then include them in the invitation to be at both training weekends prior to hosting the weekends in January. Discussion was held on the importance of being very intentional with our outreach to new and inactive members of the 4th Day community to serve on team in every position that makes up the team, both Rollo Room and Auxiliary/Support teams. Invitations and strong communication follow-up were key elements identified to help make this a success vs. wait to see who shows up. Margaret Svitak brought up a concern that more needs to be included regarding the responsibilities that Captains have on the support teams. She sees some holes that may create problems without having solid past experience. For our team training weekends, a special pullout session will be held for all Captains, and Margaret has agreed to help lead this session to share her ideas and experiences with Captains. Skip will ensure this is built into the schedule.

5 Spiritual Director Replacement: Pastor Jerry Merkouris has been serving on the Secretariat as the Spiritual Director for the past decade, and says he would like to step out of the role at this time. Discussion was held on potential replacement candidates. All Secretariat members are encouraged to send suggestions to Pastor Jerry, who has agreed to make contacts to secure his replacement and either a second Co-Director or an Assistant SD. Pastor Jerry also suggested the Secretariat implement term expectations for the positions for the future. The Gooch s will ensure the SD Manuals we have on hand are delivered to Pastor Jerry for sending along to new SD Candidates. Once Pastor Jerry has secured candidates, he will inform Skip Gooch. National Gathering: The National Lutheran Secretariat Annual Gathering will be held July 21-14, 2016, at Lourdes University in Sylvania, Ohio. Ed has registered Skip and Lori Gooch to attend as our representatives. Skip shared that he will be driving out from Sioux Falls, and they have room for up to two more passengers if there is anyone else who would like to attend. Application Requirements for Couples: Julie Luebke asked if discussion on the application requirements for couples could be moved to the end of the agenda to ensure time for all items to get attention. This was unanimous approved. This section took place following New Business discussion. In response to the Secretariat discussion on the pros and cons of our current policy that requires both parties in a married relationship to attend the same paired set of weekends, an article was included in the most recent newsletter asking for input to provide direction for the Secretariat in this matter. The response was very good, with 16 responses received, each being shared ahead of the meeting with the Secretariat members. Skip shared extensive research into what policies in this area were for all the other Secretariats nation-wide, either through posting on their websites or personal calls to contacts he could locate. Discussion was held on the current policy, and the potential impacts of making a change from our current requirement of dual-spousal attendance to a recommendation only status. The value of encouraging both spouses to attend together and the importance of strong sponsorship discernment were discussed, as well as the choice of man vs. the urging of the Holy Spirit. Motion was made by Pastor Jerry Merkouris to change the SD Secretariat position on spousal dualattendance to recommended rather than required. Allen Abraham seconded the motion, which passed with a unanimous vote. NEW BUSINESS: Community Updates: Jim and Kathy Ewoldt reported that their VDC community took over serving at soup suppers during lent, which led to more awareness and interest in what VDC is. They plan a table presentation to promote VDC in November. Attendance at Ultreyas for their community has varied, from some with as many as 28 to lower numbers of 8. They are planning another gathering sometime in August. Lonnie and Margaret Svitak reported that they have been thankful for the ability to remain active with South Dakota. They are working to develop interest in hosting Ultreya s, and brought a group up to the Yankton Ultreya to help jump start interest in that area. Their 4th Day members remain an active part of their congregation, with many meeting as part of a monthly fellowship group. Mike and Dee Diede reported that the Yankton continues to have successful Ultreya s with average attendance being Dee sends out s with gathering details, and then does a follow-up reminder immediately prior. She reminded all that Rodger is great about posting Ultreya notices on the web site, so be sure to send him and e- mail too. Allen Abraham reported that they have not held an Ultreya, but he is interested in getting the contact information from Julie when completed so he can connect with those in his area to ride share to Yankton to help build interest (similar to what the Svitak s have done.) No Sioux Falls area Ultreya plans at this time, but Lori Gooch reported that a new renewal group was just started with six 4th Day members in Sioux Falls, and the hope is to expand and be able to host an event in the future. Margaret brought up the idea of starting a closed FaceBook group for the SD Secretariat to help build community and improve communications. She will reach out to others to get this set up in the near future, with multiple administrators to ensure timely access and updates. Weekend Rector Reports: Both 2017 Rectors shared their verse selections, and their personal connection with why they chose their verses. They also announced their initial leadership teams: Men: Ken Van Essen s verse selection is, Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10. Team includes Pastor Steve Carmany, Head SD; Perry Pickens, 1st Assistant; Karl Seggerman, 2nd Assistant; Troy Diede, 3rd Assistant; Doug Auch, Palanca Rector; and Jim Ewoldt, Assistant Palanca

6 Rector. In addition, Pastors Matt Bahnfleth and Rick Slattery have agreed to join the team with their roles not solidified at this time. Women: Julie Luebke s verse is In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight. Ephesians 1:7-8. Team includes Pastor Dani JoNinke, Head SD; Belinda Leavitt, 1st Assistant; Kathy Ewoldt, 2nd Assistant; Kaye McAfee, 3rd Assistant; Darla VanRosendale, Palanca Rector; and Charlotte Charles, Assistant Palanca Rector. Bibles for Weekends: Julie Luebke has requested to purchase bibles to distribute to all guests on her weekend as Rector. Discussion was held on the value of presenting a common bible to all our Guests during the Study Rollo, that they can then use during the remainder of the weekend and as a keepsake of the weekend too. Julie and Pastor Jerry will research sources and costs for bibles and bring to our next meeting. Updates on Forms and Letters: Skip and Lori Gooch will ensure our applications and sponsor forms are brought up to date and ready to distribute by the end of June. They will reach out to Ed Hansen to see what is currently sent to sponsors and weekend guests in response to an accepted application, and make updates as needed. Supply/Purchases for weekend: Lori Gooch asked who manages the inventory and purchase for supply items (ie notebooks) for weekends as she wants to ensure this process continues. The group understanding is that this falls with those who keep the trailer. If this is different, Ed Hansen will be asked to let us know. Newsletter: The next newsletter is scheduled to go out the last week of June, and will include an invitation to serve on teams with meeting dates. Meeting dates and location: Our next meeting will be held in Yankton in September. Skip will send out a notice with potential dates in early August as to date and specific location and time. If anyone would like to volunteer to provide opening devotions or the closing prayer, let Skip know. The meeting was graciously closed in prayer by Julie Luebke. Respectfully submitted, Lori Gooch National Via de Cristo Gathering The National Via de Cristo Gathering is fast approaching and will be held at Lourdes University in Sylvania, Ohio, July Please keep us in your prayers for safe travel and a meaningful and productive experience as we attend the conference. We are honored and excited to represent the South Dakota Secretariat. Skip & Lori Gooch, Lay Directors Website Info Website: Check out the applications at:

Via de Cristo Newsletter

South Dakota Lutheran Secretariat Via de Cristo Newsletter Check out our website -- http://www.sdlvdc.org/ September 2017 Edition In this edition: Grand Ultreya 2018 Men s Rector Message 2018 Women s Rector