The Lorraine Avenue Messenger

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1 The Lorraine Avenue Messenger Published by Lorraine Avenue Mennonite Church Wichita, Kansas September 2017 Worship during September September 3 sermon by Tom Exodus 3:1-15; Psalm 105; Romans 12:9-21; Matthew 16:21-18 September 10 sermon by Lois Exodus 12:1-14; Psalm 149; Romans 13:8-14; Matthew 18:15-20 September 17 sermon by Tom Exodus 14:19-31; Psalm 114; Romans 14:1-12; Matthew 18:21-35 September 24 sermon by Tom Exodus 16:2-15; Psalm 105; Philippians 1:21-30; Matthew 20: 1-16 Here at Lorraine Avenue we have embraced the local Beyond Tolerance movement and partnered with the Greater Faith Christian Church, a predominantly African-American congregation, to worship, fellowship, serve, and establish relationships that lead us beyond mere tolerance toward genuine experiences of sharing life together. As we continue in this partnership the following piece impacted me and seemed important to share. Pastor Lois On being white From the Publisher: Peter W. Marty Christian Century, August 16, 2017 I know that I will never be on the receiving end of blatant discrimination, at least not due to my skin color. It simply won t happen. There is no way that the stars of my birth circumstance will align in such a way that would allow me to suffer regular discrimination. The contours of privilege from what I know and enjoy as a white person mean that I never need fear being pulled over in my car or paying hundreds of dollars in questionable fines simply because of the color of my skin. It hurts to write this truth, yet putting it on the table is critical. Those of us with white skin tend to take our whiteness off the table in discussions of race. We don t see our whiteness as a race; it s just normal humanity the template from which other people are judged to be different or abnormal. Those with different skin color have race; we whites don t. ever notice how schools celebrate Black History month? The other months are just plain history. We know black poets, preachers, and mayors. Nobody has ever referred to me as a white preacher or a white columnist. As for white privilege, I like to think of it less as a charge of racism and more as a descriptor of the way things are for us who receive daily societal power and benefit simply by virtue of our skin color. Such an understanding of white privilege was made clear to the teenagers in my congregation during a recent work trip in Appalachia. We knew we were in for an experience when we started seeing Confederate flags popping up in Kentucky, recounted one of the trip leaders. The black kids in my van immediately tensed up. They started to speak of being scared. At a gas station stop in Virginia, four boys climbed out of one van for an ice cream run. Inside the convenience3 store was a local customer who gave Tremiere, the one black kid in the bunch, a fearsome glare. Once he finished looking over Tremiere, the man pointed at him and said, You better get the hell out of here right now! the boys took off running. A worship experience at an all-white megachurch didn t help calm group anxiety. Two of our teenage girls, one black and the other white, turned around to exchange Christ s peace. the church member standing before them greeted the white girl warmly. She took one look at the black girl, rolled her eyes in disgust, and turned away. That gesture of

2 ungrace because valuable conversation material for a mostly white group of kids unaccustomed to noticing racism. I used to think racism was something one could surgically remove. Like a precision airstrike taking out a terrorist haven, or a surgeon manipulating a sharp scalpel. But it s more difficult than that, of course, especially in an imbalanced world that tilts toward white privilege and perspective. It makes no moral sense that people should suffer simply for being wrapped in a skin color other than the majority. Yet it happens all the time. Our U.S Constitution enshrined the idea that African slaves were only three-fifths of a person for the purposes of legislative representation. It s clear we have a ways to go before that fraction becomes a whole number in everyday life. Work of the Church Board of Deacons Minutes August 8, 2017 Attendees: Mike Fetters, Pete Emery, Nadine Reimer-Penner, Adella Ozor, Linda Buller, Gerry Lichti, Sylvia Schmidt We Gather in God s Name Devotions were given by Sylvia reading Colossians 2: 6-7 which was the scripture based on the Western District Assemblies theme Rooted and Built Up In Christ. Sharing Our Present Work Safe Sanctuary Training with Kathy Wiens will be this Sunday, August 13 at 11:00 a.m. Ann and Mike Fetters have offered to do child care. The entire congregation is urged to attend this important training. Child care providers who do not attend LAMC will need to be trained also. Taping this meeting could be one option to show to those not in church. Linda and Sylvia gave a brief update on their experiences at the Western District Conference in Arlington, Texas last weekend. Several church family concerns were discussed. 2 Looking to the Future Nadine is on call for August. Sylvia will be on call in September. Next Deacons meeting September 12, 2017; Devotions Pete: Hostess Nadine. Church council attendees on August 15 Adella and Sylvia Board of Christian Education August 12, 2017 Submitted by Sylvia Schmidt Present: Jill Robinson, Cindy Thompson, Joel Ewy, Tom Harder, Katie Mitchell-Koch Gathering and Prayer Jill read A Thankful Heart by A.W. Tozer from a daily devotional book. Children Katie was here and we brainstormed a list of expectations to formulate job responsibilities for future Youth Minister. She will share those ideas with church council on Tuesday. Bibles will be presented August 27 and teachers will be recognized too. Grayce will contact Abby (mom of Brody) about his Bible needs. Grayce will need to be notified of this. All BOCE will be visible. Presentation during children s time - Jill will present. Aug 20 plan is for Grayce, Cindy, and Jill to help kids make Sunday school crafts and musical instruments for new quarter. We still have a teacher shortage K-2 grade, preschool. Here is how we will solve it: Jill and Beth will teach K-2, Ellen still only one in preschool; Nursery workers will be expected to step in to help Christmas program leader nominations-- Grayce and Jill will coordinate program. Youth Tom is ready to get the ball rolling with our youth group. Critical mass is here. We want a concentrated attention to youth. Proposing meeting with other youth sponsors to hash out plan for year and make a big deal of building relationships and community within the youth group. Some monthly/ key events to emphasize are: Fall retreat, spring retreat, lock-in, youth Sunday. Also some ideas for

3 social opportunities: game night, movie night, corn maze, children s Christmas program, etc. Adult We discussed the success of our alternative Sunday school events. We felt the brunch successful with at least 75 plates needing to be washed. We will continue next year to hold a potluck brunch and take a friend to lunch. We will try again with sandwich bar and games. The safe sanctuary class was well attended and had good participation. Report of upcoming classes F&I: - Aug 20 sermon discussion - Sept 3 TED talk the danger of a single story - Ruth or Cindy - Sept 10, 17, 24, Oct 1 Doctrine of Discovery Idea phase: Oct 8 Holy currency (stewardship series ) could begin and run 5-6 weeks. If any of these currencies are not flowing both in and out, then that is a problem. Rethinking the kinds of resources that we have. Gathering together for truth-telling can open up the possibilities for other currencies. Tom will be willing to teach. Peace Sunday will need to be incorporated Young adult class will meet in choir room starting September 10. Will need TV; Cindy will make sure others will be notified by a variety of communication Other No other business Coming Up Church Council meeting Tues August 15, 7 pm. Jill and Joel; BOCE meeting, Sat. September 9 (Tom will be at hymnal meeting); Education Sunday August 27 during church service; Council Retreat, August 27 (no Sunday school). Submitted by Jill Robinson Lorraine Avenue Mission Board Minutes Meetings will resume in September Board of Trustees August 13, 2017 Attendees: Al Beck, Bryce Schmidt, Roger Kaufman, Robert Gaeddert, Joel Tieszen Church kitchen refrigerator update - Last month Pastor Lois discovered the kitchen refrigerator not cooling, and a bad smell in the kitchen. Roger called a repairman who examined it and pronounced it dead. Roger and Robert used a rented piano dolly to haul the fridge out of the kitchen, up the elevator, and out to the parking lot. Now we need to hire somebody to take the R12 refrigerant safely out of the system and haul it off. Linda Doll and Roger are working with the True Refrigeration distributor in this area to order a new refrigerator that will be the same model and size as our old one, with all the updated technical features. LED tubes - Robert has been replacing quite a few fluorescent lights around the church. Still hoping to arrange a lighting party to get a bunch of Trustees and other volunteers in to replace a lot more fluorescent light tubes. Possibly with Mennonite women cooking food and musicians playing hymns while we work. Stay tuned. 633 House fence repair --- Robert and Roger repaired the two sections of falling-down fence on the north side of the 633 House. We used the iron mending plates as before, and they did the job nicely. Elevator inspection happened --- Last week the city elevator inspector was here with a technician from Boesen-Plumb to do our annual elevator safety inspection. They connected some pressure gauges to the mechanics, ran the elevator up and down, and declared everything is working fine. Handling the offering money - The Treasurer has notified the Trustees that he will be out of town for several Sundays in September, and he asks us to put each Sunday morning s offering money into a bank bag, label it, and lock it in the office safe, pretty much what we already do Dishwasher - We are still looking for a solution to replace the booster heater that conked out several months ago, so we can get the rinse water back up to the desired temperature. It s hard to be sure a used unit will work mechanically and electrically with our kitchen dishwasher without actually looking at it. We are still pondering and looking. Church keys - We are uber-aware that many of the keys used by church folks have difficulty working most of the locks on the outside and inside doors of the church. We brainstormed some 3

4 solutions including electronic locks with electronic fobs, combination locks, and re-keying some or all of the locks around the church. Our next monthly Trustees meeting will be Sunday morning, September 10, 2017, in the choir rehearsal room. Submitted by Roger Kaufman Church Council Meeting August 15, 2017 Attending: Meribeth Buhr, Mike Fetters, Barbara Gingrich, Lois Harder, Tom Harder, Roger Kaufman, Katie Mitchell-Koch, Pete Krause, Adella Ozor, Murray Reimer Penner, Jill Robinson, Sylvia Schmidt, Joel Tieszen, Ruth Tieszen, Matt Lehman Wiens Centering and Prayer Katie asked Lois to read from Walter Brueggemann's "Prayers for Privileged People". Approval of Minutes Barbara will the minutes from last month's council meeting and approval will be via . (Approved.) Treasurer's Report Murray reported that income and expenses are fine. We have paid off the loan on the 633 house. Youth Minister Position There was much discussion on the proposal for the Youth Minister position. The proposal is for a 1/2 time position and currently there is money in the budget for the rest of this year (from Beverly's Baumgartner's former position). The upcoming congregational meeting/retreat will be an informational one regarding this, and a chance for folks to ask questions. There is a need for such a person for the children growing up to middle school years and to encourage other families to join. For the August 27 meeting, the BOCE will have a list of the children attending currently. We need to see this as an investment in our children. The conversation will continue. Council & Congregation Retreat - August 27, Katie will work with Lois and Tom on the "Future Church Summit" portion of the meeting. Stewardship Committee Update Ruth and Matt shared what's happening on the committee and their meeting with the Everence representative. The committee is looking at new ways of promoting giving (encouraging on-line recurring giving) and sharing time/talents (perhaps a "Talent/Interest Fair" similar to a Jobs Fair). They want to folks to share in celebration of giving. The "goal" is to continue narrative budgeting and have 4

Stewardship Sunday early, followed by Council Retreat on budgeting in November. Stewardship Sunday will be October 29; the Fall Congregational Meeting will be November 5.

5 Stewardship Sunday early, followed by Council Retreat on budgeting in November. Stewardship Sunday will be October 29; the Fall Congregational Meeting will be November 5. Other Lois asked for approval to extend the current 633 resident's stay until November when she can move into a new apartment. (This request came from IRC.) Approved. Roger updated refrigerator status - should be delivered before Wednesday night activities begin in September! Much appreciation to him, Linda Doll, and Robert Gaeddert! (The cost, not including disposal of refrigerant/removal of old "fridge" $3835.) He also showed a replacement "EXIT" light that will be installed soon. The meeting ended with singing The Doxology. Submitted by Barbara Gingrich for Linda Gebert, Church Clerk Contributions to LAMC by electronic payments are now possible through PayPal! Just follow these steps Go to the PayPal website, and select Send Enter the pay-to address of treasurer@lorraineavenue.org and the amount to be paid, and then click Continue Select the Friends or family option Add a note to explain the purpose of the contribution (such as General fund ) Follow the online instructions to complete the payment. If you instruct PayPal to send the money from your bank account, rather than from a credit card, no fees will be charged to LAMC. Contact our treasurer, Murray Reimer Penner, for more details. Birthdays and ANNIVERSARIES (Please let the office know if any birthdays or anniversaries are not included) 1 Adrian Bartel 1 Eldon Epp 2 Jeff White 3 MADELINE & ERIC CRAWFORD (1 st ) 6 6 Betty Balton Bill Morris 6 Rachel Tamerius 6 Elease Thompson 9 LuVerna Duerksen 9 Martha Wiebe 9 Doyle Wilcox 10 Dixie Schlabach Jason Streit Stephen Carty 13 ALANA & VIRGIL EWY (57th) 14 Mike Poage 20 Linda Buller 20 Adella Ozor 22 Lena Grace Balton (1) 22 Joel Ewy 22 LaVona Franz 23 Reid Kaufmann 23 JOEL EWY & BEVERLY BAUMGARTNER (22nd) 24 Delores Funk 25 Sandy Hayden 26 DON & ELSIE STEELBERG (58th) 26 DALE & VICKI BLAINE (2 nd ) 28 Madeline Harder Crawford 28 Heather Hayden 29 Cameron Nicole Cleary (14) 5

7 SEPTEMBER 2017 Lorraine Avenue Mennonite Church Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday :45 Trustees 11 4:45 Centering Prayer 5:30 Yoga 6:45 Wellness Group MESSENGER articles due 1:30 Library Cmte 4:45 Centering Prayer 5:30 Yoga 6:45 Wellness Group 7:00 Wellness Cmte 12 7:00 Deacons 19 7:00 Council 6 4:45 Yoga 5:45 Supper 6:30 Bible Study & kids activities 7:15 Chancel Choir 13 4:45 Yoga 5:45 Supper 6:30 Bible Study & kids activities 7:15 Chancel Choir 20 4:45 Yoga 5:45 Supper 6:30 Bible Study & kids activities 7:15 Chancel Choir 7 12:00 Lifestyle Strategies- Gath Rm 5:30 Lifestyle Strategies - FH 14 12:00 Lifestyle Strategies- Gath Rm 5:00 LAMB 5:30 Lifestyle Strategies - FH 21 12:00 Lifestyle Strategies- Gath Rm 5:30 Lifestyle Strategies FH :00 Peace Cmte :00 BOCE :00 Men s Breakfast :45 Centering Prayer 5:30 Yoga 6:45 Wellness Group :45 Yoga 5:45 Supper 6:30 Bible Study & kids activities 7:15 Chancel Choir 28 12:00 Lifestyle Strategies- Gath Rm 5:30 Lifestyle Strategies - FH 29 30

The Lorraine Avenue Messenger

The Lorraine Avenue Messenger Published by Lorraine Avenue Mennonite Church Wichita, Kansas August 2017 Worship during August As the summer season of vacations, meetings, and conventions wraps up, the