What is Taizé? Christ Lutheran Church 5356 N. Hillside Wichita, KS March 2018 Newsletter. Contact us at

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1 Christ Lutheran Church 5356 N. Hillside Wichita, KS March 2018 Newsletter Contact us at What is Taizé? If you have attended any of our Wednesday night Lenten services this year, you know that, in addition to using Psalm 23 each week, we are trying out a new, distinct style of music, often called Taizé. So what is it? The Taizé Community is an ecumenical Christian monastic community in Taizé, France. It is composed of more than one hundred brothers (monks), from Catholic and Protestant traditions, who originate from about thirty countries across the world. It was founded right in the middle of WWII in France, in 1940, by Brother Roger Schütz, a Reformed Protestant. Over the last 75 years, this community has become one of the world's most important sites of Christian pilgrimage, with a focus on youth. Over 100,000 young people from around the world make pilgrimages to Taizé each year for prayer, Bible study, sharing, and communal work. Their worship makes generous use of candles, icons, and silence. One of the other great gifts that they have given the worldwide church is their music. The music emphasizes simple phrases and it usually quotes lines from the Psalms or other pieces of Scripture. The phrases are sung slowly, repeated many times, and in order to connect with different cultures, the chants come in many different languages. For our purposes at Christ Lutheran during Lent, we will only select songs sung in English and you may recognize some of them throughout the Lenten season. *Some of the songs will be brand new to our congregation, but they re catchy and easily learned. The idea is to sing when you want to sing, or listen when you want to listen, and pray as you go. The songs are slow, contemplative, and we chose them because Psalm 23 is both restful and hopeful. We hope that you are able to experience both rest and hope during these Wednesday evening services. I hope you enjoy worshipping in this style for these next several weeks. In Christ, Pastor Chad *Taizé songs found in our ELW hymnal include: 472 Eat This Bread 262 Wait for the Lord 528 Come and Fill our Hearts 348 Stay with Me 616 Jesus, Remember Me 388 Be Not Afraid 642 Ubi Caritas et Amor (Where True Charity and Love Abide) 406 Veni Sancte Spiritus (Holy Spirit, Come to Us) 751 O Lord, Hear My Prayer

2 Morgan s Office Hours Monday/Wednesday 7:30am - 10:30am 1:45pm - 3:15pm Tuesday/Thursday 11:00am - 2:30pm Friday 7:30am - 12:00pm Spring Worship Schedule 9:00 AM Contemporary Worship 10:10 AM Sunday School for all ages 11:00 AM Traditional Worship Men s Breakfast For March we will meet at our usual location at Auntie C s at 61st and North Broadway for a good meal off the menu and good conversation. Join us at about 8:00 AM on Saturday March 10th. For information contact Donn Bischoff at Quilt Day Quilt day will be on March 6 at 9:00 am. Our regular schedule is the first Tuesday of the month. Helen Felzien. Pastor Chad Langdon Secretary: Morgan Buie 5356 N. Hillside, Wichita, Kansas Phone: Fax: pastor@clc.kscoxmail.com Women's Bible Study The Women's Bible study will meet next on March 8 from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at church. We will continue the four session Bible study by Mark Allan Powell with session three: The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37) If the weather is concerning I will call you and we will reschedule. Or feel free to call me. All women are welcome! We can share magazines if you do not have a subscription. For questions contact Rosie Harder or ma28rr77@cox.net College Addresses Needed Please college addresses to office@clc.kscoxmail.com. We would like to send our students the Newsletter. Thanks! 2018 Bookkeepers Report January YTD Rolling Months YTD Receipts $14, $14, $218, Expenses $18, $18, $205, Variance <$4,636.46> <$4,636.46> $13, Respectfully Submitted, Alan Wondra There is a refreshment sign-up sheet at the coffee counter. Pick a date and have fun sharing your goodies with the congregation. Building Fund Update January Giving: $3,560 Fund VIII Total: $175,771 Year 2017 Total: $3,560 Minimum Mortgage Payment: $3,589

3 WANT TO (OFFICIALLY) JOIN CHRIST LUTHERAN? Christ Lutheran will be officially welcoming New Members on Easter Sunday, April 1. Between now and then, if you are curious about church membership or have questions about our congregation, speak with Pastor Chad. He would love to sit down with you, get to know you better, and answer any questions that you may have about faith, the church, or what it means to be Lutheran. There are no formal classes or requirements to becoming an official church member just a sit-down conversation with Pastor Chad. If you are interested in learning more about what it means to be a Lutheran, you are also encouraged to attend the Lutherans 101 class. If you have been worshipping at CLC for a while or have questions about membership speak with Pastor Chad. Thanks! Building Fund Campaign Coming! Believe it or not, another three years has passed and our current Building Fund campaign ends this March. Our next Building Fund campaign (our ninth!) will run from April 2018 to March 2021, and as in the last campaign, 10% of giving will be dedicated to Partners Church in Planeview. Individual givers can opt-out of this giving. If giving levels remain the same, we anticipate that the mortgage will be completed in approximately two years. The council has established a Facility Improvement committee to study and provide recommendations for improvements to our facility, such as an expanded parking lot. In this interim time, we ask that you prayerfully consider your giving and look for your Commitment card in early March. Commitment Sunday will be on March 18. FIRST COMMUNION CLASSES We will soon be offering classes for children wanting to receive their First Communion. Our First Communion classes are open for any children whose parents feel like they are ready to receive this sacrament. Desiring to take Communion, asking questions about it, or just sticking out their hands out to receive the bread are all good indicators that a child may be ready to go through these classes. This decision is up to the parents and the children to make together. It is also important to know that taking the classes does not mean that you have to take Communion when it is all over with. There will be a time during the final class for the children and the parents to make that decision together and We re just not ready, is a perfectly acceptable answer. If children are already receiving Communion, but have never taken the classes or received any instruction about it, this is also a good opportunity for them to learn more about his sacred church tradition. These children are welcome and encouraged to attend the classes. The First Communion classes are designed to reach children at a variety of ages, so no child is too old or too young to participate. The classes are also highly interactive and there needs to be at least one parent/ grandparent present with your child at every class. There will also be homework for your family after every class. All three classes build on each other, so attendance at all three is important. We would like to offer First Communion classes at the following times (but if our class is small, we may be flexible): Class 1: Sunday, March 4, 2:00-3:30pm Class 2: Sunday, March 11, 2:00-3:30pm Class 3: Sunday, March 18, 2:00-3:30pm We will then be celebrating First Communion for our children on Easter Sunday, April 1. If you are interested in participating in First Communion classes or have questions about it, please contact Pastor Chad. Brian Miller, Resource Chair

4 When should you wash your hands? Mary s Health Care Messages Wash Your Hands the Right Way this Cold & Flu Season Handwashing is one of the best ways to protect yourself and your family from getting sick. Washing your hands is easy, and it s one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of germs. Clean hands can stop germs from spreading from one person to another and throughout an entire community from your home and workplace to childcare facilities and hospitals. You can help yourself and others stay healthy by washing your hands often, especially during these key times when germs are likely to get on your hands and can easily spread to others: Before, during, and after preparing food Before eating food Before and after caring for someone who is sick Before and after treating a cut or wound After using the toilet After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing After touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste After touching garbage What is the right way to wash your hands? Follow the five steps below to wash your hands the right way every time. Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap, and apply soap. Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Be sure to lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails. Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the Happy Birthday song from beginning to end twice. Rinse your hands well under clean, running water. Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them. Turn off tap with a paper towel & open doors with that towel What should you do if you don t have soap and clean, running water? Washing hands with soap and water is the best way to get rid of germs in most situations. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. You can tell if the sanitizer contains at least 60% alcohol by looking at the product label. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers can quickly reduce the number of germs on hands in some situations, but sanitizers do NOT get rid of all types of germs. Hand sanitizers may not be as effective when hands are visibly dirty or greasy. Furthermore, hand sanitizers might not remove harmful chemicals like pesticides and heavy metals from hands. Be cautious when using hand sanitizers around children; swallowing alcohol-based hand sanitizers can cause alcohol poisoning if a person swallows more than a couple mouthfuls. How do you use hand sanitizers? Apply the gel to the palm of one hand (read the label to learn the correct amount). Rub your hands together. Rub the gel over all surfaces of your hands and fingers until your hands are dry. From the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention US Dept of Health & Human Services- features/handwashing

5 Family Camp Opportunity This Summer! Have you ever wanted to relive those mountain top church camp highs you experienced as a kid?? If so, you are invited! This summer, we are planning a trip to Ingham Okoboji Lutheran Bible Camp in Milford, IA. We will be attending a family camp from July 29th Aug 3rd. My family has been going to this camp off and on for the last 30 years and words cannot express our love and excitement for this place. It is truly a mountaintop, reflective, God-filled week for your whole family. We hope you can join us! But don t wait too long spots are filling up fast! For more information, check out or talk with Michael or Kari Clouse. Thanks! Men s Annual Trout Trip Coming Soon! Each year several men in the congregation make a pilgrimage to Calico Rock in Arkansas to sit in a boat for a couple days floating down the White River and catch our limit of trout for the day. The river is relaxing, beautiful, and full of freshly stocked trout waiting to be caught. If you re a guy and could use a few days off, this trip is for you! You don t even need to know how to fish it s that easy. The company is good, the food & brews even better, and enjoying God s creation is the best of all. We will leave Wednesday morning, April 18 and get back home Saturday evening, April 21. The cost is always a bit variable based on the number of people that attend, but $ usually covers everything, including lodging, food, gas and boat rental. If you would like to sign up or have questions talk to Buddy Martin (he s usually hanging out in the kitchen between worship services). This trip is open for all guys! LENT HAS STARTED Our Wednesday night theme this year will be Psalm 23: Life with the Good Shepherd as we pair up John 10 and Psalm 23. Through worship & prayer, each Wednesday night during Lent we will explore a couple verses of that beloved psalm and what it is saying about our relationship with our Good Shepherd. The series began on Ash Wednesday, February 14, and will run through Good Friday, March 30. March 7 6:15pm Spaghetti 7:00pm Jesus is with us in the darkness Psalm 23:4, Ezekiel 34, Psalm 40 March 14 6:15pm Taco Bar 7:00pm Jesus gives us a feast & anoints us Psalm 23:5, Communion & Baptism March 21 6:15pm Potluck Night 7:00pm Jesus gives us heaven & eternity Psalm 23:6 & John 14:1-14 March 29 7:00pm Maundy Thursday March 30 7:00pm Good Friday Sign-up sheets are available at the Opportunity Table. There will be gluten free options. If other dietary options are needed, please contact Bonnie Johnson at bonnie@ciholas.com or (316)

6 WORSHIP ON THE WAY Perhaps you ve noticed the Worship on the Way boxes near the main entrance. Each one of these boxes contains everything you need to have a worship service when you know you won t be able to make it to church on a Sunday morning. They are especially designed for folks who are going on vacation, find themselves out of town for sports tournaments, going to the lake for a camping weekend, away on a business trip, or would like to stop in and worship with some of our shut-ins. How does it work? The Worship on the Way boxes depend on an honor system and are kind of like a library. If you know you ll be gone the next weekend, simply pick up a box and take it with you. (They all have all the same stuff in them.) When you get to wherever you are going, use the materials in the box to have a worship service with your family, friends, sports team, coworkers, or even just by yourself. The worship materials are flexible and encourage creativity and participation. When you return to church a couple weeks later, bring the box back and put it on the shelf for the next person/family to use. Each box contains instructions that are (hopefully) self-explanatory and should be easy to follow. The only thing you might need that is not included in the box is a little bit of water, but that is optional. The boxes are sturdy so you can just toss them in with your luggage or in the back of your vehicle. Each one even contains a logbook for you to write about your experience and read what others have done. You re even encouraged to post on social media as well, so that your church family knows you ve been worshipping with us. Helpful Notes We have plenty of worship boxes, so keep them for as long as you need them (but please do return them eventually ). If your box is missing something, please let the office know so we can replenish it. Everything in the box is replaceable and we understand if something gets lost or damaged just let the office know so we can make any necessary repairs or replacements. We hope Worship on the Way can become for you a meaningful addition to your spiritual journey. There is nothing quite like gathering as a community of faith on Sunday mornings, but with these boxes, even when you are away from us, you can be connected through our common worship. If you have any questions, suggestions, or problems please let Pastor Chad know. Thank you for all of the cards, prayers, visits, and food brought during my recovery. It is so appreciated. Paula Rader

7 HUMAN NEEDS Human Needs Committee will be collecting for Food 4 Kids Backpacks for March. Food 4 Kids was established for students who are food insecure and who are not getting sufficient food outside of school on a regular basis. The Food Bank provides food and supplies to Food 4 Kids schools in Kansas, which are operated in partnership with community schools. This is a link to a short video (1.5 minutes) about the program; FOOD 4 KIDS FOODBAGS CONTAIN: Different foods designed to provide nutrition and calories for chronically hungry school children on weekends. Kid friendly foods that require no preparation. Kids can just open and eat. FOR EXAMPLE: Peanut Butter (12-ounce jar) and a sleeve of crackers Beans and franks (pop-top can) Beef Jerky (1 ounce) Cereal (1-ounce bowl or box) Fruit cups (peaches, applesauce, etc) Raisins (snack-size boxes) Pudding cups Juice boxes (apple, orange, or other juice) Milk (aseptic pack boxes that do not require refrigeration) Cereal bars or granola bars The Food 4 Kids program allows participating schools to receive food and backpacks from the Kansas Food Bank at no cost so that they can provide food to chronically hungry children. We will also be supporting Filling the Gap with noisy offering and encouraging people to donate snacks. Some of Wichita's most vulnerable children face the risk of hunger during vacations. Partners for Wichita, Kansas Food Bank, and caring people are partners in meeting this hunger need. Filling the Gap will reach out to hungry kids during 2018 Spring Break, March because hunger does not take a vacation! The day for collecting snacks is March 9 at Kansas Food Bank from 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Please bring individual fruit and pudding cups, beef sticks, cheese and cracker dippers, healthy snack bars, raisins, nuts, and other nutritious, kid-friendly, individually packed snacks. The Annual Youth Banquet is March 11th. Doors will open at 5 p.m., meal served at 5:30 p.m. Carrabba's will be catering for us once again, serving 2 entrees, pasta, salad, bread and a chocolate dessert. There will also have a vegetarian dish, cheesecake and sugar-free dessert options (not provided by Carrabba's). There will be babysitting services available upon request for the evening too. The CLC Youth will be providing appetizers, items for live auction, entertainment as well as their talents as wait staff to ensure you all have an enjoyable evening. Please sign up for your preferences at the Opportunity Table by March 4th. We hope that you all will join us for fun, fellowship, and food, all in an effort for the youth to raise money for their trip to Houston for the National Youth Gathering in June and other mission work throughout the year. If you have any questions you can or call Steph Albright at or sma4ksu@yahoo.com

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9 HIS POWER IN MY WEAKNESS Grace and Peace from Cameroon friends and loved ones. So, it s been over two months since my last update- but I promise I didn t fall off the boat- just got a little bit busier on board with the start of my team leader role! December and the Christmas holidays came and went with a brief break from surgeries, but a rather full hospital as many patients were still with us while healing. I once again enjoyed a diverse and very multicultural celebration of Christmas, complete with a handmade paper Christmas tree decorated with ornaments and bows sent all the way from home. We got our own Christmas miracle on board when one of our gynecological patients needed an emergent surgery, and God provided for our needs before we even knew them, by sending a retired gynecological surgeon to visit her son (our chief anesthesiologist) for the holidays while all our other surgeons for this specialty were away. And then the year finished with some difficult news- the death of my Grandpa Garrelts. But while it was hard to be away from my family during this time, as we celebrated his life I was reminded of the legacy of volunteerism that was handed down to me from my grandfather. His legacy lives on as I serve the people of Cameroon. In the blink of an eye, I found myself at the start of general surgery- what I had been waiting for since August- and I could hardly believe it! There are several things that are very different about my team leader role here on the AFM in comparison to my work as a pediatric ward nurse. First off, it s a Monday to Friday, 8-5 gig, and let me tell you- props to my friends who have been doing this for years while raising families and keeping up with extracurricular lives. While I am appreciating a more regular rhythm in life, I do miss the freedom that shift work brings. It seems like there are a lot less hours in each week now (can I use that as an excuse for my lack of recent updates?)! I serve as a manager of staff now, both ward nurses and local day crew. I get the joy of training and working with some very incredible people from all over the world whom I deeply respect. Training new staff is a constant process since our nurse s turn over all the time. But working five days a week lets me have the chance to work with and get to know even more nurses and learn from them and their unique training. I have also really enjoyed the added responsibility of partnering with the surgeons on board from the start to finish of a patient s care. I get to attend surgeon screening, where we bring our potential patients in to be seen by the surgeon and confirm if they are a surgical candidate before scheduling the operating room plan for that surgeon s time on board. You get to hear even more of a patient s story as you sit in on this time. Your day starts with a list of names, and by the end of that day each of those names also has a face and a story. At the end of that day, we sit down with a big blank book and start plugging those names into surgical spaces. And it often hits me, what a big moment this is, when these patients receive their yes. And the hard truth is, this is also the moment when some of them receive their nos. And through being a part of these moments, God has taught me once again that He is in control of our destinies and at times moves in ways we will never understand. Sometimes the answer to our fervent prayers is a resounding yes and other times it is a quiet no. Are one of those patients I meet more deserving of surgery than the next- no they aren t. But I cling to the truth that God knows each one of these people and He sees each moment of their lives when I see only a glimpse.

10 The next time I see these patients is in the ward when they arrive after being admitted for their surgery. I also get to partner with the surgeons and physicians in ward rounds each morning, when treatment plans are made and adjusted for each patient. In the eight weeks that I have been in charge of A Ward, I have gotten to interact with and watch over patients from EVERY SINGLE SPECIALTY that Mercy Ships performs! This includes: Women s Health, General (including our sub-specialty of thyroids), Maxillary-Facial, Plastic Reconstructive, Eyes (both pediatric and adult) and even a straggler Orthopedic patient. And this is where the title of this post comes in; 2 Corinthians 12:9 says My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. If you know me very well, you know I like to be in control of my surroundings (especially when I m leading) and my perfectionist tendencies are pretty strong. In my dream world, I would have gone into this eight week period feeling totally refreshed, with a set game plan and objectives. For several of the reasons listed at the start of this letter and my own personal state of mind, this is not how I felt at the start of January. I felt a little bit like I was flying by the seat of my pants. But not many days in to this journey, I found an overwhelming sense of relief when I realized all this meant was that it would be by God s power alone (and not my own) that I made it through my first time working as a team leader. It would be God s presence in my ward that would make it a joy-filled, great place to work. It would be Christ s unity that would draw each of us together as we worked as a team from around the globe to care for these patients. And it would be the work of Jesus, the Great Physician, who would bring healing to these patients. Friends, I am so far from perfect. As much as I love to lead and work as a nurse, I don t see how I could have possibly been in charge of this ward for the last two months and been successful without Christ s power in me. It is when we recognize our own weaknesses and limitations that God can use us to accomplish the biggest things. So I finish this first eight weeks of general surgery with a little more humility than I started with. I finish with a sense of awe of what God can do with willing hands. I finish with a sense of honor, that God has chosen me to do this work, and a sense of calling that He is continuing to ask me to fill this role into the next year in Guinea. I am so thankful for each of you who have reached out with kind and encouraging words over the past two months to support me. God certainly uses each of you around me, both near and far, to shore up my weaknesses and strengthen me for this work. I am looking forward to two weeks spent re-charging with my parents in Austria coming up soon, before pediatric general surgery begins in March. I m sure I will be full of stories to share about those cuties! Until then, may the power of the Risen Christ invade your life and strengthen you whenever and wherever you feel weak. ~Brittany Garrelts

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13 Thursday, March 1 - Heather Boyce Monday, March 5 - Robin Pressnall Tuesday, March 6 - Courtney Vaught Wednesday, March 7 - Lois Jensen Saturday, March 10 - Don Manlove Sunday, March 11 - Warren Miller Monday, March 12 - Laura Lechner Monday, March 12 - Trevor Schul Monday, March 12 - Hannah Steinert Wednesday, March 14 - Gordon Jones Friday, March 16 - Caleb Manuel Saturday, March 17 - Kinley Thompson Sunday, March 25 - Elaine Miller Tuesday, March 27 - Jon Stiebner Saturday, March 31 - Freyja Carlstedt Saturday, March 31 - Joyce McDaniel Saturday, March 31 - Monica Schmidt Wednesday, March 7 - Tom & Christina Vingerud Tuesday, March 20 - Chris & Holly Smith Saturday, March 10 - David & Laura Lechner Thursday, March 1 - Gail Hahn Thursday, March 1 - Richard Harder Tuesday, March 6 - Deborah Bischoff Thursday, March 8 - Rosie Harder Monday, March 12 - Gerald Christensen Tuesday, March 20 - Kristina Lechner Thursday, March 22 - Chris Freed Thursday, March 22 - Carl Mertins Sunday, March 25 - Jim Garrelts Monday, March 26 - Mandy McDaniel Tuesday, March 27 - Becky Dykstra Tuesday, March 27 - Casey Dykstra Tuesday, March 27 - Courtlynn Dykstra Tuesday, March 27 - Kevin Dykstra Tuesday, March 27 - Sarah Serio Thursday, March 29 - Laurie Anderson Thursday, March 29 - Carol Jones Thursday, March 29 - Rosalie Schmidt Saturday, March 31 - Ryan McDaniel Saturday, March 31 - Cindy Thompson Date Time Leader Greeters Ushers Reader PPT Communion Tellers/ Offering 3/4 9:00 Alan Wondra Sandra & Joe Raleigh John White Wes Nelson Jean Beal Sydney Freed J Smith K Zecha Donn Bischoff, Taylor Cook 11:00 Donn Bischoff Frances McNeal Paul Shaw Andy Hentzen Bonnie Johnson Noah Becker & Becky Dykstra 3/11 9:00 Judy Smith Rosalie Schmidt Don Manlove Scott Schul Robin Pressnall Alli Schul K Clouse M Garrelts Donn Bischoff 11:00 Bonnie Johnson Zabels Russ Banta Dwight Boyce Steve Slipsager Maynard Peterson Thompsons 3/18 9:00 Mary Garrelts Wes Nelson John White Kevin Smith Gail Hahn Lauren McMullin A Wondra R Pressnall Donn Bischoff, Terry Steinert 11:00 Darla Steinert Marcene Carstensen Donn Bischoff John Muther Dwight Boyce Cheryl Shaw & Jamie Gibbs 3/25 9:00 Warren Miller Clay & Kristi Zecha John White Scott Schul Sheila Schul Mary Garrelts J Smith E Miller Donn Bischoff Paul Shaw 11:00 Donn Bischoff Dykstras Paul Shaw Ted Balzer Darla Steinert Shannon Banta & Becky Dykstra

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