Taizé Worship at St. Stephen s 6:30pm 1st Wednesday of the month beginning May 4.

Transcription

1 May 2016 Taizé Worship at St. Stephen s 6:30pm 1st Wednesday of the month beginning May 4. Since the 1940 s, the village of Taize, France, has been home to a monas@c community devoted to prayer and reconcilia@on. This community, founded by Brother Roger Schutz, a Reformed Protestant, is made up of brothers from all the major Chris@an denomina@ons and from all the con@nents on Earth. They gather for prayer a day, seven days a week. Every year over 100,000 young people between the ages of seventeen and thirty make pilgrimages to Taize to learn about recon- cilia@on through prayer, Bible study, sharing, and communal work. One does not, however, have to travel to Taize to experience some of its spiritual prac@ces. The Taize community has developed a dis@nc@ve medita@ve worship style intended to help us slow down in the midst of our fast paced lives, and allow our spirits to breathe. A key feature of Taize worship is repe@@ve prayer set to simple music lines. Par@cipants are invited to immerse themselves in the sim- ple melodies and harmonies, leqng the sung prayers carry them closer to the heart of God. Sung prayers are interspersed with Scripture readings, and silence for reflec@on. OTen par@cipants are gathered around a prayer cross, an icon, or other candlelit focal point. Beginning in May we will be offering a Taize- style worship service with Holy Communion on the first Wednesday of each month. Join us in knowing Christ more deeply through prayer, music, Scrip- ture, and silent reflec@on on Wednesday, May 4 at 6:30pm. Blessings, Pastor Ritva P.S. On a personal note, John and I have sold our current residence on Pioneer Avenue SE in order to build a new home at Windham Woods Court. During the construction period we will be living in a rental house located at nd Street SE. We covet your prayers for wisdom, good health, safety, and smooth sailing throughout the duration of this project.

2 Growing Our Mission: Strategic Working Groups Youth Ministry The Youth Ministry working group has com- pleted all interviews with the two finalists for the Youth Director s posi@on. We are pleased to an- nounce Mark Howland has accepted the Please turn to page 7 to learn more. Members: David Hebrink, DeeAnn Hebrink, John Hebrink, Emma Israel (Council), Amy Kuhn, Karen Vander Sanden, Olivia Vander Sanden (Council Youth Rep). Small Group Ministries This group is brainstorming ideas for the forma@on of small groups, and especially for integrating new members into existing groups. Even as they are doing their work, two new small groups have formed. Gail Husmann is leading the Council through a discussion of LasLng Impact 7 Powerful ConversaLons That Will Help Your CongregaLon Grow by Carey Nieuwhof. Kathy Franzenburg, Bill Davis, and Carole Butz are fa- cilita@ng our first Renovare group for faith shar- ing around The Good and BeauLful God by James Bryan Smith. Members: Norm Barnes, Jonathan Chambers, Barbara Kusler, Terri Petersen, Tim Sagers, Jeanne Towell (Council) InviEng Others to Join Our Story This working group has iden@fied a team capable of producing a series of videos for our website and Facebook page; spoken with Karen Johns about upda@ng our usher/gree@ng training in- struc@ons; members are experimen@ng with twee@ng and Instagram during worship and events. The group is exploring the feasibility of adding a communica@on director who would be responsible for coordina@ng all our print, web, social media, and other communica- Page with the public possibly staffing the with a student intern from one of the local colleges. Members: Paul Below (Secretary), Mark Howland (Chair), Emily Robins (Council), Jonathan Chambers, Bob Streeper, Terri Petersen, Kenn Nye Neighborhood Ministry Members of this group have reached out to Waypoint, Calvin Sinclair Presbyterian Church, and All Saints, and are working on seqng up mee@ngs to assess neighborhood needs and ex- plore possible joint ventures. Members: Jonathan Chambers, Bob Streeper, Melanie Ostmo (Council), John Williams, Mark Howland Space Study Items that this group is exploring include: the rela@ve cost of expanding the building versus just remodeling the bathrooms and kitchen; the possibility of making the main floor bathrooms single occupancy; office space for the youth di- rector; installing glass doors between the nar- thex and fellowship hall; a more formal set up for the coffee sta@on in the narthex. Access to the restrooms is hampered by the large folding doors that separate the narthex from the fellow- ship hall and the current layout of the fellowship hall. One step toward remedia@on is to make the fellowship hall layout more fluid by having the 60 monitor on a moveable stand rather than fixed to the wall. Vicki Hyland has donated a large TV stand for this purpose. Members: Vicki Hyland, Emma Israel (Secretary/ Council), Kathy Nathan, Ken Nathan (Council), Ev Petersen, Vicar Luci Sesvold, Aaron Tank (Council), MaW Weber. NEXT MEETING: TUESDAY, MAY 10, 7:00PM

3 I m not one to frequent a git shop. Some@mes I will peruse them as a way to pass or because someone I am with really is interested, but it s never the highlight of my day. St. Luke s has a git shop and I pass it every day that I work some@mes a day, and rarely do I think, Wow, I should really stop in and check it out. However, for the last several weeks, as I pass the git shop, a cer- tain wall hanging has caught my alen@on. I have looked at it I have pondered over why I like it, I have talked myself out of it and I s@ll can t get it out of my head. It is fairly simple, just a rus@c pain@ng of a flower and a phrase, love grows here. I have envi- sioned what it would look like in my future of- fice; hanging it on the wall in some church that I have yet to learn about, and sharing stories with my future parishioners about in Cedar Rapids. Stories about this congrega@on and the people at St. Luke s. Stories about how love grows here. Thank you for showing me and my family that love. Vicar Luci Sesvold It is of the year when pastoral interns vicars who are currently serving are beginning to think about final evalua@ons as they enter the last quarter of their internship. This is also of the year when current seminarians ( middlers ) receive their internship assign- ments. Two weeks ago I was delighted to spend two days at Wartburg Theological Seminary geqng to know Kris@ Grieder who will be our pastoral intern beginning August 7, Kris@ is originally from North Mankato, Minne- sota. She is a 2012 graduate of Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, where she studied religion, soci- ology, and wri@ng. During her college years she was engaged in small group ministry, camping ministry, service work in Nicaragua, teaching Page 3 Pastoral Internship English to refugees while studying abroad in Malta, and doing environmental stewardship educa@on in local parishes. Kris@ and her husband, Jonathan, met at Luther College. They married in 2013, and have lived in Omaha, Nebraska, and Princeton, New Jersey. Jonathan is a social studies teacher at Waterloo West High School, and is working on his Master s degree in poli@cal science online from the Uni- versity of Nebraska- Omaha. Kris@ and Jonathan will be living in our vicarage the formerly Red House. Jonathan will be commu@ng daily to Wa- terloo but an@cipates being around the church a good deal. Kris@ will con@nue in our partnership with the Spiritual Care Department of St. Luke s Hospital, serving there and here at St. Stephen s. Kris@ has a special interest in teaching adult learners. During her internship she will be par@cipa@ng in the Hein- Fry Endow- ment s Book of Faith Challenge exploring ways to teach Scripture!

4 Practice Discipleship in Daily Life Join us as we explore the seven faith practices that are the foundation for following Jesus in daily life: Worship, Prayer, Encourage, Study, Give, Invite, Serve. WORSHIP Join us on Pentecost Sunday, May 15 as our 8th grade ConfirmaEon students give their witness during the learning hour (9:15-10:15am) and make their of Faith at 10:30am. Sunday, May 22 is Graduate RecogniEon Sunday. We invite all who are from high school and college this spring to submit a photo along with informa@on about their school, diploma/degree, and future plans. These will be displayed in the narthex. All graduates are in- vited to alend our recep@on at 9:15am and the rite of recogni@on at 10:30am. A new summer worship schedule for Sunday mornings begins on May 29. We will con@nue to offer two services, 8:00 and 10:00am. Please note that it is the second service that will be of- fered half an hour earlier. The hour in between services will provide opportuni@es for extended fellowship and guided conversa@on. Wednesday worship during the summer will be at 6:30pm according to the following schedule: 1st Wednesday... Taize- style Worship 2nd Wednesday... Interac@ve 3rd Wednesday... Healing Service 4th Wednesday... Interac@ve PRAY The Prayer Team meets every Monday at 12:30pm to pray for concerns iden@fied by members, and for the life of this congrega@on. GIVE Spring Stewardship Drive Give Differently Do you love stewardship drives? Can t wait an- other six months for the next stewardship drive? Good news: This May we ll be having a Spring Stewardship Drive! The focus of this mid- year drive will be different than those in years past. The Stewardship Commilee will be asking you to Give Differently with a focus on in- creased enrollment in EFT and automa@c online giving. Addi@onally, we will be polling the con- grega@on about interest in a Financial Security and Goal SeQng workshop to help folks with their personal finances. If you have any in advance of the drive, please contact Lee Paulsen lmpaulse@mtu.edu or Jackie Lee jalpanther@hotmail.com. Thank you to everyone who parecipated in our Lenten Fast for Waypoint. We raised $ toward the purchase of items for personal hy- giene kits, as well as many gits in kind. Join us on Sunday, May 1 at 9:15am in the Fellowship Hall as we assemble the kits. No one is too young or old to par@cipate in this event! Sanctuary Lamp Oil Sponsor Opportunity! If you wish to sponsor a week of oil for our Eternal Lamp, please put $10 in the offering. Be sure to designate in the memo line or on your envelope that this is your intent. Altar Flowers Sign Up Opportunity! Select a date and indicate if it is a special Place your git of $25 (marked FLOWERS) in the offering plate or pay through our website s online giving link. Page 4

5 SERVE Our QuilEng Ministry delivered nine quits to Lutheran Services in Iowa (LSI). There are eight more in the works. This ministry wel- comes gits of yarn, thread and fabric. The group meets at Bar- bara Kusler's home (no specific day 3849 Souler Ave. St. SE. Give her a call at (home) or (cell). OperaEon Backpack, Wednes- day May 4 & 18, 7:15pm, Room 10 downstairs! Volunteers assemble food pack- ages for students at Grant Wood Elementary School to take home for the week- end. The packages are delivered the following day. If you d like to assist, please contact Melanie Ostmo (melanieostmo@mac.com ) or Jeanne Towell (thetowells@msn.com ). Monetary dona@ons can be made out to St. Stephen s (memo line: BACKPACK) and put in the collec@on plate or you can pay through our website s online giving op@on. Page 5 Lawn Moving OpportuniEes! Each year volunteers like you help the church save thousands of dollars by tak- ing a week or two to mow and trim our grounds. We thank you! Dave Coates will have a sign- up sheet with this year s dates. Please take a look at your calendar and sign up quickly to secure your preferred week. If you have any ques@ons, please contact Dave at: (home), (cell), dcoates10@gmail.com. Rummage Sale, Saturday May 21, 10:00am An Opportunity to Give, Serve, Invite and Welcome We are looking for dona@ons of items to sell, and willing hands to set up and staff this event (and clean up ater- wards too). Invite your neighbors and friends to donate items and especially to come and shop! Proceeds from the sale will be used to con@nue making upgrades at the Vicarage, formerly known as "The Red House." We hope to get a newer refrigerator and stove, kitchen counter top, and maybe cupboards. Sign up today or con- tact Molly Chambers at mollyjeanchambers@gmail.com or call Summer Grill Outs begin Wednesday, May 25 at 5:45pm, and will be repeated on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month during the summer. Invite your friends and neighbors for food, fellowship, worship around the table, and end the evening with s'mores around the campfire. You re invited to an Open House in celebration of Jane Severide s 95th Birthday! Sunday, May 29, 1-4 pm at the Cedar Village Senior Residences Community Room 193 Jacolyn Drive NW Nancy Harrington nancyharrington@q.com

6 Join Us for our 2017 Luther s Germany Tour Our St. Stephen s Germany tour is ready for registra@ons! Pastor Ritva and I will be lead- ing a group to explore Luther s Germany (and much more). The idea for this tour began a few years ago; I was honored to be a part of a delega@on invited to Germany for a Ref- orma@on tour in an@cipa@on of the 500 year anniversary of Reforma@on. It is an understatement to say the experience let an impact on me as a traveler, as a Lutheran, as a history buff, and even as a food lover. Words are insufficient when trying to de- scribe how your mind struggles to comprehend the impact of a single life while standing in the room where Luther translated the New Testa- ment. Hearing the songs wrilen by Bach to spread Luther s message among the people on period pieces just made them more beau@ful. Visi@ng a concentra@on camp just made the knowledge I had about WWII more horrifying. I didn t really understand what the Soviet occu- pa@on did to common people of East Germany un@l I heard our guide describe her stolen child- hood. And frankly, German brats, beer, wine and chocolate just taste beler in Germany. Travel makes ideas real. Being able to see, touch, taste, smell and feel the places we have heard about our whole lives feels fulfilling. Like so many things, it is just easier to understand something more fully once you have experi- enced it. ~ As Lutherans, being able to walk where Luther did is inspiring. ~ As members of St. Stephen s traveling to Ger- many is yet another way we can grow in faith together and really know, live and share Christ. Join us. Questions? Contact me at sarah.loan@gmail.com Want to register? Do it now because space is limited! Ask Sarah or Pastor Ritva for a physical copy of the brochure to register by mail, or regis- ter online at and search for G# on their homepage, or follow the link on our homepage! Sarah Nolte Page 6

7 Meet Our New Youth & Young Adult Minister Mark Howland Mark is a na@ve Iowan who grew up in a small community located in northwest Iowa. ATer gradua@ng high school, he at- tended Briar Cliff College for one year before transferring to Buena Vista University where he received his BA in Social Science. Following his college educa@on, he began work- ing in management for Target Stores. While working for Target, he became involved in youth ministry. Mark spent a week every sum- mer for 25 years working with junior high and high school students at a church camp where they rehearsed a musical in one week and then performed it at various churches throughout the weekend. It was also during that he became one of the junior high youth group sponsors in the church he was alending. ATer leaving Target, he worked in a few jobs he became the Division Director for the March of Dimes in Lincoln, Nebraska. At this point in his career, while spending his annual week at church camp, he sensed a call to ordained ministry. He moved with his family to Dubuque, Iowa, where he alended the University of Dubuque Theo- logical Seminary and received his Masters of Di- vinity degree. While at UDTS, Mark served as a hall director for the coed undergraduate resi- Life-Long Learning in May dence hall. During the next 17 years Mark served as a pastor in Presbyterian churches. Last fall Mark let his pastorate and moved to Cedar Rapids. In October 2015, he and his part- ner Paul Below started alending St. Stephen s. They became members in February of this year and have been ac@ve in various events and vol- unteer opportuni@es at St. Stephen s. Mark, along with Paul, serves on the strategic task force looking at ways to invite others into the story of St. Stephen s. Mark has two adult sons. The youngest is in his first year at the UNI and the oldest is employed at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Throughout his sons high school years, Mark was involved at the high school as an officer of the Band Boosters and announcer for all high school soccer games. He chaperoned many high school trips. He was also on the crisis response team for the en@re school system for the last 14 years. Mark looks forward to the opportunity to assist the youth of St. Stephen s in connec@ng with their Lord and discovering their faith. He also is eager to connect with the youth of our neigh- borhood and throughout Cedar Rapids, espe- cially those who seem excluded from any faith community. May 1 May 8 May 15 May 22 May 29 Personal Hygiene Kit Packing Event all are invited to parecipate! Meet and Greet our New Youth and Young Adult Minister ConfirmaEon Students Witness GraduaEon RecogniEon RecepEon Worship at 8 and 10am; Fellowship from 9-10am Page 7

8 Through the Week at St. Stephen s What s usually happening on a given day Sundays 8:00am 1st Worship Service 9:05am Fellowship 9:15am Sunday School 9:15am Cantor & Worship Rehearsal (5/1,15,22) 9:15am Children s Music Hour (5/8) 9:15/10:30 Pentecost: Confirma@on (5/15) 8/10:30am Graduate Recogni@on Sunday (5/22) 10:00am SUMMER WORSHIP HOURS BEGIN 5/29 10:30am 2nd Worship Service (5/1, 8, 15, 22) 11:45am Choir Rehearsal Mondays 9 to 1:00 Church office open (closed 5/30 for Memorial Day) 8:00am Men s Group at Mr. Beans in Marion 12:00pm enews deadline 12:30pm Prayer Team 6:30pm Stephen Ministry (5/2, 16) 6:30pm Men s Pul Pul Golf at Airport Na@onal Waterfall Mini Course (5/9) 7:00pm Boy Scouts (5/2, 9, 16) Tuesdays 9 to 1:00 Church office open 10:00am Women s Bible Study (5/3, 10, 17, 24) 11:30am Women 50+ Luncheon (5/10) 5:30pm Worship & Music Team Mtg (5/10) 6:00pm WomenWineWisdom at Pei s (5/3) 6:30pm Ministry Teams Mee@ngs (5/10) 7:00pm Strategic Working Groups (5/10) Wednesdays 9 to 1:00 Church office open 5:30pm Renovare Group (5/4, 11, 18, 25) 6:30pm Worship (Taize Worship 5/4) 7:15pm Confirma@on Class (8th grade only) 7:15pm Opera@on BackPack (5/4, 18) Thursdays 9 to 1:00 Church office open Fridays Pastor s Sabbath 8:00am Synod Assembly in Coralville (5/6) Saturdays 8:00am Synod Assembly in Coralville (5/7) 10:00am St. Stephen s Rummage Sale (5/21) We welcome: Dawson Thomas Haas! David and Sarah s son, and Cadence s l il brother was born on Monday, April 18, weighing 8 lb. 9 oz. We pray for the families and friends of: Glenn Steimer (brother of Carole Butz) who died Saturday, April 16. Gary Coates (brother of Dave Coates) who died Sunday, April 10. Patricia Chambers- Rice (Jonathan Chambers mother), died Monday, March 28. Dr. Robert Bremmer (Sean Howard s grand- father), died Friday, March 25. Donald Covell (Lucy Ortega s brother) who passed Saturday, March 19. Members Steve Thomas Mick Butz Lee Tramutolo Pete Hansen Ken Kaiser Joan Petersen Elaine Peters Toni Lee Judy Nye Suzanne Schmidt Ann Kleman Arlene Ortgies Kayla Marner Reta Westercamp Melanie Munro On the Prayer List Sally Beltz Vicky Johnson Jackson Smith Harriet Hemphill Serving in the military and/or overseas Kate Munro (Malawi) RelaLves Terry Swalve Trent Rosberg Shirley Coates Rev. Richard Hermstad LaRue Hagen Friends Mark Ivey Ann Nordby Nick Wheeler, Fort Gordon, GA (grandson of Gail & Dan Husmann) Please contact the office or use a Prayer Request card (in your pew rack) to place your loved one s name on this list for two weeks and/or request prayer of the Monday Prayer Team. If your loved one desires a pastoral visit, please contact Pastor Ritva. Page 8

9 For on Lutheran Services in Iowa, visit Join us on Facebook at In Celebration of Graduation May s gradua@on season is oten a celebra@on of what it takes to accomplish something. We cele- brate dreams, determina@on, hard work and support, and we celebrate the pride and joy of parents, grandparents, friends and other family members who help along the way. We celebrate gradua@ons at Lutheran Services in Iowa (LSI) all year round. We celebrate when a mom or dad has completed a paren@ng pro- gram. We celebrate when a child has completed all his goals in a skill- building program. We cele- brate when an elder refugee alends a ci@zen- ship ceremony to take the oath of U.S. ci@zen- ship or when a refugee woman completes child care training. We celebrate when teenagers graduate from LSI s Bremwood Residen@al Treatment Center and begin young adulthood, oten with help from churches who have do- nated furniture or other supplies to help them set up their first apartment. Gradua@on is a celebra@on of community. We don t get where we are in life on our own. We get there with support. With encouragement. With a mentor. With family. You re the family standing alongside so many people served through LSI as they achieve life- changing milestones. Thank you. LSI is proud to be an affiliated social ministry or- ganizalon of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Learn more at and Daring to Dream Every day Taw Kaw Htoo pursues her dreams as a farmer, a child care provider and an English student. ATer fleeing violence and persecu@on in her na@ve Burma, Taw Kaw Htoo lived in refu- gee camps in Thailand before being reselled to the U.S. She may have lost her home, but not her hope. With LSI s support, this strong, courageous woman is daring to dream. Her day begins at dawn at LSI s Global Greens Farm where she farms a small plot, growing pro- duce to sell to her community. I like farming because I grew vegetables back in my home country, she said. ATer tending her crops, she moves on to her second business of the day: caring for children. LSI s child care business development program helps former refugees become state- licensed child care providers. Along with providing a small income, the program increases the availability of culturally appropriate child care for the refugee community, enabling more to enter the workforce. I didn t have any professional training on how to install a car seat or do CPR, said Taw Kaw Htoo. LSI has helped with that. It s great that I am able to care for the children in my community. Caring for children helps her pursue her third dream: learning English. My language is really important to me, she said. I try to teach chil- dren my language every day, and they help me learn English. I really want to speak English. That s my biggest dream. Page 9

10 Page 10 Easter Sunday, March 27

11 Sunday, April 3 & 10 Our Life- Long Learning guest speaker was Imam Hassan Selim of the Cedar Rapids Islamic Center, who shared with us teachings of Islam and experiences of Muslim life in America. Saturday, April 23 Spring Cleaning the Grounds Page 11

12 St. Stephen s Lutheran Church, ELCA st St. S.E. Cedar Rapids, IA ELECTRONIC SERVICE REQUESTED Non- Profit Org. US POSTAGE PAID Cedar Rapids, Iowa Permit No. 140 Staff Directory Pastor Rev. Dr. Ritva Williams pastorritva@gmail.com Youth & Young Adult Minister Mark Howland mhowland1983@gmail.com Pastoral Intern Luci Sesvold iverson.luci@gmail.com Office Manager Susan Hallock office@ssluth.com Music Director David Haas music@ssluth.com Piano Accompanist Leslie Hyland lesliehyland@gmail.com Premises Keeper Debbie Polk (319) Council President Jeanne Towell thetowells@msn.com enews Editor Marilyn Loan marilyn.loan@me.com Sunday Morning Schedule 8:00am Worship 9:05am Coffee & Fellowship 9:15am Sunday School 10:30am Worship Summer Worship Hours Begin May 29: Second Service at 10am Please join us Wednesdays: 6:30pm Worship 7:15pm Confirma@on Class St. Stephen s Lutheran Church, ELCA To Know, Live, and Share Christ. ssluth.com St. Stephen s Lutheran Church (ELCA) is a Reconciling in Christ congrega@on that welcomes diver- sity, which enriches, nurtures, and challenges our life and ministry. Come and join us as we know, live, and share Christ together in love.