The Western North Carolina Lutheran Via de Cristo Secretariat Newsletter Affiliate of the National Lutheran Via de Cristo Secretariat.

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2018 Weekends After much hard work, many meetings, camp visits and prayerful deliberation the What s Next Task Force Committee recommended the following camps and dates for the 2018 Spring weekends:

Task Force were unanimously approved by the Secretariat at the November 21, 2017 meeting.

1 The G a r d e n Western North Carolina Lutheran Via de Cristo Secretariat Newsletter Affiliate of the National Lutheran Via de Cristo Secretariat Inside this Issue: Page 1: TOC; ; 2018 Weekends; 2017 Secretariat Page 2: Pastor s Corner Page 3: Rector s Report Page 4: Weekend Witness Page 5: Cantamos CD and concerts; VdC News; Help us Be Good Stewards Page 6: Emergency Numbers; Weekend Dates 2018 Weekends After much hard work, many meetings, camp visits and prayerful deliberation the What s Next Task Force Committee recommended the following camps and dates for the 2018 Spring weekends: Weekend Proposed Camp 2018 Spring Weekend Dates Women s # 76 Bethelwoods February Men s #75 Valley Haven April Mixed # 46 Bethelwoods April The recommendations of the What s Next Task Force were unanimously approved by the Secretariat at the November 21, 2017 meeting. Following are the weekend costs for team members and pilgrims for the Spring 2018 weekends: Weekends Women s # 76 & Mixed # 46 Proposed Camp Total Cost for Team Members Total Cost for Pilgrims Bethelwoods Camp Camp information may be found by clicking on the links or going to the URL s below: Bethelwoods Camp - Camp Valley Haven Men s # 75 Camp Valley Haven $ $ $ $ Lay Director: Secretary: Treasurer: 2017 WNCVdC Secretariat Pre-Weekend: Via de Cristo: Post Weekend: BobLewis bob@jhhickory.com Kim Aiello rumtugger@charter.net Frank Taylor fdumbarton@aol.com Karen & Terry Barbee wncvdcpreweekend@gmail.com Randy Buckwell rbbuckwell@yahoo.com Tim Herman timkherman12@gmail.com Sponsorship/ Amy Thiemann Leadership Training: athiemann07@gmail.com Leaders: Music: Outreach: Vicki Hull vchull@bellsouth.net Martha Staley mdstaley1@hotmail.com Larry Witham lwitham@carolina.rr.com Communications: Rick Shellenberger rickpicker10@gmail.com National Delegate: Carolyn Hawkins carolyn.vdc@carolina.rr.com Spiritual Director: John Propst, Pastor johncpropst@gmail.com Spiritual Director: John David Bryant, Pastor Jdbryant1@gmail.com Spiritual Director: Conda Lashley, Pastor condalashley@gmail.com Community Ann Lashley Records: annlashley@windstream.net Prayer Banner: Jean Kapturowski kappy313@carolina.rr.com Photographer, Steve Hughes Archive & History: steve@livininharmony.org Webmaster: Joe Barrett joe@joebarrett.com

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable if anything is excellent or praiseworthy think about

2 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable if anything is excellent or praiseworthy think about such things. Or, in Tim Glenham s words, think about it! (Philippians 4:8 from Today s NIV) Dear WNCVdC Friends, On November 9, light on this earth became a bit dimmer for me (and probably for a good number of you.) My faithful and loving friend, Pastor Tim Glenham died. Many of you have had the joy of serving with Tim and being mentored by him as a Spiritual Director on a VdC weekend. Tim used to always say, I went on my first VdC weekend simply to get John Propst off my back. He bugged me for years to go! I m glad I kept (lovingly) twisting his arm to go. St. Paul s words to another Timothy years ago could well have been Tim s after a brave struggle with cancer: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Indeed you have, my brother. A better friend and Spiritual mentor I could not have asked for these past 50+ years. I loved Tim like a brother. When we hugged each other a few weeks ago at his home, after an amazing hour+ visit, knowing it most likely would be our last hug, he said something to me I ll never forget. Tim said, John, I m going to reach heaven s gates before you but I ll save a seat for you at God s great eternal Banquet Table of love. We shared a hug and an I love you. I asked him to save a seat for me right next to him. Many of you know that Tim would always give hearers an appetizer during the first minute of his sermon, something to ponder. He would then say, think about it. Paul s words from Philippians above are words to think about. Especially since none of us knows how many days we will live on this earth. Life is precious. Life is fragile. James says that we are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. You may know the story/movie Tuck Everlasting. A family living in the woods discovered a spring whose waters give eternal life on earth for those who drink from it. Winnie, a young girl, discovers the family & she & one of Tuck s sons fall in love. Listen to what Tuck told Winnie after she said she was afraid to die but didn t know if she would drink from the spring. No human wants to die, he told her. You can t live without dying. And Tuck s final words to her: but Winnie, don t be afraid of death; be afraid of the unlived life! Think about it, our brother in Christ would tell us. A billboard I saw in Asheville recently, Make the Most of the Time You Have. God s blessings to you as our Lord Jesus calls us to think about it. Pr. John Propst JohnCPropst@gmail.com 2

RECTOR S REPORT Mixed # 45 October 12-15, 2017 To: Secretariat of WNCVDC From: Dennis Bost, Rector for WNCVDC Mixed # 45 I was very happy to have been called to serve on God s team of Mixed #45.

So after I had gotten a general idea of the composition of the team and had put it down on paper, I realized that many of my friends were not on that paper.

3 RECTOR S REPORT Mixed # 45 October 12-15, 2017 To: Secretariat of WNCVDC From: Dennis Bost, Rector for WNCVDC Mixed # 45 I was very happy to have been called to serve on God s team of Mixed #45. I kind of had an idea of who I wanted on the team and how everything was going to look. Well, I quickly found out that I was not in charge. So after I had gotten a general idea of the composition of the team and had put it down on paper, I realized that many of my friends were not on that paper. Of course, trying to get new people on the team and even experienced people in different positions had a bearing on that. I think we ended up with nine first-time people, three first-time professors, and two first-time heads, on the team. I also know that many people that were not on the team prayed their hearts out for us. Without that none of this would be possible. The heart of God is touched when people pray! The first team meeting was going along quite well and it was almost over. Due to our location we did not sing before worship. We went to the church to worship and then it began, the most joyful noise I have ever heard. We filled that church with beautiful singing. It was awesome! Not only were the music chas great, but the whole team sang with God-given voices and I was just struck by the beauty of it all. Then came the weekend. Arriving early I decided to stash three bells in the rollo room. Then I started to carry my stuff into my room and my wonderful son volunteered to help carry things in for me. Of course my box of bells never made it into my room. Can t trust anyone. Worship, commissioning, and then the pilgrims. All went smoothly. Stayed on schedule up until Sunday morning when we got 40 minutes behind. Got back within 15 minutes at lunch. Wound up 10 minutes ahead. Go figure. All in all there were no problems. The team worked together flawlessly. I think the pilgrims felt God s presence all weekend. My sister was a pilgrim and she had always refused to speak in front of people. By Saturday evening she was planning what she was going to say at the Decuria. God at work. All the pilgrims spoke at the Closura. All seemed changed to some extent by God s Spirit working in them. It is amazing how fast the weekend went. Time really flew by. But I rest assured knowing that both pilgrims and team will be forever changed in a positive way by God s hand on this weekend and that He continues to bring growth and renewal through these times. God is awesome! God s Peace to y all! Dennis Bost 3

Christy Roux WNC Mixed #44 Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church Table of Sarah 1. What did Via de Cristo mean to you? Answer: The Via de Cristo was a weekend full of peace and love.

Via gave me an opportunity to examine my faith and realize how much I wanted and needed to grow in that faith.

What does your 4th Day look like? Answer: This is a work in progress for me. It is not always easy to transition from Via into the real world. It takes commitment and perseverance.

4 Christy Roux WNC Mixed #44 Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church Table of Sarah 1. What did Via de Cristo mean to you? Answer: The Via de Cristo was a weekend full of peace and love. It was a time that the outside world did not seem exist and I was surrounded by people full of God's grace. In a perfect world that would be our reality every day and not just for a weekend. Via gave me an opportunity to examine my faith and realize how much I wanted and needed to grow in that faith. I met so many wonderful people that it was impossible to leave without being filled with joy! Via was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I am so grateful to have experienced it. 2. What does your 4th Day look like? Answer: This is a work in progress for me. It is not always easy to transition from Via into the real world. It takes commitment and perseverance. The Via de Cristo arms you with the tools you will need to take with you on your journey to leading a faithful life. Currently, I am involved in many church activities such as bible studies, book club and choir. I now make it a priority to surround myself with people who put Christ at the center of their lives. This brings me more joy and peace. I developed a desire to lead others to Christ and would love to sponsor others in the future. 3. Tell me about your reunion group: Answer: I love my reunion group!! Currently I am meeting with two other women from my church every Saturday. It is great to have this feeling of friendship and trust. One of our members has been involved with Via for 29 years and has served as a Rectora. This is such a wonderful opportunity for me to learn from her and grow in the Via community. The other was my sponsor and truly one of my best friends. The reunion group is vital to the overall Via de Cristo experience as we encourage each other to continue growing in our faith together. I plan to become more involved with the Via de Cristo movement this coming year. 4

Cantamos New CD Coming Soon! This year marks the twentieth anniversary of Cantamos and its music ministry.

Since that time, we have sung over 300 times in venues in Tennessee, South Carolina and North Carolina. In December of this year we will release our 20th Anniversary CD.

Upcoming Concerts: December 16 at 9:00 p.m. Cantamos will perform in the Biltmore House Candlelight Tour January 7, 2018 at 2:45 p.m. Cantamos will perform an Appalachian Christmas at The Lutheran Church of the Atonement, in Wilkesboro, NC Thank you from.

5 Cantamos New CD Coming Soon! This year marks the twentieth anniversary of Cantamos and its music ministry. It hard to remember those early days when 8-10 people formed the initial group and searched for locations in which to sing. Since that time, we have sung over 300 times in venues in Tennessee, South Carolina and North Carolina. In December of this year we will release our 20th Anniversary CD. If you are interested in purchasing our new CD, simply contact one of our members or go directly to our website at...cantamosonline.com and order your CD. You will receive your CD via USPS. Upcoming Concerts: December 16 at 9:00 p.m. Cantamos will perform in the Biltmore House Candlelight Tour January 7, 2018 at 2:45 p.m. Cantamos will perform an Appalachian Christmas at The Lutheran Church of the Atonement, in Wilkesboro, NC Thank you from...cantamos! Cantamos in the Recording Studio `` ` ``` VdC News If you have not been getting blasts and updates from Western North Carolina Via de Cristo and would like to, please send us your current address to wncvdc@gmail.com and we will get you on the mailing list. If you are sure we have your current address, but still are not receiving , please let us know via the address above and we will try to correct the problem. Please keep us current with all your contact information. Send us an to vdc@gmail.com. Help us be Good Stewarts of God s Blessings Are you on the newsletter mailing list, and do you have access to the Internet? Help us to be good stewards of our resources by getting your copy of The Garden from the WNCVdC web site ( It will help us save on printing costs, postage, address labels and people resources! 5

EMERGENCY TELEPHONE NUMBERS If an emergency should arise and you need to contact someone that is attending or serving on a Western North Carolina Via de Cristo week-end, you may contact one of the

6 EMERGENCY TELEPHONE NUMBERS If an emergency should arise and you need to contact someone that is attending or serving on a Western North Carolina Via de Cristo week-end, you may contact one of the individuals below and they will assist you in getting a message to an attendee promptly. Randy Buckwell (Cell) Attention! Mark Your Calendars! Spring 2018 Weekend Dates Women s #76 - February Men s #75 - April Mixed #45 - April Terry and Karen Barbee (Terry's Cell) (Karen's Cell) (Home) Chuck Hull (Cell) (Home) (Work) 6 The Garden Western North Carolina Via de Cristo Newsletter Rick Shellenberger, Communications Chairperson c/o Ann Lashley, Community Records 309 Trapper Cove Ln Weddington, North Carolina Dated Material FIRST-CLASS MAIL God s Grace Address Label Address & corrections should be addressed to the address above or ed to annlashley@windstream.net Newsletter articles and suggestions should be ed to Rick Shellenberger at wncvdc@gmail.com 6

September/October, 2016

September/October, 2016 Weave is also available on our website at: http://www.encvdc.org/wordpress/communications/weavenewsletter/ FROM THE PRESIDENT We had a wonderful celebration of 40 years of Via de