Connecting National and Local Secretariats. Official Publication of the National Lutheran Secretariat, VdC

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1 Connecting National and Local Secretariats Volume 32 Number 1 Feb Official Publication of the National Lutheran Secretariat, VdC 2014 National Via de Cristo Gathering - Baltimore, Maryland July 24 27, 2014 Hosted by Journey in Faith, Rainbow and Vineyard Secretaries 2014 National Via de Cristo Gathering Baltimore, Maryland July 24-27, 2014 The Journey in Faith, Rainbow and Vineyard communities have come together and we are so honored to be able to host everyone at next year s NLSAM. There theme is, God said, My presence will go with you, I ll see the journey to the end. Exodus 33:14. The NLSAM 2014 will be located at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC). It is located 6 miles from the Baltimore/Washington Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) and is situated just outside of the Baltimore Beltway (I-695). UMBC in Catonsville, Maryland is just 9 miles from the Inner Harbor in downtown Baltimore, 40 miles from The Mall, monuments, and museums in downtown Washington, D. C., 28 miles from the Chesapeake Bay in downtown Annapolis, and only a 2-hour drive from the eastern shore beaches of Maryland and Delaware. Come early or stay after the meeting to enjoy some of the activities and history which makes the area a popular tourist destination. Reserve the dates of July on your calendar now and join us in Maryland to experience God's love and grace in action - and have a taste of our famous blue crab while you're here. Watch future Conexiones for updated information. NEW NAME 2014 National Via de Cristo Gathering At the midyear meeting in Baltimore, Maryland the NLS board spent time in discussion of how to increase attendance at the National Lutheran Secretariat Annual Meeting (NLSAM). Part of the conversation looked at do we change the name to be more reflective of what is done at the Annual Meeting. The word meeting may be keeping some from attending as they may feel this is an event for only leaders of the Secretariats. A few ideas were shared and discussed. The board decided the name will be changed to: (Year) National VdC Gathering. NLS President Report & NLS Board News Page 3 NLS Distribution & Executive Director Reports Page 4 Palanca Weekend Dates Page 5 Baltimore Pics Throughout

2 NLS Executive Committee President - Ed Broestl 1420 Glenview Drive Berthoud, CO 80513 970-481-3827 (C) e_broestl@comcast.net Spiritual Director - Pr. Paul Schmidlin 11461 Sylvania Ave.

2 2 NLS Executive Committee President - Ed Broestl 1420 Glenview Drive Berthoud, CO (C) e_broestl@comcast.net Spiritual Director - Pr. Paul Schmidlin Sylvania Ave. Berkey, OH (H) prschm@aol.com V P of Administration Carolyn Hawkins 2410 Kings Farm Way Indian Trail, NC (C) carolyn.nls@carolina.rr.com V P of Outreach Tedd Smith 1255 Royal Birkdale Circle Rockledge, FL (H) mrtedd7777@aol.com Secretary - Alice Alison 2655 Monaco Terrace No. Richland Hills, TX (C) alice.fa@att.net Treasurer Steve Barnett 5091 Oley Turnpike Road Reading, PA (C) sgb121266@aol.com NLS Appointed Positions NLS Executive Director -Nancy Peterson 1237 St. Clair Ave., #3 St. Paul, MN (C) execdirector.nls@gmail.com Archivist/Historian Gerry Olsen Lake Oak Way Boca Raton, FL (H) seekfocustrust@gmail.com Distribution Center John Bradford 6992 South 160 East Midvale, UT (C) joab@xmission.com Financial Advisor Diane Purcell (H) (FAX) dspurcell@msn.com Newsletter Editor Judy Laabs-Foss 4495 Margaret Street St. Paul, MN (H) jer2911@comcast.net Palanca Coordinator Paul Sabatier-Smith 5026 Log Cabin Drive Lakeland, FL (H) dcolor9@attglobal.net Web Page Coordinator Rick Hanzlik Ashley Hills Circle Sandy, UT (C) rickh@specialty-art.com 2014 Host Committee Chairs NLSAM in Baltimore, MD Mark Carson Baltimore, MD (C) mark@timelessglass.com National Lutheran Secretariat Conexiones-on-the-web Notification Request Form Notification execdirector.nls@gmail.com Please notify me by when the latest edition of Conexiones has been posted on the NLS Web Page Name: Address: City: & State: Zip: Home Phone: ( ) Work Phone: ( ) Name of Secretariate Position on Secretariate: Write in large letters - be very clear, computers rely on EXACT information Connecting National and Local Secretariats Volume 32 Number 1 Jan Official Publication of the National Lutheran Secretariat, VdC CONEXIONES is the official publication of the National Lutheran Secretariat, a national association of the Via de Cristo (Way of Christ) movement, representing over 97,500 who have participated in 48 movements across the U.S. Via de Cristo is a Lutheran expression of Cursillo, a renewal movement developed within the Roman Catholic Church in the late 1940s. The Lutheran movement had its beginning in Florida and Iowa in The purpose of this publication is to inform all members of each NLS affiliated secretariat, Lutheran Bishops and District Presidents about the activities of the National Lutheran Secretariat and its affiliated secretariats. Subscriptions to the above named positions are free. If you know one of the above is not receiving CONEXIONES, call a member of the board at the numbers listed on the side. Subscriptions for the general public are $6.00 per year, and are available by sending your name, complete mailing address, and phone numbers to CONEXIONES Treasurer, Steve Barnett, 5091 Oley Turnpike Road Reading, PA or contact him at; (C) Material for CONEXIONES: If you have information for CONEXIONES, items, requests and/or information, address corrections, changes or additions - even inspirational bits - send them to the CONEXIONES Editor at the address on the side. DEADLINES: January 15th, April 15th, August 15th, and November 15th.

Greetings my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I was honored and blessed to represent Via de Cristo at the Fourth Day Leaders Forum in Nashville this past January.

3 Greetings my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I was honored and blessed to represent Via de Cristo at the Fourth Day Leaders Forum in Nashville this past January. Representatives of Walk to Emmaus, Tres Dias, Presbyterian Cursillo / Pilgrimage, Kairos, and Via de Cristo gathered to discuss common issues, worries, and concerns. Subjects included: how to help communities in crisis; method to encourage pilgrims to participate in Reunion Groups and other Fourth Day activities; ways to prevent creeping change into weekends; pilgrim selection; training time aka team formation; number of participants the least, the most, the ideal; what is the critical mass necessary to start a new community; and how do the various movements brand, market, and fund raise. I shared some information with the Executive Committee and we will work through how best to use this information within the NLS and VdC. Information will be shared with our Lay Directors over the next several months. An interesting thought was discussed during the Forum: Isn t it curious how God always shows up during our weekends no matter which organization sponsors it. In conversation, we concluded that maybe it wasn t God showing up. Rather, our preparation and coming together, as Christ s body, we are spiritually prepared to witness God in our midst. God promised Joshua that he would never leave him nor forsake him. The writer of Hebrews reminds them of that promise. God himself, in Jesus, said: I will not leave you as orphan; I will come to you. (John 14:18) I know in the depth of my being that there are times when I (possibly we) am (are) certain my (our) efforts appear inadequate. I would remind everyone reading this that on the weekend it is often stated: You and God are an overwhelming majority! I often don t remind myself that I am not in the fray (in whatever form it may take) alone God is there with me. I don t appropriate the strength and confidence to see God there with me. I have no idea what fray you find yourself in today. I just know that God is with you (us). Thank you Lord for your promise and presence. Help each of us prepare ourselves to see you more clearly in the busyness of everyday happenings. May God bless you in ministry, the environment where you find yourself, giving you the strength to minister to the glory of God. God s blessings Ed Broestl, NLS President NLS President s Report NLS Web Master The NLS web site offers interested parties a means for locating a community or movement in any state of the union. The Locator Map contains links to all the active secretariats in many of the United States. However, a number of the links for the web sites has been found to be in error or not functioning. Please take a moment to check your location link and make sure that we have it listed correctly and that your web site is still functioning. A broken link is a useless link. If your find your site is not listed correctly or not working please contact me, Rick Hanzlik, the NLS webmaster at: webmaster@viadecristo.org. If you are having problems with your site or need some technical help, feel free to contact me at the webmaster address and I will be happy to help or point you to someone who might be able to assist you. NLS Board News Executive Director search The NLS Executive Committee is looking for a volunteer to fill this position, as a half-time volunteer beginning August 1, As many of you know, Nancy Peterson is our Executive Director and shaping this position to facilitate the NLS in its support of our affiliated Secretariats. In 2011, the delegates gathered in Charlotte directed the NLS conduct a two-year experiment to determine if the NLS would be better served having an Executive Director. After a monthlong search, Nancy was selected as our first Executive Director with the understanding that the position was both as a volunteer and limited to 10 hours per week. Last summer the Executive Committee affirmed the need for an Executive Director and proposed a By-law amendment to engage an Executive Director: the amendment passed unanimously. The Executive Director Task Force recommended we seek to increase the position to half-time this coming summer. It is impossible for Nancy to increase her hours since she is currently employed full-time. If you are, or someone you know is, interested in this position, we ask that you, (they) review the job description on-line at cristo.org to discover the various aspects of this position and submit an application at We will accept applications through May 15 th. We will convene a selection panel similar to the panel that selected Nancy, three past and three current NLS Executive Committee members, and announce a selection at our National Gathering in Baltimore this coming July. If you have ay questions, please contact Ed Broestl, NLS President, via e_broestl@comcast.net. 3

5 Air Travel Information Form National Via de Cristo Gathering 2014 Thursday July 24 through July 27, 2014 University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore Maryland Hosted jointly by Journey in Faith, Rainbow and Vineyard VdC God said, My presence will go with you. I ll see the journey to the end. Exodus 33:14 PLEASE PRINT Name - First Last Last Home Phone Cell Cell Work Phone Fax Fax address Host Committee will arrange transportation between the University of Maryland Baltimore County and BWI Airport. (approx. 15 minutes to UMBC) Do you need ADA accessible transportation? Yes No If yes, please explain: ARRIVAL: Date: Arrival Time: Airline: Flight #: Departing City: Departing Airport: Connecting City: Connecting Airport: Number of people traveling with you on this flight: Names: DEPARTURE: Date: Departure Time: Airline: Flight #: Number of people traveling with you on this flight: Names: Any changes to your travel arrangements after you send this form, please elisha@elishabarnett.com Mail completed Registration Form, Travel Form and Payment to: VdC National Gathering c/o Elisha Barnett 5091 Oley Turnpike Rd. Reading, PA elisha@elishabarnett.com Phone:

4 NLS Distribution Center John Bradford, manager of the NLS Distribution Center is back sharing more information about the items sold through the NLS Distribution Center.

Cristo communities. As with the "4th Day Manual", the "Devotional Booklet" is given by some VDC Communities to all new pilgrims during their weekends.

6 4 NLS Distribution Center John Bradford, manager of the NLS Distribution Center is back sharing more information about the items sold through the NLS Distribution Center. This time I'm featuring the "NLS Devotional Booklet" which is a pocket size booklet which contains eighteen different devotional messages, each written by clergy who are active members of Via de Cristo communities. As with the "4th Day Manual", the "Devotional Booklet" is given by some VDC Communities to all new pilgrims during their weekends. This booklet is a tool which offers the pilgrim an additional connection to a deeper Christian understanding and stronger fellowship with each other. These booklets are perfect for sharing at weekly small group meetings and also have value at monthly Ultreya meetings. I suggest that you give these devotion booklets a try at your next weekends, you might be surprised at the outcome. Please then get back to me and let me know how you use the booklets and how effective they are for your community. If I receive some interesting suggestions I'll share the information with all of you in a future newsletter. Visit and click the "VDC Materials" link. Open the "Items" link to see what is available. Open the "Order Form" link to place an order. We are pleased to be able to serve you as a source of NLS printed materials and computer DVD/CD discs. John Bradford, NLS Distribution Manger VP Outreach Report Blessings, Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I hope this report finds all of you well and still remembering glorious times from your Christmas and New Year's celebrations. I imagine all of you have been busy in your local Secretariat since the New Year began. Well, as you can imagine your National board has been very busy as well. By now you have heard the wonderful news that we will be in Baltimore, MD at the University of Baltimore Honors College for our National Via de Cristo Gathering. (new name) in The date is July Please plan to be at this gathering. I believe it will be the biggest gathering ever! Brothers and Sisters from all of the Secretariats across the United States will be there. Will you? The site is awesome! This campus and college is just perfect!!! The college restaurant is yummy with a large variety of foods and desserts. Baltimore is beautiful with many attractions close by and it is very close to Washington DC-just a short rail ride to downtown DC with all the memorials and museums. The airport is just 5 minutes away. WOW! Mark Carson and his team are doing a wonderful job with this year's Via de Cristo Gathering! Once again, please plan on being at this event! Stand by Brothers and Sisters, our Rediscover and Recommit workshop will be coming to you soon! Our Regional Coordinators have been doing an outstanding job of presenting this powerful renewal program already to eleven Secretariats across the United States. Praise God! The R&R program has been received very well in each Secretariat. So please contact your local Secretariat and ask them to invite the Regional Coordinator in your area to come and present this 6 hour Saturday program to your Via de Cristo members. You will be blessed! Special thanks to; Region-1 Kim Brownlow, Region 2 -Wendy Showalter, Region-3 Alice Allison, Region-4 Dick & Loretta Volker, Region 5-Mark Carson, Region-6 Chris Rasmussen & Stephen Manasco, Region 7- Dottie Schwartz & Penny Klein-Region. ( I was blessed recently to be in Juno Beach, Florida and soon in Miami, Satellite Beach). Please contact these wonderful servants of Jesus Christ... The Rediscover/Recommit program is designed for members of your Via de Cristo Community who desire to serve on a team or sponsor a pilgrim or even serve on the local Secre- tariat. The R&R workshop is really for anyone who has experienced a Via de Cristo weekend! The program will help all graduates relive that moment they experienced that Sunday afternoon when the Pastor or the Rector presented the cross to them and said "Christ is counting on you" and we said "and we are counting on Him". The R & R program will be a blessing to you so please once again let me encourage you to reach out to your Regional Coordinators. Recently I had a Saturday evening dinner with 2 Via de Cristo leaders...one of them is a 26 year veteran of VDC, Chip Spear, Melbourne, the other a 1 1/2 year VDC veteran, Paul Berube, Indialantic and myself, a 21 year VDC veteran. It was amazing to just sit and have dinner and celebrate the Via de Cristo experiences we have shared, along with the VDC plans that we have in the future with joy, enthusiasm and excitement. All three of us, one with Jesus, going about making plans to help bring more Pastors into our VDC movement and to set up a plan for pilgrims to "ask a friend, be a friend and bring a friend to Jesus. The Outreach Pastor plan is to raise awareness for and educate pastors and new churches and their congregations about the Via de Cristo lay ministry benefits and how the Spirit of God works through His people to strengthen the faith and Apostolic Actions of believers in their own churches. The other program we discussed was "Tips to invite to a Cristo weekend" basically to remember what we experienced on our weekend and then pass it on with conviction.. All beginning with prayer! Praying for God to bless and work through each one of us! Remembering that it was God who chose us! I just love these brothers! I will be sharing these Outreach programs in the next newsletter. I am looking forward with enthusiasm to working with any Secretariats or any of you brothers and sisters with any issues that you may have or in your Secretariats locally. God s goal through all of us is to be the Christian leaders in our families, communities and the world. May God bless each one of you and your families. Praying for you all. In HIS service, Tedd Smith NLS VP Outreach

2014 WEEKENDS: Mar 2014 - WI: WI Northern Light VDC of WI & Upper MI, Men #29 & Women #30; Mar. 13-16, Send palanca to: Richard Neitzel 18189 Hwy 41 W.

7 2014 WEEKENDS: Mar WI: WI Northern Light VDC of WI & Upper MI, Men #29 & Women #30; Mar , Send palanca to: Richard Neitzel Hwy 41 W. Champion, MI Mar MN: Minnesota VdC - Southern MN, Men #604, Mar , & Women #605; Mar , Send palanca to: Marian Mallory 106 Monet Place Mankato, MN Mar NC: Western No. Carolina VdC, Mixed #38, Mar , Send palanca to: jzander5@att.net Mar TN: Notes of Grace VdC, Men #16, Mar , Send palanca to: Terry Sanders 2615 Slate Dr. SW Huntsville, AL Mar & Apr FL: Gold Coast VdC, Men #88, Mar , & Women #88; April 24-27, Send palanca to: Tammy Egan 1102 Saeger Ave. Ft. Pierce, FL Mar & Apr FL: Light House VdC, Men #44, Mar & Women #605; April 3-6, Send palanca to: Mark Consigny ( ) kconfred@gmail.com Mar & Apr MI: Good News VdC, Men #604, Mar , & Women #605; April 3-6, Send palanca to: Cindy Jurosek 2715 Apache Trail Wixom, MI Mar & Apr MN: Minnesota VdC - Northern MN, Men #606, Mar , & Women #607; April 3-6, Send palanca to: Nancy Barker 6699 Industrial Rd. Saginaw, MN Apr IL: Prairie Sonshine VdC of Central IL, Women #16; April 3-6, Send palanca to: Tonia Holloway 742 E. Chambers Jacksonville, IL Apr IL: Prairie Sonshine VdC of Central IL, Women #16; April 3-6, Send palanca to: Tonia Holloway 742 E. Chambers Jacksonville, IL Apr FL: Sonshine South VdC, Women #110; April 10-13, Send palanca to: Alvin Romer 1400 NW 54th Suite #807 Miami, FL Apr IL: Prairie Sonshine VdC of Central IL, Coed #28: April 24-27, Send palanca to: Jill Rathe - ALVDCPalanca@outlook.com Apr GA: Atlanta Lutheran VdC, Coed #28, April 24-27, Send palanca to: Jill Rathe 275 Bent Ridge Dr. No. Dawsonville, GA May NC: Western No. Carolina VdC, Men #71: May 1-4 & Women #72; May 15-18, Send palanca to: jzander5@att.net May FL: Sonshine North VdC, Coed #6, May 15-18, Send palanca to: Penny Klein 2435 Stafford Dr. Orange Park, FL June MN: Minnesota VdC of Metro MN, Men #608, June 19-22, & Women #609; June 26-29, Send palanca to: Jackie Campeau 6239 Baker Ave. NE Fridley MN July IL: Prairie Sonshine VdC of Central IL, Men #17; July 10-13, Send palanca to: Tonia Holloway 742 E. Chambers Jacksonville, IL July WI: WI Sonrise VDC, Coed #10: July 24-27, Send palanca to: Richard Pettit 772 Dogwood Dr. Beloit, WI Check Web for the latest updates for the upcoming 2014 weekends NLS Executive Director 5 Grace and peace to you from the Lord, Jesus Christ. The Christmas season is over and we are into the beginning of the church year. I pray that God has blessed you richly and that you remember that you are His. Here in Minnesota, we are freezing but then, it is winter. The National Lutheran Secretariat Gathering is coming up in July. We are excited to see you all again and pray that you will join us in Baltimore. Between now and then, I ask you to look at your reunion, renewal, groupings, (whatever you call them) and see how that is going within your secretariat. How many folks are renewing on a regular basis? Are you having Ultreyas? This is a wonderful time to really get moving on all of those things if they became lax over the holidays. My prayer is for you to see God s grace and love in all that you do and to share that with your brothers and sisters. National Lutheran Secretariat is still working to get ratification pages from all the affiliated secretariats re: the constitution and bylaw changes. If you haven t sent that last page of the documents which the lay director and spiritual director signed when you ratified the changes, please do so. That would be very appreciated. As happens every year, I will be gathering information about the number of pilgrims/candidates/weekenders your secretariat had on its weekends in That will be out by the time you read this. Again, I appreciate your timely response to my inquiry. May you see God as you go through your day; may you feel His love and peace. Blessings to you all. Nancy Peterson, NLS Executive Director

8 Judy Laabs-Foss 4495 Margaret Street St. Paul, MN RETURN SERVICE REQESTED DATED MATERIAL, PLEASE EXPEDITE Visited our Web Site Lately? w w w. v i a d e c r i s t o. o r g W e b m a s t e r : R i c k H a n z l i k

NLS 2010 Annual Meeting: July 22 25, 2010 Hosted by Minnesota

Connecting National and Local Secretariats Volume 27 Number 4 Nov. 2009 Official Publication of the National Lutheran Secretariat, VdC NLS 2010 Annual Meeting: July 22 25, 2010 Hosted by Minnesota Let