Missionette. Plans finalized for convention. LWML Calendar. In This Issue: Southern Illinois District Lutheran Women in Mission.

Transcription

1 Southern Illinois District Lutheran Women in Mission Missionette THE LUTHERAN CHURCH MISSOURI SYNOD Volume 62 No. 4 June 2012 LWML Calendar. Plans finalized for convention July 19.Board of Directors Sept Convention Oct Board Meeting In This Issue: President s Page Counselor s Message Gospel Outreach Human Care Communication Christian Life Servant Resources Spring Retreat Board Notes District Directory Loving Gifts Mission Statement: The Mission of the Southern Illinois District of the Lutheran Women s Missionary League is to encourage each woman in the district to grow spiritually and to use her God given gifts to praise God and serve people. Living with Jesus, based on Colossians 3:15, And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. is the theme of the 36th Biennial Southern Illinois District LWML Convention. The societies of the Metro South Zone invite you to attend this convention on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 28 and 29, at the Metro East Lutheran High School, 6305 Center Grove Road, in Edwardsville. The convention format is designed to educate and spiritually uplift the participants. Therefore, we encourage every member of your societies to attend. Dr. Reed Lessing, Asso- Turn to Page 6 PLAN CONVENTION Board members who are in charge of making sure the district convention goes well are, seated Rosemary Fulton and Kathy Bohnet, in back, Deb Albers and Pat Wernsing. Turn to Page 7

2 2 From Helen... President Helen Mayer The purpose of the president is to provide Christ centered leadership, using His wisdom and provision to seek opportunities in helping our LWML sisters use their gifts in service to the Lord. Recently when I was teaching second grade, during religion, I listened with interest to the responses they gave to the question, How can we be Jesus hands here on earth? We had been discussing the story of Joseph and how God used him to save his family during the seven years of famine in the land. How God had placed Joseph in the location He wanted him to be to do His work. One of the neat parts of serving as your District President is getting to travel around the district to various functions and meet all of you ladies who are serving Jesus through your LWML work. You are Jesus hands here on earth! Not only that, but you have all been given specific talents to share through this service to others. We all have different gifts, each of which came because of the grace God gave us. Rom. 12:6a. We are all at various stages of our lives as we are Living with Jesus, and He has put us where He wants us at this particular time to use the gifts He has given us. Throughout this issue of the MISSIONETTE you will be able to read how your BOD is preparing for our up-coming district convention, under the theme: LIVING WITH JESUS. God is sure working through them and others around the district to make our convention one to remember. Enjoy all their articles, and we are looking forward to seeing you in September. 35th Biennial LWML Convention David L. Lawrence Convention Center Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Thursday, June 27 Sunday, June 30, 2013 [Jesus said:] "... but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life" (John 4:14). Visit for the latest in Pittsburgh convention news! MISSIONETTE Editor: Jane Lucht janel@htc.net addresses and changes to: Pat Hoffmeier at Sidlwml@gmail.com. (National site) WEBSITES TO VISIT: (Synod site) SERVE THE LORD WITH GLADNESS

3 Counselor s Corner Rev. Dale Skeesick 3 Philippians 3:12-14 (NLT) I don t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. The summer season is once again upon us. Summer means baseball, hot dogs and apple pie. It means children in the pool; backyard picnics; family reunions and homemade ice-cream among other things. Summer also means vacation. After perhaps months of planning a preparation, the family gathers in the car for the trip to grandmas, the beach, Disney World or some other destination. If there is any such thing as a universal question, it may the inevitable question: Are we there yet? Generations of children have asked it and generations of parents have heard it. The immortal words, Are we there yet? are heard from the fatigued passenger on an anticipated journey. Longing to get to their destination and perhaps having to make numerous stops along the way, once settled in for the long haul these words must bring some sort of comfort for they are uttered continuously throughout the trip. Games and electronic equipment as means of speeding up the journey only go so far. The older the young passengers become, the less the question seems to be asked. The driver, having plotted out the route and planned out stops, seek to simply satisfy the backseat travelers in an attempt to enjoy the ride along the way. No longer is our anticipation fueled by the unknown. It is the driver s job to navigate to the long awaited stopping place. The only thing stopping the peaceful journey is the repetitious inquiry, Are we there yet? As adults, we have somehow managed to survive our childhood, and hopefully have learned a lesson or two along the way. In our journey of life with God, just like a good parent, He lovingly reminds us when it is time to put away childish things to learn the importance of living in the moment. Life sometimes seems as if we are wandering in circles as if we are lost. Life seems like a trip that goes on and on. We want to ask God, Are we there yet - How much longer, O Lord? At such times, it helps to remember that the journey, not just the destination, is important to God. He uses it to humble us, test us, and show us what is in our hearts. As God's people we sometimes seem to question "how long?" We need to trust in God's plans, because we are uplifted when we know that His hands are firmly placed on the steering wheel and that we will reach His intended destination and achieve His goal and see His kingdom come. This will allow us to rest assured that we are in the best hands ever, no matter what. Instead of thinking our victory is delayed and that the Kingdom of God is far off, remember that He will see us through to the end. One day we shall be there and reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. TELL THE GOOD NEWS OF JESUS

4 4 Vice President of Gospel Outreach Mickey Roth So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell His disciples. Matthew 28:8 As I thought about writing this article, I was working in the garden and it was a few days after Easter. In my mind I thought of connections between these ideas and our life. Yes, I was putting dried up, dead looking seeds into the ground, and I certainly did not want them to come out that way I wanted them to be green, alive, and bearing fruits, vegetables, and flowers. Jesus was our example His battered and beaten body went into the grave on Good Friday, but on Easter Sunday He arose alive, perfect, and ready to accomplish his purpose on earth. In life we are the same we suffer Goal $58,000 $48,000 $43,000 $38,000 $33,000 $28,000 physically illnesses, injuries, worn out bodies. We also suffer emotionally stresses and sadness. One day we will all die and because of our faith in Christ we too will live again in heaven where we will worship and serve our Glorious God. During our days here on earth, we should use our time like the women at the tomb and go to tell others about our risen Lord and His saving Grace. We also want to praise God and serve Him with our time and talents and as ladies of the LWML with our mites. This quarter mites have gone to Christ Our Rock Lutheran High School, Centralia and Christ Our Savior Lutheran High School, Evansville. Each received $3,500. Just as seeds are changed we pray that our mites are used to change the lives of the students at these schools. Living with Jesus is the theme of the Sept. 28 and 29 convention that will be held at Metro East Lutheran High School in Edwardsville. The grants to be voted on will be summarized in a forthcoming special convention issue of the Missionette. Read, study, and pray about the grants. If you are not a delegate discuss your thoughts about them with your local delegate. LWML MISSION GRANTS BIENNIUM Total Mite Goal: $58, Grant Name Grant Goal Disbursed To be Paid- Camp Wartburg s Camp for People $4,000 $4, With Disabilities Christ Our Rock Lutheran High School $7,000 $7, Centralia Tuition Assistance Christ Our Savior Lutheran High School $7,000 $7, Evansville Financial Aid Assistance International & American Campus $5,840 $5, Ministry-SIU Carbondale Lutheran Braille Workers Center $4,000 $4, At Baldwin Metro-East Lutheran High School $7,000 $7, Edwardsville Tuition Assistance Seminary Student Scholarships $8,000 $4,000 $4.000 In the Southern Illinois District Shared Prison Ministry with $7,000 $7, The Southern Illinois District SIU Edwardsville Lutheran Campus $2,160 $2, Ministry Outreach Program Unity Lutheran Christian Elementary $6,000 $3,000 $3,000 School East St. Louis Totals $58,000 $51,000 $7,000 Designated Gift to Giving Gardens $1,500 Designated Gift to Operation Barnabas $1,500 Designated Gift to Orphan Grain Train $50 PRAY FOR MISSION GRANTS

5 Vice President of Human Care Deb Albers 5 Wow, Living with Jesus, sure is a big commitment! Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which they were called in one body. And be thankful. Here we are only three months from the 36 th biennial convention of the SID LWML. Can you believe it? I can t. Hey did you hear? We have a super keynote speaker? He is Dr. Reed Lessing, associate Professor at Concordia Seminary, and Bible Study Leader from the 2011 Peoria LWML Convention. He will WOW you with his presentation. He is full of energy like no one I ve seen before and has great Biblical wisdom. You have to see and hear him! I was amazed at Peoria. Dr. Lessing had several of the ladies saying this is who we need for our convention, and the Lord provided! Dr. Reed Lessing is coming to Metro East Lutheran High School to share with you about LIVING WITH JESUS! We will have the Friday Night Fellowship beginning at 7 p.m. at MELHS. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to come. There will be devotions by Rev. Hemenway of Collinsville, craft time as we decorate the Christmas stocking for the ingathering items, some singing, games, snacks, and perhaps some special guests to share how they are LIVING WITH JESUS too. The night will wrap up around 9 p.m. so you can still have fun chatting at your hotels with friend you made at the last convention. The ingathering for the convention will be items for the Lutheran Child and Family Services and the Mosaic Pregnancy & Health Center both of which are located in Belleville. The committee asks that the following zones bring the items that are assigned to them. This will help in the distribution process. Thank you! Greater Egypt, Mid State and Lower Kaskaskia need to bring toys and gifts for the Christmas stockings that will go to the LCFS in Belleville. Items are as follows: small toys, mittens, books, crayon, coloring books, etc. larger toys can be given to kids but small ones will fit into the stockings. These are the stockings we will decorate on Friday night. Metro Central, North, South and Upper Kaskaskia need to bring items for the Baby Layettes items are as follows. Baby shampoo, lotion, diaper cream, formula (Enfamil) wash cloths, bath towels, crib sheets, light sleepers, small sized, medium and large for Spring and Summer, also baby bottles, rattles, teething rings, and teddy bears. You do not need to bring the entire list of items, just pick a few. Thanks for being a blessing to others through your gifts! The great news is that all this can be yours for only $25 person, unless you re a Pastor or Vicar then it only cost $15. Get your registration fees to Marie Voges by July 1 to save your seat at this exciting convention! Did I tell you that your fee pays for all your materials, a light breakfast, and a yummy lunch? Well, here s the deal we need to fill those chairs with delegates, alternates, Young Woman Representatives, pastors and guests, so we can all learn about LIVING WITH JESUS! Get your reservations in ASAP for this exciting event in our district. Hope to see you there! ATTENTION! ATTENTION! Delegates and anyone who received convention packets prior to the convention. A special edition of the Missionette will be mailed electronically to those who have . It will include mission grant proposals, candidate profiles, resolutions, proposed by-laws, questions and answers. KEEP MISSIONS IN PRAYER

6 6 Vice President of Communication Lucy Thompson Jesus, friend of sinners, we have strayed so far away, We cut down people in your name but the sword was never ours to swing, Jesus, friend of sinners, the truth's become so hard to see. The world is on their way to You but they're tripping over me. These are the opening lyrics to a song by Casting Crowns, and the lyrics have been swimming around in my head for some days now. I was raised in a family of non-believer and still live with them day in and day out. I have gotten angry over their comments on my beliefs and cried over their disbelief. God assures me that all I have to do is plant the seed. But how can I plant the seed when I don t live my life like a Christian should live their life? Lucky for me that I have a whole group of women around me that show me how to live my life for Jesus, at every meeting there are women there who live their lives for Jesus. I see it in their actions and in their words. This is the year of the Southern Illinois District convention, and I pray that you will be there. It will be a wonderful uplifting day. There will be new Mite Projects to vote on, new board members to cheer on and a keynote speaker that will speak words about Jesus that will set you on fire. I am looking forward to seeing you at the convention. All of you who have shown me that through the word of God I could look like you too Proverbs 19:21 Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand. Convention craft time to decorate Christmas stockings for the ingathering items, singing, games, snacks and special guests. ciate Professor at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, and Bible Study Leader at the 2011 National LWML Convention, will be the keynote speaker on Saturday. Attendees will also have an opportunity to meet LWML Mites in Action representatives and hear, in person, how our mite offerings have impacted many lives in Southern Illinois. A Night of Fellowship will be held at MELHS on Friday evening Sept. 28 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The evening will include devotions, If you are planning to stay near the convention site on Friday night, please make your own reservations. Two hotels in Edwardsville have designated rooms for Friday, Sept. 28 for convention goers: 1) Comfort Inn & Convention Center 3080 South State Route Cost $76 including tax 2) Country Hearth Inn & Suites 1013 Plummer Dr Cost $98.06 including tax The rooms are reserved under LWML please be sure to mention this when making a reservation. Reservations must be made before Aug. 20, 2012, as the rooms will be released as of that date. PRAISE GOD EVERYDAY

7 7 Vice President of Christian Life Rosemary Fulton Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. Psalms 119:105 Spring had passed and summer is here. The spring flowers were sure pretty this year. The sand dollar or Holy Ghost shell is one of Florida s most unusual specimens of marine life. The marks symbolize the birth, crucifixion and the resurrection of Christ. On the top side of the shell, the five pointed star is representative of the four nail holes and the spear wound made in the body of Christ during the crucifixion. An outline of the Easter lily is clearly seen. At the center of the lily, a five pointed star, a representative of the star of Bethlehem appear. Representing the shell, you will easily recognize the outline of the Christmas poinsettia and also the bell. When broken, inside the shell are five little birds called the Doves of Peace. Some say they are the angels that sang to the shepherds the first Christmas morning. It is going to be a great district convention on Sept. 28 and 29 at Metro East Lutheran High School in Edwardsville. There will be great parking and the layout they have is also great. Hope to see you all there. God has given me so much by serving as an officer of the LWML. God s Blessing! Spring Zone Rallies OTIS AT RALLY The Lower Kaskaskia Zone LWML Rally was held at St. John s in Baldwin. The speaker was Otis Woodard of St. Louis holding on to Marlene Ling of Evansville. He informed the group about his outreach to the poor and homeless there. A monetary ingathering was taken and Otis took home over $600. He was elated. Rosemary Fulton of Marissa was elected president and Tina Heinemann of Evansville vice president. Upper Kaskaskia held its rally at Bethlehem, Ferrin. Chaplain David Otten, from Operation Barnabus was the speaker and spoke of his activities with veterans and their families. A monetary ingathering of $416 was presented to Chaplain Otten. Deb Albers was installed as president and Michelle Hill as vice president. Metro North s rally was at Zion, Bunker Hill. The speaker was Denise Pranger who spoke on Being a Woman Transformed Martha. Metro South held its rally at Holy Cross, Wartburg. Randy Geiser gave an informative program on his mission to have Bible study with the young men in St. Clair County and Madison County Jails. The zone will also be hosting the district convention in September and are busy coordinating the event. It was reported that the Metro East facility will be a great place to hold the convention. PROCLAIM CHRIST BOLDLY

8 9 Vice President of Servant Resources Pat Wernsing I have been working on the SID Bylaws recently. It is quite a job, but with the help of the Structure Committee, and the Lord, I will get them finalized. I am learning something new each day. Not many ladies are interested in bylaws. How boring and I don t even know where they are were some of the comments I heard recently. Ingathering for convention There will be two missions supported at the convention in September. Items are being assigned to zones for the projects. One project is Christmas Stockings. They will be filled with toys, books, mittens, Christmas books, crayons, coloring books, etc. Larger toys can be given also for the children. They will be received by children at Christmas, served by Lutheran Child and Family Services in Belleville. The second one is Mosaic Pregnancy and Health Center in Belleville. They are in need of baby layettes. They are given to clients when they graduate from childbirth and parenting classes. Items needed are: baby shampoo, baby lotion, diaper rash cream, formula (specifically Enfamil), wash cloths, bath towels, crib sheets, light sleepers (size small, medium and large for spring and summer), baby bottles, rattles, teething rings and teddy bears. Zones assigned to toys and gifts are: Great Egypt, Mid State and Lower Kaskaskia. Zones assigned for baby layettes are: Metro Central, Metro North, Metro South and Upper Kaskaskia. Oh Lord bless our efforts so that we can be a blessing to others. Ladies, dig out those bylaws!! I don t care how old they are! Look through them. Jot down what you actually do. Mark out what is no longer current. Then send them to me. I will be glad to review, make suggestions, help you rewrite, whatever it takes. It will be as easy as 1-2-3!! My goal is 75 percent of the local and Zone bylaws reviewed by end of the year. Hope to hear from you soon. If not, I may be contacting you. Corresponding Secretary Pat Hoffmeier For several years National LWML has been encouraging all LWML districts to sponsor servant events so that each woman in a district can have the opportunity to participate in this special experience. SID LWML's first ever district-wide servant event (other than those that have been done at conventions) is scheduled for Saturday, June 16 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Unity Christian Elementary School in East St. Louis. If you plan to participate, please bring your work gloves and covered toes shoes. There will be several beautification projects such as: outside clean-up; sign project; painting; courtyard duties and organizing. Lunch will be provided. Please register to work so a lunch count can be taken by June 10. Call or Sidlwml@gmail.com. GROW IN GRACE

9 Retreat theme was: BUILD-A-LIFE-IN-CHRST 9 Build-a-life-in-Christ was the theme for the Southern Illinois District LWML Spring Retreat held March 3, at Faith Lutheran Church in Mt. Vernon. There were over 60 attendees. Rev. Joe Lecke, pastor at Faith, and Bill Hesser, from Salem were the song leaders for the day. These gentlemen accompanied the ladies with the guitar and the steel guitar as old time gospel music was sung. What a lovely sound to the ear! The events theme was based on the Build-A- Bear workshop. The Young Woman Committee took each step in building a bear and linked it to building a life in Christ. Every step had a Bible verse or verses that were read and talked about. Along with the passages everyone added the action of building their own bear to take home with them. A shell was chosen first. All animals for the day were bears. We looked up 2 Corinthians. 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, the creation has come. The old is gone, the new is here. In Christ we are made new. We filled our bears with fluff and wrote the 10 commandments down and stuff those inside too. We read 1 Thessalonians 5:12-18, Romans 12:8-21 and Philippians 4:4-9. The ladies talked about what stuffing we need for our own lives such as rejoicing always, praying continually, giving thank in all circumstances. Then it was time for a heart (kiss & prayer). We stood and recited the LWML pledge- our heart for LWML. We filled the gym with sound, as we sang melodious hymns. Just like it reads in Colossians 3:16-17 singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. We had to tie the bears closed. We looked up Ephesians 4:16 and 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 and talked about each part of the body working together with the other parts to make us whole. Necklaces were made to accessorize the bears. Each person made a necklace unique to his or her life in Christ. After a luncheon, prepared by the ladies of Faith, Deloris Moreland and Mary Lutz, from the Southern Thirty Adolescents Center (STAC) spoke to the group. They told everyone about the mission, goals, and work that is done at the Mt. Vernon facility. Many gifts of love were given to STAC from the LWML ladies. Deloris wrote in her thank you letter many of the children were very excited about their new blankets and that the snacks would be used on the Monday movie nights. The ingathering money totaled $298, and that money along with the 33 containers of detergent, 12 blankets, individual snacks, 12 tubes of toothpaste, 24 razors, 6 deodorants, 1 shampoo, 1 conditioner, 12 toothbrushes, and 12 bars of soap were all sent to STAC for their use to help care for the kids they have with them. Pastor Mark Nebel shared with the ladies the significance of baptism. Like the bears receive a bath before they leave the workshop at Build A Bear, as our event we remembered our baptismal bath. That bath washed our sins away through Jesus death and resurrection. The bears got some bows and ribbons to wear and a birth certificate as well. We closed the day with a special communion service in the beautiful sanctuary. Rev. Dale Skeesick was the proclaimer and Rev. Nebel did the liturgy, Rev. Lecke led us in song. What a Spirit filled day as we learned to build our lives in Christ. The women we encouraged to share their bear with someone who was in need of be built up in Christ. One participant shared her bear with a friend that is dealing with cancer. The two prayed together and read the Bible passages together. They helped build up each other in Christ. The Committee on Young Women from the SID LWML sponsored the day. Those on the committee were April Rottmann of Hope, Highland; Elizabeth Bahrns of Zion, Belleville and Debra Albers, of Bethlehem, Ferrin. A special thank you to the women of Faith Lutheran Church for feeding the crowd and all their hard work to host the event. The Young Women hope to see you all at the next spring retreat.

10 10 Serving You Are: President Helen Mayer Vice President of Gospel Outreach Mickey Roth Vice President of Christian Life Rosemary Fulton Vice President of Servant Resources Pat Wernsing Vice President of Human Care Deb Albers Vice President of Communication Lucy Thompson Recording Secretary Norma Tucker Corresponding Secretary Pat Hoffmeier Financial Secretary Kathleen (Kathy) Bohnet Treasurer Ruth Ann Arbeiter Counselor Rev. Dale Skeesick Counselor Rev. Mark Nebel Editor Jane Lucht Archivist/Historian Peggy Sachtleben Christian Resource Editor Joyce Aukamp Young Women Representatives Elizabeth Barnes and April Rottmann Public Relations Director Marie Voges Quarterly/Missionette Coordinator Pat Hoffmeier Have a Safe and Blessed Summer Memorials Maxine Evans *John Fischer Dorothy Hartmann Lucille Horrell Marie Kampwerth Roy Keiser LaVerne Langrehr *Elsie Stanasovich Leona Tate Board Notes: The April board meeting was centered on making final plans for the September convention. The various committees reported on what they had done to make preparations. Pat Hoffmeier, corresponding secretary, and her husband Lee spent three months in South Africa working at the Lutheran Seminary there. They have been doing this for the past several years. A mission goal of $49,000 was set for the biennium. Mission grants that will be on the ballot were considered thoroughly and selected. Announced that Carla Kirby and Ruth Mize had agreed to take over the LWML Store. Made plans to print a special electronic edition of the Missionette to answer questions asked about conventions and include the proposed by-laws, nominations, resolutions and mission grants. It would save printing costs and postage which could be used to fund mission grants. Those who do not have will be mailed the information. Loving Gifts Birthday Oneta Bueckman (90) In Honor of Esther Boehne *Denotes Student Assistance Fund SEND YOUR NEWS TO THE EDITOR