LifelinesVolume 22, Issue 4 ~ April 2013

Lifelines
Volume 22, Issue 4 ~ April 2013
Letter from the Bishop - 1
Pastor’s Ponderings – 2
Life Care–3
LWR – 4
Prayer Concerns – 4
Living Stones Recap – 5
Finance Steward – 5
Photo Ops – 6
Historical Perspective – 7
Service Opportunities - 8
Calendar – 9
Birthdays& Anniversaries – 9
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Easter. It is about more
than an open tomb. It is
the good news of the risen
Christ who opens lives.
Think about Jesus' friends
after his death. Their lives
were closed down by fear,
disappointment and
confusion. The risen
Christ appeared saying "peace be with you" and opened their lives
with a liberating word of reconciliation. In the same way Christ opens
your life with a baptismal promise that joins your life to his death and
resurrection. "You are my child. Nothing in all creation will separate
you from my love."
Even now Christ is opening your life, your daily work, your passions
and imagination. Christ is opening your daily life into a holy calling
that fills the world with love. At the Lord’s table, Christ is opening
you into a community that can bear even suffering with confidence,
and sorrow with hope.
The risen Christ opens the Scriptures — the full depth of God's
promise made to Sarah and Abraham now coming to life in the new
creation. Even when everything else is being stripped away, the risen
Christ opens you to God's promised future.
Christ opens you to God's work of forgiveness and reconciliation.
Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, is opening this way of life for you.
In God's grace,
Spirit of Life Lutheran Church
3901 Mullenix Rd SE
Port Orchard WA 98367
360-876-5094
spiritoflifelc@gmail.com
The Rev. Mark S. Hanson
Presiding Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Dear Members and Friends of Spirit of Life –
Alleluia!! He has Risen!! He has Risen Indeed!
Pastor’s
Ponderings
He has risen, but have you ever stopped for a moment to think
what it must have been like for those first disciples locked into
that upper room trapped by fear, the week following the
resurrection? Can you imagine the knots in the disciples’
stomachs, the anxiety they felt about their future, the grief over
lost dreams, hopes and possibility? Even after Jesus appears to
them the first time they don’t leave the room; they stay stuck
there, as if they are frozen in time. Just think for a moment what the conversations must have been like.
Wouldn’t you have liked to be a fly on the wall during those days in Jerusalem? Or would you??
I bet the emotion during those days was quite heated. Often, when people get stressed (and there is no doubt the
disciples were stressed!), our emotions can get the best of us; furthermore, in times of great distress when our
emotions get the best of us, we can only feel fearful about the future, and again find ourselves in situations
which are painfully conflicted. Overlay any of those kinds of situations with circumstances in which people find
themselves passionate and WOWEE!!!, you have great possibility for absolute combustion!! In fact, enough
combustion to create a blast, begin a war, transform someone’s life or even…blow the doors off their hinges
with enough energy to….start the church and change the world!
Pastor Rick Jaech is coming to Spirit of Life this Saturday to work with leaders of the congregation around
issues of congregational conflict. Pastor Jaech has led workshops like this all across our synod and his premise
is this: conflict in congregations is inevitable. Conflict is a sign of life and conflict can be transformative. It can
move us forward, out of the upper room, declaring God’s mission to the world.
Pastor Rick’s website - http://transformingchurchconflict.com/ - describes his work as that which: helps pastors
and congregations to transform their conflicts into a process of dialogue and learning, that clarifies and
enlivens their ministry. He makes particular use of the “deep democracy” approach of Arnold Mindell and
associates, in which all of the voices of the community, including our inner, silent or marginalized voices, are
invited into the dialogue. The participants in the dialogue are helped first to understand each other and then to
collectively strategize ways to live and work together in a healthy, satisfying way. Through this process, times of
conflict and tension are transformed into opportunities to deepen and grow. In his training and workshops,
Pastor Rick provides a new framework for understanding conflict.
A new framework?! In those days following the resurrection, Jesus keeps appearing to the disciples. When they
are stuck - when they try to go back to their old lives and the ways they knew…like fishing, Jesus keeps
showing up - calling them back - reminding them of who they have become as disciples of God - moving them
through the conflict to a new transformative place.
Every person who attends Spirit of Life is a leader in the kingdom of God. Please come and join us this
Saturday, April 13, for just 4 hours: 9:30 am to 1:30 pm. After all, He has Risen and His Example calls us
further into the struggle, the anxiety, the conflict, because, as people of faith, we know it is not the end. He
came out on the other side and we can too. We can choose life…transformative, resurrected life which leads us
from any place we may be trapped, out into the world to share God’s mission with all.
In God’s peace,
Pastor Sarah
Mullenix in Motion
Let’s be great neighbors and support Mullenix in Motion this year. It is Friday, April 26 th from 4:30 –
6:30 pm. Both Spirit of Life and Little Doves will be listed as official sponsors this year on the TShirts! Also, the Mullenix McTakeover is on April 17 from 6 – 8 pm at the Sedgwick McDonalds!!
Food Bank Road Trip
We (JoAnn/Greg) got the opportunity to visit FISH Food Bank in Gig Harbor (http://www.ghpfish.com)
and meet their all volunteer staff (like us) and Jan Cohen (their President...also a volunteer). We had
discovered in our archives, correspondence that suggested FISH Gig Harbor was a model for what we set
up at LifeCare, but still were surprised (pleasantly) to see ourselves in what they do and how they do it for
the Gig Harbor area and community.
FISH Gig Harbor has been in operation for over 30+ years and utilizing the same fixed basket/benefit that
we (LifeCare) use. They have over 225 volunteers and a budget of $225k+ (no paid staff). Uniquely we
(JoAnn/Greg) got a tour from their most senior volunteer (92 years young – never too old to help out at
the Food Bank) and showed us the ins and outs of their setup which looked very similar to what we have
and what we do, though much bigger.
We (JoAnn/Greg) had a million questions for both their operational and management staff and we also
exchanged a few ideas that we (LifeCare) have been working on. We were very impressed with the entire
setup and very impressed with scope, longevity and spirit of the service they do for their neighbors in
need. Truly a nice place to visit for inspiration (in what a food bank can be) and for specific food help (if
you are a client in need of food assistance).
We have long felt that our fixed food basket is a cornerstone of the tone
and intrinsic need of serving LifeCare’s clients/neighbors and seeing
FISH Gig Harbor on a large scale and their longevity, we are more
confident and certain that we are on the right track, no matter what scale
we are today or will be tomorrow.
Our egg program is showing life again - the suggestion to post the
Colonel Sanders picture in the chicken coop seems to have worked Tami (Little Doves cook) and Rebecca (coupon lady) have filled our
refrigerator shelves with eggs.
We (JoAnn/Greg) attended a Boy Scout planning meeting to pitch our
need for food donations to serve the area south of Sedgwick and the
Olalla community and are expecting donations from the Boy Scout Food
Drives in late March, early April.
February Stats
Received:
700+ food items donated
$50.00 in cash donations
Spent:
$996.46 spent on food
supplies
Served:
25 returning families
1 new family
86 people – 1032 meals
Most of you have noticed our new Food Bank sign in the church parking
lot, and pleasantly so have our Olalla neighbors, in that we have received a couple of hefty drop offs of
food and sundries (unexpected) . Change can draw attention (wanted) and was inspired and effected by
one of our non-parishioner volunteers.
Save The Date!
Sunday August 11, 2013
Spirit of Life Lutheran Ministries
Celebrates 20 years!
Social Concerns/LWR
Recipients of baby care kits in Peru were especially grateful for the quality of the items in the layettes.
Poor families are so used to getting second hand donations that to receive new supplies was unexpected. It
gives poor pregnant women a sense of security and hope for a brighter future; because they feel
strengthened and cared for in their time of need.
Diapers, lightweight cotton t-shirts, receiving blankets, a jacket with a hood or a baby cap when a sweater
is included, socks, a hand towel and soap. Lack of something to dress the baby in often keeps an
impoverished mother isolated from her community. With these items in the baby care kit both the mother
and baby feel welcome.
Simple things that when put together are a gift of hope and love for the recipient; symbols of a loving and
caring God.
Our congregations sent 70 baby care kits in 2012 to Lutheran World Relief. The items needed are
gathered and assembled by Pam and John Kosinski. If you have any questions about the baby care kits,
please see Pam.
Put your faith in action through Lutheran World Relief.
In HIS service, Janet M Hane
Prayer Concerns
We lift up these members of our family and community to the loving arms of our God that he would give them
peace and comfort in difficult times.
Aileen Pierce
John Nelson
Ron Shannon
Ann Ciarelli
Julie Garreis
Sandy Priest
Barb Aldrich
Katherine Dodson
Shirley Getzin
Barbara Gorman
Kathy Reishus
Sindy Stewart
Che De Silva
Keith Webster
Toy Williams
Christopher Boink
Kellen Traxel
Tracy & Annalee
Clifton Darrow
Kinsey Cline
Trinette Gates and family
Darlene Roehrs
Kristy Green
Victoria Cartwright
Dave & Karla Olson
Liz Braemer
Vykki
Dave Southard
Lori Perrault
Family of Max Jacobs
DeeDee Wernet
Mary Gamble
The Bruer Family
Diana Benson
Mary Kuschell
Kim Borden & family
Diana Ellis & family
Mike Sheppard
Diana Shoemaker & family
Dixie Talley
Norm Short
The family of Don Benson
Emil Tech
Patricia Olson
Kathy Devin’s Family
Father Mike
Paul Dawkins
Marty Collett and family
Jennifer Dahlke
Raymond Richmond
McKendrich Family
Jesse Brown
Roberta Bensen
The Riggs Family
John Ball
Rosemary Eldred
Steve Barrett and family
The church office is asking for your help in keeping our prayer list up to date. If you have a name to add or an
update on someone’s condition, please contact the office or Pastor via email: spiritoflifelc@gmail.com or
phone, 360-876-5094.
Living Stones Recap
At worship on March 10, members of Spirit of Life who went to the Shelton Prison to worship with the
Living Stones congregation reflected on their trip and the impact it had on them. Julie Garreis made
the trek but was unable to be at worship on the 10th. She sent the following responses to the
questions posed by Oprah/Pastor Sarah:
I really needed to read that… Thank you for sending that passage (the story of the prodigal son). It put into
words exactly how I was feeling during the time we were at the prison.
In response to your questions:
Why did you sign up to go to living stones? I thought it would be a new experience and hoped it would
give me the courage to speak to others about my faith and hear their stories of how they sinned and were
forgiven.
What moved/struck/resonated with you about your visit? When we first got there, I was scared of what
we were about to encounter. As the men came in and introduced themselves, they seemed so nice and so at
peace. They were very organized in setting up for their service. As the service started I became very angry.
You sent us the scripture of the prodigal son and this sums up my feeling of anger: “But he answered his
father, ‘Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed
your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends.
But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted
calf for him!” As the sermon began, I looked over at one of the younger men and he was crying. I thought,
‘How can I justify being angry? This man is clearly repenting and is crying in hopes of forgiveness of his
sins. Who am I to judge these men for their actions? God is the man they answer to, not me.” At that point, I
found myself asking God silently for forgiveness of judging these men and forgiveness for feeling so angry
at them.
Would you go again and why would you recommend it to others? This is definitely something I want to
continue to do. I recommend it to others in the hopes that they get to see God’s forgiveness given to others
in a place where punishment is the norm.
Pastor Eric Wangenhoch is scheduled to worship with us in May of next year and a group from our
church will be able to worship again with Living Stones on June 21, 2014. We hope that you will
prayerfully consider joining that group next year and if you would like to learn more about what to
expect please talk with Ron Vietmeier, Sue Ruedebusch, Monica Beckham, Trinette Gates, Julie
Garreis, Alicia Wells or Pastor Sarah.
Reading Faith Into It
We are going to start back with “Reading Faith Into It” on May 1. Many of you read The
Light Between Oceans, by M.L. Stedman so you are ready for the discussion either at the
11:30 am brown bag or the 7 pm evening event. The book is set in 1918 Australia. It is about a
lighthouse keeper and his wife who find a baby washed up in a boat and decide to keep her and
how their lives are changed by the choices they make. If you haven’t had a chance to read it yet
you have a few weeks.
Photo Ops
So many beautiful quilts at the Relay for Life Quilt Show
Historical Perspective
By JoAnn Smith
Last month we had an article about Pope Gregory. Now that a new Catholic Pope has been chosen, and he has
chosen to name himself after St. Francis, I thought it would be interesting to learn a little more about why he
might do that. Below is an excerpt of a very long article in Wikipedia, the on-line encyclopedia.
St. Francis of Assisi, O.F.M.
Saint Francis of Assisi in Ecstasy
an oil painting by Jusepe de Ribera (1642)
Religious, deacon, confessor
and religious founder
Born
1181 – 1182
Assisi, Umbria, Papal States
Died
October 3, 1226 (aged 43–
45)
Assisi, Umbria, Papal States
Honored
in
Roman Catholic Church
Anglican Communion
Lutheran Church
Old Catholic Church
New Age ecologists
Canonized
July 16, 1228, Assisi, Italy
by Pope Gregory IX
Major
shrine
Basilica of San Francesco
d'Assisi
Feast
October 4
St. Francis of Assisi (Italian: San Francesco
d'Assisi, baptized Giovanni, born Francesco di
Pietro di Bernardone; 1181/1182 – October 3,
1226) was an Italian Catholic friar and preacher. He
founded the men's Franciscan Order, the women’s
Order of St. Clare, and the Third Order of Saint
Francis for men and women not able to live the
lives of itinerant preachers followed by the early
members of the Order of Friars Minor or the
monastic lives of the Poor Clares. Though he was
never ordained to the Catholic priesthood, Francis is
one of the most venerated religious figures in
history.
Francis' father was Pietro Bernardone dei Moriconi,
son of Count Domenico Morosini. He lived the
high-spirited life typical of a wealthy young man,
even fighting as a soldier for Assisi. While going
off to war in 1204, Francis had a vision that directed
him back to Assisi, where he lost his taste for his
worldly life. On a pilgrimage to Rome, he joined
the poor in begging at St. Peter's Basilica. The
experience moved him to live in poverty. Francis
returned home, began preaching on the streets, and
soon amassed a following. His Order was
authorized by Pope Innocent III in 1210. He then
founded the Order of Poor Clares, which became an
enclosed religious order for women, as well as the
Order of Brothers and Sisters of Penance
(commonly called the Third Order).
In 1219, he went to Egypt in an attempt to convert
the Sultan to put an end to the conflict of the
Crusades. By this point, the Franciscan Order had
grown to such an extent that its primitive
organizational structure was no longer sufficient.
He returned to Italy to organize the Order. Once his
community was authorized by the Pope, he
withdrew increasingly from external affairs. In
1223, Francis arranged for the first Christmas
manger scene. In 1224, he received the stigmata,
making him the first recorded person to bear the
wounds of Christ's Passion. He died during the
evening hours of October 3, 1226, while listening to
a reading he had requested of Psalm 140.
On July 16, 1228, he was pronounced a saint by
Pope Gregory IX. He is known as the patron saint
of animals, the environment, and is one of the two
patron saints of Italy (with Catherine of Siena). It is
customary for Catholic and Anglican churches to
hold ceremonies blessing animals on his feast day
of October 4. He is also known for his love of the
Eucharist, his sorrow during the Stations of the
Cross, and for the creation of the Christmas creche
or Nativity Scene.
Character and legacy
It has been argued that no one in history was as
dedicated as Francis to imitate the life, and carry out
the work of Christ, in Christ’s own way. This is
important in understanding Francis' character and
his affinity for the Eucharist and respect for the
priests who carried out the sacrament. He and his
followers celebrated and even venerated poverty.
Poverty was so central to his character that in his
last written work, the Testament, he said that
absolute personal and corporate poverty was the
essential lifestyle for the members of his order. He
believed that nature itself was the mirror of God. He
called all creatures his “brothers” and “sisters,” and
even preached to the birds and supposedly
persuaded a wolf to stop attacking some locals if
they agreed to feed the wolf. In his “Canticle of the
Creatures” (“Praises of Creatures” or “Canticle of
the Sun”), he mentioned the “Brother Sun” and
“Sister Moon,” the wind and water, and “Sister
Death.” He referred to his chronic illnesses as his
“sisters." His deep sense of brotherhood under God
embraced others, and declared that “he considered
himself no friend of Christ if he did not cherish
those for whom Christ died.” Francis's visit to
Egypt and attempted rapprochement with the
Muslim world had far-reaching consequences, long
past his own death, since after the fall of the
Crusader Kingdom it would be the Franciscans, of
all Catholics, who would be allowed to stay on in
the Holy Land and be recognized as "Custodians of
the Holy Land" on behalf of the Catholic Church.
2013 Synod Day of Service
Children of the Nations
Sponsored by the
SWWA Synod Youth Committee
May 4 – 8:30 am - 3 pm
Poulsbo
Packing Event
April 17 ~ 6:00 pm
At First Lutheran Community Church
Centered around 1 purpose: In Christ, we are
united in “the same love, being one in spirit
and of one mind” (Philippians 2:2)
All ages are welcome! Children/youth under
grade 6 must be accompanied by their
parents/guardian. Youth grades 6-12 can go
as a “Youth Group” (1 adult per 7 youth
ratio).
Questions and/or to register contact
Ingelaurie Lisher at 253-752-4966 ext. 104
or ingelaurie@smlutheran.org.
A joint event with First, Elim and Spirit
of Life Lutheran Churches and St. Bede’s
Episcopal Church
Folks of all ages are invited to join us for
this fun and fantastic night of packing
1000’s of meals for children all over the
world.
All it takes is 25¢ for one meal!
April
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
1
Wednesday
Thursday
2
3
Friday
4
Saturday
5
8:15a-LD Chapel
7
8
9a-Worship
10:30a-Sunday
School
9
10a-Mustard Seed
Prayer Group
7p-Homeowner’s
Assoc. Meeting
14
9a-Worship
10:30a-Sunday
School
15
6:30p-BOE Meeting
16
10a-Mustard Seed
Prayer Group
6
9a-1p- FoodBank
10
8:15a-LD Chapel
11
12
1p-LWR Quilting
17
8:15a-LD Chapel
6p-Children of the
Nations packing
event
13
8a-Men’s Breakfast
Group
9a-1p- FoodBank
9:30a-1:30pLeadership Retreat
18
19
6:30p-Council
20
9a-1p- FoodBank
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + Pastor Sarah on vacation + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
21
22
9a-Worship
10:30a-Sunday
School
10a-Mustard Seed
Prayer Group
28
9a-Worship
10:30a-Sunday
School
23
29
24
8:15a-LD Chapel
6p-Anniversary
Team Meeting
6:30p-Gathered by
God Bible Study
30
10a-Mustard Seed
Prayer Group
25
26
4:30-6:30pMullenix in Motion
27
9a-1p- FoodBank
Birthdays
1-Nan Larson
4-Wendy Clark-Getzin
10-Vanessa Ruedebusch
14-Doug Rudquist
17-Sue Ach
19-Sarah Roemer
20-Bonnie Ruehs-Lutz
26-Lena Rudquist
29-Janet Hane
30-Trinette Gates
Anniversary
April 1
Alicia & Larry Wells
31 years