Rooster Crows - Iowa VIA de CRISTO

The
Greetings everyone!!
I
trust this edition of the Rooster Crows
finds everyone wondering where summer
went, yet enjoying the crisp cool days of
fall! As we think back to how quickly summer
passed by we can only imagine how quick it
will be until 2011 is over and 2012 and Via de
Cristo is upon us.
Our rectors, Jeff Buchan and Becky Roe,
have been busy putting their teams together
and planning for the upcoming year. They have
practices scheduled
for Saturday, October
15 and Saturday,
November
12th.
By the time you are
reading this one or
both of the practices
may have taken place
and preparations will
be well under way. The
weekend, however, is
not about the team as
we all know, it is about serving God and the
pilgrims. So without pilgrims all the effort
everyone has already put into the weekend
will be for naught. So that is where you, I,
and all of us, come in. Start making lists now
and praying for who God is calling you to
invite to this Via de Cristo weekend, and then
start asking! Don’t be afraid to ask someone
who has said no in the past, sometimes it
takes several years of “asks” for the timing
to be right to get a “YES!” The sooner we
can get people to commit before the madness
of the holidays set in the better! So start the
asking NOW! Make note that we have a
new registrar and address to send completed
registration forms. I would like to thank Cryss
Quanbeck for taking on the duties of registrar
and thank you to Karen Brandt for her past
service in this area. Please make sure you are
sending all registrations to Cryss Quanbeck:
2404 Lakeside Ave; Milford, IA 51351!
As past rector and my first year as lay
director of the Iowa Lutheran Secretariat I
am looking forward to this Via de Cristo very
much! It is so exciting to reconnect with my
“January” sisters in Christ, make new sisters
in Christ, and watch the spirit move at the
Via de Cristo weekend! The secretariat is a
group of people who oversee the organizing
and financing of the Via de Cristo weekend.
Anyone who has gone through the Via de
Cristo weekend is invited to take part in the
secretariat meetings. The meetings take place
twice a year in March and November. If you
are interested in joining feel free to let me
know. Have a blessed fall and holiday season
and we will see you in January!! De Colores!
—Laurie Simington
November 2011, Volume 39, Issue 1
Rooster Crows
T
Spiritual Director’s Thoughts
his is the season of “Thanksgiving” – the season where we take some extra time
to thank God for our blessings. I have given some thought to the irony that this
season brings. As children of God, shouldn’t we be in the “Thanksgiving” mind-set
365 days of the year? As children of God, being in the mind-set of “Thanksgiving” as a
response to the gift of grace we have received through the life, death and resurrection of
Jesus Christ as a way of life is the calling of every Christian.
On the Via de Cristo weekend we hear a lot about the subject of Grace. You have
most likely noticed that the Grace talks are given by the clergy on the weekend – but the
subject of Grace is woven through every talk and throughout the entire weekend. The
reason for that is obvious – we are saved “by grace through faith”.
It is sad that we have the weekend occur only once a year here in Northwest Iowa
but there are opportunities to renew and relive your experience throughout the year by
getting together with some of the people you know through Via
de Cristo (or other expressions of the weekend) and having an
Ultreya (you will find the format or at least ideas of what an Ultreya
is by checking out the website National Lutheran Secretariat Via
de Cristo). During the weekend there is an introduction to what
the Fourth Day means – in fact it is the community of those who
have experienced the weekend themselves. The Group Reunion
is introduced (a weekly meeting of a small number of individuals
who make a commitment to meet to support one another in
prayer and sharing of our exciting and also our not-so-exciting
daily lives).
We learn that it is not possible to live a Christian life in
a vacuum; the Via de Cristo experience is not designed to be a
once in a lifetime, mountaintop experience. The Via de Cristo
experience is a tool to encourage a life-long, growing relationship with Christ.
I love being part of the Via de Cristo community but being spiritually fed once
a year is not enough for me to continue the momentum experienced in January. I am
fortunate enough to be involved with the Brothers in Blue weekends twice a year – the
Via de Cristo inside the prison walls at Rockwell City and Fort Dodge – but even then
I find that Christ has a plan for my life and I need to be reminded to give thanks to God
throughout the year.
It is my prayer that the Via de Cristo experience is the way in which you each
become more intentional about your “Thanksgiving” mind-set throughout the year. I am
also praying that our community unites together to offer the Fourth Day-ers (that’s all of
us!!) more opportunities to keep the gift of grace and the gift of support to one another
through more Group Reunions and an active Ultreya. With Thanks for Each of You –
Pastor Jane Johnston,
Secretariat Spiritual Director
Inside
The Rooster Crows
Page 2 - Women’s Rector Notes
Page 2 - Men’s Rector Notes
Page 3 - Palanca
Page 3 - Treasurer
Page 3 - ILS Weekends
Page 4 - Contact Information
Page 4 - Okoboji 2012 Teams
2
Men’s Rector’s Notes
H
ello everyone! It’s that time again, time to start praying about this year’s weekends
and getting pilgrims signed up — remember to pray first and then ask. If you’re
like me, it’s been a super-busy summer and fall came out of nowhere. And now we
are starting into the Holiday season. This is a great time to stop and think about all that
God has given us and how he has blessed us through our Via de Cristo weekend and ask,
“How can we help bless others?”
Both the Men’s and Women’s teams have been meeting and plans are being finalized
for the weekend. We ask that you keep the teams in your prayers and that God would use
them in a mighty way to make himself known to the pilgrims. We would also ask you all
to pray about joining Palanca this year. Maybe you just went through the weekend last
year or maybe it has been some time, but please consider being a part of the Palanca team.
Remember, we are all the body of Christ and all our gifts are needed and that “Christ is
Counting on YOU.”
So let us all join together and pray for the ones God is calling to this weekend and
listen to whom God is asking us to invite to come and see and to experience God’s grace.
God’s blessings to everyone in the 4th Day!
—Jeff Buchan, Men’s Rector
Greetings!
I
t is a God-blessed time when once a year the old-timers and the newcomers converge
on Okoboji Lutheran Bible Camp for the Via de Cristo weekend! Old friendships are
renewed; new ones are begun.
Why do so many of us return each year to be a part of this experience and why do
we care so much that others share the experience we have had? For me, it comes back
to the word inspiration…the act of breathing in…which sustains our lives. In theology,
inspiration is described as a divine influence. When each of us attended our own first
Via de Cristo, we were inspired by the understanding of God’s grace for us and we were
inspired to share that understanding with people we care about.
Many times throughout each year since I first attended in 2000, I have been uplifted
during challenging situations by the thoughts that come back to me from my Via de
Cristo weekends. I am reminded of the reassurance of God’s grace for me and of the
encouragement I have received over the years from my sisters and brothers in Christ.
When I first looked through the rector’s box this spring, I found a post-weekend
note dated February 2004. It describes some of the experiences the writer had and the
gratefulness she felt during and since the weekend. She writes, “I hope to carry the feeling
with me and hope that it warms my heart for the rest of my life.” She ends her note by
saying, “It’s amazing how God puts just the right people together.”
So what about those people who come together for the weekend? Do they serve
because they have expertise? Not necessarily. Commitment? You betcha! Love for our
Lord? Absolutely!!
If you have been attending for many years or just one; if you attended years ago and
have not been back since, I encourage you to sponsor some pilgrims and plan now to
return to the Bible Camp in January to be re-inspired, renewed, and rejuvenated as we
serve our Lord together in the Via de Cristo.
Remember, your willingness and your loving spirits are the only things you need in
order for God to use you at the weekend. Of course, a loud singing voice is a great thing
to bring along, too. J
I so look forward to seeing you and sharing time with you!!!
—Becky Roe, Women’s Rector 2012
The Rooster Crows
De Colores!!
I
am the new Registrar for the Iowa
Lutheran Secretariat; let me introduce
myself. My name is Crystal Quanbeck
and I live on the beautiful shores of West
Lake Okoboji. I have been married to Rod
for eleven years and we have two delightful
daughters, Emily and Anna. My husband is
the Executive Director at Ingham Okoboji
Lutheran Bible Camp and I work there very
part time as the bookkeeper. We moved to
Northwest Iowa in May of 2007. In January
2008 we both went through Via de Cristo
as pilgrims. What an enriching weekend
for both of us! I have to admit, though,
that being part of Palanca the following
year really brought the whole experience
full circle for me. I look forward to that
weekend in January every year now!
We all know that the weekends won’t
happen if we don’t have pilgrims!! I
encourage you to do three things as those
January weekends are fast approaching.
First, pray about who you could invite to
participate in a Via de Cristo weekend.
Second, ask those people that you have been
praying about if they would like to come!
Third, help them get their application in to
me, Crystal Quanbeck, 2404 Lakeside Ave,
Milford, IA 51351 or cryssq@yahoo.com
or fax 712/337-3501.
If you have any questions about the
application or anything else related to
registration, please feel free to contact me
at the email address above or by phone
712/337-0329.
I am excited to join you welcoming new
pilgrims into the Via de Cristo experience
and then the 4th Day Community! De
Colores!!
Want to Donate?
I
f you wish to make a donation to the
Iowa Lutheran Secretariat for Via de
Cristo, please make checks payable
to Iowa Lutheran Secretariat and mail to:
Bonnie Sleezer, Treasurer, 110 490th Street,
Aurelia, IA 51005.
The Rooster Crows
Volume 39.1
November 2011
The official newsletter of the Iowa Lutheran Secretariat for Via de Cristo, affiliated with the National
Lutheran Secretariat for Via de Cristo.
Published twice yearly to bring news of the weekends, secretariat meetings and business of the ILS.
If you would like to receive this publication via
email, just send your name and email address to:
Pastor Carroll Lang, Editor
19903 225th Street
Fort Dodge, IA 50501
515-576-6810(H)
515-571-6566(C)
CDLng@aol.com
Also available for download at:
http://php.teamem.com/ils/newsletter.php
Iowa Lutheran Secretariat
Palanca W
Decolores Palanca!
Write a note to the events below to let
the pilgrims know you are praying and
sacrificing to “lever” their weekend.
ILS Weekends
Brothers in Blue at FDCF Fort Dodge, December
8-11, 2011. Send palanca messages to Carroll Lang, 19903 225th Street, Fort Dodge,
IA 50501. CDLng@aol.com
Iowa Lutheran VdC at Okoboji Lutheran Bible
Camp, Men’s: January 12-15, Women’s:
January 19-22, 2012. Send Palanca to:
Steve & Theone Quattlebaum, 228 8th St
SW, Spencer, IA 51301. Steveq@alphawireless.com
Brothers in Blue at NCCF Rockwell City, March
1-4, 2012. Send palanca messages to Carroll Lang, 19903 225th Street, Fort Dodge,
IA 50501. CDLng@aol.com
Brothers in Blue at MPCF Mount Pleasant, March
8-11, 2012. Send palanca messages to Bob
Smythe, 1700 Maple Drive NW, Cedar
Rapids, IA 52405. smythebob@msn.com
Brothers in Blue at FDCF Fort Dodge, June 7-10,
2012. Send palanca messages to Carroll
Lang, 19903 225th Street, Fort Dodge, IA
50501. CDLng@aol.com
Brothers in Blue at MPCF Mount Pleasant, September 6-9, 2012. Send palanca messages
to Bob Smythe, 1700 Maple Drive NW,
Cedar Rapids, IA 52405. smythebob@msn.
com
Brothers in Blue at NCCF Rockwell City, October
4-7, 2012. Send palanca messages to Carroll Lang, 19903 225th Street, Fort Dodge,
IA 50501. CDLng@aol.com
Brothers in Blue at FDCF Fort Dodge, December
6-9, 2012. Send palanca messages to Carroll Lang, 19903 225th Street, Fort Dodge,
IA 50501. CDLng@aol.com
e are anxious to see you again and
hear how God has touched your
lives this year! Plans are underway
for the 2011 season, and we need your help!
Our theme in the Palanca area will be “Trust.”
The verse we will follow is Colossians 3:2324: Whatever you do, work at it with all
your heart, as working for the Lord, not for
men, since you know that you will receive an
inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is
the Lord Christ you are serving.
The dates for the men’s Via de Cristo
weekend is January 12-15 and the women’s
weekend is January 19-22.
We will be starting the clean up of the
camp the Sunday before the men’s weekend,
January 8. Palanca workers will be needed
starting Thursday of each week and extending
through Sunday. Please help out where it fits
your schedule, however, do not feel that you
are limited by experience or abilities. There
are jobs for everyone! Sitting jobs, running
jobs, lifting jobs, writing jobs, scrubbing
jobs, singing jobs, crying jobs, praying jobs
— there will be something for you! If you are
unable to help over the weekend, but would
still like to donate some time, give me a call
and I will find something that you can be a
part of, whether it is shopping, recruiting,
making palanca, decorating — it’s an endless
list, really.
If you are planning on coming for the
weekend, we have a form for you to complete.
It is on the website iowalutheransecretariat.
org. We will need to know if we need to have
a bed for you in Christopher house, and how
many meals to plan for. Items to remember
to bring include: your Bible, your cross,
bedding and towels, your green book, a white
blouse and black skirt or pants and black
shoes, stationery, Palanca for the pilgrims
and team, mug for drinks, snacks to share
with Pilgrims and Palanca, and comfortable
indoor; weather-appropriate shoes.
If you have the gift of making others
laugh and want to present a skit, GREAT! The
Palanca group is in charge of entertainment
on Friday night. If you have an idea, please
let me know. All skits must be preapproved
3
by the rectors.
The cost of the weekend has not yet been
formally addressed. I believe the suggested
donation to cover the cost of the room and
meals for each attendee have been $100 for
the whole weekend, or $25 per day. Please
pay what you can afford — a little less if
needed; a little more if possible.
Please RSVP to me to allow us to plan
for your meals, rooms, and activities for the
weekend. Again, if you have any questions,
please do not hesitate to contact me. My
email address is vulkhouse@smunet.net. My
phone number is 515-238-5351, or our home
number is 712-580-5048. My address is 1215
11th Ave SE, Spencer, IA 51301.
Thank you in advance, for your service!
We hope to see you in January!
— Your Sister in Christ, Jody Vulk
Treasurer’s Notes
D
ecolores!!! I wonder how many
times we have said ‘One of these
days’ or ‘When I have the time’. Go-now is the time to make the commitment
of enrolling a pilgrim to attend the January
2012 Via DeCristo weekend. The financial
needs
of
these
weekends continue
to be met by the 4th
Day
Community.
Therefore
many
thanks to those that
contribute. Without
your
devoted
service and financial
dedication
the
weekends would not
be the amazing acts of love that continues
on year after year. Once again I’m sure the
expenses will be higher for the upcoming
weekends than ever before. I’m looking
forward to greeting everyone during the
weekends but in the event you are unable
to attend, your monetary contribution is
always welcomed. A ‘full house’ (No
room in the Inn) at Okoboji Bible Camp
in January would be a good problem. In
God’s Love,
—Bonnie Sleezer
The Rooster Crows
19903 225th Street
Fort Dodge, IA 50501
Non-Profit Org.
U.S.Postage
PAID
Fort Dodge,
Iowa
Permit #4
CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED
November 2011
January 12-15, 2012 Men’s Team
January 19-22, 2012 Women’s Team
PositionName
Rector
Jeff Buchan
1st Asst Rector
Dean Mechler
2nd Asst Rector
Brad Simington
Past Rector
Tom Kellen
Palanca Rector
Kurt Weeks
Asst Palanca Rector
Spiritual Director
Asst Spiritual Director
Kitchen Rector
Butch Sleezer /Jeff Anderson
Music Rector
Steve McKinney
Ideal
Jason Vulk
Grace
Laity
Luane Todd
Grace Too
Piety
Todd Brockshus
Study
Tom Jacobsen
Means of Grace
Apostolic Action
Todd Nicholson
Obstacles to Grace
Leaders
Rod Quanbeck
Environment
Pat Hyman
Life in Grace
Christian Community
Steve Quattlebaum
Fourth Day
Jeff Buchan
Auxiliary
Ryan Waltner
Auxiliary
Dan Antione
PositionName
Rector
Becky Roe
Spiritual Rector
Pastor Tim Nappe
Assistant Rector
Kim Meier
Assistant Rector
Jody Vulk
Past Rector
Laurie Simington
Assistant Clergy
Pastor Deb Mechler Friday
Ideal
Vicki Matuska
Graceclergy
Laity
Cryss Quanbeck
Grace in Action
clergy
Piety
Pat Palmberg Saturday
Study
Sarah Waltner
Means of Grace
clergy
Action
Susan Kliments
Obstacles to Grace
clergy
Leaders
Susan Christensen Sunday
Environment
Bev Nappe
Life in Grace
clergy
Christian Community
Theone Quattlebaum
4th Day
Becky Roe
Auxillary
Courtney Schwartz
Auxillary
Michelle Versteeg
Auxillary
Laura Carlentini
Palanca Clergy
Pastor Jo Watkins
Music
Laura Carlintini - lead vocals,
pilgrim/team chapel
Music
Pastor Deb Mechler - piano,
pilgrim/team chapel
Palanca Rector
Lisa Carpenter
Assistant
Kim Weeks
Kitchen Rectors
Bonnie Sleezer
Secretariat Contact Information
Name
Laurie Simington
Pastor Jane Johnston
Carroll & Judy Lang
Steve & Theone Quattlebaum
Bonnie Sleezer
Jolene Manzey
Sheryl Kleppe
PositionEmail
Lay Director
Spiritual Director
Brothers in Blue
Secretary, Past LD
Treasurer
Past Lay Director
Past Secretary
blsimington@milfordcable.net
revjane96@gmail.com
CDLng@aol.com
steveq@smunet.net
bbsleezer@hotmail.com
jmanzey@iw.net
skleppe@storm-lake.k12.ia.us