Rooster Crows - Iowa VIA de CRISTO

The
Greetings!
T
he Secretariat is very excited about
what God has in store for Via de
Cristo 2013. If you didn’t know the
Secretariat is a board that has the task of
putting on and overseeing Via de Cristo
weekends. Some of the responsibilities
of this volunteer group are to oversee the
weekends, select and support rectors,
oversee the budget, maintain a database of all
the 4th day members, produce and distribute
the Rooster Crows, maintain the website,
attendance
at
two
meetings
a year, and
pray for the
movement. The
Secretariat
is
open to anyone
who has been
through a Via de
Cristo weekend
and has a passion
for
seeing
the
weekends
continue,
evolve,
and
grow. It is not a special invitation only
board and we are always seeking new
representatives.
This year’s rectors are Dean Mechler
and Kim Meier, whom you will hear from
in this edition of the Rooster Crows. They
have been working hard to assemble their
teams, organize practice talks, and get
everyone ready for the weekends. Please
be praying for our rectors and teams!
As always the weekends cannot happen
without all of you, so please be prayerfully
considering who you will ask and then ask
with confidence! It is never too early to
start asking. It would be great to have some
applications in before Christmas!!!
Speaking of the application, there is still
one on the website but the registrar is Cryss
Quanbeck (address is: 2404 Lakeside Ave,
Milford, IA 51351). We have had several
people try to change the application from
Cynthia to Cryss on the website with no
success. Another glitch in the website
is that you need to refresh the page
every time you get on it to get the latest
updates and changes to the pilgrim list.
We are looking into having the webpage
redone but will use the current one (www.
iowalutheransecretariat.org) for this year.
Looking forward to seeing you all in
January!
Blessings,
Laurie Simington
Lay Director, Iowa Lutheran Secretariat
December 2012, Volume 40, Issue 1
Rooster Crows
T
Spiritual Director’s Thoughts
o everything there is a season….
The Ecclesiastes 3 passage has been
running through my mind the past few
days. Our daughter had this reading in her
wedding 6 years ago; a family requested this
passage be used in their mother’s funeral last
week; and I have been thinking about them
as I have been kept busy sewing for the play
my husband, son and I are rehearsing – in
preparation for Opening Night this coming
Friday (November 30). In case you are
wondering – yes, I have been forced to do
some “tearing” as well as sewing (yes, the
word in the scripture is “sow” – but I allow
myself some literary license).
This passage is one which covers so
much of life and it seems appropriate to
look more closely at it as we approach
the end of our calendar year – and the
Christmas season. This time of the year is
filled with beginnings and endings. It is the
season where we look forward to the time
of the birthday of Jesus Christ (Advent to
Christmas). It is the season where we have
fewer hours of daylight even as we have
more color in our lights as we decorate our
homes and businesses for the holidays.
In the play, A Christmas Carol, the main
character, Ebenezer Scrooge, is taken on a
journey where he is given the opportunity
to review his life as it was (past), as it is
(present) and as it could be (future). Have
you ever considered doing something
similar? The past gives us the opportunity to
review choices we made – and hopefully to
learn from some poor choices. The present
helps us to be aware of daily choices we
make and how we (and others) are affected
by those choices right now. The future is
affected by those choices and how we will
be remembered.
I believe that there is a wonderful lesson
about the Grace of God present in the story
of A Christmas Carol. Our sin is what ties us
to the past – we find ourselves bound by the
chains of our choices. In the play, Scrooge’s
former partner and best friend Jacob Marley
appears and warns of the mistakes he had
made and of what the consequences will
be if changes are not made in Scrooge’s
life. I compare
this to the process
of revelation –
when we pause to
reflect on choices
that were not in
alignment
with
God’s plan for us.
When we confess,
repent and then
revel in God’s
forgiveness we are
given a fresh start.
It is as though
a new person is created – but with the
advantage of being able to learn from our
past mistakes. God does not hold our sins
against us – with God’s forgiveness the past
is wiped clean. We are made new creations.
Isn’t it neat how our church calendar
starts new (Advent marks the beginning
of the Church Year) even as our secular
calendar ends? May this Advent Season be
a time of renewal and rebirth.
In Christ’s Love,
—Pastor Jane
Make a friend, be a friend, and ask that friend
to sign up for a life-changing weekend at the
Okoboji Lutheran Bible camp in January,
No Room in the Motel?
Inside
The Rooster Crows
Page 2 - Does God still speak?
Page 2 - Rectors’ Messages
Page 3 - Palanca Rector
Page 3 - Treasurer
Page 3 - ILS Weekends
Page 4 - Okoboji 2013 Teams
Page 4 - Contact Information
2
The Rooster Crows
Does God Still Speak?
A
young man had been to Wednesday
Night Bible Study. The Pastor had
shared about listening to God and
obeying the Lord’s voice. The young man
couldn’t help but wonder, ‘Does God still
speak to people?’
After the service, he went out with
some friends for coffee and pie and they
discussed the message. Several different
ones talked about how God had led them in
different ways.
It was about ten o’clock when the young
man started driving home. Sitting in his
car, he just began to pray, ‘God...If you still
speak to people, speak to me. I will listen. I
will do my best to obey.’
As he drove down the main street of
his town, he had the strangest thought to
stop and buy a gallon of milk. He shook
his head and said out loud, ‘God is that
you?’ He didn’t get a reply and started on
toward home. But again, the thought, buy
a gallon of milk. The young man thought
about Samuel and how he didn’t recognize
the voice of God, and how little Samuel ran
to Eli. ‘Okay, God, in case that is you, I will
buy the milk.’ It didn’t seem like too hard a
test of obedience. He could always use the
milk. He stopped and purchased the gallon
of milk and started off toward home.
As he passed Seventh Street, he again
felt the urge, ‘Turn down that street.’ This
is crazy he thought, and drove on past the
intersection. Again, he felt that he should
turn down Seventh Street. At the next
intersection, he turned back and headed
down Seventh. Half jokingly, he said out
loud, ‘Okay, God, I will.’
He drove several blocks, when
suddenly, he felt like he should stop. He
pulled over to the curb and looked around.
He was in a semi- commercial area of town.
It wasn’t the best, but it wasn’t the worst of
neighborhoods, either. The businesses were
closed and most of the houses looked dark
like the people were already in bed.
Again, he sensed something, ‘Go and
give the milk to the people in the house
across the street.’ The young man looked
at the house. It was dark and it looked like
the people were either gone or they were
already asleep. He started to open the door
and then sat back in the car seat.
‘Lord, this is insane. Those people are
asleep and if I wake them up, they are going
to be mad and I will look stupid.’ Again, he
felt like he should go and give the milk.
Finally, he opened the door, ‘Okay God,
if this is you, I will go to the door and I
will give them the milk. If you want me
to look like a crazy person, okay. I want
to be obedient. I guess that will count for
something, but if they don’t answer right
away, I am out of here.’
He walked across the street and rang
the bell. He could hear some noise inside.
A man’s voice yelled out, ‘Who is it? What
Continued next pge
Women’s Rector
A
s for me and my house, we will serve
the LORD. As I sit in my favorite
room, with the warmth, the plants,
the sound of Christian music, I ponder on
the houses I have lived in. The one I grew
up in is on Guam, where it is warm all year
around. My home… the memories.
Now as a mom and a homemaker, what
are the memories my children will have?
Will they remember the love we shared;
the traditions we started; or the things in
the houses we lived in? After attending my
first Via de Cristo weekend in 2000, I was
touched by the outpouring of God’s love and
grace. I wanted to take that feeling home, I
wanted my family to feel God’s Love and
Grace. I prayed that God’s presence is in
our house as we serve the LORD.
But there are so many things bombarding
us. Things to do, things to buy… these
are gods of the world. They may not be
like the gods in Biblical times; but, there
are gods of this world that take us away
from the One True God. During the time
of Joshua, while he was leading the nation
of Israel into the Promised Land after
Moses died, the Israelites were serving
and worshiping other gods. Joshua was
reminding the Israelites how much God
was there for them, and yet the Israelites
could not get rid of all idols and customs
that surrounded their lives. Joshua asked
them to wholeheartedly worship God. He
took a stand and said, “But as for me and
my household, we will serve the LORD.”
(Joshua 24:15b) Are we pursuing God
wholeheartedly? Are we taking time to
live a life of piety, action and study? Is our
household serving God?
This is my prayer, that we can take a
stand and say: “As for me and my house,
we will serve the Lord!” May this be the
prayer of your hearts, as it has been for me
these past months in preparation for the
upcoming Women’s weekend. I am excited
that I get to see my brothers and sisters in
Christ as we all come together to serve
the pilgrims so they may learn more about
God’s love, grace and forgiveness.
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the
faithful…
—Kim Meier, Women’s Rector 2013
Men’s Rector
W
e know that palanca is a Spanish
word meaning “lever.” During a
Via de Cristo, palanca represents
God using us to serve others who are
looking to further develop their walk with
Christ. As members of the Fourth Day we
know this to be true.
Thinking back to when each of us first
attended Via de Cristo as pilgrims, we
remember how our hearts were touched by
the service and the surprises provided in
faith and shared with us. We made many
new friends that we still talk to, share with
and lean on to this day. Palanca felt then and
still feels like Christ among us today. That’s
because on that weekend He was among us.
He still is today. It was impressed upon me
last spring that our greatest purpose in life
is to glorify God. That’s what I see us doing
as we share our faith and offer service at
Via de Cristo. Not only do we glorify God
by serving and sharing with the pilgrims
but we also glorify God by sharing His
strength with and serving each other as we
continue to build upon our friendships as
palanca and team members.
So it is time once again to offer ourselves
in service to God at Via de Cristo, to
glorify Him. Teams have been assembled.
Planning and practices are in gear. It is in
service to Him that we now take the time
to share the opportunity for a Via de Cristo
with our friends and family members. Do
you remember what was said to each of us
in the Apostolic Hour? Christ is counting
on you, on each of us. Palanca begins now!
See you in January!
—Dean Mechler
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 40.1
December 2012
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)
[email protected]
Also available for download at:
http://php.teamem.com/ils/newsletter.php
Iowa Lutheran Secretariat
3
Palanca G
W
rite a note to the events below to let the pilgrims know
you are praying and sacrificing to “lever” their weekend.
ILS Weekends
Iowa Lutheran VdC at Okoboji Lutheran Bible
Camp, Men’s: January 10-13, Women’s:
January 17-20, 2013. Send Palanca to:
Steve & Theone Quattlebaum, 228 8th St
SW, Spencer, IA 51301. [email protected]
Brothers in Blue at NCCF Rockwell City, March
7-10, 2013. Send palanca messages to Carroll Lang, 19903 225th Street, Fort Dodge,
IA 50501. [email protected]
Brothers in Blue at MPCF Mount Pleasant, March
21-24, 2013. Send palanca messages to Bob
Smythe, 1700 Maple Drive NW, Cedar
Rapids, IA 52405. [email protected]
Brothers in Blue at MPCF Mount Pleasant, September 5-8, 2013. 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
3-6, 2013. Send palanca messages to Carroll Lang, 19903 225th Street, Fort Dodge,
IA 50501. [email protected]
Iowa Lutheran VdC at Okoboji Lutheran Bible
Camp, Men’s: January 9-12, Women’s: January 16-19, 2014. Send Palanca to: Steve &
Theone Quattlebaum, 228 8th St SW, Spencer, IA 51301. [email protected]
Y
Palanca Letters
our letters written to participants on
a weekend are a lot like giving them
a holy hug. Many are kept and cherished for years after the weekend.
Men’s Palanca Rector
etting to be that time again! Hope
and pray all is well with everyone.
As Palanca Rector this year, I was
hoping to get an invitation out to recent
Pilgrims to join us on the team this year.
I don’t have email addresses for any of the
last few years so if someone has that, please
let me know. My email is nicholson5@
mchsi.com. If you are interested in helping
on Palanca, www.iowalutheransecretariat.
org has a form for you to fill out. We would
love to have you! The weekend is January
10-13. Let’s get a big group to help and
be praying about what possible Pilgrims
God wants there this year. Let me know if
you have any questions and if anyone has
the list of emails for me. Thanks and God
Bless!
—Todd Nicholson
Archimedes said, “Give me a lever strong enough and
a proper fulcrum and I can move the world.”
Does God? Cont’d from previous page
do you want?’ Then the door opened before
the young man could get away.
The man was standing there in his jeans
and T-shirt..... He looked like he just got
out of bed. He had a strange look on his
face and he didn’t seem too happy to have
some stranger standing on his doorstep.
‘What is it?’
The young man thrust out the gallon of
milk, ‘Here, I brought this to you.’ The man
took the milk and rushed down a hallway.
Then from down the hall came a woman
carrying the milk toward the kitchen. The
man was following her holding a baby.
The baby was crying. The man had tears
streaming down his face.
The man began speaking and half
crying, ‘We were just praying. We had
some big bills this month and we ran out
of money. We didn’t have any milk for our
baby. I was just praying and asking God to
show me how to get some milk.’ His wife in
the kitchen yelled out, ‘I asked him to send
an Angel with some. Are you an Angel?’
The young man reached into his wallet
and pulled out all the money he had on him
and put it in the man’s hand. He turned and
walked back toward his car and the tears
were streaming down his face. He knew
that God still answers prayers.
—Unknown
Treasurer’s Notes
D
e Colores!! The year of 2013 will
bring many exciting adventures
along side our Savior with faith to
guide our way. What more appropriate
time to share that faith than in January
with the Via de
Cristo
pilgrims?
When you became a
believer, you became
a messenger.
The Teams will
be sharing their
individual story of
how Christ has and
continues to make
a difference in their
lives. Prayerfully consider which fellow
believer you will bring as a pilgrim.
Therefore, let all of us share our message of
God’s love wherever we are with whatever
we have—an application form and pen.
You, the 4th Day Community, are the
success of the weekends. As treasurer,
I need to mention the importance of
everyone’s participation and contributions
to the Iowa Lutheran Secretariat—Thank
You!!! Thank You!!! With everyone’s
continued support, the weekends will
continue to be “Touched by the Master’s
Hand.” See you in January.
—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
December 2012
January 10-13, 2013 Men’s Team
Rector
Dean Mechler
Spiritual Director
Pastor Bob Vaage
Palanca Spiritual Director
Pastor Lee Lavage
1st Asst Rector
Brad Simington
2nd Asst Rector
Kurt Weeks
Past Rector
Jeff Buchan
Meditation, “Three Glances.” TBD
Rollo #1 Ideal
Rod Quanbeck
Rollo #2 Grace
Dan Taylor
Rollo #3 Laity
Ryan Waltner
Rollo #4 Grace, Too
Craig Nissan
Rollo #5 Piety
Todd Brockshus
Meditation: “Figure of Christ.”
TBD
Rollo #6 Study
Dan Antione
Rollo #7 Means of Grace (Alfredo)Lee Laaveg
Rollo #8 Apostolic Action
Dave Jensen
Rollo #9 Obstacles to Grace
Tom Van Tassell
Rollo #10 Leaders
Larry Lubinus
Meditation: “Christ’s Message” TBD
Rollo #11 Environment
Steve McKinney
Rollo #12 Life in Grace
Bob Vaage
Rollo #13 Christian Community Dan Douglas
Rollo #13.5 JOG Talk (palanca) Ryan Blau / Brett Hoffman
Rollo #14 The Fourth Day
Dean Mechler
Auxiliary
Auxiliary
Auxiliary
Palanca Rector
Todd Nicholson
Asst Palanca Rector
Steve Quattlebaum
Music Rector
Dave Bennett
Kitchen Rector
Jeff Anderson/Butch Sleezer
January 17-20, 2013 Women’s Team
Rector
Spiritual Director
Palanca Spiritual Dir Assistant Rector
Assistant Rector
Assistant Rector
Past Rector
Friday
Rollo #1 Ideal
Rollo #2 Grace
Rollo #3 Laity
Rollo #4 Grace in Action
Rollo #5 Piety
Saturday
Rollo #6 Study
Rollo #7 Means of Grace
Rollo #8 Action
Rollo #9 Obstacles to Grace
Rollo #10 Leaders
Sunday
Rollo #11 Environment
Rollo #12 Life in Grace
Rollo #13 Christian Comm
Rollo #13.5 JOG
Rollo #14 4th Day
Auxiliary
Auxiliary
Auxiliary
Auxiliary
Palanca Rectors
Music Team
Kitchen Rectors
Kim Meier
Pastor Wendy Van Tassell
Pastor Jane Johnston
Jody Vulk
Lisa Carpenter
Cheryl Todd
Becky Roe
Kathy Sindt
Pastor ?????
Courtney Schwartz
Pastor ?????
Francel Graham
Jan Bowles
Pastor ???
Susan Christensen
Pastor ???
Sarah Weeks
GA (Georgia Ann) Darnell
Pastor ?????
Dee Vaage
TBA :D
Kim Meier
Lizz Buchan
Rebecca Schaffer
Amy Peterson
Kristi Kracht
Kim Weeks, Michelle Ver Steeg
Marcy Nelson & Company
Bonnie Sleezer & Company
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
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]