LUTHER MEMORIAL CHURCH OF CHICAGOVOICEthe

Spring 2015

LETTER FROM THE PASTOR

Greetings Disciples,

And…we’re off!

This month the Kentucky Derby captivated people for a solid few minutes as the sprinting horses provided nail-biting stress for the many people who placed (and hedged) their bets.

Sometimes I feel like one of those horses, too. I’m running, run-ning, running. But every so often it’s important to halt the horses and take a look at where you’re going. What’s the point? What’s the motivation? What’s driving this race?

At the January meeting of the congregation the council mentioned that we would be embarking on a new journey this year. We were going to put together a Mission and Vision Team to analyze who LMC is, how we’re being God’s presence in this community, and what the next five years of this race might look like for us. This is Vision 2020, as I’ve put it.

And in these past few meetings we’ve done the hard work of discernment and conversation, giving up hours of our personal time to analyze how we spend our collective time and energy in service to God. We’ve talked about how we’re a service-oriented church that wants to incorporate more ad-vocacy. We’ve talked about how we’re a church whose identity in the community is theologically progressive that we are established and inter-generational, and that we’re seeking to involve our neighbors in our work. We’ve also identified that we’re a church that is longing to make Christ-like connections: between God and humanity, between people and their faith, and between individu-als themselves. We’re working toward this goal, and with being such a transient community, it’s not easy! But we’re working on it.

We’re playing with words that get at all of these things: Rejoicing, Reforming, Reconciling, Re-newing. All of this will come together with a new mission and vision for LMC, as well as a new emblem that will reflect (to use another “re” word) who we are to the greater community with passion and conviction. Our team, comprised of the LMC council along with Jeff Conway, Marcia Mawe, Nicole Kerstetter, Kelly Weiss, and Dieter Schulte, has been doing this initial work, but now it’s time to hear from everyone at LMC.

We want your voice as a part of this process. We want your input into where God is leading us in the next five years. Toward this end, we hosted two Listening Groups in May that hopefully gave you the chance to speak to Pr. David Misenheimer, our representative from Kairos and Associates who is leading us through this process. David introduced us to the work of the Mission and Vision Team. We’ll invite you to reflect on what you’re hearing and seeing, identifying which parts of the new work speak to you and where you think improvement can be made. We’d like as much participation in this work as possible. Stay tuned for more information on this and other ways LMC needs your involvement.

People of God…we’re off! We’re running toward the future God is leading us toward! Let us go there with the confidence that Christ will meet us along this road, guiding our steps. See you in church, and see you at the listening groups!

PT…

LETTER FROM THE PASTORAL INTERN

Dear Church,

“You never forget your first.” These are some words spoken to me a few times this year by Pastor Tim as I reflect on my experiences so far during Internship and as I look forward to over a year from now when, God-willing, I will be starting my own call in a parish. It’s difficult to imagine many of my experiences this year being supplanted because this year has been exceedingly full of overwhelmingly positive and downright exceptional experiences.

I think most recently about Holy Week. The time from Palm Sunday to Easter is the most important in the life of a Christian. The time spent in worship during these 7 days allow us to locate ourselves and enter in to God’s story. And so, there’s a certain level of expectation that comes with worship during Holy Week. It’s ex-pected that worship will be excellent. It’s expected that worship will be deeply meaningful. It’s expected that we will encounter God in worship. No pressure or anything, right?

I’ve been a part of Holy Week services before. I’ve even crafted Holy Week services before. But this was the first time that I had a hand in creating and crafting multiple services, across multiple days, for the entirety of Holy Week, from Palm Sunday all the way through Easter Sunday. A daunting task, certainly, but one that I think was done well and one that I had a tremendously fun time being a part of.

I think our Holy Week services at Luther Memorial were deeply meaningful in a lot of different ways. And, prob-ably most important to me, I think we came face to face with God in our Holy Week services. I experienced God this Holy Week.

And to me, that is the mark of a healthy faith community. One in which, despite everything else we bring with us to church, despite the physical and emotional weights we carry with us through the sanctuary doors, we can set those things down and allow ourselves to be completely immersed in the love and grace and comfort and peace of a God who has crossed eternity to be with us and who will never let us go, not even for a moment.

These encounters are formative for our faith. They give us a touchstone that we can come back to when things aren’t going so great. They are a source of comfort for us when everything else seems to be in turmoil. And they are the things we can cling to when things seem most dark.

So no, I will never forget my first. How could I possibly? People of Luther Memorial, you have given me a tre-mendous gift that I will carry with me forever. I encountered God this Holy Week, and you were integral in that. It was transformative for me, and it was transformative for our church.

Thanks be to God for you.

Chris Michaelis,Pastoral Intern

FORMATION

20hours

spent by Confirmands in faith formation this year

30familieswho attended EGGstravaganza! to color eggs, play games, hunt for candy filled eggs, and enjoy one another’s company

11kids

who participated in Confirmation this year

4ministry staffthat helped teach Confirmation in 2015

Dear Children of God,

I’m taking some time to do some looking back & looking forward this week. When the skies are blue and clear, the air is crisp, and the leaves turning green, I have some trouble looking back. There’s something about the season of spring that makes me yearn to look forward to-wards summer.

It’s hard to look back right now, but you really can’t blame me. Chicago summer is the best. There’s festi-vals, Vacation Bible School, camp-ing trips for the youth, a kickball tournament (I tend to win), and lots of fun to be had in building com-munity thorough the “lazy days” of summer.

But I want to make sure to pause and look back at where we’ve been this 2015 together so far.

The Youth & Family Ministries at LMC started the year off right with a party on New Year’s Eve celebrat-ing Epiphany (a little early) in style & completing the nativity sets with 3 Kings. Thanks to volunteers who made this possible by spending hours upon hours cutting felt.

We gathered together to inten-tionally learn a bit more about the sacrament of Holy Communion. 10 adults and 11 kids signed up for Fed and Forgiven where we played games, watched movies, baked bread, and talked about how all are welcome at the Lord’s Table.

My Voiceby Deaconess Claire Schoepp

We made sure the arts remain a central way in which young people at LMC explore their faith. The LMC Youth Choir gained a new member this spring. We’re 15 kids strong!

Kids, Faith, & Artful Saturdays takes 4 volunteers and 8 rambunc-tious kids to continue celebrating the Easter season here at LMC and at home!

We hosted a fantastic Eggstrava-ganza! Volunteers made snacks, do-nated supplies, ran nursery games, and ran/acted as judges for the “Jesus Hanging With His Peeps” contest. More than 30 families at-tended, colored eggs, played games, hunted for candy filled eggs, and enjoyed one another’s company.

Looking back wouldn’t be complete without noting that there were 5 baptisms at the Easter Vigil. We took an evening to journey through our history as the people of God. Then we opened the doors to Easter and celebrated the sacraments of baptism and holy communion to-gether with Easter joy.

And that makes me look forward. More than the spring excites me for summer, those baptisms push me to look forward. And that’s all because we made some hefty promises a the Vigil to those kids and to all the kids baptized here at LMC. So, let’s roll up our sleeves LMC! We have some promises of caring for the spiritual growth of kids to keep.

How can you help? Volunteer for VBS, volunteer in the nursery this summer, make meals for families on the meal train, think of ways that you want to use your gifts that I ha-ven’t thought of yet. I love ideas.

LIFE

5baptisms

performed at the 2015 Easter Vigil

8volunteershave helped in Sunday School every week since January 1, 2015

3youth

helped host the Valentine’s Babysitting event for kids in our neighborhood

My Voiceby Jamie Schupp

themselves. Sponsors come with open arms, excited to share their own LMC experiences. In fact, if you haven’t participated in The Great Conversation as a sponsor, we highly recommend it--not only because sponsors are a critical com-ponent to the program’s success, but because sponsors routinely find participation to be a great way to meet other members of LMC and further their own journey in our faith community. So when the call goes out for sponsors to help sup-port the next Great Conversation class, we hope you’ll join us in con-tinuing to grow LMC and welcom-ing our neighboorhood into our congregation.

Now in its third year, LMC’s Great Conversation program did not dis-appoint with its Spring 2015 class of 23 catechumenates (plus 7 chil-dren) welcomed as new members of our congregation at the Easter Vigil on April 4.

Mentored by 22 sponsors (existing LMC members), the program began on Sunday, February 22, when we gathered for the kickoff dinner in LMC’s Fellowship Hall. Thereafter, we met each Sunday between ser-vices to discuss the church, faith, community, God and Jesus, among other topics. We learned about the history of Lutheranism and the im-portance of stewardship.

Dieter Schulte and Tim Klein guid-ed us on tours of LMC, telling tales of the storied past of the sanctu-ary--the history of the stained-glass windows, the depression-era bank-er waiting at the back door to collect the offering to pay the mortgage--as well as the school, gymnasium and Beginner’s Room.

The class convened at One-Stop Wednesday to share a meal, make sandwiches for the Night Ministry, and attend Lenten services. Finally, catechumenates and their sponsors met outside of church to share a meal and continue their journey in faith.

What makes The Great Conversa-tion a success are the friendly, di-verse and welcoming people par-ticipating. Catechumenates come eager to meet members of LMC and learn about becoming members Welcoming new members in April 2015

Participating in a small group is one of the many opportunities that LMC provides to explore and strengthen one’s faith while building relation-ships with others through fellow-ship. During the 2014 Lenten sea-son, Pastor Tim, Toietta Dixon, and Linda Khoury facilitated groups that read Free: Spending Your Time and Money on What Matters Most by Mark Scandrette. Emily Holtz and I facilitated groups that read Learning to Pray Again by Michael Rinehart.

In addition to using different books to guide the discussions and having different facilitators, each group was unique because of the diverse experiences and perspectives of its members. The more than 50 par-ticipants included lifelong LMC members and brand new attend-ees, people who participate in lots of church activities and many for whom this was their first, people of all religious backgrounds and those still figuring out what they believe, people attending with a spouse or friend and some who knew no one in the group, ages covering prob-ably seventy decades, and people with almost any other characteristic one can imagine.

While all four groups were unique, they made similar commitments and shared common goals. Partic-ipants agreed to participate inten-tionally through regular attendance, reflective reading, and thoughtful discussion. Doing so enabled small group members to practice spiritual disciplines individually and to

My Voiceby Nicole Vanderdoes

collectively deepen their spiritual practices during Lent. Members also got to know one another in a new setting, prayed for one anoth-er, and strengthened their sense of connection within and to the church.

While I’m happy to support LMC by facilitating small groups, the real reason I do it is because I get so much out of them personally. I’m already impatient for the next group to start so I can learn more and get to know more people! Whatever your reason, there is a small group for you. Please contact Pastor Tim, Justin Shimko, or any of the small group leaders for more information about participating in or facilitating a small group.

50people

participated in small group book studies during Lent 2015

Urban Acacia’s mission is to Create authentic spaces to encounter God and one another. For almost two years now, a small, growing com-munity of us in Chicago have been wrestling with what it looks like to balance the values of our Lutheran heritage with the vocabulary of this generation’s context. It is not an easy task, but it is a necessary one. It is not enough, nor good in any way, to simply shame those who do not attend Church regularly on Sunday morning, and so we are en-gaging creatively with the question of how to be the Church outside of our normal settings. Since Urban Acacia has now been working in several distinct neigh-borhoods throughout Chicago, our experience in each area is unique. In order to be authentic in each context, it does require a willing-ness to permit our response to be different in each area we partner with. Urban Acacia’s partnership with Luther Memorial has yield-ed a particularly unique manifes-tation of our mission. We began with a single small group, as is nor-mally our method, about one year ago. That group quickly went from meeting once a month in a public space to meeting every other week in one another’s homes. That pub-lic-to-private transition is a signifi-cant mark of a growing fellowship, and the transition happened after only two meetings together! That group continues to meet in the Lin-coln Square area to this day. We have also begun a Sunday

My Voiceby Dan Bierne

brunch group that meets after wor-ship once a month. Our most recent addition is a dinner group, made up of individuals from several neigh-borhoods, and hosted in different people’s homes. The reason these distinct “expres-sions” are important to nurture is because not every neighborhood is going to have the same needs, and therefore the appropriate means of accompaniment will change ac-cordingly. In some neighborhoods, for example, this small group mod-el does not take root; they respond better to seasonal and monthly events. And, this makes sense giv-en the more transient nature of some neighborhoods as compared to others. They key is not to throw in the towel because something that worked in one context doesn’t work in another. That openness is what enables us to create these authentic spaces in such diverse areas.

It has been a thrill to see the dif-ferent ways the spirit has moved in these little nooks and crannies of fellowship, and we are grateful for the friendships and fellowship that has been experienced thus far. If you are interested in these small groups, our monthly meals, brunches, concerts or our annual Habitat for Humanity trips (which are largely attended by Luther Me-morial-ans!), or our annual Haiti Partnership trip, give us a like on facebook, subscribe to our news-letter found at urbanacacia.com, or toss me an email at danbeirne@ur-banacacia.com

I look forward to continuing to grow in this partnership with Lu-ther Memorial, and will see you soon!

2015 FIRST QUARTER BUDGET REPORT

January 2015 February 2015 March 2015 Q1 TOTALEnvelope Offerings 24,989 31,996 33,734 90,719Total Income 26,941 33,325 37,131 97,397Total Expense 31,158 29,943 31,760 92,673Net (4,217) 3,382 5,371 4,724

Through the first quarter of 2015, Luther Memorial’s finances are in good shape, but there is room for improvement. At $32,000 per month, we are averaging just short of the $33,000 we need to break even for the year. We expect our expenses to increase over the spring and summer months, as some staffing changes take effect and repairs and maintenance pick up. That said, the trajectory of our income is headed in the right direction, and I am confident the people of Luther Memorial will continue to live up to the challenge before them.

45yearsfaithfully served by Bonnie Fallen to the LMC community. THANK YOU!!

6pastorswith whom Bonnie Fallen has worked throughout her career

My journey with LMC began in 1969 when I attended the wedding of my aunt which was held in the chap-el. After the wedding when I was leaving Pastor Neumann stopped me and asked “would you be will-ing to work here one day week on Wednesdays?” All I had to do was answer the door and telephone to begin with. Wednesdays was the only day that Dixie Downes, then the Parish Secretary, didn’t work at the time. Shortly after that I had the privilege and pleasure to work with Dixie and Caroline Walk, a member and retired railroad employee. Oh what fun we had working togeth-er. For the last 10 years or so, I was blessed with special helpers, Trud-ie Makin and Frieda Thoroe. They helped out one day a week with var-ious tasks. Trudie passed away in 2007, and Frieda continued until a few months ago. No better helpers/friends could anyone have. My sin-cere appreciation to all those who I have had the pleasure and honor to work with. This includes Steve Wimpffen who has been our sexton for over 15 years. He has been a true blessing for me and for our church.

It has been a wonderful, spiritual and learning journey ever since. I have been blessed to work with and for Pastor Neumann, Pastor Mill-er, Interim Pastor Nelson, Pastor Swanson, Interim Pastor Kersten and finally Pastor Tim. There is nothing that can compare with all the wonderful experiences that working at LMC has afforded me. We have been blessed to have these pastors lead us through the paths of

My Voiceby Bonnie Fallen

life and showing us the love of God. They have all looked to the future of the church.

I remember sewing on buttons and snaps for Pastor Neumann’s robes. He was not shy about interrupting his sermon if he saw someone sleep-ing. Helping Pastor Miller clean up the ceiling of the chapel when there was a water leak in the 3rd floor washroom. He is a kind and gentle man who kept us all involved and interested in the life of our church. Working with Pastor Nelson who brought a sense of calm and look-ing ahead in the transition. Pastor Swanson who began new programs and brought a new vision and joy for the church and loved to mug for the camera. Pastor Kersten loved being with us and whose kind and purposeful calm in transition kept the interest of the membership un-til Pastor Tim was installed in 2009. Pastor Tim, or PT to many, created an atmosphere which has invited all of us to think, pray, believe and look to the future. Pastor Tim’s hospital-ity invited everyone to join us in praising and worshiping our Lord.

Please know that I appreciate the opportunity to serve our God, our Church and the people of LMC. I love the people with whom I have had the pleasure to meet, to know and to worship with. It is a shared love of God that keeps us together.

I look forward to worshiping with you on Sundays, which is the high-light of my week. We have a great and loving membership, leader and staff.

May God bless our Church and all its people as we move forward into the future.

The Voice - Spring 2015Luther Memorial Church of Chicago

The VOICELuther Memorial Church of Chicago 2500 W. Wilson AvenueChicago, IL 60625-3026

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

STAMP