St. John's Interim Updates: May 2019

Friday, May 31, 2019

Interim Update for May 31, 2019

Memorial Day

In recent years my Memorial Day routine has been to drive with Marcy to Brook Park, where she marches and plays in the 87th Cleveland Pipe Band in that community's parade and program. The parade ends at the city park, where a brief program and memorial service are conducted. Marcy's band also plays at the program -- Amazing Grace as a part of the memorial service part of the program. I took a photo of the band as it passed in the parade - you can view it here -- Marcy is second from the right. It is always good to remember, thank, and honor those who fought and died for our freedom.

Healthy Congregations Leadership Special Event

Today (Friday, May 31) I attended Healthy Congregations' May Leadership series special event, a one day workshop one or more aspects of applying Bowen systems theory to oneself and one's ministry setting. This workshop, held at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Columbus, was led by Rev. Richard Blackburn, Lombard Mennonite Peace Center, dealt with emotional cutoff, which is how many people deal with unresolved emotional attachments to their parents. It may be as simple as refusing to assist with helping an aging parent, or as severe leaving a family and refusing to have any more contact ever. As leaders, we need to to aware of our own cutoffs, so that we can better recognize them in our congregation, which is another place that cutoff happens, which is most often manifested by conflict among member, with leaders and pastors, or simply separating from congregational life. The web page describing this event can be seen here.

Update on people/visits

Tuesday was Orchard/Bellevue Care day, so offered communion to those who gathered in those two locations. On Wednesday I visited Tonya H. prior to her Thursday surgery. Received word from Tonya's son that surgery went well. Plan to travel to Toledo to visit her, and can also visit Marcus D., who, I have been told, has been readmitted to Toledo Hospital. On Thursday I stopped out to visit Stewart and Diane, who are also caring for Stewart's sister Lisa while her husband is in the hospital in Sandusky. Stewart is doing much better, but his speech has still not returned. Therapy continues. It was interesting to learn about Diane and Stewart's caramel corn/cotton candy trailer summer fair/festival business.

ELCA Immigrant Pastor arrested and deported

Many postings the last couple weeks in the news and social media regarding the arrest and deportation Betty Rendon back to Columbia, from where she fled in 2004 when rebels threatened to kill her for not allowing them to recruit students of a school where she was a principal. They came to the US with tourist visas and later applied for asylum, but their applications were denied in 2009 because they did not have police reports of the threats to her life. She has been working as a lay pastor in Racine, Wisconsin, and had recently been accepted to a doctoral program at Lutheran School of Theology Chicago.

If you want to read more about this very sobering and heart rending story, I've posted some links to news stories and commentary below. As Bishop Rinehart says in one of the linked articles below: "This is our immigration policy at its very worst: separating families, denying asylum to those seeking refuge from violence, and deporting contributing members of our communities with spotless criminal records. What have we become?"

Abortion common ground?

There's been lots in the news lately about new abortion laws being passed in many states which in effect totally ban abortion, in some cases with no exceptions, including rape and incest, only to preserve the life of the mother. This is an issue over which Americans are sharply divided, including Christians. Is common ground possible? The writer of this article seems to think so. Have you ever read the ELCA Social statement on Abortion? I think it is a very strong pro-life statement, however it does not take an absolutist position. You can read or download the statement here.

Kentucky Ark company sues

A bit of ironic humor here. You know that giant ark that was built in Kentucky as a tourist attraction? They are suing to recover flood damages that caused the blockage of the road to their site. You can read a summary here.

State boiler inspector paid a visit

The state boiler inspector was here, and said that the new boiler needs some additional documentation -- not sure about the details on this, but between exec and property, it will get taken care of. Lenny and Ron have been working tirelessly on repairing the water fountains in the preschool hallway.

Vacation days June 4-7

My daughter Sarah will be home from grad school in Utah next week, so I will be taking vacation days from June 4-7. I've told Kristen to call me if there's an emergency.

Bike trip helpers still needed

LIFT (Lutherans in Faith Together), the joint Luthean ministry in Fremont, is sponsoring a fund-raising bike ride on the North Coast trail for Habitat for Humanity. St. John's is the starting point for the event, and ends in Lindsey, which runs from 7am to noon on Saturday, June 8. We need to have someone present at church to welcome riders, provide water and directions to the rest rooms in the church. We are covered from 7-9. Still need one or more to cover 9-12. Email me at mark@bogen.org if you can help. Thanks! Oh, and if you want to ride, you can certainly do that, too! For more info and registration info, go here.

Vitality Survey responses requested

Council members may remember that a few meetings ago I distributed a Congregational Vitality Survey, which became part of the annual parochial report that is sent to the ELCA office. I'm inviting the congregation to also complete this survey -- there will be hard copies available at weekend services in June, and there is also an online option. You are welcome to complete the survey again -- you can find it here. Just complete the survey (only 15 items and some demographic info) and click the submit button.

Friday, May 24, 2019

Interim Update for May 24, 2019

Update on people

On Saturday visited Sandra W. at Admiral Pointe in Huron, and Tom L. is getting resettled at Providence Commons in the same unit that was in before he went home. Sandra is in the rehab department at AP, so not sure if or when she will be returning to her home in Bellevue. On Thursday traveled to Fremont to visit Anabelle S., who moved there from Willows recently. Tonya H. is scheduled for surgery on May 30, so will need to touch base with her before then. Been good to see Diane and Stuart M. back in church. Stuart's sister will be staying with them while her husband is in the hospital, as she is unable to stay home by herself. Diane is asking for prayers. I've made an attempt to check on Charley and Sandy B., but haven't made a connection yet.

Computer Wifi upgrades almost complete

ACC, our IT service and support provider, has been finishing up the work we have contracted them to do. They noted that the virus protection on my computer hadn't been updated, so all I had to do was refrain from using my computer for a few minutes while the ACC tech person logged into my computer remotely, updated the virus protection, and that was it. One thing that still needs done is a cable to be run to the narthex area so that a strong wifi signal can reach there and the sanctuary. To do this, a hole needs to be drilled through the concrete/plaster wall. Lenny will be doing this, hopefully sometime next week, and once that's done the job can be completed. There are now two wireless network names - StJohns and StJohns-guest. Both are password protected, but the StJohns-guest is the network that anyone other than office staff will connect to. It has a simple password, which I'll be happy to give to anyone who wants it.

Plans for Senior Summer Celebration continue

At our last Council meeting, Pat suggested that we plan a lunch/celebration event for seniors and singles in the congregation, and a motion to hold such an event was unanimously approved. On Wednesday, we held our first planning meeting, with Pat, Marlene, Minetta and I in attendance. Our initial planning is going well -- preliminary info will go out in the June newsletter. I have contacted activities directors at Orchard and Bellevue Care, and they sound interested in bringing some of their residents. We now have an entertainment "Main Event" for this activity -- The Harmonica Man from Fremont. Randy has presenting harmonica performance shows for the past 58 years. He was performing for the residents at Parkview Care Center in Fremont on Thursday when I went to visit Annabelle there. I was so impressed and entertained by his performance that I told him about our event in July for seniors, and asked him how much he charges. $150 he said. Checked with Pat and we agreed that this was a good idea. For more info about Harmonica Man, go here. Scroll down to the "about" info. The date for our event is Wednesday, July 17, noon - 2pm. Not that it matters, but Randy, Harmonica Man, is a Lutheran, a member of St. John's in Fremont.

ELCA Worship News

You can read the lastest issue of ELCA Worship News here.

ELCA Pastor arrested and detained by ICE

You can read about this here.

Best Church Websites

I think we could have a better website than we do. Our current one is not even under our control. Yes, Andrew has made a few requested changes, but perhaps a do over is in order. Want to see what a good church website looks like? You can see some examples here.

What is wrong with the church?

We sometimes ask that question, don't we? Not only THE church, but OUR church. Pastor David Hansen, an ELCA pastor in Texas, and a frequent writer and presenter on effective communication for congregations in the digital era (I attended one of his workshops during my time in Minnesota in 2015), offers some ansers to that question here.

Funeral today for Pr. Vance's wife, Barbara

Today I attended the funeral for Barbara Vance, wife of Pr. Ray Vance. Ray has been a colleague and friend for many years -- during the years I served at St. Peter in Norwalk, Ray was the pastor at Zion in Huron, from which he moved to retirement several years ago. I would see him regularly at Eastern Conference pastors meetings. The funeral was held at St. John in Port Clinton where both Ray and Barbara were members as children, youth and young adults. Barabara's brother is Frank, and is married to Mollie, who were members of my first interim congregation - Trinity in Vermilion. So it was good to see them again. Also present was Pr. Paul Stengel. During the fellowship time after the service, Pr. Paul told of how he grew up in Bellevue while his dad was pastor at St. Paul's Lyme from the '20's through the '40's, I think Paul said. Your can read the obituary for Barbara here.

Seeds Monthly May issue available

Seeds Monthly is an ELCA publication of ministry ideas and resources for congregations. The May issue can be read here.

Bishop Daniel's weekly message

You can read it here.

Terri B. requesting prayers

Terri B. has requested prayers for her daughter, Kennedy, who boards the plane for mission trip to Africa this Sunday, May 26th. She will be there for a month.

Friday, May 17, 2019

Interim Update for May 17, 2019

Pines Retreat

I reported last week that I'd be attending a retreat at Henry and Becky Seibert's house on Monday and Tuesday. These retreats are always time well spent. Our group has been together long enough that most who now come are retired, including the recent retirement of Chris Young from St. Paul's Danbury St. John Lakeside. Not sure if any of you have been to Henry and Becky's house -- it really is quite an amazing house, built on Henry's family farm. The frame was framed by an Amish construction company, using oak timbers and no nails -- just wooden pegs. I took some photos, which you can see here. In the dining room scene, you should be able to find Henry and Chris. The stove in the center of the living area is made of soapstone from Finland, which soaks up heat from a wood fire and continues to radiate the heat long after the fire burns down or out. Henry has cut enough wood to heat the house for the next 20 years. For good measure, I added a photo of the Tuesday of Holy Week service for synod rostered leaders to renew their ordination/consecraton vows. Dennis, you should be able pick out Pr. Mineo. Pr. Juli assisted Bishop Daniel for this service.

ACC Work Continues

Advanced Computer Connections has been busy this week doing the work that we contracted them to do. Windows 10 is now running nicely on our computers, and administrative codes and password have been recreated and recorded. A new wifi router has been installed, and the preschool is now covered. We will need to drill through some brick to fish cable to the narthex to complete strong wifi coverage to the narthex, sanctuary and chapel. This work we will have to do, as ACC does not have the tools or expertise.

Evening of Historical Reflection Summary

I thought our historical reflection gathering on Wednesday evening went well, both our remembrances in the first hour, and our "What does this mean?" conversation in the second hour. I have summarized our meaning/action statements into a Google Doc, which you can read here.

May 15 Northwestern Ohio Synod eNews

The latest issue of synod eNews can be found here.

Bishop Daniel's weekly message

You can find and read it here.

12 Things that your Pastor, Priest, or Minister Wishes You Knew

An ELCA pastoral colleague shared this article in the ELCA Clergy Facebook group. It covers some of the issues and concerns that were a part of our adult class last fall using the book Healthy Churches Faithful Pastor. It's worth the read. You can find it here.

Update on people/visits/pastoral care

I received word from Nancy that Markus D. is doing better. Not sure if he is still in Toledo. Sandy B. let us know that Charley had more heart issues and was admitted to Firelands on Sunday, and had stent therapy on Monday. He was doing much better by the time I visited on Tuesday afternoon, and am assuming that he continues his recovery at home. Met Kenny R. and Shirley D. (Misses) at Amsden House for lunch today. Kenny picked up the tab. Thanks! Belated sympathy to Paul Lieber on the death of his sister, Elizabeth Wilhelm, who died on April 24. Rest eternal grant her, O Lord. You can read the obituary for Liz here. Tom L., who was staying with his daughter in Huron following Alohoea's death, has returned to Providence Commons in Sandusky, where he had previously been staying.

Interim Pastors

I attended the monthly meeting of our synod interim pastors on Thursday afternoon at the synod office. After an interim of two years and ten months, St. John's Stony Ridge, Bishop Daniel's former parish, has called their new pastor, Michael Hughes. Michael was serving St. Luke's Lima at the time his call. He is married to Corey King, daughter of Pr. Dennis King, who was my distant predecessor at St. Peter in Norwalk, and whom I followed as interim at Providence Holland in 2016 following his retirement. Ah, the web of the church.

Friday, May 10, 2019

Interim Update for May 9, 2019

Five younguns affirm their faith

I thought Confirmation last Sunday went very well -- it was a memorable day, I hope, for all, especially for Rose, Dakota, Lindsey, Emma and Judd. The Education Team did a very nice job on the post service reception. During the service, at the end of the Confirmation portion of the service, we presented Cindy with a floral gift in appreciation for her two years of teaching this group of youth. Thank you Cindy!!

Evening of Historical Reflection ready to go

The Transition Team met after worship on Sunday to complete plans for our Evening of Historical Reflection, which is this coming Wednesday, from 7-9 pm. We have ice cream sundaes lined up for your enjoyment midway through the event. For more info about the whats and whys of this event, you can go here. Hope to see you there.

Two funerals this week

On Tuesday, the funeral for Alohoea was held at the church. On Thursday evening, I conducted a funeral service for Kenneth Fox, former attorney and judge in Bellevue. The Foxes were members of St. John's, but have not been active in recent years. Kenneth III and Tiffany (son and daughter) were very appreciative. Pastor Scott did the funeral for Mrs. Fox about a year ago,

Confirmation parents meeting

On Wednesday evening, I and members of the Education Team met with parents of next year's 6th, 7th and 8th graders, to discuss plans and times that will work for as many as possible for next year's Confirmation program. The consensus of those present was to keep the program on Wednesday evening, but to meet at 6:30 instead of 7:00. There are two families affected by participation in ICC sports, which requires attendance at CCD on Wednesday evenings. (No flexibility fro the priest on that). I will plan to meet periodically with affected youth (likely 2) to bring them up to date on important learnings from our Confirmation sessions.

Confirmation Camp at Camp Luther cancelled

I have talked and planned with the Education Team to offer a four day Confirmation Camp at Camp Luther from June 4-7 for our middle school youth. Because of the withdrawal of several of the congregations who had planned to attend and provide leadership, we have decided to cancel for this year and try again next year. We will instead focus on promoting a synod weekend youth event October 4-6 called Fall Into Lakeside. I added a link last week about this event -- if you want to take a look at it again, you can find it here. Education Team, as was the plan for camp, will offer a subsidy of half the registration fee.

ACC to begin wifi and computer upgrades

I received the following message from ACC regarding the coming installs and upgrades to our wifi, computers and network:

I have assigned Josh Branco as the assigned engineer. He will start configuring you firewall and access points for your new WIFI solution Tuesday morning. I could have him out there Wednesday to do the install. There will be some downtime while the Firewall is being replaced and you will experience some displacement while Josh moves through the office installing the APs. In order for us to do the install the cabling will need to have been ran and terminated. I have in our scope of work that this work was going to be done by you guys. If that has changed, please let me know.

We can also get the PC’s upgraded to Windows 10 next week as well. That will take us approximately 2 days to complete. If we do the wireless install on Wednesday then Josh can come back on Thursday and Friday to do the Windows 10 install. If you are not ready for the wireless install by Wednesday then we can do the Windows 10 install on Wednesday/Thursday. Completely up to you guys. I have dedicated 4 days next week to get your projects completed.

Update on Marcus

Marcus D., who was hospitalized at Bellevue with an infection, has been transferred to Toledo Hospital (not UTMC as I had earlier indicated).

Virtual Support Group

Recently I have been participating in a virtual support group sponsored by the Interim Ministry Network (IMN). It meets at 11am for 90 minutes on the second Friday of the month. There are about 6 interim pastors who attend regularly, spread out from coast to coast, and brought together by technology. IMN is an interdenominational organization that provides training and support for interim ministry and interim pastors. I also attend our synod interim pastors meeting -- we did not meet in April because of Easter, and our May meeting is this coming week, Thursday, 1pm at the synod office.

Death of Rachel Held Evans

Rachel Held Evans was a beloved American Christian columnist, blogger and author. From an obituary in Slate magazine: "Rachel Held Evans, an influential progressive Christian writer and speaker who cheerfully challenged American evangelical culture, died on Saturday at a hospital in Nashville, Tennessee. Evans, 37, entered the hospital in mid-April with the flu, and then had a severe allergic reaction to antibiotics." She left behind a husband and two young children.

My daughter, Sarah, is a fan, and had an autographed copy of one her books. Her final blog post before she became ill was published on Ash Wednesday. She wrote:

It strikes me today that the liturgy of Ash Wednesday teaches something that nearly everyone can agree on. Whether you are part of a church or not, whether you believe today or your doubt, whether you are a Christian or an atheist or an agnostic or a so-called “none” (whose faith experiences far transcend the limits of that label) you know this truth deep in your bones: “Remember that you are dust and to dust you will return.”

Death is a part of life.

My prayer for you this season is that you make time to celebrate that reality, and to grieve that reality, and that you will know you are not alone.

You can read obituaries here and here.

Weekly messages from Bishop Daniel

I didn't include a link to Daniel's last week message, so am include that one along with this week's here:

A Mothers Day Prayer

On Mothers Day I remember my own mom -- had she lived she'd be 107. She died in 2002 at the age of 90. She had a twin brother, worked as a housekeeper, and eventually as a nurse at the hospital in the small town in Minnesota where I grew up. In 1950, at age 39 she married my dad. My brother Phil was born in 1951, and I followed in 1953. She was fun and funny. She was a good mom. One of my ELCA colleagues has written a Mothers Day prayer. You can read it here.

Pines Retreat next Monday and Tuesday

For a number of years I have participated with a group of synod pastors in attending a one and a half day retreat at the Pines Retreat Center in Fremont. We walk, talk, learn, pray, worship, eat, and it's been a good group to be part of. Pastor Henry Seibert also attends, and our next retreat will be at Henry and Becky's house instead of the Pines. We meet this coming Monday and Tuesday.

Friday, May 3, 2019

Interim Update for May 3, 2019

Clean-up day kudos

I thought we had a very excellent Clean-Up day last Saturday -- thanks to everyone, young and old and in-between. The dumpster that was rented got filled, and we earned about $14 in scrap metal from the furnace room and other places that got hauled to the scrap metal buyer. And the lunch was very tasty. Possibly an annual event? If so, this was an excellent start.

Death of Alohoea

On Thursday morning we received word of the sudden death of Alohoea Lowrey. She had returned home to their house after a time in the hospital and The Willows. Tom had returned home also this past Sunday, so they were just getting into the rhythm of being both home again together. When I got to the house at about 12:30, a Bellevue Police Officer was with Tom, and eventually Hannah and her time arrived to remove the body. I was able to provide pastoral care to Tom with a brief commendation service. Eventually Tom and Alohoea's daughter Missy and her partner from Huron arrived. A second daughter will be coming from, Texas, I believe. Missy took Tom with her to her house in Huron. I'll be going there later this afternoon to make funeral plans after Hannah completes other arrangements with the family. Rest eternal grant her, O Lord. Plans have not been finalized, but a tentative date is visitation on Monday with funeral at the church on Tuesday.

Hospital calls

We've had several people in the hospital this past week, all in Bellevue. Sandy W. was in for a few days, but has been discharged to Admiral's Pointe in Huron for rehab. Received word from Sandy Baum that her friend and St. John's member Pat R. was admitted to the hospital. She will be discharged to Bellevue Care Center for rehab and hopefully return to her home at Rotary Commons. On Thursday got word that Marcus D. was in, so went to visit him -- spending time in ICU, most likely because he does have some specialty care needs. All folks to keep in our prayers.

Confirmation Day Ready to Go

On Wednesday evening we had our last Confirmation session of the academic year, and last ever for our 8th graders: Rose, Dakota, Linsdey, Emma and Judd. We spent part of our session doing a rehearsal for the Rite of Confirmation (we also call it Affirmation of Baptism), so hopefully all will go smoothly. Special thanks and kudos to Cindy for her two years of teaching this group mostly every Wednesday night during the school year. Her dedication to these kids is admirable. Also thanks to our mentors met with our kids about ten times in mentoring sessions. This has been done in the past, but we revived it this year, I think, to much success. Both mentors and youth spoke highly of the experience. Mentors will participate, along with parents, in the blessing of the youth. A cake and punch reception will be held in the narthex and chapel after the service. Thanks also to the Education Team for all their work to make this day a reality for the youth and the congregation. Want to know more about our youth who are affirming their faith? You can read bios in the May newsletter, linked below, on pages 11-12.

May Newsletter ready

Kristen has mailed the May newsletter, so it should be arriving in your mailbox soon. If you'd prefer not to wait, you can view it online here.

Evening of Historical Reflection

This is the first of several congregational events that will seek input from members about the ministry at St. John's. This first event will focus on the history of St. John's, and how that history has affected how the congregation sees itself and plans for the future. I have dedicated the pastor's message in the May newsletter to describing this event, why we are doing it, and the importance of your presentation. The message is on pages 3-4, and information about he event can be found on page 17. Icre cream sundaes will be served midway through the event, which is scheduled for Wednesday, May 15, 7-9 pm. Put this date on your calendar!

ACC Norwalk first visit

On Friday, Shaun made some calls to local congregations regarding their computer and network service fees, but not discover any contraindications by Council's decision to accept the proposal of Advanced Computer Connections in Norwalk to upgrade our computer and wireless networks, and to provide ongoing service. A service rep from ACC visited the office on Thursday to do some prep work. The work of installing new software and equipment should begin some time next week.

Eastern Conference Pastors

On Tuesday I attended the Eastern Conference Pastors meeting at Grace in Fremont. This group meets about every three months. This meetings program was presented by Kate Philebaum, our 2019 Synod Theologian in Residence. You can read more about this program here. Kate is available to meet with synod congregations to speak about how art can enhance our ministry.

Committee Meetings

First Thursday in May means Committee Meetings. Worship met at 11am, and we did a review of Lent, Holy Week and Easter. The committee agreed that our observance this year went well, and our offering of services met the needs of the congregation and the season. We also discussed summer worship. Worship wants the pastor to decide from week to week on where to hold worship based on the weather. Perhaps we should have more conversation about this at the next Council meeting so that we're all on the same page. Stewardship met, and continued their plans for our annual Stewardship emphasis. The committee added Advent offering envelopes to the 2020 envelope order. Education Committee details listed below.

Education Committee

Our Education Team completed plans for Confirmation, with detail regarding participation in the Rite of Confirmation, presenting of gifts to confirmands, and the reception afterwards. I indicated that I would lead a meeting next Wednesday evening, 6:30 pm, for parents of this years 5th, 6th and 7th graders, to discuss the Confirmation program for the 2019-2020 academic year. We are considering adding 6th graders to the program, and our meeting next Wednesday will guage those families willingness to participate. Team members who are available will also attend this meeting. We discussed the camp we have been planning to attend at Camp Luther , June 4-7. We have two 8th grade girls for sure that want to attend, but we will need an adult female to attend with them, so this camp right now is a bit up in the air. We should learn from our meeting with parents Wednesday night if some of the younger youth are interested.

Another opportunity that will be available for synod middle and high school youth is an event called Fall into Lakeside. It's a full weekend event, October 4-6 at, as the event name implies, at Lakeside. The event and its cost include program, meals and camp style housing, and the early-bird cost is $95, if completed by May 31. After that, the price goes up to $155. Education Team decided to offer interested youth a subsidy of half the cost of registration from their existing designated funds. We would also likely do one or more fundraisers to help cover the cost. Event info and registration can be found here.