Sympathy to family of Charley Baum
We extend sympathy and prayers to Sandy Baum and family on the death of Charley on Wednesday at Firelands Medical Center. He had been having a very rough time in recent weeks, spending a long time in the hospital. He was able to go home where he appeared to be doing better, but took a turn for worse and had to return to the hospital. Visitation from 2-4 Sunday at Foos. I'll be doing a family service at 1pm, and the committal at York Chapel Cemetery on Monday at 11. You can read the obituary for Charley here.
Time to Baptize and Confirm the Bats
Some years ago, there was a Lutheran joke going around about a pastor who had bats in his church that he and the congregation leaders, as much as they tried, couldn't find a way to get rid of them. He finally decided to baptize and confirm them, and lo and behold, they never returned. It's was a cynically sad and not all that funny joke. I'm hoping to find a different way to deal with a problem that I understand St. John's has had before, but has now reared its ugly head, if you are of the mind that bats are ugly. Bat droppings (quite a bit of them) have been found in the sanctuary, on the carpet in the center aisle and up on the stage by the altar. Not sure how St. John's has dealt with this in the past, but it's time to pull out that playbook.
Dr. Osterholm Podcast
You may remember that I have mentioned Dr. Michael Osterholm, who is the founder and director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research And Policy at the University of Minnesota, where he is a professor of public health. He's captured my attention not only for his incisive analysis and communication regarding the current pandemic on major news outlets, but also that he's a graduate of a Lutheran college (Luther in Decorah, Iowa) and an active member of an ELCA congregation. About two weeks ago, Dr. Osterholm did a 40 minute interview with NPR, which you can read the transcript of or listen to here as he describes the risks of reopening the economy and how to evaluate those risks. Dr. Osterholm offers his latest wisdom on Covid-19 in his podcast, "The Osterholm Update: Covid-19," which you can access here. In the July 1 episode, Dr. Osterholm and host Chris Dall discuss surging cases in the United States, the challenge of testing and tracing in hot spots, hugging in the midst of a pandemic, and news about a swine flu strain with pandemic potential. You can listen to that episode here.
One Zoom meeting this week!
My only Zoom meeting this week was Wednesday Night Live! We had a good session, and we continue our look at the ELCA Social Statement "Ethnicity, Race and Culture." We should finish that up this coming week, and then we'll move on the something else -- I'm thinking let's look at the lectionary texts for the coming Sunday.
Some Links for You
- New Beginnings -- Dean Kit Kleinhans's regular message from Trinity Seminary. You can read it here.
- ELCA Global Links -- news and updates regarding the global reach, ministry, and the Lutheran Churches around the world that we share the minisry of the gospel with. You can read the latest issue here.
Results of Faith and Race Survey
Responses from Questions 11-20
- Have Covid-related health concerns impacted your participation in protests, marches or demonstrations?
- 11% A lot 1 response
- 0% Some 0 responses
- 11% A little 1 response
- 78% Not really/not at all 7 responses
- Which word below best describes your primary emotion about current race issues in our country?
- 0% Depressed 0 responses
- 0% Fearful 0 responses
- 33% Anxious 3 responses
- 0% Angry 0 responses
- 11% Hopeful 1 response
- 0% Determined 0 responses
- 11% Motivated 1 response
- 11% Exhausted 1 response
- 0% Skeptical 0 responses
- 0% Confused *0 responses 8
- 33% Frustrated 3 responses
- 0% Depleted 0 responses
- 0% None of these 0 responses
- How are current racial issues impacting your faith, if at all? My faith is...
- 11% Stronger than ever 1 response
- 33% Somewhat stronger 3 responses
- 56% The same/unchanged 5 responses
- 0% Wavering slightly 0 responses
- 0% Wavering a lot 0 responses
- 0% I am not hopeful about the future of my faith 0 responses
- Would you say you feel aligned with this church's pastor on issues of race and justice?
- 22% Definitely aligned 2 responses
- 22% Somewhat aligned 2 responses
- 0% Not very aligned 0 responses
- 11% Not at all aligned (we have different opinions) 1 response
- 44% They haven’t made a clear enough statement for me to know 4 responses
- Personally, on a scale from 0 to 10, how much anxiety are you experiencing relating to current racial justice issues?
- 11% 10 - Extreme Anxiety 1 response
- 0% 9 0 responses
- 0% 8 0 responses
- 22% 7 2 responses
- 22% 6 2 responses
- 22% 5 2 responses
- 0% 4 0 responses
- 11% 3 1 response
- 0% 2 0 responses
- 11% 1 1 response
- 0% 0 - No anxiety at all 0 responses
- In the midst of this moment, I feel very connected to my friends and family.
- 22% 10 - Agree strongly 2 responses
- 0% 9 0 responses
- 11% 8 1 response
- 22% 7 2 responses
- 22% 6 2 responses
- 11% 5 1 response
- 11% 4 1 response
- 0% 3 0 responses
- 0% 2 0 responses
- 0% 1 0 responses
- 0% 0 - Disagree strongly 0 responses
- I sense a deepened calling to serve and help others in times like this.
- 11% 10 - Agree strongly 1 response
- 0% 9 0 responses
- 33% 8 3 responses
- 0% 7 0 responses
- 22% 6 2 responses
- 11% 5 1 response
- 11% 4 1 response
- 11% 3 1 response
- 0% 2 0 responses
- 0% 1 0 responses
- 0% 0 - Disagree strongly 0 responses
- When the world around me feels turbulent, I find my hope in God.
- 78% 10 - Agree strongly 7 responses
- 11% 9 1 response
- 0% 8 0 responses
- 0% 7 0 responses
- 0% 6 0 responses
- 11% 5 1 response
- 0% 4 0 responses
- 0% 3 0 responses
- 0% 2 0 responses
- 0% 1 0 responses
- 0% 0 - Disagree strongly 0 responses
- Which of the following best describes your race or ethnicity?
- 100% White and not Hispanic 9 responses
- In what year were you born?
- 0% 1999 - 2015 0 responses
- 11% 1984 - 1998 1 response
- 22% 1965 - 1983 2 responses
- 56% 1946 - 1964 5 responses
- 11% 1925 - 1945 1 response
No comments:
Post a Comment