Thrivent

AMERICANS FLIP-FLOP ON VOLUNTEERISM
Giving money, not time, now the preferred method of supporting charitable causes

MINNEAPOLIS (March 29, 2006) – When it comes to supporting a charitable cause, American adults are more inclined to reach for their wallets than to roll up their sleeves, according to national survey by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. This represents a reversal from a year earlier when a plurality of Americans said they found it easier to give their time than their money to charitable causes.

Half of all American adults (50 percent) said they found it easier to give their money than their time to a charitable cause, a jump of 13 percentage points from a year earlier. Conversely, about one in three Americans (32 percent) reported they believed it easier to volunteer their time, a decrease of 10 percentage points from the year before. Fourteen percent of respondents said they thought both forms of giving were equally easy.


Despite this attitude reversal on committing time to charitable causes, 57 percent of Americans still reported they volunteered in an activity sponsored by a third party, while 43 percent had not volunteered in a structured activity.

Read the entire news release at thrivent.com/newsroom.

New Hymnal

The LCMS is publishing a new hymnal this fall. To learn more go to http://lsb.cph.org/.

St Paul's Lutheran Church In Latimer

EI Senor sea con ustedes. Another generation would have said, Der Herr sei mit euch! while we simply say, The Lord be with you.

Whether in German, English or Spanish, the message of God's grace is for all people everywhere, and as Christians we have Christ's commission to bring the Gospel to all nations.

While most of our congregations support the work in far away mission fields, we sometimes overlook the mission fields God places at our doorstep. At St. Paul's, Latimer, we have recently begun a Hispanic ministry.

This past summer, St. Paul's wanted to offer a summer Vacation Bible School type program for the unchurched children in our community. We called the program WOW for Worship On Wednesdays and prepared fliers in both English and Spanish. Of the 33 children taking part in our WOW program, one third were Hispanic.

Because of the success of this program, we extended it throughout the school year. As we once again canvassed the area for this program, Maria, grandmother to one of the children asked "When are you going to have a service in Spanish for us?" With the approval and support of the congregation, we began by offering a Spanish service one Saturday night a month and soon added a second service. Our worship includes hymns in Spanish, liturgy and prayers in Spanish and the sermon given in Spanish and English. We follow the service with an opportunity for snacks and fellowship. The average attendance at our Spanish services has been running about 20-25.

One highlight of our experience was our Spanish Christmas Eve service. While the Christmas story was read, the children acted out the story. For most ofthe children, this was the first time they had taken part in a Christmas program.

Since beginning the Spanish service, we have expanded our efforts by offering an English class for the Latimer Hispanic community. In addition we have been approached by a Hispanic population in Dows, Iowa and have had a number of people from that community take part in our services as well.

Among the comments we have received on this program is the following: "We have lived in Latimer for ten years and no one invited us to church. We want our children to pray and learn about Jesus. Thank you for letting us be a part of your church."
What does it take to offer a Spanish program? At Latimer we have been ,blessed in having Tom Tyrrell, who teaches English as a Second Language classes, do much of the necessary translation work. Our liturgies are printed in Spanish and English, as many of the children can speak Spanish but cannot read it. We plan to teach a catechism class so that we can expand our worship ftomjust a preaching service to services in which the Sacrament of the Altar can be offered as well.

While we may not do everything perfectly; we are making an effort and God is blessing that effort. When God opens doors for us, He will also provide the ability and the materials to meet the challenges. If He has used our congregation with its German heritage to reach out to a Hispanic population, perhaps He can use yours as well.

While most of the Latimer people are permanent residents, many of the Dows people are transitory. One man who took part in our services, told us that because he liked what he heard, when he returned home he was going to look up a Lutheran Church in his area.

Together we can join in saying: El Senor sea con ustedes or The Lord be with you.

The installation of Pastor Eggert as pastor at St. John's in Keystone on February 26.

LCMS World Relief/Human Care

Harrison reappointed to LCMS World Relief/Human Care leadership

Rev. Matthew Harrison has been appointed by the LCMS Board for Human Care Ministries for another five-year term as executive director of LCMS World Relief/Human Care.
The board recognized Harrison’s leadership of the Synod’s worldwide arm of mercy since 2001, a period that included the unprecedented challenges of Sept. 11, the Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina. During that time the ministry also strengthened non-disaster efforts, including chaplaincy, deaconess ministry, pro-life efforts and HIV/AIDS orphanages.
“This has been an amazing five years,” said Harrison, who previously served as a parish pastor in Iowa and Indiana. “I’ve seen the absolute worst things the devil, the world and our flesh can throw at us. But I’ve also had the unbelievable honor and privilege of service to Christ’s people as they have responded with unprecedented love and kindness in Jesus’ name.”
Looking ahead, LCMS World Relief/Human Care initiatives include: continuing to build the first LCMS national disaster network; launching a Mercy Corps for LCMS high school and college youth; and providing Lutheran medical professionals with new volunteer opportunities.
To learn more about LCMS World Relief/Human Care, call 1-800-248-1930, Ext. 1380 or 1381, or visit http://worldrelief.lcms.org.

Wheat Ridge Ministries

Itasca, IL – Wheat Ridge Ministries recently approved 15 grants totaling $73,272 to support sabbatical experiences for professional church workers. Wheat Ridge believes that sabbatical leave for rest and renewal is a significant way that congregations can support and encourage the health and wellness of church leaders. This grant program is being implemented as a pilot project of Wheat Ridge Ministries.
“Wheat Ridge Ministries is excited to offer this pilot program,” said Brian Becker, vice president of ministry programs at Wheat Ridge Ministries. “The demands of full-time professional ministry can be demanding and stressful. It’s our prayer that those receiving sabbatical grants will return rested, rejuvenated and ready to re-engage in their ministry. It’s also our hope that during the sabbatical experience the congregation will engage in serious reflection and planning about how to strengthen their ministry. We believe that this process is valuable for both the person taking the sabbatical and the congregation.”
The grants will be used specifically for sabbatical experiences for professional church workers. Within these guidelines, funds may be invested in the following ways: salary and benefits for additional staff during the sabbatical period; costs related to assistance provided by a sabbatical interim worker; travel expenses related to the sabbatical experience; education expenses related to the sabbatical experience. The grants may not be used for general congregation operating expenses, purchase of equipment or any other expenses that are unrelated to the sabbatical plan.
In addition to the sabbatical grants, Wheat Ridge is also pleased to provide many other valuable resources for sabbatical rest and renewal through its Ministry Sabbatical Resource Center on its website. The Center is coordinated by the Rev. Timothy Fangmeier (tim@giftedpeople.org), Wheat Ridge Staff Associate, Davidson, North Carolina.

February Theological Conference

QUESTION:WHO CAN COMSUME 500 CUPS OF REG COFFEE, 200 CUPS OF DECAF COFFEE,8 GAL. OF ICE TEA, 4 GAL. OF PUNCH, AND 4 GAL. OF KOOL-AIDE FROM 9AM-4PM IN ONE DAY?

ANSWER: The 200 Pastors and Laymen who attended the IDE THEOLOGICAL CONF. ON February 24 at Zion Lutheran Church In Hiawatha.

Lutherans For Life

Great Speakers, Workshops, and Bible Study!

Our conference offers a wonderful opportunity to come together for encouragement, education, fellowships, and renewal of strength in our work of upholding the sanctity of all human life.

Friday, July 14
7:30 p.m. Opening Session
Keynote Address: Why Are They Greatest in the Kingdom?
Jesus’ View of Children – Rev. Dr. Jeffrey A. Gibbs

Saturday, July 15
7:15 a.m. Prayer Breakfast
8:30 Go Where? (Genesis 12:2) – Chuck Asay
9:30 Cherish Unexpected Gifts – Roberta Bandy
10:45 Workshops A
12:15 p.m. LUNCH
2:00 Workshops B
3:45 Workshops C
6:15 Banquet – Broadway for Life, entertainment

Sunday, July 16 (correction)
8:30 a.m. Bible Study – Rev. Dr. Jeffrey A. Gibbs
9:30 Worship – Rev. Dr. James I. Lamb, Preacher
10:45 Brunch
Noon Adjourn

Select your own workshops from 14 exciting topics including daycare, the disabled child, parenting in a sex-obsessed culture, adoption, mentoring, moms in crisis, and many more inspiring topics!

For more conference details go to http://www.lutheransforlife.org/.
Save $5 by registering online.
Crown Plaza Five Seasons Hotel
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Crown Plaza Five Seasons Hotel
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Conference Extras! Sign up when registering!
- An evening of fun at the Cedar Rapids Kernels Baseball Game
- A tour of the Amana Colonies
- Saturday Day Camp for Children ages 5-12 at Camp IO-DIS-E-CA

Thrivent

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, a not-for-profit fraternal benefit society, together with its nearly 3 million members produced an estimated $429.3 million impact through fundraising, community-based service and other charitable activities during 2005. As a faith-based membership organization, Thrivent Financial creates, manages and funds outreach programs that support congregations, schools, nonprofits and individuals in need.
Each Thrivent Financial member is a member of one of 1,364 local chapters though which the member may join a variety of volunteer efforts, fund-raising activities and educational programs. In 2005, Thrivent Financial members gave 21.4 million volunteer hours and participated in 96,400 chapter activities.
During 2005, Thrivent Financial made $120.4 million in direct contributions to communities, nonprofit organizations and Lutheran institutions through Thrivent Financial-sponsored programs. Thrivent Financial members raised and donated $181.8 million through chapter fund-raising events and direct gifts. In addition, member hands-on service volunteer hours were valued at $127.1 million based on a rate reported by Independent Sector, a leadership forum for charities, foundations and corporate giving programs.
Read the entire news release at thrivent.com/newsroom.

The Beginning

This is a new site is designed to extend the reach of the IDE TODAY, the newsletter of the Iowa District East of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS).

The IDE TODAY will continue to be printed and distributed to the congregations of the District as before. With this site, though, articles and pictures for the printed form of the IDE TODAY will be posted immediately as they are received by the Editor (at IDETODAY@juno.com).

Of course, note everything that appears here will appear in the printed edition. There is more room here.

And, of course, everything that is posted and printed has to fit the purpose of the publication: The news of the members of the IDE.

March 2006 Issue - Bethany Lutheran Church

What a mess—what an opportunity to share THE message! It is hard to talk about our trip to Slidell, LA as a wonderful experience, since so many people are far from putting their homes and lives back together. For nearly 100 miles, homes had been filled with three or more feet of water or were blown completely off their foundations.
God put together six of us for this trip to help. There was Ed Schumacher (owns a renovation business and drove down his truck and trailer with every tool imaginable), Vern Happel (knows electrical and plumbing), Betty Happel (painter, branch remover, and served as our form completer), Donna Bogner (this was her second trip to LA, drove her truck, did many different jobs and served as our photographer), Pastor Joe (held up shovels, motivated the crew) and Paul Golke, Director Camp Io-Dis-E-Ca (loved the chain saw).
Our trip had two goals: 1) Find a new home for Bethany’s old chancel furniture (altar, pulpit, lectern, baptismal font, hymn boards). We were able to deliver them to Pastor Bob Aumann who is shepherding a mission church in Slidell.
2) Serve as many households as possible through the organization of Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR). They put us to work everyday (Thursday to Wednesday noon, except Sunday) from 8:00 to 5:15. We worked with four families, doing such things as finishing trim work to cleaning the mold off the studs in their homes.
What were conditions like for us? Well, we ate great food thanks to a couple from Alaska that cooked out of one of the LDR cook trailers, we had hot showers thanks to the LDR shower trailer, and we slept in large tents (sometimes chilly) on cots (covered by LWML quilts). There were portable bathrooms nearby. In our camp, we were part of a great host of paid and volunteer staff (including a camp dog named Buster).
I will remember the appreciation of the homeowners—they all felt we were sent by God. I will remember how the paid workers would stop by to see the Lutheran volunteers. I will remember the joy and laughter we experienced as we worked together as a team. And I will remember the people who supported us so that we could go and do this work. What blessed memories!
How big is the problem? “This rebuilding will take 3-5 years,” one LDR staff member told us. More groups are needed. If you are interested, here are the steps:

1) Contact Mrs. Ellie Menz at 515-370-1159 (ellie.menz@idwlcms.org); contact Lutheran Disaster response at www.ldr.org; or contact Curtis Smith at ldrvolunteer@yahoo.com.
2) Gather a group of people, 18 or older, who can be gone for 10 or more days.
3) Pull together the supplies suggested by LDR and encourage people who cannot go on the trip to donate money or supplies.
4) Pray, drive and arrive safely to one of the three camps.
5) Work as a servant. You will receive work orders which include a map, the supplies needed, and forms to complete. There may also be ways you will be asked to serve at Camp.
6) Return, tell others what you saw and did, and invite them to consider going themselves.
7) If you have any questions, please email me at pastor.joe@bethanylutheranchurch.org. IDE

March 2006 Issue - Rev. Dean Rothchild

What do you treasure in life? Or, what are some of the treasures which have been given in life? All of these come to us as gifts from the hand of a gracious and loving God.
I want to share with you some of the things which I truly treasure. The first would be “the forgiveness of sins.” What a treasure you and I have been given in Christ Jesus! St. Paul says: “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us” Eph. 1:7-8a. That certainly is a treasure.
Our faith is also a treasure which has been given to us by God. It is not something we earn or deserve, but God has worked it in us already in the waters of Holy Baptism. What a blessing our baptism is. Daily we return to it, confessing our sins, and being assured that Christ Jesus forgives us our sins. Paul wrote: “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast” Eph. 2:8-9. Faith receives what Jesus has done!
I also treasure my family and friends. What a blessing they are, especially my wife of almost 30 years, Corrine, our four children, and our daughter and son-in-law. As I grow older I find that the relationships in life we have with others are so valuable and precious. An even greater treasure is to know that Jesus calls us His friend. “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends, if you do what I command you” John 15:13-14. Thanks be to God that Jesus has done all things for us!
I also treasure the family of faith we call the Church. For it is in the Church that one is fed, that one receives the forgiveness of sins, and where one is strengthened through Word and Sacrament to go back into the world and to confess Christ Jesus through one’s daily vocation. Jesus has promised: “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it” Matt.16:18.
I also treasure the freedom which the Gospel gives me in life. I am not encumbered at trying to keep the Law, but realize that Christ Jesus has kept it perfectly in my stead. He also suffered, died, and rose, in my stead and for my sins! Jesus says: “If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” John 8:31-32.
St. Paul states: “for he who has died is freed from sin. But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life” Rom. 6:7, 22.
These are just a few of the treasures which I have been given in life. As Paul says: “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me” Gal. 2:20. IDE

From The March 2006 Issue - District President Arp

Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Just before Jesus took Peter, James and John up the mountain to witness His transfiguration, Jesus began to explain to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. And so He began His final journey to Jerusalem and to the cross. We too, with Transfiguration Sunday and Lent, began our journey to “witness” again that breathtaking event in which our Savior took all of our sins upon Himself, all the while anticipating that wonderful celebration that will come on Easter Sunday.
May God bless us as we follow our Savior to the cross and the empty tomb.

CONCORDIA SEMINARY IN FT. WAYNE
In January my wife and I traveled to Ft. Wayne, IN for the annual Symposia. One of the reasons we attend is to have an opportunity take our IDE seminary students and wives out for dinner (we do the same in the fall for the students in St. Louis). Leaders from many of our partner churches around the world attend the Symposia. Among them this year was Bishop Mindaugas Sabutis, Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Lithuania. Attending also was a young Lithuanian pastor who has accepted a call to serve a Lithuanian Church in Chicago. We invited both of them to join us for dinner. The seminary students enjoyed interacting with these two men and had many questions about our sister church in Lithuania.
For the past few years Pastor Mitchell Otto and the members of Prince of Peace, Coralville have provided the funding for these dinners. Both the students and I thank Pastor Otto and God’s people of Prince of Peace.

THEOLOGICAL CONVOCATION
In the last issue I wrote about our IDE Theological Convocation. The convocation took place as scheduled on February 26th with Dr. George Wollenburg as the speaker. Approximately 200 lay members, pastors and commissioned workers participated. The plan is for those who were present to bring the contents of the convocation home to their congregations.
See the pictures and story on the cover and on page 7.

Lithuania Project
The final appeal for the Palanga, Lithuania project will be coming to you in the form of a bulletin insert. The final report will be given to the IDE Convention on June 23rd.
See the up-date on page 16.

LUTHERAN SERVICE BOOK
Our new hymnal, Lutheran Service Book, is scheduled to be ready for delivery this fall. I encourage all the congregations of IDE to give strong consideration to purchasing Lutheran Service Book. In addition, those pastors and congregations that print out the service will want to check out the electronic version. The District Presidents had a demonstration of the electronic version at a recent meeting. To say it is amazing is an understatement! One of the District Presidents commented, “I know nothing about computers and this is the first time I’ve seen something that makes me want to learn how to use one!”
Lutheran Service Book will be introduced at our District Convention this summer. We will be using some of the services and there will be a five minute presentation. You can read about “Lutheran Service Book” on the LCMS website at this address:
https://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=9298. IDE