Grace Lutheran Church in DeWitt

Grace Lutheran Camp, DeWitt, hosted their annual Women’s Retreat on May 1st with noon and evening sessions. Twila Belk a popular speaker, humorist and radio personality presented the program at the retreat entitled “Bloom Where You’re Planted!” This was a May Day opportunity to celebrate spring and new life in the midst of where we are planted in our lives. Guests enjoyed a delicious salad meal at each session, devotions and group singing.

Grace Lutheran Church in DeWitt

From His Triumphal Entry to His rising from the dead, members of Grace Lutheran, DeWitt, shared with the community during Holy Week in a lighted display on the lawn of the church.

District President Gary Arp's May Article

Christ the Lord is Risen! He is risen indeed. Alleluia!

When one looks around at events in the world—the situation in Iraq which never seems to improve, the massacre at Virginia Tech, skyrocketing gas prices...—it is easy to become discouraged and negative. In times such as this we need to focus on who we are in Christ and where we are going. We are pilgrims, sojourners, on our way to a new homeland. You can be certain of who you are where you are going because Christ the Lord is risen. Because He is risen we can live as triumphant, victorious people no matter what is going on around us—in good times and bad.

And there are plenty of good things going on! This is the season of new life in nature. Things are coming back to life (a reminder of our resurrection!). As I write this it is a cool, rainy day, but as I look out my living room window from the comfort of my recliner it is absolutely beautiful outside. You can almost see the grass growing before your eyes, the baby leaves on our maple tree are poking their heads out and the birds are singing! What a beautiful world God has given us through which to pilgrim!

Marjorie and I are looking forward to the confirmation of a granddaughter, the wedding of a grandson, and the birth of two great grandchildren (our first). How could anything dull the joy of such blessings from the hand of our gracious Lord and Savior?

I have been happy to hear that so many of our IDE congregations have purchased the new hymnal, Lutheran Service Book (LSB). For those who want a variety of services LSB has many. For those who want the familiar, the services from LW and TLH are there, and there are hymns new and old. Concordia Publishing House has announced that because of the continuing demand it is going extend the introductory discounted price for several more months.

July 13-19 are the dates for the next convention of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. At this writing, the workbook with the reports and overtures has not yet arrived so I cannot report on what might be coming before the convention. However, it is safe to say that “Funding the Mission” is going to receive a good deal of attention. I mentioned the financial concerns of District and Synod in the March edition of IDE TODAY. The convention floor committees are scheduled to meet May 18-21. I will be serving on the “Program and Finance Floor Committee.” Please put the convention delegates in your prayers.

Warmer weather has come to Lithuania and Pastor Petkunas reports that the work on the building project we have been supporting is progressing more rapidly now. The roof is on and work on the tower is headed toward completion. I haven’t heard from Pastor Petkunas for about three weeks, but I expect that perhaps some interior work has begun. Please continue to pray for Pastor Petkunas and the Palanga project.

I hope you have a wonderful, enjoyable summer.

Spring Professional Worker's Conference held at Bethany Lutheran Church in Cedar Rapids

Guest Speaker Rev. Dr. Bryan Salinen and Rev. Dean Rothchild.
Conference Leader Rev. W. Max Mons and District President Gary Arp.
Dr. Salminen's topic was "Sixth Commandment Issues."
Rev. Dr. Bryan Salminen.
The staff and members of Bethany Lutheran Church were terrific hosts.
The conference was held April 30-may 1st.
Plenty of time to visit is always appreciated at a conference.

St. Stephan's Lutheran Church in Atkins

Confirmed on April 1
Left to Right:  Elisa Phipps, Kadie Woltemath, Anna Krug,
Reverend Douglas Woltemath,
Zachary Twedt, Catherine Steinfadt & Jordon Haerther.

ISM Traing At St. Paul's Chaple in Iowa City

Being a volunteer is a hard job. You have to sacrifice your time and energy for things which are time consuming and never get paid for it. Even more so—from time to time you get to go to some boring training…

We do our best to equip volunteers for their work with International students. Of course, we cannot be ready for every situation. Every meeting with International students is a new learning experience not only for them, but also for those who teach them.

On the first Saturday in March, St. Paul’s Chapel organized a retreat for volunteers involved in International student ministry. Rev. Max Mons and ISM Director Leonarda Decker provided volunteers with information and means to help them feel more comfortable approaching international students and sharing the Gospel.

We set and reviewed goals for the ISM program, emphasizing that our ultimate aim is to spread the Gospel.

The work that we do is important at many levels. English Conversation classes improve
students’ English skills, which also positively affects their social life in the USA. As a Church we welcome to the Chapel’s community everyone who is looking for a familiar place, a second home, which is open for them and their families.

Guest speaker Gilsun Lim introduced volunteers to the Korean culture and talked about many ways in which it differs from American culture. It was fascinating to learn of things which are important in Oriental culture but are disregarded in the USA. This raised awareness among the volunteers to be aware of certain things that we might say and do with people from Korean culture—and with other International students. The volunteers then had a opportunity to ask questions about traditions in Korea and learn “first hand” instead of reading about it in books or on the Internet.

Also, the volunteers had the opportunity to listen to the ISM Director present on Oriental religions (Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism and others) and compare them to Christianity. The presentation helped the volunteers to see the differences: that all religions in the world are Law based, and only Christ offers the Gospel by fulfilling the Law for His people.

The last part of the training aimed at giving providing tips on how to share the Gospel with people who are not familiar with or know very little about Christianity. Pastor Mons introduced devotions and prayers which are easy to use and explained how to present them in the way that could reflect the essence of Christian teaching. He also shared a list of recommended literature which will help volunteers to prepare for devotions and Bible lessons with the international students.

The retreat ended with a potluck which crowned the long morning. It might be true that training is not always fun, but the knowledge gained was priceless.

It is amazing to see the willingness with which the ISM volunteers ask questions and wish to learn more. Training cannot increase the faith in our students, but certainly can improve our knowledge about good news. Spreading the Gospel is not only about sharing something what we know, but it is an opportunity to tell people about God’s love which leads us from death to life. Faith is the question of life and death. The answer is Jesus Christ. His love is the motivation which drives our volunteers and the foundation which our ministry stands on.

Christian Care and Mental Health

Christian Care and Mental Health
A series of articles designed to help Christians understand the various components of mental health and to support those with mental health needs.
© February, 2007 by Rev. Daniel Krueger ~ author of “Gospel Therapy”
www.Gospeltherapy.com
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The Apostle Paul writes: “We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do” Romans 7:14-15. In dealing with depression and other mental health issues, what you want to do, and what you choose to do, are often at odds with each other. Unfortunately, we often fail to recognize this distinction and its impact on mental health.

In an experiment where people were placed into a sad or happy mood and then shown a series of slides which could be viewed at their own pace, happy people spent more time looking at happy scenes, whereas sad people spent more time looking at sad scenes. Another experiment had depressed and non-depressed students interact socially, frequently switching partners, and then rating how much they liked the other individual. The old proverb “misery loves company” turned out to be true. Depressed people preferred the company of other depressed people, whereas happy people preferred the company of other happy people.

In the classes I teach on depression and anxiety one activity is recording, for several weeks, what I refer to as UPPERS and DOWNERS. Uppers and Downers are not the things we want to do or don’t want to do. Uppers and Downers are determined by how we feel after doing a specific task. For instance, you may want to stay in bed all day because you are feeling depressed. After a particularly stressful day you may feel like sitting down and eating a bucket of strawberry ice cream. The question is, how do you feel after these activities? While these are choices you may want to make, they are also choices that are designed to make you feel even more negative about yourself, and tend to perpetuate depression.

Frequently people are not fully aware of the impact of their daily choices. I remember vividly the reaction of one class member who, on her list of downers (things that make you feel depressed after doing it), wrote: “Calling my Mother!” This woman’s mother happened to be very judgmental and negative. Shortly afterward I asked this same woman what was one of the first things she did when started to feel depressed. At first she gasped, then in a tone expressing amazement she uttered, “I call my Mother!” Prior to that moment she was oblivious to the connection between this particular choice and her daily battle with depression.

I believe it was Albert Einstein who defined insanity as “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Improving mental health involves a thorough examination of the daily choices we make and the discipline to make new choices. One positive choice that may impact your life, is starting your day out with Scripture and Prayer. Before you consider everything you think you must do, refresh yourself with all the things that God has promised to do for you in Christ, and a reminder that at the end of day, no matter where you have failed, you will still be perfect through Christ. It may be just the medicine you need to make you WANT to get out of bed!

Rev. Dean Rothchild's May IDE Article

St. Peter writes: “but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to every one who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence” I Peter 3:15.
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On Saturday, April 21st, I had the privilege of presenting a Witness Workshop at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Davenport. The workshop is based on “The Christian Doctrine of Vocation and Informed by the Distinction Between the Two Kinds of Righteousness.” At one point in the presentation I paused and asked, “Have any of you ever been called on by either the Mormons or the Jehovah Witnesses?” Just about every hand in the room went up.

Going home for lunch the following Tuesday, who did I catch in the act of sticking a Watchtower in my door but a pair of Jehovah Witnesses. We talked a little, but the lady didn’t leave any material as they went on their way. The Jehovah Witnesses have been working my neighborhood quite hard the last couple of years.

Trying to give the best witness I could, and later wondering how well I did, Peter’s words came to mind. He says, always be ready. Be ready because who knows when the opportunity will come to share Christ with those who are lost? Maybe at lunch time today.

It is good to know that in Christ Jesus we are ready, we are even prepared to do this because we are forgiven. As forgiven saints, Jesus prepares us to be His witness when the opportunity arises.

Peter says to be prepared to make a defense. I believe that in the midst of the rise of false religions and the loss of the clear proclamation of the Gospel in so many churches, along with the many other “isms” around us, we have to be able to defend what we believe, teach, and confess. But how? It would behoove all of us Christians to prepare as best we can, asking our Pastors, for example, to train us in what the Bible and the Lutheran Confessions teach. Now is not the time for us to settle for “light” catechesis. After all, if we don’t know what we believe how can we possibly be ready to defend it?

For who knows who is going to ask? It might be the person at the lunch table in the break room at work. It might be the neighbor two doors down. It might be the person who sits next to us on an airplane. It might even be the new seed salesman who is just beginning to work our area. We never know who, but know people will ask!

To give an account means to be able to say this is what the Bible teaches about God’s love and His plan of salvation through Jesus, this is what I believe and confess about Jesus, and this is why Jesus came had to come into the world. Because I am a poor miserable sinner, without Jesus, I would spend eternity in hell because of my sins. I have hope in heaven because Jesus earned the forgiveness of sins for all people, including me, through His perfect life, His innocent suffering and death on the cross, and by His glorious Easter resurrection. And that He has given all this to me freely, in the water and Word of Holy Baptism.

What is the hope that is in us? It is the sure and certain hope of eternal life because Jesus has done it all and has given His victory to me as a gift. We can tell others what Jesus has done for them because we can tell them what He has done for each of us. By the Holy Spirit’s guiding, we can do this with gentleness and reverence.
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If you wish to hear more about this Witness Workshop, or would like to host one, please contact me.

deanrothchild@lcmside.org