Risen christ Lutheran Church in Davenport

Risen Christ Lutheran Church in Davenport confirmed 19 young people on April 19, including one young person from the Lutheran Church Eastside Mission, Davenport.

Pictured:(Front Row, L-R) Megan Link, Jenny Stephens, Jordan LaFrenz, Alex Avila, Devyn Sacrison. (Middle Row) Ashley Folland, Abbie Hopp, Chelsea Roehm, Jodie Schumacher, Jalisa Brown, Erika Lippens, Elizabeth Iltis, Cheyenne Van Blaricome. (Back Row) Pastor Stephen Henderson, Drew Welch, Nick Emory, Kyle Dittmer, Jacob Warner, Jarrett Holshouser, David Ehlers, Pastor Kurt Larson.

St. John Lutheran Church in Waverly

St. John Lutheran Church in Waverly welcomed into membership via confirmation eight young people on May 17.

1st row: Kristin Sullivan, Elizabeth Morton, April Sherburne, Charly Trostel
2nd row: Paige Foulk, Celina Young, Rev. Versemann, Dustin Gaede, Bailey Moss

IDE Chaplain at the University Hospitals in Iowa City

We are happy to report Rev. Michael Musick, St. Paul, Luzerne has agreed to serve as our part-time Chaplain at the University of Iowa Hospital in Iowa City.

Starting next week, his hours will be Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1-5 p.m.

His telephone #s are 319.444.2378 office; 319.434.6407 home; email - stpaulslutheranchurch@hotmail.com

St. John Lutheran Church in Newhall

Twelve young people made a public confession of their faith May 3rd at St. John Lutheran Church in Newhall. Those confessing their faith were bottom row left to right, Andrew Burkart, Matthew Sliter, Jordan McFarland, Miranda Fortune, Danielle Sweet, Molly Williams, back row
(Pastor Steven Rempfer), Levi Martin, Nik Sumner, Brandon Gardemann, Jacob Stoll, Katilin Veldhuizen, and Kennedy Johnson.

St. John Lutheran Church in Keyestone

Confirmation was held on Sunday morning, May 3rd, at St. John Lutheran Church in Keystone. Pastor Jim Eggert confirmed three students: Katrina Sindt, Holly Andresen, and Hannah Kimm.

St. John Lutheran Church in Waverly

It's been in the works for a few years, but St. John Lutheran now has a new, bolder, more inviting sign in front of their church. Picture: The older sign with the new one in the back.

The new church sign.

St. John Lutheran Church in Waverly

The Rev. Dr. Gary Arp, President of IDE, congratulates Mary Stille for her 15 years as church secretary at St. John Lutheran Church, Waverly, at a celebration in her honor in April.

LWML Westgate Zone Spring Rally at St. John Lutheran Church in Waverly

1.Virgel Meswarb, Chuck Struck and Norm Homeyer clean up following the brunch.

2 Pastors Brustuen and Kock enjoy the morning brunch

3. Debbie Young presents the story of Easter

4. Luvina Hoins collects the ingathering of non perishable items for the local food bank

5. Kathy Schaefer, President of the Dorcas Society of St. John welcomes everyone to the Rally

6. Westgate Zone spring rally, April 25, 2009 at St. John Lutheran Church, Waverly, Iowa

College Hills Lutheran Church

Panthers Give Hawkeyes the Boot

We’re not going to lie. Beating the Hawkeyes of St. Paul’s Lutheran Chapel in the Second Annual President’s Cup Kickball Game on April 25^th was chief among the items on this year’s To Do list at College Hill Lutheran Church. If nothing else was done save winning the 2009 President’s Cup, the year would be counted a success.

With the crushing loss burned in the minds and aching hearts of Panther Nation from last year, the power-packed Panther kickball team was determined to send the little birdies back to their nest in Iowa City in defeat.

Determined though we were, the Hawks were up to the challenge as the game was a nail-biter to the end. Behind stellar pitching performances, motivational speeches, and a number of spectacular catches from both teams, the game ended with a final score of 6-5. The winner? Let’s just say that the Panthers seized the President’s Cup with a shout of victory and a celebration ensued as the UNI Fight Song filled the camp. We prefer to make no comment on the controversial “ground-rule double” since it worked in our favor.

The College Hill students arrived earlier in the day at Camp Io-Dis-E-Ca to help with the Spring work day. In a couple hours, they helped put wood chips on hiking trails and shoveled rocks around one of the cabins. Thanks to the staff at Camp for hosting the events for the day!

Immanuel Lutheran Church In Grinnell

Immanuel Lutheran Church In Grinnell Is Turning 30

The congregation has chosen to celebrate by accomplishing many little projects or goals under the heading of Mission 30. While the thought was to have at least 30 mission challenges, almost 50 were submitted. Submissions ranged from taking a trip to Mission Central in Mapleton, Iowa, upgrading the Christmas program costumes, redoing some landscaping, reading/studying a Chapter of the Bible each week, combatting the summer slump, matching up adult and Sunday School students as prayer partners, etc. Some community related projects such as painting some shabby welcome signs at the entry to Grinnell and adopting the Bike Trail which passes the congregation were also proposed. Immanuel’s Pastor, Rev. David Brandt, comments “Mission 30 has stimulated a lot of ownership and good suggestions. Likely some of these ideas have been present for some time, but this way of celebrating has provided a good avenue for the ideas to be shared and implemented.”

In addition to the Mission projects, the congregation will have a Celebration Sunday on June 14th at 9:00 a.m. with a potluck brunch to follow at 10:00.

To provide an additional time of celebration with the goal of having the ministry area invited and present, a community open house for the public with entertainment, food, and family games on the church grounds is scheduled for early afternoon on August 16th. The open house date of mid August was specifically chosen to coincide with school start up. As the community is thinking of back to school, we will be highlighting the Christian Education offerings of the congregation, and in particular Sunday School. Our goal is to scatter the seed of the divine blessings God’s Holy Spirit promises will come through hearing the message of the doing, dying and rising again of our Savior.

IDE Campus Ministy

YOUR CAMPUS MINISTRIES ARE HERE TO SERVE YOU!

All those attending the University of Northern Iowa this fall, please send your name, address, phone number, and e-mail address to:

The Rev. John Wegener, College Hill Lutheran Church
2321 Walnut, Cedar Falls, Iowa 50613-3860
319-266-1274 Email: chlc.lcms@cfu.net
Web: www.geocities.com/college_hill

All those attending the University of Iowa this fall, please send your name, address, phone number, and e-mail address to:

The Rev. W. Max Mons, S.T.M.
St. Paul’s Lutheran Chapel and University Center
404 E. Jefferson Street, Iowa City, Iowa 52245-2410
319-337-3652 Email: chapel@stpaulic.com
Web: www.stpaulic.com

Incoming freshman, please remember to visit these campus ministries when you are in town for orientation.

St. Paul's Chapel and University Center in Iowa City

Wednesday, April 22, our own Deaconess Intern Angie Carriker went down to St. Louis for Concordia Seminary's Call Day. To everyone's joy she, she has been called to St. Paul's Lutheran Chapel and University Center! Candidate Carriker plans to accept the call and will be consecrated as Deaconess in August.

Everyone at the Chapel is very excited that we get to keep her, we decided to receive her upon her return in proper chapel style:(Note Pics)

Angela Carriker, Deaconess Intern at St. Paul's Chapel in Iowa City

Angela Carriker, Deaconess Intern

“What is a Deaconess?” I thought to myself as I thumbed through the brochure I’d just received in the mail. My curiosity was peaked, but the only concrete information I received from the brochure was that these ladies worked for the church in some capacity, and, they must really like navy blue. But what exactly does a Deaconess do? I learned that a deaconess is a woman with a heart for the Lord and a desire to serve His people. She is a theologically trained woman who is there to support and serve alongside the Pastor, assisting with the various social ministries of the church. She’s not there to usurp the role of the pastor, but rather to complement his ministry. You’ll see a Deaconess in a variety of settings: churches, college campuses, hospitals, schools and nursing homes. She visits the sick and homebound, teaches Bible studies and other classes. She’s the sympathetic ear and the voice of prayer and compassion when times are hard. When the women of the congregation just need another woman to talk to – she’s there. So who are these women in blue? They come in all shapes and sizes, but all come with compassion and a desire to serve.

Hawkeye Heartbreak at Camp Io-Dis-E-Ca (Our side of the story)

The game: Kickball
The teams: The Panthers of College Hill Lutheran verses
The Hawekyes of St. Paul’s Lutheran Chapel.
The stakes: The IDE President’s Cup (A real cup from
which the IDE Pres. has slurped tea.)
The date: Saturday, April 25.
The place: Camp Io-Dis-E-Ca
The conditions: Deplorable. It was cold, wet, and miser-
-able; a day unfit for the great game of
kickball and yet, we played.

We played our Hawkeye hearts out. We played until we bled black and gold, from both knees, but to no avail. When all was said and done and when the last ball had been kicked, the scoreboard read: Panthers 6, Hawkeyes 5. Oh the humanity!

Here’s how it happened. With two outs in the bottom of the 9th, the score reading 6 to 4 in favor of the Panthers, the Hawks had runners at first and second. Our heavy kicker was up – it was a perfect situation, fear filled the Panther hearts. The ball was rolled and kicked. A long fly ball to right field! One run was in, then two. The score was tied and the Hawks had the winning run just 60 feet away. Victory was in our grasp, but then came the call. Seems the ball struck a tree and by Camp Io-Dis-E-Ca’s rules, that’s a ground rule double. One run came off the board as the runner went back to third. But not to fear! Runners on second and third, two outs, all we needed was a ground ball out of the infield and The Cup would be ours. It was a not to be. The ball was popped up for an easy out. The Hawkeye heartbreak began as the Panthers hoisted the IDE President’s Cup in victory!

St. Paul's Chapel and University Center in Iowa City

International Food Festival

April 26th was fun and busy at St. Paul’s Chapel as American and International students, members of the Chapel and sister congregations in Iowa City, gathered for an afternoon of fun, food and fellowship. We enjoyed food from Korea, India, Taiwan, Germany and the U.S. After eating, participants played foosball, card games, and sat around engaging in conversation.

Most of the International students who attended are a part of the Chapel’s English Conversation Program, or the cooking class. Many brought their families. The interaction between the international and American students was a joy to see. This will hopefully continue to be a popular Chapel tradition.

The Rev. Dr. Dean Rothchild, Assistant To the District President, May Article

Proclaiming Christ Jesus In Your Fields of Opportunity

The above heading is the theme chosen for our 2009 IDE Convention. It is from Luke 24:46-47 where Jesus said after His resurrection: “And He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and rise again from the dead the third day; and that repentance for forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” The church is sent to proclaim in His name. The “fields of opportunity” comes from the welcome to Iowa signs which greet you when you enter our state.

God has uniquely positioned each of the 119 congregations of our District in their own “mission fields.” While the basic needs of people are the same wherever one goes, reaching them may happen in different ways. The Church is called to proclaim the message of Jesus Christ and Him crucified and risen for the justification of the world. That happens through the faithful preaching of the Gospel and the proper administration of the sacraments by our Pastors.

The fields of opportunity look different as one travels across the district. Some fields are declining numerically while others are stagnant and some actually are gaining people. Our congregations have opportunity to interact with the people who reside in these mission fields. What kind of posture do our churches adopt? It seems like there are two postures, one which says “come and see,” and another which says “go to where the people are.” Jesus was usually going to where the people were though there were some who came to Him “to see,” such as Zaccheus.

The message of Christ Jesus and Him crucified has been given to the Church. That message is entrusted to the Pastor to publicly proclaim to the congregation. But all God’s baptized, through their various vocations have been placed in their own “mission field.” It is as we live from our baptism that we have the opportunity to “tell others what Jesus has done for them,” or to invite people and bring them along with us to the Divine Service.

That is the way Christ’s mission has always been carried out. Someone carried us to the Baptismal font or they brought us into contact with the life-giving Gospel of Christ Jesus. Christ Jesus comes to us through His Word and His Sacraments. They do what they say they do: “they forgive us our sins!” That is the message the Church has been called to take to people who are still outside the Church. I John 5:13-15 sums it up very well: “And the witness is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you might know that you have eternal life.” God help us as He sends His Church out into His “fields of opportunity.”

The Rev. Dr. Gary Arp, IDE District President, May Article

This will be my last message to you as President of IDE. It is with mixed feelings that I write it! Although I hope that I will be able to continue serving in some capacity, I am also looking forward to a lighter workload! I grew up on a farm and I have been working since I was old enough to milk a cow and steer a tractor so it would be a bit strange for me not to continue working as long as the Lord gives me strength.

After Easter, the Synodical Council of District Presidents met for the vicarage assignments and Pastoral Call services at the Seminaries. Each year it is a joy to see the men receive their assignments and to see the seniors receive their Call into the pastoral ministry. Also included were the female students receiving their Deaconess Intern assignments and first calls to serve as Deaconess. IDE will be receiving 2 vicars, 4 pastoral candidates, one Deaconess Intern and one Candidate. Their pictures are found throughout this issue.

I asked Angela Carriker, Deaconess Intern at St. Paul's Chapel in Iowa City, to answer the question, “What is a deaconess?” You will find her response in this edition of IDE TODAY. If your congregation needs to add another staff person, I encourage you to consider a Deaconess.
The IDE Convention is June 26-27. In addition to electing a new District President, the delegates will be deciding whether or not to allow this office to become a part-time position. It became full-time in 1974. In 1994, the District Convention reaffirmed the need for a full-time District President. There will also be a presentation by the Synodical Restructuring Taskforce. Delegates will be given the opportunity to respond to this presentation.

Dr. Darius Petkunas, Pastor of the church in Palanga, Lithuania, tells me that there is much suffering there due to the declining economy. Unemployment and prices are rising. However, I do have some good news regarding the Palanga Project. Immanuel Luth. Church in St. Ansgar has adopted the project of finishing the “interior walls of the fellowship center,” St. Paul Luth. Church in Williamsburg the "Church Plumbing Work,” Marjorie and I the “fire and security alarm system” for the Pastor’s apartment, Rev. Dr. Rothchild and Corrine the “Bible Study Room Plumbing Work,” and the St. Paul LWML in Artesian the “Fire Alarm System for the Organ Space.” We have also been contacted by a lady who is interested in having her congregation host a “Lithuania Fund Raising Dinner.” Sounds like a great idea. I commend all who have given so generously to support this project. I pray that we can complete it soon. For a list of all the projects go to the link on the District website. Choose a project and adopt it! Be sure to call the District office so we can reserve it for you.

In conclusion, I thank our dear Lord and you for the opportunity to serve as the President of Iowa District East for these past nine years. Thank you for your prayers, your encouragement, and your support.