Bonnie Hughes- Central Region

Bonnie Hughes

Bonnie Hughes is the Art teacher

 for Prince of Peace Lutheran School 

in Springfield, Virginia.

Shared here the work of the Kindergarten class 

and their own interpretations 

of the Christmas story.

 They were influenced by the work

 of British artist- Hannah Dunnett.

  She uses written words from songs

 and Bible verses and writes

 them right into her artwork.

The artwork was done in stages and pieces 

and then- FINALLY worked into the final art work.

 With wide-eyed wonder the students 

finally saw the art murals that TELL THE STORY.

They were displayed for Christmas Chapels 

at the school and also for the early services

 on Christmas Eve for the Church community.

Here is the link to her website-

hannahdunnett

Here is a link to a Pinterest board 

that features her work-

hannah-dunnett

Special thanks to Bonnie for sharing 

this wonderful work with all of us!

Carolyn Fletcher- Southern Region

Carolyn Fletcher

One of the joys in life is time 

in my studio at the Overland Gallery 

in downtown Kinston.

Overland Gallery- paintings

The gallery gets visitors from all over the US

because of the Chef and Farmer

restaurant featured in the PBS show-

"A Chef's Life". 

See more here: A Chef's Life

Kinston has been revitalized 

as an art destination. 

I have been a Member 

of the public art committee

for over 15 years.

Painting of her Grandson

I have been blessed to be able to paint

in my retirement. 

Art has always been

something I enjoyed

and God has kept His promise

 to give me a desire of my heart

while serving Him as wife of a pastor, 

a mother and a registered nurse.

My husband, Ron, has always encouraged me 

to develop my own talents and supports my efforts.

Granddaughter-

Carolyn's husband, Ron, 

is pastor at Faith Lutheran in Kinston, NC.
We give thanks for this beautiful gift
 in the work of Carolyn-
 shared for others to enjoy.

Alaska Mission Trip-- Teen camp

Final notes about the experience in Alaska

with 17 teenagers and 10 other volunteers 

at Teen Bible Camp.  

 One of things learned at camp is that God is in control.
The second is to be more patient.

Teen Bible Camp in itself (if you are on the planning side)

 is a project that is totally in God’s control.

My friend Rosemary and I planned on 12 or 13 kids,
and that would be on the high side.

 We ended up having 17 teens.  

That may not sound like a lot of teens to you,
but we were ALL staying in
 David and Rosemary Sternbeck's house.
 Besides finding bed space for each teen,
we also have to figure out how they would all get to camp.

Teens are flown in from 5 different villages.

We were blessed to have some pilots
fly most of the kids in for half the price.
Some kids had to fly commercial.
 God provided through people giving their money, prayers and time.
Not a single teen has to pay for the chance to come
and hear about God’s love for him or her.
 Without the help of others,
 most of these teens would not be able to afford the air fare to come.

How do you keep 17 kids in a house happy, fed and entertained?
The answer is by the grace of God.
We did many crafts, Bible studies and lessons with the teens.
I will never forget the fear and then complete joy
 as they approached a horse and then rode the horse for the first time.
For one young man (who has autism)
it made a change in his week.
After riding the horse, the young man
was very talkative and interacted with all the other teens.
I was amazed at how most of the teens
were thrilled to swim at the public pool.
This is an experience that most of the teens had not had before.
. These were wonderful experiences,
but it was the baptism of 5 teenagers
in the Chena River that changed my life forever!

It was about the 3rd or 4th day of Teen Bible week
that a teen girl came to us and asked if she could be baptized.
 After talking to her about what baptism means, she and 4 others asked,
"Can we do it tomorrow? "
Each student could pick an adult to help remind them of their promises.
 The next morning we were greeted by excited teenagers.
Seeing the joy in these teens about their faith
 made me think about how I take
for granted the faith that was given to me.
Their singing on their way down to the river
 was so joy filled- that I needed to sing.
  These teens also taught me once again-
 that everything is in God’s time.
You see, we have been going to Deering, Alaska
for 9 years teaching VBS.
This is our second Teen Bible week
and yet these 5 teens did not ask to be baptized until this year.
Then I asked God - "Okay, 5 is good, but why not 17?
 But God does everything in His time.
Not mine, not yours.
 I wonder if it had been all the teens,
 would I then say -"Oh, it is because we are so good." 

God took every moment in each of the their lives-
 just for that week.
  God does the same for each of us.
Everything good or bad-
 God uses.
I can wish I was at a different point,
 but I am exactly where I need to be.

I ask you to reflect on your life. 

When was the last time you were filled with so much joy 

that you burst out in song praising God? 

When was the last time you couldn’t wait

 to go to church or Bible study? 

Perhaps-God has blessed you with faith. 

Remember to rejoice and praise Him for your faith. 

Remember your baptism and how Christ washed you

 and said, "You are welcome as my beloved child!"

 I thank God for allowing me to be part of the Teen Bible camp.

 I am looking forward to sharing

 another week with teens in the future. 

Submitted by Denise Johnson- 
contributing writer for Journeys of Faith

Karen Soeken- Northern Region

ADULT LEARNING STYLES:
WHAT DO THEY MEAN FOR BIBLE STUDY LEADERSHIP?
BY KAREN SOEKEN

How do you learn best? By listening to others speak? By reading and writing? Through a hands-on activity? Each of us has a preferred method of learning (notice that it’s a preferred method and not the correct method) and that can create a paradox for us as Bible study leaders. You see, the way that is most comfortable and most effective for you as a learner is probably the way that you tend to teach. But not everyone learns that way. When you lead a Bible study, you may need to step outside of your comfort zone and deliberately look for ways to engage and reach those who learn differently than you do.
Think about how Jesus taught. He lectured in the Sermon on the Mount, first using conceptual ideas in the Beatitudes and then following that with some practical application. He told parables or stories that allowed others to find themselves in the story. He asked questions; He answered questions. He took people aside and explained things to them. He used teachable moments and familiar objects. Jesus definitely used a variety of teaching strategies! Not all good teachers use the same strategies and techniques, but good teachers – and Jesus was the perfect teacher – will always find a way to include a variety of teaching strategies.

There are several ways of categorizing learning styles, one of which recognizes four learning styles: Verbal, Auditory, Visual, and Kinesthetic. Let’s think briefly about each one.
THE VERBAL LEARNER
The verbal learner is one who prefers reading, writing, and speaking. Asking good questions is one way to appeal to these learners. By ‘good’ I mean questions that are not necessarily yes/no questions or fill-in-the-blank questions. Ask questions that allow the learner to interpret or apply or discuss or share. For example, Jonah’s eventual sermon to Nineveh consisted of 5 Hebrew words. If you were asked to give a 5-8 word sermon, what would it be? Discussing a question in a small group can also engage the auditory learner as he listens to the discussion. Another strategy is to review the meaning of words used in the Bible and then look for how those words are used in a passage. There are three terms used to refer to God, for example, and each has a slightly different meaning. The book of Jonah uses all three terms so looking for when a different term is used can say something about the passage.
THE AUDITORY LEARNER
Another learning style is auditory – learning by hearing or by sound. Having something read aloud is good for this type of learner. Also, auditory learners tend to like to have things repeated so find a way to stress important points in a study in different ways. Another strategy is to have people tell the story or a section of Scripture to a partner in their own words. While this gets at auditory learning, it has another effect in helping people feel comfortable sharing the Bible in their own words. Music is another powerful strategy for some auditory learners – use music to set the mood, sing a song related to the study, ask someone to write a song. For a study of the book of Jonah, I found a Jonah song on the web with a seafarer kind of lilt that I played at the beginning of one class and by the end of the song, most of the class was singing along on the chorus and having a good time.
THE VISUAL LEARNER
Clearly the visual learner needs to be able to see something – a map, a picture, a chart, etc. I like to use photos I find on the web, especially when it gives the class an opportunity to point out how the photo is inconsistent with the Bible story itself. Another way to reach the visual learner is to ask the class to close their eyes and picture the story or setting in their minds. Visual learners also tend to

Women’s Leadership Institute

http://blog.cuw.edu/wli/

2

like to draw as they are learning so you could ask them to draw something about the lesson. In teaching Jonah, I asked the class to use a Venn diagram (two circles that partially overlap) to describe how the sailors and Jonah differed (the two non-overlapping parts of the circles) and how they were alike (the overlapping part). In another class, I asked the class to work in small groups and design a banner that depicted Jesus as healer.
THE KINESTHETIC LEARNER
The last type is the kinesthetic learner or physical learner. These are the ones who learn through experience or by doing things. They tend to learn best by role playing or playing games or touching and feeling objects. In fact, statistics tell us that we learn 15% of what we hear, 35% of what we read, 50% of what we see, and 90% of what we do. You can include objects related to the lesson that allow the students to do something – touch, smell, taste. Be aware, though, that objects lessons can be overused so less is more. You might find that some adults might feel a little silly with object lessons, depending on what you ask them to do or if they are new to the group. So you might want to wait until you sense the group is comfortable before you include an object. If there is a word or symbol that will capture the teaching point, you could have the class make something, even if it’s with clay or a pipe cleaner. Another example is if the lesson is about casting stones, like the story of the woman caught in adultery. Ask each person to hold a stone while the story is read.
Remember that not everyone learns the way you do. Follow Jesus’ example–take the risk—and use a variety of teaching strategies to reach the greatest number of students so they can apply the text to their lives. God will bless your efforts!


Karen Soeken is a wife, mother of two, and grandmother of 6. She retired in 2008 after a career teaching research and statistics courses at the University of Maryland School of Nursing and is now Professor Emeritus. In her congregation, she teaches adult Bible study classes. Karen is also involved in LWML, having served as District President and Planner at the national level. Currently she serves on the Lutheran Hour Ministries Foundation Board and the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia Board of Directors. In her spare time, Karen enjoys working on her family history.

(This post original submitted for Women's Leadership Institute. Thank you for allowing it to be shared here Karen.)

Time In His Word

Sisters in Faith- Gathered Together

The front row has:
 Nancy Birner, Judy Kampia and Darlene Quiram.  
The back has:
 Linda Scherer, Georgeanne Friedrich, and Vivi Diefenthaler.

 Here is a great way to study God's word 

and fellowship with other 

understanding pastor's wives!   

Ladies from the Northern Region, 

mostly Baltimore to the D.C. Maryland suburbs, 

have been gathering on the 

first Wednesday of the month 

(from September to June) for the past few years.  

We meet at Our Savior in Laurel 

over lunch from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM.  

We each bring a sandwich.  

Volunteers prepare the Bible study,

 bring dessert, and provide drinks.  

The topics are quite varied 

depending on our concerns 

and where we find answers in the Bible.   

Although the main focus is our Bible Study, 

we do bring up personal concerns 

and prayers for others. 

We understand the great gift of strictly 

confidential status within the group.   

We are a caring group gathered 

around a table with about 6-10 ladies,

 but we always welcome more!

Blog post submitted by Judy Kampia.

The group is open to add more Pastor's wives. 

Linda Scherer - lscherer50@gmail.com
  Judy Kampia- judykampia@gmail.com 

would welcome questions about the group.

Oh Give Thanks!

A prayer workshop was held this 

Fall at St. Paul's Mecahnicsville, VA.

One of the women attending planned an extension

 of the Visual Prayer experience for 

Thanksgiving.

This note was in the Bulletin:

Bulletin Announcement: In this season of thanks, we at St. Paul have much to thank God for. To express our thanks, the LWML is sponsoring a graphic way for every member of the congregation to acknowledge what they are most thankful for. Inspired by the recent Prayer 101 workshop, there is a sheet of paper with outlines of the words "We Give Thanks" in the Narthex. You'll find some colored pens with it. We invite everyone to take a moment to write inside the letter outlines what you are thankful for this year.  As there is no limit to gratitude, there is no limit to how many things you can write. You can sign it or not, as preferred. Let's make our spirit of gratefulness visible to all who enter.

Visual Documentation 

of prayer time,

 Blessings, 

and the ongoing 

Faithfulness of our Lord.

Story submitted by Judy Pask.

Thanksgiving Weather Report

I follow the blog 

of a wonderful writer

 and wanted to share the 

Thanksgiving post here:

Thanksgiving weather report

Extreme gratitude.
Outward conditions will vary throughout the day
as an intense high pressure zone moves through,
bringing with it a dense, cold air
of deadlines, household preparations,
long lines and frozen traffic;
news of unpleasantness will cloud the horizon.
However—
an inner receptiveness will meet every moment
with awareness of an unseen Presence
and awe and gratitude for the gift of life
mixed with marvel at all existence, including its pain,
producing a flood of wonder, patience,
forgiveness and generosity
unaffected by external conditions.
So in the end it will be a glorious day. 

__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net

Cindy Deatherage- Central Region

Prince of Peace Lutheran School’s annual retreat for the Faculty and Staff was on October 23 and 24 at Buttonwood Lodge at Signal Hill Knob ~ A Lutheran Retreat Center in Strasburg VA. 

 Preparation for our time together began last summer.  

Reservations were made and the administrative staff started planning around this year’s theme of “Circles.”

Some creative time together.

God blessed us with a glorious weekend.  The weather was perfect and God’s world was ablaze with autumn colors. Teachers begin arriving late Friday afternoon to the welcoming smells of a home cooked meal of chili, corn bread, salad, hot apple cider and apple crisp. Before dinner, we had time to explore the lodge and time to take a hike across the pasture along the North Fork of the Shenandoah River to an open meadow, where we formed a circle to pray and sang together.

Friday evening started with the Bible Story God Calls Abram, Genesis 12. God called Abram to go. Abram must have met many people on his journey.  God calls us to love one another and to go and make disciples. Using the shape of a spiral and writing tools, we had quiet time to think back over our lives and the people and places that have influenced us on our journey. After sharing our stories, we made fall candles and sang together.  Later we built a fire, played games and took a walk outside to see the shining stars.

Saturday morning we woke to the smell of oatmeal, bacon and scrambled eggs. Cooking always brings people together.  Our morning session started with The Goose Story ~ Thylacine’s Lair.  Working together for the Kingdom of God, supporting each other at school and personally, forgiving, and helping each other is what makes for a strong team. For our staff development we focused on an article Finding Questions Worth Asking, by Ann Pelo ~ differences between teaching to learn and teaching to think. As with young children, one of the most effective learning models for adults is active participation and engagement. Throughout the morning, we encouraged each other to investigate, ask questions and gain knowledge through conversations and interactions with each other.  Just like children, teachers are learners too. Before lunch, we had time to take another walk and to enjoy the beauty and peacefulness of God’s beautiful world.  

Bonnie Hughes, a Three Year Old teacher and our Kindergarten Art teacher at Prince of Peace brought all the materials and supplies needed for each of us to create our own faith collage canvas.  Painting our canvas, tearing pictures and words from old magazines, adding lace or buttons and favorite Bible verses kept us busy until it was time to pack up and head home.  Before we started the journey home we sang. . . “Go now in peace, go now in peace.  May the love of God surround you. Everywhere, everywhere, you may go.” It is a blessing to be in this community of God’s children.

Cindy Deatherage serves as the Principal

of Prince of Peace Lutheran School in Springfield, VA.

We give thanks for her reporting the story of this staff retreat.

Megan Daub- Southern Region

 Megan Daub- 

Havelock, North Carolina

I recently was able to visit with

 Megan at the Southern Gathering

 of Professional Church Workers.

Megan came for the day 

with her husband- Jim.

Catching up a bit in all that happened

 since we were last together.

Jim and Megan were recently married-

May 2015

Job changes for Megan-

with more responsibility and 

challenges.

The death of Jim's mother in Wisconsin.

A call to Wisconsin for Pastor Jim.

That is a lot to wade through

 at any time of marriage-

 but especially as newlyweds.

Megan shared that this first call 

from another congregation other

than where they currently serve 

was difficult to figure out.
Lots of praying and some stress there too.

Just how to deal with such a BIG decision?

Husband's decision-

that affects Megan too.

One day while Jim was taking 

a nap following a hectic day,

Megan went and sat under a tree

 with this printed sheet for visual prayer.

I had sent her this print out in a packet

 of Prayer and Bible Journaling starters.

Coloring and praying. 
Focused prayer. 

Resting in Him prayer.

Megan said she sat under 

that tree for quite a bit.

Then her

 husband, Jim, 

came to the door and said,
"We're staying."

That is a quick answer to prayer time.

Megan is also participating in an 

online Bible Study of Philippians 4.

She had with her the 

prayer sheet for the word True.

I had drawn this prayer sheet

 for the Bible Study.

Mine is still waiting to be colored in.

Whatever is True.

Whatever in Noble.

Whatever is Right.

Whatever is Pure.

Whatever is Admirable.
Staying focused.
Dealing with distractions.

Megan also using visual prayer
 to pray for members of her congregation.

Visual Prayer Tools-

in the prayer tool box.

For everyday life.

Megan and her husband, Jim, serve at

 St. Paul Lutheran Church,

Havelock, North Carolina.

Megan works as a 
911 Dispatch Supervisor

 for the City of Havelock.

The Pot Pie House- Part Two

In a previous post 

we told the story of the pot pie house-

at Bethel Lutheran Church- Claremont, NC

the-pot-pie-house

Here is a bit more of the story

 of the once a year weekend.

 When it all comes together

 as a service project.

With good-eatn' too.

Making the dough.

In the fuchsia shirt is Brenda Hollar-

 mom to Rev. Eric Hollar-

Associate pastor at Bethel Lutheran.

Laying the pots

Dough- chicken

Dough-chicken

Setting the pots on the fire.

The wood-burning kiln is stoked and hot.

600 were served before

 the evening seating.

Then there is carry-out too.

Oh, it is good to rest the weary feet.

A lot of hard work with family and friends. 

(Final serving counters 800+)
What a grand event.

Till next year!

Erika Quinn Radke- Bible Journaling

Erika Quinn Radke and husband Ryan and 

their two sons.

A bit of her Bible Journaling story from Erika:

I am enjoying Bible Study more than ever, 

now that I have started 

drawing and journaling in the margins of my Bible.

 I am now looking 

forward to the time I spend in my Bible  

and thinking about the

verses I will focus on, as I go about my day.

Not only am I studying 
my Bible more frequently,

 I am also concentrating 

on specific Scripture more intensely 

and for longer periods of time.

While I illustrate a page, 

I contemplate the words on that page, 

keying in on a few verses.

It is similar to how some people focus 

on a passage of Scripture while 

participating in Lectio Divina-

 sacred reading. 

(practiced also by Martin Luther)

Bible journaling has lit a spark in me. 

My three favorite things are :

Christ, family and art.

Bible Journaling allows me 

to combine my favorite things 

and that is so special.

My Bible is becoming personal,

 an album of faith and family. 

My bible

is now a place I go to relax,

have fun, create,

 listen and spend time with God.

Check out this process video that Erika 

has posted to see how she teaches weaving 

in her Bible to illustrate some specific Bible passages.

Bible Margin Weaving

Erika is the Communications Director
 at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Springfield, VA 
and her husband Ryan 
serves as the Digital Coordinator for the Southeastern District- LCMS.

The Pot Pie House-Bethel, Claremont, NC

Bethel Lutheran Church- Claremont, North Carolina 

celebrated their 145th Anniversary this past weekend.

Serving in ministry at Bethel Lutheran Church
are Pastor Mike Ramey
 and Pastor Eric Hollar.

A crisp fall day with blue skies.

A wonderful welcome.

The first thing we learned 

about was the pot pie house.

Would you like to take a tour?

So, we were in for a history and culture lesson. 

The pot pie house was built in 1951.

 Wood kindling ready to stoke the fire.
This is the 91st year of the pot pie dinner.
 It started in 1924.

Before the house was built, the dinner 

was cooked over the open fires outside.

Rain could always make that a challenge.

 The kettles ready for layering
 chicken, broth and dough.

Rev. Mike and Laura Ramey- tour guides. 

 The brick smoke stack
 for the wood burning kettle hold.

Quite the set-up 

for the pot pie kettles.

Some news clippings 

telling the history of the dinner.

Pickin' chicken

 Pastor W.P. Hunsucker was the pastor
 when the dinner was started.

 Around the center chimney.

Some photos through the years. 

The pot pie dinner is served with cole slaw,
 pickles, cranberry sauce 
and home-baked cakes and cookies.

Judy Boston shared with us 
at a breakfast brunch
some of the story of the pot pie dinner.

Nellie Reitzel is the mother of Judy Boston.

Nellie Reitzel designed the pot pie house
 that was built in1951.
A later addition was completed in 1975.

It takes all hands on deck
 for this amazing event.

Long lists of sign up 
for helpers for the pot pie supper.

This event normally
 is set up to serve 1,000 dinners.
One year they advertised 
and 1500 showed up.
The rule is now- don't advertise.
But, if I were anywhere near Claremont, NC
 on Oct 24, 2015- 
I'd just have to stop by for pot pie take-out.