Alice Hedt- Observations of the March for Our Lives

 Rev. Fred and Alice Hedt 

and members of Ascension Lutheran Church

 in Landover, Maryland.
Alice shares with us some gleanings
 from participating in this historic March.

          Choosing to attend the March for Our Lives-

I attended the rally because I am shaken by the Parkland and other school shootings, and by the gun violence in so many communities in this country. I also wanted to support youth from Ascension who share these concerns. 

Observations while at the March for Our Lives-

      Headed towards the rally, I was filled with thankfulness     

      for this country that allows each of us to express our 

      opinions. How wonderful to see young people, and we  

      oldsters, sharing our grief, our fears, and our vision for a 

      less violent society! Standing with Ascension youth, 

      I was filled with hope listening to the articulate focused  

      young speakers. And I learned a lot! 180,000 children 

      have observed a school shooting and 40 percent of 

      these children have post traumatic stress disorder. 

Reflections after the March for Our Lives-

I personally believe that these young leaders are a gift from God to our society. Too many adults, myself included, have grown to accept violence in cities and schools. We have normalized and ignored children living in fear. These young people are pushing our society to identify and implement solutions in our individual actions and in public policy.  I am grateful. 

Thank you Alice for reporting

 from live in the ministry fields!

In Memoriam - Vivi Diefenthaler

Helene "Vivi" Provine Diefenthaler
of Columbia, MD,

 passed away on March 21, 2018. 

She was born on December 4, 1943, 

to Joseph Vona and Helene Gregory Vona. 

She was a member of
 Our Savior Lutheran Church,

 Laurel, MD.
As a young girl, 
Vivi was quite the horsewoman, 
winning many ribbons and trophies. 
A natural athlete, 
she ran many triathlons and marathons
 and also qualified 
and ran the Boston Marathon.

She enjoyed the running and working out 

to keep herself physically fit. Dancing, 

reading, singing in her church choir, 

and travel overseas were also great loves. 
She retired from the 
Howard County, Maryland Offices on Aging
as director of an adult day-care center.
Recently, she spent countless hours
 working with her husband 
for Lutheran World Relief.

She is survived by her husband,
Dr. Jon Diefenthaler, 

daughter Kimberly Lourenco (Thomas)

 of Olney, MD, 

and son Robert William Provine (Lena)

 of Los Angeles, CA, 
grandchildren Sarah, Isabelle, and James;

 Step-son Col. Andrew Diefenthaler (Beth)
 of Richmond, VA, 

step-daughers Kathryn Wiltse (Eric)
 of Sanford, FL,

 Lisa Woodson (Tracy) of Richmond, VA,

 and Heidi Bernardi (Sam) of Valparaiso, IN, 

and their children William, Henry, Luke, Chloe, 

Grace, Erin, TJ, Sammy, and Sydney. 

She was preceded in death by her parents-

 Joseph and Helene Vona.

Recently, I was blessed to spend 

a bit of time with Vivi 

at the Best Practices Conference in Phoenix.

Former Council of President wives
 and those serving now

gathered around a table for Visual Prayer.

We gathered for this fun photo too.

Here are some recent comments

 from our group:

"I am thankful that I had the pleasure

 of seeing Vivi recently 

and in my last sight of her

 she was joyfully dancing.

 I’m thankful for the joy of the Lord

 that she lived out in her life."

"I can see her now in heaven
 giving everyone a kiss 
on the cheek and dancing!! 
We celebrate the resurrections 
that she now enjoys!"

"Vivi was one-of-a-Kind, 
have had the pleasure 
of being with both of them 
at LIRS events since we all retired. 
She will be so missed especially
 by the grandkids 
she cared for on a daily basis. 
We will pray for the family."

"Vivi was always gracious & kind, 
taking time to notice each person
 and give an encouraging word.
 I remember her dancing 
the night away with Jon 
at a recent conference and laughing 
with some of us at our COP wives 
table at Best Practices. 
What life she had - 
and what LIFE she now has!"

Vivi with a smile that gifted us well.


Memorial donations in honor 

of Vivi may be sent to:

Lutheran World Relief

700 Light Street 

Baltimore, MD 21230

A memorial will be made in Vivi's honor

 from the Southeastern District 

Women's Ministry.

I give thanks for words of encouragement
 that were always the gift from Vivi to me.
She will be dearly missed.
Connie

Visual Faith- Eldersburg, MD

~Saturday, March 17, 2018~

A Visual Faith Gathering at 

Faith Lutheran Church

in Eldersburg, Maryland.

Sharing about Visual Prayer

 as the center for Bible Journaling

Time to experiment 

and try some things out.

Quiet space and

reflection time.

Dealing with distractions.

Resources and tools

along the way

Seeing Visual Prayer on the walls 

in the Fellowship Hall 

and Sunday School spaces.

Thanks to DCE Meghan O'Hara-

 as she seeks to bring Visual Faith resources

 and experiences to the members of Faith Lutheran.

Visual Faith Resources for Holy Week

This is a photo of the Holy Week resources 

that are available for download and printing. 

These are perfect to share for 

worship communities, 

schools, family and personal use.

They can be found on the 

Visual Faith Ministry

 website under the Resources heading.
holy-week-sermon-notes

Melinda Ransdell - who writes at 
unconventionally steadfast has created
 a collaborative effort to use 
the images designed by 
Sally Beck 
to create new worship resources.
The resources can also be found here:
holy-week-sermon

A little bit about artist- Sally Beck.

"For twenty-five years I had the blessing
of working for 

Creative Communications for the Parish

 (St. Louis) as art director and illustrator. 

I can't imagine a better career—

one in which I used my art
 to express my faith.

 Creative Communications

 publishes worship and devotional materials

 for adults and children

 with an emphasis on the Church Year seasons

 of Lent/Easter and Advent/Christmas. 

One of my many assignments 

was to create yearly collections

 of black and white

 spot illustrations based on the lectionary.

 These illustrations were ones that pastors

 and church secretaries could use as 

worship folder covers or inside illustrations.

 My task was to read the Sunday lessons, 

recognize the theme 

of each week's Old Testament, 

Gospel, epistle and Psalm readings, 

and create a piece of art to fit.

A little calligraphy, a little drawing—

and always with the Holy Spirit

 leading the way. 

The art that appears in the posts 

of the Visual Faith groups

 is the result of those assignments."

We are thankful for the blessing
 of this creative pairing of gifts. 

Creating Community in the Neighborhood- Part 2

Part 2-Creating Neighborhood

First, we need to define our “neighborhood”. Who are the people that you regularly come in contact with?  These can be your physical neighbors in the houses or apartments around yours, or they can be the people that you see at work, at a club or social activity, at the local coffee shop.  

Secondly, we need to intentionally go about engaging with these folks to get to know them and their stories.  Everyone has a story and most people are eager to share at least part of their story.  There is a deep need in every human to be heard and affirmed for the unique person he/she is in Christ.  

So how do we engage people without seeming pushy or strange?  Maybe it’s as simple as going out of your way to greet a person by name and asking about something going on in their life.  If you’ve noticed a neighbor who walks a dog every day past your house, you could make a point of being in your front yard at that time, ready to greet the person as they pass by.  If you have children on a team or part of a club, arrive a bit early for pick up and intentionally speak with some of the other parents.  Or, maybe plan an event at your home or in a community gathering spot to which you will invite a particular group of people whom you’d like to get to know better. 

Hopefully this group of people would not be folks you regularly attend church with.  You already have a community built in there.  Think bigger and differently.  Look around at those who seem to be alone or lonely.  The people that aren’t the head of the PTA or the coach of the soccer team.  The folks who you don’t see outside for a walk with a spouse or friend.  Pray for God to open your eyes to see the neighbors around you.

Have a plan!  Keep it simple!  Remember to pray before, during, and after every encounter.  Building community takes time and persistence.  You have to regularly meet and talk with someone in order to establish the kind of trust where true sharing and caring can occur.  Relationships need tending in order to bear good fruit.  Don’t get discouraged if everyone you meet isn’t open to forming a relationship with you.  People are in different places on their journey.  Some will be receptive, some will not, some will come around in time.  Our job is to plant seeds and water them.  God, through the Holy Spirit, will bring the growth.

So – who are the people in YOUR neighborhood?  What are the needs of YOUR community?  How can YOU begin to show Christ’s love through your words and actions?

Thanks to Deaconess Deb Lennox

 for sharing this encouragement 
for Neighborhood ministry.

Creating Community in the Neighborhood- Part 1

Creating Community in the Neighborhood

What is Community?

-your neighborhood?

-your church?

-your circle of friends?

-your workplace or social organization?

YES!  All of these can be your community.  Community is not defined by geography, but by commonality and intentionality.

When we speak of community, we are talking about the people that you are in regular, close contact with and share something in common.

True community is something that takes time to create, it is work and it requires effort.  It is a place where the voices of the members are listened to and heard, where the members tend to each other’s needs, and where the strength of the whole is more important than the individual.

When we talk about Christian community, we simply mean that we share a common life in Christ.  We commit ourselves to life together as the people of God.  We move out of the self-interested isolation of our private lives and beyond superficial social contacts.  It is deep and it is real.

Why should we care about community?

Take a look at some of these sobering statistics:

• Since the 1980s, the percentage of American adults who say they’re lonely has doubled from 20 percent to 40 percent.
• About one-third of Americans older than 65 now live alone, and half of those over 85 do. 
• Individuals with less social connection have disrupted sleep patterns, altered immune systems, more inflammation and higher levels of stress hormones. One recent study found that isolation increases the risk of heart disease by 29 percent and stroke by 32 percent.
• Loneliness can accelerate cognitive decline and can contribute to premature health complications in older adults. 
• All told, loneliness is as important a risk factor for early death as obesity and smoking.

In the book, Bowling Alone, author Robert Putnam said the greatest social epidemic in American life is loneliness.  This statement may resonate with many who feel alienated, lonely, and depressed – those who go home every night to watch T.V. and eat by themselves on the couch.

Is this the life we should be living?  What does God want for our lives?  Consider the following:

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.  Hebrews 10:24-25

For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 1 Corinthians 12:13

One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:28-31

It is clear from these passages that God wants us to interact and be interconnected with our brothers and sisters, and even commands that we love each other.  So how do we begin to do that?

Watch for Part 2- Later this week!

Thanks to Deaconess Deb Lennox

 for sharing this encouragement 
for Neighborhood Ministry.

Mackenzie Sottini-Visual Faith Practices in the Classroom

Lutheran Educator-

Mackenzie Sottini

Teacher Mackenzie Sottini

 describes one of the Lenten practices in her

Resurrection Lutheran School classroom.

Using the resource from her church,

this Cary, North Carolina teacher

 reads to her 5th grade students from 

Lenten Psalms and they "listen"

for words that "jump out to them."

The students are using  a calendar 

that can be downloaded and printed here:
lenten-path-2018

As they reflect on their "word of the day" 

they fill in part of the palm branch

 and color in the space.

The students keep their 

calendars in a file folder.

All the calendars look different,

because each journey is different.
What do words of LENT look like?

 This same Lent resource has centering
 and discussion about discipleship.
These young students
are also talking about, 
 thinking and praying
 about their personal walk
 with Jesus.
What does that look like?

What is wanted?
What is needed?
What are the priorities?
Where do I need guidance? 

What are distractions in my life? 

They will have the visual stories to tell
and share in this classroom,
in their homes and in their 
connected relationships.

Thanks for sharing this glimpse
 into your classroom,
for Lutheran Schools week.