Oktoberfest Again!
October 12-14, 2014 (Sunday,
Monday, Tuesday)
Our Nineteenth Annual Oktoberfest!
and Gottesdienst Central will be
hosting the Rev. John Stephenson, PhD, Professor of Historical Theology
at Concordia Lutheran Seminary in St. Catherine’s, Ontario
A renowned confessional Lutheran scholar, Dr. Stephenson
has received degrees from Oxford , Cambridge , and Durham
“The Blessed Sacrament
in the Theology of Wilhelm Loehe”
The event begins Sunday the 12th with choral
vespers at 5 pm. Following the service is our annual bratwurst
banquet. When everyone has had their fill of brats and beer, Dr.
Stephenson will give a synopsis of his Monday seminar. Following the
banquet is the after-the-party party, at Pastor Eckardt’s home, where, as
always, a gaggle of the editors of Gottesdienst will be milling
about.
On Monday October 13th, the day begins with mass at 9:00 a.m.
Following mass and a continental breakfast, Dr. Stephenson will hold forth for
the rest of the day, in two sessions running until about 2:45, followed by
vespers.
On Tuesday October 14th, the conference will continue
without Dr. Stephenson, as those who remain will discuss the rubrics and
significance of the Mass from the Preface to the Nunc Dimittis. The
Tuesday sessions, will be framed by morning low mass (spoken Divine Service)
and Vespers.
REGISTRATION FOR MEMBERS OF
Support your congregation! Set aside Sunday and Monday, October 12th
and 13h for Oktoberfest! And Tuesday too, if you can do it!
Volunteers sought! If you are able, we could really use your help. We are a small congregation, and with Dr.
Stephenson coming, we expect this year’s Oktoberfest will bring extra guests. So please step forward and offer your help:
everyone pulling together makes the preparations a lot easier. We need volunteers!
Special Guest Preacher Peter Eckardt on August 31st.
On
Sunday, August 31st, the
Sunday of Labor Day weekend, seminary graduate Peter Eckardt is slated to preach here at 8:30. Peter is returning
to seminary for a year of graduate work, so he has not yet been ordained, but
he received his Master’s of Divinity last Spring. Mark your calendar for a
special day!
Welcome Josh
Campbell!
On
completion of adult catechetical instruction, Josh Campbell was received into
communicant membership on July 27th.
Josh had been attending for some time with his father, Larry Campbell;
both live in Bishop Hill. We welcome Josh as a communicant member with joyful
hearts!
Saturday August 30th in Limbo
As
of the preparation of this newsletter, Amanda Eckardt is in the hospital, ready
to give birth to her and Burnie’s second daughter, and the fourth Eckardt grandchild.
As was the case when Beverly
was born, a Saturday Baptism is scheduled, with Pastor doing the baptizing
again. Tentatively, this would mean Saturday evening mass on August 30th
or possibly September 6th would be cancelled. Stay tuned.
Good News on Windows, Health Plan
At our special
voters’ assembly held August 17th, we received good news from
Trustee Otis Anderson that the insurance and contractual arrangements have been
worked out in such a way that we will be having our damaged stained-glass windows
repaired at no cost to the congregation. The windows above the organ were
damaged during our windy month of April. Our insurer, Grinnell-Mutual
Insurance, has agreed to pay for the repairs, at roughly the cost of $16,000. Following
this report the voters moved to go ahead with repairs.
Pastor Eckardt
also reported on the option to go to a new high deductible plan offered by
Concordia Plan Services. Our current plan, which was restructured for us just
over a year ago, has been saving us roughly $1,000 per month in premiums.
The new plan is
structured differently, but it appears highly likely to result in additional
significant savings to the congregation (barring catastrophic expenses to more
than one family member in a calendar year, in which unlikely case it would end
up costing about $2000 more overall). The congregation therefore also voted to
go ahead with the new plan.
Rally Day and Autumn Catechesis
On
Sunday, August 31st, the
Sunday of Labor Day weekend, we’ll be starting over all over again. First, a new Sunday school term starts
up.
Also
a new catechetical cycle begins—for our young people, for prospective new
members, or for current members who want to review—scheduled to begin on Saturday, September 6th,
at 9 am. ANYONE may attend. Bring your friends, bring your family, or
come by yourself if you want.
Choir Rehearsals
Regular choir
rehearsals resumed Wednesday evening, August 20th, as we prepare for
Oktoberfest. This gives us a mere month
and a half to get ready. This year a recording of the music is being prepared,
to enable all choir members to listen and practice on their own. This way,
out-of –towners can also be part of the choir.
We’ll have some new music, and, as always, have lots of fun.
September Birthdays
9/1 John Ricknell
9/10 Jan Schoen
9/15 Chuck Russell
9/17 Mary Beth Jones
9/18
DeAnne Anderson
9/19
Jaclyn Kraklow
9/19
Jamie Kraklow
9/28
Allan Kraklow
September
Ushers: Alan Kraklow, Steve Kraklow, Tom Wells
September
Anniversaries
9/18/1976
Tom and Sue Ann Wells
9/24/1977
Dennis and Janice Schoen
First Tuesday
First Tuesday Altar Guild
and Elders meetings will be held on September 2nd. Altar Guild at 6 p.m.; Vespers is at 6:45,
and Elders meet at 7:15.
Shut ins
Mary Hamilton at home; Anna Baker at home; Emmy Wear at Williamsfield
Home in Williamsfield.
The Lighter Side
The other day Joyce Long
showed me a note she had found and cut from an old magazine (Reader’s Digest,
perhaps?), a decades-old letter from a Nancy Eckardt regarding her husband
Burnell F. Eckardt, MD (my mother and father).
Here’s the note:
bugged
by it
MY HUSBAND, Bumell F. Eckardt, M.D., a
naval lieutenant commander during World War II, was the South Pacific
malaria-control officer from 1942 to ’44. Following the war, we met and married.
In our small
apartment, in Rochester , Minnesota
After he finished work that
day, my husband came in and exclaimed,
“I was malaria-control officer of the entire South Pacific, and I now come home to find that my wife is breeding mosquitoes!”
Burnell recognized the odor of mosquito larvae in the potato water.
—Nancy Eckardt
Altar Guild News
Notes for September:
There are four Sundays this month. Their color is green. All Wednesdays are also
green. On Wednesday, October 1st, we will be observing the Feast of
St. Michael and All Angels (Michaelmas), and the color is white.
Holy Cross Day (Sept 14th) and St.
Matthew’s day (Sept. 21st) fall on Sundays this year, and will be
observed only with second collects.
Jazz on the Side
Your
favorite local jazz band will be on the main stage Sunday afternoon during Hog
Days (Aug. 31). Come hear Steve Harris on the bari sax, and Pastor on the ivories, as part
of this 16 piece band that plays big-band favorites and others, from 11:30
until 1:00.
Regional Youth
Conference
On
Saturday October 4th from 9:00 am to 6:30 pm, Zion Lutheran
Church in Lincoln , IL Egypt Mt. Sinaiwe Egypt
At
the conference, presentations and sectionals on these and other topics will be
led by local pastors and lay leaders. During the day we will have a healthy
balance of worship, learning, and fun; the first half of the day at Zion Lutheran
Church and the second at Zion
Jr. High Youth (6th-8th)
and Sr. High Youth (9th-12th): Cost will be $10.00 a person, which will
include donuts and juice in the morning, lunch, a Grill-out in the evening, and
all activities. Several churches from the Central Illinois, Northern
Illinois , and Iowa East District are already planning to attend.
Please encourage your Jr. and Sr. High parents to send their children to this
conference, and I would especially encourage parents and pastors to attend as
well.
Chaperones: Make sure that you
bring an adequate number of chaperones, at least one chaperone for every 10
youth. Cost for chaperones is $10.00 as well.
Registration: Please have parents
complete the individual registration form. As you get a count of how many are
attending, email or call with the number of youth and chaperones attending from
your church. (We of course appreciate you telling us ASAP) If you are far away,
and you cannot make the 9:00-9:30 registration time, don't worry, you can come
late, just inform us and we'll work something out. Same applies if you need to
leave early. Remember to bring completed and signed individual registration
forms with you to Lincoln
Feel
free to call or email me with any questions.
In
Christ,
Pastor
David Ramirez
Zion Lutheran Church-Lincoln, IL
(217) 732-3946
Zion Lutheran Church-Lincoln, IL
(217) 732-3946
david.p.ramirez@gmail.com
In
Our Prayers
Our
current list of prayer intentions at mass includes the names on the lists here
following. To update the list, please
inform pastor.
In our parish:
Ann Baker, Emilie Ricknell, John
Ricknell, Linda Rowe, John Sovanski, Jean Russell
Outside our parish:
Anna Rutowicz [re Harris]
Julie Ross [Svetlana Meaker’s daughter, cancer]
Caleb Cleaver [Ricknell]
Madison Lindsay [re Andersons
Jill Matchett [re Shreck]
Anthony Strand [re Murphys]
Edna Day [Chris Harden’s mother-in-law, cancer]
Carolyn Lewis [re Campbells
Barb Fornoff [re Russells]
Lorene Foglesong [re Kraklows]
Corbin Gonzales [re Russell]
Harold Harfst, [re Murphy]
Nancy Eckardt [Pastor’s mother]
David Wexell [re Verplaetse]
Cathy Van Wassenhove [re Verplaetse]
Carl Hepner [re Kraklow]
Duane Kraklow [brother of Allan]
Lois Hopkins [re Kemerling]
Pastors Don Chambers, [Manito], Brian Feicho [E. St. Louis], Glenn Niemann [Pekin], Arthur Baisch [Arkansas], and Adam Jacobsen [Mattoon]
(prayers continued, back page)
(Prayers, continued from page 4)
In the military:
John Eckardt
Donny Appleman [re Ricknell]
Thomas Kim [re Shreck]
Jaclyn Harden Alvarez
Michael and Katherine Creech [re Murphy]
and Richard Heiden [re Eckardt]
In distress:
especially any unborn
children in danger of abortion, and those suffering from unrest, persecution,
and imprisonment in Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Nigeria, North Korea, and elsewhere.
Persecution details:
Horror and chaos continue to abound in Iraq ,
as armed jihadists of the militant group "Islamic State" (IS, also
referred to as ISIS ) took over the country's
largest Christian town, Qaraqosh, and nearby Christian settlements early on
August 7th. Qaraqosh, a city of about 50,000 people in Nineveh
Province , sits between Mosul and Erbil , the
capital of the Kurdish region. IS took over Mosul
in July, and many of the city's remaining Christians fled eastward to Qaraqosh,
sometimes called the Christian capital of Iraq
Tens of thousands have fled from Qaraqosh and surrounding areas, with
many seeking refuge in Kurdish-controlled parts of the country. The militants
now occupying Qaraqosh's churches have removed crosses and destroyed thousands
of valuable manuscripts. "There are 100,000 displaced Christians who have
fled with nothing but their clothes, some of them on foot, to reach the Kurdistan region," a Chaldean Patriarch explained.
However, those who make it to Kurdistan often
find themselves without shelter or even water in the blistering heat. Thousands
of other minority groups have also been targeted by IS, including ethnic
Yazidis.
Since their offensive attacks began in June, IS has
ordered followers of Christianity residing in captured towns to either convert
to Islam, pay a tax to remain in these communities as Christians, leave, or
ultimately die. Unfortunately, believers apprehended by the militants have been
ruthlessly attacked or killed.
The ultimatum was initially set for noon on July 18th,
but was then extended by 24 hours. Earlier, the Islamic State (IS) sought the
takeover of houses belonging to members of minority communities by marking them
with the phrase "property of the Islamic State" -- including homes
that were still inhabited by families. Christian houses were marked with the
letter "N" for "Nazarite."
It is believed that most Christian families have now fled
from Mosul , many to areas of northern Iraq
The Chaldean Archbishop of Erbil ,
Bashar M. Warda, said of this upsetting news: "Christians have lost their
trust in the land and in the future. Since 2003, two-thirds of the Christians have
left the country. June was the first month in 1,600 years in which Mosul
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