Volume 27 No. 3
Our February Council meeting, to
which any interested members were invited, was a fruitful exchange of
information. About twelve people were there, discussing primarily the financial
straits in which we find ourselves as a congregation.
Our regular bank accounts
have been depleted as we have struggled to meet our obligations over the past
15 years. A look at our history over that period will reveal that our total
indebtedness has not slipped much, and we have been meeting our obligations in
a timely fashion. Our current situation, however, is that we have now reached a
critical point that may require major restructuring of our finances.
Our mission and challenge is
to be and remain a viable beacon of hope for the people of Kewanee and the
area, through the unabashed and faithful preaching and confessing of the Gospel
of our Lord Jesus. The difficulty we face is that Kewanee, like so many
communities in Illinois
Nevertheless we are
determined to meet the challenge with the hope and expectation of a better
future. I attended a community forum in
which five new mayoral candidates expressed eagerness and determination to
bring business back to Kewanee; I came away with a hope that the community’s
decline can be inverted. I have meanwhile arranged a meeting with Rev. Joel
Cluver, the district’s evangelism chairman, seeking new ideas for presenting
the Gospel in Kewanee. We have been in contact with the Church Extension Fund
to see if some restructuring of our loan might be in order. We are redoubling
our efforts to be, by the grace of God, a place where the light of Christ
shines clearly.
This congregation is united
in our desire to succeed in these goals, and this is especially evident in the
remarkable level of offerings received. It is clear to me that we have a unified
desire to overcome our obstacles and thrive; and this ought to produce positive
results.
In addition,
I am also in contact with a highly recommended financial advisor who has
suggested an intriguing and innovative way of offering estate planning to
member families that has proven to have benefited people immensely, and
meanwhile provided increased capability for them to give to charity (like the
church) out of their increase in assets. The council determined that it would
be best if I presented some of this material for consideration via this
newsletter, to let you, the members, decide for yourselves whether this might
be worth your consideration.
The man’s name is Bob Carillo, whose group is called
Financial Independents of Minnesota. A
two-page flyer from his group is included with this newsletter for your
consideration. He saves people money, he says, by such things as shopping for
better annuities, life insurance vehicles, etc., or moving their money into a
trust that, while remaining in their own
control, is legally safe from taxation. He has been in business for 36 years,
and has been of particular help to Lutheran congregations, as a confessional
Lutheran himself. He told me several stories of people whose nest-egg was
increased in some very simple ways. For instance, a man and his wife had a life
insurance policy that, when they simply shifted it to another company,
increased their retirement nest-egg by $300,000.
His offer is simple: let him come talk to you and explain himself, perhaps in a Sunday
afternoon seminar (complete with a spaghetti lunch, if you want!) and then offer
to look at your financial situation with you (with your attorney if you wish)
in strictest confidence (as required by law). And if everything looks good,
he’ll suggest you leave it as it is; but, he says, “What if we can improve it?
Make it better for you and your family, your church, Confessional Lutheran
Evangelical Foundation, whomever?”
I am willing to be the first guinea pig; if he comes, I’ll eat his spaghetti, I’ll listen to
his seminar, and I’ll even offer to let him look over my own finances and tell
me what he thinks.
So, if at least listing to
the seminar sounds at all plausible, all
we would need is half a dozen families or so who would come, only to listen to
the man, with no strings attached. I for one am convinced that this is
certainly worth a try, because 1) there’s no risk, 2) there might be some very
pleasing results, and 3) it might be of help to our congregation, when we need
it most.
Anyone interested, please let me know.
+ Pastor Eckardt
Lenten
Suppers
We are again having Lenten soup
suppers on Wednesdays in March at 5 pm. Join your family of the faithful for
this time together. Convenient time too:
midweek Lenten masses are at 7:00.
Every Wednesday in Lent except for
Holy Week.
The Season
of Lent
(from various sources)
Our
liturgical preparation for Easter takes place through three distinct periods or
steps. The first was Pre-lent. The second is Lent which is the time between Ash
Wednesday and Judica. The final step is Passiontide and Holy Week.
ASH WEDNESDAY takes its name from the ceremony of ashes. We
began our journey by mourning for our sins and setting our faces toward Jerusalem
The
first Sunday is called INVOCABIT, which means “he will call.” It comes
from Psalm 91: “He will call upon me and I will answer him. The Gospel is Our
Lord’s temptation in the dessert and the Psalmist gives voice to Our Lord’s
prayer as He faces Satan in order to deliver us from evil.
The
second Sunday is called REMINISCERE, which means “remember.” It comes
from Psalm 25: “Remember, O Lord, Your tender mercies and Your
loving-kindnesses.” The Gospel is the account of the Canaanite woman’s terrible
battle with Our Lord for her demon-possessed daughter. The woman holds Our Lord
to His Word. She insists that He remember His promises and be the Messiah.
The
third Sunday is called OCULI, which means “My eyes.” It also comes from
Psalm 25: “Mine eyes are ever toward the Lord, for He shall pluck my feet out
of the net.” The Gospel recounts the healing of a deaf and mute man. His eyes
were rightly on the Lord.
The
fourth Sunday is called LAETARE, which means “rejoice.” It comes from
Isaiah 66: “Rejoice with Jerusalem
In
Lent, we continue to abstain from the “Alleluias” and Greater Gloria. The color
is violet to signify mourning for a monarch. We also add the Collect for
Ash Wednesday to every Service. As is the case with all fasting in Christendom,
we give things up to subdue our flesh and to enhance our joy in them when they
return. For the time comes, indeed, when we shall fast no more. This season is
meant to order our hearts and minds upon not only on the terrible cost of Our
Lord’s gracious sacrifice on our behalf but also on His willingness to be our
Savior and to reconcile us to His Father. So also, the entire season, as even
our entire faith and persons, is observed in the sure and certain knowledge of
the Resurrection.
PASSIONTIDE
The
final stage in our symbolic journey toward Easter is Passiontide, which begins
with the 5th Sunday in Lent. The crosses are now covered and even the Gloria
Patri disappears for a while. A common question is “Why do we drape and cover
the crosses as we get closer to Good Friday, as our attention upon the last
hours and the sufferings of Our Lord increases?” We do this because we don’t deserve to look upon
the cross. We are not worthy of the Sacrifice. The cross
is our greatest and most cherished symbol. So it is partially taken away from
us for a short time, that we might better appreciate it when it returns. The
crosses are not taken away completely. They are not removed. They are covered.
We can see outlines of the crosses, but their beauty and details are fuzzy.
This symbolizes the reality that our grief prevents us from seeing clearly
until the Good Friday liturgy and, of course, Easter. This also reminds us of
Our Lord’s actions in
response to the violence of the people
in this Sunday’s Gospel, the Lord “Jesus hid Himself.” That is why normally the
crosses are veiled during the Service after the reading of the Gospel. The idea
of removing the Gloria Patri is much the same. The Triune Name given at the
Ascension is the fullest revelation of God’s Name given to men. To take away the Gloria Patri for two weeks is a bit jarring. It is particularly
awkward not to sing it at the end of the Nunc Dimitis. Its short-term removal
serves to draw attention to it. All of this is that we would learn to mortify
our own flesh and to depend more and more upon the grace of God in Christ. For
never, even in our most somber of ceremonies, is the Church in doubt about the
end. Jesus died but is not dead. Jesus lives. Easter is coming. Our Alleluias,
Gloria Patris, crosses, fatty foods, and the like shall all return, but even
better than that, we shall have them forever in heaven when our own
resurrections occur.
Passiontide
extends through Holy Week and the Triduum (“three holy days”—which includes
Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday). At the conclusion of the Maundy
Thursday Service the Altar will be stripped, the Sanctuary decorations will be
removed. All that will be left in the Sanctuary are the immovable pieces of
furniture, laid bare.
On
Good Friday, while all is bare, the normal responses and introductions are
removed from the readings.
The
intensity builds from now until the Great Vigil of Easter on Holy Saturday,
when we finally arrive at the empty tomb but never at an empty Altar. He is
always there for us with His life-giving, sin-forgiving, holy Body and Blood.
A LENTEN ADMONITION
The
Church is always prepared in the same way - through repentance. To prepare for
her Easter celebration the Church marks off forty days of special preparation
called “Lent” beginning with Ash Wednesday. It is a time reminiscent of Our
Lord’s fasting in the desert and the Israelites wandering in the wilderness.
During Lent, especially, the Church urges her members to fasting, almsgiving,
and prayer. Even as true repentance is not simply feeling sorry, but is turning
from sin and toward God, or is sorrow over sin and faith in Jesus, so likewise,
Lent is not so much a time of “giving things up” as it is a time for adding
things that increase our awareness of God’s mercy in Christ Jesus. Therefore
you are encouraged to make use of Lenten customs that aid you in your devotion,
and specifically to make an increased use of the Means of Grace. The Holy Communion
is every Sunday at 8:30 a.m., Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m., and Saturdays at 5:30
p.m. During Holy Week mass is scheduled every night from Monday through
Saturday at 7:00. Come, and avail yourrself
of what God wants to give.
In Our Prayers
In addition to our shut-ins, our
current list of prayer intentions at mass includes the names on the lists here
following. Anyone wishing to update the
lest by ddition or subtraction, please inform the pastor.
in our parish:
Sarah Corzine
Jean Russell
Emilie Ricknell
Linda Rowe
John Sovanski
Ann Baker
Dale Baker
and also:
Anna Rutowicz [granddaghter of Harrises]
Julie Ross [Svetlana Meaker’s daughter, cancer]
Jill Matchett [re Shrecks]
Lorene Foglesong [re Kraklows]
Corbin Gonzales [re Russells]
David Wexell [re Verplaetses]
Cathy Van Wassenhove [re Verplaetses]
Emily Corzine [Sarah’s sister]
Shelly DeBord [re Watsons]
Lois Hopkins [re Kemerlings]
Liam Hampton [re Murphys]
Anthony Strand [re Murphys]
Maria Thorndike [re Murphys]
Cindy Davenport [re Kemerlings]
Ben Brown [re Eckardts]
Kenneth Yarger [re Erickson]
Annie Eastman [re Meaker]
Keith Ruggles [Barb Kraklow’s brother, cancer]
David Fowler [heart condition, re Murphys]
Pastors Don Chambers [Manito]
Glenn Niemann [Pekin
in the military:
John Eckardt
Donny Appleman [re Ricknell]
Thomas Kim [re Shreck]
Michael and Katherine Creech [re Murphy]
Richard Heiden [re Eckardt]
Carter Wills
Luke Van Landigan [grandson of Dick Melchin]
Jaclyn Alvarez [daughter of Kris Harden]
In trouble:
Unborn children in danger of
abortion, and those suffering from unrest and persecution in Syria, Egypt,
Libya, Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Nigeria, North Korea, Burma, and elsewhere. Details,
back page.
March Anniversary
3/19/1977 Jeff and Diana Shreck
March Ushers
Allan Kraklow Steve Kraklow, Tom Wells
Altar Guild Notes
·
The paraments
color for the month of March is VIOLET, except:
·
Wednesday, March
18th, we will observe St.
Joseph
·
Wednesday, March
25th, is the Annunciation.
Color is WHITE.
·
Since March 29th
is Palm Sunday, there is no mass on Saturday evening, March 28th.
Next meeting is Tuesday, March 3rd.
First Tuesday
Vespers, etc.
March 3rd, Altar Guild is at 6 pm, Vespers is
at 6:45, and Elders is at 7:15, as usual.
March
Birthdays:
3/1 Barbra Kraklow
3/2 Joseph Eckardt
3/8 Carol Kegebein
3/25 Carol Eckardt
Shut ins
Mary Hamilton at home; Anna Baker at home; Emmy Wear at Williamsfield.
Private Confession is always available to anyone
between 6 and 6:30 pm on these Wednesdays (and also, as always, by appointment).
Pastor is usually available as well on Saturdays, from about 4 pm until Mass.
Robin Sighting
Contest
This year’s winner for the
contest is Carol Eckardt, who saw a huge flock of robins right in the backyard,
on February 13th. Earlier sightings were reported in other states,
which, of course, were ruled inadmissible. Congratulations to Carol!
Persecution details
The Christian community in Egypt is in mourning after 21 Egyptian
Christians who had moved to Libya ISIS
posted a video on February 15th showing the savage decapitation of the
victimized men. The video makes it clear that the men were targeted because of
their faith. Although analysts have recently reported that the video may have
been staged, or at least enhanced to look more gruesome, it does appear to be
clear that at the very least the 21 Christians were murdered, most likely by
beheading. We know their names: Milad Makeen Zaky, Abanub Ayad Atiya, Maged
Solaiman Shehata, Yusuf Shukry Yunan, Kirollos Shokry Fawzy, Bishoy Astafanus
Kamel, Somaily Astafanus Kamel, Malak Ibrahim Sinweet, Tawadros Yusuf Tawadros,
Girgis Milad Sinweet, Mina Fayez Aziz, Hany Abdelmesih Salib, Bishoy Adel
Khalaf, Samuel Alham Wilson, Worker from Awr village [name unknown at this
time], Ezat Bishri Naseef, Loqa Nagaty, Gaber Munir Adly, Esam Badir Samir,
Malak Farag Abram, Sameh Salah Faruq.
A village school in Burma (Myanmar
Two young women were
tragically attacked and killed on January 19th because of their Christian work
in a Buddhist village. The women, who were serving as volunteer schoolteachers
in a village located within Kachin
State
SOURCE(S): VOM USA
Sponsors
Sought
for
St. Paul’s on the Air
Every $20 donation would
support our radio program for a Sunday (AM radio: WKEI at 7:30), so if
anyone wants to become a sponsor, either on a one-time basis, or monthly, or
quarterly, let Pastor know.
If we had, say, 13 sponsors,
at $20 per quarter, the program would pay for itself.
If you have a business or
honoree you’d like mentioned, Pastor will gladly do so
“I listen to your program every Sunday.”
“I always enjoy hearing you on the radio.”
“Great program!”
We routinely hear comments
like this. People know, because of St.
Paul
Food
Pantry donations
Remember, the box in the
hallway is for non-perishable food goods for poor people who come by for help.
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