Friday, June 23, 2017

July/August 2017

Insurance Payout Promised;
Roof Replacement Likely

The hailstorm that came through Kewanee early this year has caused our area to be declared a disaster area, leading to a number of insurance payouts for roof replacements when a roof is determined to be sufficiently damaged. We have just learned that the church’s roof is among the roofs that qualifies, and Grinnell Mutual, our insurance carrier, has agreed to pay for our roof to be replaced.

According to the insurance company, we have full replacement insurance, which means that even our depreciation will be reimbursed to us. Here are the details:

31,649.99 Cost to replace
6,329.90 depreciation
2,500.00 deductible
________
$22,819.00 is the amount they are prepared to pay up front; and they have agreed to pay also the depreciation when the job is done. Our only cost will be our $2500 deductible, for a new roof.

This blessing seems to be in sync with our overall renovation project, whose second phase is drawing to a close. The balcony area (Phase II) is nearly complete, and when it is we will have completed the renovations up to the front steps to the chancel.

Our preliminary plans are to take a little break between this and Phase III (the chancel), for two reasons. First, we will be needing to raise money. Our project’s success up to this point has been largely due to finding ways to keep our costs way down: we have completed the nave at a fraction of the ordinary cost of doing so for a church our size. We will need to be find ways to do this for the chancel as well, but at the same time we will be needing more funds.

Secondly, we need to engage in careful planning. The chancel is the area that houses the altar, the pulpit, and the lectern. It is also technically called the sanctuary, although most people don’t know this, and think that the term ‘sanctuary’ refers to the entire worship space. It does not. The sanctuary corresponds roughly to the Holy of Holies in the temple. It is the place from which the Gifts are given: the altar, the pulpit, and the lectern.

We are going to be looking for furniture that is more befitting the neo-Gothic style of our church, such as what was removed in 1962 when the trend was to put more ‘modern’ looking things in. But of course we will have to find it also at a fraction of what it would ordinarily cost.

We are encouraged, however, by the successes we have had thus far, in Phases I and II, and now, in the blessing of a new roof. Why shouldn’t we be bold enough to watch for another blessing?

+ Pastor Eckardt

No Elders or Altar Guild in July; next meetings in August Due to the fact that the first Tuesday of July is Independence Day, and the next Tuesday, Pastor will be on vacation, the elders agreed to cancel meetings in July. No altar guild, first Tuesday vespers, or elders in July. Next meetings will be Tuesday, August 1st: Altar Guild at 6 p.m., Vespers at 6:45; Elders at 7:15, as usual.

July Ushers: 
Steve Peart, Grant Andresen, Larry Campbell (Jim Hornback in reserve)
August Ushers: 
Otis Anderson, John Ricknell, Bill Thompson (Jim Hornback in reserve)

Catechesis to Resume in August Saturday catechesis is set to resume the second Saturday in August, which is August 12th, at 9 a.m.

Altar Guild News No mass Saturday, June 24th as usual; church picnic the next day. No mass on Saturday, July 8th or Saturday, July 15th, while Pastor is on vacation.

Wednesday masses cancelled 12th, and 26th.
Color is White for July 2nd (and Saturday before), the Visitation B.V.M. Then Green throughout the rest of July and on all August weekends.

Wednesday, August 9th, we will observe St. Laurence, Deacon (August 10th). Color: Red.
Wednesday, August 16th, we will observe Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary (August 15th) Color: White.
Wednesday, August 23th, we will observe St. Bartholomew, Apostle. (August 24th) Color: Red.
Wednesday, August 30th, we will observe the martyrdom of St. John the Baptist. (August 29th) Color: Red.

The 2017 Institute on Liturgy, Preaching and Church Music on July 25-28 in River Forest, Ill., at Concordia University Chicago.

The Just Live by Faith: MAKE IT PLAIN IN SERMON + SERVICE + SONG
-for pastors, musicians, deaconesses, teachers and laity who assist in worship or are passionate about it. The Institute consists of five main types of events: • WORSHIP — Anchored by the Divine Service. • BIBLE STUDIES —on the book of Habakkuk will be led by Dr. Daniel Gard, President of Concordia, Chicago. It was from chapter two of this little book that Luther’s great Reformation insight took shape. • KEYNOTES — Three speakers will ponder how the joy of the sinner’s free justification stands at the beating heart of the worship life of Christ’s Church. Our Lutheran Confessions teach us: “So that this treasure might not stay buried, but be received and enjoyed, God has caused the Word to go forth and be proclaimed.” (LC II, Third Article 38). • WORKSHOPS — Covering a wide variety of topics and aimed at pastors, musicians and interested lay people, various teachers and pastors share their insights to strengthen and deepen the Church’s worship life. (Pastor Eckardt is leading two of these: “The Heartbeat of the Divine Service: from the Preface to the Words of Jesus,” and “The Sermon in the Service: Today This Scripture Is Fulfilled in Your Hearing.”) • EXTRAS — A concert by the National Lutheran Choir; free time to explore Frank Lloyd Wright architecture; organ recitals; a Martin Luther hymn festival; Gemütlichkeit and more. A stunning event that you will NOT want to miss. Hosted on the beautiful campus of Concordia, Chicago, July 25–28, come join us as we are strengthened together in the joy of the Reformation’s great a-ha! — the just live by faith!

Registration deadline is July 10th: To register go to the www.lcms.org web site and look for the seminar, or speak to Pastor

July and August Birthdays July:
7/2 Dana McReynolds
7/4 Sarah Kraklow
7/5 Sandra Verplaetse
7/7 Stephen Harris
7/9 Michelle Armstrong
7/10 Otis Anderson
7/10 Dale Baker
7/13 Gayle Beauprez
7/14 Pastor Eckardt
7/16 Robert Schoen
August:
8/2 Joyce Long
8/9 Donald Kegebein
8/11 Sam Fisher
8/11 Judy Thompson
8/13 Donald Murphy
8/16 Trista Dooley
8/17 Steven Peart
8/21 John Sovanski
8/24 Becky Russell
8/27 Steve Peart

July, August Anniversaries July:
7/1/1951 John and Emilie Ricknell
August:
8/1/2009 Chris and Trista Dooley

Shut ins Mary Hamilton at home; Emmy Wear at Williamsfield Home in Williamsfield; Emilie Ricknell at home.

Vacationing We have plans to take our summer vacation in Northern Wisconsin again this July, from the 8th to the 15th. As usual when I am away, there will be no mass on the two Saturdays affected, nor on Wednesday the 12th.

Pastor Mike Bahr from Springfield will be here to fill in on July 9th. Pastor Bahr filled in last Summer.

+ Pastor

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 the pastor.

in our parish:
Tony Fisher, Sandra Verplaetse, Emilie Ricknell, Linda Rowe, Joyce Long, Mary Hamilton,
Emmy Wear, Bea Harris, Michelle Armstrong, Jewneel Walker, Sharon Hartz

and also:
Anna Rutowicz [granddaughter of Harrises]
Jodi Rutowicz [daughter of Harrises]
Julie Ross [Svetlana Meaker’s daughter]
Jill Matchett [at request of Diana Shreck]
Annie Eastman [at request of Svetlana Meaker]
Nancy Popejoy [relative of Sharon Hartz]
Dave Colgron [friend of Tom Wells]
Shannon Watson [Jim’s daughter]
Steve Draminski [friend of Jim Watson]
Kathy Nussear [Joyce Long’s daughter, cancer]
Bud Harfst [Sue Murphy’s brother]
Pastor Kenneth Wegener
in the military:
John Eckardt
Donny Appleman [at request of the Ricknells]
Thomas Kim [at request of the Shrecks]
Michael Creech [at request of the Murphys]
Katherine Creech [at request of the Murphys]
Richard Heiden [at request of the Eckardts]
Carter Wills [grandson of the Thompsons]
Luke Van Landigan [grandson of Dick Melchin]
Jaclyn Alvarez [daughter of Kris Harden]
Traven Wetzel [Kris Harden’s son-in-law]
in trouble
any unborn children in danger of abortion
those suffering from unrest, persecution, and imprisonment in England, Egypt, Syria, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, North Korea, the Philippines, and elsewhere.

June 25 Annual Church Picnic to be at Kraklows’ The annual church picnic is to be held, God willing, at the home of Allan and Barb Kraklow south of Toulon this year. The date is our traditional last Sunday in June, which this year will be June 25th, as soon after church and Bible Class as you can arrive. As usual, it’s a potluck, and bring your own table service.

An Afterthought: Tom’s Beautiful Car and Our Marvelous Gifts The other day I came out of church following Saturday mass, and stood for a few moments talking about this and that with Tom Wells, while we enjoyed a moment of late afternoon sunshine before he would hop in his car and drive home. That car is a sight to behold; perhaps you’ve seen it. I’m not sure of the make and model; I’m going to guess early ’60s, maybe a Dodge Challenger, one of those old muscle cars, a bright yellow convertible. In pristine condition, seemingly always ready for a car show.

While we were talking, I committed the faux pas of absentmindedly leaning against the side of his car. He gently told me that one really shouldn’t do that with a show car. Even when people go to shows, he explained, they may lean in to have a peek, but never touch. Oops.

Anyhow, that got me thinking: there are some things that we learn to treat with special care, and that’s a good thing. And there is a good point of comparison with the Gifts of God, received from the altar and the pulpit. I am very encouraged that our people are eager to make our place of worship a beautifully renovated worship space; and it’s worthy of note that when we regard these Things as needing special care, it will affect how we treat our church, how we behave in it, and how we conduct ourselves during worship. Just as a show car is not just car, so our holy place is not just any place, and the hour of worship is not just any hour.

Possible Temporary Move to Gym Later this Summer if Heatwave Descends What is more difficult, if we move to the cafeteria again for a few weeks later this summer, should a heat wave engulf us, is to remember that we must also make the most of our worship space wherever it is.

We will watch the weather as it develops this summer, and if it should get blistering hot, we may move for a few weeks into the cafeteria. Details would be printed in the bulletin.

St. Paul’s Ev. Lutheran Church
109 S. Elm Street
Kewanee, IL 61443

No comments: