| Let it Shine! |
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Arise, shine, for your light has come, Isaiah 60:1
During the four week Let it Shine! Capital Appeal we will explore a vision for ministry and exciting possibilities for the future. People from the community of Peace will share reflections of their lives in the church. A Reflection from Bryan Rust On Sunday, April 22 Peace Lutheran Church began a four week Capital Appeal. I’ve enjoyed and I am humbled in reading the reflections from our sisters and brother over the past three Sundays. Getting to know each other and our varied life experiences are important parts of being together in a community of faith. This reflection in our Let it Shine! Capital Appeal is being published on Response Sunday, May 13. It’s a day when we’re asked to make a financial response to the one year general fund and the three year capital appeal. It’s an awesome and holy consideration. I’m supportive of the growing vision, specifically being with people in our local community. It’s also helpful to pay for the education building so that we can focus more fully on being in mission with people. Now the even more detailed and, to my way of thinking, more difficult work of organizing and living this vision begins. I believe we must organize and live this vision. I pray that we listen to all the voices in this church and in our community. Let’s move forward together. We can’t be the church, each of us, by ourselves. We need each other. On Sunday, May 6 in the liturgy it became clear what to write. It’s something I’ve known since I was a child almost as far back as I have memory: God loves me, no matter what. Those in my family have not loved me. I’ve questioned the love of the church for all God’s people. I’ve not loved myself as a child of God. I’ve not loved others. But I know and feel “in my bones” that God loves me, no matter what. We belong to God who calls us each by name. God lives with us. And God invites us to live with one another. “Beloved, let us love one another for love is from God.” (1 John 4:7) The writer of the letter of first John calls us to understand and live into the greatest commandment: love of God and love of neighbor. The writer of this passage doesn’t start with a command to love God; the command is to love one another, which grows out of the love of God. This is our response. We are to love one another because God loves us. How do we know God loves us? We look to Jesus. We know God loves us because God sent the Divine Child, God from God, Light from Light, to live as one of us, to die as one of us, and to be resurrected, so that we might live through Christ in the light of that resurrection. The writer of first John tells us that love has something to do with seeing. And the substance of love is a way of seeing and being with each other. How are we with each other? How do we see each other? How are you paying attention to the people in your life, people in your family, people at work and school, people at church, people in this neighborhood, people you don’t know? When they are speaking, do you give your full attention to what they are saying, or are you thinking ahead of what you are going to say in response? Are you thinking about something else entirely? Do we fail to pay full attention because we’ve decided in advance what someone is going to say, assuming it’s the thing that they always say? Or do we see only the things that are useful and pertinent to us? Could I give my full attention, to see people as they are, to live with people as they are? These are acts of love. Let’s have the vision to live these acts of love. Jesus is risen and has defeated the power of death and the old ways of living forever. Let’s pray for the courage to live a new way of life; not just think about it, but fully live with one another. God loves you, no matter what, and God is with you. God’s presence is the gift of love. Our response is to love one another. This gift of love is to everyone without any condition. So, no matter what, God loves you. Beloved, this is grace! Your brother in Christ, Bryan Rust
A Reflection from Cyndi O'Rourke Although Christianity has played a role throughout my life, the church has not. As a child, I was raised by loving and supportive parents with the fundamentals of Christianity, but we did not attend church. When I reached middle school age, I began to attend a Baptist church in my small town of 3,600 people. The youth program was amazing…the church was a different story. The church was not an example of what I thought being “Christian” meant. It was plagued with hypocrisy and judgment. However, I would still find the grace of Jesus and be baptized in my early teen years. When I was a freshman in high school, my grandpa passed away. I was home with him and worked with my grandma to try and save his life. His death brought me closer to the Lord. I used my faith to heal, but unfortunately the church was not a part of that process. I would not pursue a church home again until I was in my early twenties and married to my new husband, Kelly. Kelly was raised through the Catholic Church, so he and I had to find a church that incorporated both of our beliefs. We began to attend a non-denominational church, but our presence was scattered. With the anticipation of our first child’s birth, we moved to Austin, TX. Kelly and I decided that we wanted to have the Church as part of our religious and family growth. After Cassi’s birth, I visited several churches in our area. I was greeted at Peace Lutheran Church by a pure act of kindness from some young boys that attended the church. They stood up and gave me and my newborn their seats…without hesitation or want. They stamped my heart. It was at that point in my life I realized you had to find a church that would guide and teach you along your journey of Christianity. Churches are run by humans, so there will be fault, but finding a church that is welcoming, open and honest was a huge blessing in my life. My entire family was touched by Peace Lutheran Church when my grandma passed away 2 years ago. Pastor Sappenfield visited my grandma and family in hospice on a regular basis. The comfort that he brought to my grandma and to us will be forever cherished. Our church family was praying for us and my grandma too. This kindness reflected the essence of Peace Lutheran Church and was a very different experience than when my grandpa passed. Throughout the past 8 years, we have watched our family grow up with Peace Lutheran Church. The Baptism of our children, teaching Sunday School and having my entire family attend church together has strengthened my life and that of my family. Peace Lutheran has allowed me, Kelly, Cassi, Skye and Kaden the blessing of a church home. A safe and supportive place where we can ask questions, learn, grow, and turn to in times of need, joy, or just comfort. The foundation of what a church is will be strong in my children. My hope is that they will continue to seek and have church homes throughout their life voyages. Cyndi O’Rourke
A Reflection from Doug Hamaker When Pastor Bill asked us if we would be willing to share our thoughts on “What Church has meant to us”, it sounded like such an easy task. After all, we ultimately would be describing how we have enjoyed our life here at Peace, so what could be so hard about accepting that request? I guess the hardest part is deciding on where to begin? I could go into great lengths about how I (Doug) grew up in the Episcopalian church, while Beverly grew up in the United Church of Christ. And that we were married in Bryan, Texas at Beverly’s church; Faith United Church of Christ. As well as acknowledge that we were somewhat “churchless” for the first 5 to 6 years of our marriage. But I feel the story I want to share with you, the theme of which is that the Church has been a continuous source of learning for us, should start with Beverly and I and our growth together as we started our family. This timeframe begins in 1990. We had already moved to Cedar Park and were joyous with the birth of our first born, Bradley. We knew we wanted him to grow up knowing the church because of our own childhood experiences growing up in our churches, so we discussed and thought through what we knew and had experiences with, and ultimately landed at an Episcopal church in Round Rock. This is where Bradley was baptized. However, although we attended Sunday services somewhat regularly, we never really felt the connection or “fit” at that church. So in 1993 when we were expecting the birth of our second, Lauren, we knew we needed to look for a church that more fully addressed what we were in search of. Our search for our next church was what landed us here at Peace, which ultimately is where Lauren was baptized. We received a warm welcome after our first visit to Peace, which was very important because neither Beverly nor I grew up in the Lutheran church, and our decision meant moving away from what we grew up with. The search was somewhat difficult, because although we thought we were looking for a place for her to be baptized, it became apparent that we were truly looking for a place that could help our young family to learn and grow. Peace very much became that foundation for spiritual learning for us, through all the various stages of children’s classes, confirmation, and ministries our children have been involved with as they have grown. Bradley and Lauren also developed lifelong friends during their involvement in church activities. Beverly and I were not left out of the opportunity to learn, both through being involved as adult leaders in the children’s Sunday school and youth gatherings as well as the more “adult” activities such as assistants during worship services, participation in church boards and property grounds keeping. Sunday worship services, especially the opportunity to hear literature and sermons that teach the theology of the church, have also held a very significant opportunity for us to learn and reflect on our beliefs and where we are in life. Fast forwarding to the present, it feels as though Beverly and I are entering a “next stage” of our lives in which our two children have graduated from high school and are moving toward their own adult goals. Even though we are no longer a young family, I continue to see the learning opportunities for us here at Peace. Not only the Sunday services, the involvement in dinner groups, or the other church sponsored activities. But the opportunity to learn and be involved with others that have, will, or are going through similar stages of life. Doug Hamaker
A Reflection from Betty Herboek Ten days after I was born I was baptized by a Lutheran Pastor. My mother and father came to Milwaukee when they were married and several years after was my big day. My father came from a Catholic family, but he left early and served in the Navy many years. When he came to Milwaukee, he found my mother in Portage, Wisconsin. It took them about five years before they found the church they wanted. It was St. Marcus and that’s where we stayed and where I was married to Robert Herboek in 1943. My father’s health was failing and Pastor Dornfeld came to see him every week. For three years I taught Sunday School, third grade, and I LOVED it! The night of “Pearl Harbor” my father died. Both my brothers served in the war so my mother and I were alone. We stayed with St. Marcus. Like I said, I was married in 1943 at St. Marcus but soon we moved to Grafton (soon to be Milwaukee) our church there was Missouri Lutheran. I wasn’t too happy there, so I found Wellington Park American Lutheran. That’s where we stayed until we moved to Texas. At Wellington Park I really did a lot. I taught sixth grade Sunday School, was President of the Women’s Society and gave all the Bible Lessons every month with the wonderful help I had from Pastor Gluth. Also we had a lot of dinners that we ladies also did. One time I had my boys, Tommy and Jimmy, gather all their boyfriends and we used them as waiters dressed in white shirts, black pants and a black bow tie. That was really fun. Also our ladies were in Circles and each Circle met once a month in their homes. My mother answered the phone most of the time and she finally said to the ladies on the phone, “Isn’t there anyone besides Betty?” I loved our monthly meeting, besides the Bible Study, we had desserts, YUMMY! Well, my mother died before we moved to Texas and Pastor Gluth just left so our new Pastor didn’t know us but got along just fine. We had to take her to Portage for burial and because we were now American Lutheran, and not Missouri, he wouldn’t bury her and she was brought up in that church and lived there until she was 36! We hunted down another American Lutheran Church for the cemetery, but my cousins made us a meal at my mother’s old church. Such silly stuff! Now look at how our church allows us all! We moved to Texas and joined Triumphant Love Lutheran Church. It was a new church and then changed to St. John’s ELCA and stayed until we moved again to Cedar Park. At St. John’s I was a Stephen Minister. I loved all the people I helped except one. She asked me to take her all over town which was not what was expected of me. Finally she asked how long she could have me and I told her I could not do it anymore. The older minister’s wife went along with me after that to give communion to some and took it herself. I was very pleased with my job. Bob and I thought it was time to live in a retirement home and chose where I still am, Clairmont Retirement Home. We found a wonderful Lutheran Church, Peace, but Pastor Luke was not just right for us. He left and the best pastor we ever had and have now is Pastor Bill Sappenfield. He taught me more than any pastor did in my many churches and keeps on teaching. I have not done anything for the church, but did learn plenty. Bob died while the pastor was at an out of state meeting so we had the substitute minister. Bob and I went to hear him speak before we joined Peace. We had a memorial service for Bob. It has been five years now and I miss Bob every day. After Bob died, Gerri West came to me to be my Stephen Minister. I was mighty happy to have her come. I can’t tell you how much she helped me. Gerri’s husband, Jim, is also right there if you need him. I love them both! In fact I love so many at Peace that I can’t name them all. At Clairmont we do have a little church on Sunday. It is O.K. but I miss Peace. My memorial verse when I was Confirmed was: God bless Peace Lutheran Church,
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