FROM PASTOR RICK’S COMPUTER:
DON'T WORRY.  BE PRAYING

Shortly following the interviews, Pastors Schleicher and Miller reported that a considerable number of people expressed concern for my physical and spiritual health now that I am the lone pastor. They suggested that I speak to these concerns. These words do just that.

My message to you is: “Don’t be unduly worried for me.”

I am thankful for the love and support such concerns express. They are personally gratifying. I also am aware of a certain anxiety about the congregation in them. It goes like this: if Pr. Rick becomes too tired or too discouraged he will leave. Then we will be without a pastor. Please read on.

First concern: I am all-alone again. In truth, the position of associate pastor was not intended to be “assistance” for me. It was not an “assistant” pastor. (See below for further about this.) Recall that I have been a “solo” pastor for 26+ years of my 28 years of ministry. I served alone for 10 years at Gethsemane Church in Warren, a congregation of about 450 people. I served alone here from 1984 to September 2000. In the 18 months of having a full-time associate, I have not forgotten how to be “solo”.

Second concern: How can I provide pastoral care to so many? We have excellent staff and volunteers in pastoral care. We are all concerned that pastoral care be given to homebound members, hospitalized and seek appointments. We have not “downsized”. Pastoral care in the aforementioned areas was not a part of the associate pastor’s job description.

Toward covering these areas we took the first step back in ’98 when we asked Pr. Paul to be our Visitation Pastor. Then Karen Eichelberger joined our church and took training to become our parish nurse. As Pr. Paul needed to give closer care to Donna and himself, Karen assumed his work. Next, Health Ministries trained and installed the IV Team (Immanuel Visitors). So today it is not proper to say “I” have help. It is more accurate to say that we have a pastoral care team consisting of Pastor, Parish Nurse, IV Team and many support people: prayers, food providers, card senders. So don’t worry about me trying to overdo visiting everybody. I am part of a ministry team.

Third concern: I will have more responsibility. Responsibilities that Pr. Cindy had have not been given back to me. The associate position was not designed to take responsibility off my shoulders. Rather it was designed to solidify and expand our ministry with youth and families. These are areas with which I have only limited responsibility. I mostly work with the Catechism classes. The Youth and Parish Education Committees oversee youth work with their many servants. We had hoped to see this increase. And we had hoped that we could build family ministry around our youth. I was not doing these things before Pr. Cindy came. And I will not be doing them now. So little has changed for me.

Some may view that having to preach each week will be “added” responsibility. It will be to some extent. Yet I preached every week for the 26+ years prior to partnering with an associate for 18 months. Do not overly worry about added responsibility.

Do pray for me. It is always in season. Do pray for our President, Dennis Graeber. He has carried much of the worry. Do pray for those who are managing the Bridgebuilder process. Do pray for our church family to be humble before the Lord. It is in humbleness that we will speak and do what Jesus did.

So, to adapt a phrase: “Don’t worry. Be praying.”

AMONG OUR MEMBERS:

CONFIRMATION
Cashal Rosier confessed his faith and received confirmation on July 28^th. Cashal completed requirements in May. However, his schedule did not allow him to be confirmed with the other youth. Congratulations, Cashal!

MARRIAGE
John and Lindsay (Folk) Orlando were united in the Rite of Marriage on July 20^th at Immanuel. John and Lindsay live in Chicago, IL.

TRANSFER
Scott and Cathy VonSpreecken, with their children Kristen, Victoria, and Peter, transferred to St. Gerard Catholic Parish in Delta Township.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR FELLOWSHIP:

HEALTH POTLUCK
Annual Healthy Potluck immediately following the Outdoor Service August 4.  Sponsored by Health Ministry Team.  Amy Reed, RD has assisted us in planning a tasty and healthy menu.  See the poster, and pick up recipes in the church lobby.  There are many choices – a great opportunity to try some healthy versions of old favorites.  Please pick up a recipe to prepare and share.  Also bring your lawn chairs.  Table service and drinks will be provided.

CHOIR
Immanuel’s Adult Choir will re-gather for the year at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, August 28 at Denise Kelly’s home, 9330 Butler Rd., Portland.  This will be a getting to re-know you party for the whole family – new people are most welcome.   We are in a building mode.  We need you!  Come talk to us – find out what it’s about.  Bring a dish to pass.  Call Denise Kelly, 647-4036 or Ellen McKenzie, 627-6202 with questions.

OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE:

HERE COMES THE BRIDE ...
and the Wedding Coordinator(s) were there to help her!  Sound like something you want to be a part of?  We need one or two individuals to serve as Wedding Coordinators (two volunteers provides a back-up).  This is an opportunity for you to assist the wedding party as well as our pastor during the joyous event.  The 2 individuals currently in this position are ready to pass the torch along, after graciously serving for a number of years, and will train you!  The time involved only involves the rehearsal at church and the day of the wedding – that’s it!  What a great opportunity to serve!  The wedding coordinator is paid $60 for each wedding.  If you are interested, please contact Barb Paulins @ 517-645-2914.  I hope to hear from you soon.

COFFEE HOUR
The Coffee Hour and Greeter sign up sheets for August and September are posted in the church lobby.  Please consider signing up.  Thank you!

USHER TRAINING
Would you like to usher??  or take a refresher course????  Now’s your opportunity.  A training session is scheduled for Tuesday, September 10 at 7:00 p.m. in the Church Narthex.  John & Joyce Oswill will be training.  Call John or Joyce, 627-6839 if you have any questions or just show up – training takes approximately 1 – 1 ½  hours.  

GARDENERS NEEDED
Looking for volunteers to water the plants in front of the church and memorial garden in the month of September.  Please call Barb Roush, 645-2266 to help.

10 TIPS TO HEALTHY EATING:

Experts agree the key to healthy eating is the time-tested advice of balance, variety and moderation.  In short, that means eating a wide variety of foods without getting too many calories or too much of any one nutrient.  These 10 tips can help you follow that advice while still enjoying the foods you eat.

1.  Eat a variety of nutrient-rich foods.  You need more than 40 different nutrients for good health, and no single food supplies them all.  Your daily food selection should include bread and other whole-grain products; fruits; vegetables; dairy products; and meat, poultry, fish and other protein foods. How much you should eat depends on your calorie needs.  Use the Food Guide Pyramid and the Nutrition Facts panel on food labels as handy references.

2.  Enjoy plenty of whole grains, fruits and vegetables.  Do you eat 6-11 servings from the bread, rice, cereal and pasta group?   Do you eat 2-4 servings of fruit and 3-5 servings of vegetable on most days?  I f you don’t enjoy some to these at first, give them another chance.  Look through cookbooks for tasty easy to prepare unfamiliar foods.

3.  Maintain a healthy weight.  The weight that’s right for you depends on many factors including your sex, height, age and heredity.  If you’re constantly losing and regaining weight, a registered dietitian can help you develop sensible eating habits for successful with management. Regular exercise is also important to maintaining a healthy weight.

4.  Eat moderate portions.  Did you know the recommended serving of cooked meat is 3 ounces, similar in size to a deck of playing cards?  A medium piece of fruit is 1 serving and a cup of pasta equals 2 servings.  A pint of ice cream contains 4 servings.   If you keep portion sizes reasonable, it is easier to eat the foods you want and stay healthy.

5.  Eat regular meals.  Skipping meals can lead to out-of-control hunger, often resulting in overeating.  When you are very hungry, it is tempting to forget about good nutrition.  Snacking between meals can help curb hunger, but don’t eat so much that your snack becomes an entire meal.

6.  Just reduce, you don’t need to eliminate certain foods.  Most people eat for pleasure as well as nutrition.  If your favorite foods are high in fat, salt or sugar, the key is moderating how much of these foods you eat and how often you eat them.  Identify major sources of these ingredients in your diet and make changes.    If you love fried chicken or desserts for example, you don’t have to give them up;  just eat them less often.  When dining out, share food with a friend ask for a take-home bag or a smaller portion.

7.  Balance your food choices over time.  Not every food has to be “perfect”.  If you miss out on any food group one day, make up for it the next.  Your food choices over several days should fit together into a healthy pattern.

8.  Know your diet pitfalls.  To improve your eating habits, you first have to know what’s wrong with them.  Write down everything you eat for 3 days.  Then check your list according to the rest of these tips.  Are you eating too much fat?  Rather than eliminating all fat, just cut back some.  Are you getting enough fruits and vegetables?  If not, find creative ways to include them in your diet.

9.  Make changes gradually.  Just as there are no “superfoods” or easy answers to a healthy diet, don’t expect to totally revamp, your eating habits overnight.  Begin to remedy excesses or deficiencies with modest changes that can add up to positive, lifelong eating habits.  Changing too much, too fast can get in the way of success.

10.  Remember that foods are not good or bad.  Select foods based on your total eating patterns, not whether any individual food is good” or “bad.”  Don’t feel guilty if you love foods such as apple pie, potato chips, etc.  Eat them in moderation, and choose other foods to provide the balance and variety that are vital to good health. 

WORSHIP NEWS:

Worship Schedule for August

RALLY DAY
Join us for games and fun on Rally Day, September 8, 2002.  We'll strart around 12:00 noon immediately following the 10:30 service. Lunch will be served.  Hope to see you there!

THANK YOU'S:

FROM REDEEMER CHURCH, LANSING
We received a letter stating that you participated, along with the Capital Conference, with a special financial gift that helped to pay 1 month’s payment toward our roof/heat. Thank you for that special gift and for your constant support. It was a blessing to have some of your members join us at the dedication of our roof/heat and we pray that this improvement to our building will make us more visible to our community.
(Bob and Karen Eichelberger represented us at the dedication. Redeemer received half of our special Lenten offerings. The cost of repairs to their roof and boiler system are a Special Bishop’s Project.)

FROM PASTOR RICK & ELLEN AND RICK & LYNNE FRACKER
Thank you to all of you who have kept our brother, Ronald, in your prayers these last months.  Ron passed away on Monday, July 8, at Arbor Hospice.  The cards received and visits to the funeral home and funeral are much appreciated.   A special thank you to the Choir for the plant. Ron made a difference in this life and will be missed greatly.  Sing God a simple song.

Thanks to AAL Branch 4252 and Jim Drown for the purchase and installation of the two benches at the 501 building.

FROM THE COUNCIL PRESIDENT'S DESK:

The first part of August, how can that be. This summer is flying by.  I think many of us are just trying to keep up with it.

In our personal life, as of this writing, Pat’s father has now been in the hospital for over three weeks.  His infected gal bladder resulted in pockets of infections which progressed to complications with electrolytes, edema and hemoglobin deficiency problems that had to be dealt with aggressively.  Progress appears to be slow but steady for the most part.  Your prayers have been appreciated.  As a family we ask for your continual prayers as we pray for strength and healing.  Much healing has been going on, however much more healing is needed.

As a congregation we need to continue to pray for reconciliation and healing and clarity for a vision for the future.  The Bridgebuilders process is well underway.  The education (learning event) and interviews are completed.  We likely gave the consultants, Pr. John Schleicher and Pr. Marcy Miller a lot of information to review as they prepare their feedback report.  This report will be presented at a congregational meeting.  The date of the congregational meeting is to be determined.

The planning group will use the feedback report later.  It will help us as a congregation to plan for the future with clarity in our mission, visions, goals, and tasks.  As a congregation we will need to work on this plan together focusing on the future.

The consultants will be providing some after care with consultations and check-up sessions to see how we are progressing.  We all must have faith in this process and move forward with clarity for the good of Immanuel’s many ministries.

At the July Council meeting the Council moved to set aside any budget compensation for the associate pastor position.  Setting aside these dollars prepares us for hiring new staff, (whatever that may be) potential moving expenses and repairs that may be necessary for normal maintenance of the parsonage.  This planning ahead will likely help us to be prepared financially to move forward in the future.

As a part of my efforts to communicate to the congregation where we are with the church deficit as we move into July the deficit was approximately $8,400.  Again, it is our individual responses that are most important here.  And again as a congregation we need to take a look at all the wonderful ministries we are about and all the blessings God continues to provide and come together to support our church.

Pulling together we can climb out of this deficit situation and pulling together we can heal and focus on the future with clarity in mission and visions for Immanuel.

CELEBRATIONS:

AUGUST BIRTHDAYS

AUGUST ANNIVERSARIES

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