FROM PASTOR RICK’S COMPUTER:
THE PYRAMID PRINCIPLE AND OUR PARISH NURSE

I have been asked to explain my position regarding staff -- specifically, the Parish Nurse position. I will do my best in a few words.

A. The Principle

Imagine a square table. As you pour sand onto the table it naturally forms a pyramid. Once it reaches its optimum size, any extra sand will slide off onto the floor. In order to make a bigger pyramid, the size of the table/base must be increased.

This is a common analogy among church consultants for a congregation. The congregation will grow to a size that fits the size of its ministry. The table-base includes the opportunities for ministry, the facilities, and the staff, including the very committed volunteers. The sand pyramid is the congregation. Reduce the base and the size of the congregation will shrink. With no changes, people will join while others will leave. In order to grow, the base needs to increase.

This is the pyramid principle. Remember -- it is a principle, not a formula, and it cannot to be taken in isolation. All growing congregations go through spurts, plateaus, recessions and then new growth. Other issues must be considered: e.g. the morale of the congregation, the morale of the staff among numerous examples.

B. The Position

I have resisted cutting out the parish nurse position on the rationale of reducing the size of the base combined with the felt need of many in the congregation.

1) The Base: Karen E. on our staff expanded the base of opportunity for ministry in the “preparing” and “serving” aspects of our mission. Spiritually sustaining these groups means supervision. A role Karen performed and is taken over now by Donna G.

2) The Felt Need: A significant portion of the congregation feels that the congregation is too big for one pastor to do pastoral care. “Pastor needs help” was felt need often expressed. That we are too large for one pastor to cover is correct, according to consultants. Between Pr. Paul, the Parish Nurse, herself, and her supervision of the IV Team plus other Health Ministry sponsored groups, and myself we are providing pastoral care that, though not perfect, is second to none. I am proud of the amount of care we provide, and we do so at 20% of the cost of an assistant pastor.

This is a concise explanation of my basic position. I hope it is helpful to know, understandable and contributes to our dialog as a church. It is not the final word. There is much more that has been presented by various parties.

AMONG OUR MEMBERS:

DEATH

Sue (Reasoner) Morrison our sister in Christ was called home on July 13, 2005 after a courageous battle with cancer.  Her funeral was June 16 at Immanuel. Our sympathies are with her husband, Chris and son, Jordy.

MARRIAGE

Patrick McKinnon and Jamie Clickner were married at Immanuel on June 25, 2005. They are both in education and are building a new house. God’s rich blessings in your home.

CAMP

Adam Fracker, Nicole Geller, Lisa Bower, Caleb Buckley, Garrison Reed, Don Willems, spent the week of June 19-24 at Stony Lake Lutheran Camp with Pr. Rick.

NEWS AND EVENTS:

MISSION TRIP: RoadRULZ

A group of 8 will go out from us at Immanuel on a mission trip for God. Those serving are: Maggie Burnham, Hanna Espie, Ashley Erickson, Lisa Baptista and Beth Morrall. Though they are going over to Wisconsin, the trip is a mystery, which means part of the excitement is “not knowing.” Each day will be a new place, a new opportunity to help and pray, a new experience to share in faith. Each day they will find out what those are. The group leaves on July 17 to return on the 22^nd. Please pray for them, their growth and that lives will be touched and changed!

PARISH NURSE POSITION

My office hours will be changing slightly to accommodate my position with Hospice of Lansing.  Office hours will be:

I am available during the scheduled office hours and during other times to serve as integrator of faith and health, personal health counseling, health advocacy, health educator, and serve as a referral agent for community resources.  I have received several calls over the past few weeks and it has been rewarding to serve you and your family members during difficult times. 

Contact can be made during office hours, by leaving a message at the office or by calling my home number (627-3462).

Thank you,

Donna Gibbons, R.N.
                      Immanuel Parish Nurse

OUTDOOR SERVICE

Our annual outdoor service will be held on Sunday, July 31.  Worship under the canopies in our Memorial Garden.  A vegetarian healthy potluck follows Service.  Please bring a vegetarian dish to share.   Sponsored by Health Ministry Team.

ISLAND ART FAIR AND HOSPITALITY DAY

This year's Island Art Fair will be held Saturday, August 6.  This is a great opportunity for an exhibit showcasing the artistic gifts and talents of the Immanuel Community.

Our church parking lot has been used for several years as a shuttle lot to the art fair.  Why not open up our church and display some of the many artistic gifts and talents of the Immanuel Community and greet our visitors with some Immanuel hospitality?

To put the day together, we are going to need a variety of spiritual gifts.  We need people with the gift of organization to help with planning and bringing the actual event together including set up on Friday.  We are also going to need help directing traffic in our parking lot and help organizing people for the shuttle buses.

We need people with the gift of hospitality to help for a couple of hours on Art Fair day greeting and assisting our visitors.

We are going to need:

• Strong bodies to help more tables and displays
• Artists who would like to have their work displayed.
• Crafters who would like to display their crafts.
• Quilters who would like to display their beautiful quilts.
• Woodworkers who would like to display their wares.

If you are interested in displaying any of your artistic gifts and talents and using some of your spiritual gifts to assist and greet others or direct traffic in the parking lot contact Bob and Ruth Buckley (649-2314) or Den Graeber (627-3116).

SUMMER VACATION TIME IS HERE!

It's time to pack up the kids and the car and head for your favorite vacation destination. I'm sure you parents can hardly wait to hear the familiar refrain: "Are we there yet?". 

This year I'd like to challenge you to make some other preparations before you leave.  Spend some time remembering your own childhood and the memories that stick out most in your mind.

If your summers were like mine, I got to spend a good deal of time at the cabin on the lake, fishing, swimming, and sitting around a campfire.  But it's not the place or the events that bring the biggest smile to my face, it's the people who were there.  It's my Grandfather suggesting I take a walk with him after dinner to look for deer tracks.  As we walked down the dirt road he always asked.  "Did you bring a paper bag?" "No" I'd reply.  "Well what are we going to take them back in when we find them?"  He thought this was a great way to pick on me and I fell for the bait every time.  Or it's my Grandmother using an old cane fishing pole to show me how to catch the big ones, only to be frustrated because she caught more turtles and little perch. It's also the memory of family and friends telling stories and singing around the campfire until the wee hours of the morning, while I felt really important because I got to stay up with the adults.  Most of these special people are gone now, but the memories are forever etched on my brain.

This year be sure to make some lasting memories with your family.  Sure it's important to be someplace special but it’s most important to be someone special and show them they are as well.

Enjoy, have a safe holiday, and be sure to take God along on the ride.

Charlene Pahl
Health Ministry Committee

FAMILY CAMP

Let the beauty of God’s creation and the joy of Christian fellowship relax and renew you this summer! For all ages and backgrounds, Family Camp is designed with staffing and programs to maximize your vacation time. We take care of the meals (no planning, cooking, or washing dishes!) and a variety of activities for one low price. There are counselors for children and teens who will provide them with activities and oversight while adults enjoy some “kid-free” time.

     Family Camp is scheduled at Stony Lake the week of July 3-8, 2005 and is scheduled at Michi-Lu-Ca during the weeks of July 10-15 and July 24-29, 2005.  For more information or to register, call 989-848-2230.

IMMANUEL VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL

Monday, July 25 through Friday, July 29 from 9:00 a.m.to 12:00 noon each day.  For children ages 4 through completed 5^th grade.  Volunteer and Registration forms are available online or on the credenza in the entryway.

HEALTHY VEGETARIAN EATING

There are different types of vegetarians. Those that are strict vegetarians or vegan and eat exclusively plant products. Lacto-vegetarian exclude meat but include milk and other dairy products in their diet.  Lacto-ovovegetarians eat milk, dairy products, and eggs. Partial vegetarians exclude some groups of animal foods but not others. A diet that excludes red meat but includes fish is often adopted for health not moral reasons.

A vegan, excludes animal flesh (meat, poultry, fish and seafood), animal products (eggs, dairy and honey), and the wearing and use of animal products (e.g. leather, silk, wool, lanolin, gelatin). The vegan diet consists totally of vegetables, vegetable oils, and seeds.

Can eating vegetarian provide all the daily requirements?  The 1993 position paper of the authoritative and respected American Dietetic Association summarized this view:

Plant sources of protein alone can provide adequate amounts of essential and nonessential amino acids assuming that dietary protein sources from plants are reasonably varied and that caloric intake is sufficient to meet energy needs. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. Whole grains, legumes, vegetables, seeds, and nuts all contain essential and nonessential amino acids. Conscious combining of these foods within a given meal is unnecessary, what is important is to include a variety daily.

Additionally, soy protein has been shown to be nutritionally equivalent in protein value to proteins of animal origin and, thus, can serve as the sole source of protein intake if desired. 

Guidelines for formulating nutritionally balanced vegetarian and vegan diets:

A wide variety of foods should be chosen from the following groups.

1. Milk. 1 pint (children) ½ pint (adults) or other dairy products (cheese or yogurt). Strict vegetarians can use dairy substitutes such as soymilk or tofu.
2. Proteins. 2 - 3 portions daily of any of the following:  beans - in casseroles, stews and soup; nuts - in salads, T.V.P. (total vegetable protein), tofu and other soy products - in casseroles, stir fry and curries.
3. Cereals. 3 - 5 portions daily of any of the following: bread, breakfast cereals, rice, pasta, flour, crackers, or other cereals such as millet, bulgur wheat, wheat grain and buckwheat.
4. Fruit. 2 - 3 portions daily of: fruits, fresh, dried or juice. This should include 1 serving of citrus fruit or juice daily.
5. Vegetables. 2 - 5 portions daily, lightly cooked or raw, of a variety that includes both dark green leafy and root vegetables.
6. Fats. Margarine and oils should be consumed as required. In contrast to most of the population the diets of vegetarians and vegans are naturally low in fat. It is therefore unnecessary to restrict the amounts of fats and oils used in cooking or to recommend the use of low fat spreads. Furthermore, some vegetarians may need to increase their consumption of fats and oils in order to meet their energy requirements.

Some reliable websites to visit for more information on vegetarian recipes and nutrition are www.eatright.org the American Dietetics Associations website and the Vegetarian Resource group at www.vrg.org.  Please plan on attending the potluck after church on July 31and try to bring a vegetarian dish.  Recipes will be available in the narthex for you to take, try and bring.                          

Amy Reed,
Health Ministry Team

HOW TO PLANT YOUR GARDEN

Come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses.... 

FOR THE GARDEN OF YOUR DAILY LIVING, PLANT THREE ROWS OF PEAS:
1. Peace of mind
2. Peace of heart
3. Peace of soul

PLANT FOUR ROWS OF SQUASH:
1. Squash gossip
2. Squash indifference
3. Squash grumbling
4. Squash selfishness

PLANT FOUR ROWS OF LETTUCE: 
  1. Lettuce be faithful
  2. Lettuce be kind
  3. Lettuce be patient
  4. Lettuce really love one another

NO GARDEN IS WITHOUT TURNIPS: 
1. Turnip for meetings
2. Turnip for service
3. Turnip to help one another

TO CONCLUDE OUR GARDEN WE MUST HAVE THYME: 
1. Thyme for each other
2. Thyme for family
3. Thyme for friends

WATER FREELY WITH PATIENCE AND CULTIVATE WITH LOVE. THERE IS MUCH FRUIT IN YOUR GARDEN BECAUSE YOU REAP WHAT YOU  SOW.

NOTES:

We want to thank our Immanuel Church family for all their prayers and help during our health crisis over the past few months.  A special thank you to those who so willingly drove us to doctors appointments and the grocery store.  Food was also brought in which helped immensely.  Your help was greatly appreciated.

Thank you also for all the beautiful cards given in celebration of our 50^th wedding anniversary.  The open house was awesome.

God Bless you all,
Ernie & Nancy Zakrajsek

Thank you to our Immanuel Family for all the cards, prayers and visits during Bill’s father, William Paulins, illness and pasting away.  Your love and support mean the world to us.         

God Bless,
Bill & Barb Paulins

Thank you for all the prayers, get well cards,  and visits.  Thank you to Pr. Rick for communion. A special thank you to Bev Becker for the bulletin each week.  Thank you to Lori Christiansen for driving me to church and lunches.  Last, but not least, thank you to Second Circle for the flowers and visit from Pat Graber and Barb Roush.

Sincerely,
Billie Bryant

Thank you to all the friends of Immanuel for the wonderful luncheon that was provided for our family and friends after Holly’s service.  Also thank you to all who donated and served.  God Bless!

Love,
Jerome, Jacob, Justin and Joy,
Ann, Bruce & girls,
Van, Terri and boys,
Marion, Dale, Lisa, Mark and girls

Our heartfelt thanks to Pastor Rick, Pastor Paul and Sue Schnarr for their special place in Holly’s service.  Thank you to our special Immanuel family for your prayers, cards, hugs and love it gives us strength to go on.  God Bless.

Love from Holly’s family

Thank you

You can shed tears that she is gone …

Or you can smile because she has lived

You can close your eyes and pray that she will come back …

Or you can open your eyes and see all that she has left

Your heart can be empty because you can’t see her …

Or you can be full of the love that you shared

You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday …

Or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday

You can remember her and only that she is gone …

Or you can cherish her memory and let it live on

You can cry and close your mind, be empty, and turn your back …

Or you can do what she would want…smile, open your eyes, love, and go on.

Words cannot express our thanks for your kindness… Your thoughtful expression of sympathy during this time of great sorrow will always be remembered….

The family of Holly Marie Plunkett 

CELEBRATIONS:
JULY BIRTHDAYS

JULY ANNIVERSARIES

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