Wisconsin native assigned to Immanuel for internship

Micah Sievenpiper has been assigned as Immanuel’s intern for the 2011-2012 school year. He will arrive this summer.

Sievenpiper, 24, is a student at Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.

A native of Waukesha, Wis., he is single and enjoys distance running, recreational sports, reading, open-source programming and amateur graphic design.

Sievenpiper attended attended Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Ind., where he studied theology.

He writes of his experience there, “My faith was challenged and expanded, and with it my sense of call grew. Through the Institute of Liturgical Studies, an annual pan-Lutheran liturgy conference held at Valparaiso University, I fell in love with the liturgy, and through my position as a residential minister, got to experience the joys of self-directed ministry.”

He also writes, “I was born into the Church through my baptism when I was an infant, and the Lord has blessed me in countless ways ever since. Spending much of my youth in small, struggling congregations with limited resources, I have grown to appreciate how important priorities are.

“When I was still in elementary school, the congregation of which I was a member was closed, and before the pastors left to follow their own callings, they encouraged me to be open to what the Lord had in store for me. With that advice in mind, I have been conscious of discerning my baptismal calling, and while there have been trials and tears, there has also been great joy, and it eventually became clear to me that God was calling me to ordained ministry.”

Immanuel’s church council appointed five people to serve on the intern support committee: Janie Fee, Pam Edvalds, Kevin Fewell, Don Arney and Sharyl Serafin. In addition, Sievenpiper will be able to add two committee members as he gets to know the congregation.

Sunday school chicken project raises $200

Immanuel’s Sunday school students raised more than $200 to help families in poverty around the world purchase chicks that could help them become more self sufficient.

The chicks were purchased through the ELCA’s Good Gifts program, at a price of $1 per chick. According to the Good Gifts website, chicks begin laying eggs within a few months of birth. The eggs provide nutritious meals for growing children and extra eggs generate income, helping families grow a small business.

Immanuel concludes school year with two multi-part studies for adults

Immanuel will conclude its adult education year with two multi-session studies.

Interested in a real life, real time conversation about the book of Revelation? Join us in the adult forum at 9:15 on May 1, 8 and 15 for this conversation with Don Arney and Carolyn Wilson. Meanwhile, dust off your Bible and put your own spin on the book. Over the years the book of Revelation had caused persistent theological questions, frequent consternation and much confusion in the church. Its interpretation has caused some splinter groups to predict the end of the world. When the end does not arrive, the date is recalculated only to frighten people for a future date. It’s hard to see how this is the Good New of Jesus Christ.

Melodee Blobaum will lead the six-week study of “The Lord is My Shepherd: Healing Wisdom of the Twenty-Third Psalm” by Harold S. Kushner at 9:15 a.m. on Sundays in the prayer room, starting May 1 and continuing through June 12. The group will not meet on Sunday, May 29, because of the Memorial Day holiday.

Each session will cover several chapters of the book, corresponding to the six verses of the Psalm. The weekly reading load averages about 35 to 40 pages.

The book is available online from www.amazon.com for $10.40 plus taxes, shipping and handling, and in store at most Barnes and Noble locations for $10.42 plus taxes. It is available in Nook and Kindle versions, as well.

It's not too early to begin thinking about church camp

Immanuel’s youth and youngsters have several opportunities to make lifetime memories as they experience the joy that comes with church camp.

Hollis Day Camp runs from Monday — Friday, June 13 —17 at Hollis Renewal Center near Bonner Springs.

Students who have completed kindergarten through sixth grades are eligible to attend this outdoor adventure that provides healthy activity, crafts, Bible study and nurture.

Staffed by trained counselors from Nebraska Lutheran Outdoor Ministries, the traveling staff makes the five day camp a wholesome and enjoyable experience.

Cost is $75 for the first camper and $65 for a second camper in the same family. Registration, fees and health forms should be mailed directly to Hollis.

Loved camp when you were a kid and want to revisit the memories? Small enjoyable volunteer tasks are available for several adults. For questions, please call Ministry Coordinator Carolyn Wilson.

In addition to the Hollis camping experience, the Lutheran church offers several resident summer church camp opportunities. Two are Camp Tomah Shinga in Junction City, Kan., and Camp Carol Joy Holling in Ashland, Neb.

There are brochures and instructions on how to register for the resident camps can be found on the hallway table under the bulletin board marked Youth.

Immanuel group for senior adults schedules outings in May, June

Phase III/OPUS, Immanuel’s group for active senior adults, will meet at Immanuel at 10 a.m. Wednesday, May 18, to carpool to the Cultural Center for the Deaf in Olathe. Lunch follows at Granite City. If you do not need to carpool, meet us at the school at 455 E Park St in Olathe.

In June, the group will meet at the church at 10 a.m. Wednesday, June 15, travel to and tour the National Archives. The building is adjacent to Union Station and we will be accompanied by Patti Winkler. Patti is a historian whose interest in this site spawned the trip. Lunch will follow the tour.

Callers will be taking reservations and if you are not on a list but would like to attend either event, please call the office at 816-931-8483 one week before each event.

Of earplugs and evangelicals: A message from the ministry coordinator

It’s a great privilege to visit a church in which you are not known and the worship is styled differently than in your home church.

On my desk is a pair of earplugs which were given to me by a friendly usher as I entered the auditorium at Flatirons Community Church in Lafayette, Colo., last month. My hosts understood my curiosity and simply said, “The music can get loud.” They were not kidding.

But I resisted the earplugs because I wanted to appreciate fully what these Christians had worked hard to prepare and to offer.

The earplugs have become a sign of hospitality, a gift, from a group of strangers.

The cover story of the April issue of The Lutheran was about evangelicals. “Who are they?” the author asked.

While noting that ELCA Lutherans call themselves evangelical, Donald McCoid, does a clear job defining our conversations with Christians who do not worship like us or place the same emphasis on faith defined by creeds, the sense of sacramental theology and who are amazed when we cannot tell them when we were saved.

He does not mock, but calls these conversations an opportunity to witness to what we believe.

We differ, to be sure, but McCoid advises us to think critically about what is good about these churches.

He admires the emphasis the evangelicals place on the Bible and gives us the well-known statistic that Lutherans are not prone to invite anyone to church. Statistically, we invite once every 23 years. It sounds like a bad joke when we profess that we have been entrusted with Good News too good not to share.

The Flatirons pastor was remarkable in his sharing of the good news. Clearly and distinctly, he was on target with the Gospel’s message. He was comforting when he said no matter where you’ve been or what you’ve done, Jesus died for you. He told us that in the Flatirons Church there was no us versus them, no insiders, no outsiders but just people who had by the Spirit’s guiding, come to worship and perhaps to join Flatirons.

“Join us,” he said. The invitation was sincere.

We could have long conversations about what we do or do not like about this kind of worship and in no way am I proposing we install four permanent screens in the chancel. The Flatirons music was annoying to me, but some folks seemed to be moved by it.

Worshipping in a converted K-Mart falls short of holy space for me and even if I lived close-by, I would not choose this church.

But I learned something about a group we frequently smirk about. They are really not a different species.

As your summer unfolds, take a chance and visit a church and enjoy how others worship. A point of caution: if the friendly usher gives you earplugs, don’t use them. You might miss hearing something important.

With you, for Christ,

Carolyn Wilson

Learn how KCMO school progress affects the metro on June 9

An ambitious strategic plan adopted more than a year ago outlines steps to improve student achievement and fiscal responsibility in the Kansas City, Mo., public schools.

But parents and the community have received very little news about progress toward those plans, which affect the long-term viability of the entire metro area.

Superintendent John Covington and members of the KCMO school board will be called on to answer specific questions about district progress and plans from 7 to 8:30 p.m., Thursday, June 9, in Tighe Hall at Visitation Catholic Church, 51^st Terrace and Main Street.

The event, designed to spark improvements in how district officials communicate with constituents, is sponsored by local organizing committees from Immanuel, and from Visitation and St. Peter’s Catholic churches. KCMO high school students affiliated with the Kansas City Urban Youth Center also will participate.

The Urban Youth Center and the three participating congregations are among groups affiliated with Communities Creating Opportunity (CCO), which works to bring people of all faiths together to build relationships, develop strong leaders and improve the quality of life in our communities.

Immanuel’s organizing committee is involved with the June 9 event because congregation members and neighborhood residents voiced a common concern about factors that diminish the well-being of children, especially those in Kansas City elementary schools, during a listening session late last year.

Mark your calendar for June 9 and plan to be there to hold district officials accountable. Contact Linda Fewell with questions.

-- Linda Fewell, Immanuel Organizing Committee