AUGUST 2015 E- HOPE NEWS
Hope Lutheran church
7 16th Street SE
Sioux Center, IA 51250
Phone: 712-722-4100
hope@mtcnet.net
Hope’s Website: hopelutheransc.com
Pastor Katherine Russell: 402-518-8695
As a welcoming place for all, we gather in Christ for worship, for education, and for growing through God’s grace.
Worship: 9:15a.m.
Sunday school 10:30 a.m. (September-May)
Acolytes:
2 Ayden Thonstad
9 Brooklyn Van Otterloo
16 Shayla Rufenacht
23 Alyssa Cam
30 Jake Crumrine
AUGUST HOPE HELPERS
Ushers:
2 Miller
9 Thonstad
16 Van Otterloo
23 Ranschau
30 Franken
Readers:
2 N. Hanson
9 Bitker
16 Clousing
23 Bahrke
30 Hoogland
Fellowship:
2 Molina/Harper
9 McAlpine/Dalle
16 Andersen/Hoogland
23 Clousing/Krahling
30 Harper/Crumrine
Communion Prep.
2 Andersen
9 Heemstra
16 Ackerman
23 Winter
30 Hoogland
Children’s Sermon
2
9 Marsha Larson
16
23 Scott Peterson
30
Nursery:
2 Heemstra/Bahrke
9 Cam/Van Otterloo
16 Orban/Scholten
23 Molina/Harper
30 Rufenacht/Heemstra
BIRTHDAYS
Diane Crumrine
Jaymie Harper
Ayden Thonstad
Andrew Dalle
Jennifer Crumrine
Wade Van Otterloo
Cambrielle Van O.
Julie Winter
Jose Molina
Isaac Miller
Bethany Larson
Bryson Ackerman
Jaydon Ackerman
8-5
8-6
8-6
8-9
8-11
8-12
8-13
8-18
8-21
8-24
8-26
8-27
8-27
Communion Serve
2 Andersen
9 Heemstra
16 Ackerman
23 Winter
30 Hoogland
ANNIVERSARIES
Touly & Sarah Cam
Mike & Jean McAlpine
Tom & Julie Winter
Dave & Char Steuerwald
8-15
8-15
8-27
8-31
Pastor Katie’s Korner
How is it August?
Greetings to all!
I walked into my office today at Hope and saw the poster that has been on my wall since I arrived in Sioux Center and
wondered how it was that July 2015 has come and is almost gone? As with most events that are long awaited, there is
an unbelief that it can be over. And then the question: what’s next?
One of the challenges with a mountain top experience like the Youth Gathering is coming home to the regular and
familiar. How do we continue the work and joy of such a week? This challenge is why we come home to communities of
faith, like Hope, that can welcome us, celebrate with us and learn from us. Thank you for already starting that work this
last Sunday. Continue to ask Katie, Alyssa and Shayla to tell their stories from Detroit – what surprised them, made
them happy, and the moments that they will not forget. Share your own stories of similar experiences or feelings. Let
us learn from each other.
The next step is for our regular to be changed by it.
As we look forward into August, here at Hope we have a lot of things in the works. To start off, we will join with Peace
Lutheran at VBS and all of the excitement that brings – don’t forget the Ice Cream on Wednesday! On Thursday the 6th,
our Presiding Bishop Eaton has invited us into a Webcast conversation about racism and what we can do about it as a
community of faith. We will gather here at Hope to watch and join the conversation, the webcast starts at 8:00PM and I
will be here before and after for conversation. All of that, just in the first week of the month!
On Sunday the 16th, we will have a Hymn Sing Sunday. Come prepared with hymns you would like to sing and if we
have it, we’ll [try to] sing it!
Look for some other calendar dates to be confirmed as we move along. Acolyte training and Holy Communion
instruction, laundry detergent making, an outdoor game night and barbeque are all in the works. Looking even further
into the quickly coming future, Sunday School Rally Day activities and God’s Work Our Hands project all coming on
September 13 with the possibility of an all Hope Retreat on Saturday the 12th!
As always, know that I am here for our community. Give a call, text, Facebook message, or email if I am needed for
anything or everything. Know that you are loved.
Thank you for being Hope.
~Peace and blessings,
Pr Katie
+++++++
ELCA issues statement on Pope Francis’ encyclical on climate change ELCA issues statement on Pope
Francis’ encyclical on climate change
6/18/2015 9:00:00 AM
CHICAGO (ELCA) – The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
(ELCA), released a statement June 18 on behalf of this church in response to Pope Francis' encyclical on climate change
and the deteriorating global environment. The full text of the statement follows:
As members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, we share a deep concern with our Catholic brothers and
sisters for the well-being of our neighbors and of God's good creation. "Humans, in service to God, have special roles on
behalf of the whole of creation. Made in the image of God, we are called to care for the earth as God cares for the
earth" (ELCA social statement, "Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope and Justice").
Daily we see and hear the evidence of a rapidly changing climate. At the same time, we also witness in too many
instances how the earth's natural beauty, a sign of God's wonderful creativity, has been defiled by pollutants and waste.
An accounting of climate change that has credibility and integrity must name the neglect and carelessness of private
industry and the failure of government leadership that have contributed to these changes. However, it also must include
repentance for our own participation as individual consumers and investors in economies that make intensive and
insistent demands for energy.
Yet we find our hope in the promise of God's own faithfulness to the creation and humankind. We serve in concert with
God's creative and renewing power, understanding that we have the resources and responsibility to act together for the
common good, especially for those who are most vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
Today we join with Pope Francis in calling on world leaders to embrace our common responsibility as work continues
toward a global agreement on climate change. We urge leaders to support an ambitious agreement that reduces
greenhouse gas emissions, encourages development of low-carbon technologies, and supports the ability of countries to
cope with the effects of a changing climate and build resiliency for a sustainable future.
The present moment is a critical one, filled with both challenge and opportunity to act as individuals, citizens, leaders
and communities of faith in solidarity with God's good creation and in hope for our shared future.
Upcoming Events for AUGUST
Thursday Aug.6 at 8PM ELCA Webcast conversation on Racism
Sunday 8.16 Hymn Sing Sunday
Vacation Bible School will be held at Peace Lutheran on Aug 3, 4, & 5. They are looking for
helpers/volunteers to help in any way you can or want. If you like to cook, they are looking
for people to help with noon lunches for kids all 3 days. If you would like to open your home
to house the campers/leaders from Ingram Okoboji Island camp. Looking for volunteers of
all ages high school to the retired. Ice cream social on Wednesday night. Contact Jen Evers
or Pastor Katie, if you are willing to help in any way. Thanks!!
Feel like you’re running your race alone? Fan the flames of faith at the ATLAS Life Support Walk, Run, Jog or BIKE
on September 12. The 13.1-mile course begins in Sioux Center and ends in Orange City. You can do all or part of the
course by yourself or as part of a team. This event is not a fundraiser, so let’s join each other in the race of faith!
Dordt College Football invites the community to be part of the Host-A-Player program to help out-of-state football
athletes connect with people from the area. The program aims to build relationships between players and the
community and help athletes adjust to a new environment and connect to a local church. Anyone interested in
learning about this unique and important opportunity should contact Coach Youngblood at
Greg.Youngblood@dordt.edu or 712-449-5442.
We will still be collecting plastic gallon milk jugs to make more soap for the Hope Food Pantry..
Please bring them to church and place in basket on the table near the office and we will see that
they get to the food pantry. Thanks!!!
Mid-Sioux Food Pantry Needs:
Hygiene Needs:
Cereal
Peanut Butter
Jelly
Pancake Mix
Syrup
Spaghetti Noodles
Spaghetti Sauce
Macaroni & Cheese
Canned Tuna
Canned Chicken
Canned Fruit
Canned Veggies
Boxed Meals (Hamburger Helper, Instant Potatoes, etc.)
Jello
Pudding
Cake Mix & Frosting
Baby Food
All non-perishable food items accepted
Shampoo
Conditioner
Body Soap/Wash
Hand Soap
Laundry Soap
Kleenex
Toilet Paper
Tooth paste
Tooth brushes
Paper towels
Cleaning products (Kitchen, bathroom, etc.)
Disinfecting products (Clorox wipes, Lysol, etc.)
Diapers
Baby Wipes
All hygiene items accepted.
+++++++++
Everyone is invited to a “Community Unity” meal in Sioux Center, Thursday, August 13, 6-7:30 at New Life Reformed
Church. Meal Host of the Month: Central Reformed Church.
Bikers, classic car owners, and fellow worshippers are invited to participate in Rods N' Rides Church this summer!
Enjoy a group ride and informal outdoor worship service, followed by optional noon meal/afternoon ride in NW
Iowa.
The following rides are scheduled August 23, and Sept. 13.
· On Sunday, August 23, we’ll be leaving the Centre Mall parking lot at 9 a.m. for a 10:30 a.m. service at Westside
Park in Rock Rapids, with breakfast served by First Reformed Church.
· On Sunday, Sept. 13, we’ll be leaving the Centre Mall parking lot at 8:15 a.m. for a 10 a.m. service at The District in
Sioux Falls (rain date Sept. 20).
The organizers invite all who would like to attend these interdenominational outdoor worship
services to feel free to attend, regardless of your mode of transportation. For more information
call Karl Kempers at 722-0696 or see the group’s website at www.rodsnrides.weebly.com or
“Rods N Rides” on Facebook.
Please contact any of these Church Council members with problems and concerns:
Jenny Ackerman, President
Matt Heemstra
John Hansen
Bill Peters
Elise Glade
Char Steuerwald
Myron Siebrecht, treasurer
Karlene Tacke, Fin. Secretary
jen.j.lund@gmail.com
alyssa.matt@yahoo.com
jphansen@mtcnet.net
bnpeters@nethtc.net
glade5@mtcnet.net
char.steuerwald@siouxcenter.k-12.us
myron.siebrecht@siebrechtcpas.com
twocats@mtcnet.net
Would you like to make a difference for other adults in your community? If you are 55 or better, the Senior Companion
Program would love to help you get started! Volunteer benefits may be available. Senior Companion volunteers work
with adults one-on-one to help them maintain their independence in their own homes through visiting and assistance.
Be that friend and companion to someone who can use your support to improve their quality of life. For more
information about being a volunteer or receiving Senior Companion services, please contact the Senior Companion
office at 712-476-2628 or view their website www.rvrseniorvolunteerprograms.org.
Would you like to make a difference in the lives of children? If you are 55 or better, the Foster Grandparent Program
would love to help you get started! Volunteer benefits may be available. Foster Grandparent volunteers impact their
local communities while assisting students at local schools, Head Starts, and non-profit daycares. For more information,
please call the Foster Grandparent office at 712-476-2628 or view their website www.rvrseniorvolunteerprograms.org.
If you have an announcement for the bulletin or newsletter, or if I have missed your birthday or anniversary and
would like it printed in the bulletin, please let me or Pastor Katie know by noon on Wednesday. Pastor Katie (402518-8695) or Julie Dalle (hope@mtcnet.net or julie.a.dalle@gmail.com or 722-0751) Church Phone: 722-4100.
Thanks!! Newsletter articles are due the 20th of the month.
+++++++
Rodale and Renate Emken
On the power of friendship, chickens and giving
by Jo Ann Dollard
When you talk to Rodale and Renate Emken, donors to The Campaign for the ELCA, you
are reminded that giving, at its best and most meaningful, is about building a genuine
relationship that grows over time.
The Emkens themselves are a beautiful example of that. They met 56 years ago at an army base outside of
Nuremberg, Germany, where Rodale was stationed. Renate was born in Karlsbad, Sudentenland (now part of the
Czechoslovak Socialist Republic), and raised in Nuremberg.
Rodale and Renate met at a dance on the base. “Elvis Presley was playing on the jukebox,” Rodale remembered. A
year later, in 1960, they married, and then moved from Nuremberg to Rodale’s native Nebraska.
Renate grew up in the Roman Catholic Church and Rodale in the Christian Church. After they married, “We had to
find a church home together,” said Renate. After visiting several churches, they settled on the Lutheran Church and
have been very happy with their choice.
The couple settled in Holdrege, a Swedish farming community of 5,500 in south central Nebraska, where they raised
three daughters. For 40 years, Rodale owned Emken Bookkeeping and Tax Service and also held a variety of
positions in city and county government, including serving as mayor. After their daughters were grown, Renate
worked as a loan officer for the Federal Farm Administration.
Rodale and Renate are members of Spirit of Grace Lutheran Church, a mission church in Holdrege. In 2010, the
couple took their first trip with the Nebraska Synod to Tanzania, a country in East Africa known for its vast
wilderness.
After their first trip, “I said I’d never go back,” Rodale recalled. He changed his mind. “In 2012, we went back and
have been going back ever since.” You could say they have a pretty special relationship with the people there. He
explained, “That’s why we go back.”
Rodale and Renate’s connection to Tanzania has grown deep. They are involved with two parishes there, including
Kiruweni Parish in Mwika, Spirit of Grace’s sister congregation, and KIA Lutheran Parish, which serves the Maasai
people.
Besides projects funded through their home congregation, like adding windows, doors and floors to Kiruweni’s new
church, the couple have initiated their own personal philanthropy efforts. During one of their visits, the pastor
announced they needed funds so that each of the women could have two chickens. Immediately, Renate placed a
gift in the offering plate. “She became an instant friend to all the ladies,” Rodale recalled. This simple gift has been
both transformational and self-sustaining, allowing the women to have an income from selling eggs so they can send
their children to school. The couple also contributes scholarship assistance for the pastors’ sons, Baraka and Calvin,
and textbooks in honor of their family members — called the “Textbooks for Tanzania” project.
Renate explained, “When we go to Tanzania, I experience the deep faith of the people there. We go to church with
them, we stay in their homes, we eat with them. They have so little, yet they really, really believe.” She added, “I tell
you, when I go over there and I come home again, I feel so blessed because I really feel they’re giving me something
so much more than I can give them financially.” During the year, Rodale, Renate and Pastor Mlay (Kiruweni Parish)
and Pastor Lyamuya (KIA Lutheran Parish) stay in touch, exchanging frequent emails.
Inspired by a meeting with Bishop Eaton last fall, the Emkens also made a gift to the ELCA’s Young Adults in Global
Mission (YAGM) program, a one-year international service learning opportunity for young adults. Their gift has
enabled one young man to serve on the island nation of Madagascar.
“With our background in Tanzania and Madagascar kind of being [in that part of the world], we thought it was a nice
fit,” Rodale said.
Of their motivation to give, Renate shared, “When I grew up, it was after the war and we really didn’t have very
much. When Rodale and I started out, we didn’t either. …we are now at the level where we can give. I thank God for
all the blessings that he has bestowed on us and I just wanted to share that.”
Rodale added, “My folks were always very giving and always said you should give back to society and I guess I’ve
always had that philosophy. Renate has that same philosophy, too. I enjoy serving and helping people.”
- See more at: http://www.elca.org/Campaign-for-the-ELCA/Campaign-Stories/donor_rodale#sthash.ckKNYpsm.dpuf
August 2015, LSI Bulletin/Newsletter Article and Story
Back to School Month
School is right around the corner! As children and teens adjust to a new classroom routine, the transition can often bring
to light behavioral issues that may stem from a mental health diagnosis, such as ADHD, anxiety, depression or
oppositional defiant disorder.
Did you know Lutheran Services in Iowa (LSI) partners with schools across the state to provide mental health services
right in their schools? This makes it easier to collaborate with educators and reduce the transportation barrier that
sometimes makes it hard for families to attend appointments. We are grateful for opportunities to provide therapy for
uninsured and underinsured children who otherwise might not get the help they need.
We thank you for your support of LSI’s mission as we respond together to the love of Jesus Christ through
compassionate service!
LSI is proud to be an affiliated social ministry organization of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Learn
more at www.LSIowa.org and www.facebook.com/LSI.iowa.
Making a “Day and Night” Difference for Ethan
Kim was at her wit’s end. Her son Ethan, who had been bullied, was fighting with other youth at his middle school. Her
daughter Dejah was also struggling with her parents’ divorce.
“I didn’t know what to do,” Kim said. “I’d tried everything.”
Ethan’s school eventually referred Kim to LSI’s Brief Intensive Services. And that’s when everything changed.
“It was day and night with the kids,” she said. “At first they weren’t doing so great, but after awhile it was a complete
turnaround.”
LSI’s Brief Intensive Services does just what its name describes – an LSI caseworker partners with a family for short time,
meeting as often as needed, to help children and teens who are struggling with school, a crisis or behaviors. The unique
community program, available in the Muscatine and Davenport areas, is made free to families by local funders and
supports those who may not qualify for traditional services.
Ethan warmed up quickly to his LSI caseworker Ryan during weekly meetings. He started building skills like learning how
to calmly handle frustration and how to make and keep friendships.
“I was nervous about people coming to our home and how Ethan would react,” Kim said. “But I thought if someone
came where he’s comfortable, he might open up.”
LSI helped the family learn to communicate again. Today Ethan is getting all A’s and B’s in school. His school suspensions
are a thing of the past, and he’s made some new friends.
“Things are more stable,” Kim said. “We can talk and cope rather than yelling and screaming. LSI helped us understand
each other better.”
CHURCH HUMOR
Attitude - Elephant and Leo The Lion
Leo was a lion and wanted everyone to know he was King of the Jungle. So he went through the jungle reminding
everyone just who he was.
He came upon a monkey and asked him "Who is the greatest in the jungle?"
The monkey, trembling in fear replied, "Why, you are Leo. You are the great sovereign of the jungle."
Leo said, "Yes, and don't you forget it."
Next Leo came upon a wildebeest and asked him the same question. "Who is the greatest of all in the jungle?"
The wildebeest, shaking so hard he could hardly speak, said, "You, King Leo, are the great potentate."
Leo walked away reminding the wildebeest to never forget that fact.
Then Leo came upon an elephant and proceeded to ask him the very same question. "Who is the greatest of all in the
jungle?"
The elephant just reached out and wrapped his trunk around the lion, almost squeezing the breath out of him, and
pounded him against the ground several times. Then he pounded him against some trees. Again he pounded him
against the ground. In a little bit the elephant dropped Leo to the ground and walked away pushing over trees as he
went.
Leo laid there trying to get his wits and said, "Just because you don't know the answer, doesn't mean you have to
have an attitude."