Cross Lutheran Church

January Newsletter 2014

Pastor Michelle’s Corner

While the holidays, solstice and the New Year may present a myriad of complexities and distractions, this season also offers us the opportunity to pause and reflect more deeply on our lives, to clarify priorities and affirm clear directions and intentions for the year to come both personally and as a congregation.

As the old year draws to a close and a new year is about to begin, it's a good time to contemplate the patterns of relationship that weave the various systems in our lives together: beginnings and endings, what is developing and what is dissolving. What is manifesting, and what are the congregation's potentials? Where is there movement and flexibility? Where is there "stuckness" and resistance to change?
In spite of those things there is still a high degree of connectivity and a free flow of energy-information throughout our living body. We will be responsive to change as we learn, adapt, heal, sustain ourselves and do more than survive, but thrive. When any part of the whole become rigid, when the flow of energy or information stagnates or when parts of the church body become isolated or cut off from the whole, then the health, vitality and capacity of the whole body is compromised. From the perspective of integrated wholeness, we understand that when any living body is suffering from ill-health or impaired in any way, then the remedy will be found by connecting it with more of itself through the Holy Spirit.
In turbulent and rapidly-changing times such as these, if we seek to thrive and to discover, affirm and live more fully into our own wholeness, then having reliable ways to align and attune ourselves more deeply with our wholeness and highest capacity is of vital importance. In this spirit, I offer the following insight as a seasonal reflection and contemplative piece to help us discover dynamic balance within the whole of our lives. May these reflections illumine the path as we journey inward and onward as God’s people.
Use the basic truths of the natural cycle of life to organize your attention and focus your thinking and expand and refresh your perspective. With each cycle of the process, a clearer, deeper, more vibrant sense of wholeness will emerge. With each iteration, you deepen your wisdom of balance by seeing how each part is included in the whole, and how the whole is inseparable from its many parts. Each piece defines a whole: a whole breath, a whole day, a whole year, or a lifetime.

Understanding this, contemplate how the insights you come to may apply across many dimensions of wholeness in your life, many relationships, situations, priorities or projects that you seek to balance in your life. This quality of multidimensional, holistic thinking will help us as parishioners to focus on the many elements of our lives and weave them into a dynamically-balanced integral view of wholeness. What we practice must translate from home to church and church to the world.
Ultimately, our greatest wisdom will be realized in learning to hold all of these perspectives and points of view simultaneously and/or in tension, to behold a vision of the body, a dynamic congregation in all of its phases and stages as present in this timeless moment of unified awareness and flux.
As you reflect more deeply about the unique aspects of each phase, we'll begin to see a complete view of the whole body. Hope- fully, you will start to recognize that the rhythms of energy and change within you and around you are deeply related, and in each phase of change you'll see every part of the body in its dynamically-balanced relationship to a larger wholeness. By coming to realize that the same forces that are alive within you are alive and unfolding in this church and the larger world around you, you will awaken even more deeply to the mystery of life and your faithfulness to living holy and in wholeness.

Happy New Year!

Pastor Michelle

Bread of Healing Empowerment Ministry

A New Year brings new challenges for the Bread of Healing Empowerment Ministry. With an increased demand for food, the Wednesday Food Pantry was looking at ways to cut costs. One way was to not have the Food Pantry open on the first Wednesdays of the month. This was seen as most simple and the most just way to cut costs in this area. When this was presented to our partner congre- gations, they were upset by this. Not upset at us, but upset at the thought that some people may go hungry and that the Men of Faith Group, the Women of Faith Group, the Job Readiness Program and the Bible Study might be adversely affected by having no pantry. While nothing is certain, it does seem that our partners are not going to let this happen. It seems that by the first Wednesday in February, the first day that this cut in the Food Pantry would take place, it is almost certain that our partners will have stepped up with financial and food donations to ensure that the pantry is open.

It makes me think of the John 1:5 “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it.” The darkness in our world can at times seem to surround us. At times it can seem like that darkness is all that there is. But there is light. And that light is Jesus. That light shines through us. People at Cross and our partners understand that race and socio-economic status do not need to divide us in the way that the world so often wants us to. Jesus is the light of the whole world and His glow illuminates us all.

Who loves the snow!?!

On Saturday, January 11th there will be a Cross sledding trip. We will meet at the church at 12:30 and leave from there to go sledding behind the Mitchell Park Domes. If kids are practicing that day in the Cross Youth Praise Team, they can stay after practice and there will be lunch for them. We will return to Cross by 3:30 p.m. for hot cocoa and snacks. The van will be available to pick people up and drop them off if needed. Please contact Pastor Arlen via email @ or call the church office if you plan on attending and tell us if you can provide sleds, snacks, lunch, hot cocoa or transportation.

Sermon Critique

As a new pastor just out of seminary and new to Cross, I am still in my formation as a preacher. I am hoping to continue to grow as a preacher in general and as a preacher to Cross in particular. In order to help me do that, I am asking Cross to help me to review my preaching.

Many people have given me oral feedback on sermons which I appreciate. To continue in that vein, I have crafted a sermon review sheet that I will be asking people to fill out for me. One of the Elders may give you a sheet to fill out one Sunday when I preach. The sheet is short so that you won’t have to spend too much time filling it out. It has some basic instructions along with it. This is to be anonymous in order to ensure that you can be open and honest. Please know that this is something I want so that I may serve the Cross community better. There will be 3 people doing this on the Sundays that I preach so you won’t be asked to do so too often. Thank you so much in advance for helping me to be a better pastor.

Peace, Pastor Arlen

Closings due to

Inclement Weather

If bad weather forces church services, the office or activities at the church to close, please watch Channels 4, 6, and 12 for those notifications.

Save the Date!

You are invited to participate in an exciting opportunity! Cross is holding a series of listening sessions to talk about and create a vision for our future. Please attend one (or even all!) of the following sessions:

·  Saturday, January 4th at 10:30 am

·  Thursday, January 9th at 6:00 pm

·  Monday, January 13th at 6:00 pm

Additionally, there will be a congregational vote on January 26thto determine whether Pastor Michelle will be issued a permanent, open-ended, non-term call at Cross Lutheran. The Call Committee thanks you for your participation!

2014 Leadership Team

Senior Pastor: Michelle Townsend de López

Associate Pastor: Arlen Solem

Council President: John Walker

Vice President: Brad Hausler

Secretary: Debra Taylor

Treasurer: Lisa Quam

Bread of Healing Chair: Terry Spears Barnett

Caregivers Co-Chairs: Aroma Riley & Gloria Wright

Evangelism/Hospitality Chair: Marian Wasierski

Evangelism (Neighborhood) Chair: Cynthia Mounger

Finance Co-Chairs: Paulette Barr & Tom Jackson

Human Resourses Chair: Alicia Barr & Emory Churness

LGBT Co-Chairs: Ann Hogan & Lisa Quam

MICAH Core Team Chair: Barbara Wilson-Walker

Stewardship Co-Chairs: Lydia McCoy & Brian Mickelson

Trustee Co-Chairs: Carla Brockman & Craig Dent

Ushers Chair: Lillian Miller

Worship Chair: Cynthia Mounger

Youth/Education Co-Chairs: Cheryl Evans & Audrey Fayne

Boards

Newly Elected Elders Rochelle Jackson, Paul Kragh and Deanna Riley Williams

Newly Elected Youth Elders Brianna Thetphasone & Ciara Torrence-Sims

Newly Elected Endowment

Board Members Ed Carlson, Michelle Glover &

Judi Hunter

Newly Elected Trustee John Garrett

I

By the time many of you read this, it will be the New Year, 2014. I just want to say thank you for your love and support throughout 2013. There were many events that occurred in my life for which I needed support and encouragement and someone was always there for me; that knowledge helped me immensely and felt incredible. Love and support is what the Cross family is all about; we care about one another and we care for each other and for the community that surrounds Cross Church. We should be proud of this church and continue to love and support each other. I will pray for that in the New Year.

I want to start off the New Year with an article that discusses how medication is taken. First of all, I want to caution you that you should discuss this article with your health care provider before you make any changes in the way you take your medication. There may a specific reason that your doctor has you taking your medications at the time you take them. But for many of you, considering these changes might help you a lot.

CHOLESTEROL MEDICATIONS

Many of you may be taking cholesterol medication (statins) to reduce the LDL (bad cholesterol) levels in your blood. You should be taking your medication at night because cholesterol production is highest after midnight, the statins will work best to limit this production if taken at night.

HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE MEDICATION

Commonly people have a 24 hour rhythm with their blood pressure being higher in the daytime and lower during the nighttime. However, this changes after age 55 and the blood pressure does NOT dip at night. Therefore, it may be important to think about taking a blood pressure medication at night as well as in the morning. You should ask your doctor if you are on a medication from the class of ACE inhibitors or ARB’s as these work well at night to cover that non-dipping time which puts you at higher risk for stroke, heart attack, and kidney disease. Common names of ACE inhibitors are lisinopril, captopril, and enalapril. ARB medications usually end with sartan, common trade names include Cozaar, Diovan, and Micardis.

OSTEOARTHRITIS

People experience the pain of arthritis at different times of the day. French researchers have discovered that it’s best to take the naproxen and ibuprofen commonly used for this pain four to six hours before the pain is at its worst. So for afternoon pain, it would make sense to take the medication mid-morning. For evening pain, take the medication mid-afternoon, and for nighttime pain, take the medication with you evening meal.

HEARTBURN

The stomach produces two to three times more acid between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. than at any other time of the day. You may be using an acid-reducing H-2 medication for relief. These usually end in “tidine,” (cimetidine, ranitidine, famotidine). Take them 30 minutes before your evening meal. This will help control the secretion of stomach acid both after the meal and during the critical overnight period when the secretions reach their peak. This will make the stomach juices less likely to irritate the esophagus.

ASTHMA

Asthma attacks occur 50 to 100 times more often between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. than during the daytime.. Four in ten people with asthma wake up during the night with difficulty breathing.. Researchers have found that taking a single dose of an inhaled steroid in the late afternoon will help prevent asthma trouble at night. .If you take an oral medication, take that mid-afternoon.

RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

Symptoms tend to be the worst in the morning. Taking the medications at night, ASA or other NSAID’s, with dinner or before bed will produce better relief than taking the same meds in the morning. There is a new corticosteroid that inhibits the production of cytokines, when taken at night, it will reduce morning symptoms. Ask your health Cross Youth Praise Team practice, 10 a.m.

care provider if this medication might be right for you.

HAY FEVER

Your symptoms are caused by the production of histamine, a chemical released by your immune system after exposure to pollen. Antihistamines block the action of histamine; you should take a once-a- day antihistamine in the evening. Hay fever typically worsens at night and is most severe in the morning. Antihistamines reach their peak 12 hours after taking them; take them at night to prevent morning symptoms. If you are using a twice-daily antihistamine, take them morning and evening to ease your symptoms.

This article was adapted from information taken from the December 2013 AARP Bulletin.