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Official Publication of the National Lutheran Secretariat, VdC

Volume 23.4 Sunday Edition July 26, 2015

Saturday Morning Worship Service

Pastor Gene Vincent presented the sermon

titled “Send forth your Spirit and we shall

be created.” He said we are all the hands

and feet of God. The gospel lesson was

John 3:1-8, the story of Nicodemus and a

favorite of Pastor Gene’s. He asked the

participants why they thought Nicodemus

came to Jesus at night. Was he afraid of

what his peers would think? Was it a fear

of Christ’s followers? Or was it because

he really didn’t want to give up the life he

had? After all, this idea of “becoming

new” can be a frightening one for us all,

the pastor noted.

Nicodemus began buttering up Jesus by

saying, “We know that you are a teacher

that has come from God; for no one can do

these signs that you do apart from the

presence of God.” Jesus then throws a

curve ball by telling him that “no one can

see the presence of God without being

born from above.” Nicodemus wondered if

he had to crawl into his mother’s womb to

be born again. Jesus then doubled down on

this “born from above” thing, “No one can

experience the presence of God without

being born of the water and the spirit.”

Perhaps we were like Nicodemus when we

came to our Via de Cristo weekend. Per-

haps we were searching for a better expe-

rience of God.

Pastor Gene disclosed that he has been

having a hard time see-

ing the kingdom of

God around us when

we live in such a trou-

bled world, and

acknowledged that that

may be why he was

called to be here at this

weekend. We look at

all the bad that is hap-

pening and wonder why God does not “do

something” to fix it. Perhaps the problem

lies in ourselves, he stated. The Apostle

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:17 “So if any-

one is in Christ, there is a new creation:

everything old has passed away; see eve-

rything has become new!” We are new

people in Christ. We must therefore rid

ourselves of the old Adam (and Eve). We

ask Jesus to take away some things from

our past to help us become a better person.

But sometimes we are reluctant to be

made new. We can be rather fond of our-

selves just the way we are. “Sometimes I

want God to make who I am just a little bit

better,” Pastor Gene admitted.

Pastor Gene used the cartoon character

Foghorn Leghorn to illustrate his point

about being chained to the past. In those

cartoons, ol’ Foghorn was depicted as a

large white Leghorn rooster with a strong

Southern accent. The cartoon stories were

often about the old rooster and a dog who

usually tried to undo each other. The dog

was tied up, however, so no matter how

much he chased after the rooster, he would

eventually reach the end of his chain. We

are often like that animated mutt, the pas-

tor said. “We are chained to our past and it

jerks us back when we come to the end of

our chain.” We are held captive by our

heavy links of sin, the “Old Adam” that

lives within us.

And those to be most pitied, according to

Pastor Gene, are the ones who don’t even

pull against the chain. “My heart goes out

to those who don’t even know they’re tied

to their old selves,” said Pastor Gene. How

then, can they ever be freed?

We need to acknowledge that we need

“recreating” and that we are, indeed, a

new creation in Christ. The kingdom of

God is about reconciliation. In his son

Jesus Christ, God brings together all

things that are broken. “We are living a

resurrected life in the here-and-now by

giving God free rein in our hearts,” Pastor

Gene noted.

It’s time to lose the chains and let go of all

that is weighing us down. Pastor Gene

then issued this challenge: “Spread your

wings, open your arms in faith and let the

wind of the Holy Spirit carry you to places

you have never seen before.”

2

KEEPING YOUR SECRETARIAT SAFE

Some folks may think that simply because our VdC Secretariats are religious not-for-profit organizations that the rules and laws that apply to for-profit businesses and corporations are not for us—that we may do as we please. Nothing could be further from the truth! We may not have the same rules and laws governing our activities, but there are specific regulations we must follow – to a “T” – or risk severe consequences.

The first forum on Saturday morning was filled with “must-know” information. It was presented in four segments, all sharing one very important aspect: When in any doubt, consult an expert in that field, period.

The National Secretariat of VdC is very for-tunate to have Diane Purcell as its official financial advisor. She’s an accounting pro-fessional who lends her expertise and guides us in many “do’s and don’ts” regarding financial rec-ord-keeping. She moderated the somewhat abbreviated session that, unfortunately, had a late start. Diane offered her home phone number should anyone need advice or direction on the following issues.

“The Red Book” portion of the forum, presented by Tracy Schmidlin, dealt with what “official” records all Secretariats must not only keep, but have accessible for examination by government officials (e.g. IRS) who have the authority to request them. The term “red book” comes from the ac-counting community and refers to the fact that permanent records are kept in red-color books—the operative word being permanent.

Such books should always be known to be in possession of an officer and be officially passed on to each succeed-

ing person in that office. The records and information therein are the official and important data, including every-thing dealing with being a 501 ( c ) 3 not-for-profit corpora-tion. You should have an attorney or accountant—the in-dustry pros—review your red book to ensure that all re-quired information is being included.

The financial records/tax filing session was presented by Jim Ryan, who especially emphasized that all Secretariats must be incorporated as not-for-profits and must annually file with the IRS. Failure to do so could jeopardize not-for-profit status. The good news, according to Jim, is that sub-mitting an application has become easier and less costly than in prior times.

Insurance is a must, both to cover property owned by a Secretariat and to protect the organization and its officers and/or members from what Butch Seeley described as a liti-gious society. He quoted an attorney who said, “When in doubt, sue everybody!” No two Secretariats are alike, thus one size does not fit all. For that reason, we all need ex-pert advice on what insurance(s) we should and must ob-tain. Two of the primary types of insurance are the “Excess Umbrella” policy and “Errors and Omissions” cov-erage. Again, consult with a professional.

Teri Schlindwein, a member of Living Water Secretariat, the 2015 National VdC Gathering host, described the “mandatory hoops to jump through” to create a specially tailored songbook for Living Water (the one being used at the gathering). Again, this is a fairly complex issue that begs for expert help in order to avoid copyright infringe-ment issues and potential fines, which can be costly for both Secretariats and their members.

NLS Business Meeting ~ July 25, 2015

The business meeting was called to order by

President Ed Broestl. Rick Hanzlik offered

prayers.

Brenda Accola presented further information

re: the proposed budget for the coming year.

She answered questions. Butch Seeley made a

motion to approve the budget. Dottie Schwartz

seconded the motion. Motion passed. 2015-16

budget was approved as presented.

Ed thanked Diane Purcell for her counsel re-

garding financial questions, etc. as well as par-

liamentarian duties.

Regional Reports were made by the Regional

Coordinators.

Kim Brownlow reported on Region 1. She has

visited all secretariats except California and

presented Rediscover and Recommit. They are

working on communication within the region.

Bob Quam from Region 2 reported that they

have completed 3-5 sessions within the region.

Participation has been great when it has been

offered

Wendy Showalter reported for Region 3. They

are presented in three areas. Region 3 is look-

ing for a Regional Coordinator. Sharon Tschir-

hart They are working on developing renewal/

reunion groups and are using Facebook and

email as a tool. They are developing means to

communicate within their area using technolo-

gy.

Loretta Volker from Region 4 reported. They

have completed Rediscover and Recommit

sessions in a variety of locations.

Mary Stroup reported for Region 5. During

their regional meeting they discussed finding

spiritual directors, broadening the base to in-

clude additional groups and churches

Region 6’s Chris Rasmussen made their re-

port. Their region, like many, is dealing with

declining numbers of participants. They have

offered Rediscover and Recommit a number of

times in the region and the region is working to

revitalize Via de Cristo in the Southeast.

Dottie Schwartz reported for Region 7. They

have offered R & R three times and have three

communities they are encouraging to utilize

this resource. They are hosting in 2018 and are

working on fundraising and will have their first

one in February during a Grand Ultreya.

The host committee for 2016, GoodNews Via

de Cristo made their presentation inviting peo-

ple to come to Sylvania, Ohio in July 21-24,

2016.

Living Water host committee chairs, Pam and

Gary Gross and the entire team was thanked for

their wonderful hospitality in hosting this year.

Gary and Pam passed the NLS banner, as is

tradition, to the chairs to the 2016 Annual

Gathering, Tracy Schmidlin and Phil Meuser.

We will be in Lourdes University in Sylvania,

Ohio.

Ed asked if there was any new business; hear-

ing none, Chris Rasmussen moved for adjourn-

ment with Kate Webster seconding the motion.

Motion carried.

Meeting adjourned.

Respectfully submitted,

Nancy Peterson, Acting Secretary

3

Saturday afternoon forum: Whatcha Gonna Do?

So maybe you’re lamenting the fact that there aren’t enough new people joining your Secretariat. Why, you wonder silently, isn’t the

Secretariat doing more to promote growth?

News flash: You are the Secretariat, and it’s up to each individual member to be encouraging others to become part of the VdC fam-

ily, according to Kim Brownlow.

As presenter for the Saturday afternoon forum, “Whatcha Gonna Do?,” Kim challenged the participants to use a

singular focus in growing their Secretariats. “If everyone talks to just one person” and offers encouragement in that

person’s faith walk, the Secretariats would grow along with God’s Kingdom.

Kim likened the process to farming. You have to work the soil, you have to water what you’ve planted, and the

reaping comes later. She showed a picture of two paths, one that was heavily traveled, and the other relatively qui-

et. We should be taking the narrow path, and bringing others along with us on this never-ending journey of faith.

On our VdC weekends, you probably received a cross that reads, “Christ is Counting on You.” There is no passing the buck. You

are his plan. Our goal is to determine what our part in the plan is to be.

“We need to invest long-term, not short-term, so what’s the next step?” Kim asked the participants. The best recruitment tool, she

believes, is “people talking to people.”

“People are leaving it to the Secretariats to go out and try to find people and get them to do things, when you are part of a whole, and

everybody should be doing their part,” she said.

She then noted that groups tend to “attract more of whatever they have.”

Whatever it is you’re presenting, if it’s good, people will come back” because of the actions you took, she stated.

Kim asked if the audience members had ever had the experience of thinking they had lost someone close to them. There is the an-

guished waiting, the wondering, until your loved one is back home safe again. Well, it is that kind of intensity of feeling that one

should bring to Via de Cristo, according to the presenter.

She asked the group what they found most promising to take back to their own Secretariats to build community and grow their num-

bers. It was often mentioned that better communication is needed within the Secretariat and in outreach efforts. One group suggested

that past rectors and rectoras be asked to mentor “babe chicks,” as they generally have the experience and the love for the Lord that

can be so important in bringing the “newbies” along.

Kim also urged the audience to “bring one new member along” to next year’s NLS Gathering. She promised to do the same. “Christ

is counting on you,” she reminded them.

The audience responded: “And I am counting on Christ.”

Cotton Patch Gospel – presented by Phil Kaufman

What if Jesus were a Georgian?

That’s the premise of the Cotton Patch Gospel, a multi-media

presentation that puts a Southern spin on the traditional gospel

story of Christ’s life from the book of Matthew.

Phil Kaufmann had the audience laughing – and perhaps ponder-

ing their faith—with his one-man musical, offered in lieu of the

usual Saturday night vesper service. The show puts the talented

Kaufmann playing the roles of an entire band, as he adds layers

of instrumentation in a unique video collage. The program is

based on a book by Tom Key and Russell Trez, and features mu-

sic and lyrics by the late Harry Chapin.

The story begins with a young, engaged couple, Mary and her

fiancé, Joe Davidson (“David’s son”) en-

countering some relationship troubles. It

seems Mary has become pregnant, and Joe,

who is not the father, wants to break it off,

but an angel advises Joe against it. And so he

marries “his girl.” Due to an income tax au-

dit, hubby and his very pregnant wife must travel to Gainesville,

but they don’t quite make it before Mary gives birth at the Dixie

Delight Motor Lodge –or rather, an abandoned trailer out back.

The story follows the life of Jesus as Chapin envisioned it would

be, had the son of man been born as a modern-day Messiah south

of the Mason-Dixon Line.

Kaufmann has performed the show more than 75 times as a fund-

raiser for local food programs.

4

CONEXIONES is the official publication of the National Lutheran

Secretariat, a national association of

the Via de Cristo (Way of Christ) movement, representing over 89,000

who have participated in 46

movements across the U.S. The pur-pose of this publication is to inform

the delegates about the activities of

the Annual Meeting.

Carol J. Reedstrom, Editor 19396 552 Avenue

Mankato MN 56001

507-278-3024 caroljoy5352@gmail.com

Vol. 23.4 Sunday July 26, 2015

Schedule for Sunday, July 26, 2015

Time Event Bldg/Map # Location

7:00 a.m. Breakfast #26 Center for Student Life

8:15 a.m. Worship #27 College Center

10:00 a.m. NLS Exec Committee Meeting #27 College Center-Dahl Rm

11:00 a.m. Check Out Ends #88 Swanson Commons

A Reminder...

Don’t forget to double-check that the

information NLS has on record for you

(i.e. name, address, email, & phone #’s)

on the Roster of Attendees in the

blue section of your 3 ring binder is correct. If

not, please let the NLS Executive Director, Paul

Schmidlin, know by emailing him at

execdirector.nls@gmail.com

Please Note…

Departure Changes?... Notify the host team ASAP regarding any changes to your submitted transportation departure plans.

Golf carts... will be made available for your transportation needs between buildings.

Host Committee… look for their tie-dye bandanas! These people are ready, willing and able to take care of all your needs.

Key FOB’s… will open the dorm’s exterior front sliding doors as well as wing doors and are given out based on availability/need.

Key Replacement Fee… a $50.00 charge will be assessed by Augustana should you misplace your room key.

Lanyard… It’s Yours To Keep! Thanks Augustana for the memories!!!

Notebooks… received upon arrival are full of valuable information. When checking out, if you don’t need your white binder, the

host team will collect them to be used at 2016’s Gathering.

Check Out … between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. in the dorm registration area.

Campus Police: 309-794-22686

Dorm Front Desk: 309-732-3860 Host Chairpersons: Pam Gross: 309-738-2385

Gary Gross: 563-320-3135

Don’t forget to visit the

NLS website:

http:www.viadecristo.org

Like us on facebook too!

John Bradford~ NLS

Distribution Center Phone #