Vital Signs
Of a congregation being transformed into the image of Christ
discerning the congregational needs
and desires as we searched for a new
pastor. First and
By Paul Joireman, CongregationThis meeting
foremost were
was the culmial Co-Chair
the efforts of the
nation of a
On September 28, we met for a short
Lead Pastor
long process as
congregational meeting after the worSearch Committhe congregaship service to consider calling Don
tee, consisting
tion discerned
and Jan Rheinheimer to the lead pastor
of Jana B, Shatogether what
position at LMC. Each person was givron Ewert, Chris
we were looken four options of varying strength
Jarot, Matthias
ing for in a
asking whether they affirmed this callJ, Terry Macnew lead pasing or not, along with some of the
Gregor, Carlen
tor. The week
reasoning behind their choice. Identical
Sellers and Ann
before the
absentee ballots were provided to those
Vendrely. They
vote, we all
who could not be in attendance. The
met on many
met together to Don, Jan and Hillary baptize Alice at Menno Haven
ballots were collected by Carlen
different occaconsider the issue as a congregational
Sellers (LMC Congregational Cosions
and
considered
many
candidates
family. People shared affirmations
chair) and Sharon Ewert (Chair of the
before
bringing
Don
and
Jan
to the
and concerns. One of the most imLead Pastor Search Committee), and
congregation
as
candidates.
Please
portant things about this meeting was
counted.
thank them for their work when you
the ability for everyone
have a chance.
to hear and understand
As you may already have
the diversity of opinions,
heard, the ballot result
You also were involved in discussions
and to be able to consider
was 97% in favor of calland discernment meetings where the
Don and Jan and their
ing Don and Jan to be our
search committee tried to understand
role as potential lead
lead pastors. We extended
the needs and desires of the congregapastors in new and/or
the call to them and after
tion as we looked to hire a new pastor.
different ways.
some further discussions
Thanks to all of you for your efforts
they have accepted our
during this process. And welcome to
Many people were inScene from the 60th Anniversary Celeoffer.
Don and Jan!
volved in the process of
bration worship service
The People Have Spoken: We Want Don & Jan!
Building Tomorrow on the Foundations of Yesterday
By Hillary Watson
brant, joyful, and
There is so much to
faithful. What would
celebrate at LMC, and
such a congregation
celebrate we did at the
look like? We split
60th Anniversary on
into eight small
October 26. Here is just
groups, each collecta taste of the afternoon
ing their ideas on
session where 40 adults
poster board (which
gathered and dreamed
will remain up in the
of the future. I asked
Fellowship Hall
current and former
through this Sunday).
Scene from the 60th Anniversary worship service
LMCers to imagine
Several themes emerged in this time.
returning to LMC at its 70th birthday
More than half the groups envisioned
and discovering that the church is vi-
Lombard Mennonite Church
a strong focus on children and a congregation that could “groom future
church leaders.” Many groups also
hoped for a church that took a more
active approach to Creation Care: three
of them hoped for solar panels on the
roof. One group suggested an LMC
“housing commune” that allowed
members to live closer to the church.
Two groups imagined a second congregation, so that we could maintain our
current size and still grow. Another
group imagined LMC growing to “179
people, because at 180 we seem to
(Continued on page 2)
November 2014
Lombard Mennonite Church
Imagining
Our Future
(Continued from
page 1)
have all our
church conflicts.”
Several groups
hoped for more
racially and ethnically diverse
membership. One One group’s vision of LMC in 2024
group simply
wrote, “Get more radical.”
In the second part of our visioning, I
offered three observations for the
church. These observations are neither
good nor bad in themselves, but are
certainly important as we imagine the
church we are becoming. First, we are
used to being on a different page than
downstate churches—and inner city
churches. This lack of peer congregations shapes the way that we partner
with other congregations. Second, although we value Mennonite faith, we
are somewhat detached from the day-to
-day news of Illinois Mennonite Con-
Vital Signs
ference and MC USA.
We grow separately
from these institutions
rather than into them.
Third, at present, we
choose to limit the conversations we have
about same-sex relationships and LGBTQ issues. In our earlier con-
Pauline & LeRoy Kennel (LMC’s
first pastor) greet Don
versation, half of the
groups named LGBTQ
concerns as something
to address in the next
10 years. Many hoped
for broader inclusion.
A Focus on Immigration and Displaced People
By Chris Ewert, Lay Minister of
Mission
On October 19, six individuals gathered for the annual
Mission Summit after
church. The summit
consisted of a budget
discussion, followed
by a conversation on
what missions will
look like during the
next year at LMC.
We agreed to
maintain the 2015 mission budget as closely
as possible to the 2014
budget, continuing
support for our current mission workers and organizations. We decided to
make a gift of $725 from the ShortTerm Ministry budget to support Nick
Bouwman’s work with Mennonite Vol-
November 2014
untary Service. We also authorized a
gift of $200 from the Special Mission
Projects budget to a former LMC
youth pastor who has fallen on hard
times from a health
issue.
We spent much of
the summit talking
about creating a mission theme for next
year focusing on the
issue of immigration
and displaced people.
Participants suggested
many ideas for integrating the theme of
immigration into our
existing ministries, as
well as better integrating missions
into worship. I want to thank everyone that came to the summit this year
to help shape what missions will look
like at LMC in the coming year.
However, it’s clear that not all LMCers
condone same-sex relationships and
groups had different ideas about what
“inclusion” meant. As a pastor, it was
encouraging to see the congregation
naming conflict and thinking about
how to address it in healthy ways.
With so many varied and lively visions
of the future, I am hopeful that LMC
will grow deeper into God’s vision. It
is inspiring to have so many beautiful
dreams to work toward, and I encourage the congregation to keep dreaming,
for indeed, God dreams with us, and
draws us into the glorious Kingdom.
Editor’s Note: So many people contributed their time and talents to our 60th
Anniversary Celebration. We thank
them all! Special acknowledgement
goes to our 60th Anniversary Committee: Jan
Yoder (Chair), Carol
Bohnert, Wanda
Bouwman, Curtis
Funk, Jim Householter,
and Hilary Rhodes.
Countdown to Year End
We can praise God for the funding that
LMC has received this year towards our
budgeted expenses. As of October 31,
our total income for the year-to-date is
$302,689. That includes $280,844 in
contributions to the General Fund from
our weekly offerings. We have come a
long way to meeting our expenses, including our mission contributions.
Looking back to last year at this time,
we had a total income of $272,673 and
total expenses of $260,494. Our offerings for the last two months of 2013
totaled about $77,000.
Looking towards the final two months
of 2014, we need to receive about
$78,000 to meet all our expenses by
year end. We’ve got a ways to go but
we’ve done this before. Please keep
LMC’s financial needs in your prayers
as we try to meet all of our expenses
and missions in November and December.
—Jeremy Steelberg, Treasurer
Page 2
Lombard Mennonite Church
Vital Signs
In addition to our regular annual events,
the MYF will be preparing for the 2015
ler and Kermit
Mennonite Youth
Eby. An overConvention in Kansas
arching theme
City this summer. Feathroughout the
tured speakers are
quarter is the exMichelle Armster,
ploration of the
Isaac Villegas,
question, “What
Michele Hershberger,
does the Bible
Cyneatha Millsaps,
mean to me?”
Luke Hartman, and
One Sunday, each
Shane Claiborne. Conteen was asked to
vention is a great way
create a personal
for youth to connect,
list of six fundaA big thank you to the MYF for providing enthusiastic
childcare
support
during
the
60th
Anniversary
Celebration!
or reconnect, with othmental values for
er
Mennonites for
the Anabaptist faith to then share with
worship,
discussion,
and learning. The
one another. This activity really deMFY will host lunch fundraisers for
fined what it is to be Mennonite, and
this event at Congregational meetings;
showed how our personal values may
we already started the year with a deliparallel or diverge with those of other
cious chili lunch on September 21.
religions.
Busy Year Ahead for the MYF
By Carolina Q-C
This year, the MYF welcome freshmen
Elizabeth and Alice to a busy year,
including the annual Lock-in, Menno
Haven work weekends, the winter retreat, Bistro, and the Car Park. The
group will volunteer at the Northern
Illinois Food Bank, as well as make a
trip to an ice-skating rink. Our first
official social event was the Moody vs.
Goshen men’s soccer match. We
cheered on former MYFer Chris Vendrely as Goshen won 2-1. Our next
outing will be the fall work weekend at
Menno Haven on November 7-9.
This fall, the MYF Sunday School
class is focusing on the Mennonite
Confession of Faith with Pastor Hillary
Watson and adult leaders, Melissa Mil-
Fantastic Fellowship and Worship at Menno Haven
By Leanna Kaser, Lay Minister of
Community Life
Some who attended our fall retreat
this year had never
been to Menno
Haven Camp.
They were surprised by the size
(231 acres), and
the beauty. Hills,
ravines, and gullies
are a beautiful site, especially compared to the flat lands of the Chicago
suburbs. More than 60 people were
able to play carpet ball, hike on the
trails, fish on the island, explore the lake
in paddle boats and
canoes, take a hay ride,
and go on a nature
hike.
On Sunday morning,
we held a meaningful
two-part worship service. First we met in
the lodge upstairs. After Don spoke about the rite of baptism, each of those who were to be
November 2014
baptized shared about the meaning of
baptism in their lives. Later, we
walked down to the lake where the
pastors baptized
Jimmy Orjala by
sprinkling, and Alice K, Daniel Y G,
and Josh Mangis by
immersion. Communion followed.
Lunch that day was
new and innovative. As a Congregation to Congregation experience, 61 people from Metamora Mennonite Church and 95 people from Lombard Mennonite Church
shared a portion of their respective
retreats by eating lunch
at the same time in the
lodge. As we shared a
meal, former friends
and new friends talked
and told stories. As we
left for home later that
afternoon, all were remembering the wonderful time we had enjoying God’s beautiful
creation and fellowshipping with
brothers and sisters in Christ.
Rug Festival at Ten
Thousand Villages
By Denise Harshbarger
Ten Thousand Villages of Glen Ellyn
will host its 29th annual Fair Trade International Craft and Oriental Rug
Event on November 20-22. This will be
the first year that this local event, previously held at the Ewert’s home, will be
held at the new store location at 503
Pennsylvania Avenue in Glen Ellyn.
Please join us on November 20-22,
from 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM, with a special preview seminar on Wednesday,
November 19, at 7:00 PM. The seminar
will provide information about the rugs,
their origins, the craftsmanship that
goes into them, and the unique character and quality of each individual rug.
The Event itself will also showcase the
many Villages’ international crafts including jewelry, scarves, baby accessories, nativities and ornaments, candles,
coffee, chocolate and so much more!
This annual event has become a tradition for many of you, and needs your
support now more than ever. The new
location of the store is bigger and so we
can accommodate the rugs in store; this
(Continued on page 4)
Page 3
Lombard Mennonite Church
Vital Signs
Rug Event at Villages
Updates on LMC’s Safe Church Initiatives
By Melissa Miller, Lay Minister of
Education
One weekly magazine I enjoy reading
has a section titled
“Boring but important”. That could
possibly apply to
some of the Safe
Church updates, but
focus on the
“important” part and
keep reading!
Work continues at
Scene from the church retreat
the church and conference levels to make our churches
safer for all. At LMC, the new Safe
Church committee members are Ken G
Kabira, Cynthia Kimball, Matt Lundin,
Melissa Miller, and Hillary Watson.
We will review both Dove’s Nest and
Illinois Mennonite Conferences resources as we work to develop a broader safe church policy for LMC.
The Illinois Mennonite Conference is
(Continued from page 3)
also working to make churches safer
for all people. First,
they have provided a
clear way for people
to report pastoral
sexual misconduct.
The conference
website at
illinoismennonite.
com/page26 has a
wealth of information about reporting misconduct, as
well as information
about abuse response and
prevention.
Also, Illinois Mennonite Conference
now requires all pastors to sign an
Ethics Statement. All of our pastors
did so at the last Ministry Team meeting. As we work towards becoming a
safer church, we will continue to focus on communicating any changes in
policies and practices, as well as
working to prevent any abuse.
location shift has brought both excitement and some challenges. We need
your help not only to attend and support
this event, but also to help to get the
word out to all your friends and neighbors about this great chance to support
a wonderful cause! Finally, we covet
your prayers leading up to and throughout the event, that the Rug Event may
be successful in its new location.
This year we will see the return of the
Zwieback rolls that were a staple of the
event for so many years! While this is
the time to view and purchase the beautiful rugs, it is also a great time to finish
your Christmas shopping while also
supporting our Glen Ellyn store. Please
stop by
and enjoy this
event
with us!
Rooted and Grounded: Reflections on Pastoral Escapades
By Hillary Watson
“Do Unto those Downstream as You Would
Have Those Upstream
Do Unto You,” read the
title of the workshop by
Christian Peacemaker
Teams Executive Director, Sarah Thompson.
That title describes
much of the Rooted and
Grounded conference I
attended at Anabaptist
Mennonite Biblical
Seminary from September 18-20.
We all know our climate is fragile; we
know about the decline of monarch
butterfly populations by 90%; we
know about holes in the ozone and
melting ice caps. We know these
things intellectually, but how do we
learn them, spiritually? At AMBS, the
answer was simple: by listening closer.
November 2014
By reading the Bible,
knowing it speaks across
time and culture.
ites saw the land as an ancestor, alongside Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Lev.
26:42).
“Do unto those downOther pastors, professors, and presentstream as you would
ers examined the land in other parts of
have those upstream do
the Bible: Psalms, Ruth, the nativity
unto you.” If we raised
story, and even used Revelation as a
our children with this
model for Creation Care! But the conparaphrase of the Goldference wasn’t all Bible study. It also
en Rule, how would
included an “immersion experience”
they understand Christhat helped us connect with the land
tian life? Christian faith
around AMBS. (Thankfully, there were
cannot be separated
no immersions on my canoe trip.)
from caring for our
While canoeing the Elkhart River, I
earth. We know we are
learned how Goshen’s
to love our neighbor—
sewage used to overflow
but the land is also our
into the river every time
neighbor. Ellen Davis,
it stormed, because of
an Old Testament
poor resource manageprofessor at Duke Theoment. I also learned about
logical Seminary and
the parts of the AMBS
keynote speaker, even
campus that are delibersuggested that the Israel- Delicious local and sustainable food:
(Continued on page 5)
another highlight of this great conference
Page 4
Lombard Mennonite Church
Vital Signs
LMC Libraries: Much More than Books and Periodicals!
By Ruth Quiroa
What is the purpose of
a church library in a
digital age? Why do
we need a church library with all the local
public and university
libraries available?
What does LMC want
its libraries to be?
These questions are
important as we work
to renew the LMC libraries, now housed in
the church office (adult/young adult
books), the downstairs education wing
(intermediate books), and the upstairs
education wing (preschool and primary
books). Simply checking out books—
some published over 30 years ago—to
children is not enough.
First, the mission of the LMC library
collections must be identified—one
that aligns with our core values, and
meets our needs and interests. A mission drives purchasing
priorities in regards to
authors, genres, and
formats (digital, hardcover, periodicals,
etc.). Next, a system
for digitizing the collections must be put in
place, which is the
easiest step and one to
be completed before
the end of November.
The libraries must then
be given accessible
spaces, arrangements, and furniture, as
well as staffed on Sundays. Once all
these steps are put into place, a regular
purchasing cycle can be established,
and the congregation informed of new
books and “great reads.”
A final question: Are you interested in
lending your expertise and/or time to
participate in one of the steps outlined
here? If so, contact Ruth Quiroa.
Reflections On My Faith Journey
By Jimmy Orjala
Ed. Note: Jimmy and
Daniel shared the
following testimonies at their
baptisms at Menno
Haven on October 5.
I was born in
Stockholm, Sweden, and was baptized as an infant
in the Lutheran
tradition. At age 13, I spent a spring
taking confirmation classes with 12
other confirmands. This involved studying the Bible and asking faith questions of the pastors. I was confirmed
(aka affirmation of baptism), in May
that year. A major significance of the
confirmation ritual was that confirmands partook in the Lord’s supper for
the first time.
In many ways these traditions are not
too different from what Mennonites
November 2014
practice—congregational blessing of a
child followed
by baptism at
high school age
(baptism allows
a believer to
partake in the
Lord’s supper).
However, I believe there are
major differences in the
significance of
these steps in the daily lives of a believer.
After my confirmation I was a questioning young adult,
but I soon became
disillusioned by the
lack of implications
of faith in the daily
life of believers.
Throughout my life
Rooted and Grounded
(Continued from page 4)
ately maintained with prairie grass and
natural habitat. (I live-tweeted much of
the conference, so if you’re curious for
more highlights, find me @stuff
mennossay.)
I heard stories from Pittsburgh Mennonite Church, where members created
a community garden and then a farmers’ market in order to reach out to
their neighbors. I sang new hymns
written to help us honor creation. I
learned about a 28-year-old farmer in
Lancaster County, who was trying to
return her family’s farm to a more sustainable model. And of course, I lived
out a creation ethic, eating locally and
sustainably at the AMBS cafeteria—
dried peaches; butternut squash and
corn chowder; lavender and mint shortbread; even cookies with crabapple
frosting! The weekend was an inspiring call to a new vision for Christian
life: one that lives with the grain of
Creation.
journey in Sweden, the USA and Switzerland, I became very aware of this
hypocrisy. Most people affirmed to be
Christian, but being Christian had little
or no implication in their daily lives.
All this made me lose faith and see
Christianity as a sham.
This perception started to change once
I encountered Mennonites during my
time as a postdoc in Oregon. They
lived out their Christian beliefs, even if
it meant hardships, both financial and
personal. Several of them chose to earn
under the tax line so as not to support
the US military by paying income tax.
This rekindled my curiosity and I began to “converse” with God about my
previous doubts—not
in structured prayers,
but in “questioning
and listening sessions”. These almost
always took place in a
natural setting (while
fishing or hiking in
(Continued on page 6)
Page 5
Lombard Mennonite Church
Vital Signs
Let God’s Name Rise Up in Me
By Daniel Y G
For I know
the plans I
have for you,
declares the
Lord, plans to
prosper you
and not to
harm you,
plans to give
you hope and
a future.—
Jeremiah
29:11
Guatemala Background
I was born in Guatemala in 1998 to a
mother that had five other kids, ranging in age from three to 15. My birth
mother was not able to support my
needs and all the other siblings. I was
put up for adoption. I was fortunate to
be adopted by the family I live with
now in the United States. If my family
in the US had not taken me in and had
God not been looking out for me, I
don’t know if I would be standing here
today.
Through my adoption, God showed me
that he will always be in my life and
provide for me and take care of me.
God blessed me with a chance in life;
without his presence I would not be as
lucky to have the family I do. God
planned for me to be adopted. God’s
presence through this experience
showed me how God will always take
care of me, no matter what.
Dad
Throughout growing up in the USA, I
have had my mother and father, devoted Mennonites. They talk about how
faith shapes us and how peace is the
way to keep a situation in perfect unity.
My father’s teaching has shaped me
into being a devoted Christian that
wants to serve the Lord no matter what
my gifts are, be they small or huge. All
of us can help others.
While the pressure of following my
father’s Christian values isn’t always
easy, God put him in my life to teach
November 2014
me the things God sees as lifelong key
values. God wants me to honor him by
being faithful; I must
honor God in
the way I
live. God
shows me
through my
father that
our gifts are
to serve God.
My faith has
shown me I
can give back
to God and do great things with his
guidance. Only with the Lord’s guidance was I able to help lead a drive for
supplies for the Central American refugees.
Although we all worry, I want to share
this verse: Cast your burdens on God.
Although I let my worries take over
sometimes, I’m
learning that no
matter what happens, God will
always help defeat
any little petty
thing that show up
in my life. As my
father says to me,
don’t waste your
life worrying. Let
God take care of you. One of the main
reasons I am standing up here before
you is due to the fact that I feel God’s
presence when I pray to him and ask
him to keep me safe no matter what
happens.
Jimmy’s Faith Journey
(Continued from page 5)
old growth forests). As God answered
and my faith began to grow, I discussed my faith questions with several
Mennonite believers. These insightful
conversations further strengthened my
faith and I became a follower of Christ.
Donna, a member of our small Mennonite fellowship in Davis, California,
once told me that she overheard a child
asking, “Who are the Mennonites?”
The mother replied that “Mennonites
are a people of whom you can tell that
they are Christians by how they act.”
This is a very daunting description, but
one that I am encouraged to try to emulate—by growing in God with this
congregation.
summer about what it means to follow
God. I thought: if God has blessed me
with all the things in my life, why can’t
I follow him, show him that I recognize
the love he has
shown me through
my life, and let his
name rise up in me.
A Peculiar
Christian
The Turley family
has been a huge part
of my faith journey,
guiding me through
my early teen years. I saw Daryl as a
prime example of how to be a peculiar
Christian kid. Although we are not always perfect, we can honor Christ as
our Savior. The Turleys showed me that
although we are different people, being
Christian is in the way
you show love and
compassion to even
those that treat you like
their enemy. I learned
that no matter what
mistakes I make, God
will forgive me more
than enough times.
Menno Haven:
“Let His Name
Rise Up in Me”
Throughout my life,
God has provided me
with a home, a family, a loving father, a
wonderful church
Josh serves communion following his baptism. We hope
family, and also, op- to have his and Alice’s testimonies in the next issue.
Chris Ewert has also
portunities to come
been
a
big
influence
on my life for
here to Menno Haven as a camper.
years.
If
it
wasn’t
for
people like him, I
The reason this place means so much
to me is that I wrestled throughout this
(Continued on page 7)
Page 6
Lombard Mennonite Church
Vital Signs
Daniel’s Testimony
Mennonite Kids Can Sing
By Melodie Graber
at LMC. This is a great opportunity to
learn some music,
meet new people
and have some
fun. Register at
mennoniteyouth
choir.com or
contact Melodie
Graber.
Attention all student in grades 3-9.
You are invited to
participate in the
Sacred Music
Youth Festival on
February 28 and
March 1, 2015, in
Goshen, IN. This
Other Music
festival was forLast year’s youth choir participants
News
mally known as
Karin Edwards, piano, Lee Joiner,
the Mennonite Youth Choir but has
violin, and Steuart Pincombe, Ameriexpanded to include children from othcan cellist living in Germany, will
er church denominations.
perform Schubert duos
and trios in a concert
entitled, “Swan Song:
the Search for Hope in
Schubert” on November 20 at 7:30 PM in
Wheaton College’s
Pierce Chapel. Tickets
are available only at the
Dylan sings at the church retreat
door and cost $10 for
Music is distributed in January and
general audience and $5 for students/
several practices are held in the Goseniors. For more info, call the Conshen area. We will also have rehearsals
servatory of Music at 630-752-5099.
Saturday, February 28,
is rehearsal day and activities at Goshen College’s recreation center.
Sunday, March 1, is the
performance at 2 PM in
the Goshen College
Sauder Concert Hall.
November Nursery Schedule
2
Susan, Ken G; Jeremy, Jimmy
9
Valerie, Stephanie; Jill, Ioannis
16 Cynthia, Bart; Lisa
23 Mary, Lois; Paul Re.
30 Elise, Melissa; Caroline, Adriana
Vital Signs
Editor: Katharine Richert
would not have the courage to stand
here in front of you and say that I want
(and choose) to be peculiar as a Christian. This past summer, I was stretched
to look at new ways of being a Christian. I’m thankful for the youth sponsors such as Chris who shared his faith
journey through this summer, guiding
me each day on a trip back to Central
America—a trip that I was terrified to
go on.
God has blessed me through the many
gifts of my family and my church family. I have learned on my journey as a
Christian kid that I want to commit to
God and show his light in my life; to
serve and give back to a God that has
done miracles in my life.
So please walk with me. I’m a peculiar
Christian...let God’s name rise up in
me!
Jeremiah 29:11: For I know the plans I
have for you, declares the Lord, plans to
prosper you and not to harm you, plans to
give you hope and a future.”
Conventions this Summer
Is a Mennonite convention in your future? You have two options to choose
from this summer: the MC USA 2015
Convention from June 30-July 5 in
Kansas City, MO, and the Mennonite
World Conference 2015 from July 2126 in Harrisburg, PA. See the posters
on the bulletin board for more info.
Back Page Hodgepodge
Cookie Exchange, Dec 6
Mark your calendars and plan to attend
the annual Cookie Exchange at 2:00
PM on Saturday, December 6, at the
Horsch home. You bring six dozen
cookies of one kind and take home a
variety of cookies in exchange. The
cookies are great for serving at those
holiday events and celebrations and
would even be good to give on a plate
as a gift to your child’s teacher! Everyone will think you spent hours in the
kitchen making a variety of goodies.
Please bring an appetizer to share on
December 6. The event is open to both
(Continued from page 6)
From chairing the committee to slide shows, supervising the meal
and more, these six contributed hugely to our 60th Anniversary
Celebration. Thank you!
females and males, young and
old. All are welcome!—
Leanna Kaser
Photography Credits
A big thank you to Leslie
Hawthorne Klingler and Bob
Erck for all the wonderful
photos from the church retreat
and 60th Anniversary Celebration.
New Bouwmans
After a long adoption process, Victor
and Isaiah officially became
Bouwmans on October 1, joining the
family of LMC
alumni Alex and
Amanda. JanGerrit and Wanda
tripled their official
grandchildren
count in one day.
Congratulations!
The joyous adoption day
November 2014; Vol. 33, #11
Deadline for the December Vital Signs is Thursday, November 20