Volume 8, Number 2 Winter 2014 Emmaus Evangelical Lutheran Church U.A.C. The Emmaus Lutheran And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures, the things concerning himself. Luke 24:27 Take Refuge in Christ, the Prince of Peace What is going on in the world today? This year we have entered the 100 year anniversary of the “War to End all Wars,” and we see anything but the end of wars. Syria continues to be torn by war, and ISIS has now taken over chunks of Iraq in a most brutal fashion. We look at Iran and North Korea, and some see signs of possible wars. Then there has been the whole series of violence between Russia and the Ukraine. As if that was not bad enough, areas of St. Louis are now being torn with violence due to police shootings. What is going on? Not only is this the 100 year anniversary of World War I, but we are also now preparing to celebrate the coming of the Prince of Peace. Jesus’ birth was heralded by the angels saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:14 ESV) Despite this, we still see violence and death all around this world. When we see this, it is easy for us to get upset with God and wonder why He has not eradicated this type of danger. These thoughts and concerns are not new; Christians have wondered about Christ’s return and why it has been so long for almost 2,000 years. Within the life of St. Peter, Christians facing persecution wondered at the delay. Peter responded to this with the explanation “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9 ESV). This means that the easy answer of why our Lord tarries is His mercy. ...continued on pg. 6 Rev. Dr. John Hellwege Inside this Issue Take Refuge pg. 1, 6 New Members pg. 2, 3 Recent Events pg. 3 Thrive Update pg. 4, 5 Outreach Efforts pg. 6 Doxology pg. 7 Emmaus Ev. Lutheran Church U.A.C. Winter 2014 Emmaus Welcomes New Members Nine new members came into our midst during the second half of 2014. We praise God for them! In the spring, Emmaus welcomed Rev. Randy and Elizabeth Golter, as well as Shawn Barnett. Rev. Steve and Kim Schave and their children Rachel, Sarah, Leah, and Luke, joined in June. Here’s your chance to get to know some of our new brothers and sisters in Christ… What do you think makes Emmaus unique? Golters: Of course, many similarities with other LCMS city congregations exist, such as, the struggle to reach out to a changing and diverse demographic. Similarities also include the proclamation of the Gospel and the administration of the Sacraments, which are essential, for which we praise Him. Unique to Emmaus, we might surmise, is the high number of LCMS pastors and families as members of the congregation, although, this is Saint Louis! Rev. Randy and Elizabeth Golter most recently lived in Denver, Colorado. Barnett: Emmaus is as unique as the members that congregate there whom God loves and calls by name. I rejoice every time I see their faces. They are all very courageous and full of hope. What a gift it is to be able to gather with those who treasure the Church's heritage and faithful preaching. Why did you choose to join Emmaus? Golters: We were intent on attending a local LCMS church and to help support a small, urban congregation. Barnett: A friend of mine suggested that I attend Emmaus. I've been very pleased with the worship and the preaching, which conforms to the norms of Scripture and the confessions. At Emmaus, the Gospel is preached and the Sacraments are administered according to Christ's institution. The Lord serves me there, provides me with the medicine of immortality, strengthens my faith, and draws me into communion with his body, his catholic Church. What good things do you see in Emmaus’ future? Golters: Gladly we know her future is His, as was the past, for which we find great comfort. The good things of course include the preaching of the Gospel and the administration of the Sacraments. While we're not the experts in urban ministry challenges, it seems to us that Emmaus has exhibited a stubborn toughness and resiliency to keep going forward, no matter the obstacles and challenges. Secondly, because of this, to keep looking for ways to utilize her property assets and location, namely, the school building and her Jefferson locations as avenues to proclaim Jesus Christ to the neighborhood. LCMS congregations—it seems--end up to ...continued on pg. 3 Shawn Barnett is chair of Emmaus’ new Outreach Task Force. Emmaus Mission Statement Enabled by His Spirit, Emmaus Lutheran Church boldly proclaims God's love and grace in Jesus Christ to all people through excellent liturgical worship, bold community outreach, and dedicated, caring service to our neighbor. 2 Emmaus Ev. Lutheran Church U.A.C. Winter 2014 Emmaus Welcomes Members (Continued from pg. 2) be at the end of some forgotten and less traveled street, at least in our experience. Therefore, these two things are great gifts from God. Leah Schave Confirmed June 15, 2014 Leah Schave, daughter of Rev. Steve and Kim Schave, confessed her faith and confirmation vows in June. The Schave family are the newest faces at Emmaus. Back row (Left to right): Kim, Steve, and Rev. Hellwege. Front row: Luke, Leah, Rachel, and Sarah. Barnett: Emmaus has weathered many storms and I pray that the weather is beginning to clear. Our location provides us with the opportunity to serve in an underserved area and to care for our neighbors. Furthermore, the school building may yet prove to be a great asset to serve our neighbors and to provide instruction in the Holy Scriptures. Emmaus will continue to sow the Word and to water. May God give growth! Rolland/Wosepka Wedding Thank you to our frequent non-member donors! We give thanks to God for your ongoing prayers and support. “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel.” —Philippians 1:3 Chad Rolland and Alicia Wosepka were united in marriage on August 2, 2014. The couple met at Emmaus in 2012. Pictured from left to right: Rev. Paul Beisel, Alicia, Chad, Rev. John Hellwege, and Rev. Ben Mayes. 3 Emmaus Ev. Lutheran Church U.A.C. Winter 2014 Neighborhood Families “Thriving” at Emmaus By Rebecca Mayes, Emmaus Volunteer Recruiter for Parent University “Sarah” was filling out paperwork at the Planned Parenthood in St. Louis this past August with a gnawing feeling in her soul that this wasn’t where she should be. But almost everyone else in her circle of friends and family said it was. It didn’t feel right, though. It was her mom, who had accompanied her on this day of the scheduled abortion, who noticed the inner struggle and spoke up. “You know, you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to” she said. Surprised by the compassion in her mother’s voice, Sarah was speechless for some time. Then her voice spoke in a tone more firm than it had been in a long time. “I don’t want to,” she replied, still shocked that she’d been given permission to make up her own mind. And so they left—all three of them. I met Sarah a few weeks ago at one of the Parent University classes held at Emmaus on Thursday nights. She told me her story about that fateful day, and about the kind woman who caught her attention as she was leaving the clinic. The woman was from Thrive, a pregnancy resource center, and she asked Sarah if she’d like to have a free ultrasound in the mobile unit across the street. Sarah took her up on her offer and was introduced to the caring support network of the Thrive team. She later met a Thrive counselor and was directed to the parenting classes offered at our church. Sarah beamed as she told me about her baby and how relieved she was that she left the clinic in time. She wasn’t sure exactly what her future held, but she knew she’d done the right thing. She loved this child. Her glowing face and the gentle stroking of her belly both indicated her full acceptance of this new role as “mother.” Emmaus is still a small congregation. We don’t have the time or manpower to walk sidewalks with prolife signs and we don’t have the finances to purchase mobile ultrasound units. How could such a little church make a difference in the lives of children at risk of being aborted? God knew the answer to this question. He has worked through staff from Thrive, members of Emmaus, volunteers from churches around the city, pastors from Thrive Parent University Above: Emmaus member Geraldine Cole lends a hand during Thrive childcare. Below: Parent University classes take place at Emmaus’ school every Tuesday and Thursday. 4 Emmaus Ev. Lutheran Church U.A.C. Winter 2014 Neighborhood Families “Thriving” (Continued from pg. 4) “Come, Thou long expected Jesus, Born to set Thy people free; From our fears and sin release us; Let us find our rest in Thee… Born Thy people to deliver; Born a child and yet a king! Born to reign in us forever, Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.” LSB 338 Thrive Advent Dinner (Below) On December 4, Emmaus hosted a special Advent event for Parent University students and their families. All enjoyed a catered meal, a Christmas message by Rev. Hellwege, and the fellowship of singing favorite Christmas hymns! other congregations, as well as donors to orchestrate marvelous partnerships, all with the centralized goal of supporting families and women like Sarah. On Thursday nights families continue to receive a filling meal and free childcare from volunteers while learning from Thrive’s educators how they can be the best parents possible. From the Bible study given by Rev. Hellwege and other pastors at the beginning all the way through the hour-long class sessions, students hear from the Word of God about His love, His sacrifice, His forgiveness, and His directions for living a life which pleases Him and cares for those around us. Each week the Holy Spirit plants the seeds of the Gospel, and God’s people provide for bodily needs. This joint effort among LCMS congregations and volunteers, headquartered at Emmaus, is a true example of our synod’s motto: Witness, Mercy, and Life Together. Please keep this partnership in your prayers and ask that the Lord would continue to provide the many volunteers needed to make this effort successful. There are many dates on the 2015 calendar that need filling. If you would like to learn more about volunteering or would like your church to consider rotating food or childcare volunteers every few months, please contact me at 314229-1134 or [email protected]. 5 Emmaus Ev. Lutheran Church U.A.C. Winter 2014 Outreach Efforts Expand: New Task Force, MissionShift By Denise Hellwege Emmaus has begun actively seeking ways to reach out to the neighborhood around us. Partnering with Thrive and hosting their Parent University is our most concrete effort so far, but other steps are also being taken. This fall, we created an Outreach Task Force to help create a focus for our outreach efforts. This group helped make the Advent Dinner for the Thrive students and families a great success. We have also been looking into the possibility of partnering with a local group that is interested in using our gym and a national group that would offer assistance in creating an afterschool tutoring program for area students. Another big step we have taken is enrolling in MissionShift Institute. This program’s mission is to equip Christians to build and lead culture-crossing ministries. I have been attending this 30-week intensive training program. In the first quarter of the class, we spent time learning about the unique challenges of urban ministry (particularly in the diversity that is 21st century U.S. cities) and learning from ministries already in place in St. Louis. We read two books that I would highly recommend to everyone (with the caveat that they are definitely not written from a Lutheran theological perspective): When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty without Hurting the Poor … and Yourself by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert presents concise information on the subject of poverty alleviation and ministry to those in need. It brings an understanding that poverty is much more than simply a lack of financial or material resources and that it takes much more than donations and handouts to solve the problem of poverty. Developing relationships and setting people on the road to rehabilitation and reconciliation elicits much better results than simple relief measures. Cross Cultural Connections: Stepping Out and Fitting In Around the World by Duane Elmer helps you understand core values that determine how people in different cultures make decisions and interact in everyday life. While written particularly for overseas ministry, this book also has great relevance for today’s diverse American cities. It helps you understand and appreciate the differences between cultures and how to overcome obstacles that these differences can create. Both of these books are available on Amazon (using our Amazon Smile account, of course!) or in Emmaus’ library. The MissionShift class culminates in the spring with an Urban Ministry Project in which a group from class will work with leaders from Emmaus to develop an innovative ministry project to strengthen the work of our congregation. 6 Emmaus Ev. Lutheran Church U.A.C. Winter 2014 Emmaus Members Attend Doxology By Chad Rolland Chad Rolland visits with a pastor from Minnesota during a meal break at Doxology. “The Church is a living and breathing body, and its members are meant to be in communion.” Doxology, which is headed by The Lutheran Center for Spiritual Care and Counsel, is a three part program designed to help address the too-often-overlooked needs of pastors. Each part of the program has a specific focus and the second retreat, called “The Encore,” which was held at the Chiara Retreat Center in Springfield, Illinois, included lay leaders for the purpose of helping them better understand ways to support their pastor. My wife Alicia and I were able to attend the November 2014 program with Pastor Hellwege and were incredibly blessed by the experience. Doxology Innovators and Faculty, Rev. Dr. Harold Senkbeil and Dr. Beverly Yahnke, were very insightful in their presentations as they addressed topics ranging from the mission of the church to the scrutiny many pastors and their families receive in their congregations. It was eye-opening to hear that pastors experience a wide variety of struggles that many of us laypeople are simply ignorant to. The two aspects of the conference that I appreciated the most was being able to hear other lay leaders tell about their congregations and bouncing ideas off of them to consider for our own church, as well as worshiping using the daily offices of the church in the Chiara Center chapel. Both of these aspects brought home the fact that the Church is a living and breathing body and its members are meant to be in communion and serve one another as Christ our Head has graciously done for us. Merry Christmas! Use Amazon? Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to Emmaus whenever you shop on AmazonSmile. Start here each time you shop with your regular Amazon account: smile.amazon.com/ch/43-0662466 May God richly bless your celebration of the advent of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Emmaus Ev. Lutheran Church 2617 Shenandoah Ave. St. Louis, MO 63104 emmaus-stl.org Emmaus Ev. Lutheran Church U.A.C. Winter 2014 Take Refuge in Christ, the Prince of Peace (Continued from pg. 1) As we wait, it really should not surprise us that sinful people act, well, sinfully. We know that people are born in sin (Psalm 51:5), and history should show us that people are capable of all sorts of evil. In the midst of hard times like this, we need the reassurance that God is still in control, which is one of the reasons that Psalm 46 is a personal favorite of mine. It is times like this that it is so important for us to remember the birth of the Prince of Peace. While our world is still wracked with sin, we know that Jesus has won for us eternal life and will one day take us out of this world. While there is danger, we are reminded of the words of St. Paul “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21 ESV). Most of all, we are reminded that our God entered this world of sin and suffering. He was threatened by Herod the Great and died under Pontius Pilate. But He defeated death for us. Therefore we continue to join the angels in saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased” (Luke 2:14 ESV). May God give you a blessed, joyful, and peace-filled Christmas. Pastor John Hellwege 8
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