Faith Talk

This Holiday Season

2006-12-07T10:28:00.000-08:00

The season of Advent is upon us! In the weeks ahead, in both our worship and in our congregational activities, we have the opportunity to prepare and receive the Christ Child anew. What a tremendous and gracious gift from God! What an excellent time to invite your family, neighbors, friends and loved ones to join us as we make time in our seasonal busy-ness to focus on the true riches given to us in love through the grace of God.

Sunday Dec. 10 is our Children’s Christmas Program with only one worship service beginning at 10:00 a.m. Who doesn’t delight in seeing and hearing our youngest members share the great good news of the birth of Jesus Christ! This worship service includes the children’s smiles and songs, costumes and cuteness, and offers the means of grace to all through the sacrament of Holy Communion. Join us on this special day!

On the morning of Sunday Dec. 24, there will be only one morning worship at 10:00 a.m. following the scripture for the Forth Sunday of Advent. Our Christmas Eve Family Candlelight Service is at 7:00 p.m. and will include Holy Communion. Our 11:00 p.m. Christmas Eve Festival Candlelight Worship will feature special music from our Chancel Choir. Come early to hear the delightful prelude offerings that start before the worship service for this very traditional festive Christmas Eve worship.

December 31st is also a Sunday in the season of Christmas, so we will have one worship service at 10:00 a.m. in which we focus on God’s blessings and share the sacrament of Holy Communion. On Sunday, January 7th, we will celebrate the Baptism of Our Lord and resume the schedule of two worship services, with Traditional Worship service at 9 a.m., Sunday School at 10:15 a.m., and Praise Worship beginning at 11:15 a.m.

Plan now to be a part of our celebrations of these seasons! Remember to invite your loved ones to join us as we share the glorious love of our generous God!

Worship Time Change

2006-08-11T06:32:00.000-07:00

Starting Sunday August 20th, Sunday services will have new times. Our Traditional Service will begin at 9:00a.m. and our Praise Service will begin at 11:15a.m. All are welcome. Faith Lutheran is located at 420 S Campus Ave and can be reached by email at faithlcm@woh.rr.com.

Service in the Park

2006-07-18T09:03:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, July 30, there will be a single worship service at Dogwood Grove, beginning at 11:00 a.m. and followed by a congregational picnic. Holy Communion will be celebrated. Worshippers are asked to bring folding chairs or blankets, since seating at Dogwood Grove is limited. In the event of inclement weather, the worship service and picnic will be held at the church.
The picnic will be a covered dish meal, with the church providing fried chicken and beverages. Please bring a side dish or dessert, along with your own table service. Last names A – L bring dessert; M - Z bring a side dish. A free-will offering will be received to help defray the cost of the chicken. Games are being planned for adults and children.
In order to estimate how much food to buy, we will appreciate knowing if you plan to attend the picnic. Just send an e-mail note to faithlcm@woh.rr.com. Visitors are always welcome.
Dogwood Grove is located on Patterson Avenue, about a block north of High Street, across from the Miami Inn. Be aware of road construction on High Street, just west of
Patterson.

A Survey Of The Mission District-Mkuyuni Of The Morgoro Diocese Of The Evangelical Lutheran Church In Tanzania

2006-06-30T07:40:00.000-07:00

Located on the plains of the Uluguru Mountains near the convergence of two major slave routes of the 19th century, the Lutheran Junior Seminary found itself located in a highly Islamic area when it moved there in 1975. The mountain areas had been thoroughly evangelized by the Roman Catholic Church for more than a century. The Anglican Church was well established among the Kaguru people to the west in Kilosa District for nearly a century. However, the plains area was basically considered to be nominally Muslim. The Maasai (Parakuyo branch) peoples of these plains had fiercely opposed the slave traders and thus remained aloof from Islam, holding to their traditional religion.
When the Lutheran Junior Seminary moved to its present site in this plains area, the Lutheran presence in the area was minimal. Two previous starts by Lutheran missionaries had resulted in the deportation of their German clergy and staff at the outbreak of the two World Wars and a closing down of the Lutheran work. Lutherans began to seriously establish work among the Khutu people on the eastern fringe of the Morogoro area with some meaningful success on the late 1950’s. The present bishop of the Morogoro Diocese, Richard Kitale is a fruit of this effort.
By the time that the Lutheran Junior Seminary moved down to these plains, the students and staff had already begun a program of going out for evangelism with choirs from the school. This program continued and even expanded since the Morogoro area had such a limited Christian presence on the plains area. The district pastor from Morogoro encouraged this outreach and by 1992 trips were already begun to the one existing Maasai congregation at Kambala.
In 1994 a new diocese was formed, consisting of the Morogoro area, from the Eastern and Coastal Diocese. The rationale for forming this diocese was based on the tremendous mission and evangelism potential of the area. The new bishop, Richard Kitale soon appointed the writer to the position of Advisor for Evangelism for the new diocese. At this time the writer was a full time teacher and language school administrator at the LJS but was able to go out for evangelism on many weekends.
Matters changed considerably when a group from Asbury United Methodist Church in Tulsa, OK came as an exploratory team for establishing evangelistic work among one of the Unreached Peoples in 1997. The congregation decided to work among the Kami, a group closely related to the other Islamic groups on the plains. They decided at the end of that year to support fully the work already done by the Lutherans in the area rather than establish a competing Evangelical work. This partnership has resulted in tremendous church growth as they poured their resources into education, buildings and support of evangelists in the area. They now have had a full time evangelist from their congregation working in this area for nearly five years. In addition to that, a Methodist mission group has also sent another couple to serve in the evangelistic outreach of the mission district.
In 1999 Bishop Kitale secured the agreement of the executive council of the diocese to establish a mission district in addition to the five other existing districts. At the end of the year this writer was consecrated as the head of the Mission District-Mkuyuni. He has continued in this position since that time, although it was necessary to return as a volunteer after being retired by the Division of Global Mission of the ELCA.
In August of 1999 the other heads of districts met and divided out the areas that would comprise the Mission District with no limits for future outward expansion. The bishop also agreed that the finances of the district could be channeled through the treasury of the LJS. At his meeting thirty-four preaching places were assigned, with the total number of Christians being about 1,900. The work has expanded beyond anyone’s expectations until the number of Christians is now over 6,000 in 83 congregations and preaching places. Since the founding of the district over 2,000 adults have been baptized (more than 500 in 2005 alone) and over 3,500 children (about 900 in 2005.) The greatest growth has been among the Maasai who have come to the faith in great numbers, often large segments of villages at a time. An amazing parallel has been the growth in the Islamic Kami area supported by the Asbury congregation which accounts for about 25% of the growth. There are already three village areas started through their efforts with over 100 Christians. Their first village of outreach (Gezaulole) had exponential growth with the baptism of 60 people on two consecutive Sundays in November of this year. One can only attribute this tremendous growth to the workings of the Holy Spirit and can only humbly accept the tremendous responsibilities of Christian nurture for all these people.
An interesting sidelight to this tremendous growth is the outreach from one linguistic group to another through evangelism. One cannot assume any degree of ethnic majority in any of the preaching places. In Kambala, the earliest of the Maasai congregations, they reached out to the Islamic Pare people from the Kilimanjaro region, who were moved by the government into the area. At present the baptism of these people has led to their making up of over 25 % of this congregation of over 200. Work was begun by the baptism of 57 people from the Kami linguistic group in the Asbury area at Lubaya. Now over a quarter of congregation is made up of their Maasai neighbors. The largest congregation of Maasai at Sokoine has reached out to three other tribal groups that have moved into the neighborhood, the Gogo, the Sukuma and the Barabaig. These are examples of real evangelism where a group cannot refrain from sharing the Gospel with their neighbors.
Other groups have now contributed to the growth of the mission district. The Evangelical Lutheran Mission of Bavaria has sent a pastor and wife who faithfully serve the western Maasai area of the mission district. Sorgenfri Lutheran Congregation of the greater Copenhagen area of Denmark has taken on themselves a greater part of the education costs for the Maasai area. Lutheran Junior Seminary has also played a tremendous part in the growth of the mission district. Office facilities have been given for the district and rooms for weekly Bible studies of the evangelist. Choirs of the secondary students go out regularly to enhance the worship services in the surrounding areas. Staff members of the Junior Seminary do tremendous amounts of volunteer service for the district, including allowing a pastor of the seminary to serve as the secretary of the district. Facilities are provided at the end of the year for a five day seminar which has been attended by as many as 400 people from the district. The Christian Education course and kindergarten training courses have been generously opened to young people of the district. Even a number of our best Maasai youth are admitted to the very exclusive secondary school program which serves the entire Lutheran church of Tanzania with its 3 million members.
The work among the Maasai deserves a very special mention since the numbers added are in the thousands over the past few years. The Maasai had been very much put off by the outreach of sectarian groups from the US that had insisted that they put off their traditional clothing and jewelry (a very integral part of their self understanding as a people) and dissolve their polygamous families. They had been told that there was no salvation in the traditional Christian groups (Lutheran, Roman Catholic and Anglican) and that their baptism was not valid (the volume of water was not adequate) nor was the Holy Spirit present in these denominations. The few people that had been baptized by them were put into an adversarial relationship with their fellow Maasai.
The challenge in working with them is compounded by the fact that many of the Maasai are pre-literate, since their early traditional emphasis was on involving the youth in the care of their vast herds of cattle. This has changed, and the Lutheran church is now seen as an ally in their attempt to enter into the modern society. The polygamous family structures have not been broken but the future order will see the taking of no new wives and the younger generation of men taking only one wife. The work among the Maasai has been greatly helped when the diocese chose Pastor Jacob Mameo as Assistant to the Bishop. This was an historical step since only six of the more than 120 delegates were Maasai at this election. He comes from the original Maasai congregation Kambala.
Since the inception of the mission district no resources available have been spared in the training of new evangelists, with over 55 young people being trained in two Bible schools of other dioceses (Usangi in the Pare Diocese and Ilambilole in the Iringa Diocese). Two of our evangelists have been accepted in the Moravian Theological Seminary in Mbeya where they are completing their first year of training to become pastors. At present there are 27 students in Usangi, thirteen of whom will graduate in July and six at Ilambilole where they have just begun their two year course. So far their studies have been supported by the Asbury and Sorgenfri congregations with help from some other US Lutherans Thirteen young people have been trained in the one year Christian Education teachers’ courses of LJS over the past three years and four more will study this year. Twenty six young people from the district have been trained in a Montessori kindergarten training course at LJS and five more will study this year. Of special interest is the fact that even a number of Maasai of the warrior age group have been trained as kindergarten teachers and have returned to start kindergartens in their areas.
A special challenge has now arisen for the year 2006. Two special theological courses have opened up for our evangelists in schools of neighboring dioceses. Five evangelists from the Kami area will begin a two year pastoral course next week in Kidugala Seminary of the Southern Diocese. In the coming month there is hope that seven Maasai evangelists will be accepted in a special two year course at Tumaini University in the Iringa Diocese. This brings a double challenge, that of providing spiritual care for the vacated preaching places as well as finding adequate funding for their two years of study. The spiritual care has several serious aspects, first the fact that many of the Christians are new to the faith and need solid teaching and preaching and secondly because the sectarian groups are concentrating most of their efforts to reconvert these new Christians to a special “saved” condition which can only be found among them.
These are but some of the growing pains of this fast growing new district (of course, who among us adults didn’t have to go through growing pains). There is a need to help the new groups establish places of worship since twenty five of the groups now worship under the trees. This worked well since most of the area has lacked rain since June of 2005. This brings us to another problem since many of the groups lack adequate clean water sources and are appealing for help from the church in the face of a very serious drought.
The lack of literacy in many of the areas is being addressed by a focused literacy campaign. The evangelists have received basic training in teaching literacy in the last two end of the year seminars. The people who attended the seminars know that their evangelists have been trained to help them and are quite anxious to be trained. We have secured a thousand beginner readers from the Literacy Evangelism center in Nairobi and most of them are now in use. It is especially heartening to see the young men of the warrior age group asking for reading lessons since they often were too proud to ask before.
The introduction of kindergartens in both the Kami area and the Maasai areas has borne much fruit. On a number of occasions the establishment of a kindergarten in an area has led to the government building a primary school with the funds that have come from the international debt forgiveness program. In all the areas the kindergartens give the young people a desire to go on in school and they then put pressure on their parents to provide for their further education.
The Asbury group has been in the forefront of providing clean water for the people in the areas where they have concentrated their work. They have drilled some deep wells at great cost which have proved to be great blessings for the new Christian groups and have drawn others to share with them. Another very positive opportunity has arisen when the World Bank has offered to introduce some very complex water programs to the villages. If the villagers raise $5,000, then the government of that district would grant the same amount with the World Bank adding a grant of $90,000. We have now been involved in providing $2,000 to four different villages. The ARK-OK Synod of the ELCA has been active in this program together with Asbury and a congregation in New York. When I return to Morogoro next week we will need to face up to the problem of trying to deal with the drought situation both in terms of food aid as well as establishing as many well programs as possible.
As this report is going to people who have been supportive of the work of the mission district through prayer as well as monetary support, it is probably appropriate to indicate the areas where help can be used and specify amounts and ways to help. One special area is that of medical care since we often are the first to find a lot of people in need of medical help, who have despaired that they will be able to be helped. We bring these people to a private hospital, St. Mary’s, run by a member of our mission district board. Here excellent medical care can be found with special concern and rock bottom costs. We also hope to extend the program of HIV testing that was so successfully begun at the seminar to as many preaching places as possible. These needs cannot be given a special price tag but are met on the basis of resources available.
Now for some concrete needs that are to be met on a regular basis. Asbury supports the allowances of twenty three evangelists. This leaves thirty eight to be supported by ad hoc accumulations of funds from various sources. For now, this amounts to $1,280 a month, not counting the regular medical needs for the evangelists and their families. Up to now, through the generosity of many people, the evangelists have not lacked their very meager allowances. This expenditure has been subject to the criticism of some who say that this is not the role of the overseas churches any more. We feel that our situation is a very special one in that it involves the spiritual care of over 5,500 new Christians, a situation comparable to early “mission days”. Also, the council of the mission district is monitoring a program of assigning increasing percentage of this amount to each of the preaching place. One new congregation has agreed after January to increase their contribution from $2 to $8. Another heartening factor is the way in which the groups raise money for building through auctions and harvest festivals. One Maasai congregation raised over $800 for building at their congregation site as well as at one of their branch preaching places.
Another pressing need is to assist various preaching places in erecting places of worship. Last year a building team from ARK-OK helped us with a pilot project of putting up an adequate building with eleven concrete pillars and a corrugated iron roof. They helped in the erection of two such buildings and the Wartburg College May term group helped with a third. At present, such a building can be put up for $3,000. The ARK-OK group also raised $6,500 for an evangelism center at Makuture. This allows us to divide up our district into manageable administrative districts since it branches out in about a 100 mile radius (as the crow flies) from the Lutheran Junior Seminary. Asbury has also contributed to an even more elaborate center. There are needs for twenty five building starts and the possibility to erect at least three more evangelism centers. Also groups of volunteers to come out as a building team would be greatly welcomed. Such a group is being organized again for the summer of 2006.
One very challenging need has come to light. At the seminar, where representatives from all 83 preaching places, together with their evangelists met in groups, they evaluated the evangelism activities and were asked to critique the existing work of evangelism. Together with suggestions for improvements, they identified 48 new places where they would like to go for evangelism. So it looks like the challenges will continue.
Other needs are for wells. $2,000 can provide a shallow well (where such water is available) or provide a contribution toward a World Bank project. $7,000 would provide for a deep well such as the four that have already been drilled by Asbury.
Other unmet costs are for two theological students at Kidugala at $1,000 each and for six at Iringa at about $1,300 each. Some of these will be met by funds from Sorgenfri, but probably not all.
We will be sending a female Maasai evangelist for a two year Montessori course. We have the funding for this year but the $450 for next year is in question. It costs about $3,500 to send 27 young people to Usangi Bible School each of the three terms. This amount should be available for this year but will be in question for next year. At the same time it costs about $450 to send an evangelist for training as a Christian education teacher for a year and $500 to train a kindergarten teacher for a year. These courses have been provided for this year but opportunities to train others will arise again next year.
I beg your pardon for coming to you with specific requests but have been encouraged by others to be specific about our needs. We ask your prayers as we continue to work in this area plagued by poverty, illiteracy, the scourge of HIV-AIDS as well as tensions between farmers and cattle raisers exacerbated by the ongoing drought.
In His peace,
Herb Hafermann, District Head.
January 12, 2006

Relay for Life

2006-06-20T07:27:00.000-07:00

The 2006 Relay for Life will be held on June 24th and 25th in Millett Hall. Relay for Life is the American Cancer Society’s signature activity. It offers everyone the opportunity to participate in the fight against cancer. Teams will be walking or running the entire time. But the first lap is the Survivor’s Victory Lap, for cancer survivors. A luminary ceremony is held at dusk. Throughout the evening and into the next day, everyone enjoys a variety of entertainment and activities. The festivities begin at 11:30am on Saturday June 24th.
In 2005 Oxford Relay for Life was a huge success! Relay participants raised over $59,000 to fund the fight against cancer. Volunteers, cancer Survivors, and Relay supporters came together at Millett Hall to make this wonderful, life-saving event happen! Join us in making the 2006 Oxford Relay for Life even better!
Luminaries (to remember those lost to cancer or honor survivors who have fought or are fighting cancer) to be lit during the luminary service at Relay for Life can be purchased from Lisa Raabe or Karen Powell. They are $10 and count towards our team's fundraising goals. Our team will gladly accept any donations, as well. Make checks out to American Cancer Society. All donations are greatly appreciated.

Relay for Life… there is no finish line until we find a cure!

Mary Perkins Support

2006-06-20T07:26:00.000-07:00

Show your support by donating blood and/or platelets at any of the eight Hoxworth Blood Centers (www.hoxworth.org) in the Cincinnati area. Simply tell the technician you wish to donate on behalf of Mary Perkins, Account #PR894.

Vacation Bible School

2006-06-09T07:22:00.000-07:00

Attention Parents and Campers!

Faith Lutheran Church is sponsoring a summer Day Camp to be held at Faith Lutheran Church. You’re invited to participate!
Welcome to Day Camp! A week of camp without needing to stay away from home! Activities will include crafts, singing, games, sports, Bible study, and special events such as: a Day at Pfeffer Park, Teen Night (June 20), and Weiner Roast (June 22). Our congregation and experienced college-aged counselors from Lutheran Outdoor Ministries in Ohio will provide these exciting experiences!
Each day, we will begin at 10:30am and end at 4:00 pm. Please bring your own drink and sack lunch. Snacks will be provided by the church at 2 p.m. The cost of the program is $25 with a maximum of $40 per family. Scholarships are available if needed; please contact the church for information 523.3808.
For more information and registration, please call Brenda Wright at 523.3773 or 523.3808. The registration deadline is June 16.
We look forward to seeing you!

Peace,
Brenda Wright
Faith Lutheran Church

Announcement from Kim and Denis Mullally

2006-05-10T07:51:00.000-07:00

Here are three pictures of our new baby Stephen Thomas Mullally. Born Friday, April 28th. He weighed 7 pounds and 14 ounces. He was 20.5 inches long and has dark hair. His older brother is Daniel Mullally who is two and a half years old. He gives Stephen kisses and hugs and asks if he can hold him.

Holy Week Schedule

2006-04-06T06:32:00.000-07:00

April 9 is Palm Sunday and we will remember Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem by processing in from out doors, carrying palm branches and singing “Hosanna! Hosanna in the highest!” This day is also known as Passion Sunday, because we incorporate the reading of the Passion of the Christ within our worship. In addition to the reading of the Passion, both worship services will include the sacrament of Holy Communion. Join us for worship at 8:45 am and 11:15 am.

Maundy Thursday is April 13, and the 7 pm worship will be based on the style of Taize. Taize worship employs music with very simple phrases and melodies, repeated over and over, with gentleness and sincere expression. Our scripture will remind us of the humble servanthood of Jesus, who stooped to wash the feet of his disciples. The sacrament of Holy Communion reminds us that this was the night when Jesus gathered with his disciples and first began the practice of the sacrament with those who he held most dear.

Good Friday, April 14, worship with us at 7:30 pm. This will be the traditional Tennebrae Worship with a focus on the very last words of our Savior as He gave his life for our salvation on Calvary’s cross. This deeply moving and evocative worship helps us to fully understand the sacrifice our Lord gives for who call on his name.

The Festival Worship Celebrating The Resurrection of Our Lord will begin promptly at 8:45 am and will include the Sacrament of Holy Baptism for Emily and Nathan Douglass as well as the sacrament of Holy Communion for all baptized believers. Our Praise Worship Celebration of the Resurrection of Our Lord, which begins at 11:15 am, incorporates the sacrament of Holy Communion and music that will glorify God and lift our spirits!

Plan now to attend and invite your family, neighbors and friends!

Fridays @ 5 and other Good News!

2006-02-24T07:54:00.000-08:00

Hey it's Friday. Around here that means MU students gather for fun & food. Gathering time is 5 pm (that's why we call it Fridays@5) our often-engaging and very relevant student-led Bible Study which is always followed by a home-cooked meal. The menu tonight is baby back pork ribs and corn on the cob. I know because I'll be cooking. If you want to, drop by around 3pm, and see me in the kitchen.

Our Sunday Worhsip times are 8:45 am Traditional Worship and 11: 15 am for Praise Worship.
Get out of bed! Get on your feet! Join us as we give praise to our God!

ASH WEDNESDAY WORSHIP AT 7 p.m.
Wednesday, March 1st is Ash Wednesday, the start of the church season of Lent. While some people are more familiar with Mardi Gras, we focus on our need to be penitent before the God who created us out of nothingness. Ashes on our forehead remind us that we were created from dust and to dust we will return. During the 40 days of Lent, we focus on our rebirth and renewal, the gifts God offers through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Some people give up something to remember what Jesus gave for us all on Calvary's cross. Others choose to add positive aspects to their life, giving focus to reaching out to others in more significant ways, recognizing that Jesus gives us eternity through his sacrifice. More Students join us for this worship service than any other worship we offer through the year. Plan now to be a part. Come a little bit early if you can. ASH WEDNESDAY WORSHIP AT 7p.m. Imposition of Ashes and Holy Communion.

Faith Talk Introduction

2006-02-23T08:56:00.000-08:00

The Faith Talk blog is like an electronic newsletter for Faith Lutheran Church and Campus Ministry. As a new means of communication with this community, we expect to make announcements; tell what’s going on when, where, and by who; present prayer concerns; ask for help; celebrate things; report on progress; and carry messages from Pastor Dysart, Faith Lutheran Church Committees, leaders, and members.

There may be from zero to a dozen items a day. Readers may comment on these items, which are called Posts. Both the posts and the comments will be available to the entire readership, so if you don’t want the entire community to read your comment or post, think about what you want to write, and how you say it.

The two people who will be posting to the blog are Pastor Dysart and Jennifer Bragg. Anyone who wants to have something posted should send it to one of them, at the faithlcm@woh.rr.com email address. It will be easier for them if it is submitted electronically, but it doesn’t have to be. If you call in or send a written note, it will be typed up and added.

Posts can include text, pictures, links to web sits, and more (I’m still learning, too. As it develops, we are likely to do more complicated things, but text, pictures, and links are pretty good in themselves.

We imagine some of our readers, especially students, are better bloggers than we are. If you are one of these, and would be willing to help us, tell us and we will gladly accept improvements. In the meantime, we don’t expect to allow our inability to be excellent to deter us from doing what we know how to do. I am a failed perfectionist myself, and do only what I know how to do.

With so many of us in the community, who don’t necessarily see each other face-to-face very often, we hope this communication approach will make us a better community, that talks to each other, trusts each other, and supports each other.

Gene E. Willeke