Posted By Roger Newman - Interlake Spectator
Gimli was the site last weekend of a three-day retreat attended by 75 members of the Lutheran Evangelical youth group in Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario.

Rev. Larry Ulrich and student pastors Jason Zinko and Philip Penrod led retreat discussions and Bible studies to encourage the young people to think about their spiritual lives and develop a stronger sense of faith.
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photo by Roger Newman

A Record Breaking Year
On February 14th, 2010, Luther Village held their annual Ice Cream Social at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church. Over 300 people enjoyed ice cream, carnival games, prizes, food, fellowship and the community feeling for which Luther Village is known. It was a fun-filled afternoon for the entire family that featured an amazing concert with family entertainer, Fred Penner.  We were able to hear such songs as The Cat Came Back, Sandwiches and my personal favourite, Ghost Riders in the Sky!

There were many new faces, and they clearly heard talk and excitement from past campers about returning to camp this season. One camper said to me - “I have been waiting to go back to camp since November!”  He was pretty much jumping for joy at the thought of camp time coming soon.

It was evident from the popularity of the event and these responses that the community building during the winter months is as important as the ministry that happens at camp.

Thank you to St. Peter’s for the use and hospitality of the Church, as well as to ALL our volunteers and board members who helped. And a big thank you to Kim for all that she does for Luther Village.

See you at camp!
Megan

Staff Applications
You are invited to work or volunteer at camp! Anyone interested in staffing positions (must be 18), volunteering (must be 16) and Leaders-In-Training participants, we are accepting applications NOW!

Deadline for staff applications is February 28, 2010. Pick up an application from our website www.luthervillage.ca or call the camp office for more details and applications.

Luther Village 2009 Annual Report
Read it here

CLWR Appeal for Haiti surpasses $1 million
The Canadian Lutheran World Relief (CLWR) Appeal for Haiti has now raised just over $1 million. Launched on January 13, one day after a devastating 7.0 earthquake rocked Port-au-Prince and the surrounding area, the appeal has received an outpouring of support from across the country. Donations have been received from individuals, congregations, church groups, schools and Faith Life branches.

CLWR has been working with other members of Canadian Churches in Action (CCA) to apply for additional matching funds being provided by the Manitoba government and Canadian federal government. To date, an additional $89,000 has been granted to CCA from the Manitoba Council for International Cooperation. A further $1.9 million has been requested from the Canadian International Development Agency. A decision on that application is expected on February 26.

CLWR and CCA will be supporting the work of the ACT Alliance in Haiti. Several ACT members have been on the ground in Haiti providing immediate emergency relief including the Lutheran World Federation (LWF).

The proposal submitted to CIDA seeks government matching dollars to provide materials for temporary and transitional shelter including tool kits, kitchen kits, hygiene kits, tarps, rope, and metal roof sheeting. The project will also provide safe, reliable drinking water and sanitation services and help families improve their health and physical security as they cope with the disaster and begin rebuilding their lives.

CCA is in the early stages of formulating a proposal for long term recovery that will focus on the need for permanent housing. It is hoped that government matching funds will be eventually made available for this type of work. Collectively, the Haiti appeals of CCA member churches and agencies have received $15 million.

You can continue to follow updates on Haiti at www.clwr.org.

Leslie Poulin is looking for the study Christianity Explored to borrow, preferably from a congregation in Winnipeg so that she can pick it up. We would like to go through it after we finish our Alpha course.

Contact Leslie at stpauls.lutheranchurch@gmail.com

We have a whole bunch of online learning opportunities coming up for both rostered and lay leaders, beginning March 2. There are both single online workshops and a couple of workshop series. They all include a combination of webinar presentations, live online chats, networking through a dedicated social networking site, a copy of a book, permission to use the recorded webinars in their own teaching with their own leaders, and study guides to help them do that. They are designed to help leaders learn to work in more organic, emergent, lifegiving ways.

We are finding that this kind of learning is not only super convenient for people, it is good stewardship of time, money, and the planet’s resources (since you can get good learning without having to fly/drive/etc.)!

Here’s the link to a web page describing the workshops. Feel free to share this with your leaders. http://www.arenewalenterprise.com/online-workshops-for-faithbased-leaders.html

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path
~ Psalm 119:105 ~

The people of the Urban have truly been blessed by the many meal teams who are serving at the Urban. What is a meal team? The teams are comprised of members of various congregations who come together to make a meal for the Urban each month. The Urban serves three meals each and every week. I wish to offer some insight to the meal times and how they can fluctuate in numbers.

We have a Wednesday evening meal that is for the community. This is the same night as the Kids Club and so we see a fair number of children on this evening. Our average number of people in attendance is forty-five, although we have on occasion seen as many as sixty. Thursday evening is also quite busy. We did try to hold a youth mentoring program but it was not moving along as anticipated. Our volunteers came up with the idea of Bingo night at the Urban. There is no money charged to join in and we have whole families who enjoy this time. We have small prizes that people can select from and there is something for everyone. We do hope that we will be able to develop the youth program in the future and this is one way to get them to come to the Urban initially. We now see around fifty-five people on this evening. Sunday we have around sixty people who attend the Urban for the Sunday meal, but we have had over ninety on some occasions.  

Our meal teams select a day for providing the meal. We know that there is a lot of thought and planning that goes into each meal. We suggest that people plan for the following numbers. Wednesday we suggest that groups plan to feed at least sixty people. Sunday groups are advised to plan for at least seventy to eighty people. There can be fluctuations in the number of people in attendance. If the week is one where there is a cheque release date, the numbers may be slightly less. If there is a week where the money is tight in the community, we can have many more people come for a meal.

So, with all of the possibilities, how do the meal teams know how many to prepare for? We have plenty of experience in dealing with the “unexpected” for meals. We have discussed what would constitute a good serving portion and we have basically come up with the following. For soup we recommend a serving of one and a half ladles to begin with. Depending on the thickness of stew and chili, the same measurement would apply. If the chili or stew are really hearty, then a ladle full may be enough if accompanied by a bun or a sandwich.

It is also important to know what the “givens” at the Urban are. We have a population that has a large number of people with mental health concerns. This can result in some “strange” behavior that has resulted in the individual being kicked out of other missions etc. This in turn means that there are some people that do not eat from Thursday until our Sunday meal. We can not serve them more or others become frustrated so we try to ensure that servings are consistent. It is for this reason that second servings are offered. We try to ensure that those who may not see a meal until the next Urban meal receive enough to keep going. These individuals will often ask for a container for the second serving so that they will be able to eat within that period of time. We have had to deal with what can only be described as downright bad behavior by some of the people who attend the Urban. This does not usually happen with our regulars but there are some who demand seconds prior to seven-thirty on week nights. We try to hold off on seconds until at least 7:30 p.m. as there are some individuals who are walking to the Urban from further away. We have one family that comes from St. Vital if they have the bus fare to do so.

If there is “too much food” then people are given the opportunity to have seconds if it appears that there is enough for all to have a second serving. If there is not enough to serve everyone a second time, we then put the food into plastic containers to go home with individuals. We have one family where the father is confined to a wheelchair and is unable to attend the Urban due to the physical limitations presented by the stairs. We also have people with elderly family members who are unable to attend the Urban, and we also have some very large families that may be able to use the food that is left.
We are not only blessed by the groups that attend the Urban, but, we have also been blessed by many people from the rural areas. We were most delighted to receive 80 pounds of stew made by people that Gord Emberley had presented to in the Lac du Bonnet area. This is a most wonderful gift as when we do not have a meal team, we are able to provide a delicious and nutritious meal to the community. We are now down to the last of the buckets of stew and we can not fully express our gratitude to the members of Lac du Bonnet Lutheran Church of the Cross congregation, and the high school students who participated in this endeavor. Thank you again for your most generous gift to the Urban.

Thank you to all of our dedicated meal teams. You have made an incredible contribution to the community served by the Urban. Many people have stated that the food at the Urban is the best and the people serving it are so nice and caring.  You are part of the Urban community and you are truly valued as such. God’s love is very apparent at the Urban. I thank you for this great blessing.

CLWR is pleased to announce the appointment of Lyn Stienstra to the position of Director of Finance. Lyn brings to CLWR an extensive background of experience working with for-profit and not-for profit organizations as well as experience working with all three levels of government. Most recently she served as the Chief Financial Officer of the Winnipeg Folk Festival.

Lyn will begin her duties with CLWR on March 15.

The Evangelical Lutheran Women groups of Thunder Bay are holding a joint day-long workshop on the subject of 'Human Trafficking'. ALL women are welcome.

It is taking place Sat. Feb. 27, at Hilldale Lutheran Church, on the corner of Hilldale and Wardrope Roads, beginning at 10 a.m. Please bring something to share for the potluck lunch.

Ministry Opportunity in the Diocese of Rupert’s Land
The Parish of St. Bartholomew (Winnipeg)
Full Time Parish Priest

The Parish of St. Bartholomew is seeking a new incumbent who is well grounded and educated in Anglican liturgy and theology, who can motivate and empower lay ministry and leadership, and who relates well to a multi-generational congregation and neighbourhood. This well-organized team player possesses strong pastoral and communication skills, and is a good teacher. The new incumbent will respect tradition while also ‘reaching forward to what lies ahead’, and will be committed to exploring missional models of church.

Interested persons may request a complete parish profile and the procedure for making an application from:
The Bishop’s Office
935 Nesbitt Bay
Winnipeg, MB R3T 1W6
204.992.4212 or e-mail: ssuppes@rupertsland.anglican.ca
The deadline for receipt of applications for the position of Incumbent of St. Bartholomew, Winnipeg, is Friday, March 5, 2010.
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