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Jhon Freddy Correa Is Ordained a Pastor in the ELCA
A reception followed the service. The Rev. Vitor Westhelle, Professor at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, was the guest preacher, and Bishop Jeff Barrow officiated at the rite of ordination. While the majority of the worship service was in English, portions of the liturgy, Bible readings and music were offered in Spanish. Anglo and Latino choirs sang, and 14 ELCA clergy from Racine and Milwaukee laid hands on Jhon Freddy as a symbol of the continuity of Christian leadership from the original apostles to today (photo at right).
Although a majority of the Latino/as who regularly worship at the weekly service in Spanish are not yet official voting members of the congregation, they made their voices heard through a letter to the members of Emmaus prior to the June 27 congregational meeting.
Dozens of adults and children signed a letter strongly endorsing Jhon Freddy Correa, affirming their desire to have him receive a call to serve Emmaus as their pastor. The letter of call drafted by the call committee is for a three-year term, which could be further extended at the end of that term. A number of Latino individuals are now completing the necessary paper work in preparation for their becoming full voting members of the congregation. Further details regarding the process of membership will be forthcoming. It is anticipated that there will be a significant number of individuals who will be a part of the adult Affirmation of Baptism when that opportunity is offered.
Several more photos of the ordination service are posted on our Flickr page.
Bethania Love and Charity Endowment Fund Grants Major Gift to Latino Ministry In the last part of a three-step process, the congregation of Bethania Lutheran Church voted on Sunday, June 13, to make a major gift from their Love and Charity Endowment (LACE) fund to the Latino ministry at Emmaus. The gift of $45,000, the largest in the history of LACE, will be granted in the 2010 and 2011 calendar years, with half of the total sum being given each year. Jacci Young, chair of the LACE committee spoke with Pastor Mary immediately following the Emmaus Spanish worship service on June 13. As worshipers were leaving the service, Pastor Mary announced the wonderful news to cheers and applause from the Latino people in attendance. They then joined in a collective "Gracias!" that Jacci was able to hear as Pastor Mary held her cell phone in the air so that the group could convey their appreciation and excitement. Although a majority of the Latino/as who regularly worship at the weekly service in Spanish are not yet official voting members of the congregation, they made their voices heard through a letter to the members of Emmaus. Dozens of signatures of adults and children have been affixed to a letter strongly endorsing Jhon Freddy Correa, affirming their desire to have him receive a call to serve Emmaus as their pastor. The letter of call drafted by the call committee is for a three-year term, which could be further extended at the end of that term.
A number of Latino individuals are now completing the necessary paper work in preparation for their becoming full voting members of the congregation. Further details regarding the process of membership will be forthcoming. It is anticipated that there will be a significant number of individuals who will be a part of the adult affirmation of Baptism when that opportunity is offered.
Family Literacy Moves to New Home After being housed at Emmaus for six years, Family Literacy of Racine (FLR) makes a move to its new home at St. Richard School. There FLR will enjoy more dedicated space, which will accommodate their growing program. Under the direction of Richard Marciniak, the program has moved from being dependent upon an outside non-profit organization (most recently, Emmaus) to be its fiscal agent. FLR, through the CAN grant and other resources, has now become its own 501(c)3 not-for-profit registered organization and can now handle its own fiscal matters, including payroll and grant applications. The tireless work of Marciniak and other supporters of FLR have made this possible. In addition to the new non-profit status, FLR has added programming and staff during the past year. The ever expanding organization provides needed ESL (English as a Second Language) classes, special programming and classes for the children of those studying English, as well as trained home visitors who concentrate on the needs of participating families. There has been a special emphasis on early childhood learning and readiness with special grants provided for those areas. Among those who fund the Family Literacy Program are United Way, RUSD, and the Racine Dominicans. Individual donors also provide a portion of the funding.
We extend our best to the Family Literacy staff and participants in the years ahead. Their work is outstanding, and we are honored to have been a part of the history of the program.
Church Council The members of the church council elected at the February, 2010 meeting of the congregation are:
* Mr. Toslek has since resigned the position. Synod Assembly Meets June 3-5 The 2010 Synod Assembly met June 3-5 at the Country Springs Hotel in Waukesha. Pastor Mary, Pastor Walter, Claranna Vytlacil, Randy Sanders and Jhon Freddy Correa represented Emmaus. The assembly elected a slate of 18 voting members to the churchwide assembly in Orlando next year. Jim Black (Emmanuel) will be the voting member from the Racine Mission Cluster. The assembly passed a resolution submitted by the Synod Youth and Family Network calling for synod by-laws to be changed to require that at least 10% of voting members of the Synod Assembly, Synod Council, committees, and organizational units of this Synod be youth and young adults. Another resolution noted that the Board of Pensions was sharply reducing payments to retired clergy as a result of market losses, and requested that the national church council examine the Board’s decision and explore ways of restoring those cuts. The resolution passed. Council Vice-President Susan Cyr presented the next phase of Synod mission work. Pastor Mark Jaramillo shared an inspiring story of how working with God’s plan inspired Norway Evangelical-Wind Lake to reach out to thousands of Harley riders through their Bike Blessing. Don Hintzle shared how this work calls us all to get out of comfort zone by doing the work God calls us to do. The Synod report of the Assembly consists primarily of video excerpts from the proceedings. Here is the report of Bishop Jeff Barrow, in which he discusses Serenity Inns, outreach to the Latino/a community, renewing Campus Ministry, stewardship goals, and the need for congregations to take an honest look at their mission:
Report of the Bishop - 2010 GMSA from Greater Milwaukee Synod on Vimeo.
Growing Deficit Poses a Challenge High energy costs, expanded building use and a drop in weekly offerings have all contributed to the current deficit. A gift of $2,500, money earmarked for Latino and Outreach ministry in an Outreach for Hope grant, was recently made to the General Fund of Emmaus. The Latino community made an additional gift of $300 to help defray additional office expenses. The deficit at press time is approximately $17,360.
To help lower the deficit further, members and friends of Emmaus are invited to make a special gift designated to "Deficit Reduction." Thank you for any and all gifts made, helping the ministry and mission of Emmaus move forward.
Give a Gift of Light As security and safety issues are being addressed for Emmaus, the church council has identified as a first priority the need for improved lighting along the walkways and the entrances of the church. We have received bids for both lighting and security improvements. Members and friends of Emmaus are invited to give monetary gifts of $25, $50, $100 or more in honor or memory of a loved one.
2009 Churchwide Assembly Approves Social Statement, Full Communion Agreement The Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) met in Minneapolis August 17 to 23. The Churchwide Assembly (CWA) meets every three years and is the chief legislative authority for the ELCA. According to the voting member from Racine, Linda Rattle (Lutheran Church of the Redeemer), the week "was emotionally draining for me, but so spiritually uplifting. I just need to express to all that the Lord was certainly present. I have never been anywhere where I have felt the Holy Spirit as much as I did at Assembly. "I have wept this week, laughed this week, strangers became friends and my relationship to God became stronger. I so love this church and each and every member. The respect and dignity shown throughout the week was unbelievable. The concern and love for fellow members was so apparent. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, united as one to do His work." On Thursday, the CWA voted 958 to 51 to enter into full communion with the United Methodist Church (UMC). The move, previously approved by the UMC, facilitates partnerships between both church bodies, and enables ELCA and UMC pastors to preside over sacraments for either church congregation. It does not change either church’s understanding of the sacraments. On Wednesday, by a vote of 870 to 67, voters agreed to urge comprehensive reform of U.S. immigration policies and processes, and to call for suspension of immigration raids until such reform is enacted. Statement on Human Sexuality On Wednesday, the CWA approved — by the exact 2/3 majority required —“Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust” as the tenth social statement of the ELCA. The vote was 676 in favor to 338 opposed. While "Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust” does not offer once-and-for-all answers to contemporary questions about sexuality, it states that it "seeks to tap the deep roots of Scripture and the Lutheran theological tradition" for Lutherans to discern what is "responsible and faithful action." Speaking in favor of adoption of the statement, the Rev. Elizabeth Eaton, bishop of the ELCA Northeastern Ohio Synod, said she hopes the assembly does not become "so narrowly focused on the issue of homosexual sexual behavior that we missed the point that we’re speaking a clear word that needs to be heard by our culture," particularly on topics about co-habitation outside of marriage, sex as a commodity, child pornography and more. She said the church has high expectations for all Lutherans, especially for ELCA professional leaders. Speaking in opposition, voting member Curtis Sorbo, ELCA Eastern North Dakota Synod, said the social statement "should be a teaching tool. I don’t think that it is. Instead we have descriptions of different sexual relationships that we are asked to accept by bound conscience," he said. "We are asked to affirm a description of sexuality in today’s culture because of a new reality. Our church needs to address this issue based on the authority of the word of God, not a description of public opinion and personal desires." "We took some risks in the writing of this in ways that we thought were appropriate for these times," the Rev. Peter Strommen said in a news conference following the plenary. Strommen chairs the Task Force for the ELCA Studies on Sexuality, which developed the document under the directive of the 2001 ELCA Churchwide Assembly. Ministry of Gay, Lesbian Clergy On Friday, the CWA voted to open the ministry of the church to gay and lesbian pastors and other professional workers living in committed relationships. The action came by a vote of 559-451. Earlier the assembly also approved a resolution committing the church to find ways for congregations that choose to do so to "recognize, support and hold publicly accountable life-long, monogamous, same gender relationships," though the resolution did not use the word "marriage." The actions here change the ELCA's policy, which previously allowed gays and lesbians into the ordained ministry only if they remained celibate. A simple majority was required for the vote. Before discussing the thornier issues of same-gender unions in the ordained ministry, the assembly approved, by a vote of 771-230, a resolution committing the church to respect the differences of opinions on the matter and honor the "bound consciences" of those who disagree. Some speakers contend that the actions taken here will alienate ELCA members and cause a drop in membership. But Allison Guttu of the ELCA Metropolitan New York Synod said, "I have seen congregations flourish while engaging these issues; I have seen congregations grow recognizing the gifts of gay and lesbian pastors." (Readers wishing to explore this issue further are strongly encouraged to listen to or read Bishop Hanson's remarks to the assembly after the vote.) Other Assembly Actions Voting members also approved, all by wide margins, memorials (resolutions brought from individuals and synods) that would advocate for justice for women; encourage providing worship and education materials for blind and visually impaired church members; and enable recruitment of people of color as clergy candidates. On Saturday, voters resolved to advocate on behalf of a peaceful resolution of the conflict between Israel and Palestine. The resolution also calls for care for the people of Gaza and support for U.S. financial assistance that funds "peace and cooperation for all parties to the conflict."
Also on Saturday, voters reelected Carlos Peña Vice President of the ELCA on the fourth ballot. Peña, 56, currently serves as president of two companies in the Galveston and Houston areas. He has served as the president of his local Lutheran congregation, and as vice president of the ELCA Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod. His task as vice president of the ELCA is to chair meetings of the Church Council.
Thanks to a memorial gift from the children of Bill and Freda Christensen, new oak paneling was installed above the altar in September. The paneling replaces a red cloth dossal which had hung behind the altar cross since 1971. Emmaus member Mark Falaschi, owner of Dimensional Construction of Racine, installed the new paneling. While the cross was down off the wall, Valerie Crehan and our new custodian, Humberto Zuniga, took advantage of the occasion to clean and polish its wood and brass.
We thank Lyle Christensen, James Christensen and Mary Christensen Burmeister for their generous gift in memory of their parents, which made this addition to our worship possible.
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New Paneling Installed Above Altar
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