All Saints Lutheran Church

Thanks to our wonderful year in Wales, our journey through this exciting last year of seminary has begun. Our move back to Wartburg Seminary went very smoothly. Thank you to the many members for all their help with cleaning and packing and loading. Your care and support was overwhelming to me and my family. It was truly hard to say “good-bye.” The tradition of our family in these last few years has been to pack the moving truck the day before we leave for our new destination. We then take time the night before we leave to reflect on the past year. Our family conversation this year focused on naming the many blessings we received through All Saints ministry to our family. It was a year where I claimed my pastoral voice, Tom learned about being a pastor’s spouse, and the boys found that they can make friends anywhere. Our family also spoke about looking forward to being in a place for longer than a year or two—that time will come soon.

We are now settled into the rhythm of Wartburg community life. Tom is commuting again to work, the boys are both in middle school, and I am enjoying reading, attending classes and learning. I think this last year at Wartburg seminary is a gift and I want to savor every minute of being in such a unique community.

Thank you also for your generous gift of money. The money was used to help pay for our moving truck and my tuition.

PJ has received and accepted a call to Peace Lutheran and Kickapoo United Lutheran Church in the Reedstown and Soldier's Grove, Wisconsin area. He and Lauren Tilly have planned an August 9th wedding in North Carolina. Lauren is a second year student at Wartburg Seminary.

Greetings brothers and sisters in Christ.

The first anniversary of my ordination has come and gone, and with it are wonderful memories of the time spent with you.

This has been an amazing year. I still have to laugh when thinking I was destined to minister in an inner-city church and find myself dropped into a cornfield [literally] in Central-Southern Illinois. But God knew what he was doing. The two congregations that I now serve are most gracious and have welcomed Dave and me into their church family.

As soon as I arrived last summer, I hit the ground running with Vacation Bible Schools at both St Peters and St Johns. This was followed by "lemonade-shake ups" and pie-ala-mode booths at the community "BURGOO" celebrations [for more information see www.burgoo.org], Rogation Sunday services, children's sermons, weddings, baptisms and funerals. The candlelight service on Christmas Eve was the moment I knew I belonged here. The lights were dimmed, the candles were lit and we sang "Silent Night," and it was very humbling. God is good; all the time!

Our two-point-parish shared Lenten responsibilities, alternating each Wednesday between churches. The theme this year was the last words of Jesus from the cross. Easter morning was hectic. I felt a bit like a circuit preacher. We began with sunrise service at St Peters at 7:00 followed by an Easter breakfast. Unfortunately I was unable to stay for breakfast, because I was on the road to St Johns for their 8:00 Easter service, which was also followed by an Easter breakfast. I understand that both church breakfasts were excellent. I wouldn't know. After the 8:00 worship at St Johns, I was back on the road again to St Peters for their second service at 10:00. This was followed by our vacation trip back to Northern Illinois to spend a week with all of our children and grandchildren including the ones from Portland, Oregon.

Some of the "seasoned" pastors in my text study group tell me that I'm still on my "honeymoon." If that's so, I hope that I stay on my "honeymoon" for a long, long time. Because I couldn't have asked for a better first call than this. And except for an early summer fire which destroyed our Parish Hall, and the building project that is currently underway - ministry life has been flawless. I am so blessed.

And so, I want to thank you so much for your prayers and encouragement while I was at seminary and on internship - and the memories and friendships that sustain me this year. If you get a chance, please check out St Peters first attempt at a website. You will find us at www.stpetersarenzville.com And you are always welcomed to visit us in Arenzville Illinois. We have plenty of room in the parsonage to accomodate you and your family.

God's continual goodness and blessings,

Pastor Deena Laird

Rev. Kathy Dunham Brown - Holy Communion Lutheran Church

I believe the last time I submitted an “intern update” I was preparing for a health and medical mission trip to Haiti. What a trip it was! First, I was blessed to be traveling with several of my friends, including Larry and Shelley. Second, in working at the clinic, I received every bit as much as I gave. I learned how to clean out ears. It’s amazing the variety of things that come to inhabit the peoples’ ears besides wax. Third, I was privileged in having an opportunity to preach while I was there. A translator can really make you sound good! And last, but certainly not least, “under the Haitian moon,” as Larry says, in the midst of conversations about Star Trek and reciting lines from Monty Python sketches, a romance sparked between me and the doctor on the trip, Greg Brown. The way we were brought together just suggests again that God really must have a sense of humor!

The ELCA Regional Assignment for first call was taking place in late February. Though I had listed a preference to remain in southern Wisconsin, I had not originally filed a request for a geographical restriction, so I could have been assigned anywhere. As a result, Greg and I did a lot of talking and planning in a very short time. Since his daughter Holly (18) and son Joel (14) live in Greendale, and because he was committed to a new business venture, he could not move. We decided that long-distance romance wouldn’t work, and so on the weekend prior to Valentine’s Day, he proposed. I said, “Yes.” “The rest is history” as they say. I was able to change my status to restricted and ultimately was assigned to Greater Milwaukee Synod.

Greg and I were married June 3. Later that week, Greg and his partner Jane Sparks (a nurse he had worked with at Burlington Hospital ER) opened A.R.C.H. Medical Center in Franklin, WI. It is a clinic for the biomedical treatment of autism in children. Their healing ministry keeps them very busy, but it’s worth it when we hear all the positive changes made in the lives of the children and their families.

In late July, I began the interview process with Holy Communion Lutheran Church in Racine, WI. On Sept. 24, Greg and I visited with the congregation and later that day, they voted to call me as their Associate Pastor. I was ordained at my home church in Jefferson on Oct. 22 and installed at Holy

Communion on Nov. 19. What a blessing it has been. Pastor Jeff Barrow and Intern Crystal Steinberg are great colleagues with whom to work, as are the rest of the staff. The congregation have welcomed us very warmly, and we truly feel “a part of the family.” Greg and I have both joined the choir. Jeff, Crystal and I rotate through a preaching schedule. Since Holy Communion has two campuses, one near downtown (2000 W. 6^th St.) and another further out of town (5040 Northwestern Ave.), pulpit coverage can be quite interesting to work out. Please feel free to come and visit us! Sunday services are at 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. at the 6^th St. location, 9:00 a.m. at the Northwestern Campus.

And here we are a little more than a year later, getting ready to go to Haiti again! We wonder what blessings God has in store for us this trip. Sure would be hard to top the last one!