Cross Lutheran ChurchNewsletter

November 2016

Reverend Michelle Townsend de López, Pastor

Website: www.crosslutheranmilwaukee.orgEmail: clc@crosslutheranmilwaukee.org

Email: pastormichelle@choiceonemail.com

1821 N. 16th StreetMilwaukee, WI 53205

414-344-1746

PASTOR’S CORNER

Dear Beloved Community,

I have been struggling to find words for what has transpired in our country regarding the elections and I thought this essay by Debie Thomas captured many of my sentiments. Thus, I have decided to let her truth telling be in place of mine for this month. A powerful message to God’s good people.

Peace & Blessing,

Pastor Michelle

A KING FOR THIS HOUR November 13, 2016

The day after the U.S election, my husband, an emergency room physician, treated an unprecedented number of panic attacks during his eight-hour shift. The patients were all racial minorities and/or women. Around the country, reports of hate crimes have multiplied this week, so much so that major news organizations like The New York Times have called on the President-Elect to condemn racist, sexist, and homophobic rhetoric quickly and without qualification. At the time of this writing, he has not done so.

I am shaken to the core. Sure, I've been disappointed by election results before, but never have I felt so betrayed and unhoused. I feel as if a tidal wave of hatred has washed over the people I love. I feel as if my country has just shown my brown-skinned body the door.

At the same time, I'm aware that I enjoy a great deal of privilege, relative to other people now quaking at the prospect of a Trump presidency. I am a U.S citizen, I live in a progressive part of the country, I'm economically secure, and my religious and sexual identities place me squarely within the majority. Alongside my

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frightened search for allies and protectors this week, is the conviction that I need to stand up for those who are more scared and vulnerable than I am.

It's hard to write in a moment like this. Hard to believe that words matter, hard to place faith in flimsy sentences on a screen. All I want to do right now is act, move, hide, fight, run. Why waste time on words and stories?

And yet, what seems clearer by the day is that America has just suffered an epic failure in storytelling. Millions of us — specifically, millions who profess faith in Jesus Christ — have given ourselves over to the wrong story. A story of greatness. A story of conquest. A story of victory at any cost.

This week, the Church celebrates "Christ the King" or "Reign of Christ" Sunday. It's a hinge week between the liturgical seasons of Ordinary Time and Advent, a single Sunday when we pause to reflect on the meaning of Christ's kingship. I'm still a novice when it comes to the nuances of the liturgical calendar, so when I turned to the lectionary this week, I expected to find passages that sound, well, kingly. Something glorious from the Book of Revelation, perhaps, about Jesus on his heavenly throne, decked out in fancy robes and a jeweled crown. Or maybe something grand and prophetic from Isaiah: "A son will be given to us, and the government will rest upon his shoulders." Or at least a shiny moment from one of the Gospels: Jesus transfigured on the mountaintop. Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. Jesus emerging from the waters of baptism, heaven thundering in his ears.

But no. I found none of those. What I found is a crucifixion scene. A stripped and suffocating man, wracked with pain I cannot fathom. A crowd of mockers spewing hatred at his naked body. A man hanging between thieves, derision in his ears, speaking blessing and promise to one less fortunate than himself.

Can we pause for a moment and contemplate the paradox? This is our king. This is our king. If there is any moment in the Christian calendar that must smack all smugness out of me — all arrogance, all gleefulness, all scorn — surely this one has to be it. Our king was a dead man walking. His chosen path to glory was the cross. If paradise was anywhere, it was with him, only and exactly where his oppressors left him to die. Today. With Me. Paradise.

What does it mean in this time and place to honor Christ's kingship through his passion? What does the cross offer us by way of example, warning, and benediction? What story can we write that will echo our king's?

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I can only begin to speculate. But as I sit with this week's lectionary passages, what strikes me most is what I don't see:

I see no path to glory that sidesteps humility, surrender, and sacrificial love. I see no permission to secure my prosperity at the expense of another's suffering. I see no tolerance for the belief that holy ends justify debased means. I see no evidence that truth-telling is optional. I see no kingdom which favors the contemptuous over the broken-hearted. And I see no church that thrives when it aligns itself with brute power.

Where does this leave us? I think it leaves us with a king who makes us uncomfortable.

During this week when millions of voters decided to "Make America Great Again," I am wondering what it means to bend the knee to a king who exchanged his crown for a cross. As I engage in strained conversation with Christians who voted differently than I did, I am struggling to honor a sovereign who spoke words of blessing even in his darkest hour. As I hear people calling for a quick return to forgiveness and unity, I am remembering that grace in the Crucified One's kingdom is neither easy nor cheap; it cost the king his life. When I'm faced with those who tell me to make peace at all costs, I'm trying to hang on to the fact that Jesus died because he made no peace with oppression. When I'm tempted to couch either denial or apathy in some version of "Calm down; God's in control," I'm reminded that Jesus's kingdom is incarnational through and through; it's a cop-out to expect God to act when I will not.

Even as Jesus hung on the cross, he spoke hope to a thief who needed solace. He hung in the gap between one man's derision and another man's hunger, absorbing both into his broken body. This is our king. My prayer for this hard season in America's history is that we will find ways to walk as Jesus walked — to spend ourselves for love of the Other. To listen, to protect, to endure, and to bless.

In my own life right now, I am strengthened by the love of my friends, and by the fierceness with which people of faith are rallying to shield the vulnerable from terror and harm. The truth is, the Church has always proven itself in times of peril. Peril brings forth prophets. It lights holy fires. It teaches us the radical nature of love.

After Christ the King Sunday, we will enter into Advent, a season of waiting, longing, and listening. Holding firm to our vision of a better kingdom, we will walk

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into the expectant darkness, waiting for the light to dawn, and straining to hear the first cries of new life. Yes, there are reasons for fear right now. Reasons for anger, reasons for grief. But we are not a people bereft of hope. We are not abandoned. We know where to look for paradise. We have the right king for this hour.

Notes from the Parish Nurse

During this time of the year we hear a lot about getting the flu vaccine and that certainly is an important vaccine. However, I want to talk with you about the shingles vaccine – another very

important vaccine, especially as you get older.

The shingles vaccine (Zostavax) is recommended for adults age 60 and older, whether they have already had shingles or not. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends getting the vaccine at age 60.

The shingles vaccine is a live vaccine given as a single injection, usually in the upper arm. The most common side effects of the shingles vaccine are redness, pain, tenderness, swelling, and itching at the injection site, and headaches. Some people also report a chickenpox like rash after getting the shingles vaccine. Although some people will develop shingles despite vaccination, the vaccine may reduce the severity and duration of it.

The shingles vaccine is NOT recommended if you:

Have ever had an allergic reaction to gelatin, the antibiotic neomycin, or any other component of the shingles vaccine.

Have a weakened immune system due to HIV/AIDS or another disease that affects the immune system.

Are receiving immune system-suppressing drugs or treatments, such as steroids, adalimumab (Humira), infliximab (Remicade), etanercept (Enbrel), or radiation or chemotherapy.

Have cancer that affects the bone marrow or lymphatic system, such as leukemia or lymphoma.

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The cost of the shingles vaccine may not be covered by Medicare, Medicaid, or insurance. Please check your insurance plan before you agree to the vaccine.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at 414-344- 1746.

Your Parish Nurse,Linda

MEN’S WELLNESSAhmad Muhammad

Mental Health and Dispelling the Stigma of Mental Health TreatmentThe Theme for this month’s Cross Lutheran Church's Men's Wellness Group” is “Mental Health and Dispelling the Stigma of Mental Health Treatment”. During the month of November the men

who attend and participate in the group setting and discussions engaged in the viewing of Video Presentations from a counselor/therapist who works with men that are incarcerated in New Zealand. The discussions centered on “Intellectual Defense” and how to maintain your balance as a Man in this changing society. Intellectual Defense at its root is the ability to withstand the onslaught of messages from The Media to include but not limited to Radio-Television-Movies/Film-Newspapers depiction of Black Men in today's society as the prime focus of crime and behaviour of the uncivilized persons who inhabit The United States. In addition to the video viewing and discussion; we have scheduled sessions with both Anthony Courtney of “For My Brothers Inc. [Lecturer and Community Organizer] Dr. Alphonso Watkins [Clinical Psychologist and Psychotherapist] (Second presentations)

We anticipate highly interactive and lively conversation with both guest speakers/presenters. During their initial visits, they provided powerful evidence that spoke to the results of the “stigma” of embracing the concept of Mental Health Treatment within the Black Community. Both of our speakers/presenters will concentrate on initially, our history, here in America. In reviewing the history and it’s relevance to today’s world, both of the speakers/presenters will utilized the work of Dr. Joy DeGruy Ph.D. Dr. DeGruy’s work primarily is concerned with

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“Historical Trauma” and how as a result of not being able to get counseling and treatment subsequent to our collective experience during and after slavery, we as community still suffer from the ills of that horrendous and traumatic experience. The Q&A sessions will surely be quite lively and informative. The Men’s Wellness Group members have requested that both Dr. Watkins and Mr. Courtney return during the early months of 2017 and possibly to have them both conduct quarterly sessions. An ongoing initiative that will be starting the third week of November, 2016, is the collaborative effort with Shalom High School and The Cross Lutheran Church’s Men’s Wellness Group. That effort will focus primarily on small group discussions and mentoring, for the paramount purpose of reinstituting our “Tradition of Oral History” however; the culminating event of this inter – generational project will be a joint “Exfabula” story slam, which may be held in the sanctuary of Cross Lutheran Church, scheduled for the month of April 2017

Finally, for those men who attend and participate in the Men’s Wellness Group, will have the opportunity to put their newly acquired skills as “small group facilitators” [The Result of training provided by Dr. Katherine Wilson Ph.D.] to work at The Zeidler Center for Public Discussion, throughout the City and regionally. Each time a facilitation has been completed and the notes from the conversation are turned into the Program Manager / Coordinator – Ms. Julie Barrott De Brito they will receive a stipend in the amounts of [$20.00 - $25.00 - $35.00 - $50.00] depending on the partnership and who is sponsoring the conversation / dialogue. We continue the two repeating monthly series “Financial Fitness” with Ms. Jennifer Preston of WELLS FARGO BANK and Mr. Tracy Revels Men’s Health Navigator for The City of Milwaukee Health Department “Living with Diabetes and Hypertension. More to come next month, “God Willing.”

F d f r Th ughtEmily Dufford

Fall is finally here! Leaves are changing, the air is crisp, and fall vegetables abound! With fall comes the holiday season and that means plenty of candy and sweets! I love candy, which means I end up eating a lot this time of year. I always struggle to avoid the candy aisle when Halloween candy is discounted and soon gatherings with family and friends will begin where there are always plenty of desserts. Instead of going cold turkey on sweets, I remind myself that it’s ok to

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have some dessert or a few pieces of candy. One way to get my sweet fix is to find foods that taste sweet but aren’t completely made of processed sugar. One sweet, nutritious food I love this time of year is winter squash. Not all squash recipes taste sweet, but by baking it or adding a teeny bit of sugar it’ll be just like dessert – think pumpkin pie!

Winter squashes are endlessly versatile. There are many different types and most of them have nearly the same taste. Pumpkins, butternut squash, delicate, acorn, butternut, patty pans, and more can all be substituted for each other in recipes. The only winter squash that is significantly different is spaghetti squash, since it has a different texture and color. Substituting different types of squash is a great way to save money since you can use the cheapest option without having to change recipes or give up flavor.

There are many ways to prepare squash. One of my favorite recipes is to halve it, take out the stringy, seedy inner part, put it on a rimmed baking sheet with some water and bake at 400. Timing will vary on the size and thickness of the squash. Larger ones like pumpkins may take an hour but smaller squashes such as acorn or patty pans should take about 20 minutes. The squash is fully cooked once you can easily stick a fork into it. Once the squash is done, let it cool and scoop out the flesh. This can be pureed, mashed, or eaten straight out of the skin. If you’re feeling adventurous, add seasonings to the center while you bake it to make preparation even easier. At our Thanksgiving meal, my mother always has pureed squash that has been baked with some butter and a bit of brown sugar and cinnamon. Delicious!

Happy fall!Mardi Gras Line Dancing Lessons

Schedule

Time to put on your dancing shoes and get in line… that is, learn "line dancing" steps so you can show out during the Mardi Gras Ball on February 17, 2017!!

The lessons schedule is as follows:Saturday, December 17, 2017, Saturday, January 7, 2017, Saturday, January 21, 2017 and Saturday, February 4, 2017.

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Classes will all begin at 1PM at Cross Church so please join us for a fun time of dancing learning some new steps for a fun filled evening on Friday, 2/17/2017, Sheraton Milwaukee Brookfield, 375 Moorland Road, Brookfield, WI

See the Cross website for complete information on the Mardi Gras Ball, and see you soon for the Line Dancing classes!

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You cannot get more efficient with donated dollars than our results display. Kudos to Pat and Patti Doughman along with the dedicated kitchen crew, bakers and various Advent volunteers who have made all this possible.

Joe Kaylor, Advent Lutheran in Cedarburg, for his generous assistance and expertise in review of our current policy and suggestions for more appropriate coverage going forward.

Ascension Lutheran Staff and Church for coming out in full force for our Partnership Sunday. It was indeed a Spirit filled worship and fellowship time. We appreciate your presence and look forward to our

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nextjoint worship in Waukesha in May of 2017. We give thanks to Alta & Jay Werner for their most generous gifts of Turkey, Sweet Potatoes and Apples to our parishioners in need, so that they too could enjoy a wonderful meal with their families.We also we would like to extend our appreciation and thanks to Aurora Medical Group, Advent Youth Group of Cedarburg and the Martin Luther King Center (Milwaukee Parks ) for their generous donations of Turkeys and baskets to our Adult Center, Seniors and Families.

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FOOD JUSTICE PROGRAM OF BREAD OF HEALING EMPOWERMENT MINISTRY

November 15,2016

The BOHEM has a new ministry known as the Food Justice Ministry. It will be staffed by a Lutheran Volunteer- the current person is Emily Dufford who started in August and will be here for a year then a new person will continue her work.

Email---duffem01@luther.edu

Emily has many responsibilities as the food justice point person including assisting with food procurement and distribution of food related to the Cross food pantry on Wednesdays serving about 200 people. She will assist Linda Radder and Easter Dethrow who are co-directors of the BOHEM. Other involvement will include meals for the Adult Center and the Tutoring program on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Another goal is to work with the partner congregations that provide Wednesdays’ meals to suggest ways to make the meals a little healthier. The food justice volunteer will work with other community organizations that provide food such as

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Feeding America, Just One More Ministry, Walnut Way and sites with gardens. Good nutrition will be at the core supported with education and cooking classes.Later this fall, weather permitting, a Cross garden will be started in a vacant lot adjacent to Cross. After site preparation, volunteers will be needed to further prepare the site for subsequent planting activity scheduled this spring.

Emily expressed a need for volunteers in several areas.

Feeding America needs immediate help with sorting food supplies for dis-tribution. They are literally across the street from Cross. https://feedingamericawi.org/get-involved/volunteer/in-milwaukee/ Please contact Feeding America directly or contact Emily

The tutoring group of about 20 individuals need volunteers to prepare light dinners for the Tuesday and Thursday evening tutoring classes. The meal starts at 6 PM and we are encouraging Advent volunteers to join the tutors and students for dinner. The Cross kitchen is also available - sloppy Jo or similar dishes would be great. Items for a crock-pot or other slow cooker type meals would work enabling ease of transportation- we may need volunteers to transport this food. Please coordinate with Emily

Volunteers are needed in January to interview lunch and food pantry guests to gain their feedback. Watch for information from Advent

Helping with site preparations for the new Cross garden later this Fall- stay tuned

Report of Advent Congregation’s Participation in theCross Church Food Program

November 2016

We are very appreciative of the Advent congregation for their support of Cross Church. Most of the direct support is related to the Food Pantry and the Wednesday monthly lunch program. You may remember that at the end of 2015 we suggested a limited number of families provide a cash donation of $250 to prefund about half of 2016 thus negating the need for weekly appeals- in about

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10 days we had the funds!!! Thank you Advent members for making a difference in providing a basic human need.

Many of you have had the privilege of cooking, baking and/ or serving the Cross-neighborhood guests. You have experienced the resulting impact on the lives of this underserved community. So personal thanks for the food, cash, meal preparation and volunteering.

So what are the results? Actual numbers are through October so November and December are projections.

1- We have been averaging 50 bags per month of donated food for the pantry. This is tremendous and a testament to your collective generosity!! On an annual basis that amounts to 600 bags of food.

2- We purchase additional canned goods to supplement the bags of food. The annual total is 132 cases and we doubled our purchases for the past six months.

3- We purchase food for the monthly lunch program- (third Wednesday of each month) your efforts fed about 2550 Guests with a per guest cost of under $2.00- that is not a misprint.

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Thanksgiving Service Announcement

Thanksgiving Service will be at 6:30pm on Wednesday, November 23rd at Christ Presbyterian Church. This year part of our worship experience will be a brief service in chapel and the remainder of the time we will share a meal and sacred conversation at our tables together to continue our dialogue and grow deeper our relationships with each other.

All People’s Gathering & Cross LutheranBlast Youth Group & Confirmation Calendar

November 2016 to February 2017

NOVEMBERDay Event LocationNov. 9 BLAST /Confirmation Cross Lutheran (1821 N 16 St.)Nov. 16 BLAST Cross Lutheran (1821 N 16 St.)Nov. 23 C A N C E L L E DNOV. 30 BLAST /Confirmation APC: Harambee

DECEMBERDay Event LocationDec. 7 BLAST APC:HarambeeDec. 14 BLAST/ Confirmation APC: HarambeeDec. 21 Blast-firmation Xmas Party APC: HarambeeDec. 28 C A N C E L L E D

JANUARYDay Event LocationJan. 4 BLAST APC: HavenwoodsJan. 11 BLAST/Confirmation APC: HavenwoodsJan. 18 BLAST APC: HavenwoodsJan. 25 BLAST /Confirmation APC: Havenwoods

FEBRUARYDay Event LocationFeb. 1 BLAST APC: HarambeeFeb. 8 BLAST/Confirmation APC: HarambeeFeb. 15 BLAST APC: HarambeeFeb. 22 BLAST /Confirmation APC: Harambee

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*During Lent there’s no BLAST/Confirmation

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November/December 2016 Calendar of Events

Date: Thursday, November 17, Bridges TutoringTime: 6:00 pm Place: Cross Conference Room

Tuesday, November 22 &Thursday, November 24, 2016,Bridges Tutoring Thanksgiving Break. On November 23, the Cross Office will close at noon.

Date: Tuesday, November 22, Christmas decoratingTime: 9:00 amPlace: Sanctuary

Date: Saturday, November 27, QuiltersTime: 10:00 amPlace: Fellowship Hall

Date: Tuesday, November 29, Bridges TutoringTime: 6:00 pm Place: Cross Conference Room

Date: Tuesday, November 29, Adult CenterTime: 9.30 amPlace: Fellowship Hall

Date: Wednesday, November 30, BOHEMTime: 11:45Place: Fellowship Hall, praise follows in the Sanctuary

Date: Wednesday, November 30, BOHEM RetreatTime: Wed. pm until Fri. pmPlace: Redemptorist Retreat Center (Reserved)

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Date: Thursday, December 1, Bridges TutoringTime: 6:00 pm Place: Cross Conference Room

Date: Thursday, December 1, Men’s WellnessTime: 11:30 amPlace: Cross Conference Room

Date: Saturday, December 3, Christmas decoratingTime: 9:00 amPlace: Sanctuary

Date: Tuesday, December 6, Bridges TutoringTime: 6:00 pm Place: Cross Conference Room

Date: Tuesday, December 6, Adult CenterTime: 9.30 am Place: Fellowship Hall

Date: Wednesday, December 7, BOHEMTime: 11:45 amPlace: Fellowship Hall, praise follows in the Sanctuary

Date: Thursday, December 8, Men’s WellnessTime: 11:30 am Place: Cross Conference Room

Date: Thursday, December 8, Bridges TutoringTime: 6:00 pm Place: Cross Conference Room

Date: Saturday, December 10, QuiltersTime: 10:00 amPlace: Fellowship Hall

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Date: Monday, December 12, 2016, Finance Committee MeetingTime: 5:45 pmPlace: Cross Conference Room

Date: Tuesday, December 13, Bridges TutoringTime: 6:00 pm Place: Cross Conference Room

Date: Tuesday, December 13, BOHEM Volunteer MeetingTime: 1:30 pmPlace: Cross Conference Room

Date: Wednesday, December 14, BOHEMTime: 11:45 amPlace: Fellowship Hall, praise follows in the Sanctuary

Date: Wednesday, December 14, Caregivers’ MeetingTime: 4:00 pmPlace: Fellowship Hall

Date: Thursday, December 15, Men’s WellnessTime:11:30 amPlace: Conference Room

Date: Thursday, December 15, Bridges Tutoring (last session of 2016)Time: 6:00 pm Place: Cross Conference Room

Date: Tuesday, December 20, Adult Center (Last day for 2016. Will resume January 10, 2017)Time: 9:30 amPlace: Fellowship Hall

Date: Wednesday, December 21, BOHEM (Meal only – no pantry)Time: 11:45 amPlace: Fellowship Hall, praise follows in the Sanctuary

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BOHEM will be closed December 26, and will resume Wednesday, January 4, 2017.

Bridges Tutoring Christmas break starts December 20. Tutoring will resumeJanuary 3, 2017.

Please Note: The Annual Meeting has been tentatively scheduled for January 8, 2017.

Additional Reminders The Church office is closed on Fridays.

Worship is scheduled for Sunday at 9:30 am.

Sunday school for children grades K4-6 commences after worship @ 11:15

am. Classes are held on Sunday after service until 12 noon, unless other-

wise specified.

Adult Center meets on Tuesdays at 9:30 am.

BOHEM meets on Wednesdays at 11:45

Men’s Wellness Group meets on Thursdays from 11:30 am - 1:30 pm

Quilting meets Saturdays from 10:00am - 4:00 pm

Cross Youth Choir will practice Saturdays at 10:00 am.

Cross Community Gospel Choir continues their practice session during the

month of November. The exact date will be announced at a later time.

Cross Praise Choir continues to rehearse every Saturday in the Sanctuary

from 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm.

Cross Church Office Hours: Monday-Thursday, 9:30 am – 4:30 pm. The Church office is closed on Fridays.

If you have a pastoral emergency , please call Pastor Michelle at 414-434-9620.

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Concerning Bulletin Announcements Please submit announcements for the bulletin to the church office by 10 am on Tuesday. Please email them to clc@crosslutheranmilwaukee.org or leave a message on the office voice-mail.

Cross’ Mental Health Advisory Committee would like to pass along the fol-lowing resources for people who are looking for a listening ear. Warmline is a non-crisis, supportive listening phone line for people with mental illness. All of the staff and volunteers are people with mental illness. Call us, we’ve been there. 414-777-4729 or email us at http://warmline-milwaukee.web-s.com.

HAPPY THANKSGIVINGMAY GOD BLESS AND KEEP YOU AND YOUR LOVED

ONES

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