Holy Cross Lutheran Church

I was recently browsing in the religion section of a bookstore. I overheard a woman telling a man about a certain Christian book that he should read, one that she had found to be inspiring and helpful to her faith. As she attempted to share this "good news", the man politely told her that he was not interested in what he considered "old news". He went on to say that Christian religion was boring and irrelevant in our culture as he turned toward the section on New Age literature. He clearly was searching for something, but had already decided that the good news of Christ was old news. I have heard his same words - boring and irrelevant - used to describe worship. No wonder so many in our communities are not participating in regular worship services, even those who may belong to our churches.

In his book, Experiential Worship, Pastor Bob Rognlien writes about worship in the context of bringing our whole self to the occasion. He urges us to use our hearts, souls, minds and strength as we praise God, listen to His guidance and direction, offer our prayers, and partake of the Sacrament. Rather than just being passive observers or half-hearted participants, he urges us to find renewed energy and passion in our worship and to leave refreshed and inspired.

On July 21st and 22nd, Pastor Bob will present a workshop at Holy Cross on Experiential Worship. He will be addressing the following questions. How can we move beyond the worn out categories of "traditional" and "contemporary" into a more biblical and complete approach to worship? How can we plan, lead and participate in worship that is more than just a "head trip" on Sunday mornings? How can we help people experience God in a way that will move them to love him with heart, soul, mind, and strength? Pastor Bob will address these critical questions in this interactive seminar on Experiential Worship. Registration information can be found elsewhere in this newsletter. I encourage you to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity for renewal in how we think about and do worship so that it does not become "old news". Serving you in joy, peace and love, Karen

Well, Spring is finally here! There are many signs around us that spring has arrived. We celebrated Easter with all of its joy and promise of the resurrected Christ; we have had the annual church clean up; the lawn needs mowing; and there are flowers and trees blossoming wherever we go. I also had the privilege of attending my wifes graduation from UNE with her Masters degree and I know that the spring will bring many more graduations from high schools and colleges.

This is the time of year when I start to think about all of the outdoor things that need to be done and when I make plans for the summer and beyond. I can go out and start to enjoy long runs through the streets of Kennebunk again and I get to go out in my yard and take care of the projects that were not completed in the fall, such as finally raking the yard, and take stock of what needs to be done now that the warmer weather is here. This is the time of year when I start to feel active again, although I do admit that the heavy rains and flooding this past week have dampened my plans and my spirits a little, but the sun made a brief appearance today and better weather is in the forecast.

I would ask that all of us at Holy Cross take a little time this spring and think about your plans for the coming summer and beyond, and consider how you can help here at church. We have several openings on committees and boards that could use your expertise or involvement. There is always an opportunity to participate in the church life at Holy Cross whether its going to a small group bible study, singing at a local nursing home, or adopting a garden plot around the church grounds. Consider yourself invited to explore how you can help at Holy Cross and lets hope for drier weather. Chris Cherry

Hymns have always been a very important part of Christian worship from its beginning. Eusebius of Caesarea tells us about "`all the psalms and hymns written from the beginning by faithful brethren, which sing of Christ as the Word of God and address Him as God (Martimort 1992, 212).'" It is interesting that Eusebius makes it clear that "psalms" and hymns were "written" which clearly distinguishes them from anything found in Sacred Scripture. This is even more evident as the authors are called "faithful brethren" and not Apostles or Evangelists. The other important point of this statement is the words "from the beginning."

It is not surprising that hymns were written right from the start of Christianity. St. Paul instructs the Colossians "with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms and hymns and inspired songs to God." (Col. 3:16) He says the same thing to the Ephesians. (Eph. 5:19) That the first Christian communities composed spiritually inspired songs seems to be inferred in St. Paul's corrections to the charismatic Corinthian community. He says, "When you come together each of you has a hymn, has an instruction . . .." (1 Cor. 14:26) Further one reads that he and Silas, when in prison, spent the night "praying and singing hymns to God." (Acts 16:25)

The reference to hymns is not restricted to St. Paul's epistles only. St. James says, "Is any one in good spirits? Let him sing a hymn." (James 5,13) There is even evidence from non-Christian sources testifying to early Christian hymns. One such witness Pliny the Younger (62-114) in an official report to the Emperor Trajan (c.112) said that he heard of "`Christians singing songs to Christ, addressing Him as God (Robertson 1961, 21).'" So there is ample evidence that the earlier Christian communities composed their own hymns.

What was the nature of these hymns? "Most of these early hymns were modeled on the Psalms written by David" and took their inspiration from verses of Sacred Scripture or its Canticles (Dunney 1943, 40). There are implications that lead some to believe that Bardesanes of Mesopotamia (154-222) composed 150 such psalms (Martimort 1992, 212). Most of the ancient hymns have been lost. The best known of the surviving hymns, referred to as "psalmoi idiotikoi" or private psalms, are the "Odes of Solomon," the "Te Deum" and, the one of particular interest to us, the "Gloria in excelsis."

The author of the Gloria is unknown. "It goes back at least to the third century" and maybe "even to the first" (Herbermann and others 1913, 583). It follows the typical pattern of these early hymns. The Gloria's first verse is taken from the angels' hymn to the shepherds on Christmas day - "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men of good will." (Lk 2:14) With this text for its inspiration it goes on to praise God for His wonderful work of salvation. Although the exact date of composition is unknown one thing is certain - this hymn is of Greek origin and came from the East. The most ancient witness to the Gloria is St. Athanasius. In a fourth century work "De virginitate" attributed to him one finds "the hymn (Gloria) together with the sixty-second psalm is recommended to the consecrated virgins as a morning prayer" (Parsch 1942, 99). Already by this time the Gloria must have been well known because St. Athanasius only gives a few verses of it presuming the consecrated virgins know the rest.

An ancient text of the Gloria is found in the Syrian version from the Nestorian Liturgy. A complete Greek text of the Gloria is found in the "Apostolic Constitutions" (380). These Constitutions were written in Syria by an Arian. Arianism was an early Church heresy that denied the Divinity of Jesus Christ. Because of this the author seems to given the Gloria a subordination coloring between God the Father and God the Son. The translated text is as follows:

Glory to God on high and on earth peace, and joy among men. We praise Thee, We bless Thee in hymns, We glorify Thee, We extol Thee, We adore Thee through Thy excellent high priest. Thou, the true, unbegotten, one God, alone inaccessible because of Thy great glory; Lord King of heaven, God, Father, Almighty Lord God, Father of Christ, the Immaculate Lamb, Who takes away the sins of the world; receive our prayers. For Thou alone art holy, Thou alone the Lord Jesus The anointed of God, of all creation, our King; Through whom there is to Thee glory, honor and adoration. Amen (Parsch 1942, 101, 102).

NATURAL CHURCH DEVELOPMENT

AN EXPLANATION FROM THE ELCA WEBSITE

What is Natural Church Development?

Natural Church Development (NCD) is a research based system of understanding congregational life that correlates healthy congregational life with congregational growth. Originating in Germany and developed as a global model, NCD has now become well accepted by many within the United States with over 12,000 congregations from various denominations now having used the tool. NCD studied congregations around the world in a variety of contexts. The goal was to discern common areas of congregational life that crossed all racial, ethnic and contextual lines. In addition, the hope was that how congregations functioned in these areas could be correlated to effective outreach and congregational growth patterns. The underlying paradigm is that the church is an organic entity and functions with a foundation of life giving and sustaining principles (referred to in NCD literature as biotic or life-giving principles). These principles are:

1. Multi-usage the best ministry can be used multiple times and multiple ways
2. Interdependence a change in one part of the system will affect other parts
3. Multiplication healthy ministry reproduces itself
4. Energy transfer energy must be moved in a system to where it is most helpful
5. Symbiosis the best solutions reinforce and support other things in the ministry
6. Functionality everything has a function and is accountable to doing it using these life-giving practices allows the church body to function better and provide for increased ministry capacity.

In addition to the six biotic principles, the results of the research identified eight common areas of congregational life. These eight quality characteristics are:

1. Holistic small groups
2. Empowering leadership
3. Loving relationships
4. Passionate spirituality
5. Inspiring Worship
6. Need-oriented Evangelism
7. Gifts Oriented Ministry
8. Functional Structures

The key to these quality characteristics is the adjective (in italics in the list above). The noun identifies the arena of ministry but the adjective describes that aspect which makes the characteristic function in life-giving and capacity increasing ways. Using an assessment tool that surveys the pastor and 30 key leaders and active members from the congregation, a profile is generated for each ministry being assessed. This profile is then compared with a profile curve that includes the other congregations from the same country. Congregations worship attendance can be correlated to improving the health of the eight quality characteristics. Improving the lowest score (the minimum factor) increases the capacity of the system to do ministry.

HURRICANE KATRINA HELP

The news has died down. The coverage is spotty at best. No one seems to notice that the devastation from Hurricane Katrina is still there. But some people have noticed and one person who has is Pastor Norm Bumby. Pastor Bumby is a retired Lutheran minister who graciously subs for Pastor Horner when needed.

Pastor Bumby was part of a team of 12 people who went down to New Orleans to help with the clean up just this past April. He reported on his experience during the Adult Forum on May 21st. The number of houses that still need to be cleaned up and re-built seems overwhelming. But it is being taken care of one house at a time. That is where we can help.

Pastor Bumby is going down this coming October to help. He is going to be a part of a team of 12 again. If you would like to be a part of this team or if you would like to serve on the committee that is making the arrangements, please call the church office (985-4803) to volunteer. More information about volunteering or how to make donations towards the trip will be coming in future newsletters. Thank you!!

VACATION BIBLE CAMP NEWS

Dear Parents,
Be sure your kids have the greatest summer ever by going to Fiesta: Where kids are fired up about Jesus!

Each day your children will be a part of fun Bible learning they can see, hear, touch, and even taste! Bible Point Crafts, team-building games, lively Bible songs, and tasty treats are just a few of the Fiesta activities that help faith grow into real life. Kids will even choose a Daily Challenge an exciting way to live out what theyve learned.

As kids learn about Jesus love, theyll also enjoy hands-on Bible Adventures and daily video visits from Chadder Chipmunktm. (Since everything is hands-on, kids might get a little messy. Be sure to send them in play clothes and safe shoes). Your kids will even participate in a hands-on mission project called Operation Kid-to-Kidtm that involves nearly a million other children across North America!

Fiesta is great fun for children of all ages; even teenagers will enjoy signing on as Fiesta Crew Leaders who help younger children. And parents, grandparents, and friends are invited to join us each day at noon because thats when well be having Fiesta Finale a daily celebration of Jesus love you wont want to miss.

So mark these dates on you calendar: June 26th June 30th. The celebration starts at 9:00 am and will end at 12:30 pm. Call the church office at 985-4803 to register your children for this awesome Bible-learning adventure!
Sincerely,
Mary Keating
Tammy Krampetz
Your Fiesta Directors

STUFF NEEDED

We are looking for Mexican things to decorate for this years Vacation Bible Camp. Our theme this year is FIESTA and we would love to borrow anything you might like to lend us. Please mark your items with your name so we can get it back to you. If you have anything, please contact Mary Keating or Tammy Krampetz. Thank you!!

HELP WANTED!!!

Need kid- loving, outgoing, fun adults and teens to help with Vacation Bible Camp. We need people to help be crew leaders the week of June 26th. Bible camp runs in the mornings from 9:00 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. No experience necessary, but lots of fun and adventure will be found! If interested, please contact Mary Keating. (This is a great chance for community service hours for teens or extra fun time with kids or grandkids!)

FATHERS AND SONS

All fathers and sons and grandsons (in other words, all persons of the male gender) are invited to a banquet in Luther Hall on Saturday, June 17th at 6:00. You are welcome to bring a father or son or grandson - or just come yourself. We will have a great meal, interesting fellowship, and awesome entertainment. Sign up on the board in the Narthex or see Karen. HELP WANTED: Women to cook, serve and cleanup - also sign up in the Narthex

It is not flesh and blood but the heart which makes us fathers and sons.
~Johann Schiller

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!

A BRIEF LOOK AT THE 50 YEARS OF MINISTRY OF

ROGER AND HELEN ROTVIG

Knowing we would be married before internship, it was a joint decision to volunteer to go to a Canadian Church for that year. Two years later, these life long Minnesota residents requested New England or the Pacific Northwest on the placement Wish List. We were assigned to Caribou, ME. Faith, Caribou was a new mission planted because of the massive Air Force buildup in the early years of the Cold War. Roger soon found that his special gift was adult education. Working with young military families, many from different religious backgrounds, adult confirmation was the largest entry into the big personal Pastoral Record book most of us kept. Caribou was an isolated but exciting place to live and work.

In late 1959, when classmate Lowell Albee left Newport, RI for a European assignment for the church, our Bishop asked us to go to Newport. St. Peters military ministry had been carried on since World War I days and was expanding with augmented staff and a new building on a new site, the most prominent corner in town. Besides its beautiful coastal and historic setting, Newport was home to the second largest Navy concentration on the eastern seaport. We had six wonderful years of continuing the work we had honed with the Air Force in Maine. Newport also had the advantage of a larger and stronger congregation of permanent residents that added greatly to the strength of the ministry.

In October of 1965, we arrived at Grace Lutheran in downtown Hartford, CT, a strong congregation with a 20-year-old Georgian Colonial building. More than 50% of all Lutherans in New England live in Connecticut and Hartford was in the middle of everything. The non-denominational Hartford Seminary Foundation was only two blocks away. There were Lutheran faculty members at the Seminary and many of our missionaries did their furlough study here because of its strong world mission focus. Peter Berger had been on that faculty and a member of Grace when he wrote his blockbuster The Noise of Solemn Assemblies in 1961.

Grace was certainly not one of those Solemn Assemblies. It had already begun a fine outreach to the new racial groups moving into the changing neighborhood. After the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., the work towards a vibrant urban-suburban ministry was speeding up. During the next decade or so, Grace became, and still is, the best example of a fully integrated congregation in the New England Synod. Once again, adult education was one of the cornerstones of this outreach in these changing times.

At the beginning of 1972, our lives were completely changed when the Bishop recommended that Roger be called as the first CEO of the newly developed LSS agency in New England. A nursing home driven LCA agency and a smaller, more traditional LCMS agency were consolidating and it was important that Missouri be kept in the united effort to build a strong agency. Everyone was worried about the future of inter-Lutheran work because of the impending Seminex controversy, a major issue in the northeast.

The next 16 ½ years was an amazing ministry, much different from our vision when Roger got a BA in Social Work at Gustavus and wondered whether Church Social Work in the Minnesota style of the 40s and 50s was in our future. While we had to expand two of our nursing homes over the year to keep them viable, and we built senior housing in three other locations, our new focus was far different. Residential Treatment Homes, caring for four to eight persons with special needs, became a major thrust. We went from one facility at the time of the merger to more than 40 over the next 16+ years.

The other issue that shaped LSS of New England was the influx refugees at the end of the Vietnam War. LSS became the guardian for more than 2,000 unaccompanied minor refugee children over time and resettled countless full refugee families. These two programs, not envisioned when the agency was formed, became the heart and soul of our work. They still are. The refugees now come from Eastern Europe or Africa or wherever, but they find homes through LIRS and agencies like LSS New England.

With the years spent at Grace and LSS New England, we were able to live 23 years in W. Hartford. Helen had continued her career as a RN for part of the time in Caribou and Newport. Now she had a near 20 years as a school nurse in an elementary school. Our four children, Susan, Tom, Tim and Sandra were all able to graduate from the same neighboring schools. None of them ever had to ride a school bus to get to school.

As retirement neared in 1989, we built a new home within sight of the ocean in southern Maine. We had come to love Maine over our years in New England. There are only 20 Lutheran churches in Maine and few of them are near the ocean. Our church, Holy Cross Lutheran in Kennebunk has been the center of our lives now for the past 17 years. It has been the best church experience in our lives. Thank the Lord, our faith continues to grow and we know we have a place for lifelong ministry in His name. Roger and Helen Rotvig

SHARING THE JOY

Due to scheduling difficulties, we have rearranged our day for singing. Please join us on June 25thth at 3:00 at Atria as we sing-a-long with the residents their old favorite songs and hymns. All ages are welcome. If you dont sing, come along for fellowship. NOTE: We will not be singing in July and August.

YOUNG AT HEART

All who are 55ish or older are invited to join our fun activities. On June 28th we will be going to the Arundel Barn Playhouse for a 2:00 matinee of I Love a Piano featuring the music of Irving Berlin. Tickets are $20 and you can sign up on the board in the Narthex.

SPAGHETTI DINNER ON JUNE 16

Join members of the Social Concerns Committee at the York County Shelters Mama Mia dinner on Friday, June 16. Mama Mia is an all you can eat spaghetti, pizza and salad dinner and all proceeds benefit the shelter. Dinner is served from 5-7 p.m. The cost is $6.50 for adults and $3.50 for children.

The York County Shelter is located at the Brothers of Christian Instruction in Alfred. Directions and a sign up sheet will be posted in the Narthex. If you need a ride or would like to carpool, please indicate on the sign up sheet. Members of the Social Concerns Committee and anyone interested in carpooling will meet in the church parking lot at 4:30 on Friday, June 16.

The York County Shelter provides temporary and transitional housing and training for individuals and families in York County. Holy Cross supports the Shelter in various ways, including the giving of hand-knit hats, gloves and scarves this winter. Join us for a fun and delicious dinner while supporting a worthy cause. For more information, contact Cheryl Mills or Linda Gaidimas.

KNITTING DAY

The Social Concerns Committee is sponsoring a knitting bee on Saturday, June 17th from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. A light breakfast of scones, muffins and other goodies will be provided along with a lunch of soup and bread. If you have any questions, please see a member of the Social Concerns Committee.

WORSHIP GRANT

Holy Cross has been awarded $15,000 to promote the engagement of members in intentional and creative ways that enrich the worship life of the congregation. The program is made possible through a Worship Renewal Grant from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, Grand Rapids, Michigan, with funds provided by Lilly Endowment Inc.

Over the course of the next year, Holy Cross will sponsor three renewal workshops, led by outside experts. The first workshop will be facilitated by Bob Rognlien, author of the book Experiential Worship and nationally known workshop leader. Two other workshops will be led by a liturgical artist and by a liturgical dramatist. We will be using some of the ELCA Renewing Worship material as well as other resources. The grant will also enable us to purchase additional sound equipment for the sanctuary.

The selection of grant recipients from a large number of excellent proposals is a thoughtful and prayerful process that involves many people, said Betty Grit, Program Manager of the Worship Renewal Grants Program. It is our prayer that this grant money will help develop habits of worship that will continue the process of renewal for many years. A complete list of this years grant recipients is available at the Grants section of the Institutes website www.calvin.edu/worship.

This year, CICW received over 180 proposals from 32 denominations and 42 states and four provinces. CICW consulted with an advisory board of liturgical leaders and scholars from a variety of backgrounds to evaluate grant proposals. CICW is granting almost $750,000 to 57 churches and organizations across North America, from a variety of worship traditions. Grant recipients represent congregations and schools from 14 denominations in 23 states and 3 Canadian provinces. We pay careful attention to budget proposals to see how grant funds will be used, Grit said. We consider the stewardly use of these resources to be essential to faithful worship. And yet, we trust that for many of our recipients, the true value of these grants is not a sum of money, but a long-term process of learning, growing, and worship renewal.

John Witvliet, director of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, said one common theme in this years grant projects is reflecting on how worship forms worshipers to be Christian disciples. Many of this years recipients represent a renewed hunger in the church for reflecting on the meaning and purpose of worship, and rediscovering how the words and music of our worship shape us for Christian service in all areas of life.

EXPERIENTIAL WORSHIP WORKSHOP

The first workshop that will be sponsored by Holy Cross under the Worship Renewal Grant is EXPERIENTIAL WORSHIP. It will be held on Friday evening, July 21st from 7-9 and on Saturday July 22 from 8;30-4:00. Our workshop leader is Pastor Bob Rognlien, nationally known author and speaker on experiential worship. He is an ELCA pastor from Torrance, CA. The workshop is free to the first 50 registrants from Holy Cross and includes lunch and a copy of Bobs book, Experiential Worship: Encountering God with Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength. Child care will be available on Saturday for $10 for the first child and $5 for each additional child, lunch included. Registration forms are included in this newsletter or are available in the Narthex at the Welcome Table or from an usher.

This workshop is for all who participate in worship, which includes just about all of you. Pastor Bobs message is for everyone, including those who prefer a very traditional worship service as well as to those who like the more contemporary styles. Beginning in June, we will be opening up registration to other churches in the synod and the area for a cost of $20. So it is important to register early as we can only accommodate 120 people.

EXPERIENTIAL WORSHIP

A Seminar for all who lead or participate in worship in their congregations

Youre Invited!

HOLY CROSS LUTHERAN CHURCH
Kennebunk, Maine
Friday, July 21, 7:00-9:00
Saturday, July 22, 8:304:00

How can we move beyond the worn out categories of "traditional" and "contemporary" into a more biblical and complete approach to worship? How can we plan and lead worship that is more than just a "head trip" on Sunday mornings? How can we help people experience God in a way that will move them to love him with heart, soul, mind, and strength? We will address these critical questions in this interactive seminar on Experiential Worship. The seminar will include:

- Multimedia teaching by author and pastor Bob Rognlien
- Practical ideas on how to implement this approach in your church
- Opportunities for questions and discussion
- Lunch and refreshments; child care available
- Free copy of Bobs book, Experiential Worship: Encountering God with Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength

Bring your whole team for this pratical day of learning and discussion!

Registration Deadline is July 15th
Further information: 207-985-4803 or info@kennebunklutheran.org

SEMINAR LEADER

Bob Rognlien is Senior Pastor of Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd and author of Experiential Worship: Encountering God with Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength.

Experiential Worship . . . will be a great resource for people across the range of Christian denominations and worship styles, a book to read and recommend to others. --Brian McLaren, Generous Orthodoxy, A New Kind of Christian

In this milestone book for the church in the 21st century, Rognlien shows how worship can integrate the great traditions of the rational and the experiential. --Leonard Sweet, Post-Modern Pilgrims, AquaChurch

Bob Rognlien's passionate offering in this book is nothing less than a reality check. --Sally Morgenthaler, Worship Evangelism

God writes the gospel not in the Bible alone, but on trees and flowers and clouds and stars. ~Martin Luther