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CROSS LUTHERAN CHURCHNEWSLETTER
June 2018
Reverend Michelle Townsend de López, Pastor
Email: [email protected]: www.crosslutheranmilwaukee.org
Church Office Email: [email protected]
1821 N. 16th StreetMilwaukee, WI 53205
414-344-1746
PASTOR’S CORNER
Dear Beloved Cross Family,
Do you realize it has been about six weeks since our congregational retreat? We came out energized and ready to double down on new ways of engagement and invitation. Well, I am beginning to see some of that enthusiasm wane and it may be because we are not fully engaged in building the momentum that makes others want to be a part of the mission.
I wonder if that sitting passively in the pew to get fed literally and soulfully is what some think is required of them? The goal of any Christian should never be to find a church you like and sit in the back row and keep the seat warm. The goal should be to fully engage in the mission. To have passion around what you enjoy and to expand that circle and invite others. I have read and experienced that engaged people are passionate people. We have the opportunity of knowing what the mission is and serving in it. We live it out and invite our friends to be a part of it.
I expect people to serve, join a group, bring a friend and give generously, but it would seem that I need to up my game too.
We have always had lofty ideas about how to engage people and serve the larger community with love and integrity. In two years we will have been doing that for 150 years and that is a major accomplishment, but we cannot rest on our laurels. We see so much growth and urban gentrification going on around Lindsay Heights and the downtown area of which we are a major stakeholder and there should be a buzz growing around Cross just like there is for the new Bucks stadium.
Let me be clear, I am not looking for 3000 people to become members of Cross, but I would love to have 300 members from the babies to our seasoned elders regularly engaged in our mission. A blooming of little voices making a joyful noise, kids under foot, young folks playing their music and running around the building and grounds and older adults teasing and chastising and elders imparting wisdom and joy.
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That kind of action and engagement changes cities. As a church leader, my role is to equip, send, and prepare people to integrate their faith with work and everyday life. I at times can get stagnate and not as passionate as I should be. I have to be cognizant of filling up that void and complacency with meaningful engagement at conferences and out in the community with people finding out what their self-interest is and how to engage them with it here at the Cross.
You also have a role. To help yourself-cultivate your own soul. The recipe is rather simple: Authenticity + integrity = resonating curiosity and engagement in our mission.
We are a church in the central city with the majority of folks attending coming from more than a few miles away. Generally, it requires a vehicle to get here as the decrease in the frequency of public transportation on Sundays makes it difficult for some of our folks and for others it simply is not an option. I would love to see more people with reliable transportation helping out those who do not have a vehicle.
We cannot complain about people engaging in church if they cannot get here. We take serving one another seriously. Let’s be more proactive about engaging and serving one other. It’s a wonderful gift to give and receive. Let’s practice doing more of both as we enter into our summer season. Our mission is clear, get focused and get engaged-- we have more fun times and exciting activities coming up to share with one another and to invite our friends.
Don’t miss these opportunities to hook up and show out together!
In mission,
Pastor Michelle
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A Tribute to The Rev. Dr. James H. Cone – Rev. Dr. Richard Perry, Jr. ON MAY 9, 2018 BY WETALKWELISTEN453 It is impossible to over-estimate the impact that the writings of the Rev. Dr. James H. Cone had upon Black America – all the more so for those who entered the academy. My colleague of some years at LSTC, the Rev. Dr. Richard Perry, shares some of his own insights today – a reflection on not only what Cone meant to him in the 60s and 70s, but what Cone means to him today, and to the world. Read, comment, and share.
Rev. Dr. Linda E. Thomas – Professor of Theology and Anthropology, Chair of LSTC’s Diversity Committee, Editor – “We Talk. We Listen.”
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Civil rights leader and clergyman Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (third from left) marches with other civil rights leaders in the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963. More than 200,000 activists took part in the march, which King described as “the greatest demonstration of freedom in the history of the United States.”
The late 1960s were pivotal years in the life of this country and the world.
There were rebellions in Watts, Newark, Detroit and other cities across the nation. There was the Vietnam War. The Civil Rights Movement was gaining momentum as evidenced by the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964and a year later the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Civil Rights activists were murdered in Philadelphia, Mississippi and peaceful demonstrators were viciously attacked as they attempted to march across the Edmund Pettis Bridge in Selma, Alabama. The Black Power Movement and the voice of Malcolm X became prominent in northern urban centers. Four young African American women were murdered along with the murders of Malcolm X, The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Robert F. Kennedy. The 1960s was a time of racial upheaval in the country.
Black people were resisting, publicly, racism and racial prejudice in America.
The 1960s were signature years in my formation as an African American male, Christian, and Lutheran. You see, I was the product of an integrated public educational system in Detroit. My peers were Black and Jewish. It appeared that we were “getting along” with each other. Religiously, I was a member of an integrated church and predominantly white denomination. Those educational and religious experiences led me to believe and accept the “goodness” of white people. Galatians 3:28 was real to me.
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Then, the 1967 Detroit Rebellion (some people call it a ‘riot’) erupted. That event focused the attention of many residents of Detroit and the nation on the ravages of white racism and its impact on Black people. The reality of police brutality and the virulent racism practiced by the Detroit Police Department drove African Americans into the streets. My world, protected by its middle-class orientation, was shaken.
In 1968 I began formal ministry at a small Lutheran congregation on the Eastside of Detroit. Paired with a white male pastor, my responsibility was to build a youth ministry. This was one response the Lutheran Church in America (LCA) made to the “urban crisis.” The LCA felt that if it hired African Americans from the community they could help build connections with the community. I was a member of a group of young Black people employed, as “my soul looks back” to borrow the title of The Rev. Dr. James H. Cone’s book My Soul Looks Back (Orbis Books, 1986), by the LCA to be a hedge between it and the Black community.
Then it happened. Black Theology and Black Power (Harper & Row, 1969) hit the public. I did not know much about Black Theology or the Black Religious Tradition. Although I was christened in my mother’s church, St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church in Ashland, Kentucky the Black Religious Tradition was foreign to me. And, if the truth be told, I knew very little about the history of Black people in the United States of America. I knew about “safe” Black people like Booker T. Washington and George Washington Carver!
Cone’s book, however, shook my liberal middle-class African American slumber. I read that book with eagerness. I got angry because Cone had disturbed my world. How dare he say that white people and the white church were racist! I experienced something different. It was possible for Black people and white people to live together and get along, especially in the church.
By the time I got to seminary I expected African American history and Black theology to be incorporated into the curriculum.
Well, they weren’t included.
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After a coffee hour conversation with one of Cone’s severest critiques on the faculty, who thought some of us were interested in “Blackenizing” the curriculum, I decided to incorporate Cone’s theology in the papers I wrote. Two white male professors appeared to have some social conscience and readily accepted what I did. This was my way of resisting racism and the exclusion of what African Americans thought about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the church.After completing graduate studies in ethics, I joined the faculty of the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC). Two books written by Cone, A Black Theology of Liberation (J. B. Lippincott Company, 1970) and God of the Oppressed (Seabury Press, Inc., 1975), which I bought and read in seminary, were pivotal in my theological journey. Cone’s argument was convincing and based on the ministry I already engaged in, I knew to be true.
A Lutheran parish confirmation class, ca. 1969.White theology, more specifically white Lutheran theology, was not going to liberate oppressed Black people in the Lutheran church or in communities across the globe. The voices of African Americans and African American Lutherans needed to be heard.
Quite simply our understanding of God, Jesus, and what we are called to be and do was different. The difference was our experience of being oppressed simply because we are black. Liberation from white racism was important if Black people and Black Lutherans were going to be authentically free.
It was then that I determined to teach a course on the theology and ethics of James H. Cone.My first course on Cone’s theology and ethics was quite an eye-opener. There were five students, the course was in the evening, and there were no Lutheran seminarians in the course! And, the course was only an elective course in Black Theology (students were free to take it or not). Rather than succumb to anger, I turned to the organizer side of my ministry. Since I had some freedom in what I taught and when I taught courses, I decided to offer only one course in ethics along with the urban ministry courses I taught. And, I offered the Cone class during the day. Attendance rose to where it was averaging between 15 and 20 mostly white Lutheran students. I was determined that white students, whether they were Lutheran or members of other denominations, would be exposed and challenged by the thinking of Cone.
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I was committed to students wrestling with what Cone meant when he said white people had to become black. I wanted students to struggle with the concept of Jesus Christ being black.
Over the last twenty plus years Cone’s central question, “What has the Gospel to do with oppressed Black people?” has remained as the foundation of all of the courses I have taught. Cone, albeit at a distance, has served as a theological mentor for me. His declarations that God is Black, Jesus is Black, and that white people have to become Black have become central declarations of mine. Cone’s Black Theology of Liberation provided me with the language, concepts, and analysis of the sources of Black Theology contributed to my resisting white racism. Cone’s thought challenged me to look for those who are oppressed in any way in all communities because I believe that is where the liberating action of God is taking place.The most important contribution of Cone’s Black Theology of Liberation was the courage to resist white supremacy within the institutions I am placed.
the Rev. Dr. James Hal Cone (2017)
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Saturday, April 28, 2018, my colleague Dr. Linda Thomas, texted me that the Rev. Dr. James H. Cone had joined the ancestors. I was shocked and saddened. The theological world had just lost its most ardent voice of Black Liberation Theology. I wanted to hear his voice so I searched for a lecture he may have recently given. I found a lecture he gave at Yale Divinity School, “Black Theology and Black Power.” In that lecture, Cone surveyed his works. What caught my attention was his description of his theological works. It was the first time I heard him describe them and the symbolism of the covers of the books. But what really caught my attention was his passion and fire. It was still there in that 2017 lecture!
He still had that central question which drove him to write his first book, Black Theology and Black Power.
Cone wrote in A Black Theology of Liberation, “The importance of the concept of the Black Christ is that it expresses the concreteness of Christ’s continued presence today” (219). The concreteness of the Black Christ is evident wherever Black people are struggling for justice and human dignity. Black people include African American women, men, our youth, and oppressed people in all cultures. That is the legacy of Cone’s Black Liberation Theology I feel called to teach and to be taught by oppressed Black people today. I am ever thankful for Cone’s courage and thinking about God from a Black Liberation perspective!
Darkness and Sin – Solomon Raj
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It is a legacy worthy of passing on with the assurance that the God of the Exodus is actively liberating the oppressed around the world.
The Rev. Dr. Richard Perry received the Bachelor of Arts degree from Carthage College and his Master’s of Divinity degree from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. After his ordination in 1977, Perry served Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church, Gary, Ind., for three years. His experience in urban and multi-cultural ministries was honed as director of inclusive ministries for the North Carolina Synod of the Lutheran Church in America, and as director for Black ministries for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
He eventually returned to LSTC to pursue his PhD studies, eventually being made a professor in 1993.
In 1999, he co-chaired the International Planning Committee for the Conference of International Black Lutherans held in Wittenberg, Germany, where he presented the paper “Justification and Racial Justice.” He was also a presenter at the first consultation between African and African-American Lutheran Theologians in Harare, Zimbabwe; and chaired the working group on racism in the church and society at the Lutheran World Federation’s Seventh Assembly in Budapest, Hungary.
A published author, Perry contributed the chapter, “African American Lutheran Ethical Action,” to the book “The Promise of Lutheran Ethics” (Fortress Press 1998). His essay, “Justification by Grace and Its Social Implications,” was included in “Theology and the Black Experience” (Fortress 1988),and he co-authored with Albert Pero and Cheryl Stewart “Let Justice Roll Down Like Waters…,” a Black cultural awareness resource published by Augsburg Fortress.
Remembering Dr. James H. Cone, Professor, Prophet, Pastor, Mentor, and Friend – Rev. Dr. Linda E. Thomas, editor’s specialON MAY 7, 2018
Me and Dr. Cone at my graduation from Union Theological Seminary.
It is hard to describe my relationship to the Rev. Dr. James H. Cone – it is hard for all of us who were marked by this great man. Yet, as someone who has carried his legacy, and who must carry this legacy even more boldly now that he has gone home, it is important for me to do what I can to share what this man has meant to me, and by extension, what he means to the
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Academy and the Church. May my offering be acceptable in your sights. Read, comment, and share.Rev. Dr. Linda E. Thomas – Professor of Theology and Anthropology, Chair of LSTC’s Diversity Committee, Editor – “We Talk. We Listen.”
The Rev. Dr. James H. Cone in the late 60’s, early in his career.
On Saturday morning, 29 April 2018, I received a text from my BFF, Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas that our beloved mentor, Dr. James Hal Cone had died. Although I’d anticipated this communiqué, my mind could not fully grasp the feelings my body held. Like a dam that had burst, memories flooded my mind. My long-term memory bank released a tsunami of images flooding my entire being.
I was exhausted in just a few moments.The grieving process had begun and moves to a new junction as the Life of Dr. James Hal Cone is celebrating at his “Home Going” Service today at 11 a.m. at the Riverside Church in New York City. I am attending that service with my daughter, Dora.
This week I dedicate this blog post to Dr. James H. Cone.The announcement of his passing went around the world in a matter of seconds. My Facebook page showed messages in a variety of languages, some unrecognizable to me. Dr. James Cone did two basic things that reshaped theological discourse throughout the globe. First, he re-imagined the image of God, positing that God is Black. Second, his book Black Theology and Black Power published 1969 presented the first systematic presentation of Black Theology bringing to light God presence in the struggle for freedom by black Americans centered in the gospel message of salvation. Written in light of the commencement of the Civil Rights Movement this book thundered to the world a theological anthropology that Black Lives Matter.
There are so many ways to write this post.
I will take the path of simplicity so that as many people as possible, including children can know this iconic person.
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Early Life, Faith Formation, and White Supremacy
James Cone was born in Fordyce, Arkansas in 1939 and grew up in the small town, Bearden. He lived with a diunital reality: the love and affirmation of the historic Black church realized through African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) he attended with his family and a normative death-dealing anti-black racism.
White culture of the south and elsewhere in the United States at that time actively displayed social norms that devalued Black people. Cone and his brother always stayed up late until they heard their father’s truck drive up, signaling that he was home from his day of work.Cone’s mother comforted her sons by teaching them the power of God in history and in every present moment. She taught them that Jesus’ power was with them and that Jesus knew about suffering so he understood the plight of black people. She also taught that the Holy Spirit was actively present, giving them a kind of protection and freedom that transcended the worries of this world.Their church taught them the same. And even though they were surrounded by dangers of white supremacy, and therefore always in danger, they were in God’s hands.
Education, Vocation, the persistence of racism and Cone’s ResponseCone went to Shorter College and Philander Smith College in Little Rock receiving his B.A. in 1958. Acknowledging his call to ordained ministry he entered divinity studies at Garrett Theological Seminary and graduated with a Bachelor of Divinity degree in 1961. He received his M.A. from Northwestern University in 1963, and his Ph.D. from the same institution in 1965.There, too, he experienced racism.
Upon finding out that James Cone was black, his initial scholarship was reneged and he had to take on janitorial duties to support himself. Despite everything, though, he persevered. He told his white student colleagues that he would eventually write about the God Human relationship for the perspective of black people and they retorted that black people were
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not worthy of being reflected upon theologically, but just as his classmates at Garrett discounted his scholarship so did the white theological academy. Even so, Cone’s critiqued white theologians and the white church because he believed that to be the task of the theologian. His writing radically criticized one of the US’s most beloved theologians, Reinhold Niebuhr – whose theological imagination thrilled white culture while telling Black folks who lives were mired by structural racism to “go slow” as they pushed for equality during the Civil Rights Movement.
Anyone who knew James Cone knew that he cared very little about what white folks thought of him or his theological commitments. He focused his entire life on the theological relationship between God and Black people. Moreover, his focus was not on “when we all get to heaven” but rather on “Thy Kingdom come on earth …” His entire vocation endlessly proclaimed that the “Kin-dom” of God – as evinced in the lives of Black people – was indeed an integral and powerful vision of what the Church needed to be – this was very different from the white theology espoused by most white theologians and the majority of white churches.
Systematic Theological Response: Black Theology and Black Power (1969)
When the dreams and frustrations of Black People erupted in protest and resistance in the 1960’s, James Cone put pen to paper and wrote, Black Theology and Black Power, declaring that God was in the midst of these eruptions, making these protests and demonstrations “good.”Moreover, since the God of Black people loved Black people as much as White people, and since that same God died on the Cross for Black people as God had for White People, then as baptized Christians Black people had no choice, but to love themselves as they loved their neighbors. This meant rising up to defend themselves when White Christians participated in the oppression of Black people.
For Cone, institutions entrapment of black citizens in cycles of poverty, poor education, discriminatory laws, and a church unrepentant for its open racism was the deep and insipid sin that the nation needed to confront. But though white society and the white church would shout “Peace! Peace!” as dogs attacked beautifully, Sunday-church clad black folks and KKK members bombed churches and killed beautifully Sunday-church clad black children, people of African Descent across the nation shouted “There is no peace!”
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Systematic Theological Response: The Cross and the Lynching Tree (2011)
In 2011, Cone’s final book, The Cross and the Lynching Tree was published. Hear his words:“What is invisible to white Christians and their theologians is inescapable to black people. The Cross is a reminder that the world is fraught with many contradictions–many lynching trees. We cannot forget the terror of the lynching tree no matter how hard we try. It is buried deep in the living memory and psychology of the black experience in America. We can go to churches and celebrate our religious heritage, but the tragic memory of the black holocaust in America’s history is still waiting to find theological meaning. When black people sing about Jesus’ cross, they often think of black lives lost to the lynching tree …to the gun of white police” (Cone 2012: 159-160).
Cone resilience came from the teachings of his early faith community, his faith was matched by a deliberate Christian ethics grounded in the gospel of Jesus Christ for the salvation of humanity and as his scholarly record demonstrates he made consistent scholarly contributions throughout his life. These writing demonstrate his evolving self that adapted to encounters with interfaith traditions, black women’s and women of color’s articulation of sexism and gender discrimination in their cultural context, ecological theology, and much, much more. His legacy includes nine books of which four have been translated into nine languages. He published over 150 articles; was granted numerous awards distinguished awards and lectured at myriad universities and public societies and institutes throughout the United States, Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and Latin America.
The power of Cone’s work is that calls the Church to connect the it collusion with if not direct participation in the oppression of black people in America to the cross and the lynching tree thereby linking the execution of Jesus by the Roman State with the murder of black people by lynching whether by mob or by gun.
Moreover, the resurrection represents God’s love for the marginalized to create movements like the Civil Rights movement, and Black Lives Matter, #MeToo – to mark resistance against “populist” thrusts to “Make America Great Again.” The Church must be the “head light rather
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then the tail light.” Cone’s work calls the entire church to that which non-black leaders who are part of the culturally dominant group to recall the marks of the church and to re-member the church.
Perhaps, in this time and place, the church for a public church is what is the church going to choose to be? Who is the church going to serve?
And that is what we must continue to do, friends.
That is what we must continue to do – to preach to the Church, to all people, to pay heed to the marginalized voices within it so that it might “re-member” or become whole flesh again. Cone pointed a way forward back in 1969 when he published “Black Theology and Black Power,” as a reminder for the church in the United States to get back into it’s body, to deal with it’s pain and injustices. And if there is one thing that he taught so many of us over the years – students, mentees, readers, all of us – was that it is only when we use our distinct theological voices can we be sure that we speak the most clearly.
So in memory of my teacher, mentor, and friend – keep on speaking!
Dr. Linda E. Thomas has engaged students, scholars and communities as a scholar for thirty-one years. She studies, researches, writes, speaks and teaches about the intersection and mutual influence of culture and religion. Her work is rooted intransitively in a Womanist perspective. An ordained Methodist pastor for 35 years with a Ph.D. in Anthropology from The American University in Washington, D. C. and a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in New York City, Dr. Thomas’s work has taken her to South Africa, Peru, Cuba and Russia. She has been recognized as an Association of Theological Schools Faculty Fellow as well as a Pew Charitable Trust Scholar.
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NOTES FROM THE PARISH NURSELinda Radder
Changing the Way We Think About Mental Health
May was Mental Health Awareness Month and I let it pass by without addressing it, so I’d like to dedicate this month’s article as well as a few of the upcoming month’s articles to the topic of mental health. In this month’s article I’d like us to think about changing the way we think about mental health.
When we think about cancer, heart disease, or diabetes, we don’t wait years to treat them. We start before Stage 4 – most often we think about prevention. When people are in the first stage of these diseases and are beginning to show signs or symptoms like a persistent cough, high blood pressure, or high blood sugar we try immediately to reverse the symptoms. We DON’T ignore them. In fact, usually a plan is developed to reverse and even stop the progression of the disease if possible. Why isn’t this done for individuals who are dealing with mental health issues?
We must change the way we think about mental health issues.
1 in 5 American adults will have a diagnosable mental health condition in any given year.
50 percent of Americans will meet the criteria for a diagnosable mental health condition sometime in their life and half of those people will develop conditions by the age of 14.
Let’s discuss the stages of mental health conditions, so that you can help yourself or someone you are close to realize the stages of mental health conditions and then take action and get help.
Stage 1 – Mild Symptoms and Warning Signs
At Stage 1 – a person begins to show symptoms of a mental health condition, but is still able to maintain the ability to function at home, work, or school – although perhaps not as easily as before they started to show symptoms. Often there is a sense that something is “not right.”
Stage 2 – Symptoms Increase in Frequency and severity and interfere with Life Activities and Roles
At Stage 2 – it usually becomes obvious that something is wrong. A person’s symptoms may become stronger and last longer or new symptoms may start appearing on top of existing ones, creating something of a snowball effect. Performance at work or school will become more difficult, and a person may have trouble keeping up with family duties, social obligations, or personal responsibilities.
Stage 3 – Symptoms Worsen with Relapsing and Recurring Episodes Accompanied by Serious Disruption in Life Activities and Roles
At Stage 3 – symptoms have continued to increase in severity, and many symptoms are often taking place at the same time. A person may feel as if they are losing control of their life and their ability to fill their roles at home, work, or school.
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Stage 4 – Symptoms are Persistent and Severe and Have Jeopardized One’s Life.
By Stage 4, the combination of extreme, prolonged and persistent symptoms and impairment often results in the development of other health conditions and has the potential to turn into a crisis event like unemployment, hospitalization, homelessness, or even incarceration. In the worst cases, mental illnesses can lead to loss of life an average of 25 years earlier than normal.
How can you help yourself and others recognize these stages and get help?
1 – Early Identification and Intervention –
Catching mental health conditions early is important, however, many people may not realize their symptoms are being caused by a mental health condition. They may realize it, but feel ashamed of it, or afraid to get help because of the stigma associated with mental illness. It’s up to all of us to know the signs and take action so that mental illness – like all other illnesses – can be caught early and be treated and people with mental health issues can live up to their full potential. Diagnosis and treatment in the early stages is best – but people can still recover and reclaim their lives in the later stages if they are willing to do the hard work which may require intensive, long-term treatment.
2 – Screening –
One way to determine if you are experiencing symptoms of a mental health condition is to take a screening. You can visit www.mhawisconsin.org/screening to take a quick, confidential screening for a variety of mental health conditions including anxiety, depression, mood disorders, or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. You can also see me for anxiety and depression screenings, and I will have some copies of each in the literature racks at the church located outside of the usher room and also in the hallway outside of the church office. Screenings should be used as a tool to start a conversation with a trusted friend or family member, or your primary health care provider or parish nurse. Together, you can plan a course of action for addressing your mental health needs.
3 - REAL, COMMON, TREATABLE
Finally, remember that mental health conditions are not only common, they are treatable. There are a wide variety of treatment options for mental health issues including talk therapy, medication, and peer support. Know that it may take some time for a person to find the right combination of treatments that work best for them, so remind them to be patient and if you are a friend, family member, or co-worker, you also will need to be patient. Treatment works and the results can be truly amazing and life changing.
For a list of places where you can get help, please feel free to contact me at the church office, I am usually there Monday thru Thursday from 9:30AM to 4:30 PM. The number is 414-344-1746. You can also contact Mental Health America of Wisconsin at (414) 276-3122 or e-mail at [email protected]. or go to their website – www.mhawisconsin.org.Adapted from B4Stage4 – Mental Health America 10/2015
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GETTING OUT TO THE GARDEN
A Master Gardener explains transplanting at the May 5th Garden Talk
The time has finally arrived for so many things here in the Cross Food Justice Ministry: community gardening, the pantry switch, more cooking classes, oh yeah, and the summer! The coming months are shaping up to be filled with some wonderful efforts that only teamwork and God’s guidance have allowed to unfold.
God’s work in this world is never complete, but it’s sometimes helpful to see where we’ve gotten over the course of the past days, weeks, and months in order to know where to head next, so first, here’s an update as to some recent events. If you haven’t been downstairs in the Cross kitchen lately, things may look a little different. After checking with various folks at the church, I made some rearrangements to our shelves and appliances in the kitchen with the hopes of increasing the functionality of (and access to) the space, opening things up a bit, and reducing some of the nooks and crannies where utensils and supplies always seem to fall. While this effort has seemed to be successful so far (in particular with our Wednesday programming), it hasn’t been without some mishaps. The shifting of the freezer caused it some issues and we’ve had a repairperson visit twice to sort things out (hopefully things are squared away now!). My apologies for causing this issue.
In other recent news, two new elevated raised beds are now out in the community garden space which allowed us to add one more gardener to the mix with our adopt-a-plot set up. And the Garden Talk at the start of May was an exciting event for those who attended. Two Master Gardeners from the UW-Extension program came in and discussed some great gardening considerations while also providing us with some neat tricks for easy garden planning and planting. We were introduced to the “Square Foot Gardening” method which divides the rectangular bed up into individual square feet, with different
Yet another trick is “Seed Tape” which can be done indoors before planting to provide the proper seed spacing. All it needs is paper towel and a water/flour paste (as glue). Place the seeds, let the glue dry, and simply put the strip at the appropriate depth and cover it in soil for an easy start to your gardening!
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veggies being planted in each square. Especially cool were the chopsticks-turned-depth-gauges for quick and accurate seed hole making and the placemats that were converted into square foot grids to aid in seed spacing. The little tips and tools that we learned about really make garden planning a cinch and something that ANYONE can do! Feel free to reach out to me if you’re interested in learning more.
The Garden Talk was a great jump start to our Cross Lutheran Community Garden’s first adopt-a-plot season. After many conversations with the Food Justice Committee (PSA: our next
meeting is June 25th at 4pm!) and getting the word out, we were able to obtain a great mix of gardeners and groups from Cross and our neighborhood’s community. Participating this year in the community garden are: several Cross church members, a Cross youth Christian Education group, some Tuesday Adult Center attendees, the Thursday Men’s Wellness group, and a few other people involved in our Wednesday ministries. It ought to be a great season!
Apart from the garden craziness, June also means the long awaited switch to the Choice Style Pantry. We’ve met with our volunteers twice now to prepare for the
change and will be doing a mock walk through with them, but are still open to gaining a few more volunteers before the big day, which is June 6th, the first Wednesday of the month. Although things are pretty ready to go, prayers for a smooth change would be appreciated!
On the cooking class front, there is some good news to share! Please mark your calendars for the Sundays of August 5th and 12th if you are interested in participating in a two-session cooking class titled “Eating for Healing” which will be put on by our very own Dr. Barb Horner-Ibler from the BoH Clinic. The classes will take place after Sunday School/Adult Education and will focus on cooking to prevent some common health concerns such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. We expect to offer other opportunities later in the fall too, but hope you can make it out to these healthy cooking classes!
The Milwaukee Food Council convened on May 17th and some wonderful programs were discussed including a new coffee company called MKEing Coffee (“Making Coffee”) that hopes to locate a Central City shop once they have gotten their name out a bit more. Each blend of their coffee is named after a neighborhood or unique piece of Milwaukee’s culture and their goal is making a social impact to spur economic development/job creation in the Central City. Check out mkeingcoffee.com for more info or to subscribe with their coffee club! And just around the corner from Cross, the Fondy Food Market is now open and ramping up each Saturday for their Opening Day Celebration on June 23rd. Check them out this summer and buy some fresh foods from the people who grew them! There are sunny days ahead and God is blessing us each one (even when it rains). Enjoy the start of your summer Cross family and keep up your food justice efforts!
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Colorful blooms from fall’s bulb planting!
Wyatt Meyer
IN THE COMMUNITY
A Brief History of Cross Lutheran Church
John G. Walker
There are dates we all remember, such as July 4, 1776, December 7, 1941, November 22, 1963,or September 11, 2001, but we should also remember June 7, 1870. That was when 13 German families founded Cross Lutheran Church, in a house on what is now 14th and Fond du Lac.A church was built on what is now 16th and Fond du Lac. Our present building was constructedin 1931.
Other important years were 1959, when 2 African-Americans became members. One was my mother, Virginia Walker-Riley, who became the first woman and the first African-American to to be president of this congregation. The youth choir, founded by Gloria Wright, came into existence in 1969. In 1980, we were one of the founders of Project Return. That same year,we sponsored our first refugee family, Laotians.
In 1993, we became a Sanctuary church, standing up to the government. In 1989, we were one of 8 churches to form MICAH. That same year, we became a Reconciled in Christ congregation.The Adult Center was established in 1984. Our fire was in 1995. The Bread of Healing programwas started in 1999. 2016 brought us the Food Justice Ministry.
Peak membership was in 1953, with 1,938 confirmed members and 2,638 baptized members.There have been 9 senior pastors. They are J. H Werflemann, J. C. Strassen, E. F. Shuler, R. J. Lillie, who was my first pastor, H. H. Schauland, who resisted demands to move to the suburbs, Joseph Ellwanger, Robert Crabb, Kenneth Wheeler, and Michelle Townsend de Lopez.
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BREAD OF HEALING CLINI C
Greetings everyone, On behalf of the staff of the Bread of Healing Clinic I would like to remind everyone of the importance of the proper disposal of old or unused medications that may be in the medicine cabinet or lying around the house. Unfortunately, our country is in the midst of a dangerous opioid epidemic that is claiming lives by the day.
Wisconsin saw a 24.5% increase in deaths from these drugs from 2015 to 2016 according to the CDC, and the numbers continue to rise. With the rise of addiction associated with this type of drug, we want to make sure spare medicines are not mishandled. Most prescription medications pose some danger if not taken incorrectly and we want to prevent accidents, injury or deaths from someone taking the wrong medication.
Please be aware we can take old medicines as donations to the clinic and we will dispose of medications that require disposal. Furthermore, according to the Milwaukee Health Department, in the city of Milwaukee medications may be taken 24 hours a day 7 days a week to drop boxes at Milwaukee Police Districts 2 through 7, as well as the Milwaukee Municipal Court site at 951 N. James Lovell St. on Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. – 4:45 p.m.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter and may you have a safe and healthful summer.
Sean M. Fabry, MD
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Wisconsin African American Women's Center visits:
Patti Labelle Tribute
Chicago's Black Ensemble Theater
Sunday, June 3rd, 2018
Secure parking available
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SAVE THE DATE! Monday June 11, 6-8 pm.WISDOM Gubernatorial Candidate Forum.
Country Springs Hotel and Convention Center, Pewaukee. Transportation available,
Ongoing Meetings
Board of Directors Meeting, Second Monday each month. 5:30 Socializing (bring food to share), 6:00 Meeting. Location varies. Contact MICAH Office, 414-264-0805.
Immigration Task Force Meeting, Third Tuesday of each month. 10:30 am, Cross Lutheran Church, 1821 N 16th, Milwaukee. Contact Bill Townsend, 414-861-2523.
MICAH's ROC WI (criminal justice reform) Task Force Meeting, Second Wednesday of each month, Project Return conference room,2821 N 4th St, Suite 223.
Next Meeting June 13
Education Task Force Meeting, Third Thursday of each month, 6:30 pm, Reformation Lutheran Church, 3806 W. Lisbon. Contact Jane Audette, [email protected], 608-469-4407.
Religious Leader's Caucus, New dates: Last Wednesday of each month, noon-1:30, Location varies, contact Rev Walter Lanier,[email protected]
SAVE THE DATE! Monday June 11, 6-8 pm. WISDOM Gubernatorial Candidate Forum. Country Springs Hotel and Convention Center, Pewaukee. Transportation available.
2821 N 4th St Suite 213, Milwaukee, WI 53212 | 414.264.0805 | www.micahmke.org, [email protected]
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CIVIL LIBERTIES ON TAP!
Presented by ACLU-Milwaukee Chapter
Jails, Justice and Community
Thursday, June 21 6-7:30 p.m.Linneman's Riverwest Inn, 1001 E. Locust Ave
Important updates from the ACLU, Youth Justice MKE, #CloseMSDF, and the NAACP, on:
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• #CloseMSDF (closing the Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility)• The Milwaukee Police & Community Accountability Initiatives• Lincoln Hills — Bring ‘em Home.
Ron Lee Memorial Community Education Driver’s Permit ClassMilwaukee’s Most Successful Program Helping Adults Obtain a
DRIVER’S PERMIT & Drive Legally ® If you have never had a driving permit, Driver’s Ed can help you to
get on the road to drive legally!Our classroom instruction helps you understand the rules of the road & driver safety while preparing you for the Written State Driver’s Exam.
This FREE class will be held at:New Concept Self Development Center, Inc.Dr. Martin Luther King Community Center
1531 W. Vliet Street(414) 344-5788
Monday, June 11, 2018 – Thursday, June 14, 20184:00pm – 7:30pm
Seating is limited and is 1st come, 1st serve to those who qualify. TO QUALIFY: You must have NO unpaid tickets, fines or judgements;
be at least 18 years old; bring a pen & paper/notebook to class; a Wisconsin DOT Motorists’ Handbook (from the DMV); and a
VALID STATE OF WISCONSIN IDENTIFICATION CARD.
THE DMV WILL NOT ISSUE ANY PERMITS/LICENSES TO ANYONE WITH OUTSTANDING FINES
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You can save $15 off your $35 permit fee by completing our program & passing your test.
ATTENDANCE ON ALL DAYS IS MANDATORY!!
Helping thousands of adults to drive legally in the shortest period of time! ®
* W-2 referred clients must bring documentation of enrollment from their agency to be admitted at registration.
Satire: Where is your sense of humor?
The Secret Service just had to change protocol
for when the president is in danger
Instead of yelling "get down!",
they have to yell "Donald, duck!"Submitted by Nancy Nodell
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
June 3 Ellwanger Scholarship Presentation, Cross Lutheran Church5 Siefert 5th Graders Completion Rehearsal6 Intern Committee Meeting, 4pm, CLC Conference Room7 Siefert 5th Graders Completion Ceremony, 8:30 am9 NAACP Youth Council, 1 pm
Quilting, 10am-4pm
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11 Finance/Development Meeting, 4pm, CLC Conference Room19 BOH Finance Meeting, 12pm
BOH Clinic staff Meeting, 1:30-3:30pm21 Narcan Awareness, 7-9 pm, CLC Ellwanger Fellowship Hall, JoAnne Egerson23 Quilting, 10am-4pm24 Craig & Trisha Dent, Vow Renewal
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Church Bulletin Deadline The deadline for submitting bulletin announcements is every Tuesday by 5pm. Any information for the bulletin should be submitted to the church office in writing. Bulletin announcements will
not be accepted over the phone or after 5pm on Tuesday.
The Administrative Staff thanks you for your cooperation.
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