Cross Lutheran Church Mid Summer 2013

Pastor’s Corner The Byrds said it well in their song, Turn! Turn! Turn! “To everything there is a season . . .” This is true of almost everything that goes on in church. There are monthly themes on the calendar and seasonal celebrations in the church calendar. There are parties, recognitions, weddings, and other wonderful celebrations. One of the biggest seasonal celebrations is upon us now and that is “The Season of Transition.” We have a different vibe during the summer. The hurly burly energy of the spring subsides and is replaced with a calmer, but no less focused intensity as summer projects, workshops and classes kick into high gear in sync with the heat. Transitions can be very difficult for some folks. Sometimes upheaval can loom behind the next big change, even if it’s exciting. We know at the church we have been experiencing many transitions. Some have been physical and others spiritual. We look around and see the evidence of those who so diligently planted flowers and shrubs beautifying the landscape around the church. The heavy equipment parked out front reminding us of the very necessary repairs to our bell tower that were long overdue and the final preparations to get our new elevator operational, and the wonderful Affirmation and Blessing Service that connected so many of us together for a special time of holistic healing. While we may be comforted by the freedom of not packing as many lunches for school or work, and not rushing to the car line on a rainy day to pick up our child/children, or being stuck in the house due to inclement weather, we feel like we have a moment to exhale and take it a bit easier. When summer comes, many of us are fortunate enough to ask this question in the morning, "What to do?" for the rest of the day. While others still have their time so structured into

2 schedules with our daily jobs outside of home, it can be a challenge to recalibrate for the lazy days of summer. Life is full of transitions for all of us, making this a very important life lesson for us all. We must say good-bye to the old before we are able to fully greet the new! As your family talks about the upcoming school year, new addition to the family, moving to a new place, changing jobs, why not connect a special summer activity as a way to acknowledge a major accomplishment. It helps all of us when there’s a clear connection between accomplishment and recognition. We experience many endings in our lives. Good endings leave us with feelings of pride about where we’ve been, what we’ve done and learned; and, at the same time, they help set the tone for a good beginning again in the fall. I hope you enjoy a wondrous summer with your family. It’s not about the vacation or which camp; it’s about spending time together. As we move into the final 6 weeks of summer, celebrate the little things in your lives. Focus on the success and see how they have enhanced your life and made you better. Let go of your fears and rejoice in the time that God has given you. Bask in God’s wonderful handiwork when you look out your window and see the sun shining and warmth reflecting off of the windows to warm not just your face, but your heart. Be reminded that God has come to be with you. God wants you to find some time in your busy life to take a break, take a deep breath, exhale and relax.

Peace be with You! Pastor Michelle

2nd Annual Partners of Cross Golf Outing

The day may have started out with rain, but it ended with forty-nine golfers enjoying a wonderful afternoon of golf and fellowship. The following members of Cross participated: Michelle Glover, Ann Hogan, Tom & Carolyn Jackson, Matt Jandrisevits, Lisa Quam, and Linda Radder. Nineteen family and friends golfed along with partners from Ascension, Christ Our Savior, Cross of Life, and St. Matthew's.

3 Congratulations to Linda Radder and her foursome. They took first place with a round of 58. Second place went to the Jackson family with a round of 60. Thank you so much to our Cross family for your support of the Golf Outing. A special thank you to Sandy Adams, Ed Carlson, Audrey Fayne, Deb France, Bradley Hausler, Judi & Johnson Hunter, Amy Jandrisevits, and Barbara Wilson-Walker for their donations. A very special thank you to Chuck Ellingson and Sarah Olson for all their help the day of the Outing. Their help with registration, raffles, and the silent auction was indispensable! The totals are in and we raised $4000 . . . over $1000 more than last year! Next year's outing is tentatively scheduled for Friday, June 20, 2014.

Thank you so much!! Ann Hogan and Lisa Quam Youth Choir Thank you Judy (Ellwanger) & Bonnie (Williams) for providing wonderful opportunities for our young people to shine and share their gifts. Your enthusiasm and hard work to pull this off every month was amazing! We look forward to continued ways you connect our youth and young adults with their diverse gifts for the Glory of God. Thank You I wanted to say “Thank You” to all who sent well wishes, came to visit and blessed us with gifts as we welcomed our fifth son, Quetzal Tomas Lopez-Townsend, into this world and our faith family. Your generosity is greatly appreciated by us all.

Leo & Pastor Michelle

Notes from the Parish Nurse

4 During the next few months I’d like to discuss arthritis. I’ll discuss the different types as well as what can be done to relieve the pain of arthritis. I’ll also discuss the medications used to control the pain, as well as ways to treat pain without medications. This month I’ll start with the different types of arthritis. Arthritis refers to a disease of the joints, which can result in joint pain, swelling, stiffness, or loss of joint function over time. There are two common types of arthritis. Osteoarthritis—is often called degenerative or “wear and tear” arthritis. Osteoarthritis affects 27 million adults in the United States. This type of arthritis usually appears after age 40 or 50 and develops slowly. Osteoarthritis is often thought to be caused by the wearing out of a joint through use or overuse. Sometimes severe trauma to a joint area can cause more rapid development of osteoarthritis. The main signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis are pain, stiffness, and occasionally swelling in a joint .There can be periods of no pain and then flare-ups which usually following activity--often overuse. Flare-ups can often coincide with a change in the weather. Osteoarthritis commonly occurs in the knees and hips, the fingers, the joint at the base of the thumb, and the joint at the base of the big toe. It can also be found in the spine. Cartilage damage is a key factor in the cause of osteoarthritis; this can occur from a previous joint injury or an abnormality of the joint structure. As you get older, your risk of arthritis increases—other risk factors include lack of exercise, excessive weight, and certain genetic conditions. Rheumatoid arthritis—usually begins between the ages of 25 and 50, it can take weeks or months to develop. 75% of people who develop rheumatoid arthritis are women; it is estimated that about 1.5 million adults are affected. Rheumatoid arthritis differs from osteoarthritis as it is considered an autoimmune disease. This means that your own immune system attacks parts of your body. In the case of rheumatoid arthritis the immune system attacks joint linings which protect and lubricate your joints. As the immune system attacks the linings they become inflamed causing the joints to feel warm, painful and swollen, or to become stiff —especially in the morning. As the inflammation persists, chemicals

5 and enzymes are released and eat away at cartilage and bones causing damage to tendons and ligaments around the joint. Over time the muscles surrounding the joint may become weak and the joint may eventually be destroyed. Rheumatoid arthritis usually starts with the small joints of the hands, wrist, and feet. The disease can come up suddenly or gradually. In addition to joint discomfort there may also be a feeling of muscle aching and fatigue; flare-ups can occur unpredictably. The immune reaction that causes rheumatoid arthritis can also cause inflammation in other parts of the body, such as your heart, lungs, nerves, blood vessels, skin, tear or salivary glands. Finally, there are a few other forms of arthritis that can occur in older adults. Gout and pseudogout—microscopic crystals form in the fluids that lubricate the affected joint. As the body tries to get rid of the joint of these crystals, inflammation occurs this causes intense pain and swelling. Gout comes on suddenly and often occurs at the base of the big toe, but other joints can be affected. Pseudogout, which is caused by crystals from calcium salts and is more likely to occur in the knees, wrist, or ankles. Gout affects about 6.3 million adults. Systemic lupus erythematosus –is an autoimmune disease which affects women more than men and causes inflammation in the joint lining. It can often affect other parts of the body including the skin, kidneys, blood cells, heart, lungs and brain. SLE affects about 161,000 to 322,000 adults in the United States. Infectious arthritis—the joints become infected by any germ that enters your bloodstream. Signs and symptoms include a sudden intense pain in a single joint. The affected joint may become warm and swollen —there can be an accompanying fever. Inflammatory spine arthritis or spondyloarthropathies—The key characteristic of the disease is inflammation of the spine joints and is included in a group of autoimmune diseases. This disease affects approximately 0.6 to 2.4 million Americans. Polymyalgia rheumatica and giant cell arteritis—this disease includes moderate to severe muscle aching and joint stiffness in the shoulders, hips, and neck. The linings of certain arteries become inflamed, especially arteries of the head, neck, and arms, causing symptoms of headaches, scalp tenderness, jaw aching when chewing and vision

6 problems. This arthritis affects about 711,000 adults in the United States. (Information adapted from a special report from the Mayo Clinic Health Newsletter). Next month I will discuss how to treat these different forms of arthritis with lifestyle changes as well as medications, if needed. Remember that in addition to helping you feel good and controlling your weight—exercise can help strengthen muscles that support your joints, help to reduce joint pain, and help you maintain mobility. Please contact me at the church office if you have any questions. Your Parish Nurse Linda

Your Parish Nurse Linda Book Club Update The book club is now reading The Language of Flowers written by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. We will be discussing the book on Friday, July 19, at 1:30 p.m. at Carolyn Jackson’s home, W340N4899 Road O, Nashotah. All are welcome, even if you haven’t read the book. Please bring a dish to share if possible. Trustee Update The pipes are completed in the kitchen and tunnel. The elevator is back in production due to some permit issues. Nationwide is on the job and contractors Jen and Chris are at Cross with a man lift to repair the East and South side of the bell tower. When they get done, the next project will be replacing the fan vent on the exhaust fan in the belfry ,and then the inside of the belfry walls will be repaired by Brew City Drywall Contractors. We will be putting in a hand dryer in the bathroom by the Conference Room to eliminate all the extra paper towels in the toilet and will be repairing the porch above the office. We have two more projects to do but they will have to be on hold. So you see we have a lot going on in the next few weeks. Thank God we have the money to do these projects, Guy Davis, Trustee Co-Chair Second Lesson Readers for July/August July 21 Ed Carlson, Colossians 1:15-28 7 Jully 28 Linda Carlson, Colossians 2:6-19 August 4 Sandra Chapman, Colossians 3:1-11 August 11 Emory Churness, Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16 August 18 Pat Coleman, Hebrews 11:29-12:2 August 25 Lois Glover, Hebrews 12:18-29 Calendar Tues., July 16 NO Stepping On Program (which replaces the Adult Center) Tues., July 16 BOHEM Volunteer meeting, 1:30 p.m. Tues., July 16 BOHEM Advisory Committee meeting, 3 p.m. Wed., July 17 BOHEM, 11:45 a.m. Sat., July 20 Meeting for new elders, 10 a.m. Sat., July 20 Cross Comm. Gospel Choir practice, 11 a.m. Sat., July 20 Cross Praise Choir practice, 12:30 p.m. Sun., July 21 Worship, 9:30 a.m. Mon., July 22 Church Council, 5:30 p.m. Tues., July 23 Stepping On Program (which replaces the Adult Center), 9:30 a.m. Wed., July 24 BOHEM, 11:45 a.m. Sat., July 27 Quilting Ministry, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Sun., July 28 Worship, 9:30 a.m. Tues., July 30 Stepping On Program (which replaces the Adult Center), 9:30 a.m. Wed., July 31 BOHEM, 11:45 a.m. Sat., August 3 Trustees, 9 a.m. – noon Sat., August 3 Cross Comm. Gospel Choir practice, 11 a.m. Sat., August 3 Cross Praise Choir practice, 12:30 p.m. Sun., August 4 Worship, 9:30 a.m. Tues., August 6 Stepping On Program (which replaces the Adult Center), 9:30 a.m. Wed., August 7 BOHEM, 11:45 a.m. Sat., August 10 NO Caregivers meeting this mont Sat., August 10 Quilting Ministry, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Sat., August 10 Cross Comm. Gospel Choir practice, 11 a.m. Sat., August 10 Cross Praise Choir practice, 12:30 p.m.

8 Sun., August 11 Worship, 9:30 a.m. Mon., August 12 NO Finance Committee meeting this month Mon., August 12 - Vacation Bible School, 5 p.m. Friday, August 16 Tues., August 13 LAST Stepping On Program (which replaces the Adult Center), 9:30 a.m. Wed., August 14 BOHEM, 11:45 a.m. Sat., August 17 Cross Comm. Gospel Choir practice, 11 a.m. Sat., August 17 Cross Praise Choir practice, 12:30 p.m. Sun., August 18 Worship, 9:30 a.m. Monday, August 19 Church Council, 5:30 p.m. Tues., August 20 BOHEM Volunteer meeting, 1:30 p.m. Tues., August 20 BOHEM Advisory Committee meeting, 3 p.m. Wed., August 21 BOHEM, 11:45 a.m. Sat., August 24 Quilting Ministry, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Sun., August 25 Worship, 9:30 a.m. Wed., August 28 BOHEM, 11:45 a.m. Sat., August 31 Cross Comm. Gospel Choir practice, 11 a.m. Sat., August 31 Cross Praise Choir practice, 12:30 p.m.

Cross Lutheran Church A Reconciling in Christ ELCA Congregation 1821 N. 16th Street

9 Milwaukee, WI 5320 Phone: 414-344-1746 Fax: 414-931-0537 Email: [email protected] Web Site: www.crosslutheranmilwaukee.org

Michelle Townsend de López, Pastor Pastor Michelle’s Email: [email protected]

Sunday Worship: 9:30 a.m. Sunday School/Adult Bible Study: 11:15 a.m. Office Hours: Monday – Thursday, 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

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