Good
history requires accurate original sources. Through the years, church records,
even when they record boring things, have proved critical for researchers. That
is my goal in putting this chronicle together. For both my sake and Holy
Cross’s sake, there needs to be a record of what happened here during the time
that God called me to serve in Emma.
This is
especially true for the events of 2020 which were certainly the craziest of my
time at Holy Cross. While there will no doubt be many sources about the COVID
pandemic, the stories of individual congregations and how they handled it will
need to be told.
The
main sources for this document are the planners I kept for the years 2012-2024.
This was supplemented by a few minutes from elders meetings and videos which
are still on YouTube. If nothing else, I hope this helps the next people who
have to write a history book for Holy Cross.
The year of our Lord 2012
May
1, I was called to serve Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Emma, MO. Julia and I
expected this after a meeting with the placement director a few weeks before.
We were excited and quickly realized that Emma was a lot like New Minden.
May
19, The day after graduation, Julia and I went to Emma for the first time to
drop off books from my dorm room.
August
3, Julia and I were married at Christ Lutheran Church, Normal, IL and then
honeymooned in Daytona Beach, FL until August 11.
August
19, Julia and move to Emma. All our wedding presents were still in their boxes
which made them much easier to pack. We were met that afternoon by an excited
group of people who helped us unload the truck and put furniture in place. We
offered to buy pizza for those who came to help, but someone else picked up the
tab instead.
August
23, Jessie Hemme passed away and I prepared to do the funeral, which would take
place on August 27.
August
26, I was ordained and installed as pastor at Holy Cross at a service at 3 PM.
Dad preached the sermon on Matthew 9:1-8. He brought the scrap of paper Grandpa
Mueller wrote his funeral text on (1 Timothy 1:15) and Uncle Bill (who served
as the lector) brought Grandpa’s snowshoes from Aunt Ruth’s house in Indiana.
Grandpa used those to make visits when he was a pastor in North Dakota in the
1940s. Rev. Dr. Herbert Mueller Jr (my uncle and godfather) was the presiding
minister and conducted the ordination and installation. There’s a picture of us
the four of us that hung for years in Grandma Mueller’s house until she went to
the nursing home. It now hangs in my office. Julia’s Grandma Ruth Graff was
able to attend but she passed away only a few weeks later.
September
23 Paxton Hemme was the first baby I baptized.
September
28, Julia and I attended our first of many PALS (post seminary learning and
support) meeting with other news pastors at Timothy, Blue Springs. The meetings
were led by Pastor Fran Lieb.
One
change we made some time that fall was to move Sunday School for kids after
church rather than during church. This was done so that kids to be in the
service and the Sunday School teachers could go to communion. Sunday School
attendance did dip, but in the long run, this change was worth it.
Also,
that fall we added a class for kids in 5-6th grade to review the
Bible. This class met twice a month. After this class, the 7-8th
graders would come in for their lesson. With both classes on Sunday evenings,
it made for a very long day!
The
year of our Lord 2013
February
25, we had a big snow storm
March
9, Steven and Jaala Schlesselman were the first couple I married.
March
30, The first Easter Egg Hunt was held at 11:00 AM. This was an idea we took
from St. John’s New Minden, IL, (my home congregation). This was once again, a
plan to use the space we had in service to God. We had several thousand eggs
that year but, in the following years we quickly made it to 10,000 eggs. Bible
verses were placed in some eggs and all eggs had candy. You can’t really hide
10,000 eggs, but we scattered them across the circle drive by the flagpole,
yard on the West side of the church, and playground. This was a great event,
and we would do it each year following.
June
26 was the day of the first Cross Camp. Donna Oetting and I created this idea
from our shared experience as camp counselors. The purpose of Cross Camp was to
provide time for kids in upper elementary grades to learn about God in his
creation since we have so much space at Holy Cross. Originally this was planned
as a full day event but in later years it was cut down to only an afternoon. We
had kids make their own food over a campfire and do outdoor activities and hear
a devotion. Since kids from Holy Cross attend so many different schools, the
goal was to bring all the kids together and help them get to know each other.
Two additional days were held on July 26 (the first water day) and 31. Cross
Camp would become an annual tradition.
September
12 For the first time I lead the Thursday Morning Men’s Bible Study at St. Paul
Hight School. This group was started by Pastor Brandt in the late 1980s and
outlived several restaurants until it landed at SPLHS. The class meets at 6:30
AM. They break at 7:00 when breakfast begins and have a second half after
everyone is finished. The class dismisses at 8:00 AM. I took over from Walter
Loeber who had been leading for several years.
September
22, I took part in one of the first International Services at SPLHS.
International students were invited to come to the chapel there and hear the
readings and a sermon but say the Lord’s Prayer and Apostle’s Creed in their
own language.
November
13, That Sunday we announced to the congregation that there would be a baby in
the parsonage for the first time in forty years!
That
same say, at about noon, my home church, St. John’s New Minden, IL was hit by a
tornado. Two people were killed and nearly twenty homes destroyed. I spent
Monday-Thursday of that week at home helping with the cleanup efforts and
putting together a prayer service for that Wednesday evening. Holy Cross sent
$1,000 to help with the rebuilding efforts. I was very touched by this act of
generosity.
The
year of our Lord 2014
April
19, Lunch was added to the second annual Easter Egg Hunt.
May
20 Hannah Grace Mueller was born at Center Pointe Hospital in Independence! She
was two weeks early but healthy and welcomed home. Hannah was the first baby to
live in the parsonage since Philip Shumpe, who was born in the bathtub some
forty years before.
June
18 Cross Camp had the theme “Light and Dark” and was held from 8-11 PM. We
never had Cross Camp end that late again!
October
12 A monument dedicated to the bravery of the “home guard” who defended the
community on October 10, 1864 but were massacred was dedicated just north of
the church. Rev. Craig Muehler, a US Navy Chaplain served as our guest speaker
that morning and gave the invocation and benediction at the dedication. The
event was well attended.
December
21 The 150th Anniversary of Holy Cross Lutheran Church kicked off
that Sunday with a special service. I preached on the Gospel reading (Luke
1:26-38). Items sold included Christmas ornaments, history books, crocks, and
T-shirts.
The
year of our Lord 2015
January 18 The second 150th
Anniversary service saw President Ray Mirly of the Missouri District preaching.
The Singing Saints added their voices to make a beautiful service with the
theme “Take up the Cross” based on the confession of St. Peter (Mark 8:27-35).
March
1 Uncle Herb, who was serving as Frist Vice President of the LCMS, as our third
anniversary speaker. It snowed that day so the kids who were supposed to come
from Trinity, Alma, didn’t make it. Of course, the snow didn’t even stick
around until the end of the meal. But we enjoyed hearing Uncle Herb give a
presentation about the work of the synod.
March
27 After blood work that showed I had low iron levels, I went in for a
colonoscopy. This revealed a tumor about the size of a baseball which explained
all the symptoms I had been having, bleeding, weight loss, fatigue and others.
The surgeon didn’t want to wait and scheduled me for surgery next Tuesday,
March 31. Poor Julia and Hannah (who was at this point just ten months old) had
to be alone when they got this news. This just so happened to be the Tuesday of
Holy Week! But when this happens, you don’t say, “Doc, I’m a little busy next
week, can we put this off a few days?” You say, “okay, let’s do this!” Before
leaving the hospital, I had preachers lined up for all the Holy Week services.
The church would be fine.
March
31 I had surgery to remove the tumor and 14 inches of my colon. This left me
with a semi-colon. This time Julia and Hannah were not alone in the waiting
room. My Dad and her Mom were both there along with Pastor Jim Dahlke, David
Schelp, and Lonnie Weber. I was released from the hospital on Good Friday
(April 3) and foolishly made it to church that night.
April
19 was the fourth anniversary service with Rev. Dr. Ken Klaus, the beloved
former Lutheran Hour Speaker as guest speaker. The theme for that Sunday was
“Lift High the Cross” About a week before I called Pastor Klaus and let him
know the situation that I was recovering from major surgery. This would be my
first Sunday back as I would do the liturgy and he would preach. He took it as
his personal mission to make sure that I didn’t overdo it that weekend. We
began the night before with a meal at the BBQ restaurant in Concordia. David
Schelp saw to it that he was served bologna after his “Bologna Shop” videos
which we enjoyed. Watching the men from Men’s Club and the committee meet Dr.
Klaus was like watching someone meet Michael Jordan. Although they were
star-struck, Dr. Klaus was incredibly approachable and pastoral.
The
service that day was packed. One thing that kept him humble, he said, was that
“Joyce Meyers gets standing room only”. Just because they’re coming to hear
you, doesn’t mean you’re right! Dr. Klaus gave a wonderful sermon and at the
meal afterwards another good presentation. This meal was catered the special
event along with a large birthday cake for Holy Cross.
May
12, I received the first of 12 chemo treatments at Western Missouri Medical
Center in Warrensburg.
June
7, Pastor Rick Swanson, the Intentional Interim Pastor who was at Holy Cross
from 2009-2012 was the guest speaker with the theme “Message of the Cross”
July
19 Rev. Dr. Philip Brandt, son of former pastor Maynard Brandt, was the guest
speaker at our first outdoor service. His theme was “Shaped by the Cross”
August
18, was the first day of the CROSS After School Care program. This was
something that grew out of our desire to reach the needs of the community
during our 150th Anniversary. In December of 2014, the FLASH program
which hosted many kids from Sweet Springs after school closed. We decided to
try and provide this service at Holy Cross. We were able to get both the buses
from Sweet Springs and Concordia to stop and drop off the kids. Although the
program never had more than ten kids, it was always a joy to stop in and help
with the Bible Story. To do this, we hired Darlene Dotson from Sweet Springs to
run things and filled in various volunteers over the years. The program closed
in 2023.
September
13-18 Bruce Hartwig was in the hospital all week and near death. I had been
doing chemo every other week and this happened to be an off week. If it had not
been, I would not have been able to see him in the hospital. This family needed
me to be there, and I was able to do this because it just so happened to be the
off week. This happened several times over the course of the chemo treatments.
It also happened more than once that I would go to the hospital only to find
that my numbers weren’t where they wanted them, so treatment was delayed. Only
then would we find that someone had died or was in the hospital. Now I would be
able to help them. God took care of us through this time in some pretty big
ways!
October
19 After Pastor Lee Hagan was elected as our new District President, I helped
fill the vacancy by teaching for a quarter at St. Paul’s Lutheran School in
Concordia. Over the course of the vacancy (which lasted until February of 2018)
I would teach four quarters at St Paul’s.
November
1 The 150th Anniversary service had the theme “Saints in Glory:
Saints Under the Cross”. Once again, I preached, and the text was Revelation
7:9-17.
November
7-8 The play “A Christmas Chaos” took place directed by Susan Schelp and Phylis
Stuerke. Most of the actors were members of Holy Cross. The play was a very
funny comedy based on Dicken’s a Christmas Carol. The play was part of a dinner
theater to support the 2016 mission trip to South Africa. (More on that later.)
November
10, I received my final chemo treatment.
The
year of our Lord 2016
February
6, Julia threw me a surprise birthday party for my 30th birthday and
invited congregation members, members of the Thursday morning Bible Class,
Africa team, and area pastors. It was a great event hosted at The Palace in
Concordia.
April
22, Holy Cross hosted the choir and bands from Racine Lutheran High School in
Wisconsin.
May
31-June 14, twenty-one members of Holy Cross and neighboring congregations
(Immanuel, Sweet Springs; St. Paul’s Concordia; Zion, Blackburn; Immanuel,
Higginsville; and Bethlehem Warrensburg) left for a week of service in South
Africa. We had been planning this trip for over a year and were glad to serve
in Ntshongweni Village where Julia had served as a missionary from 2010-2012.
We built a house for a family in need. We were also able to conduct VBS for the
kids who were there and do some painting around the creche (pre-school) run by
the church. The trip also included a few nights at game reserve and a visit to
the Indian Ocean at Durban.
Sometime
that summer we had our first Outdoor Movie Night. The movie was The
Incredibles. A long time ago in Emma there used to be movies during the
summer that would be shown on the wall of the General Store. This was a great
tradition that we wanted to see continue, figuring that it would a good way to
involve people form the community and enjoying time together.
November
13-19, Four members of Holy Cross and I traveled to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to
help families effected by flooding earlier in the year. There we were met by my
Dad and one other member of the congregation in Illinois. We spent most of
their time installing drywall and enjoying Cajan food.
The
year of our Lord 2017
2016
was the last year that Thrivent published its planers for pastors. For the year
2017, I used a planner produced by a pastor from the Lutheran Church—Canada. It
mostly worked, but I had to double check to make sure I had the right day for
Thanksgiving. After 2018, I used the planners produced by CPH.
April
23, Rev. Hesham Shehab, a native of Lebanon, was our mission speaker and he
told his inspiring story of his conversion to the Christian faith from Islam.
He had been part of an Islamic militia during the civil war in Lebanon in the
early 1980s when he heard Jesus say in the Gospel of Matthew, “Love your
enemies.” This turned his world upside down and started him on a journey to
faith in Jesus. He now serves as a pastor in Chicago reaching out to immigrants
from the Middle East.
April
28, Zachariah Joseph Mueller was born at Center Pointe Hospital in
Independence, MO. He was born on a Friday, and we got out of the hospital on
Sunday morning. It rained the entire time we were in the hospital.
May
28-June 3 Several members of our Youth Group traveled to Camp Restore in
Detroit, Michigan to work alongside several families from the community. Camp
Restore is hosted at Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church which had turned its old
classrooms into dormitories for people coming to help. Our first day on the job
was beset with trials. There was a (unsubstantiated) bomb threat against the
charter school which used the building. I stepped on a nail. We remarked “This
has got to be something good otherwise the devil wouldn’t be working so hard
against it.”
August
21 Emma is part of the “path of totality” for the Great American Eclipse.
September,
Lindy Bodenstab becomes church secretary.
October
22 The circuit celebrate the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation
with a festival service of readings, hymns, and quotations from Martin Luther
at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Concordia.
During
October, I contemplated a call to Our Savior and St. John’s Lutheran Churches
in Aberdeen and Columbia, South Dakota. This was my first call while serving
Holy Cross and I was glad to “choose” Holy Cross and give the people a boost.
November
18 Leonard the Leopard joins the Holy Cross office. He was an item at an estate
sale in Emma where the Dorcas ladies were selling food. I saw this two-foot
concrete leopard and told Karen Weber “you need that.” To which she replied,
“no, you need that.” Later that afternoon I was in my office when in snuck
Rhonda Dice, who had purchased the cat for a dollar and was trying to sneak it
in. We named him “Leonard” and he has been in the church office ever since.
December
10, The sermon is posted on YouTube for the first time.
The
year of our Lord 2018
March
11, The service is live streamed on YouTube for the first time.
During
Lent there was a series of dramas performed by members of the congregation.
Each drama was a conversation between two people in involved in Jesus’ passion.
For example; Nicodemus and Caiaphas, Pilate and his wife, A Roman soldier and
Simon of Cyrene, Peter and John (cleaning up from the Last Supper), and the
women with the angel at the tomb. This was well received and remembered fondly.
April
15 A new metal cross on the North side of the church was dedicated. The cross
uses the LCMS logo and was made by Paul Allen. It was given as a memorial after
the death of Laverne Gieselman. We thought that April 15 should have good
weather for all of us to go outside after the service and dedicate the cross.
Instead of warm weather, there were snowflakes in the air! The dedication
service was very brief.
July,
I deliberated a call to Messiah, Caryle, Illinois, which is 20 miles from where
I grew up. I declined this call.
July,
work begins on a new roof for the church. The trustees were not able to get
anyone to go up and replace the roof because of its steep pitch. The
congregation chose to raise $70,000 to put on a new metal roof. Members were
asked to make pledges towards the project. People were moved by the generosity
of their brothers and sisters in Christ and the new roof was paid for by the
time work was completed.
August,
after Rev. Dan Wing had served two weeks as circuit visitor, he accepted a call
to Lincoln, Nebraska, leaving me as circuit visitor. In January, at the Circuit
Forum, the votes were deadlocked between Dan and me. After a few rounds, Paul
Mehl suggested we cast lots by flipping a coin citing Proverbs 16:33 and 18:18.
We did this and that is how Dan was elected as circuit visitor—a position he
held for all of two weeks.
The
year of our Lord 2019
February
8-23, I traveled to Uganda to teach an intensive class on Romans at the
Lutheran Theological College of Uganda. I was first invited to take this trip
back in 2008 when I was a student at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in
Pretoria, South Africa. Many of the students there at the time were from Uganda
and they said, “When we start a seminary in Uganda, you need to come and
teach.” To which I said, “Okay?” They started the Lutheran Theological College
of Uganda in 2017 with the purpose of training pastors for the Lutheran Church
of Uganda. Enoch Macben, who was principal, invited me to come and either teach
on Romans or the Small Catechism. They like having parish pastors come and
teach because our focus is application of the topics rather than academics. It
was a great experience, and I will continue to do this.
March
16, My grade school and high school classmate Angie Dinkelman Sani gave a vocal
concert at Holy Cross.
July
11-15 Holy Cross and Immanuel Sweet Springs teamed up to send seven people to
the LCMS Youth Gathering in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The
year of our Lord 2020
The events of the
2020 were some of the strangest anyone in the church had ever encountered. The
COVID-19 Pandemic was the first major crisis of the Post-Christian era in the
west and we did not handle it well.
The world outside
may have not handled it well, but within Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Emma, we
handled it well. People got along, were kind to each other, and even when we
had disagreements, we were able to work them out in a good way.
During this time,
we heavily relied on our elders to make radical decisions quickly. Often, we
didn’t know what to do. No one really did. But by God’s grace we made it
through without losing anyone. In fact, through COVID, God blessed Holy Cross
with growth! As best as I can piece together the events, here’s how it
happened.
February
16, Men’s Club held their first dart-ball tournament.
February
29, I took a day and drove to St. Louis to see my Uncle Herb at Barnes Hospital
where he was dealing with cancer. That day all of his siblings and mom were
able to be with him and receive communion together. Normally when you visit
someone, you pick the verses you share with someone. Not Uncle Herb! He told
you what he wanted to hear and made you read that. Today it was my turn to read
1 Peter 1. He said it nearly word for word as I read it. As many Christians
are, he was not afraid to die, just afraid of everything that’s going to happen
until he died. This was a great day. I even got to see my Grandma who my Aunts
had brought down from Indiana.
Monday,
March 9, After making a call on a shut-in in Warrensburg, I heard about the
first case of COVID in Missouri. COVID-19 first began in China, but by this
point was already affecting many people in Italy. The first case of COVID in
Missouri was a woman who had traveled to Italy, flown to Chicago, and then
taken the train from Chicago to St. Louis. Throughout the week, there was talk
of limiting the number of people who could gather in public (and even private)
spaces. We were introduced to the phrase “social distancing”.
That
evening we had a meeting for elders, ushers, and greeters to talk about being
even better at welcoming people. No mention was made of the impending COVID
crisis.
Sunday,
March 15, We didn’t know it at the time, but this would be our last service
together for weeks. The sermon was “Peace and Joy in Suffering” based on Romans
5:1-8.
Monday,
March 16, This was one day where we made a plan of how to go forward in the
morning to present that evening to the elders, but that afternoon the rules
changed and I had to bring a completely different plan to the elders.
Tuesday,
March 17, In a video message to the congregation, I outlined our response to
COVID-19 which we decided in the elders meeting the night before. Services
through April 1 were suspended. (This was the “two weeks to flatten the
curve”.) A video would be produced each Sunday and Wednesday with the readings,
the sermon, and prayers for each service. The Lord’s Supper would be offered on
Sunday mornings from 9-12. People were to come in groups of less than ten to
comply with CDC suggestions. Reference was made to the 1918 Flu Epidemic when
some churches closed all activities for six weeks and it greatly helped stop
the spread of that pandemic.
Wednesday,
March 18 The first Lenten service video was produced. This was the first one
where I went “on location” for a children’s sermon. That year we had begun to
give out eggs with little objects to tell the story of Jesus’ death and
resurrection. We wouldn’t be able to do that anymore, but this led to some
creativity. We went on an egg “hunt” in the video which led us to the sink so I
could wash my hands. This fit really well since that week was about Pilate
washing his hands.
Thursday,
March 19, Another video walked people through how people would come into church
for communion. They were to wait in their cars and either listen to the service
at Immanuel Sweet Springs and the Lutheran Hour on KMMO or go over “Christian
Questions and Answers” from the Small Catechism. An elder would welcome them
into the church and then once the sanctuary was clear, send them into the
church. There I would lead people through the Apostle’s Creed, Confession and
Absolution, prayers, and the Words of Institution. After each family left,
everything would be sanitized. Families would proceed out the side door. In
this video, I reminded people that in this time when we are supposed to be
isolated, Christ is here for us!
Saturday,
March 21, Harper Nelson was baptized in a private service. It was during this
service that I received the call that Uncle Herb had died. Due to COVID
restrictions, only his immediate family would be able to attend the funeral
(which would have been huge in any other circumstance.) How good is our Lord!
As one saint enters rest another is received into the kingdom.
Sunday,
March 22, On our first Sunday with the new communion set up, 44 people came to
receive Communion at church.
Wednesday,
March 25, Another midweek video was produced. At this point I was getting
pretty good at video editing. The year before the church bought a new computer.
I was asking my brother Daniel, a software engineer, what computer I should
get. He suggested two, one that would be good for video editing. “I don’t do
any video editing” I said and got the other one. I should have done that
differently.
Sunday,
March 29, another Sunday with the new communion set up. This time 50 came to
receive Communion.
Monday,
March 30, Julia went into labor that afternoon. That evening, I met with the
elders and congregational president. Rules had changed again. Now groups were
not allowed to meet indoors. It was decided to cancel all services until
further notice, even through Holy Week and Easter. This was a difficult
decision. After the meeting was over, President Adam Dohrman said, “Pastor, go
have a baby.” And that’s what we did.
After
I got home from the meeting, Julia and I got into the car and drove to
Centerpointe Hospital. Things were changing so quickly that we didn’t know what
the rules would be for our stay in the hospital. I would be the only one
allowed to see Julia and the baby. But would I be allowed to come back in if I
had to leave for food? Those questions could wait. Julia was in labor, and we
wouldn’t get there in time for her to get an epidural.
Tuesday,
March 31, Just after 2:00 AM, Abigail Ruth Mueller entered the world. I wept
for joy for so many reasons. So many terrifying things were happening in the
world, there was so much uncertainty about the future. It was also five years
to the day since my surgery for colon cancer. And here, in the midst of all of
this, God had still been good. He had given me the gift of a healthy baby girl.
Her name, “Abigail” means “My father’s joy” which was the perfect name for her
to receive.
Thursday,
April 2, The midweek video was posted a day late because we were in the
hospital.
Friday,
April 3, As soon as we brought Abby home from the hospital, we headed down to
the church for baptism. Julia’s parents and my parents were able to be there
(although we did have to wait a while for my dad). We were able to get the
sponsors on a Google meeting and they watched the baptism that way. Again, as
the world was falling apart around us, here was God’s goodness. Our little girl
received forgiveness, life, and salvation in that blessed flood. What a joy it
was to receive this gift of light in the darkness!
With
that many people at our house, we were able to record some audio that would be
used in videos for future services. These included the Lord’s Prayer, Apostle’s
Creed, and Confession. We also made plans to record hymns and stitch together
videos that had the words to songs so people could sing along. That afternoon,
dad and I met with Ken and Cindy Fuchs, and we recorded the music for Easter.
This would be critically important as Holy Week was about to begin. At some
point we were able to get a few people together on a few occasions to record
music for a few Sundays and the Holy Week services.
Palm
Sunday, April 5 This was the first service edited together. The basic outline
would be opening hymn, confession and absolution, the collect of the day, the
readings, the Apostle’s Creed, sermon hymn, the sermon, prayers, the
benediction, and closing hymn. These pieces were either pre-recorded or
recorded especially for that day. Neal Stuerke was a great help. He was there
faithfully each week to help me record the pieces of the service, which I would
then stitch together and post on YouTube. This took quite some time, but it was
rewarding because we were reaching a lot of people with these videos. Many
people outside of our congregation watched because it was really easy to find
and didn’t have the issues of lagging as often happened on livestreams.
Wednesday,
April 8 During the day, we filled the parts for the Maundy Thursday service. It
was strange to have a service about the Lord’s Supper when we couldn’t actually
have the Lord’s Supper. That video ended with a dramatized reading of Jesus and
his disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane through his trial before Pilate.
That
evening, we filled the parts for the Good Friday service. The opportunity to
film things beforehand allowed us to have some creativity once again. The
sermon theme was “Alone” and the text was “My God, my God, why have you
forsaken me?” We opened the video with the audio clip of what had played at the
end of the previous night’s service. Then we had a shot of me standing in front
of an empty church reading Psalm 22 (My God, my God, why have you forsaken
me?).
One
of the meaningful features of that service is a series of candles being
extinguished as the Gospel is read. Rather than film me putting them out the
typical way, we did something clever. We want to show the candles going out on
their own. But how? Here’s what we did. Neal and I found a three-foot length of
pvc pipe about an inch in diameter. I would lay on the floor behind the altar,
point the pipe up towards the candle and give a puff of air. Neal would guild
me to be sure that the pipe stayed out of sight below the altar. We didn’t use
the audio from that video because it was Neals’ constant direction, “A little
higher, a little to the left. Ect.” The video ended with audio of our bell
tolling 33 times. I was able to put the video together the next day and it came
together well. It was moving.
Good
Friday, April 10, The Good Friday video had been so moving, but had to be
topped for Easter. How was that going to happen? It took some planning. Earlier
in the week I asked for videos of people saying “He is risen indeed” with their
family. The morning of Good Friday had me out on the cemetery getting two shots
of the sunrise. One was of the sun coming up and shining on the graves. The
other was of a cross placed among the tombstones. From the back of the cemetery
the video captured the sun rising over the cross and tombstones. There was an
additional shot taken from inside the sanctuary of the sunlight coming in. All
three of these were either timelapse or sped up as fast as could be. Neal and I
also filled a video of the Christ candle being blown out. The only place we
could find where we could get enough darkness was the men’s bathroom. Yes, we
took the Christ candle into the men’s room and filmed it being blown out. Play
this footage backwards and it would look like the candle came to life be
itself. All of these shots would be edited together to make the Easter intro
video.
Easter
Sunday, April 12, The now famous Easter video went like this; it opens with
audio of a dramatic summary of Jesus’ passion from his time in the garden to
his death and the tomb slamming shut. It was intense! Then come the words, “Son
of man, can these bones live?” From there we launch into a the timelapse
sunrise videos spliced together with different Old Testament promises of the
resurrection. This was followed by the video of the candle coming to life with
me saying “Christ is risen” and then the videos of different families saying
“He is risen indeed! Alleluia!” From there the service begins. I’ve made a lot
of videos both of church services and of my layout, but nothing will ever top
that.
May
5 The first communion service back was a Tuesday evening service so that two
adults who had been going through adult instruction could be confirmed and
receive the Lord’s Supper for the first time.
May
7 A video published that day explains the process for coming back to church,
including a new procedure for communion distribution that accommodated social
distancing. Basically, I would place the elements on a small table for each
family as they came up and then step away. This video was helpful to other
congregations who were working on their plans to come back from COVID as well.
May
8 The confirmands were questioned and would receive the Lord’s Supper for the
first time. The Rite of Confirmation, however, would not be done until July 26.
Mother’s
Day May 10 Finally, we were allowed to have in-person services again. We began
by having services at 8:00 and 10:00 each limited to about 50 people. We asked
people to sit every three rows. Each row people were allowed in was marked with
a flower. This was far more friendly than many congregations that put caution
tape on pews that were not open. We had 64 at our early service and 54 people
at our late service. It was agreed that for the time being, every service
should have communion because we didn’t know when people would come back and
wanted to be sure that people would be able to come to communion on the Sunday
they came back. Live streaming resumed that day as well, saving me quite a bit
of time video editing.
June
28, “COVID Compassion” was introduced. This was an offering to help people who
had been affected by COVID. For months before we had been in “reaction mode”
now it was time for us to stop reacting and start being proactive. Our goal was
to raise $1,000 with a match from our endowment. We would give $500 four
different places. Gift cards of $50 to local grocery stores would be given to
families in our congregation and community who had lost work. More money was
given to congregations in our area that were also helping people. Part of this
money went to St. Paul High School to help student have a social event once
they came back. Other money was given to LUMA in Kansas City and Messiah,
Independence for their ministry to people from the Congo. The rest was split
between Pastor Mandla Thwala who would use it to help 14 different families in
South Africa and Hearts and Hope which was helping the Lutheran Church of
Uganda provide aid to families there. I was very thankful that people came
through with the money needed for this project.
July
10 The first of three movie nights were held. We got a deal on license to show
more movies. Since we couldn’t do much inside, this was a perfect thing to do.
July
12, After having two services since May 10, we went back to having one service
at 9:00 AM.
July
19, The four private baptisms that took place during the lockdown were publicly
recognized in the service.
July
26, Confirmation Sunday for Wyatt Oliveros and Ava Hemme.
September
6, More people watch church online than in person for the first time since May
10. The number of cases of COVID was on the rise in our area. For the entire
time we were locked down, there wasn’t a single case of COVID in our area. But
it was September when our
September
13, I counted at least thirty people in our congregation who were quarantined
on that day. Most of these were because kids in their class had been exposed to
someone who was exposed to COVID. Zach wound up being out of school (his first
year of pre-school) for six weeks because either his sisters or his classmates
had COVID. He was never sick even once.
September
15, The first episode of “Help! I’m Teaching Sunday School” premieres. My
brother Paul and I made this series to help parents who would be leading their
kids through Sunday School materials we left out. Paul had moved and wouldn’t
start a new job until after Christmas, so he was free to be part of this
project. Each week, the two of us would walk listeners through the text and
answer questions kids might have. This continued through March of 2021.
October
31 The first 2 PM service is held. A few people weren’t comfortable with the
move back to one service. We accommodated this by adding a communion service at
2 PM once every three weeks. This service continues to this day but is now only
once a month.
November
4 Communion is offered at the Lutheran Good Shepherd Home for the first time
since March. Pastors stood outside the window and talked to residents on the
phone. Services with the consecration of the sacrament were done in this way
for months afterwards. We would provide the elements to the nursing home. The
home had wonderful activities staff at that time who would help with the
distribution to the residents. At first they brought residents one at a time to
the window. Later, they would be brought in groups.
November
27 Marrian Horman passes away at the Good Shepherd Home. In normal
circumstances, her large family would have been there with her, comforting her
and being comforted by her. Before COVID there was a parade of people from her
family visiting her every Sunday after church. But that just couldn’t happen
due to COVID restrictions. When her visitation was held on December 1, I
reminded the family (who took up half the funeral home) that they would see her
again and get all that time they missed back.
December
11-12 The first Christkindlesmarkt was held at St. Paul Lutheran High School.
December
24, three Christmas Eve services were held, one at 4:00 with the Lord’s Supper,
the Children’s Service at 7:00 and a midnight service at 10:00. The first two
were well attended but only 8 people were at the last one.
The
year of our Lord 2021
March
21, The coolest story of someone coming to faith resulted in four baptisms on
this day. Back in the spring of 2020 Nicole Trease called our church asking
about our after-school program, She and her husband Guy were looking for
something for their twin boys who would be in kindergarten the next year. They
had just purchased a house in Emma and would be moving over the summer from
Ohio. The parish education board made the decision to keep the program open
even though Walker and Waylon would be the only two kids in the program.
Because “this is the only place they will get Jesus.” This was one of the most
faithful decisions I’ve ever seen a board make. The kids came and were welcomed
by Darelene and Diane. The family didn’t have a church, but people made them
feel quite welcome and the kids were learning Bible stories in the after-school
program.
Christmas
rolled around and COVID was still wreaking havoc on people’s plans. Kids still
couldn’t go to the mall and visit Santa Clause. Nicole asked on Facebook if any
Santas were doing visits where kids could sit on their laps. Steve Bacon, a
Holy Cross member, and Santa offered to come after one of his Santa gigs. He
visited with the family as Santa and explained that Santa was checking on them
since they moved. Now he knew where to bring the gifts. At the end of the
visit, Steve said, “Why don’t you guys come to church.” The next Sunday the
whole family was in church. By the beginning of this year, they were in new
member class. One March 21, Waylon and Walker were baptized (100% of the after
school care program enrollment!) their brother Hershel was baptized. Their dad
Guy was baptized, and their mom Nicole was confirmed! What a great day!
April
25 After a few months of work by the Men’s Club, the former cemetery of Zion
Lutheran Church, Dunksburg, was restored. A new stone marker was put in place
(the place had been marked by an old TV tray with the words, “Zion Luthern
Cemetery”) Brush had been cleared and a few trees felled to make the area
suitable. The bell of the old church is now at Grace, Lexington and we used a
recording of their bell at the beginning of the service. People from St. Paul’s
Concordia, Holy Cross, Emma, and Immanuel, Sweet Springs all helped in this project,
so Pastor Alan Mueller (Immanuel) and I did the service.
May
5 Bob Loges passed away at Western Missouri Medical Center in Warrensburg.
Things had loosened up at this point. This large family was able to be with him
as he passed away. I remember being shocked to walk into the hospital room and
see so many people gathered around.
The
year of our Lord 2022
February
10-26, I traveled to Uganda again to teach at the Lutheran Theological College.
This time I was able to see the students I had in 2019 graduate. COVID was
still rearing its ugly head. I had to take a COVID test within two days of
leaving and keep a mask on for the entire flight. That was no fun. But, on the
way over I happened to cross paths with Pastor David Federwitz from Lutheran
Bible Translators who attends Holy Cross. He was on his way back from Nigeria
and I was on my way to Uganda, and we had the same layover in Amsterdam.
In
Uganda, schools had just reopened after being closed for two years. The were a
few nights when no one else was in the hotel. I know this because instead of
putting out a whole buffet, they asked what I wanted for breakfast and just
made that. It was still a good trip!
June
5, The Men’s Club celebrated their 75th Anniversary by hosting the
Lutheran Hour Speaker, Rev. Dr. Michael Zeigler. He preached and then did a
presentation at a meal provided after the service.
July
8-13, Seven youth and adults from Holy Cross participate in the National Youth
Gathering in Houston Texas.
September
28, I was invited to take part in training to “extend the bench” at Spirit
Chapel at Whiteman AFB. The chaplains there wanted to get to know area pastors
and help area pastors get to know the base. If an event that resulted in
massive casualties should ever occur, they would need help at the chapel, so
they have made it a goal to get to know area pastors.
October
9-11 Hannah was in the hospital with some strange stomach issues. The outreach
of love from the people of Holy Cross both then and in the months that followed
was incredible.
The
year of our Lord 2023
March
4, First annual Thrivent Fish Fry held at Holy Cross. Evan Johnson provides
music.
July
23 Evan Johnson was installed as Director of Christian Education. His duties
include helping with the activities of the Parish Education Board (Sunday
School, Youth Group, VBS, the Christmas Service, and others).
July
29-August 3, I served as our pastoral delegate to the LCMS Synodical Convention
in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The most notable events from that convention were
approving fellowship with churches in Uganda and South Sudan where I know
people.
September
13 The first “Ignite” Youth night is held. This became a tradition each
Wednesday. At 7:30 a bus would bring students from St. Paul High School. For
the first half hour there would be food and fellowship time. The second half
hour would be singing, a message (usually by me) and prayer. The final half
hour was devoted to small group discussions. While most of the kids were from
St. Paul High School, a few of our kids joined. You could also see that this
was a huge need for St. Paul High School, giving kids a place to talk about
their faith off campus.
October
16 Since Sweet Springs has no school on Mondays, and both of my 7-8th
grade confirmation students attend there, we moved confirmation from Sunday
evenings to Monday mornings.
The
year of our Lord 2024
January
25-February 10 Once again I traveled to Uganda to teach at the Lutheran
Theological College. This time my dad was able to come with me.
March
2, This was the first Father-Son Nerf Battle in the gym. This was well attended
with 28 dads and boys shooting at each other all morning. This was followed by
a devotion on fatherhood. Later that day I was extended a call to serve at Hope
Lutheran Church and School in Shawnee, Kansas.
April
7, I announced to the congregation that I accepted the call to Hope, Shawnee.
This was also the day of the first “Generational Tea” Women of all ages
gathered for a rather fancy tea party organized by Evan Johnson. The event
brough in nearly 70 women. Vicki Pottschmidt, pastor’s wife from Concordia, was
the speaker.
May
26, My last Sunday at Holy Cross Emma
June
2, Installation at Hope Lutheran Church and School, Shawnee, Kansas
