March/April 2017
LVCCM Newsletter
Sharing the “Way of Christ” with others who seek Him
In This Issue
Welcome New Cursillistas.............................1
Fourth-Day Fortifier ......................................1
Summer Weekends ........................................1
Ultreya Information .......................................1
Who? Me?......................................................2
Information Directory ....................................2
Weekends to Pray For ....................................3
Notes from the Postweekend Chair ................3
Palanca ...........................................................3
Ultreya Update ...............................................4
Editor’s Corner ..............................................4
The Fruitful Giver ..........................................4
Fourth-Day Fortifier
Fervently Pray
“Our,” “Us,” and “We”
After this manner therefore pray ye: Our
Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy
name.
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in
earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our
debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver
us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the
power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
(Matthew 6:9-13 - KJV)
It’s wonderful how the Holy Spirit seeks to
grow us by providing new insights, to deepen
our understanding of God’s word. Recently I
slipped my arm around my wife, Jan, as we
prayed the Lord’s Prayer in church. I’ve been
privileged to breathe that prayer for over sixty
five years and that Sunday discovered a whole
new depth of meaning as I prayed.
You see I’ve always prayed God’s model
prayer more or less as though it’s petitions
were simply meant for me. Forgive my sins
Father, as I seek to be forgiving towards everyone who might offend me. Mercifully grant
me daily bread and all that I need to sustain
my life. Don’t let me fall back into sin when
I’m tempted and deliver me from every evil.
Yes, that’s what the Lord taught me to pray in
His perfect prayer.
However there’s more. As I held Jan, God
directed a lightning bolt of new insight into
(Continued on page 2)
NEW CURSILLISTAS FROM
LVCCM #87
Wayne Bierlein Reese, Michigan
Chuck Brunell
Harbor Beach, Michigan
Jared Brunell
Harbor Beach, Michigan
Jeff Case
Bay City, Michigan
Al Eastlund
Reed City, Michigan
Don Haiderer
Bay City, Michigan
Eddie Jarosz
Lexington, Michigan
Tom Knaub
Saginaw, Michigan
Cory Leinberger Freeland, Michigan
Tim Mantyla
Midland, Michigan
Steve Massey
St. Johns, Michigan
Don Meyer
Hemlock, Michigan
Jimmy Redmond Bentley, Michigan
Tyler Roak
Howard City, Michigan
Jerry Roberts
St. Johns, Michigan
Ken Schulze
Pigeon, Michigan
Greg Shepherd
Vassar, Michigan
Bob Tallman
Mayville, Michigan
Pete Uttley
Bay City, Michigan
Ryan Wood
Sanford, Michigan
Weekend Photo: tinyurl.com/lvccm-men87
Amanda Becker
Ypsilanti, Michigan
Angie Wood
Sanford, Michigan
Bev Jarosz
Lexington, Michigan
Paula Brunnell
Harbor Beach, Michigan
Cherylann Gaspa
Caro, Michigan
Deb Hauser
Saginaw, Michigan
Diane Taber
Saginaw, Michigan
Emily Kast
Saginaw, Michigan
Melissa Guerra
Saginaw, Michigan
Maxine Gauss
Battle Creek, Michigan
Jeanette Haynes
Saginaw, Michigan
Sandy Mantyla
Midland, Michigan
Mary Inman
Saginaw, Michigan
Marjorie Reisig
Midland, Michigan
Connie Evans
Saginaw, Michigan
Diane Tallman
Mayville, Michigan
Eileen Meyer
Hemlock, Michigan
Laura Shepherd
Vassar, Michigan
Carol Bickel
Saginaw, Michigan
Wilma Chia
Saginaw, Michigan
Kathy Rocha
Saginaw, Michigan
Maureen Cousins
Macomb, Michigan
Ann Shive
Augusta, Michigan
Beth Wiesenauer
Midland, Michigan
Weekend Photo: tinyurl.com/lvccm-women87
SUMMER WEEKENDS
#88
Blessed Sacrament Parish
Midland, Michigan
Men - August 3-6
Women - August 17-20
ULTREYA INFORMATION
Tri Cities
Third Friday of every month. 7 pm.
March 17
Speaker: Bill Patrick
Topic: Love Is the Priority Purpose
Trinity Lutheran Church
3701 North Jefferson Avenue, Midland
April 21
Speaker: Robin Noah
Topic: Are You Wearing the Right
Glove?
Messiah Lutheran Church
1550 South Poseyville Road, Midland
Sally Landeryou ............... 989-928-8623
Scott Sayers ..................... 989-476-0091
Monroe
First Friday of every month. 7 pm. Grace
Lutheran Church, Monroe.
630 North Monroe St.
Ron Lymond ..................... 734.242.4026
REMEMBER!: Musicians are needed at
Ultreyas, especially guitarists!
Cursillista:
A person who has attended
a 3-day Cursillo-like weekend.
Periodical Format Information
Organization: Lutheran Via de Cristo
of Central Michigan (LVCCM)
Return Address: LVCCM
P.O. Box 1092, Midland, MI 48641-1092
Title: Newsletter of the LVCCM
How Often Published: Alternate Months
March/April 2017
LVCCM Newsletter
INFORMATION DIRECTORY
From the Lay Director
Who? Me?
Via de Cristo
Website: lvccm.org
Twitter: @lvccm or twitter.com/lvccm
Facebook: facebook.com/groups/lvccm
LVCCM Prayer chain
If you have a prayer concern, call or email:
Marilyn Leavens ................... 989-879-2854
....................................... [email protected]
Applications or Brochures
Jeff Walk .............................. 989-213-8627
[email protected]
Newsletter Editor/Information
Dale Myers ........................... 989-791-4843
[email protected]
Palanca
Marijean Fitzgerald.............. 989-835-7095
[email protected]
Address/Phone/Church Changes or
To request a hard copy of Newsletter
Ron Lacher
989-631-1019
[email protected]
Reunion Group Information
Josh Parsons ......................... 989-492-6289
[email protected]
Reunion Group submission form:
bit.ly/lvccm-reunion-form
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying,
“Whom shall I send?
And who will go for us? And I said, “Here I
am. Send Me!” (Isaiah 6:8)
Did you, or will you, what? Did you do that
work I left for you to do? Will you take out the
trash? Will you serve as president of the PTO?
Will you coach the girl’s soft ball team? Did
you order flowers for our mothers for Easter?
Of course, the list could go on and on (and it
will) but I’d like to pose some questions in relation to our Fourth-day walk….
When the weekend was over and you’d had
sufficient time to process the experience, did
you join a reunion group to help reinforce the
concepts of piety, study and action?
Did you look within your home church for
opportunities for further study? If you found
none, did you work with your church clergy to
organize and establish some? If you didn’t, will
you?
Are you actively participating in the outreach
mission of your church?
Are you attempting to form and hold habits
that witness the Christian ideal to others? If you
are, is the credit given to our Lord or is it reflected upon yourself?
Will others see you as a Christian model worthy of imitation?
Did you offer to help, teach, or lead Vacation
Bible School?
Are you ready to take a responsible position on
the managing board of your church? Sing in the
choir? Speak (witness) to groups within, and
outside of, your church about Jesus and your
relationship with Him?
Will you offer to visit those in your church
community who are shut-ins or have special
needs?
Will you help with the youth program in your
church?
Will you attend an Ultreya and give a Fourthday talk?
Do you know what is expected of you if you
sponsor someone on a Via de Cristo weekend?
Would you make the sacrifices necessary to
serve on a Via de Cristo team? A Keryx or
Youth Challenge team?
Do you have skills or gifts that God is expecting you to use to further His Kingdom?
Who, me? Yes, you! We can always avoid the
issue: justify our lack of commitment to the
Lord’s mission; explain away our reluctance to
eagerly and thankfully serve Him; even find
some pretty convincing reasons to “let someone
else do it.”
And, it is fair, I suppose, to say we can’t do it
all. But the next time you feel God gently nudging you forward… when you see that He is
clearly giving you a call to action, say “Yes!”
Thanks for hearing God’s call! Thanks for
responding! “Send Me!”
Ultreya Information
Bill the Lay Director
Fervently Pray (Continued from page 1)
wonderful to realize that every time Christians
around the world pray the Lord’s Prayer they
are including you and me in these essential petitions?
With this new insight regarding “our” “us” and
“we,” the Lord, in one moment, forever revolutionized how I pray. Teaching us to pray in this
way is totally in keeping with God’s intention
that we love others with the exact same passion
and fervor as we love and pray for ourselves
and for our families. And isn’t it amazing and
wonderful how the Holy Spirit continues to
bring yearning hearts into deeper and deeper
truths and convictions as we grow together in
living God-glorifying Fourth days!
Keryx in Community
Pastor Bert Eggers, Peace Lutheran Church
Annette Ripper ..................... 989-633-2797
LVCCM #13
this most familiar prayer. I realized that Jesus
didn’t teach the Lord’s prayer with the pronouns “me”, “my” and “I”. Rather, He taught us
to pray “our”, “us” and “we”. I was to be praying just as fervently for Jan and others, as for
myself.
This makes for a huge difference because
when I pray, “Forgive us…as we forgive”, God
wants me to be just as concerned about others
receiving and granting the life giving gift of
forgiveness as I am about my own forgiveness!
“Give us this day our daily bread” means that
I’m to be just as fervent about everyone else’s
needs being met as I am about my own personal
needs. With this new convicting insight I now
am to be just as seriously prayerful about you
not falling into sinful temptation and evil as I
am about my own battle against sin. Is it not
Tri Cities:
Sally Landeryou ................... 989-928-8623
Scott Sayers .......................... 989-476-0091
[email protected]
Monroe: Ron Lymond ........... 734.242.4026
Fourth-day talk guide: bit.ly/lvccm-ultreya
Michigan Youth Challenge Academy
Rick Moody .......................... 989-482-1099
[email protected]
Judy Sutherland .................... 586-817-2391
[email protected]
Keryx Prison Ministry
Gregg Lange ......................... 989-792-2840
989-220-7566
[email protected]
keryx.org
Saginaw Correctional Facility (Freeland)
Chaplain Chuck Wade .......... 989-698-6424
[email protected]
Ralph Bergelin...................... 989-790-2886
[email protected]
Central Michigan Correctional Facility
(St. Louis)
Wayne Johnson..................... 989-839-0799
[email protected]
Women’s Huron Valley Prison
Wendy Engle ........................ 989-915-0099
[email protected]
Judy Sutherland .................... 586-817-2391
[email protected]
989-948-4307
[email protected]
2
March/April 2017
LVCCM Newsletter
Upcoming Weekends to Hold in Prayer
March 9-12 - Men's Tres Dias, Grapeland, Texas
March 16-19 - Women’s Kairos Inside, Gauteng, South Africa
March 23-26 - Women's Walk to Emmaus, Berlin, Germany
March 30-April 2 - Boy's and Girl's Challenge, Battle Creek, Michigan
April 6-9 - Men's Kairos Inside, Gauteng, South Africa
April 20-23 - Women's Kairos Inside, Chesterfield, Virginia
April 20-23 - Women's Via de Cristo, Southeast Florida
April 27-30 - Coed Episcopal Cursillo, Fayetteville, North Carolina
Notes from the Postweekend Chair
Freely, freely you have received...
Freely freely give...
Last weekend I had the opportunity to speak
to some of the new Cursillistas about living
out our fourth day. As the ladies sang these
words, “Freely freely you have received...freely, freely give".“ I was reminded
of how much I had received from God on my
weekend.
During weekend 75, at the table of Joseph,
there sat a man who was feeling rejected,
alone, scared that maybe God couldn't forgive him or didn't love him. That man was
me. During the course of my weekend God
tore down the walls I had built up, He healed
the scars, He set my feet upon the Rock. I
was set free...set free by His grace.
Many of you, perhaps, have similar stories
of how the Lord touched you or breathed
new life into you during your weekend.
Freely, freely we have received and God has
given us the opportunity to freely give. Do
you know someone, a brother or sister in
Christ, who is wandering in the wilderness,
spiritually dry, in need of God's grace? Has
God put someone in your life or on your
heart that could use an injection of grace, a
breath of new life from the Spirit?
Had my sponsor not invited me to attend my
weekend, I may never have had the opportunity. You could be the person God uses to
make a difference in someone's life...who is
God leading you to invite?
Freely, freely you have received. Freely,
freely give. Give the gift of a weekend to
someone in need of Jesus.
For information on how to go about sponsoring a candidate, and to download the necessary forms, visit the Sponsoring page at
lvccm.org.
Calling All Church Reps!
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, we need
your help!
The Secretariat is looking to update our list
of Church Representatives. The Church Rep
plays an important role in the mission of the
LVCCM. They are the eyes and ears on the
ground in each congregation - building up
and encouraging reunion groups, keeping a
look out for those members of their church
who might be ready to attend a weekend,
keeping their congregation informed of upcoming events and communicating, as needed, with the Postweekend Chair. It sounds
like a lot, but in reality our Church Reps are
a critical touch point between this movement
and your congregation.
If you are currently a Church Rep please
contact the Postweekend Chair (see contact
info below) so we can make sure we have the
most up to date information on file. If you
are not sure if your church has a Church Rep,
or if you don't know who your Church Rep
is, contact the Postweekend Chair so we can
keep you informed and, if necessary, appoint
a Church Rep for your congregation. Remember, God loves you and so do I.
Are you Grouping?
A Reunion Group is a weekly accountability
group of Cursillistas who, working through
the green card, encourage one another in the
faith as they discuss Piety, Study and Action.
What are some good reasons to group? The
writer of Hebrews admonishes us to not give
up meeting together, as some are in the habit
of doing, but to encourage one another as we
see The Day approaching. Likewise, we
know that where two or three are gathered in
the Lord's Name, there He is in the midst of
them.
If you are not currently part of a Reunion
Group pray and ask the Lord who you might
group with, trusting that He will guide you.
As the Lord leads you, remember that your
sponsor is a resource and should be able to
help you find a group. Lastly, if you find
yourself stuck, please contact me, your Postweekend Chair, and I will work with you to
help you find a group. The peace of the Lord
be with your spirit.
Josh Parsons
Postweekend Chair
LVCCM #75
[email protected]
3
From the Palanca Chair
Weekend Palanca
In January I had the opportunity to talk with a
some of the new Cursillistas. I asked them
what their impressions were of the various
forms of palanca. Since palanca is presented in
so many different ways, there were a lot of
different responses.
Table decorations: These were intriguing. The
decorations for each meal were different. The
respondents said they showed a great deal of
creativity. There was color, variety, beauty,
cuteness, and the amount of work the people
who created them showed.
Individual palancas, whether on the pillow or
elsewhere: Again, the amount of creativity was
extensive. Some examples that were highlighted: The puzzle-piece pin encouraged interaction with the other candidate to see if they
could be put together; the Bible verse with the
Kleenex about how Jesus wept; and Chocolate.
Need we say more; even the variety of bookmarks served as a reminder to keep reading our
Bible. And the little roosters and hens, as permanent reminders of the weekend. All the personal touches left everyone feeling the warmth
of love, like being wrapped in fuzzy cotton.
Community: The number of people who were
involved in the weekend was overwhelming.
There were all the servers at the meals, mostly
different servers at each meal. Then there were
the Chachos and Chachas who waited on them
hand and foot. And who knows how many
behind the scenes people were involved!
The Serenade: Whether it was the women
singing to the men, or the men singing to the
women; they left the candidates crying. What a
loving touch!
Wall Palanca: Exquisite and almost endless.
Again, the variety both in design and locations
from which they came.
The envelope of letters: The final touch for
the weekend; this was very moving and emotional. Now how did certain family members
know about this weekend and what was going
on?
This shows the importance of Palanca and
just a glimpse of the affect it can have on people.
Marijean Fitzgerald LVCCM #80
Palanca Chair
March/April 2017
LVCCM Newsletter
Ultreya Update
Thank you to St. John Lutheran Church in
Saginaw for hosting our December 2016 ultreya. Thirty people braved the frigid weather
to hear Rudy Emerick's Fourth-day talk on
“Prayer and Answers to Prayer.”
Rudy gave us three Bible verses about prayer: Matthew 6:8-9, Matthew 18:2-3, and Matthew 26:39. These verses tell us how to pray,
that we must become like children, and what
Jesus prayed for in the garden.
No matter how we pray, God knows what we
need beforehand and His response to our
prayers is always in our best interest.
See you for our next Ultreya at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Saginaw.
Scott Sayers and Sally Landeryou
Thank you to Good Shepherd Lutheran
Church in Saginaw for hosting our January
2017 Ultreya. Forty-nine people attended to
hear Kurt Aven's fourth-day talk. Kurt spoke
of God's call to piety, study, and action and
included a special moment when all the men
joined him to sing "Will You Come and Follow Me?" It was beautiful!
Won't you join us for the next ultreya? We
would love to see you there.
Scott Sayers & Sally Landeryou
Thanks to Peace Lutheran Church in Saginaw for hosting our February 2017 Ultreya,
where 39 people heard Ralph Bergelin discuss
his experience of God’s timing, Everything,
Ralph said happens, “In His time.”
Ralph opened by describing the monthly
visits that he and his wife make to a Monastery where people are cloistered with the bare
necessities for life. As he continued the description, it became clear to all that he was
describing monthly Ultreyas for Keryx Cursillistas.
The Fruitful Giver
Just as Christ lived in a hostile environment,
so do the people who have attended a Keryx
weekend They all need to rely on scripture in
their daily lives.
Ralph’s discussion questions were, “What
significant emotional event caused you to
seek the Lord’s way in your life?” and “How
is it causing you to live out your Christian
calling?”
Respectively submitted on behalf of:
Scott Sayers, Sally Landeryou and visiting
assistant leader, Dan Shupe.
Dale Myers Editor.
Editor's Corner
Weekends to Pray For
Keryx
Huron Valley Correctional Facility for
Women (Ypsilanti) #12 - April 27-30
Central Michigan Correctional Facility
(St. Louis) #15 - April 27-30
Saginaw Valley Correctional Facility
(Freeland) #11 - May 18-21
Michigan Youth Challenge Academy
April 27-30
LVCCM Weekend #88 Teams
Husband before Wife Policy Change
In case you missed the email note about the
change in this policy, details are available on
the Sponsoring page at lvccm.org.
How are You doing in Your Fourth Day
At the February Ultreya, after he introduced
himself, Josh Parsons, our Postweekend
Chair, noted the importance of Church Representatives. For more about this and other exhortations from the Postweekend Chair, be
sure to read the feature article by Josh on page
three.
If you've ever visited Israel, you have no
doubt experienced the contrast between the
Jordan River and the Dead Sea. The banks of
the Jordan are surrounded by trees and
greenery, but nothing lives around the Dead
Sea. The reason is that there is no outlet.
When the water flows into that sea, it stays
there. Eventually the salts accumulate and
poison the water.
This is a vivid picture of two different financial plans. The Dead Sea compares to the
world's system, which is based on accumulation and preservation of wealth. The goal is
to get enough so you can have enough, but
this approach results in self-centered stagnation. Christians who follow this plan mistakenly believe it's the path to security. But
what they fail to understand is that hoarding
makes their lives spiritually unfruitful and
hinders the good works God wants them to
do.
The Lord's financial plan is like a river that
moves continuously. As His provisions flow
into our lives, we pass them on to others.
This results in a fruitful life centered on
building God's kingdom. Perhaps you've
realized that He promises to supply “bread
for food” to those who give, but did you
know He'll also provide “seed for sowing” (2
Corinthians 9:10)? He supplies enough to
live and enough to give.
Have you hindered your spiritual growth by
sowing sparingly? If you become a generous
giver, God promises to “increase the harvest
of your righteousness” (v. 10). There are
needs in the church and the world that He
wants to meet through your generosity. Let
His blessings flow through you.
Dr. Charles Stanley
intouch.org.
4
NEWSLETTER OF LVCCM
PUBLISHED ALTERNATE
MONTHS
Issue #2017-3/4
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
Lutheran Via de Cristo of Central Michigan
P.O. Box 1092
Midland, MI 48641-1092
4
March/April 2017
SAGINAW MI
Permit No. 8
PAID
Nonprofit Organization
U.S. POSTAGE