Noted author and Biblical Scholar Walter Brueggemann will present a brief address and sign books at 12 noon, Thursday, September 29th. The event, presented by Augsburg Fortress Publishers and hosted by Augustana Lutheran Church, will include a light lunch and an opportunity to purchase books at a noteworthy discount.
Walter Brueggemann is the author of dozens of significant books, among them his award-winning Theology of the Old Testament, available now in paperback with a CD-ROM that includes the entire searchable text and links to the biblical texts.
For more information or inquiries, please contact Will Bergkamp, Augsburg Fortress Store Manager, at 773-380-2424.
Several people have spoken to me about the novels I mentioned in the sermon on August 14: Adam Langer's Crossing California (Riverhead/Penguin 2004) and Andrew Winston's Looped (Chicago: Agate 2005).
The “California” in Langer's work is California Avenue, as it bisects the neighborhood of West Rogers Park from Howard Street on the north to Peterson Avenue on the south. It takes place during the 444 days of the Iran Hostage Crisis (1979-81), and while it focuses on five teenagers (four Jews and one African American) and their families, it really engages the wider cultural and social context of their lives, including three generations of their families. For example, Jane Byrne, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan all impact the scene. As the author says, California Avenue is a state of mind, and crossing it is a multi-dimensional rite of passage.
Looped, like the elevated train route, encircles a dozen or more lives (perhaps you'll need to take notes as you read), mainly on Chicago's north side, but also an African American family in Englewood. You'll follow the agonies and the ecstasies of the owner of a Greek diner, a lonely widowed Jewish woman, Mexican, Vietnamese, and Russian teenagers, as well as an apprentice chef, a Columbia College student who is obsessed with making a film of the lesbian lover who has spurned her, and an African American teen who struggles with the lure of belonging to a gang. The poignancy of sexual relationships (heterosexual, homosexual, and bisexual) also plays a role as these people cope with their Chicago lives.
If you take two weeks of your life to read these two novels, you won't regret it. Let us know if you want to join Neva and me in retracing the Rogers Park locales that Adam Langer writes about.
The Sunday Church School is looking for donations for children's DVDs or videos, such as Veggie Tales, Davey and Goliath, Hermie and Friends or animated Bible stories. Donations can be given to SCS co-coordinators Pam Maxey or Laura Wilhelm or left in the SCS mailbox in the office.
Many individuals volunteered to host the coffee hours in the summer months. Thanks to all for providing welcome hospitality to members and guests.
Hans & Chikako Thomsen
Kathy Maybaum-Miller, David Miller,
Virginia Balanoff
Carol & John Albright, Melanie Ellis &
Chris Starks
Ann Hills, Eric Pittenger
Melinda & William
Burger, Van Billups
Peter & Dana Perry, Mary Ann Patrick &
Randy Young
Charlotte Vikstrom, Esther Menn, Mary Rem
Kathy
Anderson, Robert & Eliza Daniel
Muriel Brauer, Marian &
Paul Wieting
Augustana's Vacation Bible School ran this year from Monday, June 20 through Friday, June 24. Our theme was “Jesus calls us”. VBS was particularly successful and fun this year with a greater attendance than the last several years and with our ability to expand into the classroom space of the new building. Fifty five children on average attended each of the five days. Each day the children learned a memory verse, and then studied a Bible story, did a craft, and learned new songs related to the verse.
The teaching staff included Shelley Barnard, Mira Krull, Richard Krull, Taryn Loftness, Pam Maxey, Don Rem, Mary Rem, Chikako Thomsen and Marion Wieting.
Assistants were John Daniel, Ryann Hendricks, Rob Kirby, James Krull, Jasmine Locke, Rebekah Mergenthal, Levi Maxey, Robyn Mitchell, Chelsey Satterlee, Anna Schwab and Jon Worcester.
During the choir's summer hiatus, we have been blessed with musical offerings from many Augustana members and friends. A special thanks goes out to: Susan Hoffman, Bill Tompsett, Lionel and Jeanette Bordelon, Elsa Charlston, Erik Kutz and Miko Kominami, Charlie Thomsen, Nathan Worcester, and all the men of Augustana who made up the special August 28th Men's choir. Many thanks to all those who made our summer liturgies strong and vibrant through their leadership in music.
On six Thursday evenings during the summer, members and friends of Augustana brought salads and desserts, pies and chips, while the grill provided hamburgers and hot dogs. Very simple. No agenda. Just a time to be together. Sixty to seventy people came each time. It was good.
On one occasion a passer-by on University Avenue stopped to greet the griller. He “confessed” that 59 years ago he was baptized at Augustana…but stopped coming to church when his first grade Sunday school teacher failed to pass him to the second grade class! He walked on. Twenty minutes later he returned with his perfectly preserved baptismal certificate…and he joined us for supper.
During conversation we were able to “confess” our narrow mindedness and a kind of redemption occurred.
The summer of 2005 was a sizzler! I want you all to know what a DIFFERENCE the air conditioned new building has for our ministry. This summer, the building served a wide range of people — and because of the good accommodations, every gathering was made better. Here's what happened during one week:
Sunday, 75 members of the Ghanaian community church celebrated in the new space.
Monday-Friday, 90 children and vacation bible school leaders enjoyed themselves from 9-12 each day.
Wednesday, 40 leaders from South Africa and ELCA companion synod leaders from Central Wisconsin gathered and dined in the community room.
Thursday, 60 guests dined in the community room following the wedding of Leann Pace and Clinton Moyer.
Friday, 120 kids and their parents celebrated the conclusion of Bible school with a picnic in community room. (It was 104 on my car thermometer when I went to pick up some food items just before the lunch — it was 73 in the community room!)
Friday, 85 Lutheran and Episcopalian campus pastors came to Augustana for hors d'ouvres prior to a banquet.
Sunday, 120+ Augustana members and guests enjoyed a cool Strawberry Fest picnic (95 degrees outside)
July 2, twenty youth from Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Bloomington MN slept at the church on their return trip from a mission camp in Kentucky.
July 22, Lutheran Social Services of Illinois, training course at Augustana. LSSI leaders from around Chicago meet at Augustana several times each year to strategize and consult with one another. This is one more way Augustana lends its support to an important ministry.
July 29-31, sixteen youth and leaders from St. Paul Lutheran Church, Pine Island, MN slept at Augustana on their way back from a mission trip to Ohio.
Caterers and members who use the kitchen are thrilled both with the kitchen and the range of possibilities for set-up that the new space affords.
One of the primary objectives of investing in our building was exactly intended to expand the service opportunities. I think this summer is a sizzling example of how well this is working. You know how hot it was this summer. It was WONDERFUL to be free from the many issues and dangers that an overheated building presents when it is in use. So, again, thank you for your commitment to ministry.
Six marriages were celebrated in our community during the summer of 2005!
We hold these couples in prayer as they enter into marriage and celebrate their love for one another.
The wedding is, of course, the culmination of months of preparation. The Church (Augustana) helps the couples in several ways.
First, we offer pre-marital counseling using an “inventory instrument” called Prepare/Enrich. This is a set of 180 statements which the couple, independently, responds to. The pastor meets with the couple several times to facilitate conversation generated on areas (conflict resolution, family of origin, expectations, finance, friends, leisure, spirituality, sexuality, etc.) where the couple agree or disagree.
Second, the pastor and church musician work with the couple to plan the marriage service. The new Renewing Worship liturgy for marriage provides many choices for the words of intention, vows, prayers, texts, etc. The couple participates fully in planning the worship service. Frequently the wedding includes the Eucharist.
Third, we assist the couple prepare the sanctuary and reception space (if Augustana is used.) The renovation, new community room, and new kitchen provide wonderful space!
It's been a great summer of celebrations! We give thanks to God for the gift of love.
The following article about Japanese cranes comes from the wedding bulletin of Aaron Weiss and Kelly Scharm, who were married at Augustana on July 30. Kelly is a fourth-generation Japanese-American.
In Japanese culture, the folding of origami cranes has many different meanings. Some believe that the folded cranes are symbols of health and healing. Cranes are often brought to hospitals and hung above sick patients. Others believe that folding cranes will so please the gods that if you fold enough of them, the gods will grant the folder one wish. Most often, cranes are folded for health, peace or luck.
In the case of a wedding, folding 1,001 origami cranes is truly a labor of love. Tradition holds that the bride who finishes this task, called ‘sembazuru’, before her wedding day will be richly rewarded with a good and happy marriage. In many regions, it is also believed that the more family and friends the bride has helping her fold the cranes, the more fortune will fall upon the new couple. The bride and her family are responsible for 1,000 cranes. The groom makes the final one.
Framing the cranes as art is a relatively new take on the tradition and was started by the Sansei (Third generation Japanese Americans) some 25 years ago. The earliest designs were of family crests, but today, it can be anything from stylish interpretations of those crests to modern designs and traditional themes. In the case of Kelly and Aaron, the cranes in their wedding piece are arranged in the Japanese characters for the word “Family.”
For their wedding, Kelly had many people helping her fold the cranes. The artist that arranged the cranes for the couple is a local Chicagoan by the name of Kenneth Shindo. Special thanks to Kelly's uncle Paul Taira for coming up with the idea and making the preservation of the cranes possible.
Also, Kelly and Aaron would like to extend a special thanks to the members of Augustana Lutheran Church that made the cranes that are hanging from the ceiling of the Church sanctuary. They were made for the church and were hanging in the sanctuary earlier this year. Pastor Gorder and his staff were kind enough to save them and put them back up for their wedding.
During this summer I've been out of the office and ‘off the bench’ a couple Sundays, and in my stead Augustana has been ably served by our secretary and budding organist Christine Laughlin. Some of you have inquired where I've been this summer, (apart from church duties), so here is a synopsis: On one occasion I was down in Bloomington, Indiana to house, rabbit, and dog-sit at my brother John and his wife's home while he was out leading part of a Church Music conference in Montreat, North Carolina. During our vacations my brother John and I spend time doing organ work of various sorts, and on this week-long trip I began work on a small reed (pump) organ for a residence in Bloomington. We've restored nearly 20 reed organs since we were in high school and own six reed organs between the two of us. (!)
The other occasion for my absence was for the annual convention of the Organ Historical Society in southeastern Massachusetts. The OHS is an organization for organ enthusiasts of every kind dedicated to the preservation, study, restoration, and enjoyment of historic pipe organs. I serve this organization by chairing the distinguished service award committee which awards a citation every year to an OHS member for extraordinary service to the society and its aims. Each year a 5-7 day convention is held in a different region of the country with a particular concentration of historic or significant pipe organs (usually between the ages of 180-350 years old) and hears recitals on each of the featured 25-30 instruments. In the year 2002 the OHS came to Chicago and visited the E. M. Skinner and Aeolian organs at University Church just south of us on 56th street. The southeastern part of Massachusetts (known as the “Old Colony”) is home to many organs built by the earliest and most influential organ builders of the 19th and early 20th centuries, namely the firms of E. & G. G. Hook and Hastings, Hutchings, and E. M. Skinner. I saw and heard a lot of organs and even enjoyed a clam-bake.
Installed in December of 1968, Augustana's (temporary) Holtkamp pipe organ has served continually ever since in relatively fine working order. However, after 37 years of service, the accumulation of air pollution, everyday dirt, and construction dust hindered its tone and aesthetic appearance and it was time to be cleaned. Because the pipes and windchests of our organ are all exposed (as opposed to encased in a wooden casework or a chamber), they tend to accumulate more dirt and dust than normal. This dirt and dust can have a detrimental effect on the tone and speech of the pipes, resulting in the need for periodic cleaning and regulation of tone. According to unclear church records, the organ may have been cleaned only once in the late 70s (so that was at least 25-year-old dirt!).
Wahl Organbuilders of Appleton, Wisconsin carried out the work on our organ. Christoph Wahl came on Sunday, August 14th and with Dan Schwandt's assistance took all but the lowest twelve pipes back to their shop in Appleton along with 15 worn out stop pneumatics. There, Ronald and Christoph Wahl cleaned the pipes, put new tuning collars on some of the smallest ones, re-leathered the pneumatics, and tonally voiced and regulated all the pipes for a more uniform, consistent, and slightly bolder tone. They were returned to Augustana later the following week where reinstallation, tuning, and final tonal regulation for our acoustic space occurred. Cleaning of the windchests and the lowest twelve pipes, as well as touch-up finish work on the cabinetry was carried out by Dan Schwandt.
Dan worked for the Wahls during summers in college and went to high school with Christoph. Ron Wahl did apprentice training with organbuilder Kurt Roderer in Evanston (a former service technician for our organ) back in the late 60s and early 70s. For those interested, they have a website at www.wahlorganbuilders.com and you can see examples of the fine work they do.
The tuning system used (this is for you music nerds out there) is not the equal tempered system commonly employed in pianos and most organs. It is a recently discovered temperament based upon the writings of J. S. Bach in the preface to his monumental “Well-tempered Clavier”. The music of J. S. Bach will sound particularly “authentic” on our “refreshed” Holtkamp organ. This is the first organ known to be tuned to this particular well-tempered system (known as the Bach-Lehman temperament) in the Chicago area.