KRIS CROSS.

Shepherd King Lutheran Church

THE STAFF

I enjoyed a week of continuing education at the beginning of February. It worked out to be good timing, as well. My father died at the end of Janu-ary, and the conference I attended February 3-5 was in Austin. I not only got filled spiritually and intellectually by the things I learned, but I also had time to spend with my mother. First let me thank you all for the kind words, prayers, and messages of support at my father’s death. He was 95 and lived a long, mean-ingful, happy life. My siblings asked me to give a eulogy at his funeral. In preparation for that, I’ve spent time re-reading the autobiography Dad wrote 25 to 30 years ago. As I perused his reflec-tions on years past, I felt his full, living presence strongly. Back to my week of continuing education – I attended the Mid-Winter Lectures at Austin The-ological Seminary (which is 3 blocks from my home church). Featured speakers included Dr. Luke Powery, Dean of Duke University Chapel. He spoke on finding common ground, especially with regards to race relations. Robert Schnase, a bishop in the United Methodist Church, talked about Border Crossings and how to make con-nections through telling stories. Dr. Beverly Rob-erts Gaventa, professor emeritus from Princeton, gave several lectures on understanding Romans, chapter 13, in today’s contentious world. My mornings and afternoons were filled with lectures at the seminary. I spent three eve-nings in a row with my Mom at her apartment, go-ing with her to a couple of meals in the cafeteria, visiting with my brother, Steve, his daughter and two grandsons when they stopped by, and play-ing quite a few hands of cards. My mother is still a sharp card player. She even played a few turns of Charades with her great-grandson.

MARCH 2020

OFFICE HOURS: Monday—Thursday 9-4 Closed Fridays

Thursday of my continuing education week I was at the Oblate School of Theology library, a terrific place to study or write. I was reading Short Stories by Jesus: The Enigmatic Parables of a Controversial Rabbi, by Amy Jill Levine. She gives a fresh look at under-standing Jesus’ often perplexing parables. In the evenings, I worked my way through Pray-ing the Stations of the Cross: Finding Hope in a Weary Land, by Margaret Adams Parker, and Katherine Sonderegger. I’m still finishing up Short Stories by Jesus, as well as reading Tena-cious Solidarity: Biblical Provocations on Race, Religion, Climate, and the Economy by Walter Brueggemann. I have more continuing education planned (so far, all these lectures have been free!). At the end of February I’ll be back at the Austin Presbyterian Seminary for a lec-ture by Dr. Amy Jill Levine, Professor of New Testament at Vanderbilt Divinity School (and author of Short Stories by Jesus). Her topic will be “Understanding Jesus Means Under-standing Judaism.” And in early March at the Oblate School of Theology I’ll hear Dr. Adela Yarbro Collins from Yale Divinity School speak about “Paul – Suffering to Saint.”

Thank you for this time for study. It refreshes my spirit and opens my mind to new ways of seeing God’s presence in the world, and understanding God’s Word in scripture. And thank you, again, for your kind words of condolence. Pastor Kris Hill, stm

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Adult Forums We have two final adult forums before summer. On Sunday, March 1, Signe Fredrickson will tell us about her work as director with the ELCA mission fund.

And on Sunday, May 3, the Reverend Lea Clark-Walker, will share her insights and experiences as an African-America wom-an pastor in the ELCA. We do not have a forum scheduled for April. Adult Education We’ve had a good study with healthy discussion in the adult Sunday School class on the topic of Racism and White Priv-ilege. Most of our material has come from Black and White: Dis-

rupting Racism One Friendship at a Time, by Teesha Hadra and John Hambrick. Thank you to every-one who’s been willing to participate in our reading and discussions. The class on Racism and White Privilege ends on February 23. Beginning March 8, a four week series on Living Our Baptism – Five Gifts of Discipleship will be led by Pastor Kris. Finally, in April and May we’ll use some Bible study material from Augsburg Fortress to look at the Gospel of Mark. The course is called “Questions for Jesus” and will cover the topics of “What do you think about marriage and divorce,” What must I do to be saved,” “What does it cost to be your follower,” “How boldly can I pray,” “What comes first in my life,” and “How much should I give?” Adult classes meet every Sunday morning, except on Easter, from 8:45 to 9:35, in the par-lor. Please join us! Worship News

The Worship and Music Ministry Team will meet on March 14, 10:00 in the conference room.

Lent – Mid-week Lenten gatherings are on Wednesday evenings. We start at 6:00 with supper. This year we are keeping the menu simple – soups or stews every night with bread provided by the church. Please sign up to bring soup or a stew one night. Those bringing soups/stews will also be responsible for setting up for the meal and cleaning up afterwards.

Freewill offerings collected at the Lenten suppers, as well as any other special Lenten offer-ings, will go to the Southwestern Texas Synod this year. Our support of the synod is low and has not changed in several years. Please give generously so we can support and encourage the work of the whole synod. Thank you.

Easter Sunday is on April 12. Please bring breakfast foods and/or sweets (donuts, sweet rolls, muffins, etc) to Shepherd King by 8:30 on Easter morning. Breakfast will begin at 8:45 and continue through the morning. A children’s Easter Egg hunt will take place at 9:30, and festival wor-ship will be at 10:00. Bring a friend or a neighbor.

Banner Committee We give thanks for years of faithful service on the banner committee by Patricia Martin and Mae Martin. Beginning in 2020, we have new leadership on the banner commit-tee which could lead to new visions for using color and artwork in our sanctuary. Marilyn Lange and Lavelle Brown will be heading up the banner committee.

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Prayers to End Mass Violence by Pastor Kris Hill I’ve been keeping track of those killed in mass violent at-tacks in the United States in the last 30 years or so. In March there are nine dates that serve as anniversaries of mass killings. These tragedies took place in Connecticut, New York, Wisconsin, California, Minnesota, Arkansas, Washington, and North Caroli-na. Remembering those who’ve lost their lives, their loved ones, and the perpetrators of violence, I invite you to pray with me dur-ing March: “Holy God, giver and sustainer of life, hear those who cry out to you in their need. Be attentive to the prayers of the brokenhearted and give them hope in your lasting goodness.

We remember those who have died because of violence and terrorism. Hold them close to you, and console those they left behind. Draw near to those whose lives have been touched by violence and be for them a comfort and safe harbor. Soften the hearts and steady the minds of those who would do violence to others. Let hate be replaced with love, violence with peace, and fear with trust in your way of self-giving love. We pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.” Nigerian Immigrants You might have heard that the President has placed a ban on immigrants from several na-tions in Africa, including Nigeria. The implications of this are not yet clear – who would be affected and who would not. But such a ban could hurt Chrisie Adiohwo’s chances to get her visa revised and allow here to stay here. Not only do Onisuru and Christie want to be together, Onisuru needs Christie’s help because of his loss of vision. Please consider writing a respectful letter to the President, our Senators from Texas, and/or your Congressional Representatives. Ask them to lift the ban on immigrants from Nigeria. You might mention that we have a wonderful couple from Nigeria in our congregation and we want them to stay. They are hard working, faithful, giving of their time and abilities, and eager to be posi-tive participants in this nation. Here are the addresses for the President and the Senators from Texas. Senator John Cornyn 517 Hart Senate Office Building [Onisuru and Christie Adiohwo] Washington, DC 20510 please remove the ban on immigrants from Nigeria Senator Ted Cruz Russell Senate Office Building 127 A Washington, DC 20510

President Donald Trump 1600 Pennsylvania Ave Washington, DC 20500 Thank you.

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MEN’S EARLY BREAKFAST

Thursday, March 26 8:30 a.m.

Denny’s @ Bitters & 281

RACHEL CIRCLE

Monday, March 23 7:00 p.m. Fellowship Hall

Hostess: TBA

Ladies Corner Our Bible Study continues with the theme: We are Called. In January I asked those in attendance to reflect on God’s call in their own lives. God doesn’t call us because of who we are. God calls us because of who God is. In this third session, we will discuss what we are being called to do. We will see how God’s call is a call to serve others, and how the call to love God is linked to the call to love our neighbors. In the January/February issue of Gather on page 22, I found a article entitled What is Good. I invite you to read it. The author writes a very personal article and refers to her grandmother who modeled finding good in everyday things. At one point she fell in her garden. She had left her alert button behind and could not call for help. When her granddaughter found her she was sit-ting on the ground surrounded by clean ground. Her comment: “I figured while I was down there, I might as well get to work!” May you find the joy in being a Bold woman and speaking up for what is good. Shirley Hormuth Coordinator, Shepherd King Women of the ELCA

LADIES LUNCHEON Saturday, March 28

11:00 AM Luciano’s

15614 Huebner Rd.

Stewardship thought – using the gifts God has given us, wisely and for good. “One verse in every six in the first three Gospels relates, either directly or indirect-ly, to money. Sixteen of our Lord’s 44 parables deal with the use or misuse of money. A loving, joyful, liberal giving to the Lord’s work is an acid test of a spiritu-al heart, pleasing to God.” (William E. Allen, Alliance Witness Magazine)

“Charity gives itself rich; covetousness hoards itself poor.” (German proverb)

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Healthy Aging - Appetite the Aging Brain

When I began researching this essay, I intended it to be “Nutrition and the Ag-ing Brain,” the first in a series on the Aging Brain. However, as I got deeper into the material I discovered not only how vast the subject was, but also how much of older people’s nutrition depended upon our aging body’s ability to supply our needs, whether because of age-related diminished appetite, its inability to ade-quately absorb nutrients, the reduced number of taste-buds in our mouths, or a

host of other changes which aging has wrought. Most of us have experienced and grudgingly become accustomed to the inconvenient, newly-developed inabilities in things we’ve taken for granted most of our lives; but this twist of that famil-iar narrative is like our body playing a shell-game with us, and we’ll need to watch it carefully so as not to be tricked.

Many of the changes in appetite are clearly experienced as one ages, but some remain hid-den. Age takes away some of the sensitivity of hunger and thirst. Anna Pilgrim and Sian Robin-son, in “An Overview of Appetitive Decline in Older People,” write:

This decline was first described as the “anorexia of ageing” in 1988 by John Mor-ley. Between 15% and 30% of older people are estimated to have anorexia of ageing, with higher rates in women, nursing home residents, hospitalized people, [and those] with increasing age. (Pilgrim et al. 2015)

The nutritional deficiencies as well as the weight loss have serious implications for those affected who are likely to be in a compromised condition, vulnerable to stress and chronic illness. Perhaps you recall the essays recently in The Staff concerning “Frailty” and “Stress” and their relationship to aging. If so, Morley’s words below may underscore what was written there. Much of the re-search in these papers is written in highly technical and medically precise language. John Mor-ley’s take on the subject is very clear:

Unintentional weight loss represents a cardinal symptom of frailty in older per-sons. Even a small decline in body mass in older persons is associated with mor-tality. Protein energy malnutrition is associated with anemia, pressure ulcers, sar-copenia, bone loss and hip fractures, declining immune function, impaired im-mune response to vaccinations, infections, cognitive impairment, functional de-cline, and poor quality of life. Weight loss is a sentinel event in long-term care fa-cilities and associated with particularly poor outcomes. Despite this, aggressive nutritional management when weight loss is well established is often not associ-ated with improved outcomes. For this reason, it is important that geriatricians increase their understanding of the pathophysiological processes that underlie weight loss in older persons and increase their vigilance to detect early weight loss and institute appropriate preventive and health promotion measures. (Morley 2003) There are several other changes associated with aging which may be respon-sible for loss of weight as well as compromised nutrition, including changes to the aging body’s physiology, and also aging psychology; there may be changes in social circumstances such as the loss of family or friends, new and less familiar living and dining arrangements; in addition there may be acute or chronic illness and/or pain. And finally, some medications may affect the appetite. (Pilgrim et al. 2015) (Continued on Pg. 6)

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(Getting Along in Year’s cont’d.) Writing in the online medical newsletter “Healthline,” Ryan Raman explains how Atrophic Gastritis, caused by chronic inflammation, and from which he estimates 20% of elderly are afflicted, damages the cells which produce the stomach acid which is necessary in the absorption of such essential nutrients as vitamin B12, magnesium, calcium, and iron. (Raman 2017) You may recall from earlier essays the loss we are all likely to experience of 5% to 8% of our muscle mass, typically beginning in our thirties and the risk of sarco-penia that may lead to frailty which accompanies that loss. Other possible physiological changes include the dulling of taste, smell, and vi-sion, which -- picture your tables at Thanksgiving and Christmas, the smells from the kitchen, the sight of the roast turkey or ham as they are brought to the table with all the other wonderful dishes, and of course the taste. Each of those senses is involved in the arousal of the appetite, and most of us eat accordingly large po-tions. Depression, which is often involved with one’s physiology (and vice versa) is, of course, a psychological issue, one that is common to the elderly. There are many causes, but being alone, living and eating alone, can cause reduced appetite. Pil-grim et al. suggest that the difficulties in shopping and cooking alone, then the pro-spect of eating alone, may sap the motivation as well as the appetite in advance; and then sitting down alone at the table, silent save for the sound of knife and fork on the plate may negate the understanding and the need for a balanced, healthy meal. Perhaps not even appetite enough for dessert. The final category of change leading to loss of appetite is the loss caused by medications. This is a category for your doctor. If you suspect your appetite is be-ing affected by anything, and particularly if you’re experiencing sudden or unex-pected weight loss, speak to your physician regarding your concerns. Also, if it has been awhile since your last thorough blood work, again, talk to your doctor about things like all the Vitamin B’s, (but particularly B12), C and D, Calcium, and Iron.

Works Cited

Morley, John E. “Anorexia and Weight Loss in Older Persons.” Journal of Gerontol-ogy: MEDICAL SCIENCES 2003, Vol. 58A, No.2. Pilgrim, Anna, Sian Robinson, Avan Aihie, Sayer, and Helen Roberts . “An Over-view of Appetite Decline in Older People.” Nursing Older People June 2015, Vol. 27, No. 5. Raman, Ryan. “How Your Nutritional Needs Change as You Age.” Healthline 5 September 2017.

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Council Goals for 2020 At its retreat in January, the congregation coun-cil set goals for 2020. Our two goals for the coming months are: 1. To increase membership/participation in the congregation, and 2. To find more ways to be ‘church’ outside our building. Council needs the support and participation of all members if we are to achieve these goals. Shepherd King’s strengths that will help us move toward these goals are: Worship, Music Ministry, and Fellowship. Areas where we hope to grow are Evangelism and Social Media. The specific, measurable events we discussed are as follows: 1. Host a ‘music event’, possibly with craft venders participating, in our parking lot. “Hymns and Hotdogs” – setting up tents with tables and chairs in the parking lot, maybe having door prizes to give out. Ideally, we’d like the food to be donated so we can give it free to anyone who comes. We hope to do this in November, and will need lots of help from congregational members. Please be thinking how you can be involved. 2. Plans are being made to begin a new confirmation class in the fall working with youth from Hope Lutheran and Resurrection Lutheran. 3. We’d like to become more familiar with area churches with an eye toward holding some joint worship services on occasional Sunday evenings – Vespers. The hope would be that choirs from neighboring congregations (especially ethnically diverse churches) could sing at the Vespers and our congregations could worship together. 4. It might be good to have another “congregational conversation” on where we are now, what needs attention, and what we can celebrate. We might move to having quarterly congregation-al gatherings with a potluck lunch. Some of these would be for the purpose of having a directed con-gregational conversation. Others would be the new format for adult forums, in the hope that we’ll have more attendees. Comments and input on these goals and activities are most welcome.

Synod Assembly Will be held in New Braunfels at the Convention Center, Fri-day evening through Sunday, June 5-7. Two representatives are needed to attend along with Pastor Kris. If either a couple or two individuals are interested, please contact the church office at 210-344-5881 and SKLC will take care of the registrations and fees.

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Financial Health Contributions Income for January $18,344.00 Budget Required for January <$23,144.00> Miscellaneous Income for January $ 0.00 MIF Loan Repayment from Donations $ 779.41 RC Academy (Bldg. Usage) $ 1,567.50 Total Income to Operations Contributions & Miscellaneous $20,690.91 Total Expenses for January $21,590.46 Total Income less Expenses Contributions & Miscellaneous For January $< 899.55>

Mission Investment Fund (MIF) Shirley and Donnie Hormuth In Memory of Bobbie McCowan Jessie Tebbenkamp Special Donation Lutheran World Relief Carl and Linda Hansen In Memory of Rev. Merle Franke Congregation of Shepherd King

In Memory of Rev. Merle Franke

Denice Hoggatt

In Memory of Rev. Merle Franke

Barbara Eickman

In Memory of Rev. Merle Franke

SKLC General Memorial Fund

Jeanie Weisbaker

In Memory of Rev. Merle Franke

Soles 4 Soules Your old shoes provide new oppor-tunities in your hometown. Did you know there are 46.5 million people living in pov-erty right here in the United States? Did you know that 16.1 million of these are children? CAM helps people living in pov-erty gain new dignity, courage and hope. When you donate new or gently used shoes you’re helping people get back on their feet. Please consider donating your gently used shoes, or new shoes, during our Soles4Souls Drive, happening Febru-ary – March. Shoes can be dropped off at our downtown location at 110 McCullough Avenue or our Northwest location at 5084 DeZavala Rd.

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Submitted by: Ronda Wenzel Member: Grace Lutheran, San Antonio Huge Fan: the Lutheran band Lost and Found.

Reformation History and Travel: Students! (No trouble at all) “No trouble at all…” the very phrase in English implies that there is DEFINITELY going to be at least SOME trouble. The next song to en-gage with from Luther: The Rock Opera is “Students!” In this song, the narrator is speaking to Elector Frederick about how to really put Witten-berg on the map. Wittenberg, in 1513, is already known for Frederick’s whopping collection of odd relics which pilgrims could “adore” to score

points that would shorten their time in Purgatory. And Wittenberg had a new University (every electorate town needs a university, Frederick knew that)… but a little extra “somethin’ somethin’” was needed. Luther! “Hey!,” the singer points out, “Why don’t you get that smart young mind, Martin Luther, to teach at the University? He’ll bring in STUDENTS and they’ll boost this backwa-ter town to a higher level. Martin Luther won’t be any trouble at all.” When Martin moved to Wit-tenberg, it was the humblest and least populous place Luther had ever lived.

1

Luther began teaching at the University and showed himself to be exactly what they had thought: very bright and very capable. His responsibilities grew and grew: professor, preacher, the vicar of eleven area monasteries… he was even the “warden of a fish-pond in Torgau.”

1. As promised,

Luther was “no trouble at all” to Elector Frederick. The University did expand and Wittenberg grew in prestige. Luther continued to read, study and pray… always searching for perfection in all he did, in order to please God. It is thought that his mentor, von Staupitz, gave Luther so many responsibilities to keep Luther’s mind from endlessly enumerating his many perceived sins. But we, here, in the 21st century know that Frederick did in fact have a troublemaker on his hands. Luther turned out to be a lot of trouble for Frederick, turning the eye of Rome toward his little town… but we’re not there yet… Luther hasn’t had his “on the john” experience at this point… he’s still a fastidious, pi-ous thinker. Come visit the University where Luther taught! Walk with us down the streets he would have walked as he ran hither and yon to preach at the Town Church and teach at the Leukorea (White Mountain…. as the University was called). The next Luther500 Fest will be happening in June 14-20 of 2021 in Wittenberg and Worms, Ger-many. Registration is open now. The trip is great for those few of you at your particular church who tried to get a Luther trip put together, but couldn’t get quite enough people signed up to make it work… you can sign up for the Luther500 Fest and enjoy the fantastic programs and sights. Read more about it at Luther500Fest.com You can listen to Luther: The Rock Opera! on Spotify or YouTube. “Students! Bring the town energy! Frederick: Yeah, but what’s the cost to me?? Students! Not hawkers and gawkers. Students! More thinkers and talkers… Luther! A very sharp young mind. Luther! Trying to leave the law behind Martin Luther won’t be any trouble at all… there can be trouble when you educate a restless man…

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From the Director of Music Lent is the season of the liturgical year where Christians focus on simple living, prayer, and even fasting in an effort to grow closer to God. Beginning with Ash Wednesday on February 26

th, we recognize our own mortality with the placement of ashes

on our foreheads, repent of our sins, and begin the journey to re-turn to the Lord. Over the forty days of Lent, we should concen-trate on ways to become more Christ-like in our actions and thoughts. With all the drama and distractions found in our daily lives, it is no small task to find those quiet times to repent, reflect, and refocus our lives so that God can change our hearts.

Through prayer, service to others, and perhaps even giving up certain foods and activities, we are able to prepare our hearts and minds for the approaching Holy Week remembrances and the cele-bration that Jesus’ resurrection on Easter brings. The SKLC musicians are currently preparing music for Lent, Holy Week, and Easter. The Choir usually meets on Wednesday evenings, but with the mid-week Lenten Meals and Worship begin-ning on March 4

th, our rehearsals will be held on Sundays following Worship beginning March 1

st

through Palm Sunday. I invite you to participate with the Choir on Sundays or the Handbells on Thursdays at 6pm. Every rehearsal is like a prayer where the Holy Spirit joins us in musical inspira-tion and fellowship from the opening devotions to the preparation of our selections to our parting at the end of our time together. Perhaps now is the perfect time to join one of our groups. We always welcome new faces! If you are interested in joining us during Lent through Easter, please contact me at kummerps@gmail.com Paula Kummer SKLC Director of Music

Soap Collection We will not be collecting bar soap this year. Per Lutheran World Relief soap is more availa-ble overseas and less expensive to obtain.

Thank You Notes Habitat for Humanity thanks SKLC for the $3,460 in financial support in 2019. CAM thanks SKLC for the recent gift of $150 to help those in need in San Antonio.

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March 3 Robert Katz

March 5

Megan Perez

March 8 Cameron Classen

March 11

Orville Tschirhart

March 13 Mary Moren

March 14

Nelda Fritz

March 15 Joanna Elton Cavazos

March 16

Lora Burgar

March 17 Lee Burgar

March 18

Mary Jensen

March 19 Joe Villafane

March 21

Elaine Ongstad

March 22 Heather Grill

March 26

Connor Classen

March 27 Chloe King

March 29

Wilma Anderson

REMINDER Set your clocks AHEAD one hour before bed

on Saturday, March 7, 2020.

303 West Ramsey Rd.

San Antonio, TX 78216-3818

Telephone: (210) 344-5881

Email: shepherd.king@sbcglobal.net

Web: www.sklcsa.org

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