Death: Received by our Lord Jesus Christ to his eternal joy in heaven was Shannon Milburn. May the comfort and hope of Jesus’ resurrection sustain Shannon’s family and all who mourn his death.

Baptisms: Received in the joy of the Christian community through Holy Baptism was Kathryn Altman and Taylor Elizabeth McCartney. Kathryn (Katy), a student at IUPUI, has two sponsors, Ashley & Trish Thompson. Taylor, daughter of John and Melissa McCartney, was born on December 17, 2004. Her sponsors were Jennifer & David Lambert and Julie Biltz.

In Sympathy: Loren Hewitt, for the death of his sister, Ada Betz; Karen Oster, for the death of her uncle, Bill Martin

Most of you probably are aware that Resurrection is a recipient of a Lilly Endowment Clergy Renewal Grant, funding an incredible twelve week sabbatical for me and my family as well as congregational activities related to the theme of my studies and reflections. Over Christmas and into January of this year, I engaged the first part of this experience, which focused on the use of film both in worship and parish education. (The first outcome was our Lenten Film Festival and Wednesday sermon series, Reel Spirituality: Images of the Christ in Contemporary Cinema). After Pentecost Sunday, May 15, (also Confirmation Sunday), I will begin the second part of this experience. As I did last December, I will begin the sabbatical leave with several days of prayer and reflection in a silent retreat at the St. Benedict Inn in Beech Grove, guided by my Spiritual Director. I will return to my work at Resurrection in the third week of July.

I still am frequently asked that question – hint: it is not primarily a vacation, although the Lilly Grant, without doubt, makes possible–even requires–the pastor to “play” and spend renewal time with family. Clergy sabbaticals are in essence a time apart...a time apart from the congregation they serve. Not just to get away from–but away for and to. In the face of record numbers of clergy “burn out,” denominations (including the ELCA) are encouraging and even requiring congregations to give their pastors every five to seven years an extended time apart: time for prayer, time for family, time for study, time for self. In a calling that demands constant pouring out of self, it is a time to drink deeply from the wellspring of God’s grace that moved them to respond to God’s call to ministry in the first place. As they are renewed and strengthened, so are their families and so is the Church.

Resurrection itself has already benefitted greatly from this grant: the drama groups Friend of the Groom and Valparaiso University’s Soul Purpose provided rich worship experiences for us during Lent as well as seeds for our own drama ministry. The new projector and screen in our sanctuary come thanks to the grant (no more wheeling the cart in front of the first rows!). I trust our Lenten journey was enriched with the Reel Spirituality theme. You may recall that the proposal submitted to the Lilly Endowment was titled “The Play’s the Thing: Theater and Film in the Service of the Gospel.” Along with time for rest and renewal, I will be seeing how other churches are using the dramatic arts, including video film clips and live “chancel dramas” in the context of worship. My research and study included travel to California in the first part, and this summer I will travel with my family to New York City as well as to England, a historic center of dramatic art used in worship and Christian formation. The Renewal Grant pays for these trips, as well as providing funds for Resurrection to provide additional pastoral coverage (thanks to Pr. John Moe) to assist Pr. Mitch and Julie in my absence.

In Good Hands

Speaking of Pr. Mitch and Julie, one of the personal joys of this sabbatical is knowing that I will be able to truly be “away” due to the absolute confidence I have in the leadership of this church while I am away. In the past weeks of Easter you have heard Pr. Mitch and I both refer to our staff planning for the coming year and the excitement we share about our team ministry as a program staff with Julie and Sherry. In the coming weeks our congregation will also be transitioning into that team ministry model as we begin to implement our new constitutional structure. Elsewhere in the Bell Ringer you will read a report from our Nominating Team which is but one example of the promise that this new structure holds for us to more fully utilize the spiritual gifts of our disciples here at Resurrection. We are in very good hands indeed.

Keep Praying the Daily Texts

I ask you to please continue to use your “Daily Texts 2005” prayer book. During the first part of my sabbatical, it was profoundly meaningful to me to know that as I spent that quiet time in prayer and reflection, many of you were at those very moments also praying these very same texts. During my time away from you this summer, it will be the tie that binds us together as prayer partners. As you may travel or enjoy vacation time away this summer, please take the book with you as well, and remain connected to the community of faith that is Resurrection Lutheran Church. That is what our Easter life is all about!

In Christ,

Faith Builders and Youth Group will have a Car Wash on Sunday, May 22^nd from 7:30am–12:30pm (during worship) in the church parking lot. The money earned will subsidize the youth outing to Kings Island on Monday, June 6^th Please support our Youth Group!

Don’t miss May 15^th! . . . .

Join us on Sunday, May 15^th at 9:30am in the Sanctuary for the “Statements of Faith” by our confirmands! Confirmation will be held during the 10:45am service.

Did you know? . . . .

Faith is FREE? Did you know people are watching you live out your faith, especially young people? Coming soon will be ways to help you live out your faith through Stepping Stones! Watch your announcement insert along with the Bell Ringer for more details!

You are invited to attend a dedication ceremony at 11am on Saturday, May 14 in Anderson as Lutheran Disability Ministry celebrates the purchase of property and the start of renovation for a new camp, the LDM Camp and Retreat Center.

The ceremony is part of a day-long volunteer effort that anyone is welcome to join. The day will begin at 9am with a devotion and refreshments to start everyone’s engines. Work will continue until sundown with a break for the dedication and lunch. The campus is located at 400 Ridgeview Road, Anderson.

If you would like to be part of this special event, contact the LDM office at 317-876-7099, or email info@LDMinc.org and they will send you a map and more specific details.

If you have any of the following items, please bring them to the work day: wheel barrow, shovel, pry bar, hammer, sledge hammer, dust mask, and work gloves.

LDM is an organization devoted to equipping the church to ministry with those who have mental impairments. In the past they have been challenged to find locations to conduct Handy-Camp, a five-day Christian overnight camping experience, as well as retreats for adults with developmental disabilities. Other programs sponsored by LDM include Bible studies, respite programs, and fellowship activities.

Let’s Celebrate!

On Sunday, June 5^th during the Congregational Meeting at 9:30am we will recognize all who helped make the first year of the Rotation Discipleship Hour a success along with our other teachers for Faith Builders AM, Youth Group AM, and adults. Be sure to join us for the Congregational Meeting to help us celebrate!

YES!

Summer Discipleship Hour!

We will continue our Sunday morning Discipleship Hour through the summer. Summer Discipleship Hour will begin on Sunday, June 12. The Faith Builders AM & Youth Group AM will be discussing “Watching What you Watch” and the elementary students will be on a “Travel Adventure” meeting different people from the Bible.

Our success is dependent upon volunteers; please sign-up at the Safe Harbor area for one of the areas for teaching. The summer will be broken into three different times:

Section I June 12 – 26

Section II July 3 - July 17

Section III July 24 – August 14

Adult Education in May . . . .

May 1RLC 3

May 8 RLC 3

May 15 Statements of Faith by Confirmands

May 22 Carol Savriano-

Emotionally Intelligent Marriages

May 29 Discussion of Text for the Day

Why God? . . . .

We are excited to announce a new apologetics course for Senior High Youth coming soon!

Hearing Assistance

Now Available in Worship!

RLC now has a new Personal Listening System which assists people who are hearing impaired whether or not you wear a hearing-aid. It provides a radio connection to the church sound system allowing clearer and user controlled volume levels. The radio can be used with your own headphones or one of the church headphones. The Personal Listening devises are located at the rear of the church on the sound cabinet in a clear plastic container. If you have any questions, check with Phil Noeske, a pastor, or an usher.

ChristCare at Resurrection

ChristCare is a system of small group ministry. Listed below are the active ChristCare groups here at Resurrection, with the name of the leader(s) and time the group meets. There are a few groups with space available and open to new members. Other groups are closed either due to reaching the maximum size of 12 or due to their group’s focus.

You can learn more about ChristCare and these groups on the ChristCare bulletin board in the narthex (opposite the restrooms) – or you can contact a group leader to find out more about their group.

Open Groups

Wendy Messer, 784-3215

1^st & 3^rd Thursday, 9:00-10:30am at church

Scott Poore, 885-8836

Ann & Scott Buie, 889-8060

Sundays at 5:30 at church - meeting weekly initially and then transitioning to twice a month

Tom Myers, 862-2543

Ed Kistler, 422-9906

1^st & 3^rd Monday at 7:15 in homes

Karen Oster, 882-8963

1^st & 3^rd Sundays, 4:45-6:30 at church

Currently Closed Groups

Mike & Chris Wise, 887-5975

1^st & 3^rd Sundays, 5:45-7:15 in homes

Chad Frahm, 887-5975

Will meet on weekends - finalizing a date and time

Tim & Margie Ropp, 859-1279

1^st & 3^rd Sundays, 4:00-5:30 at church

Jennifer & David Barrett, 786-1725

2^nd & 4^th Sundays, 6:00-7:30 at church

Worship -- and all that Jazz

Resurrection will be welcoming the Barbary Coast Dixieland Band to worship on Sunday, May 1^st. All six regular band members – and many substitutes – are Lutherans from the Minneapolis area. We were contacted by band leader, Dick Petersen last fall. They are playing a concert at Martinsville High School Auditorium on Saturday, April 30^th at 7:30pm. Dick called to see if they could provide the music for our worship services on the following day.

You can read more about this popular band on their website, www.barbary-coast.com. There is also a link on the website (bottom right corner of the main page) to an article from The Lutheran magazine from August of 2000 that talks about the band’s participation in worship. The article has quotes from a number of people in the Twin Cities area talking about worship with Barbary Coast.

Men’s Breakfast . . . .

All men are invited to breakfast at RLC on Saturday, May 14^th at 7:30am. After breakfast we will have the last Bible Study session of “Loving Your Wife.” Beginning June 11^th, we will begin a whole new series of Bible Studies.

Many Thanks . . . .

✿I want to express my thanks and appreciation to Pastor Dave, the staff and the congregation for hosting the Oak Grove Lutheran School Choir and especially those members who opened their hearts and homes to the choir. It was a joy and blessing to hear the choir and their gospel message during this Easter season. – John Moe.

✿The Property Committee wants to draw everyone’s attention to our new mailbox on Stop 11 Rd. The mailbox is a gift to the Church from Crusaders Mission Group, who purchased it and installed it. Special thanks to Crusaders Walt Tucker, Jim Locke, Dudley Daniel, and Dan Kendall for the installation. The Crusaders want to thank Mark Haubry and all the good people at Caporale Posts (www.mailboxposts.net) for kindly providing the custom-made mailbox and heavy duty cedar post at half their normal price.

✿Special thanks to the teachers of the current S.S. Discipleship rotation, “Road to Emmaus”: Paige Huber, Daryl Huber, Martha Andersen, Kim Dunn, Aaron French, Jami Raines, Scott Poore, Bobbi Poore, Lesley McDougal, Ed Deitz, Lynn Wolff, Penny Welch, Jodi Giorgianni, and Ed Kistler.

RLC Women . . . .

The Daytime meeting of RLC Women (W/ELCA) will meet at the church at 10am on the first Thursday of each month, beginning with Thursday, May 5^th. It is time to be thinking of what you want this women's group to be. So, please be thinking about this and bring your ideas to the first meeting of the daytime group, May 5. Thank you, Pat Hamby 889-9218.

notice of meeting . . . .notice of meeting . . . . notice of meeting . . . . notice of meeting . . . . notice of meeting

Regular/Semi-Annual Meeting of the Congregation of

Resurrection Evangelical Lutheran Church

June 5, 2005 at 9:30am

NOMINATING TEAM REPORT

For the past number of years, under our previous constitution, the Nominating Committee spent much of its time “working the phones” filling the 50-60 open slots for The Parish Planning Council and various Boards. Under our new ministry structure at Resurrection, this year’s Nominating Team had “only” to nominate seven persons for the new Congregation Council. The work of this veteran team, however, was no less important and, in fact, was reported as significantly more focused. Several members remarked that the meetings and discussions indeed reflected the very type of paradigm shift we hope to see in our new ministry structure.

The Nominating Team spent several meetings in Bible study and reflection, sharing their own vision for the future of Resurrection and discussing the spiritual gifts and characteristics they believed nominees needed to serve on the new Congregation Council. A number of gifted people were identified and contacted, and asked to prayerfully consider nomination to the Council or other areas of leadership. From that pool, and with the recommendation of our current Parish Planning Council, the nominees are:

3-year term: Randy Shields Jennifer Frahm Wendy Messer

2-year term: Gary Myers Betty Hewitt

1-year term: Scott Poore Michael McCarty

Our congregation will approve these nominees at our June congregational meeting. Each following year, then, will have two or three nominees for a three-year term. As you can see, the proposed Congregation Council is made up of three current PPC members (McCarty, Myers and Poore), aiding the transition process.

We are grateful to those who served on the Nominating Team: Elsie Olson, Kathy Hardey, Terry Fewell, Scott Deitch, Margie Ropp, Townsend Schnabel, and Pr. Dave.

Mark your calendar!

June 13 – 17, 9am-noon

RLC Vacation Bible School

Our success is dependent upon volunteers. We are seeking tribal leaders, nursery leaders, village playground leaders, and market shop leaders. If you are willing to help out sometime during the week please contact Lynn Wolff at 859-8920 or Julie Peralta at Julie@rlcindy.org.