The Shepherd

A Bimonthly Newsletter of Shalom Community Church

Worship in the Park

Sundays will explore God in a particular environment of nature. Mark your calendars for the following upcoming worship services:

June 11: God of the Prairie, led by Susie Flink and friends

July 9: God of the Mountains, led by Jesse Myers

August 13: God of the Prairie, led by Galen Toews

Budget Service and Outreach Task Force:

Tom B., Jon F., Ruth S., and Jonathan W.R.

The Budget Service and Outreach Task Force issued its report and recommendations at the business meeting on Friday, May 19, regarding how SCC could reflect its commitment to service and outreach in the life of the congregation and in the budget. The task force’s proposal was accepted by the congregation, as represented by those in attendance at the meeting.
The task force was formed at an SCC business meeting last November in response to concern regarding the continued usefulness of the 25% minimum for external service and outreach expenditures in the annual budget.
Building on the work of the finance committee, the task force formed its recommendations by synthesizing congregational input from discussion meetings with groups of Shalom attendees. These meetings produced a general consensus around the importance of service and outreach as a part of SCC’s purpose, the need to see and hear more evidence of Shalom’s service and outreach activities, and the desire on the part of attendees to be challenged to increase service and outreach giving and activity.
At the May church meeting, the task force reported that it

heard the congregation reaffirm the importance of service and outreach to SCC’s purpose and its desire to have that value reflected in the life of the congregation.
The task force recommended that Shalom eliminate the 25% benchmark figure. In its place, the task force recommended ways for the congregation to objectively monitor contributions of both financial and time resources, and to improve communication within the congregation regarding ongoing service and outreach activities.
For more detail on the task force’s proposal, please refer to the written report distributed by task force at the May 19 meeting. Extra copies of this report are available from Tom Brubaker. Budget Task Force Issues Report

Chamberlain/Hollander/Lindley: A rigorous life is a string of transitions - our string has been growing ever since it started in 1997 with our marriage, followed by a couple household moves in 97 and 99 the beginning of Middle School for Clare and High School for Lexa, and now the birth of Isaac after a surprise midlife pregnancy.

Isaac Nolan was born Monday, April 17, 2000 at 5:30 P.M., weighing in at 8lbs. 5 oz., 19 & 1/2 inches long. Lots of dark hair and a dimple in his right cheek.

A life full of such transitions requires lots of help and support. We have been so blessed by such a large caring group of family and friends who have provided such support. Priscilla's mom, Joyce Chamberlain came in from Houghton, NY to cook, clean, drive and diaper. Danny's parents, Marty & Bernice spent a couple of days helping out, followed by Priscilla's sister Aletha who cooked, cleaned, sewed with the girls and even got up at night tending to Isaac so Priscilla and Danny could get a few hours of uninterrupted sleep. Of course SCC stepped in and helped with numerous wonderful dinners, lighten-

ing the load of these early months. Anita took the girls on a shopping/movie and lunch trip and Bev has offered to grocery shop! Thank you all so much for sharing in our joy and assisting in the

work of such a transi-

tion.

The Brenneman family will be moving to Cincinnati, Ohio during the last few weeks of June. We have found a house in Mason which is a northeastern suburb of Cincinnati. Mason is also the city where Will plans to work at the Health Care Research Center for Procter & Gamble. His statistical group will be working with non-health related products however. Brianne will start school in

the fall. Judy is looking for a part-time nursing job with one of the universities in the area. Matthew is planning to explore the new house and yard. There is a Mennonite church in the city of Cincinnati which has recently (2 years ago) moved into an old church building where we plan to attend. We will miss all of you and welcome you to visit as you pass through the area.

Hochstetler/Hostetler: Both

Rachel and I (Scott) will be experiencing

great transition this summer and fall.

After graduating from the University of Michigan with masters degrees in vocal performance and conducting, I have accepted the music director position at Western Mennonite School in Salem, Oregon. Rachel will finish her two years working as Head Teacher in the Infant/Todder Program at Gretchen’s House VI. At this point she is undecided about what career option to pursue in Salem. Rachel and I will be married at Zion Mennonite Church on July 29 in Archbold, Ohio with Kathy Neufeld Dunn officiating. After our honeymoon, we will return to the area to pack up and hopefully set off for Oregon by August 14th. We want to thank Shalom for being such a meaningful part of our lives during our time in Ann Arbor and for allowing us to participate fully in congregational life.
Witmer-Rich: Maria and Jonathan will spend this summer in Washington D.C. Jonathan will be working for the law firm of Bredhoff and Kaiser and Maria will be working for the National

Academies of

Science.

Transitions

Showalter: Hollins is participating in the Goshen College Study-Service Term this summer in Germany. For the first five weeks of his term, Hollins will be participating in language study, followed by the second half of the term in which Hollins will be assigned to a service project. You can follow the activities of the Germany group at http://www.goshen.edu/sst/de00/.

Hollins’ summer address is:

Hollins Showalter

c/o Jenakolleg

Engelplatz 11

D-07743 Jena

Germany

Marty has taken on the interim deanship of the College of Mathematics and Natural Sciences starting in August.

In the fall, Hollis will be an Adjunct Professor at UM and will be teaching part of a graduate course in Medicinal Chemistry. It's a small add-on to his current job at Parke-Davis (soon to be Pfizer).

Life is changing very rapidly for the Friesen family. In 1996, Jon, Janelle, and Joelle moved to Ypsilanti, Michigan where Jon was to begin post-doctoral research. The Friesens knew from the onset the move to Michigan would be temporary as Jon searched for a more permanent job. But before moving, the Friesens decided to have another child. Janelle had been very sick during her pregnancy with Joelle and the expectation was that another pregnancy would be the same. The family prepared emotionally by taking a vacation to the beach in South Carolina and financially to cover the loss of income that would accompany Janelle’s sickness. Even though Janelle was sick, the sickness was not as bad or as long as the first time. Finally, on May 3rd at 1:34 am Joshua Daniel Friesen was born. God was good to the Friesens and had granted them a son.

During the pregnancy, Jon accepted a position as an Assistant Professor of Biochemistry at Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois. The Friesens sold their house in Ypsilanti the Friday before Joshua was born and will travel to Illinois the week of May 22-26 to search for a new house. Joelle will be starting kindergarten in August while Jon starts his new job. Janelle will stay at home to care for her two children.

Jon and Janelle will miss their jobs and Joelle will miss her pre-school friends. And the entire family will miss Shalom Community Church, the friendly faces, small group get-togethers, church in the park, and second Sunday and rotating potlucks. Joelle will miss her friends and classmates Anna, Brianne, and Dylan and fireworks at Leland’s. All the memories will be cherished and we thank you. 22-26 to search for a new house. Joelle will be starting kindergarten in August while Jon starts his new job. Janelle will stay at home to care for her two children. .

Don Thackrey

Shalom has been an important part of my life since 1992. I had been reading about Anabaptist history and about today’s “plain” peoples and had found out that I had ancestors and cousins on my mother’s side in these plain groups. I felt a need to find a “plain” church, so I looked in the phone book under Mennonite.

Shalom turned out to be not so plain, but then I wasn’t either. At my first visit, many people were exceptionally friendly, and during the next week I received a welcoming note from Leland Ropp. This church, I thought, was something special, even if it wasn’t exactly what I had expected as “Mennonite.”

I began growing a beard shortly after my first visit. Ben Harvey made a point each week to comment on its progress. I began also dressing increasingly plain, including the Amish hat, which led Dustin Brubaker to call me Abe.

In 1993, I joined an instruction class open to those who wanted to become church members. Led by Pastor Kathy, we discussed many issues and learned considerable about Mennonite and Church of the Brethren history and practice. The final class sections were held at a retreat at Camp Friedenswald near Sturgis, MI. The group exercises and discussions, individual meditation, and communion during this retreat were profoundly moving for me. I became a Shalom member that year.

In the years since, I have had an ambivalent attitude about Shalom. I loved the people in the congregation but felt an attraction toward joining one of the Old Order churches. I spent many Sundays away from Ann Arbor attending Amish services and deliberating about my future.

The most recent chapter in my Shalom life concerned my marriage on April 8, 2000, to Sherry Jones of Fort Worth, TX. Pastor Kathy officiated at the ceremony in the basement of the Shantz’s home, and the members of my two Shalom “small groups” attended. I have many fond memories of Shalom, but its participation in our wedding is the most precious of all.

Shalom Announcements

Report on IHN: As most of you know, we will be hosting the Family Shelter folks July 9-16. IHN boarders are homeless and are housed and hosted by area churches for up to several months while staff work with them to locate and get started in permanent housing. Since we have no building, we will host them while they are housed at University Oxford housing. Come November or so, IHN will have a permanent site to house the families; St. Joseph Mercy Health System is offering them space at what used to be Alpha House on Jackson Road. Repair and renovations are estimated to cost about $250,000 and will be covered by public and private funds. They will continue to need staffing by volunteers, but the families will be housed at this site. I will be contacting folks by e-mail and phone soon to set up coverage for the July 9 week.

-- Gertrude W.

Worship Service Feedback: How did you like this week’s worship service? Find a worship committee member – Susie F., Dave P., Gertrude W. and Laurie Y. – and let them know which aspects from the service were meaningful or offer suggestions for improvement. At worship committee meetings, a first item of business is to evaluate previous worship services; a key element in this process is congregational feedback.

Summer Lectionary

June 4: Deut 5.12-15; 2 Cor 4.5-12; Ps 81.1-10; Mk 2.23-3.6

June 11: Gen 3.1-21; 2 Cor 4.13-5.1; Ps 61.1-5,8; Mk 3.20-35

June 18: Ezek 17.22-24; 2 Cor 5.1-10; Ps 92; Mk 4.26-34

June 25: Job 38.1-11, 16-18; 2 Cor 5.14-21; Ps 107.3, 23-32; Mk 4.35-5.20

July 2: Lam 3.22-33; 2 Cor 8.1-15; Ps 30; Mk 5.21-43

July 9: Ezek 2.1-7; 2 Cor 12.7-1-; Ps 123; Mk 6.1-6

July 16: Amos 7.7-17; Eph 1.1-14; Ps 85.7-13; Mk 6.7-13

July 23: Jer 23.1-6; Eph 2.11-22; Ps 23; Mk 6.30-44

July 30: 2 Kgs 4.42-44; Eph 4.1-7, 11-16; Ps 145; Jn 6.1-15

August 6: Ex 16.2-15; Eph 4.17-25; Ps 78.14-20, 23-29; Jn 6.24-35

August 13: 1 Kgs 19.4-8; Eph 4.25-5.2; Ps 34.1-8; Jn 6.37-51

August 20: Prov 9.1-6; Eph 5.15-20; Ps 34.9-14; Jn 6.51-59

August 27: Josh 24.1-2, 14-25; Eph 5.21-33; Ps 34.15-22; Jn 6.60-69

The Next Newsletter will arrive in late August. The editor, Maria Witmer-Rich, will be in Washington D.C. this summer. Please e-mail

submissions to her at m_witmer_rich@hotmail.com.