"Unless the Lord build the house,
they labor in vain who build it.
Unless the Lord guard the city,
in vain does the guard keep vigil."
Ps. 127:1
I am happy to write to you in anticipation of our community's next retreat. The Lord has assembled a diverse, creative and prayerful group of His children to be the team of NFK #41. It is our privilege to be the vessels of His work and will. Each of us sharing our unique gifts while earnestly attempting to let the Lord "build the house," we are:
Fr. Michael Bliss Felipe Hall
Alice Aksamit Julia Heger
Steve Bauer Dave LaSota
Karen Bychowski Kelly Lepeska
Vic Clark Mary Anne Meyer
Tom Compton Jamie Smith
Matthew Crowson Marty Smith
Dara Fennell Pete Van Rens
Karen Fleming Kim Vollmer
Please ask the Lord to be with us as we spend the remaining weeks in preparation. I am confident that NFK #41 will be a time of abundant grace in which our Lord will touch many souls. Thanks and may Jesus be the joy in each one of you!
Yours in Christ,
Matthew Crowson
Lay Director, NFK #41
Tonight, I sit in front of the old IBM, with a candle lit, diet coke in hand and the image of the 4:30 choir director in my head. He had just accosted me, wondering where on earth this letter was, as it was supposed to be in his paw at least two days ago. But, there's even more important thoughts crowded in, such as the Koinonia mass we had just celebrated, with Fr. Mike presiding and Dale Schieman reflecting. (Yes, the hour is quickly approaching 12:00 midnight.)
I cannot tell you the joy, or more appropriately, the enthusiasm I feel after celebrating with others a sacrament like the Eucharist. For all you Greek scholars, the word enthusiasm means "in God." Sharing the Eucharist should make us aware of God's life in each of us. When God created us, enthusiastically (and "in God"), we received a share in His life so that we could dream great dreams and have the courage to make them come true. Blessing each and everyone of us with a part of His spirit of love so that we could reach out with that spirit, that love, that enthusiasm, to others.
I pray that you and I can add to that special "spark" from God to our lives, so that we will be able to build the kingdom of God in our lives and in others.
I was going to quote a passage from the bible for you but instead I will just give you the book, chapter, and verses. Enabling you to open up that wonderful word of God yourself (always a priest)... Ezekiel 36:26-28 (Don't keep reading, go and look up the passage). How is that for a little tangent? (Did you read and pray over the passage?) I was told that I need to talk about a things, so I will now turn from the reflective mode, to the more informative mode (click).
1. Just in case you have not heard yet (yes, this should have been mentioned in the last Koinonia letter), Fr. Mark DeSutter has moved on to greener pastures. He now resides in the lovely town of Macomb (somewhere out west). He ministers to the college students at Western Illinois University. Please pray for the students and Fr. Mark.
2. The new kid on the block is Fr. Mike Bliss. I no longer hold the distinction of being the youngest on the staff at a St. John's (I feel so old). Undoubtedly, I will get in much trouble for telling you this but Ft. Mike has a Hot Wheels fetish (Greek for "obsessive devotion"). If you want to find out more about this, or anything else, please give Fr. Mike a call.
3. Koinonia #41 is coming together! I hear many wonderful things about the team preparation and the working of God through the team members. Please join in supporting them on November 3rd, the date of the next Koinonia mass, when the team will be formally introduced, and don't forget the reunion on November 13th.
4. Koinonia #40, is taking it on the road the weekend of November 19th and 20th. We will be sharing the "spark" of Christ in Cheddar country. Please join us in Wisconsin for masses at 5:15 and 8:00 (with the 4:30 choir) and reunion immediately following. If you are afraid to venture into Cheddar country, PLEASE support us with some wheat. MY wheat is giving up going to a Notre Dame football game that weekend. It was to be the second time I have ever been to South Bend (am I insane?).
(click) As this letter draws to a conclusion, I feel the need to return to the reflective mode. Take care of the "spark" each day, rest in God, refresh yourself, wake-up, forgive yourself, celebrate each day, smile often and affirm others.
Since you have been so patient in reading this letter, I will give you a break and quote the final scripture passage...
"Rekindle the gift of God that is within you... for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather of power and love and self-control. So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord." (2 Timothy 1: 6-8)
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Joe Hogan
Greetings to all and God bless ya. Thank you so much for helping NFK #40 be a success. The weekend was spectacular. Actually, it was more than that but you can't exactly describe God's love in one word. I am really thankful for all the prayers and support you provided for us, during the retreat. Well I suppose your anxious to hear a little bit about the weekend. The weekend was eventful. For starters, there was a treasure chest. A treasure chest which we tried to unlock all weekend. Then on Saturday night we found a castle. The team and participants blindly entered the castle. Once inside they found servants and a gourmet feast. Everyone was hungry and many were fed on that clear night. The atmosphere of charity was one of the many treasures experienced in Pesotum. Along with the love of our Savior which has enriched all of our lives.
Now I will introduce to you those people who attended NFK #40:
Denise Berch Julie Beveridge
Aaron Bishop Annie Brady
Matthew Burch Elizabeth Casey
Shannon Creed Carol Crowe
Kimberly Dean Matt Doll
Chris Dossman Douglas Esker
Michelle Henegan Kirsten Hotton
Paul Hovland Andrea Kish
Lieschen Llerena Michelle Marcus
Jane Nelson Todd Nelson
Peter Ohotnicky Elsie Redington
Jason Reichert Kim Richards
Valerie Stern Jennifer Thackaberry
Tom Vasiliauskas Kris Wesbecher
Lia Wetzel
Each and everyone of these beautiful persons are very dear to my heart. I love you NFK #40. Thank you so much for all the love and joy you have blessed me with. The weekend we had was something I will cherish forever. I will be praying for you (the whole community), and thank you for all the prayers and love.
Love,
Michael Redington
I suppose all of you are wondering exactly who is in charge of the newsletter this year. Fr. Joe gave it away, by stating that the 4:30 director was "accosting" him, but not all of you know who the 4:30 choir director is! That person would be me, Todd Biske, of NFK #37 and #39. I am in charge of the newsletter, the 4:30 choir, and also maintaining the Koinonia email list. Oh yeah, I guess I do also spend some time accosting Father Joe. I think it all stems back from our experiences cooking together on Habitat for Humanity last spring! Want to make some more Mickey Mouse waffles Father Joe?
Anyways, I'm not here to write you about what I'm doing. I'm here to write to you about what we all should be doing. Things that are above and beyond all of those things that Mom taught us growing up, like tying our shoes, looking both ways before we cross the street, etc. What I'm talking about is wheat. Yes, we've all heard that word before, but sometimes the word fails to convey the meaning adequately. What exactly is wheat? What is a wheat letter? Why is it important? These are questions that we all should know the answers to, and I'm going to attempt to give you what I see as the answers.
Suppose you are currently in the process of raising a family. Your youngest son has his first little league game of his life on Friday evening. Earlier in the week, some of your co- workers invite you out on Friday night to go to a St. Louis Cardinals game. You are an avid Cardinals fan, and would really like to go, but yet you humbly turn them down to be with your son. What just happened? You gave up something very important to you to be with someone else. God has called us to do this. He states in the Bible, "No greater love is there than to lay down one's life for a friend."
On all of our Koinonias, the participants are continually hearing from the community through wheat letters. These letters serve to introduce the new participants to what they may experience down the road on their journey towards Christ. They are also intended, however, to show that we are their brothers and sisters. We love them, from a love that God has given to us. What greater way is there of showing it than by making some sacrifice (i.e. giving up something important to us) in order that we might focus on them and the journey that they are beginning. We are in essence, calling them friends, and laying down a part of our lives for them.
NFK #41 is rapidly approaching, and I encourage each and every one of you to take some time our to write a wheat letter for the participants. Don't just write a letter relating your experiences on your Koinonias, however. Take some time and pray about what you can give up in your life for those few days so that you can focus on them and on the entire Koinonia community's journey towards Christ. When Jesus was being crucified, he was forced to carry His cross. When that cross became too heavy, Simon helped him to shoulder the weight. What if Simon had just come up to Jesus and said, "I can relate to you. Why just yesterday I was carrying 20 bushels of grain in from the field. You must be really hurting," and then walked away without helping? A wheat letter without wheat, is almost like this. We have to do more than just be welcoming. We have to let the new participants know that we are there as their support. Just as Dale Schieman talked about at the last K-mass, with the support of our peers, it is amazing what we can get through.
Now I'm not saying that we should all give up some incredibly huge part of our lives the Koinonia weekend. We are human, and we are inherently weak. But this Koinonia community is very large, and continually growing. If everyone worked to do even the smallest thing, all those things would add up to one large thing, and that thing is God's Love. It can be something as small as spending more time with your children or pets, or something as large as fasting and praying full rosaries all night. We all have different means and capabilities, and we will all have different wheats. It's not a contest to see who can give up the most. The important thing is that we do something. We all need to take the time out of our busy lives to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Who knows, in doing so, someone might be praying for you, too. If we all pray together, and for each other, just think of what an awesome world this could be.
Yours in Christ's Almighty Love,
Todd Biske
NFK #37, #39
Hello Everyone,
God Bless. Here I am again, letting you know of another retreat. On November 19-21 the team from NFK #40 will be going to Wisconsin. Praise the Lord! We will be with 30-40 High-Schoolers for an awesome weekend. There will be a reunion on Sat. night. So please come. We have also included a map in this newsletter so you will know how to get there. It's not very far from those Koinonians living in the Chicago or Rockford area (and even those who live in that little town of Warren). The map should answer most of your questions and how to get there. For those people wanting rides I will place a list on the K-Board where you can sign up. Also if you can drive people there, please sign up on the K-Board as well. Call me @ 337- 6429 with any questions or write to:
302 S. Busey #206
Urbana Il. 61801
(note: if you live in Chicago or Rockford area and can not find a ride maybe I can help. I'll try.)
Well now that the administrative stuff is done. Prayers. We need lots of them for the retreat. Please pray for this retreat and that the guidance of the Holy Spirit is constantly present. As you know its nice to also have wheat letters. If you don't feel called to write one you probably should. Just Kidding HA! HA! HA! I got to keep you awake. I love you and I would love to be blessed with 100 wheat letters (Got to set your goals high) for the retreat. So please write one and don't forget the wheat. For the newer members, here wheat means something we are offering up to God specifically for the retreat i.e. fasting, prayer, or something else. The wheat is something or time that will bring us closer to God. So keep the NFK #40 team in your prayers and may we go fourth in Christ's love.
Love,
Michael Redington
NFK #29,32,35,39,40