Gloria Dei Lutheran Church

1101 North River Boulevard, Wichita, Kansas
The Church on the River by the Castle

Sunday Eucharist at 8:30 and 11:00 a.m.

Wednesdays, Eucharist 5:30 p.m.

Thursday Matins: 10:00 a.m.

The Third Monday, Compline (Prayer at the close of day) 8:15 p.m.

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                   Living Our Faith with Joy and Enthusiasm!

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Home Prayer of the Week

National Church Development

As we continue learning how to express our faith with Joy and Enthusiasm, the May issue of The Lutheran has published an article entitled Tending Souls-Helping Parents to nurture spirituality in children.

Children have an innate spirituality an insatiable curiosity, a delightful sense of spontaneity, a deep capacity for trust, surprise and creativity. What they don’t have yet is a language to express it. As parents we can give them the language, the tools to reflect and explore their spiritual experiences or it will remain dormant for a lifetime.

Perhaps we’re not all that certain about what we believe and don’t know what to tell our children. The truth is that if we take our children’s hands on a journey of faith, we’ll find that they will help open our souls and enrich our spiritual lives, too.

FIVE PATHWAYS TO SUCH DISCOVERY

1. EXPLORE YOUR SPIRITUAL LIFE
Don’t be afraid to talk about God because you think you aren’t an expert. If you are open to God’s presence, to the sacred in your life then you can listen for it in lives of your children.

Every moment is an opportunity to nurture their spiritual life. How we react when we see a homeless person, how we reach out to someone who is ill, what we say when we see a dead animal on the road will teach our children volumes about what we believe. How we respond when things don’t go our way, how often we are willing to say we’re sorry and how often we forgive will tell our children what it means to be faithful.

2. ENGAGE IN RITUAL AND CHERISH SYMBOLS
Children love drama and repetition. Create rituals for mealtime, bath time, bedtime, you teach them about faith as you express hospitality, gratitude and compassion in the rituals of holidays.

3. READ TO YOUR CHILDREN
Don’t limit your reading to “religious” books. Look for children’s books that grapple with the same questions they do-jealousy and anger, unfairness and loss-with characters who find a way through difficulty and tough times. Don’t choose ones that preach. Choose ones that simply tell a good story.

4. MAKE TIME FOR PRAYER AND SILENCE
Setting aside moments in a busy day to offer a traditional prayer at meals and bedtime is important. But also encourage children to pray from their hearts, and let them hear you say a prayer from your heart. Ask your children to think of something for which they are grateful, or about which they are worried or afraid. Encourage them to tell you about their disappointments and regrets, their joys and delights. Naming these experiences is a form of prayer.

5. BELONG TO A COMMUNITY
Children not only require soccer coaches, they need spiritual mentors for life. They need to see other people who live lives of generosity and grace, of courage and caring.
If you are willing to see the world through a child’s wonder filled eyes, you’ll find that they open a door to the sacred that will deepen your life of faith.

-Reviewed by Helen Drennen

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During our NCD planning sessions, one of the items that we were instructed to focus on was making the good things we do better.  As we gathered input from the sessions we held with the congregation, we discovered that small groups was our highest scoring quality characteristic.  Obviously, we see this as something we do well.  However, the more we talked, it was evident that there are many members of our church that are looking for a group to fit into.  Or, there were groups which some of us may not be aware of.  As a result, the NCD team has compiled a comprehensive listing of all groups, formal and informal, within Gloria Dei.  We have listed these groups below and have also provided a contact person for that group.  By communicating all of the varying groups within our church, we hope that you are able to see how strong we are in this area, and hope that you are able to find a group that fits one that you may be looking for.

Music:
Adult Bells
Adult Choir
Assisting Cantors
Children's Bells
Children's Choir
Instrumentalists
Worship Support:
Acolytes
Banner Workers
Communion Assistants
Greeters
Lay Eucharistic Ministers
Lay Ministers
Lay Readers
Sacristans
Ushers
Social / Fellowship:
49er's Plus
Gloria Dei Men's Lakepoint Coffee Group
Good Egg Coffee Group
Men's Breakfast Group
Prime Timers Group
Simple Suppers
Sunday Morning Coffee Ministry
Young Adult Group
Education / Study:
Adult Bible Study Groups
Christian Education
Confirmation Mentors
Confirmation Teachers
Sunday School Teachers
VBS Leader / Helpers
Library Volunteer Team
Standing Committees:
Church Council
Audit Committee
Endowment Committee
Finance Committee
Mutual Ministry
Nominating Committee
Outreach Committee
Property Committee
Social Ministry
Stewardship Committee
Worship & Music Committee
Youth Committee
Guilds / Ladies Groups:
Hannah Guild
Leah Guild
Rebekah Guild
Ruth Guild
Tabitha Guild
The Group Formerly Known as Deborah Guild
The Group Formerly Known as Eve Guild
The Group Formerly Known as Sarah Guild
Women of the ELCA Executive Board
Youth:
SNAC (Sunday Night After church)
Middle School
High School
Staff / Office Support:
Counting Teams
Office Volunteers
Church Staff
Member Support:
Funeral Luncheon Team
Flower Delivery Teams
Lay Visitor Teams
New Member Sponsors
Prayer & Praise Line
Stephen Ministry
Transportation Committee
Misc.:
CSS Assembly Voting Members
NCD Team
St. Marie's Orphanage

 

Committee Chair / Contact Person:

Galen Shriner
Galen Shriner
Galen Shriner
Galen Shriner
Galen Shriner
Galen Shriner

Priscilla Galusha
Ruth Johnson
Priscilla Galusha
Marilyn Wasser
Priscilla Galusha
Audrey Dilley
Arnold Dilley
Carol Gornick
Dan True

LaDora Meier
George Lann
Howard Johnson
Harold Drennen
Marilyn Wasser
Kris Knuth
Cathy Howard
Elizabeth Sherwood

Pastor Jacobson, Paul Lueker, Suzan Aker
Annette Lindal
Pastor Jacobson
Pastor Jacobson
Annette Lindal
Laura Anderson
Doris Ylander

Kris Knuth
Gary Freeman
Joan Laswell
Ray Vernon
Julie Koehler
Carol Gornick
Karma Tidemann
Phil Morgan
Jackie Volbrecht
Barb Fuller
Paul Leimer
Karen Pleming

Ruth Rulifson
Zoe Hoyle
Laura Shriner
Karen Haynes
Roberta Witte
Anne Jacobson
Elizabeth Sherwood
Deb Cook
Joan Pritchard
Laura Anderson
Laura Anderson
Laura Anderson

Cathy Howard
Cathy Howard
Pastor Jacobson
LaDora Meier
Karma Tidemann
Karma Tidemann
Mary Tidemann
Helen Brunk
Jerry Layman
Lee Morgan
Council
Jerry Proffitt
Jackie Volbrecht


 

 
 

 

 

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Last modified: January 08, 2008