May, 2006

Through the Salvation Army's Family to Family program, First Congregational Church has adopted Sybrine Humphrey and her 17-year-old son Kalin to help them in their relocation to Milwaukee from New Orleans.

After fleeing Hurricane Ivan in 2004, Sybrine knew that it would require a bit of work to convince her family to leave the Lower 8th Ward of New Orleans when officials told everyone to evacuate the city again before Hurricane Katrina hit.

Sybrine quickly withdrew all of her savings including the small amount she had saved for Kalin's college tuition. She then gathered with the rest of her family with only the clothes on their backs to drive 100 miles North to her sister's house in Tylertown, Mississippi. Upon arriving they found her brother in-law's extended family had also chosen to flee New Orleans for Tylertown. In all, 40 people were staying at the small ranch home when Katrina made land fall. Even Tylertown was not spared and Sybrine and her extended family went 3 days without electricity or running water. With food and drinking water becoming scarce (they initially had to walk 6 miles to the nearest store because the roads were blocked with downed trees) they gathered for a family meeting and decided that 23 people from Sybrine's family would attempt to drive in four cars to Milwaukee where her older brother lived.

The group pooled all their money and used it for food and gas along the way. A stop in Memphis gave them the chance to be served by a good Samaritan at the local Wal-Mart. After following the group around the store as they carefully selected items for lunch in the parking lot, a stranger intercepted them at the checkout register and paid for all their groceries. In retrospect it turned out to be a critical moment for them as they neared Milwaukee. Driving through Chicago they discovered they needed money for the tolls. It was only after some frantic searching of the children's pockets that they scraped together enough money to get through the last toll booth in Waukegan. The man at the Wal-Mart never gave them his name but Sybrine likes to call him their “Guardian Angel.”

After arriving in Milwaukee at her brother's house they had an opportunity to meet with the people at the Salvation Army. There they began to get their lives in order. Messmer High School took in Kalin and he is finishing his senior year there. Sybrine, meanwhile, has been working for FEMA through a grant from the Private Industry Council; however, that job is coming to an end. Currently living in an apartment in Milwaukee, they will be moving to West Allis were they can continue to get rent assistance.

When asked how First Congregational Church can help, Sybrine responded that many of their physical requirements have been taken care of by the Salvation Army and FEMA. Kalin has already been hired to work in the Wisconsin Dells this summer. He has applied to UW Oshkosh, Whitewater and Madison for college. What she really needs is some work to help her and her son gain some financial stability. Her experience includes office filing and dietary work with health organizations. If you know of any job opportunities for Sybrine please contact Ed Probst with the Board of Benevolences at 414-476-1079.

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Minister’s Musings

Easter: The Green Blade Riseth!

As I write this it is the beginning of “Bright Week” and the smell of the Easter flowers still lingers in the building – as does the echo of our Easter worship. Easter was, indeed, a grand celebration, appropriate to the “Lenten Spring” and Holy Week that prepared us for it. The choir was in grand voice and Lee Jacobi and Betty Dethmers did us proud, as always, in their ministry of music.

This month we will be saying farewell to Betty, as she retires after 32 years on the organ bench here at First Church. I hope that many people will be present on Mother’s Day for the choir concert during the worship services and then join us for the festive coffee hour at 10 a.m. to honor Betty. Her ministry among us has been unassuming, but very effective. Rarely seen, but wondrously heard, Betty has supported worship service after worship service as we’ve all tried to heed the Psalmist’s invitation to “make a joyful noise unto the Lord.” I think I speak for all of us in saying that Betty will be much missed, but we wish her very well as she enjoys her new grandchild and spends more time with family.

Musing on God’s gift of music, shared with us for so many years by Betty Dethmers, set me to thinking about God’s goodness. The wonder of creation, the wonder of life – of which music is a delightful part – is a constant reminder that God is good and that which God makes is good. The Easter seasons certainly celebrates that goodness. I was reminded of something Episcopal priest and author Robert Farrar Capon wrote:
“ We were created to delight, as God does, in the resident goodness of creation. We were not made to sit around mumbling incantations and watching our insides to see what creation will do for us. Wine does indeed have subjective effects, but they are to be received gratefully and lightly. They are not solemnly important psychological adjustments, but graces, super-added gifts. It was St. Thomas Aquinas who gave the most reasonable and relaxed of all the definitions of temperance. Wine, he said, could lawfully be drunk usque ad hilaritatem, to the point of cheerfulness. It is a happy example of the connection between sanctity and sanity.” There is great wisdom in Capon’s words – sanctity and sanity do go hand-in-hand. (Oh, and don’t forget that the Pilgrims thought one of the sure signs of God’s blessings on their new plantation was the abundance of grapes which made good wine!)

If we remember that ‘health’ and ‘wholeness’ and ‘holiness’ all have the same root in English, we can see that sanctity and sanity do, indeed, go together. We’re to be whole people who enjoy the wholeness of God’s creation. Easter is a reminder to delight in our world and to delight in ourselves and those God gives us with whom we share life.
So, enjoy the budding flowers of May and the beckoning days of summer. Remember, however, who is behind them and who gave them to us. Then pause and offer a prayer of thanks to the good God who made this good earth and delighted in us enough to want to share it with us. Give thanks for life that is both here-now and here-after. The created world and life itself are both the gift of God and we come to them through the Risen Christ.

There are many things afoot here at First Congregational Church and all of them good, I believe. With Lenten programming done, we’re now turning our attention to other projects, including hosting the Fifth Congregational Symposium here from Nov. 2–4. Soon we’ll be saying farewell to Rev. Carrie Kreps Wegenast as she leaves to support her husband, Markus’ ministry. We’ll also be extending thanks, because she’s not going anyplace, to Carla Cummings as she steps down after four years as Director of Childrens’ Ministries. We’ll be saying more about these transitions in the weeks ahead, as we say thanks to some folks and welcome to those who will assume new ministries among us. Times of change are never easy, but can be opportunities for growth and development in new and vital ways. Here, again, is the chance to see sanctity and sanity hand-in-hand as we delight in what people have done and what others will do.
I continue to delight in serving as your minister and pray all of the blessings of the Risen Christ upon you and yours!

Christ is Risen!
Christ is Risen, Indeed!

Steve
Rev. Steven A. Peay, Ph.D.
Minister

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Table of Contents

New Members Covenant in the Congregational Way

Library Progress Report

Election Meeting May 21

Spectacular Pizza Supper May 3

Easter Flowers

Smile! for the New Pictorial Directory

Sunday Symposium

Lectionary Readings

Texts used in Sunday worship

In Brief

Monday, May 15, noon.
Please email to Beth Linscott at ddinc@wi.rr.com or Sam Schaal at schaals@firstchurchtosa.org.
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Congregational Columns