Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Celebrating the spiritual diversity of the Lakeland Area


Representatives from area churches, fellowships, chaplains and religious and spiritual groups make up the Lakeland Ministerial Association and have been meeting regularly on a monthly basis in different area churches. The purpose of the Association is four-fold: to respond to social issues in our community; to celebrate and honor diversity within our community; to support one another and encourage growth within our spiritual community; and to plan and oversee ecumenical worship events for our community. Members mainly come from Christian backgrounds but also include the Unitarians and the Baha’i.
There is a profound focus and regard for the religious and spiritual lives of the people in this community. Discussion at each meeting usually centers on what we can learn about our communities, what we are doing for our communities, and what more can be done.
Two of our major projects are the Community Table and writing this regular bi-weekly “Faith and Values” column in the Lakeland Times. In addition, we actively support projects that address the issue of hunger, poverty and education and support each other’s events and community projects that are inspiring and uplifting.
The purpose of the Faith and Values column is to share with readers ideas and resources of healing, inspiration, vision and purpose and to expose and enrich the diversity of the vibrant spirituality of our larger community. The Faith and Values column is written by one of the Association’s various members every two weeks and focuses on giving each member’s unique spiritual perspective on topics of interest to the community.

The articles are focused on demonstrating the spiritual substance of the variety of faith traditions and practices and how this blesses everyone. Respect and dignity for the diversity of the churches and groups are celebrated as each group brings its gift to the larger community.

Every month, the Community Table is coordinated by the Ministerial Association and is energetically staffed by area churches. The idea behind it is a home-cooked community meal to all, with a focus to invite those who need to stretch their dollars at the end of the month.

The watchword is dignity to all, and no one should know who comes from the food pantry or is homeless and who isn't. So, we use china and real cups and silverware and everyone is encouraged to serve one another and help with clean up. It's a buffet style feast that includes 3-4 host churches' best foods: Grandma’s famous potato salad, Fred's silky chiffon cake, Al's mouthwatering squash casserole and on and on.

There are no agendas or sermons, just the community taking care of the community. There is something wholesome and real about serving others, and joining with others to do good works.

For more information, please contact one of the following: Rev. Edgar Wallace (356-6758), Pastor Maxine Gray (356-5080], Kim Korinek, CS (358-5350) or Charlotte Hockings (588-3560]

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Schedule for Articles for Lakeland Times August ’10 to February ’11

Date due/date published

Name of Church/Faith Group

AUGUST

8.3/8.13

Ascension Lutheran

8.17/8.27

Faith Evangelical Free Church

SEPTEMBER

8.31/9.10

Howard Young

9.14/9.24

Calvary Lutheran

OCTOBER

9.28/10.08

First Church of Christ, Scientist, Woodruff-Minocqua

10.12/10.22

St. Mathias Episcopal Church

NOVEMBER

10.26/11.5

Eaglebrook Church

11.09/11.19

Holy Family Catholic Church

DECEMBER

11.23/12.3

Baha’i

12.7/12.17

Community Presbyterian

12.21/12.31

Shepherd of the Lakes Lutheran Church

JANUARY

1.4/1.14

Unitarian Universalist

1.18/1.28

Marywood

FEBRUARY

2.1/2.11

United Methodist Church of the Pines

2.15/2.25

Ascension Lutheran


Send in your article directly to Ray Rivard ray@lakelandtimes.com (phone 356-5236) and copy Kim kimckorinek@yahoo.com with "FAITH and VALUES column" in the subject line.
  • The article should:
    • be 600-1000 words
    • be a type of sermonette or inspirational in nature
    • include your name and a picture or graphic (Ray REALLY wants this and can actually take a picture of you for the article at Lakeland Times' office.)
    • Headlines should be capitalized and (optional) can include: "A (Catholic/Methodist/Bahai/etc) perspective on......." at the beginning
    • Put your church and contact information at the end.
    • The date the article is due to Ray Rivard and actual publishing date are written in the chart. (Example: 5.20/5.30 means that 5.20 is the due date and 5.30 is the publishing date)

Monday, September 27, 2010

Purpose of the Faith and Values Column in the Lakeland Times

Churches, fellowships, chaplains and religious and spiritual groups of the Lakeland Ministerial Association are starting a regular “Faith and Values” column in the Lakeland Times. Each article in the Faith and Values column will be written by one of its various members and will focus on giving their unique spiritual perspective on topics of interest to the community.


The articles are focused on demonstrating the spiritual substance of the variety of faith traditions and practices and how this blesses everyone. Respect and dignity for the diversity of the churches and groups are celebrated as each group brings its gift to the larger community.

Why do we need this and why now? Spirituality is big! We know from various sources that the interest in religion and spirituality is growing. It has become a major presence on the internet, a burgeoning theme in bookstores and is being discussed and practiced in business and healthcare settings as well as in growing ecumenical and interfaith groups. In fact, in the bestselling book Megatrends 2010, Patricia Aburdene documents the movement that led her to conclude that “Spirituality has become the greatest quest of our time.”

The purpose of this column is to share with readers ideas and resources of healing, inspiration, vision and purpose and to expose and enrich the diversity of the vibrant spirituality of our larger community.

Under this purpose, topics for future articles under this column may include a spiritual perspective on peace and justice, a look at inviting your neighbors to a community table, understanding the Golden Rule from a variety of religious interpretations, support for our youth, a look at healing prayer, serving one another, a spiritual perspective on growing older, balancing work and family, spirituality and health care, finding spirituality in our daily lives, etc.

The column will be written by the members of the Lakeland Area Ministerial Association (LAMA) which includes a wide variety of faith communities. Although predominately Christian, this group also includes the Baha’i, Unitarian Universalists and Native American spirituality. Other groups are welcome to join.

For more information, please contact Kim Crooks Korinek.CS, facilitator for the Lakeland Ministerial Association at kim@kimckorinek.com.

The Community Table details

Community Table:
An Ecumenical Monthly Meal for All in the Lakeland Area


Location: St. Matthias


Day: Third Tuesday of the month


Time: Juice and coffee
The meal is served. The meal should be finished by


Workers: Made up of teams from area churches
Teams are
Ascension and Calvary Lutheran Churches
Responsible for March, July, and November 20


St. Matthias and Holy Family
Responsible for February, April, June, August, October, December


United Methodist Church of the Pines, Christian Scientists, Unitarians and Baha’i
Responsible for January, May, September


The Plan: Prepare the main entrée at home, and bring it to St. Matthias at 3:30 to be cooked/warmed. Note that St. Matthias has two stoves and three microwaves. Some people will bring the meat dish; other workers will be assigned to bring side dishes and desserts. (We want to avoid cakes or anything else that is messy.) Team members can contact each other a month in advance to determine who will bring or cook what item. The churches for each month will split the cost of the meat portion of the meal. The juices, coffee, cream, milk and side dishes should be donated and brought in by those responsible for putting on the meal that particular month.
Start the coffee and prepare juice. Set the tables and make sure juice and coffee will be ready to serve at 4:30. All food should be ready to serve at 5:00 sharp! All workers are encouraged to mix with those who come to the meal and eat with them. We want to get folks to know each other and get rid of the “us/them” kind of thinking. This is a great opportunity for folks in our area from different economic, social, cultural and religious backgrounds to get to know one another.


Contact: Lee Ann Niebuhr 715-356-6384 ext 6

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Purpose of the Community Table - for the love of community

Every month, the Community Table is coordinated by the Lakeland Area Ministerial Association and is energetically staffed by area churches. The idea behind it is a home-cooked community meal to all, with a focus to invite those who need to stretch their dollars at the end of the month.

The watchword is dignity to all, and no one should know who comes from the food pantry or is homeless and who isn't. So, we use china and real cups and silverware and everyone is encouraged to serve one another and help with clean up. It's a buffet style feast that includes 3-4 host churches' best foods: Grandma’s famous potato salad, Fred's silky chiffon cake, Al's mouthwatering squash casserole and on and on.

There are no agendas or sermons, just the community taking care of the community. There is something wholesome and real about serving others, and joining with others to do good works.

For more information, please contact LeeAnn Niebuhr at lamniebuhr@gmail.com