"Breathe" - Junior High Camp

"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness."  2 Timothy 3:16

Junior high kids from across the Pacific Southwest came to Tonto Rim Christian Camp near Payson, Arizona for a weekend retreat from May 24-27, 2019. Pastor Tim Anderson accompanied youth from Mountain View Lutheran Church. Former DCE, Dave Minster, was one of the worship leaders for the retreat.    The four days had these themes:

Day 1 (Friday)

God BREATHED Life

Day 2 (Saturday)

God BREATHED Scriptures

Day 3 (Sunday)

Jesus BREATHED His Last.

Day 4 (Monday)

With Our BREATH, We…

Some highlights of Junior High Camp:

Archery

Zipline

Delicious Food

Mountain Scooters

Bubble Balls

Paintball

Field Games

Campfires and S’mores

Water Olympics

Impactful Worship

Scripture-Centered Messages

…and more!

Pickleball: It's Kind of a Big Dill

The game has an interesting history.  Back in 1965 three dads living on Bainbridge Island near Seattle put their heads together because their kids were bored with nothing to do.  They gave the kids homemade wooden paddles and a wiffleball and started a game on their badminton court with some basic rules of play.  Later, they lowered the net to 3 feet high which proved to be the biggest game changer in the game.  Now instead of lobbing the ball over the 6 foot net, it could be hit more forcefully and speed up the action of the game.  They called it Pickleball.

Since then pickleball has grown by leaps and bounds so that now it has become the fastest growing sport in the U.S. and played by more than 2.5 million people.

Frank Schoenbeck, events coordinator at Mountain View Lutheran Church, felt this would be another way to bring people to the church campus, while also enjoying a climate-controlled environment for their favorite game.  He started with 2 courts and opened play for 2 hours on 3 days of the week.  Regular players showed up and bought punch cards at a reduced rate.  With funds generated, Frank bought another net and opened a third court.  The fee is $2.00 per session.  "That's a bargain, compared to what others charge," explained one of two court monitors.

Beginning in May, the courts are open five days a week with Thursday billed as Family Night.  Parents are invited to bring their kids.  Paddles and balls are provided, although most of the regulars bring their own paddle.  The hours:

• Monday:  10:00 am - 2:00 pm
• Tuesday:  11:00 am - 1:00 pm
• Wednesday:  9:00 am - 11:00 am
• Thursday:  6:30 pm - 8:30 pm (Family Night)
• Friday:  9:00 am - 11:00 am

Church membership is not an issue although a recent player indicated her family had recently moved to the area from Iowa and wanted to know about joining the church.  Frank turned her name over to Pastor Friedrich for follow-up.

James Bozarth: Scholarship Recipient

Heather, Adalyn, Avin and James Bozarth

James Bozarth will begin training for the pastoral ministry at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis this Fall.    His goal is to complete the Master of Divinity program in four years and join the ranks of ":second career pastors" who were moved by God to become full-time church workers after successful careers in another field.  "I was surprised to learn that there are many engineers who enroll at the seminary and I will be one of them," he explained.

James grew up in Mesa, Arizona and was baptized as an infant by Pastor Larry Stoterau at Love of Christ Lutheran Church.  Following college, he and his wife Heather settled in Warner Robins, Georgia where they found a "cozy LCMS church" called Mt. Calvary.  There he taught and attended various classes, participated in Evangelism Explosion and served as an elder.

Wanting to be closer to family, the Bozarths moved back to Arizona and became actively involved in the ministry of Christ's Greenfield Lutheran Church in Mesa.  There he has been a confirmation class leader and home Bible class group leader while also mentoring two middle school boys.  James and Heather are now the parents of two children of their own - Avin is 5 years old and Adalyn is 3.

Summarizing his desire to enter the pastoral ministry, James wrote, "I pray that my family experiences and secular career experiences will aid in the pastoral ministry.  My neighbor lives in the world, he needs Jesus, and he is called to share Jesus with others.  Until the end, I would like to support my neighbor through their struggles and rejoice with them in their victories - I will do this through Word, Sacrament, and walking with them in the love of Christ."

James applied for and will receive scholarship support from the Mountain View Scholarship Fund, which is funded through the generous contributions of many members and guests of the congregation.

Jon Kisker, Scholarship Recipient

Grandpa Dan, Jon and Grandma Carolyn

Dan and Carolyn Tuchenhagen are associate members of Mountain View Lutheran Church who return to their home in Grand Island, Nebraska during the summer.  They are actively involved at MVLC, serving on various committees.  They recommended their grandson, Jonathan Kisker to the Scholarship Committee in 2016 when he began his studies at Concordia University, Seward, Nebraska.

Jon grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska, where he attended Messiah Lutheran School and Lincoln Lutheran Junior/Senior High School.  He was active in his church youth program, attending several regional and national youth gatherings.

Jon and President Brian Friedrich

At Concordia, Jon has been involved in various co-curricular activities:

• student manager for the Instructional Technology Center
• sound manager for the Theater Department
• stage crew, set design and construction volunteer for the Theater Department
• sound board volunteer for chapel and praise events on the campus

He writes in his most recent personal statement:  "I have studied at Concordia for two and a half years.  I have been able to see how I want to go into Education with my further education.  I am loving my classes here at Concordia.  I am especially fond of the History classes and how deep the classes can get.  I have learned more about my faith and about education as a discipline to help prepare me even more for my future as a Lutheran Educator."

Jon recently completed his junior year at CUNE.  He summarized the year with this statement:  "I have had a great ending of the school year. All of my classes went well. I was able to give a little poster presentation at the Nebraska GIS/LIS conference along with my geography class. Attached are the photos of me with poster. I did it about the LCMS. I mapped all of the LCMS Churches and Schools and based them on founding dates of the church or school."

Jon's career goal is to teach history or social studies in a Lutheran middle or high school program.  He will graduate from Concordia in the Spring of 2020.  The MVLC Scholarship Program has helped him achieve his goal of one day serving in the teaching ministry.

Cardiac Arrest at Church?

A heart attack is quite serious, sometimes fatal. By contrast, cardiac arrest is caused when the heart's electrical system malfunctions and without immediate first aid can be fatal.  Cardiac arrest may be caused by irregular heart rhythms, called arrhythmias. A common arrhythmia associated with cardiac arrest is ventricular fibrillation.  The AED unit provides electrical stimulation to get the heart back to normal rhythm.

The statistics for surviving cardiac arrest away from medical treatment are pretty alarming.  Here are a few of them:

• 92% will not survive if there is no EMS intervention.
• 475,000 Americans die from cardiac arrest each year; more than 350,000 occur outside of a hospital.  It is the #3 killer of Americans.
• It is essential to start CPR within 2 minutes so that blood flows to the heart and brain; by 9 minutes brain damage is irreversible.
• 11-12% of those receiving "bystander CPR" will survive  cardiac arrest.  
• The body has about 10 minutes of stored oxygen which needs to be circulated by CPR when the heart is not functioning properly.
• Most sudden cardiac deaths are caused by abnormal heart rhythms called arrhythmias. The most common life-threatening arrhythmia is ventricular fibrillation, which is an erratic, disorganized firing of impulses from the ventricles (the heart's lower chambers).

Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA)  is a medical emergency. You should dial 911 and start CPR right away if you suspect Sudden Cardiac Arrest in someone. Without quick action to revive the heart, a person can die in minutes. ... Giving CPR and using an AED within the first few minutes of SCA can greatly improve the chances of survival.

SCA can occur anywhere and that is why AED machines are now available in schools, stores, resorts and churches.  The key to their use is quick action by those nearby.  Take a look at this video which shows an actual rescue of a young woman playing volleyball.

Meet 4 Musicians

Mountain View Lutheran Church has been blessed with several talented musicians.  We have four year-around musicians at this time, and several winter visitors who share their time and talents with us while they are here.

Judith Watters, Music Director, plays the organ for 2 services and leads the chime choir.  She holds a BA in vocal music education from Chicago State University.   She also has a Masters’ degree in nursing from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and worked in public health and as a nursing professor.  Last year she celebrated her 50th anniversary playing the organ and directing choirs in church.  She loves MVLC and is grateful to be here.

Fran Kaspar is a gifted pianist who holds a Masters’ degree in piano from ASU.  She has taught school music and has a piano studio for many years in her home.  She judges piano competitions and is a very capable accompanist.  We are blessed to have her at MVLC.

Jenni Hale has been playing piano and organ at MVLC for a long time.  She had been the accompanist for the Praise Team and Gospel Lights, but now is doing a wonderful job as the Praise team director.  She has a degree in music from Mesa Community College and has accompanied many choirs across the Phoenix area since she was in high school. She is the 3rd generation in her family to play for church services and lead choirs.

Marcia Goodrich leads the adult choir and Gospel Lights. She often leads the Sing-Along and we are blessed to have her sing solos as well.  She is a valuable member of the AV team and also leads the Divorce recovery group.

Families Helping Families

Mountain View Lutheran Church has partnered with over 60 other churches in the Greater Phoenix area to provide emergency housing for homeless families.  Families are given job counseling, food and shelter in a 60-day program which has proven to be 70% effective in moving families into sustainable housing.

In a recent week MVLC hosted 3 such families.  One of them included parents and four children.  They recently moved from Minneapolis to get away from a higher cost of living.  Dad is a carpenter and Mom is home school teacher for the children.  They arrived in Phoenix with no place to live.  "I Googled Family Promise and we reported to their center in Mesa, " Mom responded when asked how they got connected with the program.

During the day the families work from the public library and the Family Promise Center.  Dad was tracking down job leads.  At supper time they returned to MVLC where they were give a warm meal, spent time with volunteers playing games and then went to bed in the Family Life Center.  The Sisters of Strength women's group provided one of the meals.  Couples from the congregation also volunteered and many more purchased food and toiletries for the families.

Bonnie Gregrow, coordinated the week's activities.  "The chaperones all seemed to enjoy meeting and

playing with the families.  It is a JOY to know we are making a difference in their lives.  It is truly a handy NOT a hand out."

Family members are invited to join in the TNT (Tuesday Night Together) meal and Bible study and many times they are eager to participate.  The following video was produced by the Greater Phoenix organization and provides additional insights into the program.