Wednesday, September 3, 2014

WELS Discussion - The Call and Its Abuse by the District Popes in WELS

Both of these pastors, joined by two church staffers, sued a man for telling the truth about Ski.
Glende was also involved in the charges of sexual harrassment.
They posed for this gluttony photo when studying under the abusive Mark Driscoll.
Does this sound like Walther studying under Bishop Stephany, STD?



Bryan Lidtke‎WELS Discussions
3 hrs · 
As Beckie pointed out, this CRM related issue isn't necessarily the cause of the new call reporting mechanism. Here's a well-documented summary if you haven't heard: https://vdma.wordpress.com/2014/06/11/two-wels-pastors-and-four-meritless-lawsuits/
Thoughts?

Two WELS Pastors and Four Meritless Lawsuits
Recently, two WELS Pastors, Tim Glende and James Skorzewski, and two of their staff members filed four almost identical lawsuits against a WELS layman, Jonathan Donnan, a former member of their con...
VDMA.WORDPRESS.COM
LikeLike ·  · 
  • Jeffery Clark and 2 others like this.
  • Melissa Brander Unfortunately not surprised it was handled like this. Our culture does not take sexual harassment allegations seriously and the victim is often blamed or shamed and it is seen as "not that bad" or the woman is told she is "overreacting." Too often it is swept under the rug and not taken seriously in Christian church bodies, not just the WELS but I keep up with other church bodies/Christian organizations and two of them within the past year have had scandals where the leaders were accused of inappropriate actions towards women, varying in degrees of severity, but yet people still stand behind them and say they are still "good people." This is not something that is taken as seriously as it should be. Moving him to a different congregation in a different part of the country does not fix the problem and is a large part of why the Catholic Church has had issues because they too often just moved priests who were accused of pedophilia to a different parish instead of handling the issue. There should be zero tolerance for this kind of behavior in a pastor.
    2 hrs · Like · 5
  • Sherrie Rardin I would have a very hard time trusting any of the people involved in this action. We are taught the first step in obtaining forgiveness is to admit the sin. Seems to me that this was never really done. In something of this nature by someone of this status, that admission should have been to the direct people involved, his entire congregation from the pulpit and his fellow pastors as well as his own family, if applicable. Then, and only then, should he expect the victim and her husband to be able to let it go and move on.
    2 hrs · Like · 5
  • Nick Brander Having been through a negative situation with a previous pastor of the WELS, I don't believe it is our job to have thoughts on this at all. I believe this should have stayed within the affected people, the church leadership and the district leadership. Let me stress that we do not know the full story and we cannot know the full story. For us to form any thoughts would be counter-intuitive and serve no beneficial purpose.
    2 hrs · Like
  • Bryan Lidtke I think it's important to discuss for a variety of reasons, including:
    1) What if this were to happen to you or the pastor at your congregation? It's nice to see what happened in a previous case. 
    2) What if those involved are currently in your congregation or is your pastor? Once again, it's nice to know what happened. 
    3) If this were to stay only among the affected people and the congregation and the district, what happens when there's a disagreement? I mean, I'm pretty sure the Donnans are upset about what has occurred. Since the congregation and the district leadership sided against them, who's allowed to help them?
    4) I think it's pretty easy to know the full story - ask those involved! From my conversations with those involved, this blog post is a factual and accurate summary of what has transpired.
    2 hrs · Edited · Like · 5
  • Sherrie Rardin I respectfully disagree. It was made a public matter by their decision to file not one but four lawsuits and to hold a public meeting about the matter. Pastors, DPs, etc are not infallible. Sometimes it takes sheep standing and reminding the shepherd of the path.
    2 hrs · Like · 6
  • Bryan Lidtke ^ Forgot to mention that. Thanks, Sherrie! As Sherrie said, a public lawsuit in a public court makes things public I would say.
    1 hr · Like · 1
  • Joe Jewell Exactly. The two aspects that absolutely make this public are the lawsuits filed against the victims (absolutely unbelievable in my mind), which actually did put the entire thing irretrievably on the public record--that was the plaintiffs' poor choice if privacy was the goal--and the fact that he was subsequently placed back into the public ministry. I would agree with Nick that there would be no reason to have a (public) thought on this at all otherwise. However, given those two facts, it's quite right that it be discussed.
    1 hr · Like · 5
  • Nick Brander 1) What has happened in a previous case has little to no relevance in the immediate need to deal with a situation. In specific cases such as these, God's Law and Moral law need no historical precedence

    I'm going to combine 2, 3 and 4) Since we don't know the full story, and asking those involved has certainly not worked well already, is there something that we don't know that swayed the District Presidents choice to grant Pastor Ski CRM status? The district and the pastors involved are certainly not telling us.

    To approach it from the unpopular angle, is there conclusive proof that Ski acted in such a way that could be deemed inappropriate? Not to diminish the claim, as such allegations are always serious allegations, but just as the pastor is not infallible, so to are the congregants.

    Since we know that Ski has received and accepted a call to Texas, it is their prerogative to find out everything they can about the pastor they are calling, and it is not our job to cast the shadow of doubt on someone when we don't know all the facts.

    There is too much conjecture to form an opinion on what happened without taking the risk of forming a harmful opinion in error of the truth. It would not serve us at all to get involved in this.
    1 hr · Like
  • Daniel Baker Actually, per the public testimony issued in a Court of Law:
    1 hr · Like · 3
  • Daniel Baker Q: Okay, so you believe that there were indiscretions by the pastor directly towards Jonathan’s wife that occurred by the pastor, correct?

    A: Yes, which were addressed. And then once he resigned, it was over because he is no longer a pastor. That happened in the middle of April.
    1 hr · Like · 3
  • Bryan Lidtke How has asking those involved not worked well? Not trying to sound like a jerk here, but I'm not sure I understand what you're saying there.
    1 hr · Like · 1
  • Daniel Baker So the supervising pastor admitted that wrongdoing occurred, and that the issue was "closed" because the perpetrator was removed from the Ministry. However, his readmittance to the Ministry makes this very much worthy of discussion.
    1 hr · Like · 6
  • Nick Brander That the supervising pastor said that there were indiscretions, but Mrs. Dannon says that the supervising pastor was part of it at times and that nothing was done to address him says to me there is something more going on, and that we do not have all the information, and without all the information, it would not become us to form an opinion or make a discussion of it.
    1 hr · Like
  • Nick Brander To put it bluntly, I don't see the need for us to stick our noses into something that we are not involved in.
    1 hr · Like
  • Nick Brander If the Dannons have an issue with the ruling of the District and its President, than it would seem to me that the next appropriate course of action is for them to approach the Council of Presidents
    1 hr · Like
  • Bryan Lidtke They've done that and talked to some other synod officials, as well. Nothing has really been resolved. What's next?
    1 hr · Like · 1
  • Daniel Baker We are involved, because our congregations are in fellowship with a pastor who resigned for sexually inappropriate conduct, whose supervising pastor said, under oath, that he resigned for said indiscretions, and yet who was allowed back into the Ministry and transferred elsewhere. Now he has the potential to be transferred to a parish near you. That definitely is our business.
    1 hr · Like · 3
  • Daniel Baker I don't recall "Council of Presidents" being one of Jesus' steps in St. Matthew 18.
    1 hr · Like · 2
  • Beckie Grunewald So what do you hope to achieve by talking about it here? Are there people here with authority to do something?
    1 hr · Like
  • Daniel Baker As for me, I wasn't planning to comment, but the "we should just be quiet and never question Holy Mother" mentality gets me every time. I imagine Bryan started this thread because people were derailing the CRM Status thread with this unsavory topic.
    1 hr · Like · 3
  • Joe Jewell Personally although this may be a "fait accompli" (though I don't necessarily concede that), exposing this case--which I and many, many others feel was handled quite improperly--helps to ensure that either 1) we stand by our practice of reassigning or granting quickie calls to former pastors in similar situations, only this time in the light of day rather than in the hasty way it was done over the objection of many in and out of the district; or 2) it doesn't happen again. 2) is my preferred outcome, personally.

    Finally, secrecy and attempted secrecy are essentially what created the unsavory situation in the first place. Sunlight is an excellent disinfectant. In particular, the nature of the offense (and the lack of repentance that filing the lawsuits demonstrates) means that it absolutely needs to be widely known. Suppose you were considering joining a certain congregation in Texas, or the congregation of the supervising pastor in Wisconsin! This is absolutely and completely relevant, at the minimum, for every woman and every married man. People move around and travel so much these days (both parishioners and called workers). If this is all above-board, let it be known--it is, after all, the PUBLIC ministry.
    1 hr · Edited · Like · 2
  • Bryan Lidtke Yeah, as I said in the OP, this was brought up in the CRM thread and this is off-topic with what was in that thread, so I started one to discuss this in particular.
    1 hr · Like · 1
  • Sherrie Rardin Beckie, if "authority to do something" is now a criterion for discussion, then there need be no more about anything. I personally believe as WELS members we have a right and a responsibility to go to our pastors about things within our church body as a...See More
    47 mins · Like · 3
  • Cathy Probst I find this extremely disturbing. I hope the Texas' church's professional liability insurance is up to date and paid in full.



  • Beckie Grunewald Sherrie what I mean is that if people just sit here and go "that's horrible" and then continue to talk about the details but that's it, it just becomes gossip. When I told my husband about it, he made a note to talk to his circuit about it, because it seems wrong and unsavory. But even as we have public details of the suit filed we dont have public knowledge of what happened between Ski and anyone else as far as counseling. It is conjecture and speculation.
    55 mins · Edited · Like
  • Bryan Spiff Grefsheim Disgusting, but sadly not surprising. We all fall short, but the district leadership really let their members down. I'll also add that these two "pastors" clearly were absent when they covered 1 Corinthians 6 at the Sem!
    16 mins · Like · 1
  • Steve Spencer There's really no need for any conjecture or speculation. The necessary facts, straight from those involved - 
    10 mins · Like · 3
FACT: Ski was suspended by the DP "for cause," and that cause was sexual impropriety - it matters not of what kind. Period. 
FACT: In almost every case of such a suspension for a sexual cause, regardless of the circumstances, the man is out for good. 
FACT: In a VERY few cases of this nature, the man at the very least must wait 2 years to even apply for CRM status. 
FACT: Then the application must go through the District Presidium AND the ALL the Pastors of that district. They, then have the opportunity to oppose the granting of CRM status. 
FACT: ONLY after the two-years wait, and the approval by the District is the man even eligible to be placed on Call Lists for consideration. 
FACT: In Ski's case, the district 2nd VP strongly objected, as well as a number of other Pastors, including some CPs. 
FACT: In no other case has the two-year rule been waved. 
FACT: In no other case has an objection by a VP and other District Pastors been dismissed. These are the facts. 
  • Now, in this case, it has strenuously been denied by various leaders that there was any "deal" involved, or any "quid pro quo" on anyone's part. I'm certainly willing to accept that. However, as I have pointed out to them, the "appearance of evil" is still quite clear and evident, and enough just cause to re-visit the situation and make public the emails and conversations surrounding the circumstances of the case, especially how it ended with Ski as a Pastor again so soon. If this were the government, or a large business, such communications would be demanded by the press and all those who are concerned for propriety. We're not talking about the sanctity of the "confessional" here, but of how the very public Call process was used in this specific case. Again, there is no speculation about the actual facts. They are what they are. That some leaders are being judged as being less than honest in this case is their own fault, and they hold the remedy - making everything open and above board.
  • Christian Schulz ^ Thanks. 

    I'll add a short question. Are you willing to accept that there wasn't a "deal" because there's no proof or because you personally don't believe there was one? Personally, the only way such a thing could happen like that, after all you correctly mentioned, is if a "deal" took place. And let's talk about the elephant in the room. Ski is majorly into CoWo/CGM. The DP that is now taking care of him is also majorly into CGM. The connections are too obvious. Obviously a couple phone calls were placed after the smoked cleared a little bit and wallah he's all of a sudden above reproach and is magically in a congregation that happens to be into CGM-type worship as well. I digress as I know the accusations of conjecture are coming. But, seriously, the good ol' boy system was at work here and it's too obvious to deny.
    1 hr · Edited · Like
  • Sherrie Rardin I don't think this falls under gossip; at least it does not for me. My husband (a retired WELS pastor) and I have already made an appointment with our pastor to discuss this and two other synod issues that we find disturbing. We fully intend, pending the results of that discussion, to then speak to our DP about our thoughts and concerns. Right now, to me as an adult confirmand, this seems to me to be a case of "good ole boys protecting their own" instead of leading God's sheep. If I am wrong, I want to know it. If not, I want to know that too. I am in the position of deciding to send my youngest child away to residential WELS school. I have to be able to trust that the men (and women) in leadership positions are not looking out for one of their own before my child.
    1 hr · Like · 5
  • Sherrie Rardin Funny that Mr Schulz and I were posting at the same time and used the same phrase.
    1 hr · Like · 3
  • Bryan Lidtke One thing I find interesting is that Pastor Ski is allowed to be a pastor in any district... except for the one where he formerly served. So he's blameless and above reproach in all but one district?
    1 hr · Like · 4
  • Cathy Probst Quite frankly, if the WELS develops the habit of shuttling problem pastors around, then we are no better than the Catholic Church and their priests. And we know what problems they are experiencing now, especially in MN.
    55 mins · Like · 3
  • Christian Schulz The WELS is too small and interconnected to ever shake it's "good ole boy" disease. This is the only way the WELS knows how to operate. It all starts at the prep schools. The popular kids at prep will be the future DPs and presidents of the schools, etc. If they like you you'll be accodomated. If you keep your head down you'll be tolerated. And if you speak out you'll be swiftly blacklisted.
    45 mins · Like
  • Steve Spencer Clarification: It may be that Ski "resigned" rather that was formally suspended by the DP, I frankly don't remember which. It really doesn't matter, however. Why not? Because this is quite common; i.e. for the leaders to "offer" the man to resign rather than having to be suspended.) The real underlying "cause" remains exactly the same. But sometimes we will see the reason listed officially as "for the good of the ministry," or "for personal reasons." Why these wordings are used has never been made quite clear to me in cases where I have inquired, except that there is sometimes concern for the feelings of the wife and children of the man in question. Again, that is understandable and charitable. As to Christian's question: I am willing to accept that no "deal" was involved because that is exactly and directly what a DP told me following a CoP meeting around that time. He would have no reason to tell me this if it were not true, as he knows full well I could find out from other sources. Of course, it could be that he himself was not told the full story either. Again, that is all beside the point. The appearance of impropriety remains, indeed, it has grown since then. It is incumbent upon those entrusted with leadership in the synod to confront this appearance and make public and proper reassurance to both Pastors and laypeople that there is no substance to it - AND to provide the necessary evidence to support their contention. I think a former President put it this way, "Trust, but verify." No, our leaders are not our enemies. However, in this world, with all the nonsense going on in churches, it is essential that we go far above and beyond what may have been done in the past. That's just the way it is.
    41 mins · Like · 2
  • Steve Spencer Final comment before I sign off for the evening. It is good to hear that at least a couple of Pastors are planning to confront their spiritual leaders about this situation. We all need to remember, however, that the point under consideration here; i.e. the Call process in the WELS, and the recent observed change in dealing with CRM status - all of this has been the very private and secret purview of the DPs, and they alone, for many, many decades. Like the "black files" that get passed from DP to DP over the years, this authority is jealously guarded and protected from all prying eyes, and all inquiries. "Why some and not others" with regard to salvation may indeed be "the mother of all heresy," but that same question with regard to Call Lists is "the mother of all power" in the WELS today, and has been for generations. It will not be given up lightly or easily, questions about it will be deflected many times, and answers will be less than satisfying to many. We really cannot and should not expect it to be otherwise. Power over others is the world's greatest, most intoxicating, and most dangerous drug; and it is this same in the Church Militant as it is in the rest of the world. We must be sure of our own motives, and be clear that we are not in this for our own power, or because of jealousy over the authority of the DPs, or even just to stir the pot. Otherwise, we are nothing but "mud-rakes." While none of us are holy and perfect, and even our best motives have the touch of our Old Adam, our purpose must be to uphold honesty, openness, and integrity as much as possible in the visible church, and indeed to protect our church body - and our leaders themselves - from falling into corruption, and so harm the proclamation of the precious Gospel. THAT must be our first and foremost motive. And that's why we need to hold those in power accountable. Sin fin.
    23 mins · Like · 4
    • Rachel Giller Forgive me - I have not read all the comments on this thread. I will repeat what I said a couple of months ago when this was brought up (and why I chose to leave the group for awhile because it was like beating a dead horse over and over and over again!!!). To me - this is not an appropriate post. It is gossip and should not even be on here. The DP is aware of the situation. The President of the Synod is aware of the situation. If you have a problem with it, it is not appropriate to be hashing it out on here. No one that is involved is a member of this group to give their side of the story. You may personally know SOME of the facts, but do you know all of them? Were you in the room when things were being discussed???

      This article was written way back in June. It was discussed then, and I believe that the thread was deleted because it was not a discussion that was uplifting and it was not helping further His kingdom.

      Sorry not very eloquently written, but I don't understand why this topic was brought back up.
      2 hrs · Like · 1
    • Joel Dusek You who don't think this subject should be brought up demonstrate the reason why the WELS bureaucracy is corrupt. If you don't hold your leaders accountable and come up with a perpetual train of excuses, the abuses of authority continue. In this case, you are not sheep of the Good Shepherd or His appointed Pastors, but are simply sheep. Man up!
      1 hr · Like · 1
    • Joe Jewell Rachel Giller: We believe this is an appropriate topic for discussion, based on the facts (not gossip--facts) as publicly known. Most of the extensive set of facts that are in the public domain have been put there by the protagonist's own choice (when ...See More

      WCCA vs. WELS Privacy Concerns
      vdma.wordpress.com
      WCCA stands for Wisconsin Circuit Court Access (formerly known as CCAP), and is the internet portal for information about Wisconsin court cases.  When someone applies for a job, an apartment, or an...

    • One Response


      1. on June 16, 2014 at 5:11 pmSteve Calder
        It would be refreshing to see the NWD take a lesson from The Word and demonstrate what He taught us; Repent, ask for forgiveness, and make a change in the behavior so as not to repeat it. As leaders, they should start acting like the one who came to serve us!
    • Beckie Grunewald Joel, your comments are why I now find this thread distasteful. Not one of us is saying what you imply. We're not holding leaders accountable here. What I see is repeated posts about the "good ole boys" and how that will never change. THAT is gossip. Blogs are nice but they still only represent one side. The facts that we have involve only certain aspects. Making judgments on half the story is not God-pleasing. I find it disheartening that people resort to insulting those among us who are trying to keep this on the right side.
      1 hr · Like
    • Rachel Giller Joe - using the excuse that they are facts and public record does not make it ok to continue to hash it out - GOSSIP. We have an established "chain of command". Obviously because this is public knowledge like I said, the DP knows about this, the President of the Synod knows about this. Who are we to judge??? Yes, we know what the court records say, but we DO NOT know what was said in closed doors between these two Pastors and their leaders. 

      And Joel - I take offense to you saying "In this case, you are not sheep of the Good Shepherd or His appointed Pastors, but are simply sheep." Did not Jesus forgive the tax collectors and prostitutes when they were repentant? If I remember correctly he did. No sin is greater than another, whether it is outward sexual immorality or whether it is an itty bitty sinful thought in the back of your mind that you have never taken action on. It is sinful to slander someone's name - which is happening, because even though we have some of the facts, like Beckie said, "blogs are nice but they still only represent one side". Am I "brushing it under the rug" by not discussing? No, I am leaving it up to MY leaders to handle it. Because I trust them and I have faith in them that they are in their appointed positions, where God wants them doing exactly what they need to do.

      Yes, we are all sinful and yes we fail EVERY SINGLE DAY - but ya know what??? WE ARE FORGIVEN!!!!! That is the beauty of it. Christ died on the cross for this specific reason. God knows that we are going to stumble and fall. Thankfully HE is there to pick us back up and set us on our feet again. And we will fall again - and He will continue to pick us back up. Are we suppose to forgive and continue to gossip about it? No. We are suppose to move on. Just as we should be doing now! Have a blessed day. I now get to take my girls to school and go to work!
      49 mins · Like · 1
    • Sherrie Rardin Steve, the call point might have been a main concern for some. Honestly, it is not for me. The main point for me is that it appears, at least to me right now, to be a case of "do what I say for some and not for others" and not within the letter or the spirit of our own doctrine. That is ONE of the things we intend to speak to our pastor to discuss and get more info. What happened to a pastor should be above reproach in his own actions? That is what my husband was told in school with regard to the office of pastor. I am not saying that they would ever be able to meet it, but as a goal it sure seems a pretty good target at which to aim. Beckie, I understand your point on gossip. Truly I do. However, it does seem to me that, at least on the surface, we have more than half the story here. Whether things are taken out of context in this summary, I intend to give the parties (through my pastor) the chance to share. We know that would not be the first in either the media or a blog. However, I will say on the surface that even in a case with merit ONE person filing charges would be sufficient. FOUR seems pretty ridiculous and excessive and, to me personally, meant to intimidate or bully. Our meeting is tomorrow. I will be happy to report PRIVATELY to anyone who is interested on the results of that meeting. If you want me to let you know, please message me privately.
      46 mins · Like
    • Beckie Grunewald On a side note to Rachel, I also believe in forgiveness, but there are still worldly consequences. In the other thread, I believe, it was mentioned that in some cases CRM status should not be given again ever, and I do agree with that.

      Sherrie, thanks       for that post. Yes, we seem to have more than half the story, but we don't have the whole story. We probably never will have the whole story.

      I too trust my leaders, because God has placed them there for a reason. Do I believe they are perfect? Of course not. But I have the ultimate faith in my Lord.
      9 mins · Like
    • Bryan Spiff Grefsheim Thank God all of our sins are forgiven, especially mine, but also including those of the pastors in question. That, however is a separate issue. Many called workers have been removed from their office for cause and have still been assured of their forgiveness, but also told that they are no longer qualified to serve in the public ministry. Too often the water gets muddied when we talk about forgiveness and the privilege (not the right) to serve as a minster of the Gospel. 
      I do know what it's like to be forced to stand with a loved one who has been wronged in the church while leadership circles the wagons. It's not fun, it's a lonely place to be, and it's led to many of our people seeking their spiritual leadership elsewhere. Our called workers are held to a higher standard and accountability or more openness in this area would really add to the credibility of our synod for many people. 
      The words that the Holy Spirit led Paul to write to the church in Corinth come to mind. We are not to settle our disputes in the public courts. These workers decided to do that for whatever reason and in the end, they seemed to land on their feet. I hope the victim and her family were able to do the same.
  • Joel Dusek Forgiveness requires repentance, and from the public statements and actions of these pastors, they exhibit no repentance. Perhaps, privately, they have, but they should do so publicly as well. Other pastors should be publicly reproving them as well, which is why the blog/Facebook are useful, to call other pastors to action. If that happens and these pastors repent they are forgiven, but are still unqualified for the Ministry. 
    Otherwise, WELS ends not with a bang but with a whisper.
  • ---

  • Joe Jewell "And maybe that's why I wish the public discussion of Ski would tone down - because in some ways it feeds the beast that wants to dig up dirt on all pastors who resign."

    I disagree with that. It's not the DISCUSSION that feeds the beast. It's the simp    le fact that he got back into ministry at all--and so quickly. People instinctively know that this should not have happened, especially over the objections of so many. Any increase in doubt or eroding of trust in the process is squarely on the shoulders of the two DPs who engineered the "solution" (as well as, of course, on Ski and Glende themselves).
    19 mins · Edited · Like · 1
  • Dan Babinec I can see your point, Joe Jewell. I was more just throwing out my personal thoughts than trying to sway anyone to stop discussing it. Again, there's another thread for that, so maybe I shouldn't have even said anything in that context.
    16 mins · Like · 1
  • Joe Jewell To be perfectly honest it's the emphasis on how it "should all be quiet and not discussed" that has made me lose the MOST trust in the process. It can't help but make one thing "wow, if they're hushing this up, what else are they hushing up?"... "Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them."
***

GJ - These innocents should realized that all the members are paying for the abusers, through higher insurance premiums. They not only pay the costs of the settlements, but also the court costs, which were quite high just for the Scott Zerbe case in the Michigan District.

Michigan DP was resentful that he had to check out the abusive history of the pastors as an insurance requirement. He and others like him were the reason why the insurance companies insisted - because the settlements were so expensive.

Rejection of justification by faith,
replacing it with universal absolution without faith,
has consequences.

DP Engelbrecht made it clear that SP Schroeder did make a deal when the SP traveled to the Green Bay area to meet with the congregation and DP.

"As a result, and after consultation with WELS President Mark Schroeder and President Engelbrecht, the pastor made his suspension from ministry more clear by tending a letter of resignation.  That was then reported via the weekly call report.  Although President Schroeder expressed his approval of the plan that was developed for the pastor by the District Presidium that could lead to possible return to pastoral ministry, he felt that the term “suspension” caused both confusion and questions that could be avoided by a standard “resignation”.    The pastor, who thereupon  willfully submitted his resignation, has continued to follow the original plan of discipline/restoration developed for him by the Presidium, recognizing it as a beneficial program for his physical, spiritual, and emotional well-being.   Since all too often when a called worker in our synod resigns there is no program put in place that helps him or her to be restored spiritually, emotionally, and physically, it is hoped that the program developed by the Presidium in this case might serve as a model for dealing with such situations that arise in our synod in the future." DP Engelbrecth, who was supported by VP Zank, who replaced Deputy Doug.

Here is some information about what was going on - yet supported by Engelbrecht..




Posted by Ichabod the Glory Has Departed at 9:19 PM
Labels: , , , , ,

A Complex Relationship Not Unlike the Scriptures.
Fungus Growing Ants a Tiny Part of the Picture



We had a medical morning, with a long wait for the doctor (a Lenski fan) and plenty of good news resulting from the visit. I brought along Teaming with Microbes. I just read Teaming with Nutrients by the same author - and took notes. 

 I am shocked by all the new research on soil dependencies, which make my earlier knowledge equal to the experts on TV who advocate spraying, digging, and tilling. I had time in the waiting room to go through the Teaming with Microbes chapter on fungus. I knew they were an important part of the rotting process, but I merely thought, "Fungus forms on dead, damp plants, fungus eaters stop by to eat, and the cycle continues as the predators become the prey in stages."


Thanks to the authors, I now realize that fungi are not only the primary decomposers in the soil, but also the champions at distributing nutrition to the plant roots. I will summarize their astonishing characteristics, which were only beginning to be known after my reading spell.
  1. "A teaspoon of good garden soil may contain several yards of fungi hyphae (branches), invisible to the naked eye.... (Teaming with Microbes, p. 62).
  2. Their enzymes can dissolve lignin, the tough part of cellulose (p. 64).
  3. Their hyphal tips grow through the soil and extend the reach of the fungus, which is a long, tubular structure that conveys nutrients for growing while interacting with roots (p. 64).
  4. "Like bacteria, then, fungi can be seen as living containers of fertilizer" (p. 65).
  5. Fungi can extend from the leaf litter on top of the soil to the roots below (p. 66).
  6. Fungi can obtain nutrition from several sources at the same time (p. 66).
  7. Plants control fungi by providing what the fungi need, which makes the fungi give up nutrients for the tempting carbon exuded from the roots (p. 66).
  8. Fungi, as primary decomposers, provide nitrogen to plants, as a waste product or in swaps (p. 67).
  9. Fungus growing ants show a three-way mutual relationship, with ants and fungus and an antibiotic.

Creation Gardening eliminates useless labor by banning rototilling and excess digging. As the head of this movement, I am appalled that anyone would stir anything into the soil, which means breaking up the structure of the soil. Fungal hyphae are making their connections, tunneling between plants, giving and receiving. Various soil creatures will pull down anything on the surface, which should be mulched, not bare.

 As predicted, the crepe myrtle bush is bursting into bloom after a severe Lyle Lovett cut. I continue to prune the lower branches of all growth and place the debris under the bush as mulch. Pruning adds energy to the plant and forces root growth. Mulch feeds and protects the earthworms and fungi. Yesterday I added Epson salt to the crepe myrtle and all the roses.

 Describing the complex mutual relationships in the garden would take several books, so the material above is just a summary about one carefully designed part of Creation.

 The Scriptures have a mutual relationship even more complex and mutually dependent. For example, the Good Shepherd passage of John 10 is linked to the whole of Scripture by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we do not look at John 10 by itself but in relation to Psalm 23 and Isaiah 40 - plus all the references to sheep, shepherds, lambs, and wolves in sheep's clothing (Matthew 7). There are roughly 500. "I will strike the Shepherd and the sheep will be scattered."

 Those who do not grasp the unity of the Word are like the gardeners who buy an expensive tiller and rip up their soil - with glee - thinking they are doing something good.
Posted by Ichabod the Glory Has Departed at 7:01 AM
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Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Flower Man and Sassy Get Mulch, Reject Bags of "Natural" Amendments

Love roses? Then love earthworms, bacteria, nematodes, and springtails.


Sassy and I wanted to take advantage of the Labor Day sale on mulch, so we got ready for another trip to Lowe's. First I delivered the altar flowers to our gardening neighbor next door. He answered the doorbell and spoke to his family, grinning, "It's the flower man." His wife is crazy about roses, so I bring over an arrangement each week.

Likewise, at the college where I teach, roses routinely land in the registrar's office, where a student staffer said the group has their favorite roses - pink and bi-color and fragrant. They have no idea what next year will be like.

Lowe's was almost empty at 4 PM, probably because more rain seemed ready to fall. An executive at Scott's Lawn and Garden once said sales were always off when it rained on weekends. Most people make their gardening decisions at the last minute. Perhaps many wish for rain - for nefarious reasons. "I was going to garden all weekend, but that would be dangerous in the storm. I will pick up some things at Drive-Thru Liquor instead."

Sassy came in with her happy barks, so the clerk said, "Were you at the Walmart Supercenter opening?" Sassy's bark was that distinctive. We woke up the crowd, then sat in the Ichaboat for the ceremonies.

We checked out the alleged Epson salt for sale. Lowe's had an entire section of organic amendments for sale, but they were bagged so pretty and priced so high that I had the vapors about buying any of it. Similarly, on Amazon, Epson is priced like gold when I can buy it at Walmart for about $1 a pound.

The idea of buying high-priced "organics" - which have been boosted by various additives - strikes me as paradoxical, like women who apply makeup that cannot be seen - but certainly felt in the budget.

We have four neighbors involved in donating newspapers to Wormhaven IV, and I can probably enlist the fifth. The gardening neighbor contributes to the newspaper collection and the compost pile.

Before I read the two books on Teaming with Microbes and Nutrients, I thought in terms of the number and quality of the earthworm population. The general background was obvious, that the earthworm represented the entire decomposition process. The power of the tiniest creatures was lost on me.

Like the veterans who wrote the two recent books, I now realize that much of the value of organic gardening starts at the microscopic level, where bacteria, protozoa, nematodes, and springtails work.

Here is a list of the myriad creatures in compost.

Some creatures shred organic matter - and earthworms are the champion shredders. Bacteria, nematodes, and protozoa break the bonds of organic matter to make the shredded components usable for plant roots. When earthworms, springtails, and sowbugs shred the autumn leaves, the remains are easier for the bacteria and fungus to attack and decompose. Sycamore leaves will last intact all winter unless they are initially damaged by a lawnmower. The initial man-made shredding will initiate creature-shedding and eventual disappearance of all leaf residue.

Earthworms help with the initial shredding, since they pull down leaf fragments into the soil. But they also concentrate and move bacteria through the digestive process. This also concentrates beneficial elements in the castings, which are prized as the best possible soil amendment.


Posted by Ichabod the Glory Has Departed at 7:11 AM
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Jeske Chose To Live Away from St. Marcus - In Another Neighborhood

Mark-and-Avoid Jeske had a sudden urge to pay his taxes,
since people ask why he is building his school empire on their taxes.


Michael Horne
HOUSE CONFIDENTIAL

Rev. Mark Jeske’s Lutheran Parsonage

By  - Aug 28th, 2014 01:46 pm

The televangelist's classic 1892 Italianate town home near Brady St. is hardly staid, what with its backyard hot tub.



St. Marcus Evangelical Lutheran Church has been in the news quite a bit, as it has attempted to purchase a former Milwaukee Public School building, only to find resistance from MPS, which has angered those who favor charter and choice schools, while public school supporters opposed the sale. Meantime, the church’s parsonage has a curious history: long exempt from property taxes, it has recently come back on the City of Milwaukee tax rolls. Yet it has had the same occupant, Rev. Mark Jeske, for decades.
Until recently, the home was owned by Jeske’s employer, St. Marcus church, which had bought the N. Astor St. home for $72,000 in 1987. As a church-owned parsonage for the Jeske family, it qualified for exemption from property taxes.
But Jeske, and his wife Carol Jeske, bought the home back from the church for the same sum on July 26th, 2013.
When word of the sale reached the assessor’s office, Mary Reavey’s staff was ready to spring into action. “When we receive transfer information for a property we have classified as exempt we immediately check to see if the status should be changed to taxable,” she tells House Confidential. That’s what happened in this case.
Upon review, the 2-story, 1,960 square foot 1892 Cream City Brick-veneered home was given an assessment of $42,800 for the 4,224 square foot lot [$10.13 / s.f.] and $255,300 for the improvements for a total assessed valuation of $298,100. This is considerably more than the $72,000 purchase price, which was clearly not an arms-length transaction. It is also more than the assessor’s 2013 calculation of the then-exempt property’s valuation of just $10,300 for the land and $123,600 for the improvements.
The Jeske Residence
The Jeske Residence
The new assessment should yield an annual combined property tax bill of about $9,000. About $6,800 of that would go to the City of Milwaukee and the Milwaukee Public Schools. Some of those funds may ultimately go to repair the sidewalk in front of the residence, just steps south of busy E. Brady St.
The home was designed in 1892 by Milwaukee architect W. A. Holbrook, who built the 24 ft by 54 ft. home on ten foot 2” x 12” studs on 16“ centers on a dressed limestone foundation for original owner W. W. Wallisat a cost of $5,000. Wallis was a pawnbroker, and the home’s old address was 831 Astor St.
Holbrook was the successor to Edward Townsend Mix, the most prominent of Milwaukee’s early architects, and took over the firm upon the principal’s death in 1880.
The home then dropped from history until 1957 when Theresa Jakusz installed a conversion gas furnace, and said goodbye to the coal man forever. In 1967 Louis Jakuszinstalled a gas dryer in the basement. Owner Gary Persinger paid $560 to install a 591 ft. perimeter, four-foot high chain link fence around the yard in 1972. It survives. In 1999 pastor Jeske installed air conditioning.
The home is among the loveliest and most substantial along this stretch of the Lower East Side. It has four bedrooms and two baths, and fine detailing throughout. The landscape is a bit over-mature, and some clumsy handling can be seen with the Pfitzer Juniper that dominates the front yard. An assertive city-owned basswood tree is pushing up the sidewalk somewhat precipitously. This is a concern in a neighborhood with many pedestrians and many elderly residents.
Surprisingly, the property has an outdoor hot tub and deck in the sheltered back yard, which lacks an alley and adjoins neighboring properties. This may force some to reevaluate the Wisconsin Lutheran Synod, which this writer had always associated with fire and brimstone tempered by cold showers, and not a nice, warm soak under the stars.

About Mark Jeske

Rev. Mark Jeske has a long affiliation to St. Marcus Lutheran Church, 2215 N. Palmer St., as he was baptised there in 1952 while his father served as associate pastor. After completing his studies at the Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in Mequon and engaging in teaching and missionary work for two years, Jeske was assigned to St. Marcus in 1980, and has remained there ever since.
According to his parish biography:
“The church and school are located in a neighborhood that, at that time, was failing. Abandoned houses, graffiti, broken glass, and very low rates of home ownership caused many who could get out to flee. But Pastor Jeske’s vision was to reinvigorate St. Marcus to be a Gospel-centered worship and education ministry that would bring people together: young and old, well-to-do and poor, black and white, well-educated and little-educated.”
Jeske also engaged in a program of rehabilitating the century-old school at the church, completing an ambitious remodeling and expansion of the original facility in 2003, and announcing further plans this year.
Jeske is also a televangelist, hosting the weekly Time of Grace half-hour television show since 2001. He is also the author of numerous books and pamphlets, and maintains arobust internet presence.
As to the recent politics involving St. Marcus, a month ago, Mayor Tom Barrett countered an $880,000 offer by the church to purchase the unused Lee School, 921 W. Meinecke Ave., to expand its successful charter school program. (The church had been rebuffed in an earlier attempt to purchase the shuttered Malcolm X Academy.)
The mayor said, “fine,” provided the school pay $1.3 million over the course of a decade to compensate city taxpayers for their share of the cost of educating the voucher students.
St. Marcus rejected this request.
Meanwhile, Jeske’s decision to buy the parsonage will gain the city some revenue. The addition of the minister’s home to the tax rolls of the city is the sort of thing that rarely occurs: “There are probably some other instances where pastors buy property and the property becomes taxable but it would be difficult to find them,” Reavey says.
As it stands, some 25 percent of property in the city is exempt from taxation at a time when residential taxpayers shoulder some 75 percent of the property tax burden, up from 50 percent twenty years ago.

The Rundown

  • Location: City of Milwaukee
  • Neighborhood: Lower East Side
  • Subdivision: Too old for that
  • Year Built: 1892
  • Style: Classic Italianate late 19th century formal town home.
  • Size: 1,960 square feet
  • Fireplaces: Apparently no longer
  • Air Conditioning: Central
  • Rec Room: 0
  • Assessment: Land $42,800 ($10.13 / s.f.), Improvements $255,300 Total $298,100.
  • Taxes: New to the tax rolls. Estimated at about $9,000
  • Walk Score: 88 out of 100. “Very Walkable”
  • Transit Score: 54 out of 100 “Good Transit”
  • Street Smart Walk Score: 92 out of 100 “Walker’s Paradise” I should say. Glorioso’s is right across the street; you can see Regano’s Roman Coin from the front door. Brady Streetis at your feet!
How Milwaukee Is It? The residence is about 1.2 miles from City Hall and a mile from St. Marcus Church.
Posted by Ichabod the Glory Has Departed at 5:56 AM
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Monday, September 1, 2014

Mobile Bacteria and Fungi - They Use Creatures for Taxi Service.
Earthworms and Tiny Nematodes



The book is Teaming with Microbes, The Organic Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web, Jeff Lowenfels and Wayne Lewis. Timber Press, Portland. 206pp. $17.

http://www.amazon.com/Teaming-Microbes-Organic-Gardeners-Revised/dp/1604691131. The next book is Teaming with Nutrients.

Fungi are the primary decomposers in soil, far more than bacteria, which rely on what was already started by the fungus enzymes (Teaming with Microbes, p. 65).

Fungi transport useful chemicals to plant roots in a strange swapping mechnism. The plant gives up food for the fungi and receives those elements it needs. Usually some change must take plant for the roots to take it up, and the fungus does this (p. 66).

Protozoa prey upon bacteria and together mineralize nutrients for plants, providing 80% of the nitrogen needed in the root zone (p. 84).

Mr. Inorganic Gardener thinks he is giving nitrogen to his plants by pouring fertilizer on them. The Creation Gardener is more efficient and cost-effective  by providing organics for the creatures. He will mulch the grass into the lawn and so the nitrogen and other nutrients are locked up in the root layer, circulating through various creatures and concentrated by the earthworm.

Nematodes are another surprise for me in gardening. I knew they existed. Bad nematodes eat living plant roots. But there are many good nematodes. They taxi bacteria and fungi around because nematodes (the size of a human hair) are much larger and more mobile than their passengers. Since one problem is concentration of useful creatures, the movement of nematodes and earthworms puts the useful root-zone creatures in new places.




It is comparable to mixing a powder into a liquid. The fine particles clump if they are put in the bottom of a container and liquid is poured over them. However, if the powder is added on top of the liquid, it is easily dispersed by stirring, especially when the liquid is already moving around in a whirlpool.  I always thought of earthworm movement, but never the movement of the smaller creatures offering taxi rides to the smallest ones


Posted by Ichabod the Glory Has Departed at 12:40 PM
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Raining on Our Bacteria and Fungi - Good News for the Creation Garden



I am studying a fascinating book about the components of good soil and how to use them for better and easier gardening. The rainstorm is helping build up the bacterial and fungi right now, and compost is...composting.

The book is Teaming with Microbes, The Organic Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web, Jeff Lowenfels and Wayne Lewis. Timber Press, Portland. 206pp. $17.

http://www.amazon.com/Teaming-Microbes-Organic-Gardeners-Revised/dp/1604691131

The next book is Teaming with Nutrients.

Soil research has provided many new insights about all the chemical components  and creatures working together. The relationships are far more complex than most of us realized, even if we read about each part of the puzzle before.

Old view - which I shared - bacterial are good because they break down organic matter as one part of decomposition.

New view - *Bacteria and plant roots have an essential relationship with each other, the roots exuding food for the little ones and the bacteria giving food back to the roots. About 80% of all the nitrogen used by plants is created in the immediate root zone.

Old view - which most books still advocate - *Mix inorganic chemicals (NPK) into the soil to boost the plant's growth and health.

New view - which I held long ago, using manure and compost - *Organic matter, which once lived, will break down and stay in the root zone to feed the plants. NPK fertilizer passes through the zone and enters the aquifer, potentially polluting the water supply.

Old view - which I rejected - *Fungi are found in soil. So what? Many organic gardeners and poet Walt Whitman thought this was a significant role for soil.

New view - *Fungi are not only essential in killing disease organisms in the soil, but also in moving nutrition to plants in a complex relationship.

Old view - *When in doubt - rototill. Break up the lawn with a 12 horsepower rototiller. Weed with a little rototiller. When the garden is done in the fall, osterize the garden until it looks like coffee grounds.

New view - which I adopted gradually - *Soil structure is essential to the health of all the creatures below the surface, Blending the soil kills many of the creatures and ends their complex relationships until they rebuild them on their own. Organic material on the top of the soil will be pulled down by the earthworms. Lawns can be converted to compost-on-the-spot by covering areas with newspapers and mulch.

Old view - which I rejected as too limited - *Earthworms (one per shovel of soil) are a sign of good soil.

New view - which is adding to what I learned from Rodale Press and experience - *Red wiggler earthworms should be introduced to the lawn, garden, and compost, because they are most active in the top 12 inches of soil. However, they should be viewed in light of the complex relationship between bacteria and earthworms, not to mention all the other living components of soil. In short, earthworms should be maximized in the soil. The ancient Egyptians were right - killing an earthworm should be a capital offense.

As I wrote before in my review of Teaming with Microbes, scientists may see all this as the result of evolution, but I defy anyone to show how protozoa have figured out they should not eat all the bacteria (in the book) or how plants devised a way to get bacterial and fungi to deliver usable chemicals in exchange for food they need.

Unintentional humor in the book - we should be concerned about bacterial producing methane (global warming!). How are we going to stop that? and where is the proof of global warming? - already proven to be a hoax.



Posted by Ichabod the Glory Has Departed at 8:44 AM
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Special Rules for Relatives in WELS

Assignment day at Mequon - $100,000 a year salary -
so Glende destroyed the congregation and left.

Polluted WELS is hosting some debates about pastoral calls in WELS, including Assignment Day, when the new graduates are assigned to congregations. Later they become free agents.

The District Presidents control the calls, aided by various relatives in the system. The assignments are normally the ones without enough money to call free agents. However, Tim Glende, vicar to  Mark-and-Avoid Jeske, nephew of John Brug, received $100,000 a year - right out of Mequon.

The next time everyone is asked to cough up for Holy Mother WELS, consider the millions wasted on synodical pets and their absurd projects, like moving away from a campus location to rent worship space - just to build a debt-loaded building that would ultimately close the parish for good.

Parlow, Jeske, Kelm, and Patterson are all in
the Church and Change kick-line.
Join them or experience the Left Foot of Fellowship.

Posted by Ichabod the Glory Has Departed at 7:18 AM
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