Faith

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Sunday, november 30, 2014

Celebrating Western Montana's Religious Communities

a special publication of

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Sunday, november 30, 2014

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Table Of Contents

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c at h o l i c pa r i s h e s

Baptist

the catholic community liturgical celeBrations of the word & eucharist saturday

sunday

BLESSED TRINITY- Catholic Community 1475 Eaton 721-2405 5:00pm 10:00am Reconciliation Sat 4:00pm

CHRIST THE KING Home of Catholic Campus Ministry 5:15pm 9:00am 1400 Gerald 728-3845 11:15am Reconciliation Sat 4:30pm 6:30 PM Mon-Tue-Thur-Fri Mass 12:10 PM Wed. 12:10 p.m. Mass on Campus

ST. ANN Bonner 258-6815 Seeley Lake Condon

8:00 & 9:30am 4:00pm 10:30am

345 S. 5th St. West service - 10:00 a.m.

Shane Sander, Pastor Casual and Committed Followers theJourneymissoula.org

Jewish - messianic

A Messianic Jewish Congregation

217 Tremont 543-3129 5:00pm 8:30am Reconciliation Sat. 4:00pm 11:00am

Jewish Service & Interactive Torah Study

ST. FRANCIS XAVIER

273-0070 • bethtephila.org

SPIRIT OF CHRIST Lolo 273-2748 Byzantine Mass 2nd & 4th Sunday

8:00am 6:00pm

ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST Frenchtown 626-4492 9:00am Traditional Latin Mass 3rd Sunday 12:00pm Missions of St. John the Baptist Alberton 5:00pm Superior 12:00pm for further information regarding weekly schedules or to learn more about the catholic faith tradition call one of the local parishes.

lutheran

Beth Tephila

ST. ANTHONY

420 W. Pine 542-0321 5:00pm 8:00am Reconciliation Sat 3:30pm 10:00am Daily Mass (M-F) 8:00am 6:00pm

communities 202 BROOKS

549-4141

Sunday Services • 8:30 & 11:00 a.m.

Monday Evening Services • 6:30pm Serving Christ & Community Since 1906 convenient parking & elevator access

Jewish - synagogue

lutheran church

Renew Rejoice Reach Out www.stpaulmissoula.org

Register now for Fall Preschool session.

9am non-traditional service 10:10 learning hour 11am traditional service 830 South Ave W watch live!@ 549-0736 • ELCA Pastor Molly Sasser-Goehner imluchurch.org

MESSIAH LUTHERAN LCMS 3718 Rattlesnake • 549-9222 Pastor David Hasselbrook

Har

Shalom

Welcome Home.

3035 S. Russell, Missoula, MT 59807 www.har-shalom.org • 549-9595

Laurie Franklin,student rabbi • info@har-shalom.org

ATONEMENT

lutheran

402 Strand Ave.

Worship 10 a.m.

WELS • Pastor Justin Cloute • 543-8222 www.mountzionmissoula.org

St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church

Worshipping in the Anglican Tradition while reaching out to welcome, nurture, and serve 110 6th Ave. E. • Polson, Montana Office—406-883-5524

9:15AM - Sunday School & Adult Bible Study

unity

L UTHER AN CH URCH

10:30AM Sunday Worship Service

9:00am 9:00 am ▪ Sunday Worship Communion Worship 10:15amHoly ▪ Education/Youth Ministries 10:15am Education Hour

“I found inner peace, I found Unity.”

Liturgical • Christ-Centered

2205 34th Street ▪ 549-7792 2205 34th Daniel Street • 549-7792 Pastor Disch Pastor Daniel Disch

Evangelical Church in inAmerica America Evangelical Lutheran Lutheran Church

ASL (Text 240-5024 to verify)

Messiah Preschool 543-4845 messiahlutheran@bresnan.net

Unity Church of Missoula

546 South Ave. W. (406) 728-0187 Sundays: 11 a.m.

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Catholic Community Welcomes All The Catholic Community of the Greater Missoula Area welcomes all who seek a spiritual home within the Roman Catholic tradition. We are a community rooted in the mystery of the Trinity called to embrace the mission and ministry of Jesus Christ. The center of our life, faith and mission is Sunday Mass where we are nurtured and nourished at the Lord’s Table of Word and Eucharist. Sent from the Table we are commissioned to proclaim the Good News of the Gospel to all who hunger and thirst and to exercise the ministry of charity and justice. We celebrate the life of the Church through the Sacraments.

Our area parishes are all part of the Diocese of Helena, established on March 7, 1884 and consisting of the western 1/3 of the state of Montana. Bishop George Leo Thomas currently serves as the tenth Bishop of Helena.

The first Catholic Church in the Montana Territory is located in Stevensville. St. Mary’s Mission was founded in 1841, when Fr. DeSmet, S.J. came to the Bitterroot Valley at the request of the Salish people. The Catholic Church in Montana now includes 58 parishes, 38 missions, and approximately 57,000 Catholics.

After extensive consultation in 2004 Bishop Thomas began a collaborative process called “Come to the Light,” a program of self-study and development to plan for the current and future growth of ministry and service in the parishes of the Diocese.

The Catholic Parishes of the Missoula area heed the call of the Gospel envisioned in Catholic Social Teaching. And so we proclaim a vision, mission and

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ministry to care for the poor and the disenfranchised; to affirm the gift and journey of life from conception to natural death as a “seamless garment;” to participate in meeting the needs and concerns of persons and peoples beyond our parishes and city. The Catholic parishes in the Missoula area participate extensively in worldwide ministries of charity and justice through Catholic Relief Services, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development and active involvement in the Diocese of Helena Mission in Guatemala. The Catholic Parishes of Missoula provided significant support in the establishment of the Poverello Center in the mid 1970’s. Area parishioners continue to claim a supportive presence in the mission of “the Pov,” participate in the work of the Missoula Food Bank, Habitat for Humanity, Missoula Aging Services and many other area charitable organizations. Most recently Missoula Parishes are involved in the organizational work of Family Promise, a group of various denominational churches seeking to establish permanent housing for families who are unexpectedly found homeless.

Each parish also provides a variety of faith formation opportunities for children, youth and adults. Elementary, junior high and high school youth meet for a variety of activities including diocesan programs for youth, especially leadership training through the Catholic Youth Coalition, summer camp at Salmon Lake’s Legendary Lodge, service projects in the diocese and international travel to World Youth Day. The Missoula Catholic Schools offer excellent faith-based education for

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youth, Kindergarten through 12th grade at St. Joseph Elementary School and Loyola Sacred Heart High School. The mission of the Catholic Church in the Missoula area extends specifically to young adults and university students through the campus ministry located at Christ the King Parish. In addition to the Sunday Liturgy, development of Peer Ministers and other special gatherings around topics of faith are available to young adults.

The Catholic Church has been gifted and strengthened in faith by adults who have sought faith and been initiated into the church through the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Eucharist. Each Parish offers extensive adult faith education and enrichment opportunities as well as a variety of ministries. Adult Persons who seek initiation into the Christian life in the Catholic Tradition do so through the experience of the Rites of Christian Initiation in their local parish. All parishes welcome Catholics who have been away from the Church offering opportunities to share, express needs and gifts and discern a return to their Catholic faith.

The Catholic parishes of the Missoula area are served by clergy and professional staff who are dedicated to sharing the life of faith, ministry and mission, and to join with all other people of faith in building a strong and loving community, a place of care and compassion for all those who commit themselves to walk faithfully in the footsteps of Christ.

o m m u n i T y

Bless the God oF all who has done wondrous thinGs on earth Blessed trinity Catholic Community 1475 Eaton Street • 721-2405

Saturday 5:00 p.m.

Saturday

Sunday 10:00 a.m.

Christ the King Home of Catholic Campus Ministry 1400 Gerald • 728-3845

9:00 a.m., 11:15 a.m. & 6:30 p.m.

St. ann Bonner • 258-6815 Seeley Lake Condon

8:00 a.m. & 9:30 a.m.

4:00 p.m.

10:30 a.m.

St. anthony 217 Tremont • 543-3129

5:00 p.m.

8:30 a.m. & 11:00 a.m.

St. Francis Xavier 420 West Pine • 543-0321

5:00 p.m.

8:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m. & 6:00 p.m.

Spirit of Christ Lolo • 273-2748

8:00 a.m.

St. John the Baptist Frenchtown • 626-4492

9:00 a.m.

Missions of St. John the Baptist Alberton Superior St Mary Stevensville • 777-5574 St Joseph Florence St. Francis assisi Hamilton • 363-1385 St Philip Benizi Darby St. Ignatius Mission St. Ignatius 745-2768 Sacred Heart Arlee 726-3450 St. John Berchmans Jocko

Sunday 5:00 p.m.

12:00 p.m.

5:00 p.m.

8:30 a.m.

11:00 a.m.

5:30 p.m.

7:30 a.m. & 9:00 a.m.

11:00 a.m.

9:15 a.m.

11:15 a.m.

5:00 p.m.

For further information regarding weekly schedules or to learn more about the Catholic faith tradition call one of the local parishes.

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We all benefit from quieting our mind

By Matt Runde, La Crosse Tribune, La Crosse, WI The odds that intercessory prayer will actually affect the external world are no better than chance. Why then do the faithful tenaciously cling to the practice, finding great personal satisfaction regardless of the outcome?

The answer is that prayer focuses and calms the mind, offering a respite from the incessantly chattering “monkey mind” that torments us all. Buddhists, being atheists, do not pray to a deity, but they engage in an analogous practice of meditation. Prayer uplifts Jews, Muslims and Christians for exactly the same reason that meditation rejuvenates Buddhists and nonreligious people.

Both practices offer temporary separation from the ego, the source of most of our suffering. Whether there is a God is irrelevant with regard to the benefit of prayer. Quieting the mind works.

The mind is almost never truly quiet. Each of us can attest to its endless advice and ruthlessly critical commentary on every action or thought. No doubt this tendency has become exaggerated as a result of modern civilization and the need for constant multitasking. Whatever the reason, it is clearly the source of much suffering.

Many have discovered through prayer, contemplation and meditation that if we can quiet this endless yammering, it can produce a lasting sense of well being.

To be truly transformative, these practices need to be applied in a rigorous fashion and require sufficient dedication of time and effort. Usually, the idea of prayer refers to a brief thanks offered in anticipation of a meal, a plea for an ill

relative or friend, or a short report offered before retiring to bed. Used in this fashion, prayer is not likely to alter the habits of the mind enough to achieve significant long-term benefit.

However, prayer can be applied with much greater effect than the trifling exercises described above. Contemplative prayer is a more intense and extended practice; Catholic nuns (especially Carmelites) and priests devote a substantial portion of their day to contemplative prayer, averaging three to four hours daily, often much more. General ly, the goal is to completely occupy the mind in the act, pushing aside all distractions. It involves intense concentration on a single object.

Contemplative prayer has a long history. In 1974, Father William Meninger, a Trappist monk and retreat master at St. Josephs Abbey in Spencer, Mass., found a book in the abbey library, “The Cloud of Unknowing.” He discovered that this 14th century book presented contemplative prayer as a teachable, spiritual process enabling the layperson to enter and receive a direct experience of union with God, and he called it “centering prayer.”

The key features of the technique are, for about 30 minutes twice a day, to sit in silent prayer, eyes closed, focused on a “sacred word.” Each time the mind wanders to some thought, one is to return gently and non-judgmentally to the sacred word.

Compare this with the Buddhist technique of insight meditation — vipassana. One sits in silent meditation, with a primary goal of attending completely to the present moment. The initial focus is on the act of breathing, and gradually one expands the awareness to all physical sensations present in conscious-

Christmas Season Services at Area Lutheran Churches (ELCA) Atonement Lutheran Church 2205 34th Street, Missoula, MT 59801

406.549.7792 Sunday Mornings: 9am Holy Communion Worship 10:15am Education Hour 10:15am December 21 Young Musicians Christmas Recital Christmas Eve Candlelight Services: 4pm The Christ Child, Carols & Candles 6pm The Christ Child, Carols & Candles 10pm The Christ Child, Carols, Candles & Holy Communion

Faith Lutheran 171 Lewis Lane, Hamilton, MT 59840

406-363-2964 Sunday Mornings: 9:30 am Worship 11:00am Education Hour Christmas Eve Services: 4pm/7pm Candlelight Worship

Immanuel Lutheran Church

830 South Ave. W, Missoula, MT 59801

406.549-0736

Sunday Mornings: 9am Contemporary Service and 11am Traditional Service 10:10am Learning Hour Children’s Program December 14 Mid-week Advent Services: Wednesdays – December 3 & 10 @ 6:30pm December 17th Blue Christmas Service 6:30pm Christmas Eve Services: 6pm/10pm

Jocko Valley Lutheran Church 17926 US Hwy 93 N, Arlee, MT 59821

406.726-3305

Sunday Mornings: 10:30am Worship Christmas Eve Service: 6pm

Our Savior’s Lutheran Church 8985 Hwy 200 E, Bonner MT 59823

406.258.6245

Sunday Mornings: 9:30 Adult Bible Study 10:30am Worship 10:30am Sunday School Christmas Eve Service: 8pm

Prince of Peace Lutheran Church 2512 Sunset Lane, Missoula, MT 59801

406.549-4042

Sunday Mornings: 8:30am Worship Christmas Eve Service: 4pm

St. Paul Lutheran Church

202 Brooks St., Missoula, MT 59801

406.549.4141

Sunday Mornings: 8:30 and 11:00am Holy Communion Worship 9:45am Education Hour Children’s Program December 14 Mid-week Advent Services: Wednesdays – December 3rd, 11th & 17th @ 6:30pm Holden Evening Prayer Christmas Eve Candlelight Services: 3pm/5pm/7pm/9/pm Christmas Day Service: 10am

Valley of Christ Lutheran Church

16200 Frontage Road, Frenchtown, MT 59834

406.626.4606

Sunday Mornings: 10:30am Worship 9:30am Sunday School and Bible Study Christmas Eve Services: 6pm/10pm

Sunday, november 30, 2014

ness. Each time the mind wanders to some thought, one is to return gently and non-judgmentally to the breath.

Consider also Muslim prayer. Devout Muslims pray five times daily, often totaling an hour or more in daily prayer. Each session is similar in content, and after months or years of practice, the physical part becomes automatic.

The mind is free to focus entirely on the present moment. It is the effect on the mind, not communion with God, which produces the undeniable benefit.

Visible, structural changes are recognized to result from meditation. It’s clear the mind has the ability to alter its own structure through intense concentration.

Neuroscientist Sara Lazar in a 2005 publication compared 20 Buddhist who practiced meditation for an average time of nine years to a matched group of non-meditators. The meditators had significantly increased cortical thickness in right middle and superior frontal cortex and the insula, suggesting that meditation can generate structural change in the brain.

There have been similar findings in studies of Western meditators, who typically practice only about six hours a week. It would not be surprising to see similar structural changes in the brains of those practicing intense, regular prayer.

It is easy to see the strong parallels among these practices. In each of these techniques, the essential ingredient is that the mind is concentrated on the present moment. All extraneous thoughts are temporarily cast aside. Often, one must endure physical discomfort, boredom and restlessness to properly participate in such rituals, through which one learns the ephemeral nature of experience.

It’s not surprising that people of all faiths and people of no faith find great comfort in these practices. We are all human, more similar than not, and we all benefit immeasurably from understanding our own minds.

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Sunday, november 30, 2014

St. Andrew's Episcopal Church Invites You to Worship At St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, all are welcome and affirmed in the many diverse and wonderful ways God has made us. As a community, we don't care about your age, what you're wearing, your gender, your relationship status, or what you have in your pockets. We believe God wants to meet you where you are and transform your heart, and we think this is a community in which that will happen. Can St. Andrew's become your spiritual home? We hope so!

St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church Worshipping in the Anglican Tradition while reaching out to welcome, nurture, and serve 110 6th Ave. E. Polson, Montana 59860 Office—406-883-5524 The Rev. Steven Yurosko, Rector Email: therevsteven@centurylink.net Website: http://www.standrewspolson.com

St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church Worshipping in the Anglican Tradition while reaching out to welcome, nurture, and serve

Sunday Holy Eucharist—10:00 AM Christmas Eve Caroling with the Choir—4:30 to 5:00 PM Come join our choir in singing all your favorite carols.

Candlelight Festal Eucharist—5:10 PM Celebrate the birth of our Lord by joining us for Eucharist with traditional hymns and candle lighting during the singing of Silent Night.

Christmas Day Holy Eucharist—10:00 AM This is a simple, informal Christmas morning service with carols as the spirit moves us.

110 6th Ave. E. Polson, Montana 59860 | Office—406-883-5524

Sunday, november 30, 2014

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Art changed convicted felon's life DALLAS (AP) — No one has to sell Leonard "Rusty" Medlock on the idea of giving people second chances.

The same situation that threatened to marginalize him in society — a prison term for drug-related felonies — liberated him in a Texas prison.

"When I got locked up" for the last time, Medlock told The Dallas Morning News (http://bit.ly/1t39EOd) of a 12-year stint that ended more than a decade ago, "I was thinking and praying. I knew I had to get out a different way. I'd always say, 'Lord, have mercy.'"

Those three words, "Lord Have Mercy," are the title of his signature artwork — a gripping piece that also reveals how he turned his life around.

Medlock, whose paintings now fetch upward of $1,000 each, was spotlighted at the opening of the recent National Prison Summit on Mass Incarceration in Dallas.

The event, sponsored by the United Methodist Church, was aimed at training churches in how to support ex-convicts and their families.

"In general, felons are stereotypically defined as being dangerous and unworthy of being restored," said Fred Allen, the Nashville-based national director of Strengthening the Black Church for the 21st Century.

"That's not the case in my experience. These men and women ought to be viewed as valuable human beings able to contribute to the community."

Medlock is a good example. His signature drawing depicts a man with his head bowed, tattered-sleeved elbows resting on both knees, hands clasped, deep in prayer.

Beneath it is a verse from the Bible, 1 Thessalonians 5:17: "Pray continually."

"Even in my darkest hours, I was praying," Medlock said. "I was the only one sitting in a drug house, using drugs and praying out loud. I'd say, 'Lord, please don't let me die in this sin.'"

His hard fall from grace — as a gifted track athlete at Roosevelt High School who played two years in the old United States Football League — can be traced to the drug epidemic that wrecked many lives in the '80s.

"I figured out I could make more money selling cocaine than I could playing football," said Medlock, now 55. "I was around the wrong people and got some bad advice."

He eventually crossed the line and began using what he was selling.

Next thing you know, he's on the lam, hiding from drug dealers he owed and stealing from his own mother to feed his habit.

"My life spiraled out of control," he said.

In a twist of fate, prison saved Medlock. There, he rediscovered his first passion in life — art.

"When I was in elementary school, my art teacher told my mom I had

A portrait of Moses parting the Red Sea by artist Leonard “Rusty” Medlock, on display at his home in DeSoto, Texas, on Nov. 10, 2014.

a real talent," Medlock said. "And Mama said, 'I know. He's doing it all over my living room walls.'"

Behind bars, he started sketching again. He learned how to strip the bright colors off of Skittles candy and turn it into brilliant paint. He even used toothpaste to paint.

But another creative idea — drawing portraits of those featured in newspaper obituaries — got him noticed. He mailed them to funeral homes and asked them to pass the images along to survivors.

"All of a sudden ... I started getting money on the books," he said, referring to the cash — as much as $150 — that folks sent him.

He also got heartfelt letters from strangers encouraging him to change his life and use his God-given talent. His art touched people — and gave him hope.

When he left prison, he went knocking on the door of Golden Gate Funeral Home to pitch his idea of painting obituary portraits.

"I knew he had something in him," said John Beckwith Jr., owner and CEO of the Oak Cliff-based funeral home.

Medlock began painting quick-turnaround portraits that earned him about $250 each at first.

Now, Medlock can set his own price. He and his wife of six years have a lovely home in DeSoto, and they attend the historic St. Paul United Methodist Church in downtown Dallas.

"Lord, have mercy," Medlock said. "It's amazing what God can do."

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Sunday, november 30, 2014

garden city funeral home’s annual

candle lighting memorial service If you’ve ever lost someone special, join our afternoon gathering to light a candle in their memory. This warm ceremony will help you remember them in a uniquely personal way during this holiday season. A candle will be given to all attendees. We wish to cordially invite you and your families to join us and others who have lost loved ones, for a time of remembrance and reflection.

An Invitation!

Annual Community Service of Remembrance to Honor, to Remember, to Pay Tribute

everyone welcome sunday, december 7th at 2:00pm ‘Candle Lighting Ceremony’ We Will be Honored by Your Attendance.

Service is Open to All Missoula Area Families. Refreshments Will be Served.

Garden City Funeral Home & Crematory - Broadway and Mullan 543-4190