The Next Journey!

To my friends and supporters around the world,

I would like to share the joyous news that I have accepted a call to be the Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in St. Paul, Nebraska! Over the past few months I have enjoyed getting to know them through their Pastor Nominating Committee, their references and their joyful newsletters. Recently I have had the privilege to preach for them and visit their community on a more personal level. They are a small, strong congregation that daily lives out their mission statement to be a “church that feeds people body, mind and soul.” I thank God for this opportunity to join in mission with them in Howard County and beyond! I will be joining with them in ministry beginning November 14th! It will be a fast transition, however, I am excited to begin with them in preparations for their hosting of a community Thanksgiving dinner(one of their central ministries) as we enter the Advent season together!

I would like to invite you(in body or in spirit) to my Service of Ordination on October 30, 2011, at 2pm in First Presbyterian Church of Ponca City, OK. This will be a very special service as we remember our baptism and celebrate our callings in the one body of Christ. We will welcome a few members from my future congregation as well as Rev. Jan Dus from Polička, Czech Republic! As we celebrate God’s call upon my life and future ministry, I would like to celebrate the ministries where I have witnessed God at work. Our offering during the service will be designated to support the Cimarron Presbytery Solar Under the Sun project in Juju, Kenya. During my time at Columbia Theological Seminary, I had the amazing opportunity of studying alongside Rev. Henry Kaira, who is now a pastor at Juju Presbyterian Church. I was overjoyed to discover that our presbytery has already been at work in a partnership with this particular community.



Please join me in celebration of my calling as a pastor and witness to God’s love and work in the world! If you cannot be in attendance, don't worry! As always, I will continue to update this blog with the coming steps of this journey! Thank you for your love and support that has carried me to this place!

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Kati

More Worship/Bible Study Resources

Today another friend shared some more great resources with me from "The Skit Guys".  Click on their picture above to follow a link to a brilliant parody of The Office called "The Workplace".  I've never been very comfortable watching The Office because it is full of all of those awkward and alienating moments in life which we generally try to forget about.  The boss-like guy and his assistant in this skit really don't get what it means to be disciples of Christ...and yet they remind me of so many awkward and alienating Christians I have met throughout my life.  They mean well and they even quote scripture, but they just make other people hate Christians.  Surely living out your faith in the workplace looks a lot different than this, and the skit guys make that point loud and clear...as clear as a trumpet.  


This Sunday I'll be preaching in Stillwater, Oklahoma using our lectionary text from Matthew 20:1-16, the parable of the laborers in the vineyard. This is the one where they all receive the same reward, despite the fact that they didn't work the same amount. It's not the one where the workers kill all of the messengers...even though they may have wished to kill the foreman who doesn't pay them "fairly". Anyway, one of the messages within the parable centers around answering the call to work in God's kingdom. I won't be using the video for my sermon, but I can't help but laugh at this visual representation of those of us who get so wrapped up in pushing ourselves to work harder at serving God, that we miss the object of God's affection: those awkward and alienated creatures called human beings. Let it be a reminder for all of us with "beautiful feet", that no one likes to have someone shove a foot in their face. May we strive to be more like Christ who invites us to first share in humility by revealing the dirtiness of our own feet and continuing to share the living waters of grace with others in an effort to reveal God's beautiful handiwork and not our own.

Power point minus the slides

A dear friend shared this great new resource with me which is changing the face of presentations across the world.  It's called Prezi, and it's a fun way of making power point more participatory.  Since this follows along with my yearnings for worship reform which encourages more participation and active thought, I've been playing around with reading scripture in Prezi.  Try this out and let me know what you think. To view the presentation, simply hit the play triangle and continue hitting the right button or click where you want to go.  To view in fullscreen mode(the coolest) use the more button.  For more instructions and to try your own hand at making a prezi, go to www.prezi.com.

Zacheaus on Prezi

JC's Pizza

Have you ever found something that your parents saved from your childhood that you're both embarrassed and excited to rediscover? Today my mom was cleaning out her office at work and found a short skit I had written back in college (ten years ago;) for use with explaining faith to kids. I think I wrote it originally for her puppet ministry…which uses a lot of puns, so brace yourself. I was shocked to discover how there are a lot of funny theological explanations in a quite basic and yet deep way. I'm not sure if it is for adults or kids, but I think either group would pick up on some things and just have fun in the mix of it. I think it perfectly describes my understanding of the relationship between grace and sin. Plus it plays with some explanations of the Trinity. Most of all, I think it's a fun way to explain communion and how through the bread and wine/juice we are able to partake in the peace of the Holy Spirit as we meet with Jesus at the table(or counter in this case). There are some things I would adjust after my seminary explorations and more experience with children, but I think it is worth sharing as it is--a snapshot of my understanding at the time of God's desire to fulfill our true hungers in life. So, here's a picture of my mother with one of the puppets they used in VBS to get you in the mood, and enjoy this skit with a joyful and thoughtful heart. Feel free to laugh, criticize or groan…I know I did;)

JC's Pizza

(Customer walks up to the door, sees a sign that says, "knock and the door will be opened to you". He reads it aloud, and then the man at the counter, JC, comes to open the door.

JC: Come on in, how can I help you? (as both walk to the counter)

Customer: Do you have any specials?


JC: You’ve come just in time for our Pizza the Holy Spirit Combo. It includes our famous Pizza the Holy Spirit, plus free breadsticks and Grape juice to fill your soul. It's the combo that will make you so full that you'll never go hungry again."

Customer: (after a brief pause) Grape Juice?

JC: Yeah, you could say it's kinda our gimmick, whenever someone eats the bread and drinks the grape juice they think of this place and my father.

Customer: Your father?

JC: Yeah, He really owns the business and used to run everything until he had me, and when I was old enough he put me to work for him. Now people come to me when they want the Pizza the Holy Spirit. Speaking of, would you like the combo special?

Customer: No thanks. What's the "Forbidden Pizza"?

JC: Well to be honest, it has a really bad after taste and makes a lot of people sick. Still a lot of people order it because they think, "Maybe this time it will be better," but it just gets worse and worse. I wouldn't recommend it. One of Dad's old friends came up with it, and knowing him explains why it's so un-fulfilling. After you eat i,t you're even hungrier than before you ate the pizza. I had one once, and I think I suffered enough for the rest of this town, even enough for the rest of the world. Trust me, it's not worth it.

Customer: So why are you telling me this? Why does it make a difference to you?

JC: I just don't want anyone to suffer like I did.

Customer: Thanks! Thanks kind of you, but I think I will just have a large pepperoni pizza for me and my friends.

JC: Okay, one pepperoni pizza (shouts to the back) One Large Pepperoni.

(Deep voice from back): The pepperoni has gone bad, try the Pizza the Holy Spirit.

JC: Sorry, Did you hear that?

Customer: Sort of, but I couldn't understand what he was saying.

JC: Oh, He said that the Pepperoni has gone bad and asked if you wanted to try the Holy Spirit Combo.

Customer: Well that's okay, but what about the Hamburger or Sausage?

JC(yelling to the back): How's the hamburger and sausage?

(Voice): Unclean, try the pizza the Holy Spirit.

JC: So what do you think?

Customer: I'm sorry, I still didn't understand him.

JC: He said the meat was unclean, which means it would probably go under the Forbidden Pizza Category, if you know what I mean.

Customer: Ah…I see.

JC: Oh, he also asked again if you would like the Pizza the Holy Spirit?

Customer: Um, what about the four cheese pizza?

JC: Well, one of the other workers left the special cheese out too long and they spoiled, so you know, unless you want a plain cheese pizza, you should really try the Pizza the Holy Spirit.

Customer: Well, we definitely don't want a plain pizza. We want something more exciting. OK, I'll try the Pizza the Holy Spirit.

JC: Great! (yelling to the back) One Pizza the Holy Spirit!

Voice: Coming Right Up!

JC: And I'll even throw in the Breadsticks and Grape juice on the house, so you'll have something to remember us by.

Customer: Wow, thanks. So, how much is that with tax?

JC: It's free.

Customer: What do you mean it's free?

JC: All you had to do was ask, then the whole deal is free.

Customer: Wow, that's very gracious of you! How can I ever repay you?

JC: Just go and get the word out about JC's Pizza and the Pizza the Holy Spirit Combo. And your appreciation is enough for me.

Customer: Wow, thanks! You really made my day! I can't wait to enjoy the Pizza the Holy Spirit with my friends.

(Man dressed in Red enters from back with pizza box and bag, and then leaves)
Customer: Was that your dad?

JC: Oh no, that was Pentecost. He brings out the Pizza the Holy Spirit.

Customer: Man, I was kinda hoping to get to meet your Dad.

JC: Well, I'm a lot like him. Pretty much knowing me, lets you know him. He likes to stay pretty incognito and only shows his face to a few people. But I know everyone will get a chance someday when the time comes.

Customer: Ok, well I better get going. Thanks, JC, this visit has really made an impact on me.

JC: You're welcome, I enjoyed it too. Make sure to come back and see us.

Customer: Oh, I will. I will.
(The End or the beginning)

Reflections on English Camp 2011(#8!)

English Camp has always been more than just about teaching English. It's about building relationships across barriers. This happens so quickly in this cross cultural experience, because all are invited to live in that free space of acting outside of your comfort zone. I like to call this "active humility", because you have to be confident in looking ridiculous in front of 150 people. Once you get over the embarrassment or really the fear of doing something difficult, you feel like you can do almost anything. In that zone of discomfort, where you are speaking a new language or experiencing a new culture, you discover new things about yourself and about other people. Throughout the week the kids are invited to do crazy energizers, play funny games and interact with different generations all on a common ground. Sure there is still a teacher--student relationship, but everything is turned upside down from their normal classroom routine.

The students are invited to be creative and many of those who are still school age act as teachers. The volunteers which help us with the classes and serve as team leaders are mostly between the ages of 16 and 25. So, this is a huge opportunity for them to lead the kids as well as an opportunity to work on their own translation and teaching skills. Friendships develop among volunteers as well as among kids and Americans as we step out and do things we might not necessarily do on a regular basis.

This is what I love about camp and mountain top experiences. You take a chance and do things you've always wanted to do, but maybe don't have the chance or guts to do in your normal life. The funny thing is, the more you do it, the more you find that you have more gifts and guts than you knew you did in the first place.

And this was what I felt like made this camp one of the best English Camps ever. Not only did we all accept the challenge to do new things and develop new and old friendships, but we all seemed to grow together in a deeper way. This year some of our veteran volunteers became the leaders and they planned and lead the program. I walked with them through a lot of the planning, and I was so proud to see them follow through with everything they dreamed and planned out. If you haven't read the last post, go ahead and read what one of them felt about their progress in learning and stepping forward with the camp.

One of their ideas was to have each class make a short film in English by the end of the week. This was a huge commitment/gamble and it turned out to be a huge success! Each group had to work together as a team in order to come up with an idea, write the script and star in their own film in four class periods! At the end of the week we showed the films, and they were all so proud of their accomplishments. But, most of all, it was a wonderful memory of their courage to do something out of the ordinary and trust their own gifts as well as the gifts of their teammates.



I think this was also what we felt as leaders during the camp. All of the American and Czech volunteers had to trust their own gifts as well as the gifts of their teammates. It wasn't Americans bringing an English Camp to the Czech Republic. It was Americans and Czechs working together to provide an invitation for the kids to experience life in a new way and learn to trust one another as we all worked toward a common goal. I saw many of my students(and even myself) grow as human beings throughout the week. I know this growth happens every year, but this one seemed to be different as many of us carried new roles and responsibilities. I even feel like we had more discussions about faith, mission and life, as the volunteers(made up of half church members and half non-church members) made decisions about what to teach and how to teach it.

This time last year, I could never have imagined how the camp could exist with a new pastor who didn't speak English, no committed Americans to plan the program of the camp, and the feeling of many veterans which felt like the mission of our camps had come to an end. Instead, it has come through to a new phase and new direction. The new pastor is actually a great match to this congregation. He is energetic and has a commitment to bring new life to the traditions of the ECCB denomination. He came to faith while in youth group and his story resonates with a lot of the youth from our program--a kid from a non-church family finding himself adopted into a new family and making a difference in the world. With his creativity and energy, he seemed to fit naturally into the camp, and his English grew leaps and bounds in a very short time. He speaks perfect German, so I'm sure English comes to him easily through the connections of those languages. He is already committed and willing to help plan for a camp next summer.

And that's where it gets even crazier to me. Every year we have left as if there would not be a camp the next year, but this year seemed to set the stage for more camps in the future. Everyone seemed to be on board for another one next summer--planning team included. So, while this is exciting, there still need to be a lot of things ironed out before any commitments can be made. A Czech team needs to commit to preparing the program, the church needs to commit to hosting the camp and an American team needs to commit to coming. Many have given hopeful commitments, but we will know the team players as our lives unfold in the coming months.

One thing is clear: These relationships will continue to grow in the future. Whether the camp continues as an American English Camp delivered by Czechs or whether we all find ourselves working together once again, we will continue to grow because of the camp throughout our lives.

As I look toward the future, I'm so glad that we have these films to watch and remind ourselves that no dream is too extreme if you dare to share your gifts with others. It makes me thankful that God created us with specific gifts which empower our community to do the impossible. I don't think God is done with us yet. And I'm definitely thankful for that too!

Cultural Exchange

It's one thing to speak about mission theoretically as empowering others for action, and it is another to read it back from one of your partners in mission. Enjoy this letter from one of the volunteers which helped plan this year's camp. Keep in mind that this young adult was once a student, became a volunteer and now volunteered to be part of the planning team which encouraged and implemented the existence of this camp.

Dear Ann and Kerry,

American camp 2011 is almost over, so I think, that now it is time to summarize the results. It was our 8th camp! Unbelievable!!! I was on every one of them, so I think that I’m kind of old dog, who can compare it and maybe find some deeper ideas in it. Your president writes every year a State of the Union address, so I’ll try to do something similar. I’m writing you, because (maybe I’m wrong) for me Ann Salmons and Kerry Ebbert are like American parents of this project, so you have right to know, how is your baby after 8 years of living:) Well, I can tell you, that your camp is doing well.

I was thinking about all camps a lot during this last week, and I recalled the story from your history, the oldest story, the story of the pilgrim fathers—A group of people, who believe in God and his love, went to a different country and tried to do something good and they succeed. Of course, there is a lot of differences, but for me there is a clear message. Like pilgrim fathers you took your families, spent lots of money and time to get to a place, which you don’t know, somewhere behind the ocean, 10 000 miles away, among people with different language and culture, where you knew just family of pastor Jan. I think it’s incredible and definitely same like pilgrim fathers:) God didn’t control people like puppets, he is more like a sign, which show us the best way for us, and the choice depends just on our decision. You decided to take this task, and during one week you planted here in Polička seeds of love, understanding and sharing. We were kids at that time, I was just a 12 year old boy, only one in my family, who speaks a little English, but I understood, how wonderful the camp is. And during time new people have come like Jarda, Martin, Jitka, Dan and so many others. I think, that I can say, that you and your friends from USA plant a seed in every helper and volunteer at the camp.

In Luke 8:4-15 we can read: While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the
path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.”
I think the seed is like volunteers, some of them went away, some of them were really excited the first time, but then they stopped, but some of us stay. Well, look at us now!!! Previous camps were prepared by Ann, Kati, Jeremy and Jamie and a lot of other people from USA, but the people and kids for whom you did it were growing up during that time. We are not kids anymore, we are young adults and we are able to prepare the camp by ourselves. Unbelievable, your small seeds grew up
into young trees and you made a big group of young people, which want to continue with the camps in Polička. Congratulations!!! You connected people from different countries, generations and faiths in the big arms of Jesus love.

It definitely doesn’t mean that we don’t need you anymore! Like kids needs their parents their whole life, the parent will take care of children, even if they are big and independent. It just means, that we are big enough to take care of some work, not to disturb you with every tiny problem. It means, that we can do the work, the skits, background, games etc. and you can just come to see kids and your old friends and see, how something, which you hardly started, can go on its own with the people, which you have raised in love and trust in love and God. I know how you took care of the camp this year, even though you couldn’t be here. Your friends told us about your work in USA, which helps a lot.

Thank you mum, dad and all American friends,
Přemek (young camp tree, which you planted)

Closing Skit

Curious about how the week ended? Here is a video of our final skit.


Plus over the next week I will be featuring different films from our Film Laboratory. This film won the award for best groovy moves. This age group was encouraged to make a musical and this is what they came up with. You should meet this Lukas, he's just as adorable and heartwarming in real-life;) And so is Jana who plays the lady janitor.