Greetings

Were you in the dark this past week? Many of us were. There was a very exciting monster storm here last week and the power was down in many of the Walther zip codes.

More importantly the power was off in my house.

Wow, I now have a new insight into the many references in the Bible to light and dark. I have had a tiny exposure to a dark time when no one will be able to work. I can understand why people we literally afraid of the dark. The toughest part was sitting still and staring into the darkness. All throughout the house I missed the LCD displays on the stove, the DVD player, the clock radio, the freezer and all the gadgets that offer me the encouraging thought that I am never alone in the house.

A secondary issue arose when I began to realize how much a creature of habit I am. I can’t go in the bathroom without reaching for the light switch. I can’t fall asleep if I am not bathed in sound from a commercial broadcasting outlet. I can’t tell you what a strong temptation there was to open the refrigerator and just take a look.

The most disturbing memory was the feeling I had in the dark that I was alone.
Into this world came the light and I saw that it was good. It came on about 38 hours after it had gone away. I heard the sound of the TV as I prepared to come down the stairs in the morning.

Do you remember the peace you felt when the true Light of the world came into your life? I was a toddler when I was baptized, yet God came to me on that day and showed me the Light. Since that time I have seen the light many times. I walk the halls at Walther and I see the Light of Christ shine in the eyes of young people and it gives me hope. I listen to the songs in chapel and the prayers of athletes and I hear His voice. This is place where the Power is always on. The best part is that when I am still I can feel the love that Christ has and the promise He has given that I will never be alone.

School News

Did you know that the Walther budget calls for $190,000 in unrestricted gifts? This is great time to make a financial gift to your Lutheran high school. It is important for Walther to receive regular sustaining gifts in addition to donations geared toward special needs. You don’t have to be an alum to pitch in, but the Class of ’97 is hoping to raise $1000 for their class gift this year. Way to go!

Make plans to attend the Friday Night Lights football game against Rockford Christian Life. The big game day is September 14.

Big changes have been made in our Religion curriculum. We have begun a new program of service. Freshmen will be required to do 10 hours of work serving the Walther Family. Sophomores will perform 40 hours of service in a local congregation. Juniors will give 16 hours of their time in work related to their future vocation. Seniors will give 16 hours back to the local community.

This year, we have also added an assessment of the Bible knowledge of our incoming freshmen. We have arranged our first semester class for freshmen into basic and advanced courses, based on their test scores.

We are ready to declare the new first week of school a rousing success. We now have a baseline of academic performance for all students. Classes have had a chance to learn about the Chicago Plan and see some of the sights that make Chicago a dynamic city (some the students enjoyed stop a Millennium Park – click here to see some photos of their trip and other first week of school highlights.) Team building exercises and conflict resolution sessions have helped to strengthen out student to student relationships.

Discussions are now being held to find the best possible kick off activities for the coming school year.

Sunday September 9, 2007 is a great day for Walther Families. At the 8:30 a.m. service at St. John Lutheran Church in Forest Park we will install our teachers and officially acknowledge that God is the focus of our school community. It would be great to have the church full of the people of God offering their thanks for the gift of Christian Education. If you would like to join The St. John Family for a fall picnic at noon on following the installation service we would be very happy. Please respond to this email and tell us how many hungry people you will be bringing.

Alumni News

John Koziol ’65 died this week, after a long illness. His friends and family will gather at Lord of Life Lutheran Church in LaFox/Elburn Illinois on Saturday, September 8. Visitation is at 10:00 a.m. and the funeral is at noon.

Homecoming 2007 is closer than you think. The weekend of October 13 there will be a number of events for graduates of all classes. Join us for the All Alumni Reception after the Royal Rally on Friday around 8:00 p.m. On Saturday morning reunion classes will be treated to “Back to School” schedules featuring teachers from “back in the day.” Come visit with Marv Schlitching, Martha Lindberg Magura, Dave Krubsack and Mel Block, among others.

The inaugural season in the South Coast League for pro baseball came to an end after 1:00 a.m. on Thursday August 30, 2007. The finishing blow was a two run walk-off homer by Walther grad Tug Gillingham ‘01. Tug’s team, the South Georgia Peanuts, coached by former New York Met Wally Backman, is in the Labor Day Weekend Championship playoff.

God’s blessings

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