Greetings

Playoff baseball is rather cool. More times than not, every pitch means something. Every play gets scrutinized and every decision gets second guessed. Ah, the joyous pressure! The excitement, the impact, the pressure is what makes it so cool.

The regular season is sooo…long. The glory of an individual accomplishment or the suspense of an extra inning game is lost in the relentlessness of the schedule. Playing in the 40 degree temps with a 20 degree wind chill tends to move our focus to survival rather than legend.

We wake up every day from April to October and there is a game. This truth provides both comfort and the stuff of boredom. And so it is with our lives. We wake up each morning to a schedule of events that looks a lot like the previous week’s schedule. We look ahead to the same work week 50 times a year. The little victories fade and the major challenges seem to be set aside for the pennant chase.

If you need the pressure, know this…tomorrow is promised to no man. The challenge for us to demonstrate of love of God by working to extend His Kingdom has an expiration date. We live in the confidence of the power of His promises and we are free to spread this good news.

Every day is a playoff day for us. There is importance in all the decisions we make. We have the power to plant the seed of wisdom that grows into a saving faith for the people in our community. When we wake we find ourselves on the most important stage in the history of the world. Turn on the spotlight, lace ‘em up and get ready to play -- it’s show time!

School News

A new day is dawning for those who believe in the ministry of Walther Lutheran High School.

In the beginning, 1909, there was the Lutheran High School Association of Greater Chicago (LHSAGC). In 1954 the Walther division of the LHSAGC opened a high school in Melrose Park. In 1989 the demise of the LHSAGC opened the door for the creation of the Walther Lutheran High School Association. This Association was formed to do what area congregations could not do for themselves, operate a Lutheran High School.

Now, after years of study, the Association is prepared to accept new challenges and to extend its ministry by operating new ministries that individual congregations cannot support with their own resources. Changes to the founding document have been made and on Thursday, October 18, 2007, at 7 p.m. the first Board of the expanded Association will be elected.

You are invited to be there for this historic occasion.

On that night we will look inside the vision that has moved us in a new direction. Those in attendance will hear the first reports from the Walther Lutheran Academy, the Walther Foundation and the Partnership for Youth Ministry. You will also hear from the Walther Faculty on the topic of how the high school will increase the relevance the High School Ministry will have for local congregations.

If you are interested in the future of the church in our region and/or if you have come to value the work of Walther, you will grow in knowledge and faith by sharing an evening with us.

Make plans to be there for the election of the Board that will be responsible to carry the new vision of our Association. It’s on Thursday, October 18, 2007, at 7 p.m.

Walther’s chapter of the National Honor Society is once again organizing the "CANQUEST" project. NHS will be collecting cans and other non-perishable food items to be taken to the local Proviso Food Pantry for distribution to community families in need. Raid your pantry at home and bring along some cans to the homecoming football game vs. Luther South. (Of course cash contributions will gladly be accepted too!) As you purchase your entry to the homecoming game, look for the NHS food collection table. Help NHS help the hungry. Thanks in advance!

Congratulations to seniors Megan Childs and Jasmyne McDonald on some pretty substantial accomplishments. Megan has been named a National Merit Semifinalist and Jasmyne is a National Achievement Semifinalist. Both of these involved young ladies are Walther Scholars. We salute them for a job well done.

Thanks to Private School League conference rival Chicago Christian football player Alex Haan for the Bronco plug...when the Daily Southtown asked him which is his favorite team to play, Haan answered, "Walther Lutheran. They have classy players, and they're fun to play against. They're well coached and disciplined. The game is usually for a conference title, and there's a playoff atmosphere." Thank YOU, Alex, and thanks to the Bronco coaches for running a program to be proud of.

Alumni News

Don’t miss the chance to come see old friends and make new ones! Plan to be with us for Walther’s 2007 Homecoming. CLICK HERE for a full schedule of events and times. There are two “can’t miss” happenings we’d like to highlight: The Alumni Reception is on Friday night, October 12, in the multipurpose room immediately after the Royal Rally, around 8:30 p.m. The Sunday Alumni Worship is at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Melrose Park (right across the parking lot) at 9 a.m., followed by coffee and a light brunch in the Walther cafeteria. This is a special year for any class that ends in a “2” or a “7.” CLICK HERE to check out all the Reunion activities.

Class of 1967 is still hoping to hear from the rest of the class by Tuesday. SIGN UP NOW for the 40th reunion dinner at Indian Lakes Resort in Itasca!

Class of 1982 members MUST reply immediately for the 25th reunion event at Pompei in Oakbrook Terrace.

The 10th reunion for the Class of 1997 has had a CHANGE OF VENUE to
Rivals Sports Bar & Grill (formerly Champs) in Oakbrook Terrace.

The Class of 2002 has firmed up plans to meet on Saturday at 7p.m. at the Kona Grill, 3051 Butterfield Rd., in Oakbrook.

Guess who’s coming to Homecoming 2007? We’ve got the latest list of respondents – CLICK HERE.

Calling all alumni artists, photographers and writers-- if you've got a piece of media that you've created, you're invited to showcase it and help Walther get its debut Juried Media Show off the ground! The media exhibition is November 2, 3 and 4 and will feature student and alumni work. Only pieces submitted by current students will be judged. Some pieces will be available for purchase. This a joint project of Camera Club, Art Club and aura - the student literary magazine. It's free and runs concurrent with the fall production of Romeo and Juliet. To submit you work to the Media Show CLICK HERE. For more info on these and other events, call 708.344.0404 or visit Walther.com.

Speaking of art…Jesse Ward '04 and Jesse Bussert '04 created and entered a 6'2'' piece called “The Red Bull Knight” into the Art of the Can competition for Red Bull energydrink.In order to create the masterpiece it took the two Jesses two months and more than four hundred cans.They got the idea for their entry from aluminum costumes they’d created for Halloween and the finished piece is also wearable when removed from its framework.Out of 250 entries “The Red Bull Knight” took 5th place. Jesse and Jesse have the opportunity to receive the "People’s Choice Award" and you can help these Walther alumni by voting for their work. Cast your vote for the Jesses at Artofthecan.com. Click on “Gallery” then choose “Chicago” and scroll right until you find the winged knight (it’s a really cool, 3D rotation shot of the artwork). They ask that you vote high and often! You can see their creation firsthand at the River East Art Center, 435 E. Illinois Street, Chicago from November 9-18, 2007.

Walther Lutheran just received notification that one of our graduates from the class of 2007 has attained AP Scholar status! Walter Fritz, who now attends Loyola University, Chicago, has earned the AP Scholar award on the basis of his outstanding performance on the four Advanced Placement exams he took while here at Walther. In order to be recognized for this exceptional achievement the student must earn grades of 3 or higher on at least four AP exams. Way to go Walter!

And we’ve had great news on a recent Bronco gridiron grad! Missouri sports writer Dave Roberts focused on Class of 2007’s Steve Watson…

Kudos to Joe Lutzow ’05…Joe has been named “Athlete of the Week” by Concordia University Chicago, where he is a junior psychology major. Joe ran a 29:15 in the men’s 8K race at Wisconsin Lutheran’s Warrior Invitational on Saturday, September 29. The effort was good for a sixth-place finish, Lutzow’s best of the year to date, and it helped the Cougar men to a fifth place finish, third among the conference teams represented at the meet. “Joe’s performance was a pleasant surprise, because this course was a tough one for all of the runners,” said Cougar head coach Dave Risch. “But Joe has run some really good races in the last few weeks, and I’m happy that he battled today and earned an excellent result.”

CLICK HERE for the press release which also mentions athletic accomplishments by Walther grads Karla Wente in tennis and Kari Zielke in soccer.

Yes, someone out there is reading this! Here’s the news from one respondent (thanks, Sandy!)…

God’s blessings

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