Father John Pilcher, pastor of St. Bernard Catholic Church in Wamego, imposes ashes on the forehead of a parishioner during Mass held at 6:45 a.m. on Feb. 17.


What are you giving up for Lent?

By Paula Glover
This isn’t your childhood Lent anymore. The old phrase “So, what are you giving up for Lent?” still echoes through more traditional, liturgical Christian faiths, but increasingly pastors are inviting people to add spiritual practices or fully examine what they’ve done since childhood.
“As we approach Lent, we should see it as a six week retreat,” said Father Keith Weber, parochial administrator and campus minister of St. Isidore Catholic Student Center in Manhattan. “We should examine ourselves and ask what is it that keeps me from being closer to God? What do I need to do help that? What do I give up, or do I add something.” For example, if a person seeks more discipline, it might be right to give up desserts, but if they need to become more prayerful, they should set aside time for prayer.
“Ask yourself, what kind of person does God want me to be?” Father Weber suggested.
For families, there are ways to make Lent a part of family life. For the Forge family, parishioners of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Flush, Lent is a family affair.
“We talk about it as a family,” Janet Forge said, with four kids ranging in age from 15 to 7. “By default, we give up candy and limit desserts, because that has a meaning for the kids, but they can choose to also do something else.” The family observes the Roman Catholic Church’s fasting and abstinence rules – fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday and fish on Fridays.
“We try to help them think about how this prepares them for the passion and suffering of Christ, to prepare for to make Easter more joyous. The kids are pretty good about it, too, and don’t fight us about it.”
Her husband, Dale, Jr. “Dee”, said that the point wasn’t to achieve a practical goal like weight loss during Lent, it was to achieve a spiritual discipline.
Father Weber would encourage adults to try to grow beyond what they’ve always “given up.”
“When we’re little kids the greatest challenge is giving up pop or candy and that discipline is great for kids, but as an adult, you probably don’t need the same things.” He suggested not automatically doing what you did last season. He also said that the notion that Sunday is a “free day” when the Lenten observance can be let abandoned, is fine for little kids, “when 40 days is a long time,” but as “an adult, we need to make the commitment for the entire season. Why would we have a break, of our goal is to do something to bring us closer to God?” he asked.
The Lenten season begins today, on Ash Wednesday where Father Weber estimated that 2,500 people would come to the parish for Ashes. Many churches dispense ashes with the classic cross on the penitent’s forehead, and one need not be a member of the church to receive the ashes. Ashes are generally made by burning the palm fronts saved from the previous year’s Palm Sunday services.
Lent continues through the Mass of the Last Supper on Holy Thursday, Father Weber said. This begins the Easter Triduum. “As somber as Lent is, the Triduum should be at a deeper level,” he said. The Triduum consists of Mass of the Last Supper, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil. The Triduum (three days) ends at the Vigil.
“We really see it as one service, commemorating one event – the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ,” Father Weber said.
Lent is observed in various ways, depending upon the denomination. Many churches add soup suppers and Lenten Bible studies.
Father Tom Miles, pastor of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Manhattan, said Lent is a season of renewal to prepare for Easter through self examination, repentance, fasting, prayer and reading God’s holy word in the Bible.
“Lent makes us aware of our need for spiritual discipline,” he said. “If we fail in our discipline, it shows us that we can’t do anything without God’s grace.”
“Growing up, I always thought Episcopalians do a mighty Midnight Mass at Christmas, but as I’ve grown older, I think we do Lent better than that,” he said. “For me, Lent is my favorite season because of the simplicity of it. We take everything out of the sanctuary and make it simple, the liturgy is simple and austere.”
One year for his Lenten penance, he realized he was “overstimulated,” so he turned off the radio in the car, and discovered s sense of peace in the silence.
“Simplifying your life is good news, simplifying your diet, eat less, is good news,” he said.

In the Manhattan Mercury, Feb. 17.

Resources for Lent on the Web:
www.americancatholic.org
www.usccb.org
www.pcusa.org
www.anglicansonline.org
http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/Lent/
www.umc.org

Todd Sheppard addresses a group at the Country Living Expo on ag law.

Scott Beyer, from Kansas State University, addresses participants at the Country Living Expo.

Should you shoot Fido?
City folks learn the basics of country living


By Paula Glover
Ah, the simple life. City folks move to the country seeking solitude and think maybe to have a large garden, or raise a few goats, and discover a well that doesn’t work, fences that need repaired, the goats escape, and their dogs can’t roam free after all.
Riley County Extension service hosted the first Country Living Expo on Feb. 6 that drew around 65 people to Pottorf Hall on the fairgrounds in Manhattan. Topics ranged from Keynote speaker Todd Sheppard on “Ag Law – Rules for Living in the Country,” to small flock poultry production, septic systems, burn regulations, landscaping for energy efficiency and food preservation.
Madonna Stallman was on hand for the poultry presentation primarily, as she recently began raising poultry. She is a transplant from St. Louis and five years ago, she and her husband moved near Leonardville. “It was pretty much a life-long dream for us,” she said. “We enjoy the peace and quiet.”
However, for the Stallman’s, the dream came with some serious problems with their well – “you should know your water source and have the pump tested by a licensed company and not the one that installed it originally,” she advised. Other surprises included that life is determined by the natural cycles, not your own convenience; the high cost of transportation and road maintenance; and the need to respect the natural cycles of life.
She also recommended getting to know the locals. “Hang out in the coffee shop,” she advised. “Find out who was the original electrician or plumber in the home you’re buying, and ask him questions. So many of the local people have offered to help us now that they know us.”
“It is not a magazine idea of what it is going to be,” she added.
She is just type of person for which the expo was intended.
Greg McClure, extension agent for Riley County, said they were pleased with the turnout.
“There are lots of people living in rural areas,” he added, “folks who didn’t grow up on farms, but want to understand good stewardship.” He said there was support from the local 4-H council and the county commissioners for the event. He anticipated the expo would be offered next year also.
There were several exhibitors, from Riley County Health Department to feed dealers and 4-H offering materials on food safety, gardening, and pesticide use.
Todd Sheppard, an attorney with Charlson and Wilson Bonded Abstractors, raises cattle in Pottawatomie County. Fewer people live in rural areas now than in 1910, he noted. But he said that many people don’t realize that in Kansas, 99 percent of the land is privately owned. Therefore, if a person wants to hunt or even take a walk, they must realize they are most likely on private property.
Sheppard said that people who search the internet for information should be careful, and stick with reputable sites such as K-State and Iowa State. He advised people to join local associations such as the Livestock Growers or one dedicated to the individual’s specific product or crop.
On lease law, he noted that even an oral lease must be cancelled in writing, and 30 days prior to March 1 for the following year. He advised people who might be buying land that is leased to a farmer to make sure they understand the lease laws.
“Try to get off on good terms with your tenants,” he said.
He said that the liability rises if a landowner is charging for a hunting lease, and to make sure that the owner’s insurance policy reflected the increased liability.
Regarding fence law, he suggested repairing a fence, even if it technically isn’t your responsibility, and then speaking with the adjacent landowner, and to keep track of time and materials. Also, he noted that a county commissioner can come and provide a “fence viewing” and determine who is responsible for what part of adjoining fences, if there is a conflict.
Since Kansas remains a “fence out” state, it is the responsibility of a person to put up fences in order to keep cattle, sheep, or other livestock from coming onto their property, he noted.
Many people on hand were interested in what to do about stray or loose dogs, harassing livestock or killing chickens. Although the dog owner is responsible when the dog leaves the property, and technically, a person might be able to shoot a dog, Sheppard recommended against it.
“Animal cruelty laws are changing,” he said. “Don’t shoot the dog.” He advised calling the local sheriff or animal control.
The poultry session was well attended. Scott Beyer, poultry specialist with K-State Extension and Research said that a depressed economy means that people are more interested in small flock poultry production. He recommended that people decide if they want meat or eggs or to raise chickens for show, and chose the birds based on that desire. He said that the so-called “dual purpose” breeds actually result in neither purpose being filled well. If a producer wants to be in a specialty area, he recommended the Heritage birds, and particularly turkeys, which can bring up to $100 at Thanksgiving. A Heritage bird must reproduce naturally, he noted, and commercial turkeys are produced through artificial insemination.
Beyer discussed chicken housing facilities, and said it should keep predators out; be portable so as to allow it to be moved to rid the area of parasites; that the birds should be able to express natural behavior such as foraging and dust bathing; and that there be ample space, sunlight and fresh air. There are many designs available on the internet, he noted, but he had concerns about what are termed “pasture pens” because the low roof means extreme heat for the chickens. Rather than use this type of portable pens, he recommended rotating pasture for the flock in other ways – either through a fencing system that moves around the stationary coop, or moving the coop, or both.
Beyer brought several chicks, which he gave to interested people following his talk.

Appeared in the Grass and Grain, Feb. 17 edition

Mary Kate Metrvier, a sophomore at Immaculata High School in Leavenworth, cheers a speaker at the annual March for Life in Topeka. Many Catholic schools throughout the state sent students to the rally, held Jan. 22.

The March for Life, commemorating the 37th anniversary of the Roe V. Wade decision that legalized abortion, passes in front of the state capitol in Topeka on Jan. 22. Because the capitol is undergoing renovations, the rally was held at the supreme court.

Many people came from around the state, bringing their children to the March for Life, which was preceded by a Catholic Mass at the Topeka Performing Arts Center. Around 1,600 people attended the Mass.

Topeka March for Life draws 2,500

By Paula Glover
TOPEKA – More than 800 enthusiastic young people from Catholic Schools were the highlight of the annual March of for Life in Topeka on Jan. 22. Because the number of people attending the Mass preceding the march had outgrown the Mater Dei – Assumption Church, the Mass was held at the Topeka Performing Arts Center. Following the Mass where around 1,600 were in attendance, marchers assembled for the walk to the Kansas Supreme Court building, where the rally was held, with around 2,500 on the march, led by Knights of Columbus from around the state.
Father Jarett Konrade, vocation director for the Diocese of Salina, met with 45 college students from seven different colleges during a retreat the previous evening.
“It is wonderful to see college students making sacrifices to be here,” Father Konrade said. “It is invigorating and renewing. This is one of the most important causes they can be a part of.”
Father Konrad’s father, Reg Konrade, director of the Diocesan Family Life office and member of St. Andrews parish in Abilene, said he has come to the marches for more than 10 years, because it is an important part of the pro-life movement.
Ron and LaVonna Brown, from Delphos, were also on hand for the march. “There is strength in unity and marching forward together to make our voice heard,” LaVonna said. The couple was most interested in encouraging pastors and church leaders to speak out against abortion. “This is the time to ‘be not afraid’,” she said.
Kathy Martin, an elected representative to the State Board of Education and a member of Sts. Peter and Paul Church, Clay Center, said that she was there to “stand up for children all the children of Kansas, and this includes children who are not born yet.” She added that she was pro-life before her election to the board, and fully intended to continue as a pro-life advocate.
Robbie Kramer of Herington, wife of Deacon Dick Kramer, said she believes that people need to be awakened to the truth of abortion, even if it means using graphic signs. Graphic signs, showing the baby following an abortion, are not used at the March for Life, but she believes they have a place, in showing people the truth of abortion. “We need an awakening,” she said. “We need to for people to awaken compassion in their hearts, even if it shocks you into the reality of what abortion really is.”
Mary Kate Metivier, a sophomore from Immaculate High School in Leavenworth, attended the march with her school.
“I know that as soon as the baby is conceived it is a life,” she said. “I’ve been to other youth events, and I really wanted to come to the march,” added, in between cheering the speakers.
David Gittrich, state development director for Kansans for Life said he’s been involved with the pro-life movement since 1980. He said, while the numbers at the Topeka March for Life have waxed and waned, the numbers were increasing, primarily due to the young people who attend with their schools.
“These young people know that abortion is wrong, no matter what the government says,” he commented following the march. “They can see how abortion has affected their friends. Young people are really ‘getting it’.”

Appeared in the The Register, newspaper for the Diocese of Salina.

Rev. Robert "Cam" McConnell, First Presbyterian Church, Manhattan

Dr. Wesley Paddock, professor of Old Testament, Manhattan Christian College

Kansans rank high in religion survey
By Paula Glover
MANHATTAN – In a recent survey released by the Pew Forum on Religion in Public Life, Kansans ranked number 13 in the nation in placing religion as important in their lives. Utah was number 12 and the top ranked states, with the exception of Oklahoma, were all in the Deep South.
The Pew Forum measured four factors considered important to measure the level of religious commitment. Sixty-one percent of Kansans ranked “religion as very important”; 62 percent said they prayed daily; 77 percent said they had a “strong belief in God; but only 48 percent said they attended weekly church services.
There may be several factors contributing to the importance of religion in Kansas, local experts speculated. One might be that the state was settled by religious groups or that a small town Midwestern ethic promotes continues to promote the value of religion. But, despite the high ranking, there are still challenges facing religious groups in Kansas.
Wesley Paddock, a professor of the Old Testament at Manhattan Christian College and Father Frank Coady, director of liturgy for the Diocese of Salina and pastor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton parish in Salina, both mentioned that the state was settled by religious groups and that influence remains.
“Until about 30 years ago, each community maintained their religious identity,” Coady said. “Where the culture and religion coincide, it is easier to maintain that religious emphasis.” He noted in western Kansas in particular, the population is dropping, and no different ethnic or religious groups are coming in that might challenge the religious identity.
Paddock said he witnessed supportive interaction between a town and church when he was in Washington recently on a Sunday evening, and found the only place for a bit to eat was the local Lutheran church’s soup supper. “It was a fabulous soup supper, and I found out about it from a sign in the center of town,” he recalled. “When you arrive at a town in Kansas, you generally see a grain elevator, a water thank and a church’s spire,” he noted, often a Catholic Church. “It says something about the people who settled here, that they were willing to put such a commitment into building a church.”
Rev. Robert “Cam” McConnell is the senior pastor at Manhattan’s First Presbyterian Church. He has previously lived in Illinois, Minnesota and Michigan. He said the “heartland’s religious values are reflected in the faith and work ethic” of members of the church in Manhattan. “There are talented and accomplished people here, with a deep humility.” Particular to Manhattan, he sees a strong connection between the faith community and the university, for the betterment of both.
“Even in the lowest ranked state, I’m sure you find religious vitality and vigor,” McConnell said. “Our lowest state is probably better than any European nation” in terms of placing importance on religion, he added.
When it comes to attending church services, all three men said it was important, but it represents a challenge facing religious groups today.
“When you talk about spirituality in the country, people think they can go for a walk on the prairie and that is time with God,” McConnell said. However, “as a pastor, I also believe that you find true spirituality in community, in the church, in helping people beyond your own walls, in the Body of Christ.”
While support from the community remains a positive factor, there is also competition from the greater culture that is a challenge.
“The religious scene now is completely different than when I was younger,” Paddock, age 70, said, “with multiple services each week and two week revivals. The attitude was if the church was open, you were there.” He noted it used to be that there were no Wednesday evening or Sunday school activities, and now that has changed. “The sports emphasis is so broad that it has crowded out a lot of other things,” he said.
Coady said that the social aspects are often more important than church and it is fruitless to fight against the greater culture. “It is better to work within the cultural forces,” he said.
“National statistics show that people believe in God, but don’t belong to an organized Church,” Coady said. “People distrust organizations in general, and they want to believe in God, but on their own terms.”
The state is only 20 percent Catholic, Coady noted, but it is still “religiously dishonest as a Catholic to say you want to be Catholic, but not belong to the church.”
While Manhattan Christian College benefits from the more religious emphasis of the state, Paddock said that students often come with a limited knowledge of the Bible, another deficit he’s noted over the years.
Just asking about belief in God is inadequate, Paddock said. He believes a better way of measuring the importance of religion is biblical literacy, and the answer to the question “Does your religious faith change your lifestyle?”

The Pew Forum survey measured 35,556 households in the United States, including all faiths, Christian and non-Christian. For more information on the survey, go to www.pewforum.org

Appeared in the Friday/Saturday edition of The Manhattan Mercury, Jan. 16.

With a shirt saying "Some of us will have to set up front with the Lutefisk," Ernest Wilkins fits right in at the Swedish Supper in the Olsburg grade school Dec. 5. The annual supper draws more then 350 to the school as a fundraiser dinner for the Olsburg Evangelical Lutheran Church.

Co-pastors Gordon and Sonja Sandquist greet church members following services.

Gordon Sandquist distributes communion to worshippers. The church offers communion twice a month.

Sonja Sandquist leads the children's church time during the regular church services.

Swedish Supper unites church and community

By Paula Glover
OLSBURG – Even the Christmas tree was decorated with the Swedish flag at the Olsburg Evangelical Lutheran Church’s 53rd annual Swedish Supper, Dec. 5. The celebration of Swedish heritage continued with the table blessing being said in Swedish and the Swedish decorations inside the Olsburg Grade School. Swedish or not, many people attended the event, which unites the church and the community.
The annual tradition kicks off the Christmas season for many in the town and region. Olsburg residents join in by decorating their homes. Becky Avery isn’t Lutheran, but she lives in Olsburg and loves the town and on Dec. 5, she was in the kitchen helping make lut fisk, the rather aromatic cooked fish stew Swedes are known for. She was joined in the kitchen by other volunteers, including Joan Schweer, a former church member who has moved away, but returns each year to volunteer. “It is a social event, and a tradition,” Schweer said.
Everyone is in their places to make the dinner work. “We are the desserts,” said Mary Rosell. The volume of food produced by the small church and volunteers is rather astounding, with 25 gallons of raw milk used for the Ost Kaka (rennet pudding), and volunteers making 800 Spritz, or butter cookies, 475 Rosettes, a deep fried cookie, and 650 Pepparkakor, or ginger cookies. The large volume of food continues, with 20 loaves of rye bread and 16 of white donated. All the cooking is done by church and community volunteers according to the Swedish Supper Recipe book, which is also for sale to the general public.
Coordinator Luellen Kasselman said that around 320 tickets were sold for this year’s event. The money raised is used for scholarships for young people in the church, and now, also to assist the pastor in completing his training for full ordination.
There are many traditions in how the supper is run. Among them, the men serve as dishwashers. Children are involved at a young age, with 4th graders working as runner for messages and such, and older students are allowed to carry food. Shelby Peter, age 12, said she helps out because “its fun and I get to be with my friends.”
The roots of the church go deep into the community. Rosell said her great-grandmother was the first child of Swedish descent born in Riley County. Laurine Catt worked on placing cookies on trays, and recalled that in bygone days, it was less popular to speak Swedish. “My parents spoke Swedish when they didn’t want us to know what they were saying,” she recalled. But later, her parents taught Swedish to her children. While the Swedish traditions and heritage are important, the women told co-pastor Sonja Sandquist that they consider one of the church's strengths to be its openness to anyone who wants to join the church, or come and help.
The Olsburg Evangelical Lutheran Church was established in 1881, with services being held in a frame schoolhouse, until the wind blew it down. A wood frame church with a steeple was finished in 1886 and dedicated the following year. At first, the pews on the left were for the women, those on the right, for the men. Originally lit by coal lamps, the lighting was modernized with the advent of electricity in 1919. As early as 1915, the congregation began considering a new building and they worked for 25 years, raising funds, and the new brick church was dedicated in 1939. The old church was torn down, but the bell, added to the original church in 1898, was kept.
Gordon and Sonja Sandquist are joint pastoral leaders for the Olsburg Lutheran Church.
“One of the things that make the church work well is that they are unapologetically Lutheran,” Gordon said, “but at the same time, there is not a strong delineation between church and community.” The church works on projects with the local Methodist church, for example, and welcomes volunteers from the community for the Swedish Supper. The Lutheran church and the Methodists have come into full communion with one another.
The Sandquists have been ministering in Olsburg for 18 months. “There is a lot of history here,” Gordon said, “it is important to listen to the stories of the families and acknowledge the history.” Sonja commented that “it seems that everyone is related.” Gordon noted that funerals are a significant part of the couple’s ministry, and it has been a way for them to also learn about, and honor, the close family connection.
It is unusual to have a couple who both work as licensed pastoral leaders in the same congregation.
“We are not a typical pastor team” Sonja said. “Whatever success we have is not due to us, it is what God is doing. We arrived at co-pastoring through divine surprises.” The couple met when they were working in churches in the Denver area.
Gordon has 27 years of pastoral experience in church settings and Sonja has 17. Gordon’s experience is as an associate in ministry, but he is currently preparing for full ordination through distributed learning with the Lutheran Seminary in St. Paul, Minn. In June, Sonja will begin a Masters in Ministry with an emphasis in congregational mission and leadership at the same seminary. Now, in addition to her ministry in the church, she is a life coach and certified spiritual director.
“We always look and ask, ‘what is God up to; what is my call; and what is the Church’s call as community.’” Sonja said. “It isn’t about the answer, it is about asking the right questions. We’re not after a quick fix.”
The couple has two adopted children, Symone, age 11, and Monique, age 12, sisters the couple adopted from foster care.
“The children have been accepted here,” Gordon said, in part because of the area’s history, with the orphan train coming through the area. Between 1854 and 1929 an estimated 200,000 orphaned, abandoned, and homeless children were placed into adoptive families throughout the nation in what is known today as the orphan train movement.
Gordon said the Swedish supper is tradition, but it also helps the people of the congregation open doors to new members and to make new friends. “This time, there were more first-time people from outside the community,” he commented.

Article appeared in Manhattan Mercury, Dec. 11.

Swedish Supper Recipes
Cookbook published by the Anna Group of the Oldsburg Lutheran Church. Call 785-468-3500 for information on purchasing the book.

Sill Sallad – Herring Salad
1 cup pickled herring
6 medium potatoes cooked in jackets and diced
6 apples, diced
½ t. pepper
1 ½ T. vinegar
½ pound beef roast, ground
2 cups beets, diced
2 T. dill pickles
1 small onion, chopped fine
1 T. sugar
Mix all together, mold and chill. Serve chilled.

Kottbullar – Swedish Meat Balls
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
2 cups bread crumbs
1 to 1 ½ cup milk, depending on how bread absorbs the milk
1 t. salt
¼ t. allspice
¼ t. cloves
2 eggs
Soak bread in milk. Beat eggs slightly and add to milk and bread. Combine all other ingredients with above, mix well. A ¼ measuring cup works well to get a nice size meatball. Put in refrigerator until chilled, then reshape balls. Brown in skillet, if making large quantity, brown in oven. After browning, pt into roaster and bake at 325 degrees for half hour.

Joe Carpenter discusses the way the stock pond on the Downey Ranch, near Wabaunsee, is built to reduce damage to the watershed. Around 150 people attended the annual event, sponsored in part by the K-State Extension Service.

Joe Carpenter demonstrates gentle cattle handling during the Ranch and Range tour.

Ranch and Range Tour features Downey Ranch;
Speaker encourages participants to defend their way of life

By Paula Glover
ALMA – It is time for ranchers and food producers to stand up for themselves, Ben Wileman told around 150 people assembled for the 16th annual Wabaunsee County Ranch and Range tour, held Oct. 3 at the Downey Ranch, south of Wabaunsee and at the fairgrounds in Alma.
Wileman, with the Beef Cattle Institute in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University, said ranchers should form one organization dedicated to the well-being of animals that would serve as a self-regulatory agency and combat those who oppose ranching and farming over concern about the treatment of animals.
Karaline Mayer, the extension agent for Wabaunsee County, said she heard a presentation similar to Wileman’s and realized it would be perfect for the Ranch and Range Tour.
Wileman was the final speaker in a day that began with a tour of the Downey Ranch, just south of Wabunsee. The other afternoon speaker was Larry Hollis on calf health management.
Wileman explained that farmers and ranchers used to sell their products in a variety of places, from local markets to small grocery chains, but now there are fewer outlets. The top 10 retailers supply 75 percent of the food. The result of this has been that those private environmental groups such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and the National Humane Society can effectively apply pressure on only a few retailers to achieve their goals.
“Our industry is under attack,” Wileman said. “We need to address this now, on our own terms.”
Farmers and ranchers “do a poor job of influencing others,” he said. He encouraged the participants to be pro-active in educating people on what producers are doing right in terms of animal welfare. He used the example of taking the time to chat with hunters the rancher might allow onto the property.
He said, in the days of viral videos and cell phone cameras, producers should “operate as if you are being filmed.”
“We need to start doing better and take ourselves to the fight, rather than waiting for the fight to come to us,” he said.
He argued for the formation of a U.S. Food Animal Well-Being Commission that would self-regulate to ensure that food animals are raised according to national standards, with training verification provided by veterinarians.
“We need to head off ballot initiatives, solve our own problems, develop working groups, challenge activist language, and condemn abuse,” he said.
Ranch Tour
Barb Downey and her husband, Joe Carpenter, led the tour which used hay wagons pulled by farm pickups to transport the participants around the 6,500 acre ranch that spans two counties. There are 550 head on the cow-calf operation, mostly spring calving. The tour included a stop to see range management, one for low-stress cattle handling, and one to see a controlled access pond.
The tour began with a stop at a pasture where one side of the road had been sprayed for weed control, and the other had not. Justin Kearns, with Dow AgroSciences in Parkville, Missouri, explained that the yield of grass was so much better on the sprayed field that it was profitable, figuring in the cost of the chemicals.
Carpenter noted that another important part of the ranch’s rangeland management was to move the cattle from pasture to pasture around every five weeks. This is better for the range, and helps to prevent scourers, he said.
The tour continued to the bunkhouse, where there are also cattle pens for a demonstration of low-stress cattle handling. Downey jokingly said that at first, the notion of low-stress cattle handling sounded like “voo-doo.”
“But it is easier on the livestock and you have the knowledge you are doing the right thing by your livestock,” she said. The goal on the ranch is that the cattle “never have a bad day.” They work with the cattle from the time they are calves, accustoming them to the presence of humans, and teaching them to respond to the low stress handling.
There are several principles to this type of handling, Downey said - including that cattle are uncomfortable when you are near them and they want to go back where they came from. The cattle are moved slowly and quietly, with no hotshots. The method also uses open sided chutes.
Now that the cattle are accustomed to the change in handling, one person can now do what it used to take five to do.
“We want to produce beef for a higher-quality market,” Downey said. “We want people eating beef that tastes good and is produced in a quality manner.”
Because water quality is an issue, the tour included a stop at a controlled access pond, where the cattle are allowed to the pond only in a small area. This reduces erosion and sedimentation in the pond.
“We want to give the cattle quality water so they will drink more and be healthier,” Carpenter said. He noted the access was built four years ago, and it hasn’t needed much work.
In the afternoon, Hollis, a beef specialist at Kansas State University, discussed low stress weaning of calves. He said low-stress weaning helps deal with problems such as pneumonia in the calves, which is aggravated by physical stress like dusty pens, psychological stress from being separated from the cow, and other factors like weather, dietary and water changes.
He said common methods of weaning – weaning on the truck, dry pen weaning, and pasture weaning – are too stressful for the calves.
He recommended a method called “fence line weaning” where the calves are left in a pasture and the mothers are moved to a pen just on the other side of the fence. “This is much better than any abrupt methods,” he said.
Peggy Schultz ranches west of Alma with her husband.
“We enjoy the Ranch and Range Tour,” she said. “We always pick up something. We do everything, so we were particularly interested in the low-stress cattle handling.”
Mayer said that over the course of the tour’s 16 years, more than 3,400 people had participated. The tour was recently moved to a Saturday to allow people who have out-ranch jobs to attend, she said, and it was combined with the ranch rodeo to allow for a festive cap to the day.
“We always choose a good operation to tour; one of the more progressive operations,” she said. “It is an honor for the ranch to be on the tour.
“We need to know what we are doing right as producers,” she said.

Appeared in the Grass and Grain.

Lesyle Haller, pastor of Louisville United Methodist Church, distributes communion. The first Sunday of each month is "communion Sunday."

Haller blesses the communion prior to distribution in the Louisville church.

At St. George United Methodist Church, were Pastor Haller also serves, the children are called forward during the services, prior to being sent to a "children's church."

Intinction is the method of distributing communion at the St. George United Methodist Church.

Woman pastor finds acceptance in rural churches
By Paula Glover

ST. GEORGE – It is all about responding to God’s call. Pastor Leslye Hailer heard God’s call to the pastorate six years ago, and she is now a pastor for two United Methodist churches, one in Louisville and one in St. George.
She would tell any woman who might want to be a pastor to “go for it. If this is something God is calling you to do, he’s going to make it possible.”
Hailer responded to a conversation with her own pastor at a church in Manhattan. She had approached him, asking to do more with the youth, but at one point in the conversation, she recalled, he leaned back, and said “I think you’re being called to be a pastor.”
It took her husband, Marvin, and children, Jason, 30; Brandy McDonald, 24; and son Daniel, 21, a little time to adjust. “Marvin was a little bit worried, maybe he’d have to change somehow, but people have allowed him to be who he is,” Hailer said.
While the notion of a woman pastor is still foreign to some denominations, it isn’t uncommon in the United Methodist Church. In 1880, a woman was ordained as clergy in a Methodist denomination that later became part of the United Methodist Church, according to the denomination’s web site. But women clergy didn’t have equal rights until the General Conference voted in 1956 to grant full clergy rights to women. About 10,000 of the approximately 45,000 clergy in the United Methodist Church are women. The United Methodist Church was the first to ordain a women bishop, add the denomination has elected 21 women bishops and 16 remain active, with four retired and one deceased.
Hailer has received a warm welcome in her two churches.
“Leslye is a strength of this church,” said the church pianist for St. George, LeRoy Johnson. “She has a lot of wisdom, everybody is pleased with her. She’s like a missionary.”
“Leslye keeps us invigorated,” said Don Gardner, a member of the Louisville church since 1958.
The two churches are different in their membership, but Hailer is clearly fond of both groups. “The folks in Louisville are a hoot,” she said. The Louisville congregation is mainly elderly, with the youngest man, Albert Menhusen at age 75, being the person to ring the church bell. There are currently 25 members of the church, but about half don’t come to the church, due to age or disability.
Darrell Larson, a member since 1964, confessed to converting from Lutheranism when he married. “We feel there is a real need for a church in this community; it helps keep the community together,” he said. The United Methodist church is the only one in Louisville proper.
Fern Worthing, a member since 1955, praised the church for its “sense of community.” She grew up in the church, and used to come to Sunday School and recalled when there was a sandbox in the corner.
There was some remodeling done to the church, originally built in 1878, but the real change came in the early 1960s, when the ceiling was lowered and Gardner recalled “the whole community came to help.”
People still pull together. “Everyone does their little things to make it work right,” said Betty Schumacher, who is the treasurer. “Everyone has their niche.”
There is still a strong sense of community at St. George United Methodist, but with 100 members and around 30 at Sunday worship, there are some young people in the mix.
Winnie Sharp, who is the assistant communion steward and a member for 30 years, said “the young people add a lot to the church. We have a good fellowship here, we love each other like a family.”
Church historian Phyllis Berges has compiled a complete history of the church, tracing the roots back to the circuit riding Methodist ministers that the Methodist denomination is known for. In some sense, that time has returned, with pastors like Hailer serving more than one church.
In 1866, Jacob Boucher was pastor of the Louisville Circuit, which encompassed Louisville, Wamego, St. George, some schoolhouses and Westmorland. The cornerstone of the present church in St. George was laid in 1879, the same time frame when the Louisville church was completed.
Since the 1980s, the St. George church has hosted a food pantry, which is a community food pantry. The members of St. George also reach out to the community in various ways, through barbecues, pancake breakfasts, and hay rides; and their fellowship hall is used for various community meetings, from senior citizens to Boy Scouts. A pancake breakfast is planned for Nov. 21.
On Nov. 1, Hailer began using a more modern style worship aid – with the Sunday reading projected like a power point. She wants to begin a contemporary evening worship service. “Young people know technology,” she said. “It helps draw them in.”
She works to make the church friendly, emphasizing that it is acceptable to come to church “as you are,” regardless of tattoos and no need for fancy clothes. “It is very important that we be centered in Christ,” she said. “We are all sinners, saved by God’s grace, striving for perfection.”
Throughout her journey, she has felt accepted and her decision for the ministry honored. “MCC’s people were very supportive,” she said. “It was a wonderful place to go to school. I just haven’t experienced people who have rejected me.”
Her training as a minister continues, through a course of study geared for Methodists who are unable to attend seminary full time. She is a part-time minister for the two churches, and has maintained a full time job with K-State’s Conservation Seedling Program.
She visits the sick and homebound following both church services, and said the congregations at both churches have been positive about respecting her time.
“The congregations are is used to a part time pastor,” she said. “They are very self-reliant.”

Appeared in the Manhattan Mercury Nov. 6.