JUNE 2021 | Connecting National and Local Secretariats
Official Publication of the National Lutheran Secretariat | Via de Cristo


A Word from the
NLS President
What ever happened to waiting?

A critic observed: Once a man would spend a week patiently waiting if he missed a stagecoach, but now he rages if he misses the first section of a revolving door. And a woman would wait weeks for a letter from distant family but now fumes if there is more than two people in front of her at the grocery cashier line.

We have come to believe that waiting is a negative activity rather than a virtue to desire, pursue and nourish. And I admit, I am not a good waiter.

From the spiritual perspective, waiting on God has been a mainstay of theology. Waiting is a dimension of faith–an anchor–we seem to know little about. And our patience has certainly been tested during the COVID19 Pandemic.

We want to get back to hosting weekends and face-to-face Ultreyas. 
We want our old “normal.” 

“They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength”, wrote Isaiah.

David penned, “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently.”

I believe that God is under no moral obligation to speed up his timetable to accommodate our urgency. So then waiting is wisdom. And waiting is strength. He has got us right where he wants us. He loves the Via de Cristo ministry and will bring us back into the light. Of this I am certain.

Dance in His Grace
Wendy Showalter, NLS President



2021 Annual Gathering Notice

Worship – Workshops – Plenty of participation for all that can join us – plus the Annual Business Meeting!

Thursday, July 22 - 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm CST
  • Worship 
  • Keynote Presentation and Breakouts

Friday, July 23 - 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm CST
  • Lay Director and Spiritual Director Roundtables
  • Exchange of Idea (EOI) session: Reclaim Our Mission Without Changing The Essentials

Saturday, July 24 - 11:00 am to 3:00 pm CST
  • 2 EOI sessions: Protocols For Weekends After COVID-19 and How Are You Renewing the 4th Day Community?
  • Lunch and Regional Breakouts
  • Annual Business Meeting 

All activities will be available via your computer as well as a virtual binder with loads of important information.

RSVP: Please complete your registration by July 15, 2021 at https://fs9.formsite.com/JBradford/igz4u6ajr6/form_login.html 

Pre-Work:
1. If you are interested in serving as a voting delegate for the National Lutheran Secretariat (NLS) annual meeting on July 24th from 1:30-3:00pm CST, please let your Secretariat’s Lay Director know. Each Secretariat selects a minimum of 1 Lay Delegate and 1 Clergy Delegate based on a formula to have a voice at each year’s annual meeting. Meanwhile you can register for the Annual Gathering for as many sessions as desired as a Guest and your registration can be changed to Lay Delegate after confirmation by your Secretariat. 

2. Prayerfully consider serving on the NLS as President, Secretary, Vice President for Administration or Vice President for Outreach. Job descriptions and nomination forms are available at https://www.viadecristo.org/team/ 
for your review and completion by June 15th to Wendy Showalter, NLS President.

It is time to reclaim!

God loves you and so do I,
Jane Winge
NLS Vice President for Administration



Call for Nominations


Be a Part of the Future

We each have been given the joy to serve our Lord as He calls us. An exciting and blessed opportunity is now at hand.

The Executive Committee has four positions to be elected by the Via de Cristo Community during the upcoming Annual Meeting — President, Vice President for Administration, Vice President for Outreach, and Secretary. The job descriptions can be found on the VdC website – on the Meet Us page.  https://www.viadecristo.org/team.

Now it is time to pray and seek His guidance and His call. If one of these positions is a good fit for your talents – your passions – your love for the VdC ministry – please submit the appropriate Nomination Form – again found on the Meet Us page https://www.viadecristo.org/team.

If you are called to serve, your Nomination Form must be received by me no later than June 15, 2021.
Please do not hesitate to reach with any questions.
Blessings to each of you as you pray and ponder.

Dance in His Grace
Wendy Showalter, NLS President


A Word from the
Spiritual Director

Your Opportunity to Serve

We are excited to offer you the opportunity to serve the NLS Spiritual Director and all the clergy in the Via de Cristo Ministry. A new committee will be formed to build a strategy and fulfill a plan to increase the number of clergy working within the VdC and to support those already involved.

This new team needs organized lay people with strong passions for the growth of the ministry and a love for the pastors we already have. We are also seeking two or three pastors to serve as advisors.


Please pray on this and contact us with any questions or interest.

Blessings in your service
Wendy Showalter, President
Pastor Sue Beall, Spiritual Director



A Word from the Executive Director
Greetings 4th Dayers!! I am praying the Lords blessings be showered upon you as you continue on your spiritual journey.

Over the past several months, we have been working to implement our new resource strategy around Communications, Technology, and Spiritual Support. Today I want to focus on Communications and the progress that we have made there. As you know Hollie Jennings was our newsletter editor for some time, and she did a great job with it. However, she felt God calling in another direction and was no longer able to serve. We definitely want to thank Hollie again for her efforts in this area.

When we went to fill this position, we actually changed it to be a committee, vs just an individual position. The leader of our Communications Committee is Amanda Hunter from the Indiana Kentucky Secretariat. She majored in organizational communication at the University of Indianapolis, where we held the 2019 National Gathering. She led the communications effort for the host committee, and was a driving force in moving us to a more digital format. We are so blessed to have her as part of our team.

Social media is one of our two big communications staples today. Facebook is one of the most interactive ways we live out our 4th day. Given it’s importance, we felt that having someone dedicated to that strategy was critical to the growth of our ministry. Eric Needle from our Indian River secretariat in Florida volunteered to bring his gifts of the Spirit in marketing and advertising to help us. You may have noticed a different look and feel to the graphics and style we are using in our Facebook communications…Eric has helped us define and design that. He has also designed a new masthead for our Conexiones newsletter that will come once a quarter! Eric, thank you so much for your strong contributions already and looking forward to seeing more of your spiritual gifts on display!

The other communication staple is our long standing and far reaching is our newsletter, Conexiones. Steve Kipp from Colorado VdC just joined us as our newsletter coordinator and bringing a wealth of real world experience in this area. His first newsletter will be in Q3, and we look forward to where the Lord leads him with this important tool that links us all.

Please join me in welcoming Amanda, Eric, and Steve to service in our National Secretariat and thanking them for their work in support the Via de Cristo ministry that is so important to us all.

Brian Schwarz
Executive Director
National Secretariat, Via de Cristo



Keep A Look Out on Your Email!!
In the coming weeks you'll see emails for the following:

  • More Information on the Annual Gathering
  • All of the Nomination Forms and Nominee Biographies
  • Other Annual Gathering Materials