1

“Honor physicians for their services,

for the Lord created them; 2 for their gift of healing comes from the Most High,

and they are rewarded by the king. 3 The skill of physicians makes them distinguished,

and in the presence of the great they are admired. 4 The Lord created medicines out of the earth,

and the sensible will not despise them…. 6 And he gave skill to human beings

that he[b] might be glorified in his marvelous works. 7 By them the physician[c] heals and takes away pain;

8 the pharmacist makes a mixture from them.

God’s[ works will never be finished;

and from him health[e] spreads over all the earth. 9 My child, when you are ill, do not delay,

but pray to the Lord, and he will heal you. 10 Give up your faults and direct your hands rightly,

and cleanse your heart from all sin.” (Wisdom of Sirach 38)

While the above comes from a deuterocanonical book of the Bible (books that Protestants see as not having the

same authority of the rest of Scripture) the passage rightfully praises God for the gifts of physicians, pharmacists,

and all God’s servants who bring healing. I never met my grandfather or great grandfather, but both were highly

esteemed doctors who saw their vocation as part of their Christian service to others. I’m sure the doctors, nurses,

and pharmacists in our congregation would say the same. “God gave skill to human beings….” Amen to that!

Because the first thing I think about as I ponder this pandemic and quarantine is how blessed we are to have such

talented and self-sacrificing medical workers to journey with us through these difficult days. God can heal in mi-

raculous ways (and sometimes does), but healing comes primarily through the talents, skills, and medicines that he

has granted men and women. I pray daily for all of you, and I also pause every day to give thanks to God for the

healing he brings through his servants.

O merciful Father, who has wonderfully fashioned humanity in your own image, and have made our bodies to be temples of the Holy Spirit, sanctify, we pray you, our doctors and nurses and all those whom you have called to study and practice the arts of healing the sick and the prevention of disease and pain. Strengthen them in body and soul, and bless their work, that they may give com-fort to those for whose salvation your Son became Man, lived on this earth, healed the sick, and

suffered and died on the Cross. Amen.

Pastor Jon

Volume 50—Number 05 May 2020

Voice of Redeemer

Redeemer Lutheran Church

2

REDEEMER LUTHERAN CHURCH EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH IN AMERICA

2525 BELLE TERRACE, P O BOX 13132-93389, BAKERSFIELD, CA 93304 Pastor: Rev. Jon Christenson …… 832-7881 …... Secretary: Phyllis Elrod

E-mail address: rlcbakersfield@sbcglobal.net Web site address: www.bakersfieldlutheran.org

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

This is a strange time—to say the least. As the new year—2020—started, (that seems like such a long time

ago)- who would have thought that just 3 months later we would be staying (confined) in our homes trying to

stay safe from a vicious virus. Days just run into weeks ...let’s see, is this Wednesday?, or what? Only the

calendar keeps tract of the date.

Holy Week and Easter Sunday spent at home? Yes, that happened—that's only the second time in my many

years that I can remember not going to church on Easter Sunday. The first time was many long years ago in

Minnesota when an unexpected snow storm treated us to a white Easter! No travel was possible for days.

Of course there was no high technology around then so that we could enjoy worship via the internet as is

possible today. We truly missed Easter that year. BUT, by the next Sunday we were back to normal again

and could attend worship in our church.

Marlana no longer asks her morning question; “My bus come today?” She copes with this “new normal”

quite well, again thanks to high tech. We face-talk with friends and relatives and a never-ending supply of

you tube offerings keeps her entertained. John and I do o.k. We were pretty much homebodies but find now

that we are hampered a bit in running errands with Marlana being home 24/7. But it’s ok. Gas is cheap,

but there’s no place to go!

Grocery shopping has become a new experience as well. Before leaving the house, there is the mental

check list: mask— gloves— no purse—debit card in pocket—drivers license safe in the car. Once in the store

watch the floor markings—one way isles—don’t park too close to the cart in front of me—a lot of shelves still

bare so maybe next week that product will be available. Then out to the car—how to maneuver getting gro-

ceries in the trunk (thank goodness for auto open trunks when the key is in my pocket) - without touching

anything before the gloves come off—this just gets too complicated! Who ever thought we’d have to wipe

down groceries before putting them away?

Out Redeemer council’s idea to call one another was/is great! It’s so good to hear familiar voices and know

that or church family is doing well. Pastor’s remote services and now Wednesday night Bible study are great

and tend to keep us “connected”. Thank you Pastor!!

How long will this last? God knows—the rest of us?, not so much. We know that God will help us adjust to

the “new normal” whatever it will be. It is our prayer that He will keep us safe and well until we can once

again gather together for Sunday Worship.

-Jan Lemley-

Looking for puzzles? The

Cantrell’s left several at church.

If you would like to check them

out, give Phyllis a call to arrange

a time to stop by. JL

If we are able to re-assemble anytime during May, you

will of course be notified, but I will also send out a cur-

rent calendar. Please be sure to check your email on a

regular basis for all information from Pastor Jon is sent

via my email address. JL

3

Lacey Almedia Andy Cantrell Mark Hall Jack Clayton Bruce Wearda Sheri Hunter Rachel Hairfield Marlana Lemley Marilyn Gallegos Karli Christenson Janet Bayman Nori Eakes

REDEEMER LUTHERAN CHURCH

IS DOING FAILRLY WELL SO FAR WITH ALL THE DONATIONS BEING MAILED

TO MY HOME ADDRESS

We are applying for an SBC forgivable loan and hope to get in on the latest

money approved.

Deposits so far:

4/5/2020 $4.131

4/9/2020 $4,866

4/19/2020 $4,381

4/26/2020 $3,996 +

$17,374 + Our average Monthly Budget is

$19,331, so we are not too far off.

Please keep mailing your Contributions to my home to expatiate deposits.

George W. Stilwill

509 Marylhurst St.

Bakersfield, Ca 933314

April 24, 2020 March 26, 2020

Following is a list of our friends who have been

lifted up in prayer by our faithful Prayer Warriors.

Please know that your prayers are so very much

appreciated. Thanks and Blessings to all! Erik & April Forbus 12 Mickey & Richard Rivers 23 Mike & Karen Musgrove 25

Shawn

Elau

Mike

John

Tao

Rosa

Martha

Julio

Michael

Liz

Ruth’s family

Cathy’s family

0506 080910 12 13 1718202829

Birthdays &

Anniversaries

GEORGE PREPARED THE SPREADSHEET BELOW TO GIVE US

SOME IDEA OF WHERE WE ARE FINANCIALLY

—THANKS GEORGE

Just a reminder that even though we

are not meeting at church on

Sundays, we still have bills to pay.

Thanks!

Who’s becoming a

bookworm?

Our sincere

thanks to Pastor

for making

worship and

Bible Study

available to us—

and also Katy for

giving us music.

4

Due to our “stay at home” - “self isolate” - “social distancing “ policy- or whatever your favorite term is, we

know one thing for sure—that we cannot meet for our regular church services (I trust you are worshiping

online with the services that Pastor is providing for us) and that leaves me with not much to put into our

newsletter. As you know, I reached out for your HELP. Asking you send me articles telling us what you have

been doing to pass the time as you are hunkered down. I was pleasantly surprised with the response and so

happy to share them with you. Thanks to all who contributed! ENJOY!

Judy Olson-Peterson

I have enjoyed phone calls

with my family & friends es-

pecially those I usually vis-

it, watching worship ser-

vices & prayers on line & TV,

keeping up my house &

yard, taking daily walks

around my neighborhood,

catching up on reading, &

occasionally visiting Hillcrest

& Hart Parks & picking up

carry out food. Take care &

stay safe!

CARLOTTA STATES:

"I started working on a 1000 piece puzzle at the end of March and now three weeks later I have the border completed! What I miss most during this "shelter in place" quarantine is Sunday Morning Worship Ser-vice and seeing all my dear Re-deemer friends! Stay well, stay safe and hopefully this will soon be over!"

NEWS FROM TWO MINNESOTANS:

We are thankful to be in touch with Redeemer's. And thanks to Jan for for-

warding the church news. We are well and hope all of you are too!

Like most Minnesotans, we are “hunkered” down at home. But, three things

we’ve noticed:

1. An increase in emails. What a blessing at this trying time. We’ve also no-

ticed more joyful and, sometimes pretty silly emails.

2. An increase in addressing all kinds of “jobs” that haven’t had attention in

eons! (A little exaggeration). Some are more enjoyable than others.

3. To keep our traditions of friendships alive, Dallas has begun a new pro-

gram: LRW. LRW stands for Lefse Relief Wagon. Yep, we deliver lefse to

friends and those in need.

We have received pictures of all the flowering blooms in California. But we

are waiting for warmer weather here which will encourage the spring buds to

open.

Thanks again, and take good care of yourselves. Dallas and Mary Thompson.

Linda Cohen wrote: .

Just before the shutdown started I pur-chased a smaller house and listed mine for sale. Consequently, I have been VERY busy going through closets, cabinets, garage, attic, etc. in order to downsize. I've made time for distance walking with friends, video chats, vir-tual happy hours. Can't wait to get back to seeing friends, dinners out, vis-iting family, and getting to see my grandson!

5

FROM KAREN MUSGROVE

Here is my 42 year old latch hook rug. It takes 45 min to do 1 row.

This will keep me busy for a while. I started working on it before the

COVID-19 hit. Put it on the back burner to make masks.

Oh what a mess. I brought everything to my dining table so I would be near Mike and would be able to talk to him. I have nearly made 108 masks for my family over the past 3 weeks. There are 12 of us and we all get 9 masks each. Still have approximately 17 more to make. Ordering the materials is a real pain. Takes so long to get. However, I have been able to move right along.

VAGARIES OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE:

Which letter is silent in the word "Scent," the S or the C?

Do twins ever realize that one of them was unplanned?

Why is the letter W, in English, called double U? Shouldn't it be

called double V?

Maybe oxygen is slowly killing you, and it just takes 75-100

years to fully work.

Every time you clean something, you just make something else

dirty.

The word "swims" upside-down is still "swims".

100 years ago, everyone owned a horse, and only the rich had

cars. Today everyone has cars and

only the rich own horses.

If you replace "W" with "T" in "What, Where and When", you get

the answer to each of them.

FOUR GREAT UNRESOLVED CONFUSIONS!

1) At a movie theater, which armrest is yours?

2) If people evolved from monkeys, why are monkeys still

around?

3) Why is there a 'D' in fridge, but not in refrigerator?

4) Who knew what time it was when the first clock was made?

Why does the word "Funeral" start with FUN?

Why isn't a fireman called a waterman?

How come Lipstick doesn't do what it says?

If money doesn't grow on trees, how come banks have branch-

es?

If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?

How do you get off a non-stop flight?

Why are goods sent by ship called CARGO, and those sent by

truck called SHIPMENT?

Why do we put cups in the dishwasher, and dishes in the cup-

board?

Why is it called "Rush Hour" when traffic moves at its slowest

then?

How come noses run and feet smell ?

Why do they call it a TV "set" when there is only one?

What are you vacating when you go on a vacation?

Who thinks this stuff up? [Probably retired people who do

not have much to do or those of us

stuck in isolation ]

From Mary Thompson

6

Dear Redeemer Family,

What a great idea Jan had to bring us all together without being able to be together on Sundays or to visit each other any

time!! This way we can still be in each others life and I can't wait to read the next newsletter! :) David and I feel blessed

to have a nice home, plenty to eat and that our kids are well! we are sad that not everybody is this fortunate! We try to

stay out of stores and only go every 3 weeks to get fresh produce with masks, gloves and social distancing. We also shop

for someone without a car. We all need to help in ways that we can! We are blessed to see Pastor Jon's sermon on the

screen every Sunday and follow the sermon along on the I-pad. My funny hubby always asks me if I want to go to early or

late service! :)

I talked to Rosie today and she wants me to give her Love to everyone at Redeemer and she wants everybody to stay

safe. She wants you all to know that she is doing well.

Our normal day starts out with breakfast and watching the recorded sunrise news. Then we do our stretches (floor

exercises), walk the dog and go for a Tandem bike ride. Then we get busy. Our renters moved out so David drives there

almost daily. We are done cleaning and he is mostly done fixing things but always still finds something to do over there. I

have been baking my own bread, preparing meals, the normal household chores and piddle around with my many flower

pots on our porch. I write cards on a regular bases anyway but I think people appreciate them now more then ever! I

have so many projects lined up that I am never bored!!

Some of you may not know that we will be Grandparents again! Our oldest son Bill and wife Kim have 2 boys (Holden

11, Lucas 9) and a girl (Eloise 7). They live on the outskirts of San Diego on 2 acres. Bill is an Associate director of distri-

bution for Illumina (medical equipment etc.) Kim is a lawyer for Children's Hospital. They have a guesthouse on their

property and they invited a mom and child from their church that had to return from a mission trip in Africa to stay in the

guest house. We are proud of them!

Our younger son Rick and Maria are expecting their third son any day now!!! They live in Calgary Canada. Rick has his

doctrine in geology and works for Conoco Phillips. Maria has her masters in geology and works for Husky Oil Co. They

both work from home right now. As is Kim. Noah is 6 yrs. old and Nicolas is 4. Until now they still had lots of snow in their

back yard!! I pray daily that everything goes well having the baby in this crazy mess. Our kids stream line their church

sermons from home as well.

David and I miss hanging out with our friends and having them for dinner but at least we have the phone or can text. I

have 5 new photo albums for our grand-kid's pictures and now one more Grandson on the way and I really should get

started on the 11 yr.old Holden's album!! LOL :)

After all it doesn't matter if my table is messy and stays messy since no one can come visit anyway!! You

know.....washing your hands constantly with anti bacterial soap and using hand sanitizer and Lysol on everything has it's

benefits......our bodies are so clean now it cleans the toilet when we use it! Ha! ha! :) ( I couldn't resist ...I saw this on

Facebook)

I'd like to close this with a prayer for the Pandemic :

May we, who are merely inconvenienced, remember those who are at stake. May we, who have no risk factors, re-

member those who are vulnerable. May we who have the luxury of working from home, remember those who must

choose between preserving their health or making rent. May we, who have the flexibility to care for our children when

their schools close, remember those who have no option. May we, who have to cancel our trips, remember those who

have no place to go. May we, who are loosing our margin money in the tumult of the economic market, remember those

who have no margin at all. May we, who settle in for a quarantine at home, remember those who have no home at all. As

fear grips our country, our world, let us choose faith, hope and love. During this time when we can not physically wrap

our arms around each other, let us find ways to be the loving embrace of God to our church friends and neighbors. Amen

Please stay safe, hugs through a letter from David and Christa

7

Puzzle that took "forever". "Roses of Notre Dame". Happy to say, this puz-zle has been passed along to Phyllis!

Mark and I have been doing a lot of yard work - front and back. This pic is from one of my rose bushes called Double Delight and it smells wonderful!

(Yes they do smell wonderful! Jan)

LAURA HAYWOOD:

Brian and I are staying at my mom's while our new

home is built. We take 2-3 mile walks in the hilly

neighborhoods of northeast Bakersfield almost every

day. I work from home in an office that was my bed-

room 40+ years ago! Both Brian and I have learned

how to do Zoom meetings with our co-workers on the

computer. My sister, her husband and their son Dan-

ny (12 years old) live across the street from mom,

and we combine efforts for dinner about every other

night. Then we usually play croquet in the back yard,

or we have rousing games of Uno or Sorry. So far we

are healthy and doing well with sheltering in place. I

miss my Redeemer friends and Sunday worship ser-

vices, and pray that everyone is healthy. - Laura

Sewed 120 masks for "Masks for Bakersfield" group. Mark also helped!

FROM CAROLINE REID:

I started answering Christmas cards and

letters! And calling old friends to say

hi! Fun!

I have also been to the Mekong Delta,

Puerto Rico, virgin islands, Balkans, Wu-

han, Hawaiian Islands, India and so

many other places of interest via

recorded Dream Cruises on DirecTV .

(Caroline also had spinal surgery just as

all of this hit, but is doing well and feel-

ing much better [with rehab and exer-

cise] than before her surgery.)

MARK AND TAMMY SMITH

(I made some masks too, but

not anywhere near to as many

as Tammy and Mark….but

then John wasn’t there to help

me either—and that’s a good

thing! Jan)

8

JENNIFER ALLEN’S PARTIAL JOURNAL

April, 2020

Once again, I have seen a suggestion to journal my emotions & thoughts through a very difficult time in life. I once kept a grief journal for a few years, which helped immensely. I read an excerpt from a book yesterday, a book I plan to read soon called Option B. A portion of the book was posted on FaceBook to help people in these difficult times.

These times!!!! A worldwide pandemic, COVID-19. It’s killing people at enormous rates.

I have been working from home for over a month now. I was sent home from work back on 3/13/20. The president of the United States, Donald Trump and our California State Governor, Gavin Newsom have issued a “Stay at Home”, or “Stay in Place” order following a major outbreak of a virus started in China which has spread to the entire globe. People are con-tracting this virus everywhere. There is no treatment, no cure. Now we are required to wear masks when we leave the house. Also, gloves. It is the strangest sight to see people out and about all covered up. It has brought to my mind recently, my high school Science teacher, Dr. Harbut. He warned us back in the early 1980’s (I’m dating myself) that super bugs were coming. He implored us young women to use hotter water when doing dishes & cleaning house.

I am very fortunate to still have a job and be able to work from home, due to my gracious employer. A huge number of peo-ple have been laid off, not knowing where money is going to come from to buy food, pay rent or a mortgage. It’s isolating! Interactions with people are scarce. I have reached out to family I haven’t seen in years. I try to stay in contact with people from work. I try to stay in contact with Kathleen as much as she will let me. She is 24 and in Mobridge, South Dakota. School has been cancelled for the year on the reservation, just as it has across the U.S. She has tried making learning packets for the kids, in-office hours so kids can call in, lunch distribution, etc. She is still being paid, which is a Godsend. Unlike most of the country, kids on the reservation do not have access to equipment to provide WiFi, computers, so on.

An upside for me during all of this is being able to spend time with my husband Scott. He had open heart surgery back in February. However, this virus poses a great threat to his health. Additionally, we are trying to stay in touch with, administer to & take care of a senior citizen locked down in a senior living community, (aka Robert Lansford). Today we took him a Blaze Pizza, some orange juice, and sugar free Ricola cough drops. We can’t get in to the building, he can’t come that far out. But at least we got to see each other. All that being said, we have to remain vigilant and be extremely careful.

These are very strange times, to say the least. Sporting events canceled, concerts canceled, churches closed, work sites closed. Sending everyone home across the nation has spawned a huge economic downturn. The worst by far in many dec-ades in this country. History is being made! Whether or not politicians & officials of this world can rise up to meet their des-tiny remains to be seen. Entertainers, celebrities have grouped together to provide live stream performances online that we all watch in our living rooms, or on our phones wherever we are.

People need to work to survive, need food, need medical attention. Hospitals are overwhelmed, and resources are dwin-dling. Places hardest hit like New York, New Jersey & Seattle just to name a few have gobbled up most medical resources (PPE, ventilators). The virus has been slow to reach the West Coast. Now that New York is seeing a reprieve in deaths, Los Angeles is just ramping up. Maybe we won’t be hit as hard as New York? Maybe because our government took action quick-ly, we will see lower numbers? Time will tell.

Currently, we are due back at work on April 30th which may be extended yet again. It’s April 19th now, and the virus has real-ly just hit the West Coast. I have my doubts and concerns about returning back to work. I work in an open Lobby area for passengers to convene for company flights. How will we, or I maintain good health in an environment like this? The compa-ny’s Human Resource Director has sent out a post to all employees asking them what their idea of what “New Normal” will be when we return to work. What we think will work, and what won’t. I have expressed my concerns.

And throughout all this, one residing factor exists. We are truly blessed!

Jennifer K. Allen

9

REMEMBERING RUTH

Ruth Elizabeth (Bensch) Poehlitz was born December 5, 1927, the second child of E. William and

Elnora E. Bensch in Norwalk, Ohio, and baptized on Christmas Day, 1927, at St. Peter Lutheran Church, Mon-

roeville, Ohio where her father served a two-point parish. She was the middle child with an older brother,

Donald, and a younger brother, Eugene. When Ruth was about to begin kindergarten the family moved to

Reading in southern Ohio (now suburban Cincinnati) where her father was called as parish pastor at St. Paul’s

ALC. The family continued to live in that parish during the children’s elementary and high school years, and

also until all three had graduated from Capital University, a Lutheran school in Columbus, Ohio.

When Ruth graduated in 1949 she became a school teacher in Ohio schools for four years before

moving to California where she taught in Oakland and Santa Barbara. In Santa Barbara she met and married

Terry Poehlitz in 1956. After two previous moves Terry’s company transferred him in 1970 from Long Beach

to Bakersfield, where he was later joined by Ruth and their four children. They chose a house for its proximity

to this Lutheran church and appropriate schools for the children. Two days after their July arrival in Bakers-

field the whole family attended Redeemer Lutheran Church and declared it to be their new spiritual home.

That fall Charlie attended Curran Junior High School, and the girls, Mary Beth, Laura and Sally, were enrolled

at Munsey Elementary School.

After the children grew to adulthood and the girls moved away from Bakersfield; Ruth, Terry and Char-

lie remained settled in their home on Bianchi Way where they had originally moved in July of 1970. Ruth and

Charlie continued to live there after Terry’s death in July of 2002.

Over the years the family had continued to worship with and to enjoy the fellowship of old and new

friends at Redeemer. Ruth was especially blessed by her participation in many areas of congregational life

and service: teaching Sunday School and Vacation Bible School, working with the original library staff and

maintaining a close association with the Redeemer Lutheran Church Women. This personal and spiritual

bond within the Body of Christ brought Ruth much joy and, at times, great consolation, in caring friendships.

“Blest be the tie that binds…”

Ruth is survived by son Charlie, daughter Mary Beth Brown (Randy), daughter Laura Hunter (Rip), daughter

Sally Bentley (Dan); grandchildren Erika Brown, Ripley Hunter, Austin Hunter, Kristin Chasen (Jeremy) and

great-granddaughter Alys Chasen.

Written by Ruth Poehlitz

Ruth Elizabeth Poehlitz

December 5, 1927—April 1, 2020 Wedding Day—1956

10

POEHLITZ FAMILY ALBUM

11

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THRUSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

May 25

1

John 14:8-14

2

Ezekiel34:1-16

3

John 10:1-10

4

Psalm 100

5

Hebrews

13:20-21

6

Jeremiah 23:

1-8

7

Psalm 31:1-16

National Day of

Prayer

8

Exodus 3:1-12

9

Jeremiah

26:20-24

10

John 13:1-14

MOTHER’S DAY

11

Psalm 102:

1-17

12

Proverbs 3:5-

12

13

John 8:31-38

14

Luke 6:12-16

15

Genesis 7:1-24

16

John 14:27-29

17

John 14:15-21

18

Psalm 93

19

1 Peter 3:8-12

20

John 16:16-24

21

Luke 24:44-53

22

Ephesians 2:

1-7

23

2 Kings:13-15

24

John 17:

1-11

Day of

Pentecost

31

25

Psalm 99

John 20:

19-23

26

1 Peter 4:7-11

27

1 Kings 8:

4-65

28

Psalm 33:

12-22

29

Romans 8:

14-17

30

Romans 8:

22-27

Vigil of

Pentecost

May Day—May 1