With spring comes our desire to clean out the old and make things new, both indoors and out. In the coming weeks our Kops Park event schedule will be distributed. A natural kick-off to our neighborhood’s activities is for families and neighbors to band together for the 4th Annual Kops Park Spring Cleanup. It feels right that we continue in the tradition that our friend and advocate Kevin Hinckley made strong in our neighborhood. Perhaps it was his design all along that these efforts would make us strong as a group of friends. Let’s keep the enthusiasm and neighborhood pride going.

Kevin was pleased that after 50 years, Beautiful Savior began bringing helpful activities to the area; also help – where needed – in the form of volunteers. How exciting it is to keep the vision of Kevin Hinckley alive! As we piece things together among the neighbors, i.e., “How did Kevin want Spring Cleanup to go?” “Do you think Kevin would like the new growth in Auer Garden?” “Who from the neighborhood is best suited to carry on such-and-such a duty?” and the all-important question, “Who will do the grilling from now on!?!”

Working in and belonging to a church, I can’t help but think back to how it must have been for the disciples during those first few weeks after Jesus rose from the dead. Echoing in their ears were the instructions that He left for them; it took the passing of time and the faith-changing events of Good Friday and Easter Sunday for them to understand all that had been said.

Continuing with our neighborhood revitalization reminds me of how Jesus’ disciples must have felt in those early days. Just as we’re piecing together the new path for our beloved Kops Park, they had to patch things together and figure out, “What do we do next?”

Luckily, we have the Bible, with Jesus’ words written down to give clear instructions. Also, there is a major difference in the message Jesus left behind: His was a command, a direction, that we “go, therefore, and preach the Gospel to every nation, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

So, to take the example from our everyday lives, our work in the neighborhood continues, thanks to the “seeds that were planted” by our friend, Kevin. A different kind of seed is planted every week at Beautiful Savior. No, we won’t stand on a street corner and “thump people on the head with Bibles.” But every week we joyfully make learning about the Bible and Jesus’ words available to all who are curious and have questions that need answering. That’s all we’re about here at Beautiful Savior. You’ve got to admit, we’re a happy lot, and with good reason. We’re here for you.

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Lorraine, one of our older adult members here at Beautiful Savior recently lost her 63-year old daughter to emphysema. It is said that the hardest thing for a parent to bear is to bury their child, no matter what the age.

For Lorraine, it was mere days before Holy Week. Some might think that this is the saddest time of year. To make matters worse, Lorraine’s daughter actually passed from this world to the next on Lorraine’s birthday.

How did Lorraine react? “What a humbling, remarkable gift,” Lorraine rejoiced, “to give my faith-filled Wendy back to God, to have her in Jesus’ loving arms on my very birthday!” 

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If you have ever had any doubts about the power of prayer, reserve your decision until you read what happened this month at Beautiful Savior … .

Our Mission Sewing Group (founded 30 plus years ago by member Doris T., now 94) ladies had a recent discussion about their dwindling supplies for making quilts.

These are very special quilts that are given to a variety of groups that help those in need. Some of their quilts go to help newly-arrived international students at the universities. Some are baby quilts made to comfort babies and their families experiencing critical health situations. A large portion of the adult-size quilts are donated to patients at Froedtert Hospital who are in the end-of-life care wing. All quilts, large and small, are given a special tag that says, “Jesus loves you and so do we.” Before each quilt is sent off to its destination, Karen, one of the quilters says a prayer of comfort for the person and family receiving the quilt.

But back to the dwindling supplies. Last week, about Thursday, January 26, Margie, another quilter, told me of their dilemma. When I offered to scout around for some unused church funds that might help, Margie calmly said to wait. She said that she, Karen and Deb had agreed to pray that God would fill their need, that He had helped in the past to keep their mission going.

This morning, I opened this letter, dated January 30. Here is the letter in its entirety:

To Whom It May Concern:   

My mother was a patient at Froedtert Hospital in their NICU. Her name was Donna. On December 21, 2011, she suffered a brain hemorrhage. On December 24^th we removed her from life support and she passed away on December 25^th. On Christmas Eve her nurse brought a beautiful quilt which he placed on her. The quilt was something that if she had been given a choice I know she would have chosen for herself. The quilt she received was donated by your church. The quilt added such a personal touch to what was a dismal situation. I enclose a check which I would like to donate to help make additional quilts for other families who have loved ones that are sick or dying.

Our sincere appreciation for this gift and thanks to those who give of their time and talent.

God bless,

Ramona

(Enclosed was a generous check for $125.00, which is more than enough to cover the material needs of the Mission Sewers at this time.)

To God be the glory!

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Typically at this time of year, we think of a year in review. It makes me smile to remember the community that we are building here in Kops Park through these family-friendly events.

~ Easter Egg Hunt

~ Auer Garden clean-up events

~ Kops Park Rummage Sale

~ Kops Park Patriotic Parade 

~ Free Hot Dog Giveaways 

~ National Night Out

~ Doggie Dip at Kops Park

~ Beautiful Savior Block Party

~ First Friday Parents' Night Out

~ Kops Park Trick-or-Treat Night

~ Christmas Caroling & Food Pantry Pick-up 

~ Staying connected through the Kops Park Neighborhood Association Block Watch

So many fond memories float from one event to the next! It's hard to tell where neighborhood begins and our friendly church leaves off. On more than one occasion, neighbors have phoned our office, looking out for their own neighbors. Likewise, as we go through the blocks putting flyers on your door or preparing for other activities, our church members look out for you. That's a great feeling!

At this time of year we also find ourselves thinking of things we'd like to spend more time doing: taking more time for the kids and family; slowing the daily rat race down a bit; maybe even checking out that welcoming church down the street. We welcome your suggestions. If there's something you'd like to see us offer, just let us know  by completing the visitor survey on this website, by messaging us on Facebook or by calling us at 871-6744.

Most of the smilers at our neighborhood events this year walked away feeling renewed. The excitement came in most part from YOUR enthusiasm. For this, we thank you! We invite you to renew and be refreshed in the coming year by joining in on any of the community events, or simply by seeing what we're all about. As you can see from this year's fun, we're a pretty descent group of friends, just as you, our neighbors are down-to-earth. We thank God and we thank you for a terrific 2011. We look forward with joy for all that 2012 can bring to renew our spirits, Lord-willing!

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Viewers keep visiting our website to join in the memories or learn new facts about our neighborhood friend and advocate, Kevin Hinckley, who died unexpectedly in October at age 53. Please feel free to post your memories of Kevin in a comment to this post. We’d also like you to share your photos of him. (Simply email them to me at joanbutz@beautifulsaviorlc.com). Let’s keep it going ‘til spring. As you may have heard, the Kops Park Neighborhood Association has decided to move the memorial service for Kevin to a spring date, for out-of-town travelers; because it is the beginning of the growing season – Kevin’s favorite time of year; and, because various groups are looking into memorial projects like possible tree planting.

So as we here at Beautiful Savior remember Kevin, many of us are reminded that Kevin unknowingly helped guide us in the direction our outreach efforts were to take. It was Kevin’s viewpoint that rang in our ears: “A church is supposed to reach out to its surrounding neighborhood.”  And Kevin was so right.

You see, in the heyday of churches (the ‘60s, ‘70s and even the ‘80s), church attendance across our nation – and at Beautiful Savior – was high. There was, it seemed, no need for reaching out to a neighborhood; members came and that was that. Back in the day, people moved into a neighborhood and almost by instinct or habit (call it what you will), they joined a neighborhood church. It was part of a typical family’s support system. Young people met and were married at church; their kids were baptized there and their loved ones – both old and young – were buried with the church family around them, supporting them.

When Kevin moved back into the neighborhood, he came up with the concept for Auer Garden. It was to be a scaled-down version of his many successes in the beautification and “greening” of Lodi. He approached Beautiful Savior, among other groups like Milwaukee School of Languages and various City of Milwaukee officials. In short order, good seeds of neighborliness began to grow again in the Kops Park area. Our previous pastor, Kurt Wenzelburger, recounts the story of the early relationship between Kevin and Beautiful Savior. Admittedly, there had been a few bumps early in the road to working together between Kevin and our church.

But one fine day, the garden had already been dug with MSL students and neighbors cooperating, all under the kind and knowledgeable supervision of Kevin, who now needed something. Pastor Wenzelburger was out in the churchyard and Kevin called over to him, wondering what he was going to do for a source of water for “his” newly planted garden.

Pastor Wenzelburger freely offered Kevin the church hose. As he unrolled it and brought it to a sweaty Kevin, toiling at the Auer Garden triangle, Pastor W. quipped, “Just remember, Kevin, that this is holy water!” That was the beginning of a beautiful working relationship that grew stronger with every cooperative effort. Kevin, the pied piper of weaving folks together to accomplish the common good, saw that he had a friend in our helpful neighborhood church. He began to call us with requests and we did with him as well. Many church friends, when working with Kevin, observed that he held a special reverence for God’s green earth. In turn, Kevin began to see that a church is not about its building but its people and their relationship with God.

In time, Kevin, slowly began to heal from this summer’s loss of his mother. He began reaching out to people. He prayed with Pastor Raabe for healing after his surgery. Kevin voiced that he was very pleased with the direction Beautiful Savior members were taking; for example, offering relief for parents in our new First Friday parents’ night off each month, the Patriotic Parade and our fun/work with each of the Kops Park Neighborhood Association events like National Night Out and the Doggie Dip. At the church block party/picnic, Kevin told several listeners that Beautiful Savior was finally headed in the right direction. I was one of those listeners and responded that our new “direction” came from our new synod president, whose edict is “Witness, mercy and life together.” I commented that it all fit in with what Kevin had observed over the recent years. His response more than once in his final days quoted his mother that “the Lord works in mysterious ways.”

I’m sure Kevin would agree with poet John Donne that “no man is an island, entire of itself.” We all make a difference in the lives of those with whom we share time, no matter how long or short that time on earth is. I would have relished the opportunity to share many future projects and events with Kevin. We at Beautiful Savior will now enjoy planting new memories with neighborhood families. This is what made Kevin Hinckley smile.

~~~~~

Perhaps the strongest message our friend Kevin leaves behind is that life is so, so short. That is why we do what we do for you, our Kops Park neighbors. Look at this story about the Titanic and consider how short life truly is. I read it recently in Billy Graham’s book, Angels.

The greatest ship of its day, weighing 46,000 tons, [the Titanic] was considered unsinkable. But on the night of April 14, 1912, while moving through the ocean at 22 knots, it struck an iceberg. Because it carried only half as many life jackets as passengers, when it sank 1,513 people drowned. Even though this event occurred more than 70 years ago [the 100^th anniversary of this infamous event will come next spring], there is still a great fascination about it. The recent discovery of the hulk of the Titanic has revived our interest in the whole tragic story.

Out of tragedy, however, God can still bring triumph.

One passenger, John Harper, was on his way to preach at Moody Church in Chicago. Trying to stay afloat in the ocean, he drifted toward a young man holding onto a plank. Harper asked, “Young man, are you saved?” The man said, “No.” A wave separated them. After a few minutes they drifted within speaking distance of each other, and again Harper called to him, “Have you made your peace with God?” The young man said, “Not yet.” A wave overwhelmed John Harper and he was seen no more, but the words, “Are you saved?” kept ringing in the young man’s ears.

Two weeks later, a youth stood up in a Christian Endeavor meeting in New York, told his story and said, “I am John Harper’s last convert.”

Therefore, dear friend, “Ask not for whom the bell tolls.” It tolls for each one of us.

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While we residents think of Kevin Hinckley as our own, his civic-minded heart belonged to other groups of “fans.” A few days after his unexpected death, I phoned the Lodi newspaper on a whim. You see, Kevin spoke so fondly of those he left behind in Lodi; I felt certain that people there would need to know of his passing.

The next morning, one of Kevin’s grassroots friends, Allison Eaton, returned my phone call and we took a verbal stroll down Memory Lane of Kevin’s fulfilling days in Lodi. The conversation took on a warm emotional tone that felt like “Kevin, we hardly knew ye.” How many of us already knew that Kevin was Lodi Citizen of the Year in 2003! The more Allison spoke about her community work with Kevin, the more I knew our Kops Park neighbors would be bowled over. She and Kevin were founding members of Friends of Scenic Lodi, a group of Lodi residents determined to advocate for historic trees and parks in greater Lodi. Together they wrote grants to improve the water quality for local trout populations, tree placement, and much, much more.

The above photo is of Kevin’s Lodi Rain Garden with Lodi’s historic school hill stone wall. The photo to the left shows just one of the historic stone walls placed in several Lodi park locations.

While comparing notes between our two communities, Allison and I saw Kevin’s role with local projects and organizing volunteers as that of a virtual pied piper of community bonding.

Join us soon for the third and final installment of Remembering Kevin Hinckley.

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Some friendships are lifelong, while others are but brief moments in our timeline of life. Little did we know that the latter is how it was to be when I met Kevin Hinckley, just 6 ½ months ago. Kevin Hinckley lived from October 17, 1958 to the day of his sudden death on October 21, 2011. All who knew and loved Kevin agree that he squeezed a lot of worthwhile living in between, and we are glad to have shared some days on earth with such a lover of God's green earth.

Before being introduced to him, I was told that Kevin was a local mover-and-shaker. He was our key to becoming sincerely involved with our Kops Park community. After making a few connections by telephone, we met in person on Saturday, March 26, at the Auer Garden Spring Clean-up. A crowd of 2 1/2 showed up to begin spring pruning that day: Kevin, showed, as did I, plus the "1/2" was my collie Strider. The lack of attendance that day was undaunting to Kevin. We worked and chatted intermittently until it began snowing. "Snowing!?!" I thought to myself, who would keep gardening in the snow when it wasn't even their yard? Looking back, I smile and say, "Kevin, of course." The first photo I took was of Kevin reaching down to show off some plants. (That photo is on our home page.) He was in his element.

Kevin was the quintessential teacher of living green. The levels of learning he introduced to the students of Milwaukee School of Languages crossed many disciplines. From botany to biology to art and social studies and even the social graces, Kevin was a master at conducting these into single-focus activities. He connected students and teachers to work in an outdoor classroom with prairie plants and trees indigenous to our native Wisconsin. Through cooperation, he was able to get middle school students to shed their age-appropriate apathy and dig Auer Garden. Much the way a proud parent sports their brag book, Kevin often showed off his Auer Garden photo album -- his pride and joy. It spotlights the step-by-step progress made over several years to plant and care for the prairie plants in the garden. His "aha!" moment activities gave students and Kops Park neighbors alike the realization that one person, a few people and even an entire neighborhood can, indeed, make a difference in this world.

Kevin was your basic grassroots agent for change. He thought nothing of calling our alderman Jim Bohl or other City, County and Parks and Rec representatives to "just ask and see what can be done." Having grown up in the neighborhood, Kevin believed in fostering cooperation throughout a community. It was only natural that he would return home in recent years to care for his mother Margaret, a WWII war bride from England who had settled in the neighborhood and remained there until her recent death in July of this year. Margaret loved her garden, and there is no doubt that her love of gardening was transplanted in Kevin as he grew to love Earth Day and Arbor Day as well.

Sure, Kevin worked with local folks to see that Kops Park remained green and healthy. His viewpoint on what included good health for the area reflected back to his own childhood in the 1960s. He worked with city officials to take steps that would deter loitering at Kops Park. He was often quoted saying, "I'm not turning the neighborhood of my youth over to people who don't mean well. I really do believe that 'an active neighborhood is a safe neighborhood' " -- the  slogan for the Kops Park Neighborhood Association.

He was in awe – as were we here at Beautiful Savior – at the success of the first annual Kops Park Patriotic Parade this past June. He beamed for days – as did we -- because of the 150-strong turnout for neighborhood kids, dogs and their people. Nothing was more important to Kevin than turning over experiences from the ’60s and ‘70s to our Kops Park kids of today. Sure, there are technological advances that are great experiences for today’s kids. However, Kevin often said things like, “You just can’t replace the special times a family shares in person when the video games are finally shut off." Things like gardening and studying local history and plain old yard work  all made for very rich conversations between neighbors. Kevin wanted very much to share that joy and connection between the families of Kops Park.

(Join us for the next blog as we learn of Kevin's accomplishments in the community of greater Lodi, Wisconsin.)

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Some may say that this summer had a slow start. Blame it on the early cold weather. But we here at Milwaukee's Kops Park, just blocks east of the Menomonee River Parkway, have built something very special with each new event. Together, we've threaded a patchwork quilt of neighborhood WARMTH. That only comes with turning off the tube, "x"-ing out of the games and websites (all except ours here at Beautiful Savior, of course!) and heading for the great outdoors. Sure, it's a neighborhood park, our Kops Park. But we can ALL agree that this summer, we as a cooperating neighborhood have voluntarily made Kops a GREAT park with a great reason for going outdoors!

So often we tense up when asked to spare a volunteer hour or two here and there. Look and review all the photo galleries on our Beautiful Savior church website or Facebook page. We can all realize that when we squeezed a helpful hour or two into our daily ratrace, we wove the threads of n-e-i-g-h-b-o-r-h-o-o-d into some very neat time shared. Sure, we're all different, but many of us like to do the same things; doing them within walking distance gives us such a breath of fresh air, doesn't it? 

Thanks and thanks again go out to Kevin Hinckley and Janese Baket, plus the many Kops Park Neighborhood Association leaders and friends who stepped up to make every single attempt this summer bigger and better than the last! Let's keep it going. Let's work with the beauty of fall and keep our community warm and vibrant in the coming weeks.

Keep an eye out for what's coming next, but that'll keep for another day. Today, I'm just enjoying the memories of helping out with these just-plain-fun events:

~Auer Garden & Kops Neighborhood Cleanup

~Beautiful Savior Easter Egg Hunt

~Kops Park Patriotic Parade

~Monthly reading and craft and other kids' activities

~Beautiful Savior Vacation Bible Camp (See ya next year!)

~AWE artists (Terrific job on the pavilion!)

~National Night Out

~Kops Park Doggie Dip

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If you are a dog owner in Kop's Park on Milwaukee's fashionable northwest side, the coolest spot this Sunday, August 21, will be at the Kop's Park wading pool. You see, the last dip in the pool is reserved from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. for our trusty four-legged chums who help protect -- and bring smiles to -- our great neighborhood. Bring a camera to capture the real meaning of "Dog Days of Summer!" (A towel might be a good idea, too.)

Just in case you owners get hungry,  there will be Bunzel's all-beef hot dogs, brats and beverages for sale. Maybe, just maybe we might even have a treat for your dog(s)!

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Whew! What an incredible month this has been @ Beautiful Savior! The feedback from our week-long Gold Rush! Discovering the Rock of Ages has been very inspiring. Kids, you were all so excited and polite. Many grownups commented on how well-behaved you were.

Weren't the crafts, lessons, games, panning for gold and heavenly gold, songs and, of course, the western-style skits the MOST FUN!?! Many of you told us how great it is to learn more about Jesus. Lots of questions were answered.

We'll keep you informed about upcoming events. Tonight, it's National Night Out, starting at 6 p.m. Keep checking here and at www.beautifulsaviorlc.com because more photos keep rolling in.

(PPSSSTT! Kids' Bible Discovery Hour will help us keep the conversations going, starting September 18 at 10:15 a.m. here at Beautiful Savior. More info. to follow.) Again, thanks for the memorable week, everyone!

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