Sparks Newsletter March 22, 2006
In This Issue
by Larry Ulrich
When mothers and young children visit Kum Bah Yah House, they are greeted by Jesus Christ pictured on a mural in the first room they enter. But the presence of Jesus Christ goes well beyond His physical depiction in artwork. It shows up in many ways at Kum Bah Yah House, a Well Baby Clinic—and more--in Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood as a ministry of Ebenezer Lutheran Church. On a recent Saturday morning, when Sparks visited Kum Bah Yah House, a Bible study of Hebrews 11 was being led by Earetha Winton, a ministry volunteer and long-time member of Ebenezer Lutheran Church. Ministry volunteers and client mothers read the verses as Earetha and others willingly shared their personal faith and gave witness to their faith in Jesus Christ. As the study of Hebrews 11 progressed, Earetha spoke eloquently on the meaning of ‘by Faith’ as she linked the Old Testament faith of Abel, Enoch, Jonah, and Abraham, first to New Testament Christianity and finally to the individual lives of the young mothers served by Kum Bah Yah House. “We are all brothers and sisters in Christ,” Earetha boldly stated to the mothers present for the study.
by Larry Ulrich
In 1988 Earline Hamn, a member of Ebenezer Lutheran Church, was concerned about news reports regarding the infant mortality rate in Ebenezer’s community, Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood. “North Lawndale had the second highest infant mortality rate in the country. It was bordering on infant mortality as high as a third world nation,” Earline told Sparks one recent Saturday morning. Earline was working that morning at Kum Bah Yah House, a well baby clinic ministry housed in Ebenezer’s former school building. The Ebenezer congregation founded the clinic ministry, which operates the first and third Saturdays of each month except July and August, in response to that news story 18 years ago. A retired nurse who previously worked at both the University of Illinois Medical Center and Cook County Hospital, Earline now volunteers as manager for this clinic that serves a community where the per capita income is less than 50% of the national average, according to U.S. Census statistics. During the clinic’s early days, lack of prenatal care, drug and alcohol dependency, and malnutrition were ever present dangers to the economically disadvantaged community. These were “potato chip and Kool Aid” mothers, Earline told Sparks.
by Larry Ulrich
Volunteers are the life blood of Kum Bah Yah House, the well baby clinic at Ebenezer Lutheran Church in Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood. Ebenezer members are active in this outreach ministry, but the clinic also benefits from the volunteers and contributions of a number of northern Illinois Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod congregations.
When Sparks visited Kum Bah Yah House on a recent Saturday, volunteers from four congregations were present: St. Paul in Norwood Park, Hope in Countryside, Our Savior on Neva Avenue in Chicago, and St. Andrew’s in Park Ridge. by Janet Hasler Shelly Leech regularly attends the Special Lambs Bible class at Having taught Shelly at the Bible class, I asked her what she likes about the Special Lambs classes. She replied that she likes hearing about Jesus and His forgiveness of our sins. She also understands that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. Shelly likes helping the ladies in the kitchen serve refreshments, and she is helpful in assisting the other students.
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