Sophomore Nicholas “Curly” Kosewski’s father was a Polish catholic and his mother was a Greek Orthodox believer. As a result of this religious difference, Kosewski’s dad had to convert to the Greek Orthodox faith and Nick subsequently adopted this faith as well.
When Kosewski came to Wayland, he felt “distanced from [his] church,” and thus “decided to check out all the other churches in town.” After the tour of Beaver Dam, Kosewski moved on and found Assumption Greek Orthodox Church in Madison, which stands “about eight times longer than the other churches.” Kosewski also belongs to the Chicago diocese “which basically incorporates the entire Midwest.”
In regards to other followers of Christ, Kosewski said, “we are fairly similar to other Christian denominations; we stick to the old beliefs.” But, Kosewski added, “we have a different Bible than everyone else.”
The website of the Assumption Church said in explanation of the Greek Bible, “By Holy Scriptures we mean the Old Testament (including the Apocrypha) as translated in the Septuagint Bible, and the New Testament in its authorized version in the Greek Language in which it was originally written.”
The Eastern Orthodox faith is well-known for its use of icons. However, other Christian groups have a hard time understanding this use of images, considering the famous Old Testament passage: “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them”(Exodus 20:4-5a).
Kosewski was quick to clarify the meaning behind the icons. “We do not worship the icons. They are aides to worship; in other words, windows to the faith.”
Another difference in the Greek Church is that the virgin Mary is called the “Theotokos.” According to Kosewski, “she is not as emphasized as in Roman Catholicism, although it appears that the Catholics are not emphasizing her as much as they used to.”
Like other Christians, Greek Orthodox followers make the sign of the cross across their shoulders, chest and head. However, unlike other churches, the Greek Orthodox church makes the from the right shoulder to the left; other churches reverse this direction.
The sacraments are a central theme of the Eastern Orthodox Church. The Assumption Church website stated, “these four Mysteries we talked about, Baptism, Chrismation, Communion and Confession, are absolutely necessary for our salvation.”
The significance of the sacraments begins at birth. A newborn receives communion and baptism and then must wait 40 days until he or she is allowed into the church.
Some churches play bingo to raise money, but Kosewski’s home church hosts a Greek Fest to raise money. This festival involves food, games and dancing.
Kosewski explained, “I am on the road to priesthood.” Along this path, in an act called Tonsure, Archbishop Iakovos cut off some of Curly’s hair. “Tonsure symbolizes that I was not afraid to change for God.”
The reason for remaining upright, he said, is that “standing shows reverence to the Big Three,” namely ???????.
Kosewski felt it important to add that “gyro is pronounced euro, as in European,” and concluded that you can picture the movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” to get a slight idea of Greek Orthodox Culture.
The Vision for the Vineyard: Ms. Davis Shares Her Story
The Vineyard began years ago as a vision Ms. Davis’ dad shared with local businessman Tom Sprague, the man who eventually sold the Vineyard to the Larkins.
Ms. Davis commented that when the Vineyard was at the Basset Complex (in the old mall area), the store did not receive much traffic. Now that the Vineyard is in the middle of Beaver Dam, next to highway 151 and near Beaver Dam High School, Moraine Park Technical College and Wayland Academy, the cafe attracts more people.
Davis said, “The transfer to the Shopko area was a very good move on the part of the Larkin family.”
However, just as the Larkins were on the verge of closing down the cafe due to family commitments, Ms. Davis met with her family and friends to discuss the fate of the Vineyard. After much discussion, the Vineyard returned full circle to the Davis family: it started from her “dad’s instrumental part in starting the Vineyard” and now has come into Ms. Davis’ able ownership.
The goals of the new owner are even more far reaching than communicated in the previous article (see “Vineyard Saved” in issue #26). Ms. Davis wants to increase seating to include an area for private meetings and expand the selection of Catholic reading materials. Her most radical change will be to add wireless internet access to the whole cafe. As she said, “The wave of the future is to order things online.” Ms. Davis is also considering converting the coffee shop into a non-profit organization.
While considering all of the changes, Ms. Davis commented, “I feel like I am a bridge from where the Vineyard is now to where it will go in the future.”
Yet Ms. Davis emphasized that the essential character of the Vineyard will remain the same. She said, “The Vineyard is a gathering place for believers, and a comfortable place for anybody.”
The complete vision for the Vineyard is unique. Ms. Davis said, “I want the Vineyard to belong to the community.” She believed that the Vineyard was already a family and said “I consider myself a member. We have a fabulous staff.”
Ms. Davis added, “We owe a lot to the retiring owners, the Larkins. I consider the business a gift.”
The music teacher has a passion for enriching her community which also came out in her compassion for the homeless and downtrodden. She said, “There are beautiful souls in those throw-away people.” She hopes that a soup kitchen will open in downtime Beaver Dam through her help. For the time being, though, there are just a lot of ideas are being pitched around.
Davis had one final comment about the Vineyard: “I hold my breath and wait to see what will happen next.”
SIDEBAR:
Ms. Davis said that “coffee is an up and coming thing,” and she was spot on. According to an SCAA Market Report, “In 1999 there were 108,000,000 coffee consumers in the United States spending an approximated 9.2 billion dollars in the retail sector and 8.7 billion dollars in the foodservice sector every year.” This translates to literally tons of coffee imports into the U.S. each month. The International Coffee Organization concluded that, in 2007, the U.S. imported around 2 million 60 kilogram bags of coffee per month.
Vineyard saved by Wayland music teacher
By C. Puls & Matt Breuer
Ms. Pat Davis, a Wayland music instructor, will soon be the new owner of the Vineyard Christian Bookstore and Coffee Shop here in Beaver Dam. The new store hours are as follows: Mon-Fri: 9AM – 7PM; Sat 8AM – 5 PM; Sun Closed.
Vineyard employee Sharon Kuhfuss (whose name is German for “cow-foot”) said the goal of the Vineyard is “to be a resource for the Christian community and others.”
The Vineyard has been located in the Shopko retail area for 3 and a half years. Before that time, the Vineyard was adjacent to the Beaver Dam Mall before the new commercial development (including Walmart and Menards). As Kuhfuss explained, at the time “the Vineyard could better envision itself at the Shopko location.”
David and Merry Larkin owned the Vineyard before the recent takeover by Ms. Pat Davis. Although the cafe was financially sound, the Larkins still wanted to close the business in order to have more time with their grandchildren. The Vineyard began putting huge discounts on its products in preparation for the store closing, but then Ms. Davis intervened.
Kuhfuss said that “David and Merry Larkin are very thankful that their vision continues.”
Ms. Davis will start restocking the store with all the same books, drinks, bakery and Christian knickknacks that were once there, but she does have some major changes in mind. She wants to expand the music selection, and, as Kuhfuss said, “WiFi is definitely on her list of goals.” At the moment, she will be working to make small changes, but the big plans will come in due time.
Sharon Kuhfuss views new owner Ms. Davis as “someone with a definite heart for ministry.” She feels that God led Ms. Davis to pursue this opportunity.
With Celestials Cafe closing down, the Vineyard will be the only cafe in town, but Kuhfuss hinted that a new shop called Blackwater Coffee might be opened near the Kraft factory.
Vineyard’s fate was for a long time obscure. Kuhfuss said, “We have been on this roller coaster ride, and just knowing the Vineyard will continue is a good thing. We like the atmosphere we work in ”
One part of this atmosphere is a special spot Vineyard workers call the “grief corner.” This space contains items to help those dealing with the loss of a loved one. Kuhfuss shared a story about a woman whose son died unexpectedly. The mother came to the Vineyard frequently, and felt comfortable enough there that she would curl up on a couch to cry, read or sleep.
Although the Vineyard is a Christian store, the outreach to nonbelievers is not intrusive. Kuhfuss said, “We spread the Good News by our interacting with the people.” Kuhfuss spoke in particular of two young men who came into the store and sincerely asked the staff numerous questions about God and other spiritual matters.
Another demonstration of Vineyard’s unique place in the community is that area pastors meet at the store once a month to hold meetings. This event allows the many churches in town to touch base and work out plans for inter-church events.
Kuhfuss concluded, “Pat Davis feels really excited.”
The following is the 2007 winning entry from an annual contest at Texas
A&M University calling for the most appropriate definition of a
contemporary term:
‘Political Correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional,
illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream
media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to
pick up a turd by the clean end.’
I believe it was Dickens who said, “It is a far, far better thing to be a deliverer of warm fuzzies, than to be one who delivers cold pricklies.” Or maybe I said that. Hmmmmmm…. 
Someone finally gave in and cut a worm into pieces with an Exacto knife and managed to get a couple of worm tidbits into the bird (he was so cute when he opened his beak!!). Quite a few responses to our Save The Robin campaign suggested that the girl put him back where she found him, so she drove him home at lunch, made a nest out of an old hanging basket, and hung him in the tree near where he was found. I hope his mother finds him! Meanwhile, Mike is breathing a lot easier knowing he won’t have to listen to chirping all night, and the cats are mourning the loss of their Robin Ratatouille.
I can’t believe Thatcher was right! Strangely enough, it came to me in the middle of the night when I was in a subconscious state. That’s usually when all my wisdom surfaces, but by the time I wake up in the morning - Poof! - It’s gone! C’est la vie!
Patricia
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From: mattbwayland@hotmail.com
To: phelms78@hotmail.com
Subject: RE: My Contact Form
Date: Thu, 5 Jun 2008 14:34:40 -0500
Dear Patricia, Thank you for visiting my site to leave me a message; this gives me warm fuzzies inside. If you have tried bugs and whole worms, your next step is to cut the bugs and worms into pieces. Have fun with that. I am not much of an ornithologist. Good luck with Mike, but the real battle will be keeping the cats from eating the bird…
According to Wikipedia:
Rebecca “Becky” Thatcher
She is the daughter of Judge Thatcher, and she is known for the mutual infatuation she and Tom Sawyer shared in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. She has long yellow hair that is always in braids. She wins Tom’s love from the first moment he sees her. Even after weeks trying to win the affection of a girl named Amy Lawrence, Becky makes him forget all about her. When Tom and Becky first have an encounter, she gives him a pansy to show her love.Tom reveals himself to be a true romantic at heart when he lays himself under Becky’s window and creates a wistful “death”. Becky Thatcher soon became “engaged” with Tom Sawyer, and Tom gave her a brass andiron knob as a sign of commitment. However, she was angered by knowing that Tom was “engaged” with Amy before her and returned the knob, but they bond after Tom nobly takes a whipping from the schoolmaster for Becky’s crime of looking at the headmaster’s forbidden book.
Matt Breuer
> To: mattbwayland@hotmail.com; newlifefromheaven@hotmail.com; mbreuer@wayland.org
> Subject: My Contact Form
> From: phelms78@hotmail.com
> Date: Thu, 5 Jun 2008 08:19:28 -0700
>
>
> Here is the information submitted to newlifefromheaven.com/contact/default_form.php from 216.170.142.17 on Thursday, June 05th, 2008 at 8:19 am.
> ————————
> My Input Box 1: Patricia
>
> My Input Box 2: phelms78@hotmail.com
>
> My Input Box 3:
>
> My Input Box 4: Help Save Our Baby Robin!
>
> My Text Area 1: Hey Matt!
>
> We’re doing an email campaign to see if anyone knows anything to help our baby robin! We have a baby robin (more like a teenage robin - has most of his adult feathers, but can’t fly yet) here at work. One of the girls found him abandoned in the rain this morning. We have no idea what to feed him… I think they have tried bugs, whole worms, etc. Any idea? I’m also trying to convince Mike to let me take him in for the night. We’ll see how that goes!
>
> Thanks! Oh, and Tom & Huck’s friend - Her last name finally came to me (I think)… Is it Becky Thatcher??
>
> My Captcha 1:
>
