For personal gain

Having lived in the Green Bay area I remember how good Paul Deacon’s teams were at Bayport.  That’s what makes this even more disturbing.

The former Bay Port High School athletic director and basketball coach accused of stealing money from school athletic programs will face trial, a Brown County court commissioner ordered Wednesday.

Paul Deacon, 52, of Burlington, faces one count of felony theft for allegedly funneling money generated by school athletic programs into his personal accounts.

Testimony came from Betty Zimdars, the assistant superintendent of business and information services for the Howard-Suamico School District, and Brown County Sheriff’s Department investigator Chris Amraen.

They testified that an audit revealed that $15,506 allegedly deposited by Deacon into an unauthorized basketball club bank account should have gone into official school coffers.

The investigation also revealed checks totaling $39,687 were drawn on the basketball club’s account and made out to Deacon. The alleged thefts took place over six years, according to the criminal complaint filed in the case.

After Wednesday’s testimony, Deacon was bound over for trial. He is expected to appear at an arraignment on May 19. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison.

Deacon is boys basketball coach at Burlington Catholic Central High School.

He resigned as coach at Bay Port in February 2004 after a suspension following what he termed at the time as a conflict with students who were not basketball players. He resigned as athletic director after the 2003-04 school year, then took the Burlington jobs in August 2004.

Why Lutheranism is different

So I’ve been in a learning mode when it comes to learning more about what it means to be Lutheran. Trying to learn more about the Sacraments, liturgy and of course the history. All thanks to the wealth of information at Wittenberg Trail. Obviously it’s beneficial as I’ve contemplated entering the ministry from time to time over the years. But even if I don’t go that route I’m learning how important it is to UNDERSTAND your faith, in order to be a witness to others and to grow in that faith. It’s even more important to gain an understanding of the Word and Sacraments and the Lutheran Confessions I think as a leader at my church. That’s why I enjoy reading the blogs listed under LCMS on the blogroll – I’ve learned a great deal in the short time I’ve been reading them. This little explanation of Lutheranism is one of the things I came across tonight as a result of that reading.  Thanks Pastor Weedon!

Here’s a little excerpt:

The difference comes down to two of the fundamental questions that define religious communities as communities: “Who are we?” and “What are we doing?” The Lutheran answer is sacramental, which makes the Lutheran understanding of “church” different from that of evangelicalism different in kind rather than in degree.

“Who are we?” Our definition as Christians is baptismal. In baptism, we believe that God forgave our sin, thus defining us as his family, binding us both to himself and to each other. Because this sacrament is God’s word and work rather than ours, it’s not something we can undo or unmake any more than you can undo your earthly family. You can run from it and reject it, but you can’t unmake it.

“What are we doing?” Evangelicals go to the megachurch to get jazzed on praise & worship, hear some healthy principles for living, engage in some kind of activity/workshop, or get connected to some kind of small group? Lutherans go to church to hear the Gospel and celebrate the Lord’s Supper. Forgiveness is at the root of both, and is shaped in different ways. Lutheran preaching is preaching Christ and declaring peace in his name. It prepares us for the Lord’s Supper, in which we believe Jesus himself gives us his body and blood to eat and drink for the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. If God creates creates and defines the community through baptism, then he sustains it through the Supper.

So why’s this make it a different religion?

Read the rest.