Needless
to say, it is so good to finally have the certificate of occupancy for our new
narthex and offices. It is so good to
have the mess and upheaval of construction behind us. It is so good to be open at that end of the
building where we need to be open.
Thank
you for your support, your patience and your consistent support of our Building
Fund. And thank you to our Building
Committee for its persistent and relentless dedication to a long and
frustrating task. We did it together!
The
reaction of many pastors and people from sister congregations as well as people
from our community is that the changes we have made, both interior and
exterior, are outstanding. As much as a
building can express a sense of warmth, welcome and friendliness, ours does.
But,
we’re not done. The certificate of
occupancy was obtained Holy Week, and we moved into the offices the week of
Easter. We are still in the process of
getting the new areas organized and settled as well as reorganizing and
resettling our educational wing. We
still have some residual financial and legal issues with the build that need to
be resolved. But, most of all, as the
church, as the Body of Christ, we are never done with the Lord’s work.
It
would be a big mistake to think that we can now sit back and relax. We have achieved a major renovation of our
facility. But, the facility is not the
church. The church is people. The church is people gathered around the Word
of God and the sacraments. The church is
people in worship, education, fellowship, mission, ministry and service.
I
spoke at the Voters Meeting in April encouraging the formation of groups around
common interests. One such group is our
Quilting Group. This year is it’s 20th
year. The common interest is quilting,
and the fruit of their labor supports Lutheran World Relief. There are other common interests ranging from
aviation to grandchildren. A group
interested in flying could not only enjoy and celebrate their common interest
but also support the mission and ministry of Lutheran Association of Missionary
Pilots. A group delighting in
grandparenting could also find ways to support our Sunday School, perhaps tutor
or mentor children after school or support the mission and ministry of Lutheran
Child and Family Services. A small group
of people interested in gardening will be launching a Children’s Garden in June
for children of our congregation and community.
It’s
a natural way for ministry to happen.
The groups can’t be mandated or appointed. They need to come from you. Please think and pray about this as you are
aware of and talk with other members who share common interests with you.
In Christ,
Pastor Straub
Last Updated ( Tuesday, 01 June 2010 )
A Word from Pastor - Apr/May 2010
Written by Administrator
Saturday, 17 April 2010
Dear Brothers and
Sisters in Christ,
Your regular
and faithful church attendance matters! God has given us a commandment to this
effect: “Remember the Sabbath Day.”
It matters to God! Worship is, after all, worship. It is, first and foremost, worship. It is God centered and God directed. It is a public, personal and corporate
expression of God’s worth. Our effort to
be there and participate reflect God’s worth.
Our absence, lack of participation and excuses for not being there
reflect God’s lack of worth.
It matters to you! In worship, we not only give but also
receive. God works in our lives through
the means of grace. God works in our
lives through His Word and sacraments.
As we gather around Scripture, Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, the Holy
Spirit works powerfully in our hearts and lives to create and sustain our
faith; to help us get our priorities straight; and to equip, strengthen and
encourage us for daily life.
It matters to each other! The church is the Body of Christ. We are one body with many members. As with our human selves, when body, mind,
soul and spirit are healthy, strong and interrelating as God intends, we are
good. When one part of the body hurts,
the rest of the body suffers. As
Christians, we are a community. Our presence
makes a difference to each other. Our
absence makes a difference to each other.
This is also true of the stewardship our
time, talents and dollars! The faithful
managing of what God has placed into our hands is an act of worship. The generous and faithful support of mission
and ministry matters. Your time
matters. Your talents matter. Your dollars matter. The Body of Christ is impacted positively by
your presence, involvement and support; it is impacted negatively by your lack
of presence, involvement and support.
Easter is the celebration of Christ’s
resurrection. It is the celebration of
life! Death would be the final word were
it not for the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ. In Christ we are forgiven. In Christ we live in the hope of heaven. In Christ we live in the assurance of God’s
presence and love. In Christ we are
given a purpose and mission. In Christ,
life is the final word. That’s why
regular and faithful church attendance matters!
