Yesterday’s annual meeting of voting members of Faith Lutheran Church was historic! The pandemic made it impossible for us to meet in person, so we followed guidance from our synod and the ELCA and gathered and conducted business on Zoom. Who could’ve imagined! Many thanks for the apt leadership of Mary Johnson, our president.

Annual meetings are opportunities to reflect and give thanks for the past year and look ahead with intention to the coming year.

Some of the highlights of this year’s annual meeting for me were:

• an outpouring of gratitude for the work of our staff (Shauna Wagner, Ingrid Marstaller, Chris Colford, Abby Schoppe, and Tom Schauer) who deftly pivoted in the midst of the pandemic to work and engage the congregation in new ways
• a recognition that three of our staff members are celebrating significant work anniversaries: Ingrid Marstaller, 20 years; Tom Schauer, 10 years; Abby Schoppe, 10 years
• an addition to the social ministry budget line item so that the newly established social ministry team can further support missions beyond ourselves
• the election of a call committee which reflects diverse voices from the congregation and a clear desire on the part of the congregation to be sure to include the input of youth in the selection of a called pastor
• the election of of two new council members (Beth Hempstead and Bill Mark Langdell) who will serve in the areas of stewardship and evangelism/fellowship respectively
• thanksgiving for the service of Rick Cormier who has completed his term on council
• a reminder that Roberts Rules of Order can be complicated

Thank you for taking the time to attend the annual meeting and sharing your thoughts. A mark of the health of a congregation is that people feel free to voice differences of opinion and these differences are shared respectfully. Well done good and faithful servants!

In Christ,

Pastor Jen

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spiritand there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; ⁶and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. ⁷To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

1 Corinthians 12:4-5

Each of us have our own gifts. As we’re getting closer to the time in which more of the general population is eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, I would like to mobilize a Vaccination Assistance Team at Faith.

I’m looking for people who would like to call people at Faith who might be eligible for a vaccine based on their age and then assist them in scheduling a vaccine appointment if that help is desired.

Helping someone schedule a vaccine takes special gifts – patience, encouragement and hospitality to name a few. Also people on the team should be able to maintain confidentiality and of course, good computer skills are important.

I will hold a training for this work on Zoom on  Monday, February 1 at Noon. Here is the link to participate:

https://zoom.us/j/94210164989?pwd=aS9laDdzTHE4OG1uWDNZZTRWSjhqUT09

Meeting ID: 942 1016 4989

Passcode: 802937

I hope you will consider helping others enroll for their vaccinations. This work is likely to be frustrating at times, but it could save a life.

Blessings and thanks,

Pastor Jen

There is no better day to remind ourselves of the words of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. than today. And today it is easier than ever to read, watch, listen to him.

In my sermon yesterday, I mentioned The Drum Major Instinct. You can read or hear it here: https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/drum-major-instinct-sermon-delivered-ebenezer-baptist-church

There are several books available on Kindle which can be read in less than a day…check out Stride Toward Freedom about the Montgomery Bus Boycott or Where Do We Go From Here?: Chaos or Community or Strength to Love.

Today I will listen to Black pastors from across the ELCA take turns reading King’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail. It’s available to you on Facebook here: https://fb.watch/35hHa7Cjwv/ There’s a live watch party at 4:00 PM if you’d like to watch it with others.

I invite you to pray this prayer for Martin Luther King Day from the Book of Common Prayer (Episcopal):

Almighty God, by the hand of Moses your servant you led your people out of slavery, and made them free at last: Grant that your church, following the example of your prophet Martin Luther King, may resist oppression in the name of your love, and may strive to secure for all your children the blessed liberty of the Gospel of Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

In Christ,

Pastor Jen