On Thur., Oct. 23 First Lutheran will be hosting an evening meal and faith conversation for Lutheran Campus Ministry. HOW CAN YOU HELP? Sign up at the Connecting Point to help with a portion of the meal, or to help set up and serve.

Middle School Mission Trip Deposit Due TODAY! Secure your spot! $60 deposit due to the office TODAY! Questions? Click here to contact Pastor Karyn!

Have truer words ever been uttered? I think I was attracted to this quote for two reasons: 1) I have spent a good portion of my month pouring over First Lutheran’s strategic plan and 2) tomorrow I get to accompany a veteran to Washington DC for a freedom honor flight where he will visit the memorial that was built for him and his comrades in arms. (I say tomorrow because I write this Sept. 19 so that it can appear in the October newsletter.) So, an Eisenhower quote about plans and planning really spoke to me today.

It is with great satisfaction that I can proclaim with deep confidence that you will be presented with First Lutheran’s long-awaited Strategic Ministry Plan this month!.... 

I don’t like waiting much. A little waiting is okay, but more than a little and I start getting antsy. I have begun to wonder about that. When did waiting for anything become so hard? I am old enough that I remember life before computers, microwaves and endless number of channels on the TV. In my childhood waiting was a part of life. Even at amusement parks, waiting in lines was when most of the memories were made as the anticipation of the thrill built and conversations happened and laughter often ensued.

Last Thanksgiving I was visiting a friend who had a French press. For those of you who don’t know what this is, it pre-dates the percolator, the grounds are placed in a container with the hot water and allowed to steep for a certain amount of time before being pressed to the bottom so one can enjoy the wonderfully, tasty complex flavor of the coffee. The French Press is all about waiting. Hurry it along and you get a bad cup of coffee—and we all know how much I love my coffee....

Welcome to the year of service and fellowship at First Lutheran! I am very excited about this emphasis. Many of you have found great joy and growth in the past years with emphasis on Biblical literacy, stewardship and prayer. But this year is where we get to get our hands dirty and stretch beyond our walls to connect with one another and with those in our community. This is going to be an active year and a year where we will have constant tangible signs of God at work among us....

I have a wonderful friend who opens her house up to our small group almost every Thursday. We knock, letting ourselves in, making her dog bark, and piling our shoes in the entry way. On really, really cold nights, like last winter, she has her husband start a fire for us, so we would have a toasty warm room to have our Bible study in. My friend has the gift of hospitality and it shows every time we meet at her house. Another friend also has the gift of hospitality in church. While she ushers, she greets everyone and talks to as many people as she can. Most of the time she isn’t standing by her door giving out announcement pages, but standing out in the narthex, making sure everyone is greeted and welcomed to church. She can talk to complete strangers as though they are like family or long lost friends. What a wonderful gift of hospitality my friends have.

These are just two examples of hospitality that show how we as Christians should act toward others. Each one of us has the gift of hospitality, only some more than others. Everyone can welcome someone they don’t know during giving of the peace, or just saying “I’m glad your worshiping with us today.” One area our church needs to work on is hospitality and it is up to everyone to do it, not just a few out in the narthex or by a door....

Photo credit: octaviolopez on morguefile