Why is the work of the church worth funding?

This was the question asked of the Synod Council in March because despite good and hard and faithful work by our Mission Support team, giving to the synod has gone down, and it is getting harder and harder to do the work of the church. The reality is that a decrease in mission support to the synod indicates an overall decrease in the giving at our churches, First Lutheran Church included. So, as leaders in our synod, we were asked why is this work worth funding. Not worth doing but worth funding. As I pondered the answer to this question, I found myself going to places within me that I don’t often go. The truth is we can all give the pat answers to this question, but those answers aren’t working. Our Mission Support team wasn’t asking for those answers either; they want to know why are we doing this hard work, why is the work of our church worth funding. So deep reflection was required to come up with an answer that was real and honest.

Summer is almost here! The weather is starting to get warmer and we are beginning to think about all the things we would like to do during summer. As a family, we love to take out our small boat to a sandbar and enjoy the sun and water while my husband fishes. When our girls were young it was essential that they had a job to do while we were getting the boat in the water. I would hold the rope while Perry put it in the water and he would park the truck and trailer. We would have the girls stand off to the side away from all other traffic, holding our very excited dog, who was a lab and loved the water. Each of us had a job and it was all hands on deck as we would get ready to go out on the water. I must say it went smoothly because all knew what they were supposed to do.

As a mom, many times I was called Sarah’s mom or LeAnn’s mom. I really didn’t mind and I still don’t mind being associated with my daughters. Still, it is nice to be called by your name and not a title. It’s also nice to call someone by name and be able to introduce people to one another by name.  I really feel bad when I don’t remember someone’s name or think I should know it but the name will not come to mind. Names are so important, and I am so glad God helps me to remember as many names as I do. I know I couldn’t do it without him. Remembering new names takes me a while and I most always need to be reminded a couple of times before names stick in my brain. That is why name tags are so helpful at church. We can more easily remember others’ names by putting a name and a face together when we only see a name printed somewhere. God calls us each by name, so I feel it’s so important to do the same.  

We have a new book in the resource center that many of you may find valuable, Cancer—Now What? by Dr. Kenneth Haugk the founder of the Stephen Ministry Program. First Lutheran congregation member and Stephen Minister Randy Nedrelo recommends the book.

Despite the cold, the OWLs had a fun and heart-warming January. Many of us attended the new movie La La Land after a great lunch. Our potluck featured Pastor Ron Nowland, who gave a very interesting presentation on “Where Angels Come From.”

Our February potluck will continue with the theme of angels. Many of us have either been touched by an angel or been an angel to some else. For our program, we will be the program. Everyone should bring a story about either how they have been touched by an angel or have found themselves being an angel to someone else. If you have a special angel symbol in your life (a piece of jewelry, a Christmas angel, a piece of art) please bring it to show. Our potluck will be on the usual 3rd Wednesday, February 15, in the narthex at noon.

It was last summer when Pastor Stanton suggested the book Sabbath As Resistance as our Lenten study. It wasn’t far into this small yet packed book that I knew I would be challenged by the 6 chapters and that it would take courage to keep going, that it would require trust in the Spirit to take me to the places where I need to go to grow in my faith and understanding of scripture. As I made my way deeper into the book and my own reflection, I found God waiting with a gentle hand as new truths were revealed and my faith was strengthened. You see, I was sure I had it figured out, my life was good and I was doing a fair job of managing my time and life. God reminded me that while life is good, there is something better for me and for the world. Rest that is deeper than my usual. Rest that goes beyond the physical and moves into the emotional and spiritual.

The week after Christmas, my family made their way to the Bahamas so that the kids could join new classmates for the entirety of their second semester which begins (for Bahamians) on January 3. Schools in the Bahamas require uniforms. Indoor gymnasiums do not exist. My eldest will commute to school by boat. It promises to not just be a change of pace, but an experience that will transform their perspectives on the world.

Thanks to the generosity of our congregation and community, the First Teen Clothes Closet has full racks for nearly all items. There are a few specific needs for which we would still welcome donations now: coats, shoes, boots and items in hard-to-find XXL and larger sizes.

One of my favorite things about winter is having a cup of hot chocolate in a large mug I can wrap my hands around. Sitting by the window watching it snow with the mug radiating warmth and me curled up under a blanket is so calming and relaxing. It would be great if everyone who comes into our church would feel that way. A warm place to be, someplace where everyone is welcomed. We all can make this happen if each one of us does our part.

The OWLs had a fun and exciting December. We started the month with a wonderful Christmas concert at English Lutheran by the UWL combined chorus and orchestra. We finished with a Christmas feast and games at the potluck. A great time was had by all.

Plentiful research states that thriving Christian congregations have a variety of robust opportunities for community service. When the congregation created the strategic plan in 2015, the growth of our community service efforts was named as a primary initiative.

What is our most precious resource? The thing we all wish we had more of, to use, to share with our families and to give to others?

Surely, it is time. While we guard our time closely and feel we never have enough of it, it is when we give that time that we receive the most back. Volunteers who have given their time to serve as hosts for the First Teen Clothes Closet recently shared the moments of time when they were able to see and feel how this ministry is about so much more than clothes.

Look what we did! (And look at what we do… and what we plan on doing!) In November, the La Crosse Area Synod hosted an event: “The Generosity Jubilee”. For a year and a half, about a dozen congregations of our synod have done work toward developing more thoughtful ways of growing our stewardship, and this Jubilee was the final celebration. There, we heard from Rev. (and stewardship guru) Chick Lane who wrote a great little book called, “Ask, Thank, Tell.” He says developing a generous congregation has everything to do with these three words. People give when they are ASKed. THANKing is essential, too. And once people’s gifts have been given, we need to TELL the stories of how their support is making a difference.

By the time you are reading this, Advent will have started. You may have noticed that the church is festooned in blue, that there is a big wreath with candles at the front of the church and we have changed the musical setting of our liturgy. It is quite possible that our worship has a different rhythm to it, too. This first season of the church year often gets lost in the craziness of the holidays and yet, I have grown to appreciate the ways it calls me to slow down, to be still and to ponder what it means to have God with us.

This time of the year is when many of us open our homes to family and friends. I love hosting Thanksgiving. Opening my house to loved ones is a great joy for me. The smell of a turkey roasting, making the whole house smell so good and knowing our guests will be arriving soon brings me happiness. Greeting family as they come into the door, helping them with the food they brought, getting everything ready to sit down and share a meal together is a wonderful feeling. It’s also fun to go to someone else’s house, where you are greeted warmly. I always seem to find myself helping in the kitchen. That’s just my thing; give me something to help with and I am happy. Welcoming others and being welcomed is a wonderful privilege to do and to have done to you. That is what we want to accomplish here at First Lutheran.