I was sad going into Ash Wednesday, missing you all and missing the rituals of the day whose meaning is made stronger by your presence. It was so strange, even after 11 months, to stand staring at empty pews just beyond the camera. I was sad going to sleep on Ash Wednesday, happy to have seen some of you in person, but it still wasn’t quite right.

The First Lutheran Foundation Fund supports organizations in the larger community and also those that are part of First Lutheran Church’s own mission outreach. Included in the latter category is the First Teen Clothes Closet, which was established in 2012 as both a mission to serve youth in need in our community and as a volunteer opportunity for the youth in our congregation.

In January, I assembled First Lutheran’s “COVID Advisory Panel”. The panel consists of five First Lutheran members and me. Dr. Jennie Kleven, Dr. Paul Molling, Rick Cornforth, Tim Smaby and Sheri Betz serve the community as health care providers, elected officials and a small-business owner. Together, we intend to meet weekly on Sundays to consider the current status of community spread, distribution of the vaccine, the impact felt by local hospitals and what guidelines are being offered by our county, state or federal governments. Things can change quickly. This group’s day to day work lives keep up with those changes. Thank you to all five of them as they offer their personal expertise and perspective to an ongoing crisis.

One thing 2020 taught me is to slow down and pay attention. To wonder and to be curious about what the Holy Spirit is doing in our lives and our world. As 2020 came to a close, I wondered about 2021 and how I would grow in my faith. The conclusion I came to was that there could be no better way to enter 2021 then to ground myself in the love of God and open myself to the Spirit through something as simple as a word? For several decades now, churches have been practicing the giving of “star words” at the time of Epiphany. Businesses are even joining in! Having a word of intention for a year is quite the thing now. It was quite serendipitous that the materials we were using for Advent included “star words”. I looked forward to what word would come my way.

The First Lutheran Foundation Fund is proud to be able to help support ELCA organizations that are continuing the work of First Lutheran Church. One such worthy and deserving organization is the Prayer Shawl Ministry.

Among America’s founders, Alexander Hamilton was his generation’s foremost financial mind. To help launch the new nation, he believed each state and individual citizens should invest in the federal project by servicing a shared debt. Hamilton said, “A national debt, if it is not excessive, will be to us a national blessing.” How could debt be a blessing? For one, Hamilton believed the states would thrive more if they were members of a stronger union, rather than such a loose confederation. United, the fledgling nation could better defend itself, build infrastructure and send products to market sooner. A national debt would be a national project where everyone shares an interest in seeing it paid.

It’s November. I don’t know why that feels momentous, but then again, every new month feels like we have made it through the latest obstacle and are one step closer to the end—of what I am not sure, but that is how it is feeling to me. It’s November. We made it.

I was so excited to see those who attended our outdoor worship this fall, I was giddy with joy and thankfulness that we could be together worshipping again. Like Zacchaeus welcoming Jesus, in Luke 19:6 “So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly”. I was ever so thankful and joyous to welcome people back. I loved making sure everyone had what they needed, masks, communion, worship bulletins, children bags, social distancing circles and reminders to keep each other safe. It took a lot of planning, work and help from my hospitality leadership team to put it all together, but it worked out great for all who attended. Except for the bees liking the communion wine a little too much.

The First Lutheran Foundation Fund is very proud to be able to help support local organizations that are meeting the needs of our communities. One such worthy and deserving organization is the St. Clare Health Mission in La Crosse.

October 31, Reformation Day, 1870 was a Monday. Kids (and adults) would not start dressing up as ghosts and goblins and other strange things for Halloween until the 1930s. Trick or treating wasn’t a ‘thing’ until the 1950s. In 1870, the end of October didn’t mean candy. It meant harvest time was here. And… winter was coming. Spring and summer was the time for planting, building and carefully cultivating many new and growing things, including a new church built at what is now 4th and Irvin in Onalaska. Norwegian immigrants had clustered around this part of Onalaska, and amidst their many other concerns, those Norwegians needed a place to gather for worship. They chose October 31, Reformation Day, as the founding date, the birthday, of their congregation: your First Lutheran Evangelical (which means good news) church.

Dear friends, this newsletter article is taunting me for I have few words right now that feel or sound edifying. My soul actually longs for fewer words and more stillness. So I am going to invite you into a moment of stillness with me, right now, as you are reading this newsletter. We live in a world that is so full of so many things and there are days when the burden of these things is too much and the words are too loud. Paul tells us that if we speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, we are a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. I think we can all testify to the truth of that - there has been a lot of noisy gongs and clanging cymbals in my world lately.

Our peak views for the month of August totaled 770; which is up slightly from June (728) and down slightly from July (813). The summer peak views, in general, have proven to be lower than the spring months (both were over 1,000), but as this is all new and is compounded by pandemic closures, it is hard to say what is lower or higher than average.

What can faith formation look like during a pandemic when we can’t gather for in-person conversations, studies, worship or prayer? The current moment is no different from any other chapter of our lives: either we’re growing in our faith or other priorities and interests are taking the place of our relationship with God. This is a time to get creative with how we use our time to stretch our faith in ways we haven’t before. That’s why Pastor Karyn and I and our whole staff have created a bunch of new ways to engage with God and each other amidst COVID time.

I am determined to get my newsletter article in on the day it is due. Typically my article is late because I have a hard time deciding what to talk about, there are so many ideas running through my head. This month, there are a whole bunch of things, but not one of them is enough to fill up the space I have. So as I sit here in my home office, longing for the entertainment of baby birds being fed by a momma bird right outside my window, it occurred to me that all the things running around in my head are the things I would talk about if I were seeing you face to face.

At the beginning of this staying at home for the safety of everyone, I was enjoying baking on the weekends. I work from home during the week and unlike many who have had time to bake and clean out closets during the week, I only have the weekends to do projects. I loved baking cookies and muffins and gave many of them away during the first couple of months, but lately I haven’t and I’ve missed not only the baking but the giving away my goodies to my neighbors.

In my May 19 Morning Musing, I shared this verse and the impact it is having on me right now. I have been deeply challenged by these words. This pandemic has not been easy on a whole host of levels, and while I am grateful for all that I have, I too have struggled with the range of emotions and reactions that have come over me as I make my way through this with everyone else. There are days when loving people seems nearly impossible. And yet, loving people is the very lens, the very ground, the very heart of everything I do or say. It is what defines me (and all followers of Jesus) because God first loved me (and everyone else) through Jesus.

Last month my newsletter recounted the ways we remain behaving as Church together despite not gathering in person and despite our social distancing. I said, “We worship”, “We give” and “We serve.” It continues to be true. Whether we are celebrating our Senior Class of 2020 on May 17 with a cupcake Sunday and so much more, or engage in the Pentecost Project that made May 31’s service especially multi-lingual, our worship numbers remain steady. Financial giving in April was incredibly generous and brought us closer to meeting our budgeted income through four months of 2020. And we do continue to serve as you care for your neighbors, reach out to your family and oftentimes go an extra mile to keep yourself and loved ones safe. Thank you for all the ways you continue to be the Church!

I have this very large overstuffed chair in my living room where I sit in to spend time with God. I either curl up into it or drape my legs over the arm of the chair, and that’s where I’m at peace. It’s where I can pray my heart out, but also where I can hear music play as I do my Bible study. I also have a place away from home where I can find peace and where I’m met with God’s creative work. That place is my nephew’s vineyard atop a ridge in Vernon County that overlooks the farms and ridges with a 180 degree view. I can sit on the deck looking out and seeing all that God has created. It is there that I find peace and rest.

Starting last winter a group of faith leaders joined with the La Crosse County Aging and Disability Resource Center, ADRC, to learn about dementia in our community and discuss ways churches and other faith groups could support people with dementia and their caregivers both in worship and in the community.

So first, the how-to: A good starting point is our website. The easiest way to find our live streaming page is to go to 1stlu.org/live. On this page you’ll find several things, but the main thing is this: you can actually watch the live stream right there, on our site. No need to have an account on another social media platform, the live stream is right there for you to watch. But part of worship is the social aspect of it, so if you do have an account on Facebook or YouTube, you might want to watch there, as you can chat with other members who are watching.