From the Pastor….

The leaves have started to fall and the weather has turned crisp as autumn continues along toward its high holiday of Thanksgiving.  For us in the church, thanksgiving is a concept that not only involves gratitude for all that we have, but it also involves giving appropriate gifts to God in the mission of the church out of our bounty. 
<>            Yes, I used the word, “bounty.”  Even though our financial times are a bit worrisome right now, we are a country who still enjoys many benefits that others do not.  November is  also a month when we focus on stewardship, and this year will be no exception.  In the recent Lutheran Magazine, our ELCA Bishop Mark Hanson writes about the new mission tag line for the ELCA: “God’s Work. Our Hands.”  It is only four words, but it does say volumes about what we believe our calling to be: that our very lives are to be responses to the wonderful, free, saving grace of Jesus Christ our risen Lord and Savior.  I like the short mission statement.  God’s Work – proclaims who is behind our mission and ministry, just as it proclaims that we believe that God is active and involved in the fabric of the world.  Our Hands – proclaims how God works in the world while at the same time challenging us not to internalize our faith.  We are called to be as active in the world as God is, because God’s activity and our activity are interdependent.  God’s Work. Our Hands.  It doesn’t replace the scripture of the confessions as the guiding principles for us, but it sparks conversation about our call to respond to Christ’s love in our lives by sharing that love with others. 

        In regards to our stewardship emphasis this year, we will be sharing the appointed scripture for the weeks of November 2, 9 and 16 because they are already wonderful instructions for how we are to use our gifts for sharing Christ’s love.  The three sermon themes will be as follows:

            Nov. 2 (All Saints’ Day) – “Showers of Blessings”

            Nov. 9 – “Worship as Stewardship”

            Nov. 16 – “Your Talents and You”

On the 16^th, we will have one service at 10:00.  After the children’s choir sings, they will be dismissed to have a Sunday School lesson on the parable of the talents, which is our Gospel for the day.  Following the sermon, there will be a time to fill out a card indicating your intention to give next year – remember, you do not turn this in, you take it home and keep it with your financial items as a reminder of your commitment to our Church’s mission.  We will discuss and approve the budget for 2009 after the service in a brief meeting, then adjourn to the parish hall for our annual Harvest Dinner.

            May God bless us during this month where we give thanks for his blessings and return thanks through our time and talents.

Pastor Wolfe

Simply Giving

 Simply Giving is a free service provided by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans to church members for electronic withdrawal from your designated bank account for direct deposit to the church account.  You may choose the amount and frequency of withdrawals (weekly on Monday or Friday, once a month, bi-weekly).  It is a really efficient and time-saving way to contribute.  Simply complete a Simply Giving form, found on the narthex shelf, and send it to the church office.