Our Faith, Lent and March Madness

Most of you are probably aware that I’m a huge fan of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament better known as March Madness – and I’m ecstatic that it’s almost here!

In just a few weeks millions of people, superfans and fair-weather ones alike, will be filling out and checking their brackets daily, if not hourly. Workplace production is sure to diminish. And for three straight weeks sports fans will be glued to their screens watching all the drama unfold.

For some, their enthusiasm looks almost religious in nature. All over the country, fans will clad themselves in their favorite team gear or team colors all while exhibiting a heightened sense of nervousness; desperate for their team to win and advance to the next round. They’ll be watching games while yelling “No, no, no!” and “Yes, yes, yes!” at their television, computer, tablet and cell phone screens. All the while kids will be running around the house dribbling and shooting basketballs while adults are running to the kitchen for more nachos. It’s chaotic. It’s madness. And I’m not ashamed to say that I can’t get enough of it and love every moment of it.

But as I’ve been preparing myself for this year’s tournament it occurred to me that there was a connection between our faith, the season of Lent, and The Big Dance and it makes me wonder, “What if we viewed our faith and the experience of Lent through a different lens”? What if we used the “madness” of the NCAA basketball tournament to gain important insights into our nature as humans created in the image of God?

I think our attraction to March Madness reveals several aspects of our life of faith and our journey through Lent that may be helpful in reorienting us and reenergizing us for the road ahead.  

We want to be part of something bigger than ourselves. March Madness allows us to be part of something bigger than ourselves. We may not be on the court, but filling out our brackets and cheering alongside countless others gives us some skin in the game. So too does our faith. Especially in the season of Lent as we stand alongside countless other Christians taking time to reflect on our lives, intensify our faith practices and turn back to God. Much like the discipline and focus necessary for teams in the tournament to be successful, we too must engage in this same discipline as we make our journey toward Easter.

Disappointment and heartache are lurking around every corner. Teams dream, plan, and prepare for a long and successful run deep into the tournament, however, anyone who has ever witnessed an upset knows that even the best laid plans are sometimes met with unexpected disappointment. Our lives are like that, aren’t they? We plan, save, try to eat healthy, live responsibly, pray and come to worship and yet we still encounter heartache, disappointment, sadness, pain, and grief. Although God never promises us a life absent of difficulties and pain, the more connected we are to God and one another, and the deeper we engage our faith and faith practices the more we open ourselves allowing God to comfort us and heal us in times of brokenness.

We crave hope. Every year in the tournament there are amazing comebacks and last second buzzer beaters. Underdog teams who can’t seem to miss a shot or a team that finds itself down as the final seconds tick away relying on a step back three pointer or an unbelievable half court prayer thrown up in desperation – Cinderella stories reminding us that David can beat Goliath. Personally, I just hope not to be in the bottom half of my family’s bracket pool this year. For people around the world, hope is wanting something to happen or be true and to think that it could happen or be true. For Christians, our hope rests not in our own abilities or a last second desperation attempt but rather in a sure thing. We trust that God’s promises will be fulfilled because he promised them. Our hope rests in the truth that Jesus’s death and resurrection secured victory over sin and death and sealed our relationship with God forever.

Victory is found in the most unexpected places. An unexpected player or team that surprises everyone by playing far beyond what anyone thought possible and ends up victorious. A superfan nun whose health isn’t  the greatest but still manages to get herself to the sidelines to cheer on her team. The coach or player who overcomes a life-threatening illness or injury only to find themselves on one of the biggest stages of their lives. The unexpected surprises us but it also has the potential to enliven us, if we allow it to. But these stories merely echo the greatest story in all of history. Separated from God because of our sin, humans had no shot of making it back into God’s favor. But then came Jesus, in the form of a servant – living, teaching, and preaching about a different kind of kingdom. Jesus lived a perfect life while challenging the rules, assumptions, power structures, culture, and people’s beliefs and conquered sin and death by dying a sacrificial death and rising from the grave victorious for all. We love underdog and comeback stories, and this is the greatest one for all eternity.

As we step into Lent on our journey toward Easter, I’d like to invite you to join me on this sacred journey and allow God to draw us in and transform us so that we might more fully live into the abundant life that God has promised us. The Final Four may signify a nearing of the end of the tournament as we approach the championship game and prepare to crown a tournament champion. Similarly, our journey through Holy Week gets us one step closer to the championship culmination of Easter Sunday when we celebrate the victorious journey of Jesus and the fulfillment of all God’s promises. 

So, for the next few weeks I hope you’ll enjoy some great basketball games and have fun rooting for your favorite teams. But while you do, I also invite you throughout the upcoming Lenten season to pay attention for the unexpected because you just might be surprised at what God has waiting for you.

Pastor Tony

Ash Wednesday & Lenten Worship

Ash Wednesday

Due to the weather, we are canceling the 6:30 p.m. Ash Wednesday worship services (both English and Spanish). We will still hold worship at 12 p.m. today. It will be livestreamed on YouTube. Please know that the weather forecast is increasingly bad throughout the morning and make the best choice for your safety. On Sunday morning, we will have Imposition of Ashes at all of our worship services.

The church office will be closed after 1 p.m. on Wednesday.

JOLT Families: The JOLT dinner tonight is also cancelled.

Lenten Wednesday Worship and Soup Suppers

REMEMBER LAST YEAR! Soup in the narthex/lobby because we were neck deep in the remodel of East and West Halls and had nothing in the kitchen but studs and floors. Look how far we have come! We are excited to host soup suppers in East Hall with a fully remodeled kitchen. We will be looking for soup and bread sign-ups on Sunday mornings and through the e-alerts and church office. If you are able to help with set-up of all the things, let Pastor Chris know.

Soup supper will start at 6 p.m. followed by worship at 6:45 p.m. on Wednesdays, March 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29.

Winter Farmer’s Market

March 12, 9:30a to 1 pm

Ascension joins the Food Faith and Farming Network in offering this opportunity to support local farmers during the winter. Food Faith and Farming Network partners with Harvest of Hope Fund to support farmers in crisis. This market is a small way to uplift local farmers and raise awareness. The market is free and open to guests and will feature eggs, salsa, mushrooms, soaps, preserves, rustic breads, pastries, sweet breads, honey, apples, syrups, cider, oats, granola, wool products, and our own Meru coffee. Please bring reusable bags (or purchase an Ascension bag) and cash for shopping at the market.

In addition to the market, we will host a farm to table brunch made of locally sourced ingredients: cheesy egg bake, sausage, spinach salad with maple vinaigrette, apple oatmeal bake, cider and beverages. he market is free but there is a charge for the brunch. Tickets are available after services or online at https://tinyurl.com/DonateAscension. Tickets are available in the narthex the weeks leading up to the brunch with a limited number available at the door. Buying in advance guarantees your seat at the brunch. Tickets for the brunch are $12/adults, $8/senior, $5/kid (4-10, under 4 free). $30 maximum per family.

The Winter Farmer’s Market is a great opportunity to invite a friend to Ascension. Who can you invite to share in the market and experience Ascension’s welcoming atmosphere? Volunteers are needed for a variety of roles. Go to the Sign-Up Genius to see how you can help, https://tinyurl.com/ALCwmvol.

Serve / Mission Outreach

Serve/Mission Outreach continues to work toward our 2023 goals: Reach out, Invite in, Gather in. Our ongoing to commitment to accompaniment or to walk with our partners guides all that we do. Look for how these key words are used to guide our efforts this year. Our wing’s ministry leaders have committed 2023 to be a year of helping the members of Ascension to see that they all have a calling to serve others as though they were serving Jesus Himself. “What you have done for the least of these, you have done for Me.” (Matthew 25)

Watch for Serve opportunities and take the bold step forward to serve others as though you were serving Jesus. Serve with joy as a reflection of your love for Jesus.

Winter Farmer’s Market
Save March 12 for this year’s market and brunch which is held in conjunction with the Food, Faith and Farming Network and the Harvest of Hope Farm Crisis Fund of the Madison Christian Community; both are non-profit organizations supporting Wisconsin family farmers since the 1980s. This event is part of the Mission Outreach effort to highlight the issue of hunger in our world and how Christians can respond not only to hunger but to the needs of farmers who grow our food. Coordinators Steve and Carol Spieker have put together a committee to plan another successful market including vendors, a brunch, BLAST activities and some special surprises. Market Products will include: eggs, meat, veggies, soaps, salsas, preserves, bakery, confections, apples, syrups, cider, oats and alpaca fiber products.

Winter Farmers Market 2019

The market is open to the community so we may have visitors at church on the day of the market. This is also a great opportunity for you to invite friends to Ascension to visit the market and get to know more about Ascension. Please help us in welcoming them. First impressions matter. As a part of the market, a brunch prepared with market goods will offer: cheesy egg bake, green salad, sausage, oatmeal-apple coffee cake, cider and coffee. Tickets will be sold after services starting Feb. 19. There will also be a chance to volunteer in a variety of ways. This event is a way to invite in by providing a space for a partnership agency and inviting community members to the event at Ascension and to gather in our members in service together. Keep your eyes out for ways to help or contact Carol and Steve directly at stevespieker88@gmail.com.

Creation Care Ministry
As Christians, we are called to care for the Earth that God created and ensure that the environmental resources we rely on are also available to future generations. If you are interested in participating or getting more information, please contact Mary Ellen Comp or Lynn Parkhurst. Thank you to everyone who brought in used Christmas lights for disposal, keeping them from the landfills. This simple act makes a difference.

  • Limit Your Outdoor Salt: In Wisconsin, road salt is synonymous with winter. Unfortunately, road salts are toxic to children and pets. It damages vegetation, birds and wildlife, and destroys the organisms in soil. Just one teaspoon of salt can permanently pollute five gallons of water. Limit your use of road salt around your home and business. Try a natural alternative, such as sand. Shovel often and early and identify the critical areas that ice builds up.

Love Your Church, Love Your World – El Salvador
Our sister parishes in El Salvador have become models for Lutheran churches throughout Latin America in their innovative efforts to become self-sufficient with economic projects intended to support the church as well as provide church members with employment.

San Jorge church has been hard at work in recent years resurrecting a baking project. They were able to get their hands on some old baking equipment that was donated by the German Lutheran church 20 years ago. A church member was trained as a baker during that time and he has been teaching many others how to bake. Since most Salvadorans cook on an open flame or on a camp stove, baked goods aren’t made at home. They have created the following list for us of needs to expand their business.

Ascension has been in partnership with the agricultural hardware store (agroferreteria) that supports El Buen Pastor in Usulután and its members since 2010. The covid lockdown was very difficult on the agroferreteria. Businesses were closed much longer in El Salvador than businesses were closed here, but without any rent or tax relief. As businesses slowly opened, people were only allowed to do business on dates based on their national id number. As a significant simplification, people with odd numbers were allowed to do business on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and people with even numbers were allowed to do business on Mondays and Wednesdays. On the days that agroferreterria was allowed to be open, business was booming. Unfortunately, the days they were allowed to do business was opposite of the days their vendors were allowed to do business. They were able to sell what they had, but they were not allowed to replenish their stock. As time went on, with less to sell, their income significantly decreased, but their overhead stayed the same. The workers ended up working for months without pay and Ascension was able to send money to allow them to catch up on back rent and back taxes. The next step is for us to send funds to allow them to replenish their inventory so they can once again become self-sufficient.

Christmas Food Packages: After receiving a financial gift from Ascension, the church council at San Jorge decided to make care packages of basic food supplies for all of the families at the church.

Land Crisis in Samaria Parish, Tanzania
Hello Dear Friends,

I greet you in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. I am very happy to write to all of you this time although we do communicate and share a lot of things in our partnership committee group several times a month.

I and my family are doing very well and personally I am very thankful to God for my family. Samaria people are doing well and we thank the Lord for giving us rain so the weather condition is now good because our cattle health is not as bad as it was earlier.

The main aim of writing this short story for you is about the forced migration of some of the people in Samaria, particularly the Savana and Bondeni sub-villages.

The Tanzanian government is taking citizens’ land and giving it to investors and its main reason for this is to improve economic development, so we have been informed that we are not allowed to bury people and do any development in our personal land including building anything. Sadly according to the Tanzania constitution, they say our land is the property of the government, so we have been told that we will only be compensated for houses and other buildings and planted trees. People are very frustrated because we don’t know how much a person is going to be compensated. You can see my house which is among those being claimed by the government. Our church building and one other Pentecostal church is in the area have been claimed as well. In the Savana subvillage, 39 households are being evicted.

Kindly pray for us about this because people are in fear as they don’t know where they are going to live. Old people are very frustrated. We are waiting for the next steps now that they have identified those who have to move.

We love you our friends. God bless you all.

Yours in Christ,

Eliudi Mollel (Longishu M. Moleli), Samaria Sister Parish Committee Chair

Life’s Storms

A new year has begun with new experiences for the ministry and for my pastoral formation. At the beginning of January, we had the traditional celebration of the three wise men, and at the same time, I had the experience of visiting the Holy Land with the seminary. Both were very important experiences for the future of our ministry.

Edwin at the Sea of Galilee

The celebration of the three wise men was held without my presence. A group of leaders were in charge of the logistics for the organization of the event. We had our traditional rosca, exchange of gifts, piñatas, lunch, the visit of Baltazar, Melchor and Gaspar with their gifts for the Child Jesus and for the children, and for the second consecutive year the Puerto Rican group accompanied us, both leading the music at worship and entertaining us during our time of fellowship. While I was in the Holy Land looking at the photos of the celebration I asked myself, what did I learn from this activity? I believe that both the community and myself learned how important it is to promote leadership among the disciples for the well-being of our ministry because if for some reason the leader or pastor cannot be present, the activities of the community must continue for the well-being and the future of the church.

That brings me to my pilgrimage in the Holy Land. I am very grateful to God for allowing me to have such a wonderful experience today as I am about to finish my academic training process with the seminary. We had the opportunity to visit Bethlehem, the wall that divides Palestine with Israel, Sea of Galilee, the Jordan River, the desert of Judea where our Lord spent 40 days and 40 nights after his baptism, the journey of the cross, the empty tomb, the tomb of the patriarchs, and many other places where our Lord walked, healed and fed many with words and food. We also had the privilege of learning about the practices of the Jewish and Muslim religion.

 Probably many of you would like to know what was the best part of my pilgrimage. This would be a very difficult question to answer because all the places were wonderful and each one of them created a time for meditation and reflection in the visitor’s mind, however, if I had to choose, I would choose the time we were around the Sea of Galilee. We boarded a boat and toured the lake, looking at the mountains that our Lord had to walk for us to receive the message of hope. During that time, we had a devotional in which we listened to the Gospel of Mark 4.35-41 (Jesus calms the storm). At the end of our time on the boat, I went to the lake, and reflected on the storms that my family and I have faced. I know that we are not alone and many of you have faced or are facing storms in your own lives. Storms are inevitable in this life and very painful. As Christians, we have comfort in remembering that Jesus is the one who calms the storms and gives us hope as we continue to live our baptism. My time at the lake brought me a sense of peace being reminded that we do not face our storms alone.

Brothers and sisters, let us continue to let ourselves be guided by the presence of Jesus in our lives so that the storms that come our way do not make us perish in our hope of a new life. Keep alert, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong. (1 Corinthians 16.13).

Edwin Aparicio, Pastoral Intern

Care Ministries Changes

Brenda Lytle, RN
Director of Care Ministries

Dear Friends,

I have been in my position at Ascension as the Director of Care Ministries for almost 10 years. The time has come for retirement. I have been a nurse for 40 years and it has always been my passion to work with and help people.

When I look at retirement, I am comforted with knowing that I could look back with satisfaction. I am proud of the ministries I was a part of here at Ascension, but more importantly, I embrace the relationships that I had with so many people in our church family. I would like to thank all of the Care Ministry leaders for their work and support over so many years! I would not have been able to do my job without all of the people that help “behind the scenes” in ministry. I have always given 100% of myself and I will look to my future with eagerness and continue to live each moment to the fullest!

Living in the Love of Jesus

While I was on vacation last month and then had my time away extended because of an unwelcome covid quarantine, I had lots of time to reflect on the amazing life that has and continues to take place at Ascension.

To be alive is to live the love of Jesus! Love is the heartbeat that pumps life throughout the church. A church that isn’t loving isn’t alive. People of God, we are alive! We are living the love of Jesus! And over the nine years that I have served with you in God’s mission at Ascension, I have seen the love of Jesus alive in you. 

As you faithfully pray for those in your lives and in the world who need love in their life. As you gather to be filled with Jesus’ love through the gift of his body and blood and grow through learning and serving opportunities. As you have named your fears and honored your hopes for your life, for Ascension, and for the world. As you have welcomed new people to our faith family and continue to care for each other in love. And as you have gathered donations and generously contributed to give away the love of Jesus to others. 

It is evident that we are alive and filled with the love of Jesus not only for those within our family of faith but those outside of it. Ascension is alive! There is excitement and positive energy about how much we have grown coming out of the pandemic along with all the possibilities the future holds as we continue living in the love of Jesus!

I would like to take a moment to say thank you for your faithfulness, for the ways you live in love, for the ways you support the ministries of Ascension that spread this love to those who are most in need of receiving it. We would not be alive without each other nor without the love of God flowing in us and through us. So let us continue to focus on the ways that we are alive, that we live the love, that God is at work in and through us. And let us recommit ourselves to each other and to God to remain invested in living in love. 

Part of that investment involves us showing up to receive what we need for life – to be fed and nourished by God in worship and fellowship so that God’s love can flow into us. Part of that investment involves us giving what God has first given us – sharing our gifts and abilities in the life of the congregation and supporting the ministries through financial gifts that not only give life to Ascension but in combination with the gifts of other churches give life to the whole world. Part of that investment involves us making time to grow in faith – to learn more about who God is, who we are as God’s beloved people, and how God wants us to share that love with others; through discipleship and outreach opportunities. 

To be alive is to live the love of Jesus! So show up to receive, give what God has given you, grow in faith, and live God’s love today and always.

~ Pastor Tony

Love Your Church, Love Your World

In the month of February, Ascension celebrates Love Your Church/Love Your World. Each year we spend time spreading the love of God inside and outside the walls of Ascension.

Always and in all ways, we want to say thank you for the tending of our shared ministry through your financial support. In February, we also invite members and friends to support the ministries of our community by providing donations of items to offset the needs of budgeted ministry. We invite you to choose a heart from the windows of the narthex/lobby to purchase items.

Love Your Church

This year, we’re asking for donations to offset the cost of the kitchen remodeling project. Consider making a donations to partially pay for one of the big ticket items below. We’re also asking for donations of office and other supplies.

Kitchen Appliances
Double wall oven – $2,700
Double oven with range – $1,800
Fire suppression hood – $8,900
Commercial refrigerator – $3,800
Triple-bay sink – $1,400

Supplies
Napkins, paper towels, paper plates (sm & lg)
Ziplock bags (gallon & sandwich)
Press ‘n’ Seal wrap
Clorox wipes
Windex

Office Supplies
Paper (8 ½ x 11)
Legal pads (reg. & mini)
Stamps
Plain envelopes, variety of sizes

Love Your World

El Salvador Baking Project
Spoons – $4
Sugar – $7
Spatula – $10
Flour – $10
Oil – $11
Bowls – $25
Scale – $100
Bakery cart – $200
Commercial mixer – $700

El Salvador Agroferreteria
Rope – $3
PVC pipe – $5
Hammer – $8
Shovel – $10
Livestock vaccine – $12
Gallon of paint – $15
Livestock vitamins – $20
Chicken feed – $25
Cow feed – $30
Wheelbarrow – $35
Aluminum pipes – $50
Stepladder – $100

Donate Online Today

How Is Your Epiphany Going?

The Magi have gone home. The Christmas decorations are all put away…well most of them. Our Nativity is still celebrating the birth of the newborn king, the visit of the shepherds, the gifts of the Wise men, and the humble beginnings of our Savior. During the season of Advent into Christmas, we often rearrange our living room and dining room to allow more space for the Christmas tree. When the tree disappears, the furniture often rearranges. Such is life.

It is no different here at Ascension. We have been on a journey of discovery over the past twelve months. How much can we do, exactly, without a functioning kitchen and the loss of two bathrooms? Well, the answer is ALMOST ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING. We have provided for the receptions for several celebrations of life. We have journeyed through Lent while gathering at long tables in the narthex/lobby for soup suppers. We have pushed countless people down the hall to the functioning bathrooms even through the great day of Easter with more than 700 in worship. More platters, bowls, pitchers, and coffee pots have been washed in the kitchenette in the Youth Room and the sink in the sacristy than anyone ever expected. What joy to do all those things with smiles on our faces most of the time. What joy to know we are so close to the end of this chapter of remodeling.

We have countertops ordered for the kitchen with early February as the target date for installation which allows the electrician to return to finish and then the painter returns to finish and then the city inspects and then…well, one can dream. We are so close to completion, and we are indebted to so many to bring these projects to a close and to countless more who have dragged dishes back and forth from the storage room/prayer room/meeting room/ new office space to West Hall and East Hall and back again. We also have several members who have monitored costs and adjusted plans and worked together with contractors and plumbers and painters and installers and appliance companies and HVAC companies. When someone said, “It takes a village.” It truly does. In our case: a community to craft the story to move us to completion.

All that being said, I would also offer that for the month of February we are celebrating “Love Your Church, Love Your World” once again. It continues to be a blessing to offer opportunities for members and friends to tend items that support the ministry of our church while at the same time looking out beyond our walls to support ministry on a local, national, and global scale. The generosity of this community never ceases to amaze me as I am often surprised as many of you say yes again and again to sharing the love of Jesus in tangible ways.

This year, “Love Your Church, Love Your World” will focus on the necessities of day-to-day church ministry, tending the continued work of completing the kitchen, and the continued expansion of ministry through our sister churches in San Jorge and Usulután, El Salvador. The sanctuary windows will once again be filled with hearts to offer you opportunity to share in the work of ministry to the glory of God.

As we enter February, you are invited to join me in providing financial offset to the needs of our kitchen remodel. Certainly, there are those among us who can afford to purchase one of these appliances outright. Lord knows, I am not one of them. BUT, I can afford a portion. I wonder if you would consider a gift of a portion of an appliance. Below is a list of the new appliances for the kitchen and their cost.

  • Double Wall Oven – $2,700
  • Double Oven with Range – $1,800
  • Fire Suppression Hood – $8,900
  • Commercial Refrigerator – $3,800
  • Triple Bay Sink – $1,400
  • Coffee Machine – $1,600 (This has been purchased already – Praise the Lord!)
  • Chest Freezer – $600 (This has been purchased already.)

For our sister churches in El Salvador, we continue to work towards sustainability. Our continued support of the two hardware stores is essential to the partial funding of our sister church in Usulután where Pastor Julio leads the congregation of El Buen Pastor (Good Shepherd Lutheran Church). In San Jorge, we work with Pastora Blanca and the congregation of El Milagro de Dios (Miracle of God Lutheran Church) to support the education of young people and provide the community in San Jorge with a place of safety and strength in the ongoing work of the church among the residents of San Jorge. It is always a moment of amazement to be reminded that most households live on a monthly income of far less than $150. Imagine?! We are excited to begin to plan to send a delegation of Ascension members to El Salvador in 2024.

The windows will be filled with hearts. How will your heart be filled with joy in the month of February? I invite you to join me in tending the ministry and mission of God in the world through “Love Your Church, Love Your World” and everything else that will come as we listen to the call of our Lord Jesus and do our best to follow.

See you in church.
Pastor Chris

Merry Christmas! Welcome 2023!

What a year we had in 2022. Ascension has continued to thrive in telling the story of the love of Jesus and I am grateful for your faithfulness and for your dedication to our God and this community of faith.

We continue to lift the importance of children in our midst. The joy of multi-generational gathering in worship and ministry. We are also celebrating the journey of living in this “holy experiment” of one congregation worshipping in two languages. Our Advent Concert Worship and Children’s Christmas Program Worship were two examples of hearing voices raised in praise of our God in both English and Spanish. One of the highlights of the last part of 2022 was the number of visitors we saw joining our community in worship and at other events. Journey to Bethlehem and Las Posadas offered wonderful opportunities to welcome new faces into our midst to experience the joy of sharing in the excitement of this community of faith.

As we enter the season of Epiphany, we find ourselves reveling in the light of Christ. Where the star of Bethlehem was leading us toward the manger in the season of Advent, the light of Epiphany surrounds us and invites us to live in the light. What joy to gather in these weeks of Epiphany to hear the stories of the life of Jesus and to reflect on how we learn from Jesus how to live and love.

How we live and love is our reflection of God’s light in our lives. I am grateful to be among so many who live out God’s love by inviting, welcoming, and tending those around you. I am humbled to continue to serve God and Ascension as one of your pastors. What joy to hear you tell the stories of introduction and welcome, moments of hospitality and excitement meeting someone new. Dear friends, we should always be ready to tell the story of God’s love, our faith, and the journey God continues to bless. Revel in the light, people of God, the joy of the Lord is our strength.

We expect to welcome new members to our community on Palm Sunday in early April. If you know someone who is considering looking for a church or is ready to join our community, please let Pastor Tony or me know. We are happy to reach out to connect and answer questions.

Blessings to you in these new days of Christmas on our way to Epiphany.

See you in church.

Pastor Chris