Dear church,
Advent is a season of watching, waiting, expectation, and hope. But for the last 15 months, the First Lutheran Vitality Initiative team has been in a season of watching and expectation as they have been listening and discerning.
It might help to have a quick reminder of what the Vitality Initiative is all about. In short, it’s about moving us from asking church-centered questions to asking God-centered questions. So we’re moving from asking questions like, “How can we get more people involved in our church?” and “How can our church attract young people and young families?” and “How can we get more people to attend our worship services?” to asking questions like “Where has God been present and working in the history of this congregation?” and “How might the Spirit be moving in the lives of this church’s members to grow deeper in their faith?” and “How might God be calling us to join what God is already doing?”
As you may have guessed by now, vitality itself isn’t about numbers or programs. It’s about the vitality of our ministry. In other words, it’s about how God is and will continue giving life to the world through this church.
The Vitality Initiative team has spent the last many months discerning: listening deeply to Scripture, to the congregation, and to neighbors. One of the primary tasks they undertook was finding the common thread woven through First Lutheran’s history and current life. This is a particular vocation that God has called this church into.
We believe the best description for that vocation, that thread woven throughout the ministry of this congregation is ACCOMPANY / WALK WITH.
Our next step is to do some more weaving, and we’re inviting you to contribute to this tapestry. On Wednesdays in Advent we’ll introduce a “next step” activity, which you’ll find on a handout at the noon and evening soup meals (these will also be available throughout the church after Wednesdays).
Today’s “next step” is simply to think about this ministry of accompanying, “walking with”. Think about what those words mean, what the Bible says about them, how God is a God who walks with us.
During this season of Advent, we wait with expectation and hope. We expect that God continues to walk with us during this season, guiding us and directing our steps toward a clearer understanding of where the ministries of First Lutheran are headed next.
Ministering with you,
Pastor Erin
