Seventh Sunday of Easter – May 16, 2021

Dear People of God,

Have your worship bulletin, Celebrate and Holy Communion elements ready, so we can join our spirits as we offer ourselves to God.

Pastor Jim will offer a song on guitar that has been a part of his life since he was confirmed at Good Shepherd Lutheran in San Diego, by Pastor Theodore O. Danitschek in 1980. It is a song that continues to express the prayer of Jesus we hear in the Gospel Reading today: “That they may be one as we are one.”  By devoting our lives to seeking to ever becoming more like the One sent to us from God we do our part in fulfilling Jesus’ prayer.  What does that look like in your life? How well do you know the ways and message of Jesus Christ so that you can be one with God’s Word for the world? 

The hymns are from Easter Sunday, so sing out loud with Pastor Jim as we celebrate the Risen Christ – the God of new and eternal life!

The following Sunday, May 23rd (Pentecost), we will gather in-person outdoors in our parking lot at 10am for a livestreamed worship service. I encourage everyone to wear something red to celebrate the color of the day – a sign of the Holy Spirit among us.

It is also a significant day for our church as little 5 yr. old Ila, who attended our preschool and whose Great-grandmother & Great-grandfather were some of the first residents of St. Stephen’s Senior Housing, will be baptized. This is the first baptism of someone from our preschool since it opened eight years ago, and the first from a family from St. Stephen’s Senior Housing. Thanks be to God!

For the month of June and continuing through August, on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month at 10am, there will be an outdoor, live-streamed worship service.The recording of that service will be available after 5pm on our website. Sundays: May 9, 23 / June 13, 27 / July 11, 25 / August 8,22.   All other Sundays will be recorded on Fridays at 11am. and posted to our website by Sunday morning.

The Church Council at its May 11th meeting, has voted to begin every Sunday indoor services on Sunday, September 12 at 10 am. More information about how we will proceed with indoor worship will be shared next month as we develop our guidelines.

Our gathering for worship each Sunday at church, in our homes, or wherever we are able, is very essential to strengthen us to meet the world’s challenges. These days, especially, we cling to the messages of our faith that call us to new beginnings and living a new life. Previous Sunday worship services can be found here on our website.

Thank you all for your amazing support and love and faithful prayers for Leslie and our family. Please refer to Leslie’s “CaringBridge.org” page for updates and details about her story in case you may not have heard about her accident. Please look for your newsletter – Leslie has written an article sharing her thoughts and feelings since the accident. She is also now able to walk much easier and is returning to the office a few hours each day. We are so grateful for our office volunteers Sherilyn Jager and Kathy Allen who have graciously stepped in to help with office duties while Leslie recovers!

Thank you for your continued faithfulness in your financial giving back to God through our church. Please remember to either give your offering through the mail, through our website donation option, signing up for monthly electronic giving, OR if you just want to get out of the house, then come by the church and drop it off in the mailbox in a secure slot called “Incoming mail”!  Office hours are M-Th 8:30-2:30. If you come during those times, you may also want to step into the sanctuary for some prayer and quiet time with God. We would love to see you.  Our library is also open to you with quite a variety to choose from.

Thank you to those of you who have been sending notes and messages of encouragement and support. They help keep us hopeful and joyful! We always love to hear how things are going.  We would like to share your experiences in the Newsletter each month.  So, give some thought to what’s been happening in your life – we all miss each other, and would be thrilled to hear what’s up!

Other notes:

  • If any of you would like to participate, it really helps to have a few people Reading Scripture and offering the Prayers of Intercession from the Celebrate page.  Or if you would just like to come to worship – Fridays (new day) 11:00 am.  Call the office at 476-4700 to schedule your spot.
  • Habitat for Humanity Lunches.  We will be providing Lunches (sandwiches, chips, fruit & cookies) for 10 volunteers.  Reply to this email or call the office if you would like to help out. Our next date is Tuesday, May 25.
  • A few copies of “White Fragility” are available to borrow.  Call the office to inquire.

Grace and Peace,
Pastor Jim