Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ,

Thanks to the miracle of technology, this email (my second one of the week) comes to you as I am away. I'm writing this letter on a plane headed for my "homeland" - the Garden State (seriously, it's the state motto and refers to the large amount of vegetable farming that supplied nearby cities of New York and Philadelphia and continues in a lesser degree to this day). I'm not heading to a farm, though. My family is from the urban area located right across the Hudson River. If tonight is clear, I will be able to see the Empire State Building in bright color from my folks' front step.

I'm heading back for a special celebration. My niece, Emily, will be making her confirmation in the same church in which her daddy and mommy (my brother and his wife were church 'sweethearts') were confirmed and which I attended as I heard the call to be a pastor. Confirmation is a big deal because it is a time of affirming the work of God in our lives and in the places where we live. On Sunday, Emily will be saying in a very public way that her faith means something to her and that she will live into her baptismal faith in new ways as she grows into adulthood.

It is hard to believe. It was only yesterday that I was at baby Emily's baptism. It too was a special day as we gathered to witness God's gift given to her through water and word. I recall being invited by the pastor to come forward to share the baptismal blessing with her - to mark her with oil and the sign of the cross. It was a joyful time and a defining moment in her life - no matter what might follow, God's promise, love, and presence in her life was assured.

On Sunday, she will affirm the gift of her baptism. Remembering the waters of baptism, she will be refreshed and renewed. As an 'adult' member of God's church, she will be invited to respond in new ways - to share her gifts of time, talent and treasure, for the sake of the gospel so that others might experience God's love, life, forgiveness and grace.

Sunday is Pentecost - a festival of the church that celebrates the larger work of the Spirit to renew, refresh and invite response anew in the lives of all those who gather together in Jesus' church. To quote a "soon-to-be-pastor" (if the Spirit so chooses for St. James to extend a call to Scott on June 2) - "The church doesn't have a mission, God's mission has a church." The Spirit moves and works in our midst to invite our response and to join us into the grace-centered action that God is already working in our world. That invitation will be extended in a new way to Emily on her confirmation... and to you also this Sunday.

As this pastor serves in the role of "Uncle Walt" on Sunday, St. James will welcome Pastor Peter Johnson to preside over the sacraments and preach. Pastor Peter is an E.L.C.A. pastor who served the larger church in Egypt during the “Arab Spring”.

I will be returning to the office on Wednesday. Should you need pastoral care please call the Emergency Hotline and Scott will be happy to respond (651-354-1883).

Although we will be half a country away when we gather on Sunday for worship, at God's Table we will be united in the Spirit that is alive and leads us into God's mission. 

In Christ,

Pastor Walt

Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ,

I write earlier this week than usual in order to extend an invitation to tomorrow night's - Wednesday May 15 - Town Hall meeting with Pastor Susan Miller.  

Pastor Miller, a longtime friend of St. James, will be present to answer questions regarding process and procedure as we contemplate extending an eighteen month, half-time Term Call to Scott Simmons on June 2.  The program will be held in the sanctuary and will start at 7:00 p.m.

At times of congregational discernment, I am particularly appreciative of the partnership that we share with the larger church.  As part of the St. Paul Area Synod of the E.L.C.A. we benefit from the wisdom of a larger reality than ourselves.  Amid policies and procedures surrounding the call of a pastor, there is the experience of the wider church.  As a congregation, we may not have been down a particular path before but others have.  We are not alone.  I am grateful for the assistance of the larger church - which is supported by sister/brother E.L.C.A. congregations - to guide our actions as we seek to understand what the Spirit is doing in our midst.   In dialogue with our partners we are stronger than if we were all alone.

I hope that you join me for the Town Hall meeting.  Bring your questions and observations and take part in this community's conversation.  If you are unable to be present in person, you can send me your question in an email. 

Please continue to pray for St. James and God's mission in this place as we open ourselves to the work of the Spirit in our midst.  As always, I look forward to seeing you in worship.

In Christ,

Pastor Walt

 Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ,

It is with joy and thanksgiving that I write to you.  My email comes on Saturday this week with the hope that you have received in the mail and have had time to read an important letter from Council.  It recalls action taken this week by the Council that will strengthen our mission.

I am grateful for the Council's visionary leadership that remains open to the work of the Spirit in our midst. 

I am also thankful to God for providing options as we wait to call our second pastor and grow in the gathering of the necessary resources to do so.  Being able to extend a part-time TERM CALL for the next eighteen months will allow us to provide pastoral care, sacramental leadership, and mission development while a Call Mission Team is formed, able to pray/study, and will allow time for discernment. 

Last, but certainly not least, I am thankful for the rich gift that Scott Simmons has been to us all over these past five months.  Scott's compassion and skill in pastoral care has been experienced and appreciated by many.  His inviting personality has already formed friendships.  His theological grounding and sense of presence in worship are also to be noted.  In the few months of working together, I have come to respect this colleague in mission. I am excited for him and for St. James the possibilities that a TERM CALL would offer.

I invite you to participate in the conversations that will happen over the next month: On Sunday, May 12 (10am), Scott will re-introduce himself to us during Adult Education; on Wednesday, May 15 (7pm),  Pastor Susan Miller, Assistant to the Bishop of the St. Paul Area Synod, will be at a Town Hall Meeting to answer questions regarding process; on June 2, (immediately after our 9:30am worship) a congregational meeting will be held for the purpose of extending a part-time TERM CALL for eighteen months.  Following a positive outcome at the meeting, an Ordination worship would be held on Wednesday June 5 (7pm).

In addition to these public conversations, each week in May following worship, Council will be hosting Listening Posts in the library.   

I also offer myself if you would like to talk.  I am always willing to schedule time for conversation.

The opportunity before us is filled with possibilities. What joy to watch the Spirit at work in our midst as God continues to invite us into the future.  

As always, I look forward to seeing you in worship.

In Christ,

Pastor Walt

As we head towards celebrating the fifth Sunday of Easter, the eggs keep coming to be put into the basket. Our Easter Basket Challenge continues to inspire additional giving to support the mission that we share at St. James.  

Someone asked me recently, "I thought we weren't doing fundraisers anymore? Clever as it might be, this Easter Basket Challenge seems like just another fundraiser."

I appreciate questions when they are spoken with honesty and allow for a response. I will begin the response in this email but invite you to attend Sunday's Adult Education time for a fuller answer - one that will allow for additional questions to be asked.

It is true that as a community for the past few years we have traveled together a fundraiser-free path. This path, which is an uncommon one, is informed by a biblical-based understanding that God has already provided all that is needed for mission and that we respond in faith through the giving of our God-entrusted gifts.

Fundraisers rely on secular, consumerist values. We pay money and receive something   tangible (a cookie or a meal) or a service (a car wash) in return. Though we are giving our hard earned money, we do so with the implied expectation of getting something in return.  Whether the cause is a worthy one or not - the emphasis ultimately falls on how do we get money from others to do the things we want to do.  

Our Easter Basket Challenge is different. Instead of a fundraiser it is an offering. Instead of selling or paying for ministry services - we are simply offering the opportunity for folks to be generous... to freely respond to what we share together - mission.   Yes, there is a collection of money - and that money is certainly needed in order to be able to carry out the work of St. James. But.  It is a cooperative and communal effort of sharing in the support and the joy of being a part of the mission that we do together.   A mission that is open and freely available to all people regardless of their ability to pay.   Faithful funding begins where we depart from the consumerist values that invite us into an exchange of services/products and move toward community values that willingly shares what it has for the sake of making God's love known.     

I hope that you will join me in considering what kind of eggs you might share during this time of offering. Any and all amounts offered are greatly appreciated.   It is my further hope that in your response to this invitation, you might experience the joy of giving and grow spiritually in the process.  When we respond freely to what God has entrusted to us, not only does God's mission happen through us but there is a sense of fulfillment. 

Come Sunday to Adult Education and learn more about the spiritual basis for the ways we are supporting mission and growing in faithfulness as a community of faith and struggle.   Come also for the worship celebration.  As always, I look forward to seeing you in worship.

In Christ,

Pastor Walt