With Thanks and Appreciation for a Bright Year.

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

As we prepare to leave 2018, I am filled with a sense of gratitude for the ministry that we do together. I thank God for many memories and blessings of 2018. It was a year that was bright with good things.

Over a decade ago, I encountered theologian Letty Russell’s definition of a church as a community of faith and struggle. We believe as a group of God’s children in the sure and certain hope of resurrection. We baptize and celebrate throughout our lives God’s promises of life, forgiveness, and God’s constant presence. We share God’s goodness with others. We come together to worship around Word and Sacrament. We celebrate with joy across the generations. In these and other ways, in our community there is faith. AND. We also struggle as a broken people. We don’t always follow God’s lead as we should. We aren’t always as kind as we could be with our words and actions. We struggle also with the harder sides of life. We cry and grieve. We hurt.

Over this past year, as a community of faith and struggle, we have grown in our relationship with God, with each other, and with our neighbors. I am looking forward to what lies ahead in 2019. Led by the Spirit, we are in for a wonderful journey of building and deepening those loving relationships.

Blessings to you and your family,

in Christ,

Pastor Walt