Emmanuel Lutheran Church

September 2021

I’m devoting my article this month to announce three exciting things for Emmanuel.

The Dandelion Project – A personal and congregational renewal journey, beginning in September 2021.” This is the headline of the informational flyer announcing our Synod’s “Dandelion Project” to the congregations. Emmanuel’s church council has unanimously agreed to apply for acceptance into this project. There is a limit of congregations that will be accepted. We will know by the end of August if we have been chosen. The fee for this project is $500/year and it spans two years. People Projects (a trust fund of the congregation set up to “enable the further extension of the work of our church, … directly to support individual growth in ministry… courses in various kinds of Christian education or leadership development…Christian ministry educational opportunities, etc.”) has agreed to pay for the cost. Each participating church will be assigned a “coach” who will journey with them through the course of those two years.

What can we expect as a result of participating in this project? We can expect to understand better some of the following, both individually and as a congregation: What is God doing and how does God call the church to be a part of it? How do we teach and build around God’s mission? How does God invite us into faith formation, putting down deep, strong, spiritual roots? How can we better understand and share God’s good news? How does God lead us to engage with the community around us? Should we be selected to participate, this should be a very good faith formative tool for individuals and the congregation as a whole.

Now Hiring!
Speaking of faith formation, the second exciting announcement involves moving forward in the hiring of a replacement for Angela, our former Director of Youth and Family Ministry. You will recall that when her family moved and the position made available, Management Division decided to take the opportunity to re-evaluate Emmanuel’s current needs and determine if there might be another aspect of the congregation that could be better served by a paid staff member before pursuing another DYFM. Several good ideas were discussed, but none really stuck and then Covid hit putting a damper on any hiring plans. For the past two years, Management has included in the annual budget an amount of money in anticipation of hiring someone and has made it known that we were considering alternatives to the DYFM. We have finally settled upon hiring a Director of Faith Formation and council has given their approval to proceed.

What is a Director of Faith FoAs I write this the weather is changing. It has been hot and humid longer into the year that normal, but fall is in the air. The temperature is supposed to drop and it will feel like the season it is very soon.

I don’t know about you, but fall is perhaps my favorite time of the year. The temperature is tolerable. The leaves turn bright shades of red, yellow and orange which color the landscape. There are Fall Festivals of all kinds highlighting the apple, grape and pumpkin harvests. Fall brings with it many fond memories for me.

Fall is also a reminder to those who live in a climate of seasonal change that this portion of the earth is tilting farther from the sun and with that tilt will come the harshness of a cold, dark winter. I am reminded of Ecclesiastes 3, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.”

The seasonal change is a reminder that we do not know, as Jesus points out to Nicodemus, where the wind comes from or where it goes. Even with today’s technology, the weather forecasters are always off in their predictions. What we do know is that, with amazing accuracy, the earth rotates and tilts and the seasons come and go as we make our annual trek around the sun.

So it is with God’s activity through the Spirit among us. We can’t predict what God is up to, as much as we might like to think we can. All we can do is trust in God’s wisdom over our foolish ways. This might leave us asking, like Nicodemus, “How can these things be?” In this life, we may never understand why God moves in the way God does. I often answer this difficult question by saying that we don’t understand now, but when we see God face to face, we will not need to question for our response will only be “now I understand. Thank you God.”

The pandemic has wreaked havoc on our society and the church. It has disrupted the “normal” flow of things in our daily lives. The question for the faithful to ask is “how is God using this?” It may seem disruptive now, but the Spirit is moving throughout. Where it comes from or where it goes, we do not know, only God knows. Perhaps the “season” is changing within Christ’s church and all we know for certain is that, under God’s watchful eye, perhaps the beauty and wonder of a new season is upon us. God is good.
rmation? This will be a position almost identical to the DYFM, in fact, most all of the DYFM job description is included in the DFF’s job description, word for word, with the addition of faith formative language. So it is not a “new” position, just an “improved” one. The person who will fill this position will connect with all age groups by providing various programming and recommendations with the underlying intent of helping us to grow in faith as a result. This person will help us to see the work of the Spirit in our lives and to share that same Spirit in the community through the various programming provided. The search begins immediately and is open to any qualified member of the congregation and community. The qualified candidate will have a demonstrated knowledge of and experience in faith formation and a passion for providing opportunities for spiritual transformation in people. You can find the job description on our website or pick one up at the church office. The application deadline is September 2.

Laundry Ministry - Now, for the third piece of exciting news - an outreach ministry idea that was put on hold due to Covid is now moving forward with Council’s approval. Emmanuel is teaming up with the Salem Laundry Room (owned by members Dale and Tammy Menning) to provide free wash and dry once a month for those who need this service. Publicity of this unique ministry will take place with the assistance of the Salem Community Pantry and people will be asked to register in advance for how many loads they will need. It is still in the planning/learning stages, but if all goes well, we hope to have a “soft opening” of our first free laundry ministry on September 16th from 8:00 to noon. Plans are to offer this ministry on the third Thursday of every month at the same time. Salem Laundry Room will cover the cost of the wash and Emmanuel will cover the cost for the use of the dryers. Someone from Emmanuel will be present during this time to greet people, provide coins and share information about our church with the community. If you would like to volunteer to help with this ministry or donate funds to sustain it, please contact the church office. We will know more about what our specific needs are after going through this first experience.

Blessings,
Pastor Alan