Emmanuel Lutheran Church

June 2023

I was looking out the window this morning and it was windy outside. All of a sudden I saw scattered in the wind a bunch of dandelion seeds. They were blowing in all directions. Some were traveling upwards, some outwards in opposite directions and some downwards. The scene immediately reminded me of the rush of the wind of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Both the Greek and Hebrew word that we interpret “Spirit” literally means “breath” or “wind.”

God breathes his Holy Spirit into us, his church, and literally blows the baptized in all directions carrying the seed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Some Christians travel farther than others. Some land closer to home. You are the seed of the Gospel, going wherever the Spirit sends you. When we come to worship, we are the church gathered. When we leave worship, we are the church scattered for the sake of the world.

God can use you at your place of employment, for there is surely a co-worker who is buffeted by the cares of the world and is in need of the comfort of Jesus. God can use you at school, in the grocery store, at the doctor’s office waiting room or wherever you may walk your dog. Faith doesn’t just show up on Sunday morning and disappear the rest of the week. You are God’s “dandelion seed,” bearing Christ to the world, even if that seed lands in the midst of a bunch of thistles! God needs you there too J.

Emmanuel has just wrapped up two years of work with the Dandelion Project. You have witnessed some of the buds of this project blossom over the last two years. The project may be over, but the work of the Dandelion Team will continue to see that these blooms produce good fruit.

On the next page is the “culmination” of the work of the team. It is a rough draft of our proposed “Purpose, Principles and Priorities” statement. The draft has been given to Church Council for their input and the dandelion team asks for yours as well. The statement has been prepared from information gleaned from the work of the team over the last few years through small group settings in the church and community interviews.

The Purpose statement is the same thing as a mission statement, but is meant to be short and easy for all members to remember. We recognize the need to shorten what we have proposed and will work on that. The Principles statement is meant to define the “culture” of this congregation – this is who we are at our best. It further defines the purpose statement, but is not meant to be memorized. The Priorities statement is meant to help us focus on the work that God would have us do as a church, keeping the principles in mind. The priorities will change over time based on tasks accomplished and new needs that arise.

The priorities statement will act as a resource and guide for Church Council to set goals and work to accomplish those goals. Our constitution states that Council shall “lead this congregation in stating its mission, to do long-range planning, to set goals and priorities, and to evaluate its activities in light of its mission and goals.” The Purpose, Principles and Priorities statement will be a guide to help Council do just that.

The Dandelion team feels that the statement as written reflects the responses we received during our work. Please see any team member (George Spack, Jr., Ron Stanley, Janie Crowl, Terri Fleming, Haley Hazelbaker or myself) with any constructive “tweaks” or additions you may have for the document as we continue to refine it over the coming months.

Blessings,
Pastor Alan

PURPOSE, PRINCIPLES AND PRIORITIES STATEMENT

Purpose:

Why God has Emmanuel here:

A people of God who walk with Jesus daily seeking to build up the kingdom of God through love, acceptance and humble service as Jesus taught.

Principles:

When you see us at our best you will see us:

Taking action as led by the Spirit to be…
Listening and responding to the call of God
Walking with and serving Jesus daily
Providing opportunities for spiritual growth
Sharing Christ with the community in word and deed
Responding to the needs of the community and world around us
Investing in the future church by responding to the spiritual needs of today’s young families

Priorities:

The areas God wants us to focus on both internally and externally are:

Foster faith development of members by providing opportunities to engage in God’s word, develop prayer life, and ways to serve the church and community
Acknowledge the unique spiritual needs of today’s generation and strive to meet those needs (move away from “we’ve always done it this way” to thinking outside the box)
Transform lives of members and community through teaching and preaching that helps people form a relationship with an active and loving God
Work as a church to be an example of God’s promise/hope in the community
Teach members to be the “ears” of the community and ask how their church can be of help to the local government, schools and service agencies around us
Share God’s blessings through generous giving to national or worldwide needs as they develop