June 13, 2006
Dear
Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Thank you for
your gracious welcome to me and my wife Ieva.
Since my Installation, I have felt like you have welcomed me
with open
arms and open hearts. I feel like I have
landed in a marvelous place with a faithful people.
Thank you for your grace.
I
was asked recently by a
member of Faith, “Do you see anything that we need to change? Do you see anything that we should do
differently?”
As
I consider my answer to
these questions, I will share some very preliminary observations of
what I have
experienced.
And
what I see is a people
where the Holy Spirit is present. It is
present
…
in
the care and respect that is shown for one another – as evidenced in
encounters
in worship, hallways, meals, classrooms and meetings;
that
People of Faith are very well grounded in matters of the Christian
faith – as
enacted in the preparation for the “100 Questions” for Confirmands
really helps
to ground youth in matters of faith;
in
the fellowship (community) -- shown when so many people show up to take
some
part in a congregation event like the Habitat for Humanity dinner;
in
the beauty of worship space – which sends a clear message that the
praise and
worship of Father-Son-Holy Spirit is so important that the place where
we
celebrate Word & Sacrament reflects a long term investment of time
and
talents,
in
the beauty of the church property -- which shows everyone that this
assembly of
believers values one another so much that even the place where we
gather reflects
the beauty of Christ’s love that we
share.
Before
I can answer the
questions about change, I need to get to know you – and to invite you
to get to
know me. Like any important
relationship, this will take time.
The
most important way that
you can get to know me is in worship. I
look forward to worshipping with you –
all summer (at 9:30 a.m.)!
Another
excellent way that we
can get to know one another is in discussions/forums/ classes. On July
12, 19 and 26 (Wednesdays) at 7 p.m., there will be a discussion
group entitled “Debunking the Da Vinci Code” book
and movie.
You are welcome to join the discussion!
It is NOT necessary to have read the Da
Vinci Code book or to have viewed the movie to take part in the
discussion. This event is free and open to
the
public. Babysitting will be
provided.
Based
upon what I’ve
experienced so far, I feel like I have landed in a marvelous place with
a
faithful people.