Dear Friends in Christ at Gloria Dei,
It has not been a “quiet week” for us here in “Lake Woebegone,” but a good week—with the promise of turning into a great week. I spent Monday-Wednesday in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area visiting one-to-one with pastors and church leaders about the joys and frustrations, successes and challenges, hopes and dreams they’ve had for their faith-based organizing ministries.
I’ll report more in-depth on what I’ve experienced throughout my sabbatical visits, but here are a couple of nuggets to share today. On the one hand, I’ve discovered that Lutherans do a good job of getting things done in their communities—making a healthy bridge between what happens in worship on Sunday with what happens in the world during the rest of the week.
On the other hand, I’m also greatly appreciative of how we at Gloria Dei use our individual interests as guides to engage our faith-active-in-life. Too many times, it seems that church and community leaders want to tell us how we should direct our energy—as opposed to listening to us and then helping us put our passions to work for the sake of the Gospel. As Paul says in Galatians (5:1) “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand fast, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”
I was blessed to connect with our new Intern Pastor—Stephanie Vos—at her parents’ home. She’s excited to join us in just a couple of weeks. I was also blessed to re-connect with some old friends and catch-up on the latest chapters of their life stories.
Finally, we will be blessed to celebrate a family wedding on Saturday, August 7, down in Winona, Minnesota. It will be good for the soul to be with the family and friends that gather, especially since we know we won’t see many of them for a long time to come.
I hope and pray that you have been well, that you have enjoyed what Alaska has offered, and that you are filling up your “emotional” tanks with good conversations, satisfying projects, and good outdoor experiences. We have thoroughly enjoyed our time Outside—even as we are eager to enjoy our homecoming!
May God bless and keep you in Christ,
Pastor Scott and Carolyn
Dear Friends in Christ at Gloria Dei,
You know by now that we have had a wonderful time visiting prominent places and precious people on the East Coast. I hope you know how grateful we are for the chance to spend some significant time with our children and families. Yet, I also hope you know that we’re happy now to be moving westward—back to the land of our spiritual roots and, ultimately, back to the great land we call home.
We’ll be in Minnesota for the next week-and-a-half visiting family and friends, as well as some more congregations. From wedding services to worship services, family suppers to the Lord’s Supper, and casual conversations over coffee to deliberate discussions about differences in various communities of faith, our sabbatical experience has been rich.
As I think ahead to our reunion and the great range of discussions we’ll enjoy, I’d like you to prepare to discuss a few things in particular:
1. Prayer. What do you remember from your childhood about prayer? Who helped you learn how to pray? When has prayer been especially helpful to your spiritual journey? When has it been a challenge? How do you pray as an individual? What role do you see prayer playing in Gloria Dei’s mission? What do we do well? What could we do better?
2. Outreach. What do you remember about how you were welcomed at Gloria Dei (or at other congregations in your journey of faith)? What do you think is important for visitors at Gloria Dei to know? How do we practice the spiritual gift of hospitality? What do we do well? How might we improve? What should visitors expect from us? How might we get to know our neighbors better?
3. Inreach. What does it mean to be a member of Gloria Dei’s family of faith? How do we foster a sense of family belonging? Are we doing a good job of keeping people connected? What can we do better programmatically? What should we do as individuals? How can we know who needs a visit—and who should go?
4. Commitment. Are our expectations of members too low, too high, too middle-of-the-road? How should we approach the issue of helping people “do their fair share” with their time, talents, and treasures? If the standard formula is that 20% of the people do 80% of the work, what can we do to increase the first number and decrease the second?
Those are some of the topics that I’ll want us to address—perhaps you have some others that you think should be on the agenda. Please don’t hesitate to let our Church Council members know—or me, when I return on the 9th of August. Until that time, I hope and pray that you are well, that you are aware of God’s great giving and loving nature, that you have confidence in Jesus’ gift of forgiveness and life, and that you are able to trust that the Holy Spirit is wholly present on your journey through life.
In Christ,
Pastor Scott and Carolyn
Dear Friends in Christ at Gloria Dei,
We have moved from the hustle and bustle of the big city (Washington, D.C.) to the quieter and calmer climes of Newington, N.H. Rachel is down to her final month of internship here at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, where we got to watch her lead their week of Vacation Bible School: a walk through the Genesis re-telling of Joseph’s experience in Egypt (we took good notes thinking of next summer at Gloria Dei!).
With a slower pace of life, I wanted to share some of the reading I’ve been doing.
The Postman (by David Brin) was a suggestion from my son, Mark. Made into a movie starring Kevin Costner back in 1997, the book has, as is usually the case, a much better plot. In the primitive aftermath of WWIII, a man seeks refuge in the remains of a postal worker’s jeep, just to survive the cold and danger of the night. It is a move that leads him to assume the mantel (literally and figuratively) of the mailman—helping people in far-spread communities make connections with family, friends, and the far-flung world. It is, in a very real sense, a good read for those of us in the gospel business!
The Book Thief (by Markus Zusak and suggested by Darla Siver) is a haunting, but thoroughly redemptive novel. The narrator is the character of Death, and the “hero” is a little orphan girl in WWII Germany. Welcomed into a family that has tried to stay free of the Nazi’s fetters, she has jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire—for her newly adoptive father, a moral man who’s word is his bond, agrees to hide a Jewish refugee. Make sure you have a good supply of Kleenex close by for the final pages!
The Preached God (by Gerhard Forde) was written by my favorite Seminary professor, a man who understood—like very few seem to today—that there is a good reason why Jesus is first described as going through the country “preaching good news” to the people. If the Church is not preaching good news, then who in the world can??
The Hero of the Ages (by Brandon Sanderson) finishes a fantastic fantasy series recommended by my daughter, Rachel. The theme affecting each of the main characters is the challenge to find a balance between doing what is right with doing what is best.
A Prayer for Owen Meany (by John Irving), one of my all-time favorite novels, is set in the fictitious town of Gravesend, NH. Irving attended the famous Exeter Academy in the town of Exeter, NH, and translated many of his experiences (academy and town) into the pages of his famous book. It was a treat to tour the academy and town today.
Know that you are in our thoughts and prayers. I hope that you are finding some good time to reflect on God’s blessings in your life—as well as the blessings God has given you to share in life.
In Christ,
Pastor Scott and Carolyn
Dear Friends in Christ at Gloria Dei,
We spent an amazing week in our nation’s capitol riding the train, walking, riding the bus, walking, riding the subway, and did I mention—walking?
We delighted in touring the city, enduring the heat, visiting with members of our family as well as members of our family of faith, and seeing some amazing sights. It was a great experience—one that inspired and amazed us, tired and dazed us. We were excited to be enmeshed in such an exotic blend of people of every shape and speech, color and creed, sentiment and station in life, to say nothing of continuing our journey through some of the most famous sites in our nation’s history.
Part of our visit was marked by the theme of death:
At the Washington National Cathedral, our visit was limited because a funeral service was being held;
Visiting the grave of a relative at Arlington National Cemetery, we saw a flag-draped coffin being pulled by a team of white horses to a freshly dug hole;
At The Wall (Viet Nam Veterans’ Memorial), we touched two names of young men who, at one time, were older than us, but are remembered as boys;
We were moved by the Korean War and WWII memorials;
And we walked through the hushed and horrific halls of the Holocaust Museum.
And part of our visit was marked by the theme of life:
We were inspired by the great Lincoln Memorial and touched by hearing guides explain his significance in languages we could not understand;
We marveled at the unbelievable collection of Smithsonian Institute Museums: American History, Air and Space, and Art, to name just a few;
We worshiped with local folks who take seriously God’s call to take the good news of the Gospel to “all the world” (which happens to be in their back yard!);
And we felt both awed and proud to experience this little slice of Americana that speaks so significantly of “great gifts and great responsibilities.”
We hope that you are well, that you are enjoying your summer experience, that you are blessed by God, that you are blessing others for the sake of God, that you are blessing Gloria Dei’s mission with your presence-and-your-presents, and that you are praying for God’s guidance as we look to the future ministry to which Jesus is calling us.
In Christ,
Scott and Carolyn
Dear Friends in Christ at Gloria Dei,
I find myself thinking of you—especially as we worship at other Lutheran congregations. We've learned a few things about visitors that you and I already know:
1. Within five minutes of visiting a congregation, we formed an opinion about whether we'd return.
2. Rarely have we been greeted by anyone who asked for our names or if we were visiting.
3. Though Carolyn and I have both been Lutherans since birth, we've rediscovered that there are no set rules for worship, yet many congregations assume that theirs are obvious.
4. We have yet to see a congregation with an active youth presence in worship.
This leads me to think very thankful thoughts about our family of faith:
1. We know how important first impressions are—and do a good job architecturally, artistically, musically, and spiritually of creating a welcoming space.
2. We (usually) do a good job of greeting folks and making an effort to learn our visitors' names.
3. We do a good job of not making people guess about how we "do" worship.
4. We are blessed to hear the sounds of children in worship
So, thank you for being you—
• for being captured by a sense of God's loving Spirit for all people in Christ Jesus,
• for being friendly to all who enter Gloria Dei knowing that a warm smile and greeting might very well be an experience of God's good news to visitors, and
• for being committed to blessing us and our children by sustaining a child-friendly atmosphere in worship.
Know that you are in our thoughts and prayers, and that we're looking forward to coming home—both to cool off (!) and to reunite with you, our friends in Christ.
May God bless you all,
Pastor Scott and Carolyn
Dear Friends at Gloria Dei,
Greetings again from Philadelphia! Carolyn and I are doing very well—enjoying (and surviving) the heat, hustle, and hospitality of the city (I don’t mean to rub it in about the temperature—it’s just that we haven’t experienced a run of hot days like this for over a decade—but know that we’re looking forward to returning to the cool of Alaska!).Dear Friends at Gloria Dei,
I guess Carolyn and I complained a little too much about the cold winter and cool spring, because we're being "blessed" with 90+ degree heat and humidity here in Philadelphia! Can't wait to get back to the Anchorage version of summer. I hope you're all enjoying the beauty of God's great creation whenever you can (but only rarely on Sunday mornings!).
We have been hard at work at our son Mark's house—painting and doing chores—and enjoying the sites around Philadelphia. I've been reading Stephen W. Sears' thorough work entitled Gettysburg, and we’re heading there today to see that historic battlefield. It truly makes me wonder at the richness of sacrifice and devotion in our nation's history.
We'll start our conversations next week with organizing congregations and will have some specific thoughts to share with you about that.
Know that you are all in our thoughts and prayers.
God's blessings, my friends,
Pastor Scott and Carolyn