EDITOR'S NOTE: Since becoming the clergy leader at Faith Lutheran Church in Wolverton, Minn., in November 2017, I've written a monthly column for our church newsletter. This column originally published in the September 2019 FLC Newsletter.
I’m going to let you in on a little secret that will make my wife Shelley, and other summer enthusiasts like her, cringe: I … love … FALL!!!
I just do. … I love everything about it. And maybe it has something to do with being a former football player, or that our sons have played football for the past decade. And that might have conditioned me to eagerly anticipate the start of fall every year.
Or maybe it’s just because I spent my formative young adult years nestled in Bemidji, where fall brings with it beautiful changing of the trees and a whole different vibe than summer.
I love the gray, overcast days of fall that make you want to snuggle into your favorite sweatshirt and hunker down by a fire.
I dig the sound the forest makes after the leaves have fallen to the ground, and I even enjoy the varying wildlife behavior that fall brings on.
As Ecclesiastes 3:18 tells us: “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven ..”
And it just so happens that my favorite season is fall.
But this year, I’m even more excited than normal about the start of fall. I don’t want to give the impression that I am ushering along these last precious few weeks of summer, but I can … not ... wait … for Sunday, Sept. 8!
That is the day that we will be celebrating Rally Sunday at Faith Lutheran, and, wow, what a kickoff celebration we have planned!
The point of Rally Sunday has long been to kick off the church’s programming year with a renewed sense of energy. Calling on the Spirit to infuse our church and its year. .. And nothing sets a good tone for the year ahead like a party with all the bells and whistles.
I think this year’s Rally Sunday at Faith Lutheran will do just that!
As you know, on this day, we’ll formally kickoff the beginning of our Sunday school classes, and we’ll install and bless all of our wonderful teachers volunteering to help guide our youngest members through their spiritual studies.
But this year we’ll be doing much more in addition to that:
-- For instance, we also will celebrate the addition of two new members to Faith Lutheran Church on this day. Whoop! Whoop!
-- And the talented Mike Nelson and Renata Smeby will be teaming up to provide some spectacular music!
-- And we will be throwing an 80th birthday celebration for our dear friend Judy Goetz!
-- And we will be giving Bibles to our newest Sunday school children joining our program! What a beautiful introduction to our faith community!
-- And, finally, we will wrap it all up with a fantastic potluck meal after service in our Fellowship Hall. And you know that you do not leave a Faith Lutheran potluck hungry. So this will be one not to miss!
As you can tell, I am jazzed to begin this year’s programming year! … Summer was fun and all, and I enjoyed the relaxed pace here at Faith. But, if you ask me, it’s time to welcome our faith family home and kick this year off with a party!
I hope that you’ve felt the Spirit’s guiding hand in your life this summer, as I’ve surely felt it here at the church. For the first time as pastor, I was able to be involved in the fall planning by the Education Committee, the Music and Worship Committee and the FLC Council for this year’s worship calendar. And I’m excited for the synergy that building these connections has led to.
It's now time to come together again as a faith community and reinvigorate our faith lives together. It’s sometimes hard to renew your energy -- let alone your spiritual energy -- on your own. But it’s much easier in a group. That’s why we set aside one special day at the end of the summer to "rally" ... to "draw together for a common purpose" seeking the Holy Spirit’s power to "renew our energy" for worship, for digging into God’s Word, for praying, for serving, and for witnessing.
I am proud of what is taking place here at Faith Lutheran! There is an energy of which many other faith communities are envious, and so why not celebrate? Why not let the broader community know about all the awesome things taking place at our church? … Why not throw a Rally Sunday party!
I, of course, look forward to seeing all of the familiar faces returning to worship, but if you haven’t had the opportunity in a while to witness how the Spirit is invigorating Faith Lutheran, I ask you to come join us on Rally Sunday! There is a modern-day revival taking place here! The congregation is excited! I am excited! And I see the Spirit ready to spill that excitement out of our doors and into the community! … All we need is you!
Please, come join us on Rally Sunday, Sept. 8! … And better yet, bring a friend! … We will be overjoyed to share the Good News about Christ and what is happening at Faith Lutheran with everyone!
No matter where you are in your faith journey, please consider this your formal invitation to join us for Rally Sunday at Faith Lutheran, a faith community that puts equal emphasis on both “faith” and “community!”
Blessings to you! … Let’s get ready to party!
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