November 2014 – Pastor’s Corner – A Season of Thanks

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Many cultures celebrate some kind of Autumn festival to give thanks for a plentiful harvest. The Greeks honored Demeter the Goddess of grains; the Chinese celebrate Zhong Qui Jie a festival where cakes are made from harvested wheat to give thanks for the birth of the moon; and the pilgrims gathered the first fruits of their harvest to give thanks to God for seeing them through the most difficult of times. There is a long history of people rejoicing and giving thanks for what they perceive has been given to them by a benevolent God.

In the United States President Lincoln established a National Day of Thanksgiving in 1863 and President Franklin Roosevelt set the date for Thanksgiving as the fourth Thursday in November. As American citizens we have a history of giving thanks to God and as Christian Americans we are reminded time and time again to give thanks to God for everything.

As we begin a new ministry together, I want to begin with a word of thanksgiving. I want to give thanks to those Interim pastors who followed the faithful ministry of Pastor Phil Nesvig: Pastor Howard Fosser, Pastor Margaret O’Neal, and Pastor Art Sortlund. I thank them for their love of the Church and for their guidance in leading First Lutheran during these many months. Each pastor shared with you their many gifts, each pastor shared with you Word and Sacrament on a weekly basis, and each pastor prayed for and loved you with their whole heart.

At the same time, I give thanks to God for all of you. I thank you for your commitment in service, prayer and financial gifts to First Lutheran Church. Out of all the places, institutions, and meaningful projects you could give of your time and possessions, you have chosen to live out your calling as God’s faithful people and generously support First Lutheran. This is simply amazing and a wonderful expression of your faith in Christ.

My hope and prayer is that we can meet together so we can be better acquainted. In the next couple of weeks, I want you or your family to give some thought to when we can meet. Please consider just stopping by the office, setting up a time to meet for coffee, or, if convenient, inviting me to your home or place of work. I want to learn of your hopes and dreams for First Lutheran Church and how we can best serve those inside and outside our doors. Perhaps we can even share with one another why we are thankful for our church community.

In this Season of Thanks let us take time to pause and give thanks to a gracious God for all things bestowed upon us. Thank you for calling me as Pastor of First Lutheran Church. May we continue to love, serve, and pray for God’s people here and around the world. Let us strive and work together to be the Body of Christ living together in peace and unity, to give honor and praise to God.

Grace and Peace, Pastor Steve

Friends in Christ, grace and peace in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Last Sunday marked another milestone in the life of First Lutheran; the Bishop’s Associate Pastor Kim Latterell installed Pastor Steven Ray as our new Pastor. This has been twenty-two months in the making and is the culmination of a massive effort by many members of the congregation. We started with the Transition Team comprised of Sharon Bongfeldt, Howard Fosser, Karen Fynboe, Mary Holste, Beth Thoms and Ginny Ofelt who put in many months of research, polling the congregation and prayer who then completed the First Lutheran site profile.

With the site profile complete, it was time for the Call Committee composed of Mary Holste, Judy Hulbert, Andrew Imke, Jim Ofelt, Juanita Carlson, Sharon Bongfeldt and Beth Thoms to get to work. After digging through countless written applications, gobs of phone interviews, and a handful of face to face interviews and prayerful reflection the Call Committee presented First Lutheran Council with Pastor Steven Ray. After meeting with Pastor Ray the Church Council was excited to forward the nomination to the congregation. With a near unanimous vote, Pastor Ray was welcomed into the First Lutheran Family.

That brings us to last Sunday and the Installation of Pastor Steven Ray. Cynthia Morris and an army of First Lutheran members put together an amazing reception for all the guests. Please join me in saying thank you to all the members of the Transition Team, Call Committee and everyone who helped with the reception. The jury has been long at times but the Lord has provided.

The grace of God be with you,

Fred Moore