Come and see the new park design concepts at a public open house. Monday, May 12 10am-7pm at the Irish Cultural Center, 1106 North Central Avenue.
Sermon: 5/20/18
Hungering for Justice
This five-week study uncovers how our Lutheran faith shapes our perspective and role in the economy. View the study.
Exploring the future of Christianity
“Future Faith: Ten Challenges Reshaping Christianity in the 21st Century,” by Wesley Granberg-Michaelson (March 2018) In “Future Faith,” Wesley Granberg-Michaelson explains how the top 10 winds of change blowing through global Christian faith are reshaping the practice of Christianity today. Drawing on the stories, examples and personalities of pastors and congregations from the United States, Africa, Asia and Latin America, the book informs and empowers followers of Jesus to engage a rapidly changing world. Preorder today at fortresspress.com/futurefaith.
Suggested Bible Readings for May 20
Pastoral vacation
Sermon: 5/13/18
On the fortieth day of Easter, meaning 39 days after Easter and thus forever celebrated on a Thursday (we’re cheating a bit this morning), according to the account in Acts, Jesus ascends into heaven. The writer of Acts, Jesus, the disciples, and indeed everyone at this time in history believed the earth was flat, with heaven above, the place of the dead below. Watching Jesus ascend into heaven, the disciples likely imagined him rising higher and higher through the clouds, at some point reaching a discreet dividing line between earth and heaven, there to live and reign at God’s right hand until some undisclosed time in the future.
Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest Annual Report
As we reflect on 2017, we are so grateful for all that you have made possible. It is because of your faithful contributions that we are able to meet the needs of children without a home, refugees seeking safety, seniors who live in isolation, individuals with disabilities, the hungry, and the homeless. Read the full report.
Frokost (Scandinavian Brunch) @ Faith Lutheran
Faith Lutheran Church invites you to a tradition Frokost (Scandinavian Brunch, Smorgasbord style) on Saturday, May 19 at 10:30 am. The cost is $22 per person. Proceeds help Faith's Youth Group attend the MYLE and the LECA National Youth Gathering in Houston. For questions, please contact Gail Turner at 303-868-2808.
Women & Justice: ELCA Draft Social Statement
Our presiding bishop Elizabeth Eaton has asked all congregations of the ELCA to study the statement and offer feedback prior to fall 2018. To read the draft social statement in its entirety, go to ELCA.org/womenandjustice. We'll study this statement every 3rd Tuesday from 6:30-8pm in the North Room through May. Dates are January 23, February 20, March 20, April 17, and May 15.
Congregational Spotlight: New Spirit Lutheran Church
A visit from Rev. Kristin Engstrom, Senegal missionary
Suggested Bible Readings for May 13
Sermon: May 6, 2018
Jesus speaks with the disciples on the night before his death about love, about friendship. Eschewing the term slave or servant, Jesus names the disciples his friends, and he says: “You did not choose me, but I chose you.” Though I have long celebrated the way God chooses us in Holy Baptism, how God chooses us as God’s own children, I had not caught before the sweet grace of Jesus choosing us as friends
Jobs: Heat Respite Coordinator needed
Help Wanted, Outreach Coordinator: The Grace Outreach Coordinator provides leadership and continuity through the summer for Grace's Heat Respite program. The Coordinator carries out Grace's mission and ministry as he or she oversees Heat Respite. The Coordinator also manages, supervises, and welcomes volunteers of all ages, skill levels, and lengths of commitment. This position is critical to collaborating and implementing the program.
From Pastor Sarah's Pen: May 2017
This spring, our new synodical bishop, Deborah Hutterer, invited all interested lay and rostered leaders (i.e. pastors and deacons) from synod congregations, by conference, together for conversation about the future of ministry in our synod. During the spring conference meeting for our conference—the Capital Conference, Bishop Hutterer reported on the top three priorities identified by the synod council—after extensive conversation with lay people and clergy from all over the synod:
Communicate Jesus
Connect people
Create possibilities.
Vacation Bible School: Splash Canyon!
Vacation Bible School Planning: The next VBS planning meeting will be May 20 at 12:30 pm. All people interested in getting involved and any potential volunteers should attend this planning session. Please speak with Linda or Margie to learn more.
VBS will be June 4-8, 5:15-8:00 pm! This year’s theme is Splash Canyon; we will learn how God works in water! Please invite the children in your life, ages 3-12, to attend. To pre-register children, contact Linda Schwall at lschwall@cox.net.
Trinity Cathedral: Partnership Spotlight
Pastor Sarah's Pen: We Are the Church Together
The church is changing—along with the world. Church leaders from a variety of denominations claim church decline. Many people grieve the death of the ‘church as we know it.’ The concern is valid; the ‘church as we know it’ is dying. I have spent many an hour contemplating this situation, many an hour worrying about these circumstances, many an hour coming up with brilliant plans to address the decline, many an hour in continuing education and meetings directly addressing this topic. Where I’ve landed after all that is here: Some things need to die in order to make space for new life. I think the ‘church as we know it’ is one of those things that needs to die.