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What a day! On July 17^th this congregation surprised me with your extravagant generosity. Knowing that we are in a bit of a stewardship summer slump, you showed up. A pleasant Sunday morning was made even more pleasant by your fellowship, good humor, and a touch of competition at the Tanzanian Style Auction. The time and talent you put into those auction items was a true blessing to us.  It was so fun to watch you bid on a basket of cookies only to take one out for a quick snack and send the rest up to the auction block again. This was a Sunday of extravagant generosity.

It was a needed shot in the arm.  Those of us who are in leadership positions have seen this summer financial slump rearing its ugly head.  It was brought on by some unexpected expenses such as a month of paying for 2 pastor’s salaries to finish up the contract with our interim pastor, the summer vaca dry spell, and some not so normal inflation.

The interesting thing about this is that this little blip has not matched the energy of what is happening in our community.  We have been welcoming new members, and meetings have been taking place getting fall activities in order.  Momentum is building and we seem to be having a good time. At least I am having a good time. I hope you are too!

We are including a summer stewardship envelope in this month’s newsletter. We don’t expect that everyone will be able to give.  Many of you are giving generously already and we thank you so much. But some of us, such as myself, realize that we have a bit of make up to do for the Sundays we have missed and would have been putting in our offerings.  This is just a friendly reminder. 

I want to take a moment and say thank you to those of you who have made some generous contributions in this last month.  As your pastor I do not give myself access to giving records, but I do get a report like the rest of you on our overall offerings. We are well on our way to closing the deficit gap. That is exciting. It means that we can charge full steam ahead, with mission, worship, service, and faith formation.  It means that we are leading with trust rather than fear, heart rather than anxiety.  That is so good! What an exciting time to be with the Holy Spirit.

Holy Spirit will celebrate “God’s Work, Our Hands” on Sunday September 11.

Pack a kit for Lutheran World Relief! A list of items needed for each kit will be available to complete either a SCHOOL kit or a PERSONAL CARE kit,  Rally Day is September 11, but you will find baskets to place your completed school kits in the narthex starting August 1.  You may make as many kits as you want.  If you are making a school kit, pick up a backpack to place the items inside.

We will be making health kits in person on September 11th.  Please bring items for the health kits and place in the baskets prior to September 11th.   Thank you for all you do to make this outreach a success! 

Social Ministry Team

You may have noticed that we didn’t have a Vacation Bible School this year.  Instead, Christian Ed has decided to try something a bit new. Instead of having a summer program that lasts for a week, we would like to create a new activity a few times throughout the year.  One that is meant to foster fun and faith formation for you (YES YOU!) and all involved.  Specifically, we want to reach out to our friends at the Jenkins School and invite them into this event with us.  How are we doing that?  With an activity called Messy Church.

What is Messy Church?

“A way of being church for all-ages to join in experiencing fun and faith formative activities. Found throughout the globe. Based on the values of all-ages together, celebration, creativity, hospitality, and centering ourselves in Christ”

The tagline for Messy Church is, “Church, but not as you know it.” People gather around the Word with games, crafts, activities, and storytelling. Important to this endeavor is gathering around food to share in fellowship and community building. We build relationships with God, each other, and the world.

As time comes closer, we will be reaching out to let you know how you can be involved and to tell you more about what Messy Church will look like. The first event will be in November so be on the lookout for invitations to be involved!

“A way of being church for all-ages to join in experiencing fun and faith formative activities.”

 You will hear me refer to this a lot. And when you hear it you will likely find yourself wondering, “wonderful, but how do we do that?” I will ask you time and time again to follow where God is leading us. But how do we know where God is leading? It brings to mind Thomas speaking with Jesus in John 14 where he says, “Lord we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”

Spiritual discernment is a way of sifting through the choices and challenges of this life in a way that leads us towards God’s desired future for us.  It is the process of learning to sift through our internal voices that are echoing and projecting our own desires.  It is both simple and challenging. We cannot presume to know with complete certainty what is the will of God. However, with practice and in community we can see the Spirit’s movement over time. Discernment is done with intention. It’s done with connection to the Holy Spirit but also with detachment from our ego and personal desires.

So now we know what it is and even why we would engage in spiritual discernment. How do we engage in spiritual discernment?  It is done step by step. First we learn the spiritual tools that will help us to pay attention to God at work in our lives.  This is done through a whole host of prayer practices. Just like there are all sorts of different kinds of learners, there are different ways to pray that will fit each of us better. Next we practice discernment or decision making, in the small  and ordinary places of our lives.  We develop the muscle memory and get practiced at our connected detachment.  Only when we have done this in the small things will we be ready to do this in the big areas and big challenges of our lives. If it sounds like a lot, you would be right.  It is simply a way of operating that may be entirely new to you.  But it is also simple. It is simple principles and practical spirituality for your life.

For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.

-Jeremiah 29:11

       Welcome back the Tanzanian Style Auction!  This event was brought to us by Pastor Cliff Eshbach and was a great success!  We hope you will all be excited about recreating this event this summer and come prepared with checkbook in hand.

       Proposed date is Sunday, July 17 following the worship service.  Details as to the where and how are still being worked out.  Chip Froehlich will be our auctioneer.  Stay tuned for more information.

What can you do now?  Start thinking about items you may wish to donate.  It could be home made crafted items, home baked goods, home grown items from your garden, services (mow lawn, rake leaves, etc.), and whatever you think someone would pay money for.  Remember, these should be quality items, no yard sale items or leftovers.  Be creative!  Our first donated auction item, if you remember, is a children’s Bible story book signed by Pastor Tim Seitz-Brown on his last Sunday with us. 

Please let Suzann Schwenk know if you will be donating and what we can expect.  Do not bring your items to the church until we give you more information.  Let’s have fun and make this event a huge success!

Suzann Schwenk

Stewardship Chairperson