Spring
is a wonderful time of year. All of the
new growth validates the fact that winter is indeed over. It also is Easter Season where we celebrate
the resurrection of our Lord. As
always, the Easter services at Our Saviour’s were joyous and uplifting. The music set the tone of celebration as we
thank God for the gift of His son.
At our last Council Meeting, we discussed the role of
advocacy at Our Saviour’s. I would like
to thank Jody Draut, Kathleen Morkert and Christopher Melby for speaking to
Council on their various experiences with advocacy over the years. We have created a sub-group to review this
information and report back to Council on recommendations for the Lead Team to
follow concerning future advocacy issues.
Hopefully we will have more detailed information on this by summer.
The other major issue which we discussed was staffing and
the decision to hire a new pastor.
Council has recommended that a full time pastor be employed. We are focusing on the possibility of
calling a pastor right out of seminary.
With a talented and experienced pastoral staff, we could become an ideal
location for first call pastors. A Call
Committee is being assembled, and we hope to be interviewing candidates by the
summer.
In April, the Council will examine the future of our
Health Ministries without a Parish Nurse.
We will evaluate our existing programs to see what human and material
resources are needed to help these ministries continue. We also will begin the process of creating a
task force to study our response to the ELCA’s position on Human
Sexuality. This delicate issue will be
a primary concern for the Council in the coming year.
As summer approaches, we have many important issues to
address. Please keep the Council and
Lead Team in your prayers as we move forward as a congregation dedicated to
making Christ known in the world.
Yours
in Christ,
Joe Meyer