Pastor's Corner

Our Session meetings always end with prayers by all the elders.  Some prayers have to do with concerns that stretch far beyond the doors of the church.  Other prayers are as close and intimate as what happened at that meeting.

Regardless of subject matter, each prayer is written on a 3X5 note card, then passed to someone else.  This reduces anxiety that “I don’t pray well in public.”  It also means that we all pray with and for each other.

At the March Session meeting, many prayers expressed gratitude, hope, and responsibility toward our newest members.  They also voiced great appreciation for the honesty with which those members opened their souls to us – as we all strive to do in faith.

Before introducing the new members, I want to share those prayers (combined into one):

Dear God: Thank you for blessing us with vibrant new members, both adults and children. They bring excitement and possibilities, gifts and talents, enthusiasm and faith to share in this faith community.  It is amazing to celebrate our 85^th anniversary with them, knowing we also have stories, compassion, and love from those who came before us but are no longer here.

Help us continue to welcome these new members, guiding and walking with them on their faith journey.  Help us be fertile soil for their spiritual roots.  Give us courage to be as forthcoming in our faith as they are with us – “pass it on!”  And let us extend the hand of Christian fellowship to everyone we meet.

Together, may we know we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses who love us, guide us, and support us in faith.  Amen.

This is our prayer for the whole church, but particularly for the following persons we most recently welcomed:

Bob & Mary Wall join us by transfer from another church.  They met 37 years ago while volunteering, and continue to share their time and talents generously, while wanting to soak in as much of the faith as they can.

Sorrell & Steve Poelzer are recently married.  Steve grew up in church and sees God in many places.  Sorrell was baptized on Easter, 2011 after a lengthy search for faith and meaning.

Elisabeth & Tim Kohls met in Europe (she’s from Austria). Their son Timo is active in gymnastics.  In addition to raising him in love, they express faith by being thankful for simple things (Tim) and by not being afraid to ask good questions (Elisabeth).

Jeremy & Larka Keila, with sons Finnian and Flint, first heard about the church from Nancy Moon.  Jeremy and the boys will be baptized here.  Larka has had a variety of church experiences and is eager for another good experience with us.

Briana Bermudez & David Horn will marry in July. His prayers mostly express thanks for all of God’s gifts.  Her life has been one of service to others, including a young sister, HIV/AIDS patients in Africa, and cancer patients in Milwaukee.

Please greet them when you see them and make them feel welcome!