August 2016 church newsletter column for St. Peter Lutheran Church, Greene, Iowa.
In my first sermon, I asked you for three things as we begin our ministry together. They’re important enough that I want to keep talking about them, so they can frame the beginning of my time as your pastor.
First, will you pray for me? I firmly believe that God is at the center of our life as church, and without God’s blessing, everything we try to do will be in vain. I will pray for you, and I ask you to commit to praying for our church and what God is doing here among and through us.
Second, I ask for your patience. As I begin learning how to live into my calling as your pastor, I’m sure you and I will both have plenty of opportunities to practice patience together. I have many hopes and dreams for St. Peter, and I know you do too. Please be patient with me as I seek to understand why things are the way they are and look for ways to improve what we’re doing as the people of God in Greene.
Third, I need your help getting to know you. When I interviewed with the call committee way back in April, one of the questions I had was, “What do you love about this congregation? Why are you part of St. Peter Lutheran Church?”
Each of us has a unique story of how God has brought us together to be part of this community of faith, and I’d love to hear your story. Of course, I’m also happy to share my story with you too! Maybe you’ve been a member here for your whole life, and you have family stories from a century ago to share with me. Or maybe you’ve recently decided to begin worshipping here, and you can share what drew you to this congregation. I invite you to think about why you’re a part of this church, and to share your story with me.
In order to get to know you better, Christin and I would like to invite you over to our house for some conversation and snacks on August 7, between 1:00 and 3:00 pm. I will be officially installed as pastor of St. Peter Lutheran Church that morning, so come over to our open house afterwards to celebrate.
Finally, I want to say thank you. Thank you for calling me to serve as your pastor, thank you for your faithfulness to this congregation, and thank you for your partnership in our ministry together. I’m excited to be here, and I can’t wait to see what God’s going to do among and through us!
In Christ,
Pastor Daniel