Church newsletter pastoral column for St. Peter Lutheran Church, Greene, Iowa, for January, 2022.
Entering Our 150th Anniversary Year
“Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.”
– Psalm 90:1
Happy New Year! As you are hopefully aware, 2022 is our congregation’s 150th anniversary year. Although this congregation wasn’t formally organized until 1879, our history begins in 1872 with the concern of a handful of Lutheran immigrants in the area for raising up their families in faith and with Julius Nicolaus Anton Hildebrand’s baptism on March 7, 1872.
This anniversary year gives us an opportunity to both reflect on and celebrate what God has done in this community in the past, and to consider what God is calling us to do now and in the future. My hope is that our anniversary celebrations this year can be more than just looking back at the past, more than patting ourselves on the back for a job well done. May this year’s celebrations be a catalyst for future ministry as we seek to live out our faith in daily life. As the 1972 centennial book of the congregation says, “This history will not have served its purpose until you seek to be as faithful to Jesus Christ in the years ahead, as they were in the past.”
Our theme verse for this year is Psalm 90:1, “Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.” This verse points to what it means to be a church. We’re more than just a social club, or a service organization—we are the Body of Christ. Christ is our home. Our dwelling place now and for eternity is Christ, not a building. Our congregation of St. Peter is one tiny part of God’s Church, all people redeemed by Jesus throughout time and space.
This congregation here has a rich history and tradition. Many of you have ancestors who have helped make this congregation what is today. Others of you are newcomers to St. Peter. All of us are called into this community by God to offer our own unique gifts and to accompany each other on the journey of faith. This church was here long before any of us were born and unless Jesus returns in glory in our lifetimes, the Church (and hopefully this congregation) will be here long after all of us have died. What a gift to be on this journey of faith together!
The Anniversary Committee is planning a variety of opportunities this year that I hope you’ll participate in. The first one will be our new church photo directory. Although we’re located in a small town, our congregation is certainly large enough that we don’t all know each other. A directory helps us to build community and care for each other. By my count, we have had at least 80 members who have died or left our congregation and 79 who have been baptized or joined since our last church directory photos were taken in 2016. I hope you’ll prioritize being a part of our new directory – watch for more information coming soon about how to be included, and mark your calendar for photo sessions on February 16-19.
Happy New Year!
-Pastor Daniel Flucke
PS: I hope you’ll also consider being a part of the online Bible study I’ll be be leading starting January 19 on the apostle Peter – I’ve been saving it for our anniversary year as a chance to explore our namesake’s story! See the details elsewhere in this newsletter.