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August 25, 2021 (Time in Pandemic: 1 Year, 5 Months, 3 Weeks)
Sisters and Brothers in Christ:
Last week we said goodbye to Pr. Tim who, after nearly three years with us, has accepted a solo call to Trinity Lutheran Church in Sleepy Eye, MN. Though he will be missed, I am confident in the wonder of God’s call for him to that place, and pray that he can bring every bit of his humor and good nature to bear on his work there among God’s people in Sleepy Eye. He shall surely be a blessing to them! Drive safely, Pr. Tim!
Nearly 18 months ago now, we said goodbye to “the way we always did things” here at church. The pandemic forced a once in a lifetime alteration of everything we do. Around the world, and across the country, many people lost their lives, and many others lost livelihoods and endured terrible illness. For those of us who have thus far weathered that storm, we are reminded daily of the extent to which we have been blessed! And we don’t take that blessing lightly.
Saying goodbye to people and traditions is tough, but God helps us keep going. Always. And so, with all appropriate precautions in place, and every so gradually, we’ve now re-opened all of our services. Our 8:30 am Sunday morning service (traditional liturgy) began on Pentecost Sunday, May 23, where welcomed our newly confirmed members into fellowship with us. On May 30, worship was opened to the rest of the community, and has continued on a weekly basis since that time. On July 17, we reinitiated our 5:30 pm Saturday evening service (informal but traditional). And this past week, on August 22, we created a new worship opportunity at 5:00 on Sunday evening, by shifting our contemporary service from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm. In so doing, we are hoping to provide an opportunity for families and individuals to access an exciting worship time, while navigating busy schedules.
[All of this work to get us going again, but still the pandemic persists😣…other changes may yet need to be made…]
Beyond that, on September 1, we will welcome Jennifer Barker as a Word and Service Intern from Wartburg Lutheran Seminary. During her internship, Jennifer will put into practice some of the theoretical insights she’s acquired during her time in seminary, so that she might more clearly discern the calling into which she in entering. We are eagerly anticipating our time together.
Our church council will continue to explore our staffing needs, and potentially engage a part time contract pastor to help us out until we determine how or if a new call should be made to another associate pastor.
We’re about to begin all of our fall time activities here on campus, and many of mission projects will begin in earnest, once borders open and that possibility is safe for us again.
So during the last 18 months, things have been different, but your church has been open and going strong. I hope in the coming weeks to see all of you back in church, as soon as you feel safe in coming. We miss you all.
Two other announcements of import:
1). I have once again taken over our morning Bible readings (To Start Your Day), which are emailed out at 6:00 am, Monday thru Saturday, and have modified our “Evening Devotions,” to a Bible reading with very short commentary in the evenings, emailed at 7:00 pm and called At the Close of the Day. We hope you’ll join us in making God’s word a part of your day when you get up in the morning and before you sleep at night. Both are available on YouTube and Facebook as well.
2). E-mail SCAM alert. Please be very careful with any email that appears suspicious. If you have any questions, please contact the office for clarification and verification. Requests for donations and gifts for particular causes, outside of our regular mission foci, are almost certainly fake. Please check before you give! (Most recently, my email address was highlighted by a scammer, attempting to get Dorcas to give away my salary!)
God is with us brothers and sisters. Today is a new day! Let us rejoice and be glad in it!
Pr. Luther
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
GODAMONG.US UPDATES NEEDED Are you the leader of a group or committee here at Incarnation? WE NEED YOUR HELP!
Our website, godamong.us, needs updated information about your group or committee. Please take a moment to find your group’s page on Incarnation’s website and send updated information and pictures to scott@godamong.us. If you can’t find your group/committee on our website, please send information and pictures about your group to scott@godamong.us.
Thank You!
Oct. 16 - Mexico House build in Mexico (if Covid safe) Hi Everyone, We are tentatively planning House Build #14 in Mexico for Saturday, October, 16th. We will only go into Mexico for the build if things are safe from a Covid perspective. I'm thinking equal or better than the current case numbers. While I've not done a lot of research yet, my understanding is that case and vaccination rates for Baja are similar to SD County. I would like to plan everything out and make a go/no-go decision about a week out. If you would like to participate in this build, please let me know so I can add you to the sign-up list. We also need to raise about $4,000 for this build, so please consider contributing if you are able and interested. Donate here. Thanks - Jake jakej_3@yahoo.com
U.S. Wildfires
The 2021 wildfire season is devastating the western United States. A prolonged drought and extreme heat waves are causing wildfires to spread rapidly, which makes them difficult to contain. Your gift will support wildfire survivors. When sending a check to ILC, or making an online donation, please indicate "U.S. Wildfires". Donations will be used in full (100%) to assist those affected by wildfires until the response is complete.
Hygiene Supplies Needed! Interfaith is low on hygiene supplies, shampoo, deodorant, bar soap. There is also a need for new or gently used blankets. Thank you for your consistent generosity!
Food Drop off for Interfaith Community Services Every Tuesday, Friday and Saturday between 9:00 and 11:00 in the morning, volunteers are in the parking lot to move groceries and take all the donations to ICS.
We would like to invite everyone to please see the church's website for updated Covid precautions.
We encourage everyone to attend if you can. Thank you and see you in Church!