With God's Hope~Our Journey Continues...

On October 31,2007 we received our Occupancy Certificate!

It took twenty months of hard work. We are now able to move forward with the clouds of frustration removed. This is a huge step for us and we can all celebrate this gift that will challenge us in new ways. You all may feel proud of this accomplishment as there will be no more inspections to pass. Only the mission and vision for the future lies before us.

What a glorious way to move into November, the month of Thanksgiving. We indeed have much to be thankful for. In November we usually make new commitments for the coming year. This year we are able to look forward with new vision! We will not be sending out pledge cards and commitment sheets because we want to plan for the next capital campaign for 2008. Some Executive Committee members have been meeting to vision for the future. We are challenged by our financial commitments-new mortgage and ministry programs. Please carefully look at our Treasurers report to understand our challenges. We have now made two mortgage payments of $11,531.00 and we are asking each of us to prayerfully consider how we can help each other meet these challenges. We need each others support with our time, talents, and fmances more than ever. We knew this wasn't going to be easy and now is the challenging moment.

As we prepare for Thanksgiving and Christmas, may we all consider how we can share the opportunities that we have to allow our God to lead us with vision and hope into the future. Thanks for your support during the past twenty months as this hasn't been fun or easy for all of us. Now the fun and excitement begins. Pray that we all might come together to meet the future with JOY!

Contents include:

~ Dedication Service – May 27th, 2007
~ God's Hope ~ Our Journey - Year in Review – Construction Start to Finish
~ Original GHOJ Capital Campaign Video

Order your copy Today! Here's how:

1. Send e-mail to mike_skaff@msn.com with Subject 'Atonement DVD Order'. Please include your name, address, Phone Number and e-mail address

or

2. Sign-up Sheet located in the Narthex.

Since my wife and I both work in full time ministry in two different parishes, we have lots of conversations about church life. Lucky us! In one of our recent conversations, we both agreed that one of the things we’d love to change is the language we use in our churches about “volunteers”. If a congregation is one expression of the larger Body of Christ, then giving time to the life of your congregation is not about volunteering – it’s about participating.

This difference may seem subtle, but it’s incredibly significant. Think about it. One definition of “volunteer” in the dictionary is as “one who renders a service or takes part in a transaction while having no legal concern or interest.” One usually volunteers for an organization. While you may believe in the organization’s goals or cause, there’s still some distance between you and the organization. You can easily volunteer for an organization without having a vested interest, without really being part of it, without really belonging.

Too often we think of the church as an organization, and on one level, it is. However, at its core, the church is not an organization – it’s a community. Better said, the church is a family. One does not volunteer for one’s family –one participates in it!

We have entered into our new worship space. We’ll do so not as an organization, but as a family. As family, there will be plenty of opportunities – new and old – to help out, especially as our new space continues to deepen and broaden our vision for mission and ministry together. What we need in this new chapter of our life together is not more volunteers – we need participants! As participants, we have a vested interest in our life together because we realize we belong here. In this family, everyone’s gifts are valued and necessary!

The next time you see a need expressed in our church, I hope you’ll consider not volunteering, but participating. You can be sure the rest of the family will appreciate you sharing your gifts!

God's Peace!
Pastor Jim

The Resurrection of our Lord is a powerful promise of new life and constant hope for us. In the midst of the long journey that we have been on with this new sanctuary (that has gone much longer than normal) the need for strength in the Resurrection of our Lord becomes even more important for us. There have been many bumps in the road and we will struggle to be ready by April 29th for dedication. However, we are making every effort to reach that important day. Pray for the workers and pray for the difficulties to be solved so that the last weeks of this project may go more smoothly. The reason we are a church that follows Jesus Christ and the reason we are making new room those who aren’t here yet, is to share this powerful message of passion and hope that our Lord brings to all in this Easter celebration. Pray that all of us will be moved to come to worship during Holy Week and on Easter Sunday to remember what our God has given to us for our daily strength.

We finally have parking! Parking lot lights will be installed soon. Sidewalks will be completed soon to the entryway. The sound system is installed and will be fine-tuned and training will begin on how to operate it. The pews, altar, pulpit, lectern, organ, and baptism font will not be moved until after Easter. We still have a fire alarm and a retaining wall problem that is a big concern. Landscaping will not be completed until later. April 29th will be difficult but every effort is being made to dedicate that day. Pray that all will come together smoothly. This has been a difficult project and hopefully it will be completed soon. Pray that there will only be rain to water the earth this month!

Pray that the new life promised in the Resurrection will fill us all with courage to share the compassion and strength that our God promises to us in our baptism and the celebration of Holy Communion. Even if we aren’t certain of how all will come together, we know that our Lord is constantly reaching out to us with streams of joy and gladness in the gift of new life even when we struggle. Come, let us sing together, “Jesus Christ is Risen today! Alleluia!”

Easter is a celebration of what can happen when we find ourselves connected to a God whose presence in and among us has the power to bring life from death, light from darkness, hope from despair. Easter is a celebration of new possibility! How fitting then, that we find ourselves dedicating our new worship space during this seven week Easter season!

The completion of our new worship space represents the realization of a vision for our congregation – a vision that we discerned quite a few years ago. Now as we move into the future, it’s a good time to ask ourselves what new visions God’s Spirit may be planting in our hearts and minds.

As a way of exploring the new possibilities that lie before us in light of our new worship space, we are inviting everyone in the congregation to participate in an Easter Season Dedication Exercise. Beginning on Easter Sunday, you may pick up a piece of paper with circle and cross, representing the shape of our sanctuary’s new windows. Inside the four quadrants of the circle you are invited to write words or draw images that represent “God’s Vision for our Atonement Family”.

Note that what we’re asking for is not your vision for our Atonement family but God’s. While that may seem a bit presumptuous at first, it’s my fervent belief that it is precisely through each of us that God’s Spirit is alive and at work in the world. And so as we each pray and mediate on this question of a vision for our future and then look faithfully together at what comes forth, what will come into focus slowly but surely can fairly be called God’s vision for us!

We ask that you bring your completed Easter Season Dedication Exercise back to church on the morning of Sunday, April 29 so that we may display them for our Dedication Service that afternoon at 3:00 PM. From there they will go into the hands of our church council leadership as we begin to discern the particular shapes and textures of God’s Vision for our Atonement Family!

The painting is done and carpet is laid. The fire alarm is in place and the sound system will soon be installed. The shingles are on the roof and final touches are being done. The new fire alarm system was merged into the old one. All the electrical panels in the old building are hot and the new transformer is operating. That alone is a meracle! We have been without power several times in that transition. We just need warm weather and no snow to thaw out the ground so that the parking lot and entry can be completed! There are six to eight weeks of parking lot work to be done when they finally get to it. They have been digging dirt out to thaw it and putting it back with warmer material. It isn't funny, but it is snowing again. That only sets us back further. Please be patient! We will get there! Lent is here and spring is the process of bringing us new llife! We will dedicate this new sanctuary sometime, but that date is unknown at this writing. There indeed will be a Resurrection!

Pray that we will all be patient and compassionate as we navigate through all these times and pray that the excitement will grow among us as we get ready to celebrate Easter and the new life our Lord by grace continues to give to us.

Reviewing the pictures of the past ten months at the January 28 Annual Meeting reminded me that we have come a long way. The construction is continuing with the entry doors installed, dry wall is being hung and some painting has been done outside the kitchen. Marks are on the sanctuary floor indicating where the communion rails, altar, pulpit, and lectern will stand. The inside of the new sanctuary gives me a feeling of unbelievable height and width that is so different from our present worship space. If only the snow would melt and the ground thaw. That would be a big help in completing the parking lot. The cold this week will not help us. They are having an interesting time merging the two fire alarm systems. We have had to order a special phone line for the new dialer which will not be used for anything but the fire alarm system. All the windows are installed and they are beginning plans to move the stain glass. That installation will take place after the carpet, pews, organ and sound system is installed. Pray that it begins to warm up and we have no more snow. The contractor and the construction workers are dong their best under difficult circumstances. Keep praying for them to be safe and efficient.









Thanks to the many who attended the Annual Meeting on January 28. We have many challenges ahead and will need to reemphasize our Vision for the future as we prepare to find ways to pay down the mortgage so that it will be more manageable. Your gifts for this mission project are 94% complete and we will receive more than pledged. Now we need to keep our General Ministry opportunities in place so that we are able to keep the Ministry Teams excited about what they have planned. Thank you for sharing your gifts!

Pastor Del

Happy New Year!
In the midst of Christmas, Epiphany, and all the joys of snow, we enter into 2007! We eagerly look forward to completing the sanctuary and finding normal ways of doing ministry together by Easter. This has been a journey that tests our strength and vision, but together we will begin planning for dedication some­time in April. Together we will meet the challenges of the new sanctuary and its gifts to us.

A special thanks to those who were able to worship Christmas Eve and Day. A special thanks to those who didn't come because you realized the risk of falling in the snowy and icy conditions. We had great attendance with adverse conditions! One day we will have a safe parking lot and safe sidewalks again.

Some construction highlights:
The transformer is in place and the electricians are moving quickly to transfer the power from the old transformer to the new one.

John Quade, our construction superintendent, was able to get inspection passes to begin installing insulation and dry wall.

The exterior brick was being cleaned even in the midst of the storm!

The parking lot will be worked on again when it is warm enough to lay asphalt.

Please be patient with each other in our limited parking. With few spaces and no markings it easy for scrapes to happen.

Our monthly interest payments are $5500.00 which is half of what we will be paying when we close the loan upon completion of construction on or near April 1.

Please help us all to meet these challenges.

All of this means that we have a challenging year ahead of us. We knew the task would be difficult. We didn't have our heads in the sand when we voted, but now all of us will need to band together and do whatever we can to help our Vision become a reality this year! We have always found a way to respond to God's call to us to be disciples eagerly seeking ways to meet the challenges. This year will be the most difficult and please pray that together we will meet the challenges of the Vision God has set before us. Pray for the workers, pray for our congregation - one directory page at a time, pray for pa­tience and strength. May we remember Who has called us to the mission of sharing the love and compassion of the One born in a manger in human flesh and the One who has died innocently on the cross so that we might be empowered to Live in God's Love~Reaching Out with Hope! May God Guide and Keep us together!

Pastor Del

The year 2007 has arrived! This will be one of the most exciting ... and most challenging ... years we have faced as a congregation, certainly since I've been a part of the Atonement family. Perhaps it's best to call this a year of possibility.

Before us lies the possibility of living in God's love more deeply than ever as we move into our newly constructed sanctuary and experience a whole new dimension of worship. Before us lies the possibility of growing in faith as we explore different Sunday morning patterns for worship and learning (see next article). Before us lies the possibility of reaching out in hope in powerful ways as we continue to take advantage of opportunities to share God's grace with neighbors near and far.

There is, of course, another side to possibility. Before us lies the possibility that we will feel disori­ented as we adapt to new settings and patterns. Before us lies the possibility thai we will struggle financially as we seek to gather the resources necessary for both our regular ministries as well as our new mortgage. Before us lies the possibility that we will be tempted to focus inward just as we are presenting a new outward face to our community.

In order to make this a year of possibility in the most positive sense, it helps to remember the vision that brought us to this moment! For several years now we have faithfully journeyed in God's hope as we have sought to listen to the leading of the Spirit - increasing our ministry staff, sharing our financial blessings through benevolence gifts, and building a worship center that will not only be inviting to new people but will serve as a beautiful sacred space for a variety of styles of worship.

Now that we are at the point of realizing the final aspects of this vision, the possibilities for a bright future are endless. Yes, it will require dedication and hard work on our part. Yes, we must continue to be generous, creative, and welcoming so that the full potential of our vision might be realized. Above all, we are called to be faithful, acting in the love and grace of the One who has inspired our vision to begin with, trusting in the One through whom all things are possible! I'm excited about the possibilities of this new year and I look forward to our continued journey to­gether!

Pastor Jim

Looking Ahead at our Sunday Worship and Learning Schedule

Since our Open House Conversations this summer, the church council has been engaged in some very intentional conversation about the future of our Sunday worship and learning schedule. Many creative proposals were made; many different desires and needs were expressed.

As we prepare to move into our new sanctuary, the church council has made the following decisions about our Sunday morning schedule:

Our worship times will remain 8:00 AM, 9:30 AM, and 11:00 AM on Sunday mornings for the foreseeable future. For the time being, a regular Saturday evening service will be discontinued. In January and February, a monthly Saturday evening blended service will be offered in conjunction with a dinner and fellowship, sponsored by Saturday Night Life.

The 8:00 AM Service will be a traditional service, using the five liturgies with which we are currently familiar (LBW 1, LBW 2, WOV 4, WOV 5, Now the Feast and Celebration).

The 9:30 AM Service will be a contemporary service, with a focus on continuing to introduce new worship music that is both appealing to those who worship and is consistent with our Lutheran emphasis on grace.

The 11:00 AM Service will undergo some important changes, moving from a strictly traditional service to a family friendly blended worship. This blended service will be liturgical in format but will include more contemporary-style music with a wide variety of instrumentation, from piano to keyboard, guitar and drums. The service will also include a children’s message. We are hoping to move into this new format by some time in February.

We are committed to excellence in worship, regardless of the particular style. This includes continuing to expand our use of special music, both vocal and instrumental, at all our services.

We are committed to using the wide variety of resources in the new hymnal, Evangelical Lutheran Worship, especially for the 8:00 AM and 11:00 AM services. This will require purchase of the new hymnals and time to explore the liturgies that are new to us.

Our Sunday morning education schedule from January to May will be as follows: Sunday school will continue to meet at 9:30 AM. An Adult Class will be planned for the 9:30 AM hour. Donuts and Discussion will be moving from 8:30 AM to 10:45 AM.

Between now and next fall, we will be exploring alternative education formats for Sunday morning, including the possibility of a 10:45 AM Sunday School/Adult Education-Fellowship hour and a 9:30 AM Children’s Church in lieu of Sunday School.

Many of these plans will continue to evolve once we actually move into the new sanctuary and begin to experience worship in that wonderful new setting. Until then, please be in conversation with your church council representatives about any concerns you may have regarding our Sunday morning schedule.