Thursday, January 11, 2007
GHOJ: January 2007 Update
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
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
Year of Possibility
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
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...
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.
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.
Monday, January 08, 2007
Winter Visual Update
Have a look Inside!!!
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. There are many rooms in my Father’s house. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going away to prepare a place for you? And if I am going away to prepare a place for you, I will come again and will welcome you into my presence, so that you may be where I am. You know where I am going, and you know the way.” John 14:1-4
2006-12-12: Xcel Excels...Finally! :-)
Our prayers have been answered! Xcel Energy has installed the 3-phase power that will provide the electricity to the Church.
Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. Gen. 1:3-4
Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. Gen. 1:3-4
