Pastor Note for
September 2023

While the new year begins on January 1 and the lectionary year begins on the first Sunday of Advent, for most the rhythm of the year is set early in life and remains. It is dictated by school year, football season (Go Bills!), and the ‘final’ summer holiday, Labor Day. Many churches have celebrations around this time with such names as Rally Day and Welcome Back / Welcome Home Sunday. I, however, don’t like to think of it as a resuming and returning time. Rather I feel that this is a new beginning time. Certainly, there is a restoring of activities in the life of the church as you will see in this Caller. The Choir returns, Children’s Ministry restarts, Spiritual Formation opportunities resume, and Ministry and Administrative Teams revert to their normal schedule to name a few. It is so much more, however, than a simple resumption of normal activities. As the prophet Isaiah says, “Behold, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it?” (43:19 – NLT). We are encouraged not to accept the monotony of schedules and programming that is or always has been, but to lean ahead into what can be. As part of that, we are having an imagining / dreaming time following worship on September 10. Our hope and ambition is to understand the ministry God is calling us to in the name of Christ. It is to discern the answer of the who, what, and where of our ministry in the year ahead as we seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit to lead us in the how.

Yes, gone are vacations and long days, but fall has arrived with a call to action! Let our prayer be that this community reflects God’s love for us in our love for God and one another. May we strive to put Christ central in all we do seeking the Holy Spirit’s guidance as we move ahead “making connections and offer opportunities in faith, love, and service.”

Yours in Christ, 

Rev. Daven Oskvig