Finding Faith ... in finding a new normal

EDITOR'S NOTE: This congregational update was sent on Thursday, April 2, 2020, about three weeks after we received Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's stay-at-home order which effectively ended in-person worship service. It is a busy time, and so there wasn't a lot of time to communicate. When I did sit down to do so, it was my hope to share as much information as possible so that all members of the congregation, regardless of their technical savvy could be informed.

Dear Faith Family,

Grace and peace to you!

I hope that this letter finds you well, safe, secure and healthy at home!

Wow, where do I even begin. So much has happened since the last time I had written! … Settle in: This will be a long update!

First, I should tell you that despite the challenging times we face, the state of our church is sound. While we may not be getting the chance to worship together in person at the moment, the Spirit remains strong in, around and among our congregation. Ministry is happening, and albeit, it might be ministry of a flavor we’ve never seen before, it is unequivocally Spirit-filled!

Since the stay-at-home order, we have held three joint “Digital Lenten Services” with Pastor Jill Steichen and Comstock-Hoff Lutheran Parish. We’ve also held two digital Sunday services, and our Sunday School and First Communion classes have been held.

Other leaders in the church are reaching out via mail and phone to ensure that all of our members are safe and sound, and to ward off the isolation that can set in from being separated from our friends, family and community members.

Suffice it to say, ministry is still strong at Faith Lutheran, and our leadership is committed to continuing our ministry efforts until that glorious day when we can all return to our beloved church for in-person services!

So with that being said, here are some important updates as to where we are right now as a church.

COMMUNICATION:

For those with access to the internet, you can access all of our Digital Lenten and Digital Sunday services on the Faith Lutheran Church Facebook page, or on our FLC YouTube channel. If you need help finding either of those sources, please reach out to me or Lisa at the church. … Or frankly, ask one of your children or grandchildren! They live in this world every day!

In addition to our church services, I’ve been trying to post regular video updates to our congregation as well. Those videos have included a devotion, scheduling updates and reports on meetings with our synod. These videos also are posted both on our Facebook and YouTube pages.

If the previous two paragraphs are all Greek to you, that is OK too! I understand that some may not have (or even desire!) access to a computer. So, if you ever want more information about our church, do not hesitate to call!

CHURCH COUNCIL:

Much like we are doing with all of our ministries, our FLC Council had to adapt last night as well to hold our monthly! (Attached to this email, you’ll see a photo of the meeting in progress last night!)

We held our Church Council meeting on a digital video conferencing platform known as Zoom, which allows people to log into a virtual meeting all at the same time on a computer or cell phone. For those that are familiar, think Skype or Facetime, but for multiple people all at once.

The Council met this way to abide by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s stay-at-home order, but also because we want to lead by example. The COVID-19 pandemic is not something to be taken lightly, and we do not want to put any of our leaders in a position where their health and safety isn’t the top priority. … And so we met via computer.

Just know that your council is still busy at work doing the important things we need to keep our church functioning during this break from in-person services. They’re still looking after the needs of the building, ensuring that the youth are receiving the instruction they deserve, and attending to the church’s stewardship needs.

I am very lucky to be working with such a dedicated, talented and diverse group of leaders! … Next time you run into one of them, please thank them for their service!

STEWARDSHIP:

Speaking of stewardship, I would be remiss not to take a moment to thank you all for your continued financial support of the church. After just one-fourth of the year, we’ve already collected nearly a third of the budgeted revenue for this year. And that tells me that despite not being able to attend church in person, you are still giving. … And I cannot thank you enough for that!

I told the council last night that I was in a similar Zoom session with our bishop and some 60 clergy members from all over our synod on Tuesday afternoon, and not every congregation is in the same situation. There are other congregations where giving has taken a hit, and it is putting their church leaders in very difficult positions.

So, on behalf of all our FLC leaders, thank you for your dedication to funding our ministry and keeping our church vibrant for the day we return from this elongated leave!

You are the ones who make our ministry possible, and that is never taken for granted. So thank you!

SUNDAY SCHOOL/FIRST COMMUNION:

As I mentioned above, our Sunday School and First Communion classes have remained vibrant during this time that we have not been able to meet at the church.

We’ve been using the same Zoom digital video conferencing program that we used for Church Council on Wednesday. But, you know what? … The kids have taken to it like ducks to water! Of course, for many of them, this is all second nature by now after how much technology is interjected into their learning lives already.

We’ve had two digital Sunday School sessions, and two digital First Communion classes. And the kids have excelled in all of them.

Our Sunday schoolers have even begun to create some artwork that they are sharing with the church. The kids have been coloring Easter-themed pictures, and I have been posting them on our FLC Facebook page. And the Sunday School leaders promise that there are more surprises coming!

In addition, our three First Communion students wrapped up their classes on Tuesday. We were able to host four of our five planned sessions over the last five weeks. We completed two classes in person before our services were disrupted; we missed our third lesson; and we finished online, using the Zoom platform for the remaining two classes.

Let me tell you, not a single one of us wanted the classes to end! … We all had a blast!

I have promised the students that as soon as we can return to in-person services, we will host a special First Communion service for them. And that same week, we’ll get together as a class to celebrate their accomplishments.

All in all, please know that our strong tradition of exciting and Spirit-led youth faith formation is alive and well here at Faith Lutheran!

JOINT DIGITAL LENTEN SERVICES:

On Wednesday, we wrapped up our series of “Digital Lenten Services,” in which we joined with Pastor Jill Stiechen from Comstock-Hoff Lutheran Parish to produce our Wednesday night services.

We held three joint services together in all, two at Faith Lutheran and one at Comstock Lutheran. And I would be remiss if I didn’t first thank our “Rapid Response Digital Services Team” of Mike Nelson, Veronica Nelson, Debi Byars and Austin Erickson for helping to produce all of these services. Mike and Veronica have been providing our music for each service, Debi has done our readings and helped wherever needed, and Austin has been stellar in his role as director/videographer of each service. We couldn’t have pulled off these services without each of them. So here’s a big shout out and virtual high five to each of them! Your dedication has been invaluable!

While we went into the joint digital Lenten services not knowing what the future held, I think they turned out to be Spirit-filled and holy. Each of the services drew hundreds of live viewers, both on our Facebook page and Comstock-Hoff’s Facebook page, as we simultaneously broadcasted the service to both.

The joint efforts were a boon to both Pastor Jill and I who essentially had our Lenten plans upended. And so I believe that our congregations made lemonade out of lemons! And I think this has set us up better for future collaborations as well!

So, I offer a deep and heartfelt thank you to Pastor Jill for her guidance these past few weeks as well! I can’t wait to work with her more!

SUNDAY SERVICES:

Our Sunday services have been progressing in much the same way as our Lenten services.

On Sundays, the “Rapid Response Digital Services Team” of Mike, Veronica, Debi and Austin have been at each of the two Sunday digital services helping to produce a shorter version of our normal services. We’ve pared it down to just the readings, a few hymns and a short message. And it has been wonderful to see how the congregation has taken to the live services.

Each Sunday we’ve had hundreds of views of the service. Granted, that also accounts for the people who watch more than once (like my Mom!), but it still shows that people are hungry for church. And this new technology, while not exactly replacing the feeling of an in-person Sunday service, has given us the opportunity to reach new people or old friends who were no longer able to attend church here at Faith Lutheran in person. So, again, there is a blessing in disguise in our current circumstances. God is allowing us as a Faith Family to reach out and testify to many more than ever before! Praise God!

Also, after service, I have been downloading the videos from Facebook and posting them to the FLC YouTube channel as well. Initially we did try to broadcast live to both Facebook and YouTube, but the bar to being able to produce live to YouTube is much higher. And so for now, we’ll just be posting the recordings there after service. Thank you for understanding!

If you have not yet caught one of our digital Sunday services, I would encourage you to go to the Facebook or YouTube pages and catch the recordings. And I would highly encourage you to check out the next live service this coming Sunday, which is the beginning of our Holy Week journey.

While I certainly miss our time together in our beautiful sanctuary, I have to say that I have been moved by how the Spirit still continues to show up for our congregation each Sunday, reaching through digital technology to bring us all together! … Praise God again!

HOLY WEEK:

And that is a perfect segue to talking about Holy Week.

Man, is anyone else a little lost by the thought that we will be recognizing the high point in our Christian calendar without being in our beautiful church together? The thought leaves me bewildered, sad and in awe of the possibilities all at once. I’m sure that many of you are probably feeling the same way. And that’s perfectly OK to be feeling such polarizing emotions at this uncharted time.

But let me assure you that our “Rapid Response Digital Services Team” has a full schedule of Holy Week services planned. This little setback will not interfere with us completing the journey that we started at the beginning of Lent so many weeks ago! … Afterall, Jesus conquered the cross and death! So we can overcome our service challenges on the ground! Nothing is going to stop the Holy Spirit from delivering moving worship this week! I am confident of that!

We will start our week with a digital Palm Sunday service in which members of our team will present the Passion Drama, and there will be the Gospel as well! We will try not to miss a beat!

For Maundy Thursday, Mike and I have a plan to offer you a special service, and I think it will be very moving. I thank Mike in advance for getting creative with me to deliver a service fitting for such a holy day.

I don’t need to say much about Good Friday. It speaks for itself, and I believe all of the emotions of this somber day will carry through to you, our congregation, through our live digital service.

And then finally, there is Easter! … We’re still working on the Easter service, but our promise is to make it as joyful and as much of a celebration as we can given our circumstances! Stay tuned!

HOME COMMUNION:

And since it is Holy Week, I know that there may be some in our congregation that cannot imagine Holy Week without communion. We will not be doing digital communion for a multitude of reasons. But given the extraordinary times we are facing, our bishop is sharing with everyone the opportunity to celebrate Holy Communion at home in these special circumstances. To do so, the church has written up a special at-home service guide for those interested in hosting a communion service in your home this Holy Week. That “Holy Communion Booklet" is also attached to this email. While as pastor I am not permitted to preside at Holy Communion during our digital services, this how-to guide shows individuals and families how to celebrate the sacrament in their homes.

Now I realize that not everyone will feel comfortable hosting their own communion worship, and I want to assure you that that is OK as well. Remember, it is entirely appropriate to abstain from the Sacrament until we gather together again in worship. Just consider it a Sabbath time from communion, and everyone will understand.

BE CHRIST’S HANDS AND FEET:

In conclusion, let me stress that we are in for a protracted period of extraordinary measures. It’s been at least a generation, if not more, since our nation has lived through something as sweeping and life-changing as this. So, please take the necessary precautions to keep your family safe and healthy. And please know that this won’t be over soon.

So in light of that, I ask you to please focus on and be cognizant of your mental health, as well as the mental health of your families, friends, neighbors and community.

In our weekly call with the bishop this week, we received reports that the number of domestic assaults in our homes are on the rise, and our emergency responders are receiving increasing numbers of emergency calls about people thinking about suicide.

And so as Christ’s hands and feet, I encourage you to be a soul warrior on the front lines. Make a point to check in on the wellbeing of your loved ones, especially those who are shut in and cut off from most, if not all, social interaction. Make those phone calls; send those letters; and make time for those Facetime conversations.

To help with our mental health, I encourage you to help your family focus on three critical things: gratitude, stay moving and helping others.

First, the science of gratitude is overwhelming. Those who are more grateful for even the little blessings in their lives have more resiliency and a better outlook on life. If you don’t already, I encourage you to spend a few minutes in the morning when you get up and at night before you go to bed listing the things for which you are grateful. Or maybe as a family, create a “Grateful Jar,” in which each day everyone has to drop in one piece of paper containing something for which they are grateful. This may be a very helpful way to engage your children during this time.

Second, stay active. We are happier people when our bodies are moving. Get outside. Go for a walk. Take the dog out. Walk up and down a few flights of stairs. Get creative! And make this a family project as well! You’d be amazed at how much the movement of our bodies impacts our mental health. … So Faith Family please stay active and help encourage your loved ones to do so as well!

And third, be Christ’s hands and feet. When we are focused on the needs of others, it’s much harder to stay in our own state of loss. Call your local nonprofits, or go online and find ways that you can help. There are still countless ways in which we can be Christ’s hands and feet for others. … And while you are making yourself feel better, who knows, you might just be doing the same for the person you are assisting!

Faith Family … this is our moment. This is the time that we need to shine Jesus’s bright light, that Spirit-filled glow that we experience every Sunday together, with everyone out there! … My fellow Jesus lovers, the church has temporarily left the building, and it is our time to rise!

Thank you for hanging in there during this long message! …There was so much critical information to cover.

And for more daily updates about our church, please stay tuned to our Facebook and YouTube channels. I will check in with you as regularly as possible!

Stay safe! Stay healthy! And stay connected everyone! … Blessings to you!

Pastor Devlyn