Finding Faith ... in lay leadership

EDITOR'S NOTE: Since becoming the clergy leader at Faith Lutheran Church in Wolverton, Minn., in November 2017, I've written a monthly column for our church newsletter. This column originally published in the October 2018 FLC Newsletter.

It’s been said that excellence is doing ordinary things extraordinarily well. … And I can’t think of a quote that better describes what I am feeling after our sensational Rally Sunday to kick off our program year here at Faith Lutheran!

For those who have been attending Faith for years, this may come as a surprise, but not every church functions as well, or as vibrantly, as we do here at FLC! What are you talking about, you may ask?

Well, for instance, on Sunday we installed 13 people who have volunteered to teach Sunday School, confirmation or our adult forum. Thirteen people! … There are congregations much larger than Faith who struggle to find more than a dozen people willing to give their time to ensure that they have an active and joyous faith formation program, but finding 13 people here at Faith to do so is no struggle. … That, my friends, is extraordinary!

In addition, on Sunday, we witnessed five children come forth and either receive a new Spark Storybook Bible or a Spark Bible. Those gifts are a tradition here at Faith, and they are made possible by your generosity and steadfast belief in a solid faith formation program. And, again, this is not something that every congregation has. … That, my friends, is extraordinary!

After church, there were a handful of people who stayed to practice choir with Mike Nelson. And that is absolutely wonderful! … But what’s so remarkable about that, you may ask? … What’s remarkable is that even with fewer numbers, there is still a desire to continue on with our church choir program, and that we aren’t just going to abandon the effort. Sure, the numbers may be down now, but we can’t know what the future holds! So let’s be vigilant! Bravo to those willing to volunteer in the choir and bring a joyful noise into our sanctuary! … That, my friends, is extraordinary!

And you may not have seen her because she was tucked in behind our organ, but our acolyte for the day -- Tia Schroeder -- was there and served out her duties with a joyous spirit! And that is awesome! … And you may ask again, but what is so special about that? … Well, believe it or not, there are not that many congregations left who still have the acolyte service. It’s just not a “thing” in some congregations. And so the fact that we keep our acolyte service alive and well is very special! … That, my friends, is extraordinary!

Also, did you hear Janelle Krump perform the readings on Sunday? She was marvelous! Almost as if she were auditioning for her high school speech coach! But, seriously, think about it: Each Sunday, we have a rotating group of people willing to step forward and handle the readings, a very important part of our service which helps set the table for the Gospel reading. So, imagine what it would be like to have to drag volunteers into doing the readings each week? Or worse yet, imagine if you had to listen to me do the readings in addition to the Gospel! … So, yes, the fact that that we have people willing to take on this task each week is noteworthy! …. That, my friends, is extraordinary!

And did you happen to pay attention to the service itself? Well, what do you mean, you might ask? … I mean, did you notice that the bulletins contained a properly prepared liturgy, music that had symbolic and spiritual ties to the readings and the sermon, and that each of the other pieces of the service flowed together seamlessly? Well, likely you didn’t, and that is just the point! … In a setting such as Sunday service, we tend to only notice the infrastructure and preparation when something goes wrong. But the only things that generally go wrong in our worship is because I am out of sync, and that’s on me! …

Otherwise, our services are flawlessly scripted! And that is because we have more than a handful of people willingly to serve on our Music & Worship Committee, and gather to plan out the services months in advance. And we have Lisa Nord who graciously puts together the service on paper each week, and prepares all of the other thankless tasks needed to make a service function. And we have musicians who graciously give of their time and help make hymn selections based on the service of the day. And so I do believe it is miraculous that all of this comes together in a weekly practice to shine the light on God’s glory. And it wouldn’t happen without all of these people doing ordinary things, which you, got it … are extraordinary!

And I could go on. I didn’t even talk about the ushers and the communion assistants and all of those who brought food or helped serve at the post-service potluck, or even those who help take care of the altar after service. And on and on. ... There is are an endless number of ordinary contributions that you all make on a daily and weekly basis to help keep Faith Lutheran as vibrant as it is. And I certainly can promise you that that isn’t the case in every congregation. … And that, my friends, is EXTRAORDINARY!

So in these days following Rally Sunday, I bow my head and thank God for the endless contributions of the people in this church. There is something special going on here at Faith, and I hope that you all can feel it too! … Thank you to each and everyone of you who gives in whatever way you do. It is appreciated! … Blessings to you all!