Pastor's Message
September 2009
Greetings to the People of God:
On June 27 a diverse group of people from Emmanuel attended a retreat led by Pastor Robert Hegdal. When it was over specific goals were established in several areas of ministry at Emmanuel. Specific folk volunteered to help insure that these goals are reached. The bold print indicates some thoughts shared and established during the retreat:
Develop ideas for new Mission Statement – a number of words, ideas, concepts were offered. After evaluation, we agreed on "Called to be Growing, Relating, and Serving". All planned actions should be done to support these principles and should be lived out from a Lutheran perspective.
We need to fully explore some of the things discussed at the retreat with as many members of the congregation as possible and note how they are related to the core values of the congregation. This will hopefully allow Emmanuel to prioritize its use of limited resources like time, finances and personnel. Emmanuel will need to reflect on its core values which are the heart and soul of individuals, communities and even corporations.
Jesus and Paul expressed their core values. Jesus believed you should love God with your entire being and others as one loved one’s self. Paul had a core value that believed that if you did not have love, then you really had nothing at all. You be the judged if people like Jesus and Paul lived out such core values.
I have several core values like most people or communities of faith. One of those core values is the support and empowerment of youth in a congregation. In most congregations I have served I have only found a few that HONESTLY held that same core value.
Youth ministry in any congregation has been complicated by all the organized activities any young person can be involved with from what seems to be the time they can walk. A congregation’s youth ministry competes with travel teams, band camps, and a host of other activities which also include computers and the internet. These are just realities. Topping it all off working with youth tends not to have any immediate payoff, since youth tend to leave a congregation as they find jobs, move off to college, and simply get on with their lives.
Gathering Emmanuel Lutheran Youth at the senior and junior high level for support and growth in discipleship is a core value of mine. I have met with young adults and other pastors to help pool our resources in youth ministry. We will be joining with St. Mark’s and King of Kings in activities and events.
There is a decision that you as a congregation will need to face. Will you be able to understand that an aging, overweight, bald guy has limited energy and that working with youth requires significant amounts of energy be given to such people? Will you be able to tolerate and support the time the pastor of Emmanuel will be putting into youth ministry? Will others be willing to help with the youth ministry as Emmanuel works with other congregations?
One of Christ’s servants,
Pastor Dave-Child of God