From The Interim Senior Pastor

If you are reading this, right now, I want you to reach up and pat yourself on the back.  On behalf of your Council and Transition Team members, please accept a word of gratitude for your dedicated commitment to helping us complete the various aspects of the Interim Process.

Since last August, we have consulted with you through special events such as reflecting on the history of All Saints, opening minds and hearts to examine our norms, and now to look at the vision and values God has planted here.  The data gathered from these events, as well as from conversations we have had with many of you individually, helps us to understand ourselves better as a congregation, and to identify just how God is calling us to do His work here in Hartland as well as throughout the Kingdom.  So, THANK YOU!  And thank yourselves and each other!

The Transition Team’s final meeting was held on May 12, and took all the reports of the Cottage Meeting hosts and compiled them into two statements. We were amazed at how similar the meeting results were, considering the diversity among those who attended.  We are certain that God did, indeed, guide this process.  Remember that the first part of each Cottage Meeting was designed to help us discover God’s vision for this congregation and its’ ministries.  Second, it helped us to look at what we, as a community of believers, consider to be most important, most valuable to us, in our identity.

Here’s the result:      GOD IS CALLING ALL SAINTS LUTHERAN CHURCH TO:
Be an inclusive family of believers.
Connect people to God through diverse expressions of worship, music, learning and service.
Build relationships of love and friendship to support God’s mission.
Grow as disciples of Jesus Christ,  and to seek others to invite into discipleship with us.

AS DISCIPLES OF CHRIST, GATHERED FOR WORSHIP AND SENT TO SERVE, WE PLACE A PRIORITY ON:
Prayer as the beginning, middle and end of all that we do, as individuals and as a community.
Nourishing the community of faith through diverse experiences of worship and music.
Inviting all who call All Saints home to participate in any aspect of our ministries
Growing relationships among ourselves and within the local community as a source of spiritual support and as a means to reach out with God’s love.
Seeking God’s will for our lives and our ministry through the means of grace, studying the Holy Scriptures and challenging each other to grow as disciples.
Serving those who are in greatest need in our community and throughout the world.

You will see these paragraphs posted in our Narthex, showing up on the PowerPoint announcements, and in other places.  It is important that we continue to reflect on this vision and these values, especially as we consider calling a new Senior Pastor.  These values and vision should determine our ministry directions in a broad sense.  Each program, activity and ministry we engage in should fit into the vision and values we have identified.

This information will also be provided to the Call Committee so that it can be entered into our Ministry Site Profile, which will help guide our Bishop in sending us suitable candidates, as well as guide pastor candidates in discerning whether or not to apply for our vacancy.

There is still work to be done, of course.  Most of the next steps in your journey as a congregation are in the hands of your excellent Call Committee.  As they work to prepare the documents describing All Saints’ community, mission, vision and values, please hold them in prayer.

“Rejoice always, again I say, rejoice!”  These words of St. Paul from the letter to the Philippians should be on our lips this season.  We rejoice at the work accomplished by the Transition Team as they end their ministry.  I give thanks to God for each of them:  Louise Holtz, Don and Kathy Eklov, Milissa Schmantowski, Bob Duman, Kathleen Waligura, Cal Hardy.  We also rejoice that four of our students have made their Affirmation of Faith on Pentecost Sunday, May 23rd.  They are:  Chelsea Kinzel, Jensyn Bradley, Josie Smith, Emily Tretyak.  Now is the time to encourage and invite them into deeper involvement in the ministry of All Saints.  In addition we are able to rejoice with families whose loved ones are graduating this Spring from high school, college, graduate school, trade school or training programs.  It is an important feature of the community of faith that we encourage one another.  Watch the Herald and Communicator for names, so that you can offer personal congratulations and encouragement to our graduates.

I rejoice at your partnership in the Gospel of Jesus Christ,

Pastor Mary Duerksen