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August 18, 2010
Dear Members & Friends,
I am greatly heartened at the positive response to the sermon series on the Augsburg Confession. I was concerned that it was taking a big chance to try this, but the response has been good to hear. I have been doing a quite a bit of study getting back into the Lutheran Confessions as I prepare. It is interesting to me how timely the issues raised in the Augsburg Confession are for the lives we lead in 2010. It is good for us to focus on those matters that identify what it means to be a Lutheran Christian when so often the focus is on traditions, habits, and characteristics that are not at all central to what it means to be Lutheran.
Upcoming education opportunities:
· LWML will meet on Tuesday, Sept 7th at 10:00.
· Junior catechism begins on Wednesday, Sept 8th and Sunday, Sept 12th.
· Thursday Morning Bible Class begins on Thursday, Sept 9th at 10:00.
· Sunday Adult Bible Class has been held at 9:20 to 10:20 during the summer. We will not meet on Sunday, Sept 5th; we will begin the fall session on Sunday, Sept 12th. I will be leading an ongoing discussion of Christianity in America from colonial times to the present according to a book by Steven Kiellor entitled This Rebellious People. This is a fascinating and timely discussion of how God might be working in and through America DESPITE its rebellion against God. The Biblical narrative of God’s dealings with Israel in the Old Testament is a complex study in hopes, disappointments, blessings thrown away, fallen heroes, unlikely redemption, and just enough confidence in God to keep the whole thing afloat. Kiellor poses a similar complex understanding of American history. The point is to look back to live with greater wisdom and confidence today.
· Crossways! Divine Drama will begin on Tuesday, Sept 28th at 7:00. Class will run from 7:00 to 8:30 with a break around the midpoint. Divine Drama is sixteen sessions of survey of the Bible to grasp the central narrative of the Bible story and 14 sessions of Christian teaching drawn from the Bible narrative. The classes are part lecture and part discussion. Reading assignments are about four to five chapters in the Bible a week (I get you into the easy good parts while skipping the parts that would make your eyes cross). We are shooting for thirty participants to take part in this fun fellowship that will clarify your thinking, deepen your grasp of your faith, lighten your load, and give you a few laughs on Tuesday evenings.
Our congregational leadership is forming a visioning group to think about our congregation and its ministry for the next decade. This will be the fourth time we have done this since 1987. There was Berea Forward 2000 in 1987; there was Rooted in Christ . . . Growing as God’s People in the 1990’s; there was Berea 2000 Forward in the early 2000’s. This visioning process is entitled Berea 2020. The name refers to the year 2020 as well as to the term 20/20 sight. The point is that we are preparing ourselves for the year 2020 with as close to 20/20 sight as we can come. Too often congregations go from year to year without a real understanding of themselves or a real plan on how to go forward. Too often congregations are content to deal with crises as they arise. We have been blessed to evolve as a congregation with a sense of self-understanding, a sense of direction for the future, and a game plan for identifying and preparing to meet challenges rather than constantly dealing with crises and putting out fires. This allows us to spend less effort in meeting our own needs and keeps us focused on using our resources to be in ministry. It gives us a sense of movement into the future with confidence. Our congregation is a place of peace for us rather than a source of anxiety in our lives. This does not happen automatically or by accident.
As an example, our decision this summer to refinance our modest debt to improve cash flow in troubled financial times was accomplished smoothly because our past planning has left us with manageable debt, our communication mechanisms actually communicate, our reorganization helped us get a handle on what could be done because we were able to analyze options and make decisions where people could feel comfortable, and our style of leadership has built up a fund of trust and good will over the years. These positives are all results of our previous visioning processes. Berea 2020 is exciting to me and our leadership. We will keep you informed. It is also nice to know that your congregation is involved in something with a catchy name that is not a cleverly disguised fund drive.
Retirement clarification: A few years ago people started to ask me about my retirement plans. To take focus off of the issue, I said that it was my intention to work full time until September, 2011, when I will turn 66, and think about more specific plans around that time. My point was that I was not going to retire early. This is still my intention. I still have no plans for retirement. I think about it as I think it is prudent to consider the future, but what I actually have is a non-retirement plan that will go at least through September, 2011.
Sincerely,
Pastor Sherren
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