Fallen From The Desk of Pastor Wayne

You might want to sit down as you read this. 

Lutherans seem unaccustomed to good news and the following summary has an extraordinary amount of good news.  As I write this short

article, I am seated at the new Leon Newman

Memorial Table and Benches at the Garden Chapel which has a wonderful and powerful significance for me.  While Leon has gained his eternal reward, his spirit is alive and well in the church that he loved and where he labored.  On the very first day that I preached at Epiphany as a supply pastor in February 2000, Leon invited me to step outside of the sanctuary and he pointed to the apartment buildings across Topanga Canyon Blvd.  With the glint of an 8 year old boy shining out past those 90 year old eyes, he excitedly said, “Those apartments are full of Spanish families who need to hear this message.”  I truly felt as though he was commissioning me.  We then walked back to the fellowship hall and listened to a congregational meeting about a failed attempt at merger with Resurrection and folks talking about disbanding and closing the doors.  So much for the folks across the boulevard; not only were we in ‘survival mode’, we were looking for a hospice.

 

 Long story short, God was not finished with us yet and the merger gave us a new opportunity to

rediscover the meaning and power of a unified Christian community.  Trusting our future to God’s care, we have enjoyed blessing upon blessing and have experienced a transformed and renewed spirit.

 

 --  We have become one congregation that now worships in two languages and whose empowering theology will help to teach future generations of God’s gracious love for all.

--  In Pastor Cesar Arroyo and his blessed wife, Aida, we have two wonderfully gifted and faithful leaders who have helped to form a compassionate, caring community of Lutheran Christians who have enjoyed a welcome embrace at Faith and who now seek to extend that welcome and support to others.

--  Three members of our Spanish language

congregation serve on our Council with a wealth of new ideas and willing hands.

­--  Stephen’s Ministry:  Estrid Gamonel,

Fernando Lundstedt and Kent Sagebiel have

offered to serve as team leaders in the

development of our church’s ministry of caring.  The compassionate nature of our faith community will find further expression with our Stephen

ministers who are well equipped with the wisdom of Scripture woven with the lessons of psychology to effectively comfort and console our friends who’ve suffered losses.

--  Sunday school rooms actually being used for

Sunday School.  We have wonderful resources for children of all ages due to the generosity of our members.  (Sunday school teachers needed!)

--  A dozen children are in our First Communion Class under Pastor Cesar’s devotional care.

--  We’ve received over 60 new friends and neighbors into membership in recent months at both of our worship services.

--  We have a full twelve member council of wise, committed and caring leaders who have a great

vision for the future.  This is probably our

greatest, of many, strengths and blessings.

--  New hymnals are coming which have 10

different liturgy options, the reintroduction of some old favorites lost in the green book, bilingual and Spanish language hymns and much more.

--  Our Peacemaker Drum Circle has been a source of welcome and community, spirituality, fun and peacemaking.

--  Discussions have begun with some of our sister Lutheran churches in the immediate area about

mutual efforts and possible merger.

--  We anticipate the resumption of the choir and an expansion of our music ministry.

--  The Garden Chapel ministry of weddings and

memorials has been a blessing in so many ways for our neighborhood and congregation families.

--  Our stewardship of our campuses has enabled us to expand and further our ministry in and with the Valley community.

 

 It’s certainly not been easy, but Jesus constantly warns his followers of this in the Gospels.  But he also shared with us a confident vision of God’s rule in our lives and our world that will guide us through the adversities and uncertainties of serving where we feel God is leading us.  As with the first disciples, we stand astonished at the healing that we are able to do in God’s name and the new communities birthed by God’s unfailing love.  

And I think Leon put in a good word for us.