August 2026

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” — Acts 1:8
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I used this verse from Acts for our devotion at the start of our July Council Meeting. It ultimately led to a great discussion.

Among the things we discussed was strengthening our own witness, and that of our fellow congregation members, by prioritizing spiritual growth. We acknowledged that it would be great if there were more opportunities to have open discussions about our faith journeys. These kinds of discussions can be difficult at times. Faith, like other highly personal things, can be a struggle to share with others.
We concluded that, as leaders, it is important to meet people where they are and perhaps look for ways to facilitate these conversations for those who are open to them. It was a great discussion and one that I think it is important for us to have both as a council and as a congregation.

As our Adventures in Renewal team embarks on a process that seeks to renew our ministry through listening, ministry experimentation, and deeper connections in the community, it is just as important for us to listen to one another and have some of those same conversations among ourselves. Listening to one another may be one of the most important things we can do as we seek to understand where God is calling Resurrection Lutheran Church.

​Later in that council meeting, I asked council members to respond by completing the following phrase:
“I pray that the Spirit may move the lives of our church’s members so that . . .”

My goal was to put some structure around what the witness called for in the Acts verse might look like. My hope was also that this exercise might help us as we begin to discern ministry goals for next year.

Your council leadership did not disappoint. The responses we settled on and refined were:

• We continue to make RLC a safe and secure place where people feel at home with God.
• We continue creating a welcoming atmosphere where new members can find ways to share their gifts.
• We continue to find ways to reach out to our community and share the love of God.

As I look at these three statements, I am struck by how much they reflect the congregation I have come to know. The genuine love that permeates this congregation is clearly evident among our council members, but there is also a desire to make sure that love does not stop with us. We want people to feel safe, welcomed, valued, and connected to God—and we want that same sense of love to reach beyond our walls and into our community.

​I am also continually impressed by the thoughtfulness, care, and commitment of the people who serve on our Council. They take seriously the responsibility they have been given, and they are willing to ask difficult questions about who we are, who we are becoming, and where God may be calling us next.

That thoughtfulness was evident again as we continued this examination of our call to be witnesses during our August Council Meeting.

We took each of the responses to July’s phrase-completion exercise and began to brainstorm what are called “God Questions.”

​Traditionally, church leaders can find themselves asking “Church Questions”: How do we do things? What have we always done? How do we maintain our programs, our buildings, and our traditions?

Those questions have their place. But true witness and discipleship also require us to ask “God Questions”: Who is God? Where is God already at work? What is God calling us to do?

Church questions tend to focus on rules, buildings, programs, and traditions. God Questions focus more on love, justice, faith, relationships, and where the Spirit may be leading us.

Here are some of the questions our council generated:

• Who is God trying to reach through our ministries?
• How might God be present with people during the week?
• How can God help people heal from past hurts or doubts brought on by past church experiences?
• Once people feel safe and welcome, what is God’s plan for us?
• How is God blessing the world through our new members?
• Who is feeling alienated and alone, and how can God use us to reach them?

I find these questions exciting because they move us beyond simply asking how we can keep doing church. Instead, they invite us to consider what God might be doing among us and around us.

It is easy to see how examination of questions like these can help form a vibrant ministry that responds to the call to be witnesses “to the ends of the earth.” Perhaps that witness begins much closer to home—with the person sitting next to us in worship, the person who has quietly drifted away, the person who walks through our doors for the first time, or the person in our community who has never considered that there might be a place for them in a church.

I am proud to be a part of a group of such willing, thoughtful, and faithful leaders. More importantly, I am excited about what these conversations might mean for our congregation.

I ask for your continued prayers for our Council leadership, our congregation, our Adventures in Renewal team, and our community. Pray that we remain open to the movement of the Holy Spirit. Pray that we have the courage to listen before we act, the humility to recognize that we do not have all the answers, and the faith to follow where God is leading us—even when that path may take us somewhere new.

And perhaps most importantly, pray that the love of God that is already so evident in this congregation continues to grow and move outward: from person to person, from our congregation into our community, and from our community to wherever the Spirit calls us.

Grace and peace,
Tom
 
Upcoming fall events, please mark your calendars:

• Sept 20th Fall “Kick Off” event - New Member Sunday with Taco Bar
• Sept 26th Out Reach for Hope Ride, Run, Walk 
• Sept 27th Adventures in Renewal video & congregational conversation after service
• Community Pet Blessing Sunday - October 11th with Chilli and Chilli Dogs
• Harvest Sunday: date - Nov 8th