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Give Thanks and Celebrate!

“0 give thanks to the Lord, call on his name, make known his deeds among the peoples!  Sing to the Lord, sing praises to our God, tell of all God’s wonderful works!  Glory in God’s holy name, let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!  Ascribe to the Lord, 0 families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength!  Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come before him! Worship the Lord in holy array; tremble before him all the earth; yes, the world stands firm, never to be moved. Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice, and let them say among the nations, the Lord reigns! Let the sea roar, and all that fills it, let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall the trees of the wood sing for joy before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. 0 give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! (lChronicles 16: 8-10; 28-34)

So sung the Israelites as they carried the Ark of the Covenant into the holy city of Jerusalem! Our song of praise, gratitude, and thanksgiving joins with theirs at this time, as we celebrate God’s amazing blessings and new life in our midst.

Last year at this time we prepared for our annual meeting. We prayed to God for healing for our family of faith at that time. We had just come through a time of conflict. Our community of faith -the body of Christ here at First Lutheran - had been deeply wounded. Now, a year later, we have experienced God’s amazing healing, forgiveness, and new life. Thanks be to God!

We have seen this new life in many ways, but I wish to highlight a few causes for rejoicing! First, our worship is a cause for rejoicing.

continues to grow once again.

After saying goodbye to some of our beloved sisters and brothers in Christ, our worship attendance now

continues to grow once again. In December twenty-one new members joined our family of faith. After saying goodbye to our beloved Choir Director, Julie Bowden and her family, we welcomed our gifted enthusiastic and also beloved new Choir Director Brad Logan, and our choir is now experiencing new life! Thanks be to God!

Thanks to the wonderful, positive feedback from so many of you our Sunday 8:00 AM worship service will resume, beginning February 4, 2007. Thanks also to the Church Council for coming up with a creative solution so that three worship services each weekend will not be too taxing on me. They came up with the idea of having our seminarian, Sandi Demmler D’Amico, and Pastors Don Williams and Carl Bloomquist take turns sharing their amazing gifts of preaching at a Saturday night and/or Sunday worship service approximately once a month.   We also give thanks to God because, at year end, you poured forth your tithes and offerings unto the Lord, supporting our ministry together here in this place in this uncertain year. Some feared because some of those who left First Lutheran predicted our financial downfall. But God and the people of God here at First Lutheran are GOOD. We managed to keep our expenses down, and also, we were faithful in our financial support! We made it! The year ended solidly in the black! Thanks be to God! We can celebrate the fact that two daughters of this congregation have heard God’s call through the ministry of this place, and are in seminary: Sandi Demmler D’Amico at Episcopal Divinity School, Cambridge, MA., and Ashley Cole, at Southern Lutheran Seminary, Columbia SC. Our community of faith here at First Lutheran has helped to shape their formation as pastors. What a gift we are contributing to the body of Christ through these two servants of God!

Please join us at this year’s Annual meeting, February 11. Following the meeting we will share a simple meal of celebration in Fellowship Hall. Truly it will be a day of thanks, gratitude and celebration unto our God for how abundantly God has blessed us.

In Christ Our Life, the Light of the World,

Pastor Linda