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Bragging on people of faith

Every thursday, 10 months of the year, a group of 6 – 9 of us gather at Holy Cross for bible study. We call it verse by verse – because that’s our structure. We pick a book of the bible, and work our way through. I don’t lecture – though I usually ‘read up’ on the parts we are covering. Folks read, we talk, we share. Some of our group were cradle Lutherans and never anything else. Some have been in many denominations or faith groups, and some are a bit skeptical about this faith stuff. It is a perfect hour. Continue reading “Bragging on people of faith”

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Gathering in

As Autumn comes to a close, the theme of of “Gathering in” fades from our thoughts- replaced with Winter and Christmas themes. But, let’s pause today to think about this idea of “Gathering in”. It’s important. It’s about life. It’s about church.

I live in a rural area, just outside of Salem, and I pastor a church in Salem, Oregon, state capital and busy city. When I drive into Salem, during these past few months, I have occasionally been sidelined or at least slowed down by farm machinery on the roads. It was harvest time, you see, and everything was being gathered – hops, berries, apples, hay, grass seed and more. I kind of like being slowed down by these machines (though I don’t admit it then) because I enjoy being a witness to the Ingathering of the Plenty all around us. Why don’t we talk about that visual of plenty more? Continue reading “Gathering in”

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An Intentional Response to God’s Love

Our blog today is written by Loran Sell – and addresses the stewardship of our church, and we think it applies to many of you – Hope you enjoy reading it – Like many congregations this time of year, Holy Cross Lutheran is having a stewardship drive to help determine our next year’s budget.  In our congregation several of the church leaders have been asked to give temple talks on stewardship themes. The theme that I’m talking on to assist people in determining the amount to pledge is, ”An Intentional Response to God’s Love.” Continue reading “An Intentional Response to God’s Love”

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So Great a Cloud of Witnesses – 2019

This is our second anniversary displaying our Great Cloud of Witnesses – and so we post this blog again, to remind us of the richness we gain by reflection! – It started as an idea, picked up from the Lutheran church in Coos Bay, at an information sharing/collaborative meeting in Corvallis last year. The names of all those buried from our church. In a mobile. Hung in the sanctuary of the church for all to see. But why?

Continue reading “So Great a Cloud of Witnesses – 2019”