Greetings from Swedlanda!
Today we celebrated The Baptism of Our Lord. The morning began with the Swedlanda Family Sunday School led by Bernice C. We broke up into small groups and used Faith Talk cards to do some sharing about our faith. I discovered some things I didn’t know about members I have known over 20 years. It was a very enriching experience.
The Swedlanda Choir started out our worship service by singing for our Prelude. The sermon was accompanied by a few slides in a Power Point presentation. Both are available through the link on the right. If you need an invitation from me to be able to access them, please send an email and I would be glad to oblige you. You will need a hotmail or msn account (available for free).
As a part of my message, I made an announcement to the congregation regarding my health. Unfortunately, a review of my pathology report from my cancer surgery revealed there was some indication of cancer cells in the “margins.” This means I will need radiation therapy. I will let everyone know more after I consult with a radiation oncologist. My thanks for your prayers. 
Following the Service of Holy Communion, the congregation adjourned to the Fellowship Hall for a potluck meal, which was fantastic. After that, the Annual Meeting of the Cemetery Association was held. Don E. and Neil C. were elected to the Board and Dave L. was re-elected. This meeting was followed by the Annual Meeting of the Congregation. The following were elected to office: Council Members for 3 year terms-Bonnie E., Jerome F., and Erik D.; Nominating Committee for 1 year terms-Keri A., Jill B., Brian L., and Kurt S.; Auditing Committee for 1 year terms-Tom G., Julie H., and Judy J. After the Annual Meeting, the Congregational Council elected the following officers: Calvin A., President; Jill B., Vice President, Keri A., Secretary; and Kevin A., Treasurer. The Exhibit reported 2 baptisms, one member funeral, and the accession of 4 members by transfer. This resulted in an increase of 5 baptized members for a total of 263 and an increase of 2 confirmed members for a total of 225.
I submitted my Annual Report, but gave a Power Point presentation for the Swedlanda Congregation that I developed for a Doctor of Ministry session on the Missional Church. In it, I explored some of the metaphors for our congregation and some of our challenges in terms of Christian practices. I have added both of these to the sermon link on the right. If you have trouble viewing the Power Point presentation, please let me know.
Finally, I noted in our bulletin that Bishop Mark Hanson, Bishop Jon Anderson and nearly 40 other bishops of our Lutheran church have been visiting in Jordan, Jerusalem, Bethlehem and the West Bank. This trip was scheduled before recent hostilities broke out, but has taken on a deeper significance. Bishop Hanson writes: “We are expressing the solidarity of our church bodies with our Christian brothers and sisters and witnessing to both the suffering and the hope of many in this sacred and troubled land.” There is a blog available on the internet about their travels at http://blogs.elca.org/09cobacademy/
May God bless you in the New Year with a deepening awareness of Christ’s presence.
Pastor Stewart
No comments:
Post a Comment