We’ve had a phenomenal start! Since January, your Stephen Ministers have been serving as Christ’s hands and feet within one-on-one care giving relationships. We are striving to remain confidential and Christ-centered while continuing to develop our skills in listening. Being a part of the reigniting and growth of Stephen Ministry has truly been a Christ-inspired blessing.

In the book of Acts, Stephen was chosen to provide care to those in need within the ancient Christian community. Since the time of the Apostles, caring ministry has been considered a hallmark of the Christian faith. Stephen Ministers follow the example of Stephen and are called respond to the needs of a community in a loving and compassionate way. One care receiver said about their relationship, “the time spent with my Stephen Minister is like one hour of sanity in a week that feels turned upside down.”

This fall, Intern Lucas McSurley and myself recruited, trained, and coached eight Stephen Ministers in how to cultivate distinctively Christian care giving skills. We spent fifty hours together over two months to build a team of compassionate and non-judgmental listeners. There was such a need for effective listeners that it only took three months after training for all eight Stephen Ministers to be assigned to a care receiver.

We are thrilled to announce that Cindy Campbell has responded to God’s call to serve as a second Stephen Leader. She says about feeling called into leadership that “God has continually placed the right people in my life, and now I want to pay forward the same care and wisdom I have been given over the years.” Cindy will attend a week-long Stephen Ministry leadership training workshop soon. With Intern Lucas heading into a first call congregation, it is our hope that we will continue to have at least two Stephen Leaders. Together, Cindy and I will work with Pastor Lowell to provide leadership for this impactful ministry. We are always looking for people interested in becoming Stephen Ministers, so if that is you please let us know, and we will get you plugged into our next training session in the near future.

Stephen Ministers typically meet for about an hour on a weekly basis with their assigned care receiver. Additionally, the team of Stephen Ministers meet twice per month for supervision meetings and continuing education. Even among Stephen Ministers, the identities of care receivers are kept strictly confidential. Care receivers can be from within or outside of the Lord of Life community.  Those currently serving as Stephen Ministers include: Cindy Campbell, Helen Funk, Marie Jurkiewicz, Becky Mastalerz, Barb Mackey, Aleen Miller, Jenny Smith, and Bonnie Tremayne. You can be in touch with them through the church office. They are all here to listen any time life throws you a curve. Please continue to keep the Stephen Ministry team in your prayers. Thank you for your support!

With love,

Ava Fiebig

What does the future hold? We can fill our calendars, make our lists, and plan ahead, but no one can ever know for sure. Without a crystal ball, envisioning what is to come can bring anxiety that is laced with agonizing uncertainty.

This past Sunday, commotion and energy filled the halls as we began our Share the Light Campaign. Although plans are in place, the future ultimately belongs to God. Our dreams and goals are an important part of the process, but God will work through us in ways we could never initially imagine. What a gift it is to experience where God will lead us even though we might still be hesitant to lean fully on God.

Thinking about my own future has recently taken up the majority of my brain space. I am also headed into an unknown future. In just over a month, I will be headed into my first call congregation. Alex and I are not exactly sure where we will be living, what community we will be a part of, where we will be employed, or how far we’ll be to the nearest Skyline Chili, but God is about to shake up our world whether we are ready or not. The future can be scary and it can be difficult to place our trust in the Lord.

If there is anyone in Scripture that knows a thing or two about the anxieties of the future, it is Paul. He was shipwrecked, beaten, and jailed. Still, he mustered the courage to continue his ministry of preaching the Good News to people all over the ancient world. I am comforted by the insight that he writes to the Philippian church, “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Phil 4:6).

God invites us to let go of our fears of the unknown and lay our worries at Jesus’ feet. My response to anxiety is always prayer. This coming Sunday, we will focus on prayer and hear more about Paul’s journey. There is no better way to step into the Share the Light campaign than by praying for the church, its people, and those in our neighborhood. Like Paul, we will persevere through the hardships and God will do extraordinary things when we let go of fears and cast aside our worries. When thinking about the unknown future, I am compelled to shout “God’s got this!”

With trust,

Lucas McSurley

This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine

This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine

This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine

Let it shine! Let it shine! Let it shine!

This song is among my earliest musical memories. The repetitive lyrics and unforgettable melody, coupled with fun hand motions, made it an instant hit for me as a little person and burrowed deep into my heart and mind.

Many versions of this catchy tune swirled around me throughout my youth. We sang a certain set of verses for the Sunday School openings in the Fellowship Hall of my church. Some of the words changed when we used it for VBS (Vacation Bible School) and still other verses popped up in the rotation at Camp Mowana Lutheran Camp on hot summer days. “This Little Light of Mine” was a constant traveling companion.

Several resources note that it was originally written by Harry Dixon Loes around 1920 as a children’s song and then embraced by many during the Civil Rights Movement. “The song, which has simple, repetitive lines with only one change per verse, lends itself to learning quickly and singing along, perfect for bringing people together with a common cause” (operationrespect.org).

So what is this light? For Christians, this light is none other than the Light of the World, Jesus Christ, who brings light in our darkness, hope in our hopelessness, and peace to our pain.

This little light of mine…

God is for us and comes to us in the presence of Jesus. The Spirit of God intersects our lives and dwells with us. When we can’t find a way forward, God meets us and guides us into whatever is next.

Hide it under a bushel? No!

This little light is a gift given to us, but it cannot be hidden or stuffed away. The Light of Christ will always shine, so God invites us to allow it to diffuse through our lives. It wasn't designed to be hoarded or muffled, but to radiate into the neighborhoods and world around us. Jesus said that we are like city lights. “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden… In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16).

Even when I’m afraid…

This little light brings us hope when we’re hopeless. In our fear and trembling, the light comes to illuminate the shadowed places. When we’re anxious, the light offers a soothing calm. In moments of loss and sorrow, God dwells ever more fully with us in our pain. When we face an uncertain future, we move ahead with an informed traveling companion.

All around the neighborhood…

This little light isn’t intended to stay on our turf. Instead, the Light of Christ hops across imaginary property lines and shines everywhere and anywhere.

In reality, this little light isn’t little at all. The Light of Christ is a massive glow of hope and grace that dominates cultures and generations as it shines throughout all time. It brings together all people under the banner of forgiveness and freedom.

This weekend, we’ll launch the Share the Light capital campaign which puts a challenging goal ahead of us to jump deeper into ministry with one another for the sake of the world. God shines through us. Let’s continue to Share the Light!

Let it shine! Let it shine! Let it shine!

Pastor Lowell

Remember! Worship at 8 and 11 am

                Celebration Event at 9:30 am

photo by Anton Corbjin

Rain, rain, go away, come again another day! Living in Ohio, the season of spring routinely offers torrential down pours. Rain has a tendency to keep us stuck indoors. We use umbrellas, wear rain boots, and dodge puddles to avoid getting wet. Extraordinary measures are taken to remain dry while the rain redirects our plans for the day. When it rains, outdoor events are cancelled, people forget how to drive, and basements are flooded. People run to seek shelter as their socks dampen and toes wrinkle. People and springtime showers do not go well together. 

Ironically, we are willing to pay the price of an admission ticket for a waterpark full of slippery slides. We may even roundup the family and drive hundreds of miles to feel the waves come crashing under our beach chairs. Sometimes, I am even guilty of gallivanting through the watery arch provided by the garden hose in the backyard. It seems that it is not getting wet that we mind so much, it’s only getting wet when it’s not on our terms that causes us to get frazzled. If only God worked on our terms.

This month, I will begin the interview process for entering into my first call as a pastoral leader with a congregation in Northeast Ohio. Although I love the ministry and I am thrilled to experience what God has in store, I am resistant to the idea of getting wet. Lord of Life has been my shelter. I have been comforted by the overwhelming love extended by people that make me feel safe. Like the rain, God comes into our lives whether we are ready or not. God propels us out into the precipitation, to places where we feel uncomfortable. God most apparently dwells amongst the puddles that lie just outside our comfort zone. We can do our best to avoid getting showered by God’s work, but no matter how much we resist, we will always get wet. 

So the next time it rains, we might as well throw on our trunks, unfold our chair, and let the drops wash away our trepidations. God will do amazing and transformational things in our lives when we are willing to let go of our desire for God to operate on our terms. Listen for God calling you out into the rain, where ministry is new and exciting. The sounds of heavy showers can seem frightening from inside, but when we step outside, God’s downpour is energizing, refreshing, and full of life.

Listen, God is calling!

Lucas McSurley

Several years ago, my family traveled to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania for a family wedding. Being so close to a fantastic array of historical destinations, we decided to add a couple of days on to our trip and sight-see our way around the Washington, D.C. area. That was all planned before the government shutdown. Never in our wildest dreams could we have imagined that the key sites and acres around our nation’s capital and Gettysburg would be barricaded. The battlefields in and around Gettysburg, The National Zoo, all of the Smithsonian complexes, monument after monument, and even the public restrooms were all off limits to citizens and world tourists. How do you begin to answer children’s questions such as, “Why can’t we go to the Lincoln Memorial?” and  “What does the Capitol look like on the inside?” I struggled to find words.

One afternoon, as we drove into Washington, there was a little scuffle in the back seat of our rental car. One kid wasn’t getting their way. A book or backpack had crossed the dividing line and quickly became a point of contention. None of the parties involved could agree on who was at fault or what could be done to resolve the issue. With no talk of reconciliation or compromise, irritation quickly turned into frustration and then into anger. Cruising east on the unusually desolate Constitution Avenue, the selfish stalemate of government was on full display among my own flesh and blood.

You may remember such a family fuss in your own vehicle or life. You may also recognize in this account a mirror image of our ongoing skirmish that is at the heart of our struggle against sin and the devil. We want things our way and we don’t want others to mess with “our” stuff.

One of the Bible readings at the Gettysburg wedding came from the popular words about love from First Corinthians – “Love is patient; love is kind…” The list goes on and on talking about selfless love, a love that is lived for others, an enduring love that is fueled by hope and patience. This love from God isn’t withdrawn and fortified apart from one another, but is a love that extends compassion and generosity to others. God’s love is a love that walks around barricades and dismantles walls for the purpose of love.

We see this love in action in the Holy Week stories of Jesus washing feet, sharing meals, and carrying the cross to the hillside where he will suffer and die. We also see this limitless love in motion with the bursting Easter tomb and Jesus’ visits to the disciples behind locked doors.

As children of God, we should always be wondering, “Where is God asking us to go? Are there places that we’ve closed God off or don’t expect God to show up? How is God seeking us?” Where is God knocking, trying to get in, but we continue to place hurdles and obstructions in an effort to avoid or elude interaction with the Divine?

Our last day in D.C., we had to make a parental choice. Do we obey the paper signs on the barricades and stand at the perimeter of the National Mall for a strained view the Vietnam and Lincoln Memorials or do we, like so many others in an act of civil disobedience, make a way forward? With words of assurance that we wouldn’t spend a lifetime in jail, we grabbed the hands of our children and walked boldly around the barriers that were intended to keep us out.

Hey, Lord of Life, let’s walk, sing, and pray together as we boldly step into our future, ready to share the light and love of our God who is alive and loose in the world!

With hope.

Pastor Lowell

I will never understand picky eaters! Growing up in my family, the rule was “no dessert until you finish your plate.” I remember the hours my sister spent playing with her food while eyeing the cheesecake on the kitchen counter. She was never allowed to enjoy it until her meal was completely gobbled up. Just to torment her, I always made sure to eat my piece of cake in the chair directly across the table and I would take my sweet time enjoying the strawberry drizzled goodness.

I have always been a good eater. In fact, so good, that over time the cheesecake began to feel less and less like a reward. The certainty of dessert was too expected to be special. Meanwhile, my sister longed for that cake. Although I never understood why it was difficult for her to eat the meal that our parents prepared, her struggle was no joke. It took her hours to eat dinner, taking another bite every five minutes. Eventually, she powered through the meal and was finally able to enjoy the dessert that she so desperately wanted. 

In a nutshell, this is the story of Holy Week. Some Christians want to skip the torment and discomfort of the Cross and go directly into Easter. Like me, they want to get through the main course as quickly as they can and get to the good stuff, the dessert. The messiness of the Cross and the reality of death are not things we want to dwell on, but they are central components of our faith. Maybe my sister was on to something? It may have taken her forever to eat her dinner, but the prize idea of dessert never grew numb. The longer we stay fixed on the Cross, the more satisfying Easter morning is. We need to hear the story of Jesus’ death before we can celebrate the resurrection.  

Beginning with Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem, this Sunday we start our journey of following Jesus to the Cross. On Thursday, we will feel Jesus washing the disciple’s feet, hear Jesus’ new commandment to love, and taste the first Lord’s Supper. This will lead us to Friday, where Jesus is placed on the Cross for all to see. Hope sustains us, propels us forward through Maundy Thursday into Good Friday. Hope is what carries us through until we finally get our delicious treat of sugary splendidness. Hope is the defining characteristic that makes us followers of Christ. As people of hope, we remain confident in the arrival of Easter. No matter how long Holy Week seems to last, dessert is on its way. Soon, we will be feasting on the Good News of the empty tomb!

Come, savor the meal!

Lucas McSurley