“…God’s love is shared when we gather for fellowship, when we encourage one another, and when we bear one another’s burdens.”
Hello Gloria Dei,
Pastor Amy here. I hope you are enjoying summertime, for me it is the best time of the year. I love hot days at the lake or pool, I love the long hours of daylight allowing for early mornings on the deck and evening walks, and I love that in summer we gather so much more. For me this has meant family gatherings on the Fourth of July, having friends over to grill out, and gathering with other parents for my son’s baseball games. Of course, we also gather here at church for worship, for Bible study, and for connection with other believers.
Summers are made for gathering and gathering is so important. In one of his writings Martin Luther (the founder of the Lutheran Church) listed the ways that God’s Word comes to us. Luther proclaimed that we hear the good news of Jesus Christ in preaching, in Holy Communion, in baptism, and in the mutual conversation and consolation of the saints. Which simply means that we encounter God’s love and grace in the caring conversations we have with other Christians. That God’s love is shared when we gather for fellowship, when we encourage one another, and when we bear one another’s burdens.
Gathering is so important and we love to gather at Gloria Dei. One new fellowship opportunity is Second Saturday Supper. Gloria Dei will be serving a meal after Saturday worship once a month starting this Saturday. Join us after worship for connection and conversation and some great food.
There will be lots of other opportunities to gather at Gloria Dei this summer including a Pet Blessing on July 23rd where you can gather with your pets and other animal lovers for worship and fellowship, and an opportunity to join Gloria Dei members for Mondays at McKennan on August 14th. I hope you are having a great summer and I hope to see you gathering at Gloria Dei.
In Christ,
Pastor Amy
