Building Community

We have made it through month number two! It’s hard for me to express how quickly that time has gone and how exciting it has been for me and my family to be here! In these last two months, I have gotten to know many of you and your stories. There have been plenty of meetings, lunches, home and hospital visits, and even a couple of funerals. But... the moments that stick out in my mind right now are the ones where we got to worship and have fellowship with our ministry partners at Petra, La Iglesia, and Trinidad.

In my first weeks, I got to experience Wednesday Night Live, where all 4 congregations worshiped together. Then in September we joined with Petra for our fall Rally Day. In each of these moments, I got to see communities coming together, welcoming one another, and connecting through worship fellowship, and food.

Through these events, I realized that these partnerships are much more than a way to rent out our building. They are an important part of what makes Grace Lutheran Church such a welcoming and caring community.

Throughout the last few weeks, I have been fortunate enough to have friends and family stop by Grace for worship on Sunday. Some of them came for my installation service, others for Rally Day, and some were just passing through. Each and every one of them has told me just how welcome they have felt at Grace. They told me how they were greeted by members here and how everyone was curious to learn more about them and to say how happy they were to see a new face in worship. That kind of welcome is not something that comes naturally to every church. That kind of welcome takes practice. Like a muscle, the art of welcoming needs to be built up over time through practice and exercise. This is exactly what our partnership with other congregations helps us to do.

By taking time to worship and meet together, each of our congregations gets to practice welcoming and being welcomed. We get to care for one another and be cared for in return. That practice shows each and every time someone finds their way to Grace. This kind of welcoming draws people together. It gives us another way to see, hear, and feel the message of the Gospel in this place. It helps to build relationships and connections that last a lifetime.

What a blessing it is to be a part of this community!

~ Pastor Ben