A New Time, A New Way to Gather
Across the church today, there is a growing shortage of ordained clergy. It’s a reality many congregations are facing, including ours. But every season brings new challenges—and with them, new opportunities.
We are living in a time when technology allows us to stay connected in ways that simply weren’t possible before. Rather than seeing this as a limitation, we can view it as an invitation to explore faithful and creative solutions for worship.
Thankfully, we are not navigating this alone. Our neighbors at Fessenden Lutheran Church have been an incredible blessing to us. They have graciously assisted with funerals and other official acts of the church, covered our turn at the local long-term care facility for worship leadership, and provided pulpit supply through two dedicated lay worship leaders. Their partnership has helped sustain our ministry in meaningful ways.
Now they are offering another opportunity.
For the five Wednesdays of Lent, Fessenden Lutheran Church will stream their Lenten services for us to view on our sanctuary screens. Services will begin at 6:45 p.m. and last approximately 45 minutes.
This allows us to experiment with receiving a service from another congregation—not through an in-person presence, but through a shared worship experience made possible by technology. In a time of clergy shortages, this type of partnership may be one way local congregations can continue to gather locally while drawing on shared resources.
We encourage you to take part in this opportunity over the next five Wednesday evenings. This is our time to try something new together—faithfully, thoughtfully, and with open hearts.
Let’s see where God leads.
Ted
Across the church today, there is a growing shortage of ordained clergy. It’s a reality many congregations are facing, including ours. But every season brings new challenges—and with them, new opportunities.
We are living in a time when technology allows us to stay connected in ways that simply weren’t possible before. Rather than seeing this as a limitation, we can view it as an invitation to explore faithful and creative solutions for worship.
Thankfully, we are not navigating this alone. Our neighbors at Fessenden Lutheran Church have been an incredible blessing to us. They have graciously assisted with funerals and other official acts of the church, covered our turn at the local long-term care facility for worship leadership, and provided pulpit supply through two dedicated lay worship leaders. Their partnership has helped sustain our ministry in meaningful ways.
Now they are offering another opportunity.
For the five Wednesdays of Lent, Fessenden Lutheran Church will stream their Lenten services for us to view on our sanctuary screens. Services will begin at 6:45 p.m. and last approximately 45 minutes.
This allows us to experiment with receiving a service from another congregation—not through an in-person presence, but through a shared worship experience made possible by technology. In a time of clergy shortages, this type of partnership may be one way local congregations can continue to gather locally while drawing on shared resources.
We encourage you to take part in this opportunity over the next five Wednesday evenings. This is our time to try something new together—faithfully, thoughtfully, and with open hearts.
Let’s see where God leads.
Ted