STAR WORDS! Find out more about star words here. The magi pictured here gave us our star words on January 7. 2024 Star Words Amy L - welcoming Soren L - guidance Svea L - release Sigrid L - relationship Jim B - festivity Kaitlyn B - faith Evan B - journey Kara R - help Maisy R - repair Owen R - firmness Andy R - open Erin D - future Edie D - honesty Ellis D - listening Jason D - mystery Butch G - wonder Sue G - gladness Kristen J - forgiveness Bruce J - fellowship Anna - fun Nathan - newness Billy - freedom Jim K - heart Gary J - discipline Sheila K - eagerness Lisa L - memory Rachel F - focus Lisa J - song Wendy FM - renewal Erik FM - growing Coraline M - rest David M - rightness Joyce T - devotion Dick G- feeling Kelly S - restraint Linda D - promise Georgia M - fulfillment Barb B - gospel Renee B - venture Avery B - change Brennan B - path-finding Laura - worth Pat K - mercy Cassidy W - time Emma - ease Emily - bliss Kathy B - refresh Charlotte D - family Larry D - exuberance Barb D - serenity Lee S - invitation Andrea D - flexibility Helen T - abundance Ian T - happiness Mike F - passion Catie DS - goodness Terry G - readiness Sue H - witness Diane H - restore Scott H - reassurance Sherri H - devotion Grand D - waiting Brian R - seeking Ava R - zeal Jonathan D - confession Brittany D - gift Laurel D - liminal Rowan D – caring Pat F – glory Larry F - provision Bill W - play Erica W - music Imogen W - create Callie V - grace Michelle V - competence Vincent V - bless Tucker V - dare Oliver V - awake Nic V - amazement Ethan V - surrender Minnie V - together Kate T - concentration Mackenzie T - content Rachel S - attend Rachet M - speech Chris M - fullness Jen M - complete Robert M - imagination Andrew M - harmony Linda L -notice Theresa L -awakening Eleanor L - tender Kathy TJ - gentle Alan I - sustain Aleta I - testify (let Pastor Kara know if you would like a star word!) We are preparing the 2023 Annual Report! We'd love to include as many reflections from the congregation as possible! If you're willing, THIS WEEK, please reply with a brief reflection: Where did I see God in and through the life of LNPC in 2023? If you prefer a fill-in-the-blank format: I experienced God when... or I noticed God at work when... Maybe it was something planned and structured, maybe it was a shared moment between people, or something that carried over from worship. Perhaps it was a time of deep laughter or true tears, a time of pitching in and helping out, or receiving help and care. Was there a word that stuck with you? A message you carried for a while? What touched you, expanded you, drew you in, increased your trust in God, revealed how we are all ministers, called you to something new or challenging, or was simply a moment of resonance? To jog your memory.... a few 2023 Events & Highlights (loosely) in order
Doing Good Together offers lots of volunteer opportunities in the Twin Cities for families and individuals. Click above to find out more. A Note from Session on the Giving Practice of the Congregation One of our congregation’s practices for many years has been to give away, or “tithe,” 10% of the contributions we receive each month as a way of sharing our gifts with God’s world. Here’s an update on where this practice came from, why, and what we’re doing now. How the tithe practice originated: LNPC’s tithing practice started at a time when we were feeling financially insecure, which created anxiety about money and made us act as though money was what gave us security. By choosing to give more of it away, we were reestablishing our trust that this is God’s church and we are here to participate in God’s ministry. It felt scary and big and did what we hoped it would: it put us back into joy instead of fear, and it gave us a couple years of cool connections with outside groups (like Marnita’s Table). A month after we decided to do it is when the first Spanish-speaking congregation approached us about worshiping in our space (“God told me to stop here and ask you if we could worship here”), paying us roughly the same amount we were giving away. It made us remember we belong to God and each other and practice trusting that. What has changed: Over time, however, the tithing practice stopped doing what it was meant to, and became a duty. Session had trouble keeping up, thinking of places to give each month, and communicating all this with the congregation. In recent years, session has directed six months of tithes to various local nonprofit organizations and six months of tithes toward building maintenance, in recognition of the role our space plays in supporting and connecting with our neighbors. But particularly as our building use has changed (and paused during the pandemic), the practice of “tithing” to the building has also started to feel out of sync with how we want to stay connected to God’s broader work in the world. Our new giving approach: After several months of discussion, session has voted to formally end this previous tithing practice, shifting our giving instead to a few core areas where we see God at work in the world and where we feel called to remember our belonging to God and to each other. Each year, we will direct six $1,000 gifts to organizations that focus on:
In 2023 these partners include EveryMeal, TRUST, Exodus Lending, Simpson Food shelf, ClimateGen, and East Phillips Neighborhood Institute. Go HERE to view and add photos from the Fall 2023 Sabbath Retreat! The Award-winning Film, Hello, I am a Ghost 2, filmed, edited and produced by Clearwater Studios, debuted this weekend, and can be viewed here. (IN PROCESS) What songs will we sing in the dark? "Lullabies are fierce. They sound sweet and gentle, but they are potent; the way the Words of Institution invoke a healing power or Baptismal promises are irrevocable. Lullabies bring to bear sufficient hope in scary times, sufficient love for God, to blanket this person suspended in the cradle of my arms between the world of the ancestors and generations yet to come, and mindful that...every person is the hinge between past history and all that will come next. Lullabies give voice to this." - Pastor Mike Woods See our Advent plans here
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