Seek ye first the Kingdom of God

Happy New Year! Yes, 2009 is here. When I was a kid, 2009 seemed so far away and now we are living it. 50 years ago in 1959, the Augustana Synod was planning a new mission start in Thousand Oaks. It was to coincide with the development of California Lutheran College.

In the spring of 1960 Holy Trinity became an official church of the Augustana Synod, under the leadership of Pastor Bob Lawson. What a strong church this has been and will be.
As we enter into a new year, we are praying for Pastor Janet’s health, we are praying for guidance in our building program, we are looking to celebrate our past, and develop our future, while continuing our ministry in the present. 2009 will prove to be a challenging year for us and for our country, with a recession going on and a feeling of uncertainty looming.

In Matthew’s gospel, chapter 6 verse 33, Jesus says, “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all other things will be added unto you”. May this be our watchword for the coming year. May all that we do be about seeking the Kingdom of God.

See you in church,
Pastor Frank

Our Most Important Relationship is with God

Because of deadlines for the Tempo publication I sit to write this in mid-November.  Christmas seems to be far away, yet I know that it is only about a month off.

The pace of life is such that most of us can barely come up for air. Christmas seems to speed that pace up. Things to do, people to see, gifts to buy, cards to write. All of these things are centered in relationships.

Of course the most important relationship is the one with the Incarnate Word of God made flesh in Jesus. Take time to think of Jesus, take time to talk to Jesus, take time to worship Jesus and all the other things
will fall into place.

I invite you to be in worship each week during Advent and following Christmas. Your celebration will be so much more enriched.
See you in church.
Love,

Pastor Frank

Economic Stress For Followers of the Way of Jesus

November is upon us, the season of Thanksgiving. As I sit to write this because of deadlines it is still October and the stock market has gone off kilter in a big way, causing I am sure a fair amount of stress and panic on the part of all of us.

Our material things do play a huge part in our lives. Being able to pay our rent or mortgage, having
food on the table and living in a style our culture demands puts a lot of stress on us. As followers of the Way of Jesus, we are challenged to step back and to reflect on what it is we are becoming on this journey in life.

We are created in the image of God, but we are challenged to grow into the likeness of God. The
likeness of God centers in trust, love and hope. Thanksgiving helps us to think of all that God has
done for us, and to give our thanks because the very breath of life is a gift from God.

So as Jesus said, “We shall let the day’s problems be sufficient for today.” We shall try not to worry about tomorrow.

This month we will be hearing about service, as one of the four keys of growing as the family of God. This is something people at Holy Trinity understand well. I look forward to our sharing about this.

There also will be reports of our stewardship efforts and what that will mean for 2009 and some progress with the architect toward our new building. We are almost done with the roof repairs and the fixing of many things in the sanctuary and the office building.

Don’t forget the special worship on Thanksgiving Eve at 7:30 PM. Come join us!

See you in church,
Pastor Frank

Family of God Centered in Worship

Where did the summer go? School is upon us and we are ready to begin in earnest our regular schedule of ministry here at Holy Trinity.

One new addition will be the emphasis on the first Sunday of each month to have what we are calling a Holy Trinity Family Service. The family of God centered in worship. (There is another article in the Tempo explaining this new ministry.)

One of our visions for fall is to reach out to all of our congregation to help include many more in the fellowship and work that we do together. To learn more about supporting each other and looking into our community to help minister in Jesus name.

As I write this Pastor Janet is still on medical leave. We are hoping that she will be able to come back to work soon. Fall has traditionally been a time of renewal and recommitments after a summer of re-creation.

We hope you will come back renewed and ready to worship, learn and serve as the people of God at Holy Trinity. See you in church.