A message from our Pastor
JUNE
Welcome to June! Lots of good stuff in June, but June 9 is at the top of my list of special days this month. I ’ve already shared with you that Donna and I celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary that day. It ’s a Saturday, so you can bet that I ’ll be a bit “off” in the pulpit on Sunday – won ’t get to PBG until pretty late that Saturday night. Please forgive! Another “personal’ bit of information is that I ’ll be on vacation for about three weeks in July. More details in next months newsletter, but I wanted you to have a “heads up. ” I ’m writing this just after our Annual Meeting Spring Session on May 21, and I want to take a special moment for focused “thanks” to a variety of Nativity folk as outcomes of that meeting: For “all y ’all” who showed up. At the end of that meeting I told those who gathered how grateful I am for the positive attitude and respectful openness evidenced at that event. It was especially obvious since it was quite a different context from my first “interim duty” I had with you two year ’s ago at that same event. Thanks ALL! This was especially evident as the congregation considered and approved without dissenting vote the decision to offer for sale the unused northernmost portion of our land – the kind of issue that could have provoked some heat.
To David Johnson for the leadership gifts he shared as President in that role for most of my time with you. I took special note of that and was grateful be able to share it publicly at that meeting. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I think that Nativity has been blessed by extraordinarily gifted leaders over the years, but this current Congregation Council – as a whole – is as excellent a group of leaders as one could hope for [including Jenelle Smith who accepted appointment to David Johnson’s recently vacated seat]. Special thanks to our President, Kelly Rogers [what a sparkplug who leads by example!] and Carolyne New and Earl Osborne [who have tirelessly labored to provide a new financial oversight structure to Nativity and provided a remarkable clear and balance budget for our consideration at the meeting]. We welcome to service our new Nominating Committee elected at that meeting. Without a huge amount of fanfare, we can now say that the structural and organizational requirements of our constitution and bylaws are now finally and fully implemented. And last, but not least, we were advised at that meeting that our Call Committee is entering the interview process relating to the call for Nativity’s new pastor. Add yours to our regular and fervent prayers for the Holy Spirit’s blessing on that whole process.
Blessings all!
Pastor Lutze