March 2008
S	M	T	W	T	F	S
		Apr »
	1
2	3	4	5	6	7	8
9	10	11	12	13	14	15
16	17	18	19	20	21	22
23	24	25	26	27	28	29
30	31

Archive for March 2008

News

16. March 2008 by Pastor Pamela.

South Campus news

The news is that the South Campus has a name, a vision and mission statement, and its own blog by now. If you made it already to www.slpowerandlight.org this is not really news for you

And I know that you are waiting for some really important news – the news that we finally have a location. BUT: We have NOT found it yet. We are still looking.Part of the problem is that we don’t have an answer yet from Mission Investment Fund to the question if they will be able to purchase property or a building for us. They would hold it for three years, and we would start paying as soon as we have revenue coming in at our south campus. We would also have 0% interest at least for the first year. That would be a great help in terms of financing. What makes things difficult is the fact that the south campus is a second site of All Saints and not a mission development on its own. This kind of deal is usually not available for multi site congregations, only for a new mission start that is an entity on its own. It is also not so easy to find a location that meets our needs.

First of all we had to be clear about WHAT we want to do. Then we had to come up with HOW we want to it. The last step is to find out WHERE this is possible. Pastor Dave, the Location Finding Team and I have been working hard on these questions and this is the result:

All Saints Lutheran Church – South Campus Mission Statement

WHAT:

ASLC is establishing a south campus ministry in order to bring the Gospel to people who are not likely to ever attend a church related activity, who otherwise would not be exposed to the Gospel.

South Lyon Power and Light – Children of the Light, sharing God’s love.

HOW:

Activities which serve the people of South Lyon and offer them a real service, while offering our South Campus ministry the opportunity to form relationships with people who are not involved with any community of faith.

a. Activities that could happen out in the community: car wash at which a dollar is given away to every person who comes through; yard work for the needy; snow removal for the needy; grocery shopping for the needy; battery distribution for smoke detectors.

b. Activities that could happen at a South Campus Location: tutoring; ESL classes; parenting classes/support group (free daycare provided); drama classes; music classes (youth choir for South Lyon); motorcycle Safety classes; bible Study for beginners; coffee house; concerts; worship; yoga; karate.

WHERE:

Location requirements:

I. Welcoming, cozy space.

a. Bright. b. Pleasant.

II. Space to accommodate 150 people.

III. High visibility to local residents.

a. Preferably downtown.

IV. Extremely flexible. a. Office space. b. Meeting space for all ages. c. Worship space.

V. Positive reputation in the community.

VI. Plenty of access to parking.

VII. NOT a church-like building.

VIII. $20,000.00 annual budget for lease/rent.

The mission statement looks pretty impressive, doesn’t it? We have come this far and all that’s left, is to find the place in South Lyon that matches this mission statement. As if it were that easy! Yes, starting an additional campus is exciting and a lot of fun. And yes: starting an additional campus is also sometimes frustrating and even discouraging.This reminds me of a picture on the door of the teacher’s lounge at the secondary school where I used to teach:

NEVER EVER GIVE UP

And never ever loose trust in God!

Pr. Pamela

Posted in General | No Comments »

Pelle’s Thoughts

16. March 2008 by Pastor Pamela.

How do we know that it’s really spring?

I have been pondering about this for quite a while, and this is what I came up with after evaluating my own experiences:

You know it’s really spring when:

- there is no more Christmas decoration at your house because it fell apart during the last snowstorm.

- your fleece sweaters disappear in the laundry (usually this only happens to single socks).

- your neighbors simultaneously ignite their leaf blowers and create an ear deafening noise you haven’t heard since last October.

- the melting snow reveals the outdoor furniture on your back deck (you thought you had stored it in the basement).

- gasoline prices hit $4,- per gallon.

- the snow is gone and you can fill more than one garbage bin with dog poop from your backyard.

- someone in the family insists on getting a new BBQ grill.

- the roads are more slippery than ever after a snowstorm because contractors have run out of salt by now.

- a table collapses under the weight of outdoor catalogues and brochures.

- temperatures drop below 32°F and you realize that you’ve run out of firewood.

But now seriously:

You know it is spring when you see nature awakening from a long and cold sleep! You know it is spring when you realize that the sunbeams are more powerful and warming! You know it is spring when everything seems to be much more filled with life! Spring is God’s way of showing us that God is the God of creation and the God of life.

And this is my wish for all of you during this time of reawakening: May the blessing of God’s soft rain be on you, falling gently on your head, refreshing your soul with the sweetness of summer flowers newly blooming. (Irish Blessing)

Yours Pelle

P.S.: You know it’s spring when someone unexpectedly shows up at your door and gives you a bouquet of spring flowers. Just happened to Pr. Pamela while she was typing this article for me. THANKS!

Posted in General | No Comments »

Who Is This Teddy Bear?

16. March 2008 by Pastor Pamela.

Hi, my name is Pelle!

I am the teddy bear of Pastor Pamela and her husband. I came over from Germany together with them because I was sure: without me, they are lost! I look after them. I am a mascot, a friend, a counselor, a copilot and sometimes even a pillow to them, like every other well trained stuffed animal. I like to be part of everything that is going on in Pr. Pamela’s life including her ministry as a pastor. This is why I transferred from All Saints Lutheran Church in Hartland to the South Lyon Campus. I also enjoy sharing my experiences and thoughts, and so I became Pr. Pamela’s ghostwriter. Or did she actually become my ghostwriter? Anyway, here I am: the most theologically educated and most mission oriented teddy bear you’ve probably ever met!

Posted in General | No Comments »

Have you laughed today?

10. March 2008 by Pastor Pamela.

Laughter makes you live longer - or so they say.

A new pastor was visiting the homes of his parishioners.

At one house it seemed obvious that someone was at home, but no answer came to his repeated knocks at the door. Therefore, he took out a card and wrote “Revelation 3:20″ on the back of it and stuck it underneath the windshield wiper of the car that was parked in the driveway.

The following Sunday after the worship service the pastor left the church and walked over to his car. Underneath the windshield wiper he found the card he had written a few days ago. Added to his note was another one saying: “Genesis 3:10.”

He reached out for his Bible to check out the citations.

Revelation 3:20 says “Behold, I stand at the door and knock.” Genesis 3:10 reads, “I heard your voice in the garden and I was afraid, for I was naked.”

Posted in General | No Comments »

First Worship

8. March 2008 by Pastor Pamela.

Posted in General | No Comments »

Welcome to South Lyon Power and Light!

8. March 2008 by Pastor Pamela.

South Campus News

You have been asking me many times during the last few weeks (months?): How is it going at the South Campus? I have heard this question so often that I figured it is about time to start a regular “south corner” in our newsletter to keep all of you updated and informed about how it is going at the South Campus.

So how is it going?

I give you the same answer I have given many times before: It’s not going fast enough! And there you have a very good example of an excited pastor’s impatience. Yes, I am very excited about what I am doing. I just LOVE it! And yes, I am also not blessed with a lot of patience. I want a campus in South Lyon with people reaching out to the unchurched with all kinds of cool activities - of course with about 2000 people worshipping every week. And I want it NOW! ☺ I know very well that something like that can’t happen within the first four months. And the number 2000 may be completely out of reach. But …, who knows, …

But let’s start at the beginning. Our official “birth date” of the South Campus Ministry was November 4th, 2007 when we – All Saints Lutheran Church – voted to launch an additional campus to reach out to people without any church background. That was four months ago. Not a very long time, but to me it does seem long (impatience, remember?).

This is what’s been happening during these four months:

We got into contact with Holy Family and met some very nice people who will hopefully be involved in our new ministry as soon as we have a place and regular activities going on. On the 4th Sunday of Advent we had our first worship service in a basement which was a great experience. (Reminded me a little bit of the first Christians who came to the US. They didn’t have church buildings either. And pioneers: that’s what we are as well – sort of.)

I was surprised that we got 17 people together, what was a little more than we had at our Hartland Campus at the 7:00 p.m. worship service that day. (I know, the South and the North Campus are not supposed to be in competition with each other, but I must confess: it felt good.)

The bad news is that we are not worshiping on a regular basis yet. Hopefully this will change soon.

We have also been looking for ministry space from the very beginning. There was a horse farm involved, a nice property with Quonset huts - which looked really cool, and storefronts. The most recent locations we are looking at are the movie theater in downtown South Lyon, an Italian restaurant, and a Bistro. I am really curious what God has in store for us. I hope that we know more by the time you have this newsletter on your computer or in your hand.

Meanwhile the Big Questions in South Lyon got started: every first Wednesday of the month at the Gallery Café in downtown South Lyon. Although it has been a little frustrating for me because the first time I could not make it because I had the stomach flu. But God provided a substitute host and so the Big Questions did happen. The second time the weather was so bad that I could not make it down there (and neither could anybody else). Whatever: we will try again the first Wednesday in March!

We have also been busy getting into contact with community leaders in South Lyon to get connected with Active Faith, the South Lyon Herald (did you see the nice newspaper article on the bulletin board in the narthex?), the Chamber of Commerce, the Police Department, the Fire Department, and the city council of South Lyon. Again an opportunity to meet some very nice people.

From the very beginning people have been kicking around ideas about a name for our South Campus. Although there were some very good ones – especially from our youth – THE name was not among them, as you can see. The South Campus is still called South Campus. Once more your “south pastor” must prove patient and trust in the Holy Spirit that the right name will show up at the right time.

Actually, now as I see all this printed: there has been a lot going on in our South Campus Ministry! And this has only been possible because it is not only the south pastor laboring in this corner of God’s vineyard. Many people stood up and helped. Thank you for all the support and encouragement! I also want to thank the many of you who have offered their help. Be sure: we will need it!

Our most recent and most important task is to find ministry space. As I told you before, we are currently looking at some places in downtown South Lyon. The biggest challenge is to find something in a good location and something that we can afford. Please keep praying that we find the right place soon. And in this case the “soon” does not have to do with your south pastor’s impatience. The experience of mission developers shows that it is crucial to find a location soon. An additional campus needs an address. Our South Campus needs a place to be.

But I trust in the Holy Spirit that she will show us the way. We only need to keep our eyes open and we must not forget to listen to God’s voice in all of this.

Go South!

Pr. Pamela

There were a few very promising sites - but we are still looking.