It’s a slow time of year in the Northwoods. Winter hangs on and on...and on. Spring tries to peek through and take hold, but is still weeks away from making a dent. The result then will be slushy and messy and bumpy (potholes).
It’s also a slow time of year at Trinity. Attendance is lightest during the coldest months. Try to get an activity going in the evenings and you’ll be…well, lonely. Lent begins next month, which does add some worship opportunities and traffic flow through our sanctuary.
It’s time to spice things up and pick up the pace! It’s time to put some pizzazz back into the parish. Announcing our first ever, first annual “Member of the Year” contest. For the rest of 2022, you could put yourself in the running and campaign for the title. Maybe you – yes, you! – are Trinity’s “Member of the Year!” If you’re not into self-promotion, you could spend the rest of the year studying your fellow members to see who would get your vote.
Who is Trinity’s MVP – Most Valuable Parishioner, Most Vital Personage, Most Vibrant Person, Most Vigorous Participant? You get the idea.
Sound like fun? For whom would you vote? And why stop there? Why not have councilman of the year, elder of the year, teacher of the year, organist of the year, Hymnsoft/clicker of the year, Sunday School teacher of the year, Sunday School student of the year, Bible Study participant of the year, singer of the year, youth group member of the year? The list goes on and on, and includes my personal favorite (due to lack of competition at the moment, of course), pastor of the year.
At the end of the year we’ll count all the votes, publish the results in a newsletter, send a press release to the Lakeland Times, declare a special day for the winner(s), and really start off 2023 with a bang!
In heaven, however, the result of such a navel-gazing, people-examining exercise would be a giant sigh from the throne of the Almighty. Promoting and participating in such a contest would lead us to cease being Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church and School. The focus would be on man, on glorifying ourselves, rather than Christ.
That’s not why we’re here. That’s not why Trinity exists. We’re not here to one-up each other. We here to look up together to the cross. We’re not here to promote personal agendas or to promote ourselves. We’re here to push ourselves out of the way and promote Christ. Frankly, we have much to marvel at in the fact that God even gathers us around his Word and Sacraments and allows us to worship him at all! What grace!
To summarize: there will be NO “Member of the Year” contest! God help us to keep our focus on Christ and store up treasure in heaven by grace!
“The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God…I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” (1 Corinthians 1:18; 2:2 EHV)
In Christ,
Pastor Stephen Luchterhand
It’s also a slow time of year at Trinity. Attendance is lightest during the coldest months. Try to get an activity going in the evenings and you’ll be…well, lonely. Lent begins next month, which does add some worship opportunities and traffic flow through our sanctuary.
It’s time to spice things up and pick up the pace! It’s time to put some pizzazz back into the parish. Announcing our first ever, first annual “Member of the Year” contest. For the rest of 2022, you could put yourself in the running and campaign for the title. Maybe you – yes, you! – are Trinity’s “Member of the Year!” If you’re not into self-promotion, you could spend the rest of the year studying your fellow members to see who would get your vote.
Who is Trinity’s MVP – Most Valuable Parishioner, Most Vital Personage, Most Vibrant Person, Most Vigorous Participant? You get the idea.
Sound like fun? For whom would you vote? And why stop there? Why not have councilman of the year, elder of the year, teacher of the year, organist of the year, Hymnsoft/clicker of the year, Sunday School teacher of the year, Sunday School student of the year, Bible Study participant of the year, singer of the year, youth group member of the year? The list goes on and on, and includes my personal favorite (due to lack of competition at the moment, of course), pastor of the year.
At the end of the year we’ll count all the votes, publish the results in a newsletter, send a press release to the Lakeland Times, declare a special day for the winner(s), and really start off 2023 with a bang!
In heaven, however, the result of such a navel-gazing, people-examining exercise would be a giant sigh from the throne of the Almighty. Promoting and participating in such a contest would lead us to cease being Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church and School. The focus would be on man, on glorifying ourselves, rather than Christ.
That’s not why we’re here. That’s not why Trinity exists. We’re not here to one-up each other. We here to look up together to the cross. We’re not here to promote personal agendas or to promote ourselves. We’re here to push ourselves out of the way and promote Christ. Frankly, we have much to marvel at in the fact that God even gathers us around his Word and Sacraments and allows us to worship him at all! What grace!
To summarize: there will be NO “Member of the Year” contest! God help us to keep our focus on Christ and store up treasure in heaven by grace!
“The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God…I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” (1 Corinthians 1:18; 2:2 EHV)
In Christ,
Pastor Stephen Luchterhand
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