In just a few days, I am looking forward to celebrating my twenty-fifth All Saints’ Sunday as a pastor. I can’t wait to sing out “For All the Saints" one more time with those gathered in-person and online at 9:30 a.m.

Not to rush things, but, we are a few days away from beginning a new month. As Americans who have a tradition of setting aside a day of national “Thanksgiving,” November is a good time to pause and give thanks…. Here is a resource for you that you are invited to share with others….

On Sunday, October 17, we will offer the fourth (and final) of the new worship forms that our Worship Team has prepared for this Fall. Pneuma is the Greek word for spirit (also breath) and it is the name of a healing liturgy. Together we will seek God’s healing power for our health and wholeness.

I am grateful for the handful of youth that came out last Saturday for the Duluth Day Retreat. We had an amazing day in spite of the liquid sunshine that occasionally reminded us of our baptisms.

We continue to feature new styles of in-person/online worship this Fall at St. James! (for a complete listing - click here) On Sunday, Oct. 3, our worship is called “LOGOS,” which is the Greek word for “word.”

Car—-what? Does Charis sound “Greek” to you? Well, it should because it is…. Charis is the Greek word for grace and is the title of one of the new worships that St. James Lutheran is offering this Fall.

I am pleased to introduce four new styles that we will be using this Fall at St. James at our 9:30 a.m. in-person/online worship. Each one of these worships is named using a Greek word that describes its tone and character: AGAPE (love), CHARIS (grace), LOGOS (Word), and PNUEMA (spirit). Although each employs a variety of music and liturgical styles, all are Word and Sacrament worships rooted in our Lutheran identity.

It is with excitement that I look forward to this coming Sunday at St. James. We celebrate the beginning of another year full of ministry opportunities together. Our FESTIVAL of WELCOME worship…

As we look towards starting up ministry again this fall, the word that seems to be on my mind is “modify.”

One of the things that I carry often is my backpack. It is a useful bag filled with pockets and compartments for all sorts of stuff.

The recent recommendations of the CDC concerning wearing of masks indoors for both vaccinated and unvaccinated people has prompted the question: Do I have to wear a mask at St. James?

For the last five years or so, St. James has implemented a fresh way of doing congregational ministry that has allowed us to be effective, flexible, efficient, and innovative.

As you might know, I enjoy traveling, especially in the direction that chases the setting sun. On vacation this summer, I had the opportunity to visit Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks, Devils' Tower (Bear Lodge) and Craters of the Moon National Monuments, and the Black Hills of South Dakota. Inspired by this journey, I have created a month's worth of Inspirational Images and Prayers.

Imagine my surprise and intense delight. I just came back from two weeks of vacation out West, which followed officiating at a mountain top wedding in Montana for one of St. James young adults (blessings to Andrew and Anna Burgoyne).

Before COVID hit, we were well on our way to becoming debt-free for the first time in over three decades. Although we made progress toward this goal during the pandemic, we needed to hold off on making additional principal payments, which would have finished our mortgage at the end of 2020. The revised plan for the debt retirement became April 2022.

Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor, we have an opportunity to retire the debt sooner, saving us thousands of dollars in interest payments.

Last Sunday was filled with a “welcoming joy” as we came together for worship. Our parking lot had twenty-six folks worship at 8:00 a.m. with another seventy-six online at 9:30 a.m. At 11:30 a.m. over forty-five people came out for our first in-person worship in the sanctuary in over four-hundred and fifty six days. It was a day of many smiling faces.

Whew! When I put my hands on the steering wheel of my car this afternoon, I was reminded of a seasonal truth. It can get hot in Minnesota! Summer has finally arrived and I’m welcoming the warm, bright days.

One of the things that I enjoy about this time of year are the opportunities it offers for us to do ministry in a different way. We can be outside and enjoy the beauty of creation in this corner of the globe.

Not sure exactly where I first heard the phrase or who coined it but it has come in handy in my role as a Lead Pastor. Plan the work, work the plan.

For the past year of our COVID reality, we have been both planning and working. A lot of time, energy, and collaboration has gone into our efforts as a congregation to remain open, vibrant, and innovative. Although for most of the 440 of our COVID response, our ministry has been beyond the walls our our building, we never closed.

There is a wonderful opportunity in the days ahead for us to grow in our faith and establish practices that will nurture our spirit for years to come. As we put pieces together, we have the chance to place our relationship with God at the center. Taking time to reflect, pray, and dwell in God’s Word, will help us not only navigate the uncertainties of this moment of great personal and societal transition, but it will encourage spiritual transformation