ALL WEDNESDAY EVENTS CANCELLED

Due to the snowy weather, we have cancelled all activities INCLUDING WORSHIP at First Lutheran Church today: Wednesday, December 9, 2009. Please be careful as you shovel, plow, drive, and walk in this white stuff!
**First Lutheran follows the school district cancellation policy. This means: if school is cancelled or let out [...]

Online Town Hall Forum

What:  The ELCA’s online Town Hall Forum with Bishop Mark Hanson
When:  Sunday, December 6, 2009
Where:  Higgins Road, Chicago, IL
AND NOW…available for on-demand viewing right here.

Augsburg College Interview with PB Hanson

You get to see a glimpse of the personal side of our Presiding Bishop, Mark Hanson, in this interview given for his alma mater, Augsburg College.
Click on the URL below:
http://www.augsburg.edu/now/2009_2010/november/articles/hanson/index.html

Ecumenical Thanksgiving Worship

Our annual Ecumenical Thanksgiving Worship was held on Sunday evening, November 22nd, 2009.  The Ecumenical choir (40+!) did a lovely job with two special pieces of worship music, and Pastor Charlie Leonard preached a touching and challenging sermon.  We raised over $470 dollars in offering for our local families in times of emergencies, along with donations [...]

Bishop Hanson’s Online Town Hall Forum Announced

A letter and video from Rev. Mark Hanson, Presiding Bishop of the ELCA was released this week (November 19, 2009). 
You can view the video here
Or
Read the letter here.
This Town Hall Forum, scheduled for Sunday, December 6th, 2009 at 4:30 pm, will require a computer with fast internet connection in order to stream the live feed.  Many of [...]

Bishop’s Bits: Since You Asked

Our Southeastern MN Synod Bishop Harold Usgaard has written a brief letter about his own convictions in light of the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly.  You can read it here.

Confirmation Class of 2009

On Sunday, October 25, 2009, 15 young men and women affirmed their baptismal vows.  Congratulations to–and heartfelt prayers for–each one.
Here are a couple of pictures of our Confirmation Class, with their Mentors.  Thanks for being such a great group!  Your lively spirits will be missed!

Current & Proposed Ministry Policies Now Online

You can find the ELCA guidelines for Vision and Expectations for Rostered Leaders, as well as the WORKING DRAFT of PROPOSED CHANGES to them, here.  I encourage you to read the original documents as well as the proposed changes, which are at the bottom of the page link. 
NOTE:  You can view the documents easily by [...]

Hey! We’ve Been Noticed!

In tracking back some of the hits we’ve received to our blog recently, I found out that we have been featured on a site called “Pretty Good Lutherans.”  [Aww, shucks.  Tiny curtsey.  And thanks for noticing our little corner of ministry in that big, big world of cyberspace.]
I am intrigued by this site.  The stated [...]

Meet Our New Senior Pastor & Family

An excerpt from our October 2009 Newsletter column, for all you readers in cyberspace who may not get the paper edition!
1.  Welcome, Pastor Charlie & Cindy.  Tell us a little bit about yourselves–where you grew up, your career paths, your family life.
Cindy grew up in a parsonage, born in Osceola, Nebraska and then moved with her [...]