Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
I pray you all had a blessed Thanksgiving, and that it was a day that you were able to be with loved ones and a day that you were able to give thanks for the many blessings in your life.
As most of you know, I have been on vacation this week. I am on a cruise with my whole family (15 of us!). My mom, my sisters and their families, and my…
Salem friends and family,
I was blessed to partake in packing Thanksgiving bags with some great people this past Wednesday. Kids and adults came together to pack food for those that face food insecurity. After we packed the bags, we all sat down and discussed food insecurity and what it means to pack the bags. The kids had some great responses about feeling happy that they were able…
Posted by dwhetter |
Grace and peace to you from God, our Creator, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, who abides in each of us.
Whenever we read texts like Luke 21, and then we look at the world around us, it is awfully tempting to think Jesus was predicting the very times we are living in. In fact, there are many famous religious leaders who insist on interpreting scripture this way.…
Hey Salem Community-
Over the past two weeks our ninth grade students have shared their statements of faith and affirmed their baptisms. I have had the privilege to work with each of these amazing young people over the past 2 years in our confirmation program. It is truly a blessing to walk with our middle schoolers as they learn, share, questions, struggle, and walk with…
Posted by dwhetter |
Grace and peace to you from God, our Creator, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, who abides in each of us.
“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled….” (Luke 6:20-21). What kind of nonsense is that? I wonder how many of the poor in Jesus’ day, or today, feel blessed? I…
Posted by hlewis |
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
There are many people in my life who love to make homemade bread. My friend bakes with her 3 young daughters to share her excitement of creating and eating, and experimenting with ingredients. My uncle takes out his frustrations on the dough as he punches and kneads. My mom makes sweet bread coffee cake for Christmas morning. My friend who homeschooled…
Posted by dwhetter |
Grace and peace to you from God, our Creator, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, who abides in each of us.
On the last Sunday of October, every year, we celebrate the anniversary of the Reformation. The anniversary remembers October 31, 1517, when Martin Luther posted his Ninety-five Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. At the time, Luther posted…
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
I pray you have had a good week.
I know everyone is getting ready for Halloween, but I am looking forward to Monday, October 31, 2016, for a very different reason. Aside from Halloween, October 31st is also the day that the church celebrates the Reformation. The anniversary remembers October 31, 1517, when Martin Luther posted his Ninety-Five…
Posted by dwhetter |
Today is a special day because, today our four confirmands who will be affirming their baptismal vows next week will be sharing with us their Statements of Faith.
Thomas Delzeit Statement of Faith
“My journey with Christ started twenty months ago in February 2015. The Boy Scout Troop at Salem was having it’s annual ‘scout Sunday’ in which…
Salem Family,
A quote I heard when studying St. Francis of Assisi in Italy my Junior year of college has been on my mind lately. “The deeds you do may be the only sermon some persons will hear today.”
I have been reflecting on what church means to me and why I come to church. I feel refreshed after Sunday morning, I feel like I’ve been challenged and I feel like I’ve been pushed…