Dearly Beloved in Christ,
Since 1856, God has been gracious to our congregation. Whether your ancestors were attending our church back then, or you and yours have only been here for a little while, we are together members of God’s family of St. Paul. From generation to generation, Christ Jesus has been the cornerstone of our congregation. His Word and Lutheran doctrine have been the source of the congregation’s life for all these years, and we pray that they will be until Christ returns.
It is until our Lord returns that we as a congregation are to be at work. The mighty acts of God have been declared to generations before us, and are being declared even now, and each of us has a part in the work of the kingdom of Christ to see that the mighty acts of God will be proclaimed into the future. Those who went before us built our first church building as the American Civil War waged. During the Great Depression, those who went before us built our current church. Generations before knew that the children of God needed a place to hear the Word of God and to gather and receive God’s good gifts, and they sacrificed for the next generation, and for us.
From Generation to Generation is the theme for our Campaign, based on Psalm 145:4, “One generation shall commend Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts.” The true faith and the works and acts of God in Christ Jesus are to be passed down to those who are around us now, and those who will come after us. Through our Church and School, we are hard at work doing that. The Bible is taught, the Small Catechism is learned by heart, people are coming to faith in Christ Jesus. Our campaign to improve our facilities will assist our Gospel work together by providing much needed space for the children of our school to learn and grown, and for a new home for the many activities we do together as a congregation. I pray you will take part in this effort.
It has been 169 years since our congregation’s founding. God has grown His Church here, and by His grace and mercy He uses each of us in His kingdom to do His Work of declaring His mighty acts. Let each of us join, in this generation, to serve our neighbors now, and to provide for generations to come. Let us pray that God would grant our generation faithfulness to Him and love for each other, so that generations to come would receive His Word and declare His mighty acts.
In Christ,
Pastor Ball