Shepherd's Heart 08/21/26
I have a love-hate relationship with August.
As the daughter of a preschool director, it seems like my entire life has revolved around a school year schedule. August has always held the bittersweet tension of transition- the end of summer and the start of school, the end of long lake weekends and the start of homework, the end of late night neighborhood games and the start of regular bedtimes again. I have always thrived with structure, and yet there is a freedom to summer that always fills me with a little grief by the end of it, even still today. I'm not in school anymore... I don't have any homework assignments in my foreseeable future... I'm an adult that can go to bed whenever I want! Yet in the cycles of our church, there is still a transitional feeling to August. An end to summer camps, fellowship outings, and backyard bible studies and a start to the regular programs that form our faith and foster our community.
As August forces me to look ahead to the fall, my first feeling is always a little bit of nerves- Whoa, there is a lot on the calendar! But slowly and surely, the follow up to that feeling is wonder and curiosity- Wow God, look at all these places your people are going to gather.
On Saturday, September 12, the All-Abilities Vendor Fair is back at Good Shepherd for its 3rd year! I have been so encouraged by the planning between our Disability Ministry team and our friends at Front Porch Church. The team has put in countless hours to create an event that brings visibility to members of our local community that are often overlooked. Over 70 vendors will fill our parking lot on that Saturday morning and I can't wait to shop, chat, and support the special needs community together.
Then I think about our building. With the exception of VBS and Eternal Impact, sometimes it can get pretty quiet around here in the summer. But that all changes after Labor Day! Club 45 and Student Ministries will kick off on September 8th and 13th, welcoming pre-teens and teens back into the regular weekly rhythms of Tuesday and Sunday nights. A new Preschool year starts on September 8th and our hallways will be filled with little voices again. Tuesday Morning Bible Study and Community Nights and Theology Cohorts and all the other things start to make our facilities scheduling complex and our parking lot full again!
A new class of Confirmation students will start on September 20th. This fall and beyond, these students will build relationships with each other, hear real stories of transformation at the Delta retreat, learn about the sacraments and the Trinity and the mission of the church. They will serve together and have faith conversations with their parents and reflect on their own stories with God. The Spirit works in every Confirmation class and every August I begin to pray more intentionally for the next class to grow in their faith as they prepare for the commitment of Confirmation.
In addition to all that, on my to do list right now are 5 student baptisms to schedule for this fall. FIVE! TEENAGERS! CHOOSING! BAPTISM! This summer, I got to have some incredible conversations with these students, hearing what God has been up to in their lives and how they have come to the conclusion that they want to commit their lives to Jesus. I am in awe of their five stories- how God showed up in their families, in their schools, in their relationships at church- working slowly but surely to reveal himself to them. I can't wait for you to hear their stories and witness their baptism covenant moments in upcoming services.
"Where two or three gather in my name, there I am with them." (Matthew 18:20) I know for a fact that more than two or three people will be at each of these events and programs that kick off next month. For that reason, I know also that God is going to be present- In our conversations, in our crazy games, in our parking lot purchases, in our baptism celebrations. The calendar is not just full of events, it's full of future God encounters. It's full of spaces where the church is going to be the body of Christ.
So sure, I do have some heartbreak that naturally comes with the end of summer. But I'm so filled with anticipation when I look to the fall. God continues to be at work among us friends. When we worship... when we shop... when we participate... when we gather, he is there with us. I hope you're preparing with me for all the future God encounters that the fall will hold.
Walking with you,
Pastor Elisabeth
As the daughter of a preschool director, it seems like my entire life has revolved around a school year schedule. August has always held the bittersweet tension of transition- the end of summer and the start of school, the end of long lake weekends and the start of homework, the end of late night neighborhood games and the start of regular bedtimes again. I have always thrived with structure, and yet there is a freedom to summer that always fills me with a little grief by the end of it, even still today. I'm not in school anymore... I don't have any homework assignments in my foreseeable future... I'm an adult that can go to bed whenever I want! Yet in the cycles of our church, there is still a transitional feeling to August. An end to summer camps, fellowship outings, and backyard bible studies and a start to the regular programs that form our faith and foster our community.
As August forces me to look ahead to the fall, my first feeling is always a little bit of nerves- Whoa, there is a lot on the calendar! But slowly and surely, the follow up to that feeling is wonder and curiosity- Wow God, look at all these places your people are going to gather.
On Saturday, September 12, the All-Abilities Vendor Fair is back at Good Shepherd for its 3rd year! I have been so encouraged by the planning between our Disability Ministry team and our friends at Front Porch Church. The team has put in countless hours to create an event that brings visibility to members of our local community that are often overlooked. Over 70 vendors will fill our parking lot on that Saturday morning and I can't wait to shop, chat, and support the special needs community together.
Then I think about our building. With the exception of VBS and Eternal Impact, sometimes it can get pretty quiet around here in the summer. But that all changes after Labor Day! Club 45 and Student Ministries will kick off on September 8th and 13th, welcoming pre-teens and teens back into the regular weekly rhythms of Tuesday and Sunday nights. A new Preschool year starts on September 8th and our hallways will be filled with little voices again. Tuesday Morning Bible Study and Community Nights and Theology Cohorts and all the other things start to make our facilities scheduling complex and our parking lot full again!
A new class of Confirmation students will start on September 20th. This fall and beyond, these students will build relationships with each other, hear real stories of transformation at the Delta retreat, learn about the sacraments and the Trinity and the mission of the church. They will serve together and have faith conversations with their parents and reflect on their own stories with God. The Spirit works in every Confirmation class and every August I begin to pray more intentionally for the next class to grow in their faith as they prepare for the commitment of Confirmation.
In addition to all that, on my to do list right now are 5 student baptisms to schedule for this fall. FIVE! TEENAGERS! CHOOSING! BAPTISM! This summer, I got to have some incredible conversations with these students, hearing what God has been up to in their lives and how they have come to the conclusion that they want to commit their lives to Jesus. I am in awe of their five stories- how God showed up in their families, in their schools, in their relationships at church- working slowly but surely to reveal himself to them. I can't wait for you to hear their stories and witness their baptism covenant moments in upcoming services.
"Where two or three gather in my name, there I am with them." (Matthew 18:20) I know for a fact that more than two or three people will be at each of these events and programs that kick off next month. For that reason, I know also that God is going to be present- In our conversations, in our crazy games, in our parking lot purchases, in our baptism celebrations. The calendar is not just full of events, it's full of future God encounters. It's full of spaces where the church is going to be the body of Christ.
So sure, I do have some heartbreak that naturally comes with the end of summer. But I'm so filled with anticipation when I look to the fall. God continues to be at work among us friends. When we worship... when we shop... when we participate... when we gather, he is there with us. I hope you're preparing with me for all the future God encounters that the fall will hold.
Walking with you,
Pastor Elisabeth