• Pastor Patrick’s Perspective: March 2025

    I joyfully remember the annual NALC pastor retreat I attended in January. This gathering provided not only a chance for learning but also a reunion with fellow pastors and a time for spiritual renewal that will enhance my ministry among you. Before the retreat, the NALC gathered pastors in the early years of pastoral ministry…

  • Lent 2025

    Lent is here! Or, it will be soon. The forty days of Lent begin on Ash Wednesday and end with the breaking of the Easter vigil. Christians began to keep Lent in the early days of the church. By the third century of our Lord, the church began to prepare for celebration of the resurrection.…

  • Pastor Patrick’s Perspective: February 2025

    “To Jordan came our Lord the Christ,To do God’s pleasure willing.”(Martin Luther, LBW 79) Over break my son went through the hymnal to sing all the Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany hymns. So I pointed out the Epiphany hymn, “To Jordan came the Christ Our Lord”, and he went to the piano to find the melody.…

  • Pastor Patrick’s Perspective: January 2025

    “From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is to be praised!” Psalm 113:3.​ Happy New Year again; this time we turn the page in secular calendars rather than our liturgical calendars. As we begin this new year, we should take time to thank the Lord for the gift…

  • Pastor Patrick’s Perspective December 2024

    Happy New Year! Advent marks the beginning of a new church year. As we begin this new church year, let’s take a moment to reflect on what it means to grow in our faith. This Advent, I’m excited to introduce a new feature in our bulletin: each week, you’ll discover a selection from Martin Luther’s…

  • Advent 2024

    Advent begins on December 1. This season in the Christian liturgical calendar marks the period of preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ at Christmas. Advent is a time of reflection, prayer, and anticipation. It emphasizes themes of hope, peace, joy, and love symbolized by the lighting of Advent candles on an…