September 26th, 2024

Greeting Holy People of God,

In my sermons I have been alluding to an expanded idea of God’s work. Our hands as we build a metaphorical house proclaiming who Jesus is.  We have looked closely at the ministries and organizations that we work with locally.  We are also part of a bigger household as we live under the umbrella of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and our hands reach out further than we could on our own.

When our youth shared their youth gathering experience one Sunday, three of them made mention of how important it was for them to see the large numbers of youth – 16,000 and to be a part of something that was bigger.  One said he didn’t know how big we were, and it made him proud to be a part of something bigger and the many things we do.   Throughout my ministry I continue to be amazed at the very dedicated people who serve God through this church and reach out and beyond, all to the glory of God. 

And as we will hear in our gospel lesson, when the disciples try to limit what is done in Jesus’ name, Jesus responds by flinging the door wide open, welcoming the work done in his name and giving grave warning to not be a stumbling block for others.  Jesus draws a child into the center of the disciple’s attention and says, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.” (Mark 9:37) In our welcome of the child or the little ones, we welcome God.

This Sunday, I invite you to our adult forum to come and hear Sue Huff tell the story of her relationship with children all over the world as she works with Compassion International and we continue to explore “God’s work. Our Hands.”

I invite you to share your stories of how God’s work has been done through your hands working with other organizations.  There are many ways to do this.  You can tell me or write it for the Mini Bits or share at the adult forum.    

Bold Inquisitive Belief Loving Expansively,

Pastor Connie Spitzack

September 19th, 2024

Greeting Holy People of God,

   As we continue our focus on “God’s work. Our Hands.” I give thanks to God for the ways you reach out beyond our Christian organizations through service agencies that reach far and wide. This last week’s entries to the basket on the table by the entrance include volunteering at the VA Hospital and the Iowa City Food Bank, donating blood, Scouting America and Quilts of Valor.  Thank you for using your hands to do God’s work through these organizations that reach out beyond us.

Last week we celebrated the baptisms of Ronan and Juniper Betts, the children of Jeffry Betts and Chelsea Burk-Betts.  For the Baptism, I give the parents the opportunity to select our Hymn of Day.  They chose ELW 641, “Let’s Build a House” and also known as “All Our Welcome”.  What a beautiful hymn for baptism and the work we are called to!  I see God’s hands at work as we welcomed Ronan and Juniper into the work we do building a house of welcome.  A place where “children tell how hearts learn to forgive.”  A place where “God’s children dare to seek to dream God’s reign anew.” 

In baptism we are reminded about the huge, big building project we get to be a part of.  We are building “a safe place”, a “rock of faith and vault of grace”, a “banquet hall on holy ground where peace and justice meet”.  This is an amazingly wonderful building project God invites us into.  It is a building project where hope and love can be seen and experienced.

For this is a place where our hands “will reach beyond the wood and stone to heal and strengthen, serve and teach and live the word they’ve known.”  The words we have known, our proclamation of God’s good news in Jesus Christ is made known in all the places your hands reach out into this world through our building and our welcoming.  Through the work of our hands, we answer the question Jesus posed to his disciples, who do you say that I am.  Peter said, “you are the messiah.”   We say, yes you are the Messiah, the carpenter who works along side us, showing us the way.

Remember you can still drop a note in the basket of the places your hands reach out beyond this community and within this gathering of people.

Bold Inquisitive Belief Loving Expansively,

Pastor Connie Spitzack

September 12th, 2024

Greeting Holy People of God,

Until World Food Day, October 16, we are going to be sharing with one another how “God’s work. Our hands.” Takes shape among us.  Thank you to those of you who shared the organizations, agencies or ministries with which you are connected.  The heart basket remains on the table by the entrance and the slips of paper are still there for you to add your connections with God’s handy work.  Share your individual experiences or things we do together as a faith community. Drop your ballots, multiplied entries are allowed.  In this election year as you pray and discern who you will cast your ballot for, here is a little light hearted attempt to celebrate what God is working through us.   Here you can vote often.  When you vote here, we vote for what God is at work among us and that is something to celebrate.  Christ is our king and we have an amazing leader!

Let me share with has been shared so far:

The Arc of Southeast Iowa

Hawkeye Area Community Action Program (HACAP)

Ewalu

Lutheran Services in Iowa

Iowa City Community Theatre

Wheelchair Ramp Accessibility Project      (WRAP)

ReStore (Habitat for Humanity)

Scouting America

Hospice

Parish Nurse Association

LWR Kits

Thrivent

Iowa Donor Network – quilting for organ donors

Quilts of Valor

Houses to Homes

Red Cross

Free Lunch

Compassion International

 God is glorified through your hands as they reach out to bless and care for the people and world God has made through these organizations and your relationships with them.  These are some of the ways God is working through us.  I hope this sharing whets your appetite.  On Sunday, September 29, Sue Huff will have a table with information about Compassion International and share at the adult forum her journey with her children and this organization.

We celebrate and lift up God’s work through us, servants of God.

Bold Inquisitive Belief Loving Expansively,

Pastor Connie Spitzack

September 6th, 2024

GREETING HOLY PEOPLE OF GOD,

God’s work. Our hands. Sunday always sneaks up as it follows the Labor Day weekend and is the first major event following summer and usually coincides with Rally Day.  It requires over the summer planning and that just did not happen this year.  But all is not lost.  Here is an extended and adapted quote from the ELCA’s God’s work. Our hands. Toolkit.

“This Sunday, Sept. 8, “God’s work. Our hands.” Is the ELCA’s annual day of service and an opportunity to celebrate who we are as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) — one church, freed in Christ to love and serve our neighbor. “God’s work. Our hands.” is a way for us to be church together. On this day we bear witness to the love and concern God’s people have for one another.

Our congregations do this work every day — loving their neighbors and improving their communities. One of the greatest examples of how our congregations share love with their neighbors is through their feeding ministries. This year marks the 50th anniversary of ELCA World Hunger, and we’re excited to celebrate the impact that thousands of people from our church have made on communities around the world. These acts of service allow us to explore one of our most basic Lutheran convictions: All of life in Jesus Christ — every act of service, in every daily calling, in every corner of life — flows freely from a living, daring confidence in God’s grace.

This year we are invited to extend our service opportunities from Sunday, Sept. 8, through Oct. 16, which is World Food Day. The ELCA knows that, every day, our congregations are doing the work of loving their neighbors and improving their communities.

As Lutherans, we know the difference that God’s grace and love in Christ have made in our daily lives. Because of this, we work together to help others experience that same love and acceptance. We live out this vision through worship and service in our congregations and communities, through our individual vocations and through our collective work as church together.

“God’s work. Our hands.” offers a special opportunity to be church together and to share Jesus’ love by inviting others to join in a day of service. This call for service unites all the ELCA expressions to focus on serving and accompanying our neighbors. Service opportunities are endless, so ELCA members and congregations should research opportunities that make sense for each congregation and its capacity. The idea is to deepen the members’ experience in their community and enable congregations to play a critical part in addressing community needs.”

Because we have been invited to consider this over a long period of time, I am going to invite you to write on 3x5 inch cards the organizations, agencies or ministries with which you are connected.  And we will take this time to celebrate and lift up the ways in which we engage in God’s work through our hands individually and as a community of faith.

In the past for "God’s Work. Our Hands" Sunday we have worked on trails at Hickory Hill Park with other Iowa City ELCA churches, clean-up work at Terry Trueblood Park and Jo. Co. Neighborhood Center, tied blankets and hats, assembled school kits and sang at a community 9/11 memorial service.  And throughout the year we engage in feeding ministries.  Up until October 16 we will lift up our work up, giving glory to God.

In our worship service we will bless each other’s hands or our own with this blessing:  Signing a cross on the backs of the hands: God bless your hands and your work, signing a cross on the palms of the hands: that through you God’s love may be known. Amen.

Bold Inquisitive Belief Loving Expansively,

Pastor Connie Spitzack

August 8th, 2024

GREETING HOLY PEOPLE OF GOD,

Our hosting of National Night Out was a huge success.  Thank you all who helped.  I am so very grateful.  We had a beautiful evening and wonderful attendance.  Over the years, this event has grown into the event that I hoped it would be and hope it will continue to be.  Thanks be to God.  Thank you for letting your little light shine. 

Following the ELCA’s accompaniment ideology of walking with our neighbors and partnering with them we have made inroads with our neighbors.  God has answered our prayers.  Let me tell you the behind the scenes unfolding of the partnership.

In February, Sara Haroun came to my office.  She had heard about me through the Wonderful Westside Neighborhood Association.  Sara has been in the United States for about 20 years.  Her children are grown and she volunteers her time to work with a group of Sudan girls and she is working with a professor from UI who teaches sewing classes to new immigrants.  Sara wanted to meet with me looking for a place to meet for her girls and the sewing class. And some seeds were planted. 

Then Sara was hired by the Resilient Sustainable Future for Iowa City whose mission is to shift the culture of Iowa City by demonstrating appealing and sustainable examples of resilience culture.  CTK was awarded the “Neighbors to Neighborhood Grant” of $500 with the goal of helping neighbors get to know each other and work together.  Sara Haroun lives in our neighborhood and knows women who love to cook and share their favorite foods.  She was key to making the connections for us and her neighbors so we could all enjoy the tasty treats and beverages along with ice cream and popcorn.  The grant monies will be distributed to the four women who made the food. Joel Flack, our MC helped us to mix more by inviting us to introduce ourselves to someone we didn’t know and then find someone who shared the same birthday month.  It was great fun and an opportunity to mingle and hear from some of our neighbors how good it was to have familiar foods at a neighborhood event. 

There was always a line for popcorn and the bouncy house but even better was to see lines of kids with police officers, fire fighters, McGruff and EMTs.  Only God knows what seeds for future careers are being planted in these service careers as the kids climbed around, explored, and interacted with these professionals.  The fire truck did have to leave for a call but happily returned before the night was through.  A distressed father came back after the close of the night to collect a fire hat that his distraught son had left behind.  And wouldn’t you know, there just happened to be a fire hat left in the fellowship hall that I could give him.  God is so good!

A special thank-you for the anonymous donation to cover the cost of the bouncy house and for the Thrivent Action Team for the ice cream treats.

We also added a very successful first time ever blood drive to our event as a soft introduction to our neighbors as they saw the Red Cross vehicles and the walking witnesses of the blood drive. 

During Lent we walked and prayed through our neighborhood.  I wondered what God was up to and I realized how God is already at work in our neighborhood.  And I heard this refrain again during the accompaniment day of our youth gathering as I listened to the founder of Acts of Wisdom tell his story.  Our neighbors came right into my office and God planted seeds and some of them have flourished this season. Thanks be to God and thank you for walking with our neighbors.  I wonder what God has planned for us now.  Oh, yes, we are going to be hosting a movie night on Saturday, August 31 from 8:30 – 10:30 in King Park with the help of RSFIC.  Save the Date!

Bold Inquisitive Belief Loving Expansively,

Pastor Connie Spitzack

PS:  Check out Resilient Sustainable Future for Iowa City online and at their location at 1927 Keokuk St., Iowa City.