Ash Wednesday 2022 Schedule

Please know that the leaders and people of Faith Lutheran Church hold you in God's Light during yet another season of disturbance and sorrow.

Tomorrow, Ash Wednesday (March 2), Faith will be open for prayer and worship.

Noon to 1pm: The church will be open during the noon hour for quiet prayer and we will offer the imposition of ashes and Holy Communion at that time.

Evening Activities:

6pm, Youth games

6:30pm, Soup Supper

7:15pm, Ash Wednesday Worship, "Beneath the Cross of Jesus." This will be an interactive service of song and prayer that gives opportunity to share our sorrow and prayers for peace, for health, for wholeness and life in a time of continuing struggle and dis-ease. Livestreamed at FLC's Facebook Page: HERE

Be blessed and encouraged, friends. You are Beloved of God. No matter what. Welcome Home.

Pastor Brenda

Donate to Relief Efforts in Ukraine

Some folks have been asking about places to contribute to relief efforts in Ukraine. Just want to put out a warning that fake charities have been popping up online that look like they will benefit Ukraine but will actually send your money who-knows-where.

Two sites that we know we can trust are Lutheran World Relief and Lutheran World Federation. Links to their Ukraine-specific donation pages are below.

• Lutheran World Relief

• Lutheran World Federation

Love and Peace,   
We pray for all people
whose lives are in peril in Ukraine.   

We pray for the vision to see and the faith to believe 
in a world emancipated from violence. 

Heal the wounds of mind, body and spirit that will occur due to the violence in our world. 

Help us to devote ourselves to the task of making peace in our own neighborhoods and around the world.  No one is hidden from your love.   

Help us be home to others.

Help us manifest your love and peace to the world.

(Prayer from Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. Their website lists more ways you can help.)

2021 Annual Report

The annual meeting will be held at 11am on Sunday, January 30, and there will be an online attendance option.

Click the button below to open the 2021 Annual Report. Please note that the official ballot will be slightly different, as the empty slots in committees have been filled out since the publishing of this document.

What is the orange banner about?

In the summer of 2021, the remains of 215 bodies were found outside a boarding school for Indigenous children in Kamloops, B.C., even as the remains of 9 children were repatriated to the Rosebud Sioux in South Dakota from a boarding school in Pennsylvania. We are faced with the reality that for nearly 100 years the U.S. government and white settlers forcibly removed children from their families in order to assimilate them into white, “good Christian” culture. Our Native American and Alaskan Native neighbors still suffer deeply from the scars of this trauma and its lasting effects on their individual and community wellbeing.

This congregation is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), whose Northern European forebears settled across the Great Plains and into the Pacific Northwest in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, displacing the tribal residents of the lands we homesteaded. But we also made friends: members of tribal peoples joined our congregations. And in 2021 the ELCA American Indian/Alaska Native Lutheran Association asked ELCA churches to hang orange banners in sanctuaries or other prominent places to recognize, remember, and honor the lives of children lost to the boarding school system, the generational trauma incurred by this sin, and our commitment to learn from the past and make amends as best we are able.

Faith’s orange banner features the handprints of our members and words that express our commitment to listen, lament, and love our Indigenous Neighbors. We hung it on Reformation Day 2021, and it will be up through June 2022—a bit more than one day for each child found or returned last summer. Its design was inspired by the University of Victoria’s 2021 Orange Shirt Day “Heart and Hands” emblem, created by UVIC’s Audain Professor of Contemporary Art Practice of the Pacific Northwest, Carey Newman. Newman writes:

"This design was made to honour the children who died in residential school. The hearts express love for all those in unmarked graves and compassion for the families and communities who waited for them to be found. The small and colourful hands remind us of the uniqueness and beauty of every child. Taken together, they represent our commitment to listen to our hearts and use our hands, to do the work that needs to be done.  

The visceral confirmation of Survivor accounts that has come from locating these graves has affected many of us on an emotional level. It has changed the way that many people think and feel about our histories and current realities in Canada."

- Artist Carey Newman Hayalthkin’geme (Kwakwaka'wakw/Coast Salish) on "Hearts and Hands"

Advent and Christmas Worship Schedule

Blue Christmas: December 15, 7pm. Christmas and Grief. Wednesday evening at 7:00pm, come for a special time of worship for those for whom the holidays are marked by grief and loss. Will also be livestreamed on Facebook.

Christmas Eve Worship: 3:00pm and 9:00pm. The 3 o’clock service will be livestreamed on Facebook.

Sunday, December 26: one service at 10:00am. This service will also be livestreamed on Facebook.

Youth/Children Staffing Feedback

Click the button below to see the results of the recent feedback form regarding Children and Youth Ministry staffing at Faith Shelton. More detailed results are available from the church office upon request (email welcomehome@faithshelton.org)

A Pastoral Letter Regarding Faith and Vaccines

Faith and Vaccines

I’ll start with all the disclaimers. Lord knows how politicized the whole vaccine and masking debate has become. Most everyone has already made up their minds and have their justifications for the choices they are making. I hear the concerns of people who don’t trust the vaccine and are wary of anything that smells like government. I also hear the frustration of people who can’t understand why so many are unwilling to do their part to combat this public health crisis.

It is my job to make sure that Faith is a faithful steward and good neighbor. It is also my job to lead by example, to teach scripture, and to give you biblical tools to guide you as you make important ethical choices, like whether to be vaccinated. Personally, and as your pastor, I support public calls for masking and social distancing as efforts to combat the global COVID-19 health crisis. I am vaccinated, and I urge the people of Faith, if they are physically able, to be vaccinated as well. Here are three biblical principles that inform my actions and attitude:

For the sake of others “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. No one should seek their own good, but the good of others (1 Corinthians 10:23-24).

For the sake of the gospel Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible… To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings (1 Corinthians 9:19-23).

For the sake of becoming more like Jesus This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth (1 John 3:16-18).

I urge everyone to pray for a swift resolution of this pandemic. I urge everyone to show support for the tireless efforts of so many health care professionals, hospital staff, and first responders. I urge everyone to be slow to judge and quick to show compassion. And I humbly urge everyone who is physically able to get the vaccine: for the sake of others, for the sake of the gospel, and for the sake of Christ Jesus.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Doug

Job Posting: Director of Children and Youth Ministry

Edit: Job Posting Closed. Thank you!

We’re hiring a full-time Director of Children and Youth Ministry! Please see the job description below (or click here if it isn’t loading). Please email a cover letter and resume to doug@faithshelton.org by noon on Wednesday, August 11.

Faith Acts: Calling All Thespians!

Auditions dates for A Christmas Carol (a musical) Sunday, August 29th 2 pm ages 10- adults. Click here for more information.

Hi all

I am excited to be preparing for our holiday show - A Christmas Carol (a musical)

We have obtained the rights to perform the musical version from IT&M shows. A link to the songs is below:

http://www.itmshows.com/christmas-carol/_deploy/content/the-songs.html

the beauty of this license is it allows us to edit the script/songs in any way we please. I have had a zoom meeting with the composer to discuss my ideas and get his vision for the show.

That being said - FA! will be producing a unique version of the show. We will be replacing some of the songs with other, more contemporary songs as well as adding in some others. For example, near the opening of the show, the whole company will be performing "Money, money, money" from ABBA and later in the show, Tiny Tim will be singing "This is My fight Song".

It's going to be a super fun and exciting show - so please consider participating. I know I've missed some folks, so please forward this on to others you know. We are also looking for new members to join our group - so please pass this on to anyone you know who might be interested as well as post on your social media.

the website has been updated with all the necessary details. here is the link

https://www.keystonecenterartsandsci.com/acting-out

AUDITIONS - will be SUNDAY, AUGUST 29th, 2:00 pm in the Fellowship Hall, Faith Luteran Church, 1212 Connection St.

We will also be looking for addition help with the tech crew - lights and sound.

This is not only a great family show for the holidays - but ALSO families IN the show, so consider joining as a family.

Let me know if you have any questions. I look forward to seeing you all again on August 29th. (PS - please be sure to bring a mask and your auditions form).

—Michelle Whitaker, Director

Nesmith Memorial

Here is the link to the stream of Chuck Nesmith’s Memorial.

2020 Constitution Now Available on Our Website

The constitution that we recently approved can now be viewed on our website. Click the link below to see the page!

Let's Not Forget

May always concludes with “Memorial Day”, a time that is set aside for so much more than simply the transition to summer, family BBQ’s, and outdoor activities. It was originally set aside to remember the lives of those who have died in service of our country, and grew over the years to include celebrations of remembrance and “decorating” of grave sites to honor all of our loved ones who have died through the years. One of the collateral damages done by the pandemic is that we have all experienced more than a year of delayed memorial and funeral services for our deceased loved ones. We have done our very best to adapt to all this coming up with all kinds of smaller, alternative expressions of our grieving, but quite frankly, we’ve all been looking forward to a “new normal” where larger gatherings for family celebrations of all kinds can be expressed.

May I just remind you of some of the needs we have that “remembrance” services are designed to meet:

1. REALITY - Funerals help us truly acknowledge that someone in our life has died

2. RECALL - Remembering the loved one who died and sharing our unique memories of them with others creates hope for the future.

3. SUPPORT - Funerals bring together people who care about each other in an atmosphere of love and support

4. EXPRESSION - Memorials allow us to express our inner thoughts and feelings about life and death in the light of our faith

5. MEANING - Funerals mark the significance of the life that was lived, and can help us continue to live with our own sense of meaning and purpose even in the face of loss

6. TRANSCENDENCE - Sharing together the promises of God help us to embrace the loss with the security of the symbols of our faith knowing that there is more yet to come because death is but a doorway to being with God and our loved ones forever.

Please feel free to call our pastoral staff at Faith if you would like to discuss any of these needs and any “postponed plans” your family may have for celebrating the life of your loved ones because of the limitations we’ve had due to the pandemic this past year. May God’s peace bless and keep you!

Pastor Terry

Faith Feedback Form April 2021

Thank you to the 82 people who responded to our survey about upcoming worship formats and the ministries of the church! Thank you also for your kind words of encouragement; they mean a lot to us.

Click here to view a PDF of the different charts and graphs that show the results of the polls.

Here are some of the takeaways from the results.

Comfort levels with onsite events:

On the whole, it looks like a little over half of us are comfortable coming to worship and events onsite this summer, with over 75% who predict they will be comfortable attending onsite events this autumn. Of folks who are still worshiping from home, a few are waiting for contemporary worship to be offered onsite, some are waiting to be personally vaccinated, some are waiting for the CDC to declare that we’ve reached herd immunity, and others are waiting for mask mandates to be lifted. 

Worship style and resources:

We’re all over the board when it comes to preferred worship style! 33% prefer contemporary, 47% prefer traditional, and 20% prefer blended/either type. Information about the worship style and schedule for the coming months is elsewhere in this newsletter. One frequent comment was that folks hope that we will continue to provide online worship resources. Our plan is to continue to livestream onsite services and to keep up the sermon podcast. The YouTube channel might slow down in the coming months as our musicians spend their time preparing for onsite services, but the currently existing videos will remain available!

Ministry priorities:

70-90% of respondents indicated “about right” amounts of attention dedicated to communication, prayer, pastoral care, visitation, worship, sermons, devotionals, building, property, and debt reduction. Lots of people indicated that they “don’t know” what amount of attention and resources are given to serving vulnerable populations and supporting public health efforts. Please see the latest newsletter (which will be available online here next week) for some reports about the ministries that we support and we will be highlighting those efforts in the coming months. Click here to view a document about how the ELCA uses the offerings that we give to the churchwide organization.

Holy Week Worship

Holy Week worship options

If you are worshiping with us in person, be advised that we are still requiring masks and social distancing.

Palm Sunday:

• 10AM traditional service, livestreamed and in person

• Contemporary Worship Cafe Playlist

Maundy Thursday:

• Noon service of footwashing and Holy Communion on Facebook Live from the Pastors Satrum/Peterson house

Good Friday:

• Virtual Stations of the Cross on YouTube (stay tuned for direct link)

Please note that we will not be gathering in person for Maundy Thursday or Good Friday.

Easter Sunday

• 9AM traditional service, livestreamed and in person

• 11AM contemporary service, in person

• Contemporary Worship Cafe Playlist on YouTube (stay tuned for direct link)

Please do not come to worship onsite if you are not feeling well or if you are still uncomfortable doing so! Plenty of folks are continuing to worship from their homes, and we look forward to seeing you when you are comfortable coming in person, whenever that may be. Here’s a link to our COVID-19 safety measures and protocol.

Socks and Undies Drive!

Spring is here! And so is FLC’s Second Annual Socks and Undies Drive! 

Most of us take everyday items for granted, like having new shoes, clean underwear and socks. However, to some families in our community, these items are not so trivial. With schools open, the need for new undergarments is especially important for children in our area.

Socks and underwear are some of the most requested and least stocked items in our clothing banks. You can help Shelton schools clothe kids going back to school by donating NEW undergarments and shoes for girls and boys in all sizes!

More than fashionable accessories, wearing clean socks and underwear are essential for good hygiene and staying healthy. Harmful bacteria and fungi can flourish in dirty clothing, so let’s make sure our kids can feel comfortable and confident returning to school this spring.

A contribution of these basics is a powerful way to show kindness to a student in our community. 

FLC is accepting donations of new socks, underwear and shoes now through April 4th. Donations can be dropped off during church and business hours, or at the drive-thru Sunday, March 28th and April 4th from 11:00 am to noon. If you don’t want to shop, you can donate cash or gift cards. I will shop for you! 

For folks who can’t decide what to donate, here’s a wish list from one of the elementary schools.

• Leggings for girls size 6 and 8

• Sweatpants for boys size 6, 8 and 10

• Shoes sizes boys 13 and 2; and girls size 1

Please call me if you have any questions: Donna Wardin at 360-358-8569.

"If people did not love one another, I really don't see what use there would be in having any spring." – Victor Hugo

Devotional and Coloring Resources for Lent

Dear Friends and Families of Faith Lutheran of Shelton,

Happy Spring! It’s been a while since our bonfires last fall: what beautiful evenings they were! Light and life are returning to the land—and hopefully, we will be together in person soon.

In the meantime, we offer your household some devotions and coloring pages to connect with each other and the love of God through the Easter Story. Illustrated Stations of the Cross introduce us to the people and events of Jesus’ Way through Jerusalem to the hill where he died and invite us to celebrate his resurrection on Easter Morn. 

We have mailed out paper copies of the following:

• 8 ½ x 11 coloring pages of the Stations of the Cross, both simple and more complex.

• Devotions for kids and adults: super conversation starters that fit beautifully into the Faith5 (SHARE highs and lows, READ scripture, TALK about it, PRAY for each other, BLESS each other) we practice at FLC. Use some or all of the 15 entries!

Please email youth@faithshelton.org if you haven’t received these and would like us to send (or re-send) some copies.

Digital copies of the coloring pages and the devotional are available on the church website if you need more (please see our weekly email for the password).

Help us out with Holy Week? We’re looking for readers (young, old, and in-between) and singers for Holy Week Zoom worship.

God bless each and all of you, dear friends! We hold you in Light and Hope of new beginnings and re-openings soon to come, and in eager expectation of connecting with you during this Holy Week and Easter season.

Yours in Christ, 

Pastor Brenda
Pastor Brenda Satrum, Spiritual Formation

Ash Wednesday Worship Resources

Our Ash Wednesday service will be at noon on February 17, 2021: in person (wear a mask!) and livestreamed on Facebook.

Religion and ritual often give outward, shared expression to profound inner realities. On this day, dust and ashes express our own and our community’s confusion, division, fear, lack of understanding, grief, anger, despair. Together in heart and spirit if not in body, we return to God, powerless over this unmanageable life and world, seeking the power and hope of our Creator, Savior, and Living Spirit to save and sustain us all.

TO PREPARE AT HOME:

This service can be as interactive as you want to make it. Gather a candle or two, a cross of some sort, a small bowl or cup of water, dust or ash mixed with oil (a dab of cocoa powder or mascara works, too), and perhaps paper or your journal, even art supplies(!) for prayers. We will also share communion, so have bread and wine ready if you wish.

Click here to visit our Facebook page, where the service will be streamed

YAGM Presentation from Kara Barkman and Emily Shane

About a year and a half ago, Kara Barkman was preparing to embark on a year of service with Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM). Many folks from Faith contributed to her fundraising efforts and kept up with her newsletters and blog posts while she was in Mexico.

Last August, Emily Shane joined the Faith Shelton community as office administrator/youth director/media specialist. She had been a YAGM serving in the UK from the same YAGM cohort as Kara.

Ordinarily, YAGM give presentations to their supporting congregations when they return from service. Due to the pandemic, Kara and Emily did not have the chance to give presentations like this when they returned to the US nearly a year ago. SO, the two of them will be giving a joint presentation about their YAGM experiences next Sunday, January 24 at 10:30am (PST). Here’s the link to the page where the video will go live.

If you have any questions that you want to make sure they cover, send an email to emily@faithshelton.org

See you then!

2021 Congregational Meeting

The 2021 Annual Congregational Meeting will be taking place at 10:00am on Sunday, January 17, 2021.

Preparing for the Meeting

Here’s what you need for the meeting:

Click here to view the Annual Report. This includes a sample ballot at the very end.

(Revised and re-uploaded 1:23pm on January 10, 2021)

Click here to just view the sample ballot.

Click here to review job description and compensation package proposed for Rev. Brenda Satrum.

Click here to view the congregational constitution. We voted to adopt this constitution back in October; at this meeting we will vote to ratify it.

Attending the Meeting

• Those who wish are welcome to attend the meeting in person. The meeting will take place in the sanctuary at 10:00am. Please arrive a few minutes early to sign in. Please wear a mask and observe social distancing. Bring the ballot that you received in the mail, fill it out, and turn it in at the meeting.

• For those wishing to attend the meeting online (via Zoom), a link was sent via email on Monday, January 11 at around 6pm. It will be sent out again via email on Saturday, January 16th.
  
  Plan to log in a few minutes early to make sure you are connected and get signed in, etc. The meeting room will open at around 9:45am.

Voting

You must be recorded as having attended the meeting in order for your vote to count.

If you are attending in person, you will submit your ballot as you leave.

If you are attending online, you will need to fill out and turn in your ballot by noon on Tuesday, January 19, 2021. DO NOT MAIL YOUR BALLOT. Instead, you CAN:

• Drop it off at the church office (a secure box will collect the ballots);

• Scan and email your ballot(s) to welcomehome@faithshelton.org; 

• Contact the church office (360.426.8611) or Pastor Doug (406.381.0885) to arrange for a volunteer to come to your house to collect your ballot.

These methods are in accordance with the legal advice published by the synod. Questions, concerns, accommodations? Email welcomehome@faithshelton.org.

2020 Christmas Pageant

The virtual Christmas pageant was a success! 31 children and young adults appeared in the show, as well as a few older children of God. We were even able to incorporate some kids from Kids Cove Preschool, which meets in our building. Thank you to all of the camera-people, kiddo-wranglers, and costumers/prop masters from each household; we couldn’t have done it without you!