March 2022
|
The New Covenant
As we enter the season of Lent, we gradually approach the horror
of Holy Week and the crucifixion of Jesus. Numerous scholars
have aptly called the four Gospels "Passion narratives with
extended introductions." This is to say that everything we read
is but a prelude to the main theme of each Gospel and the entire
New Testament—the cross of Christ. Paul put it precisely in 1
Timothy 1.15.
"This saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ
Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the
foremost."
There are a multitude of captivating episodes involving Jesus in
all four Gospels. He is hailed as a miracle-worker, a wise
teller of sometimes puzzling parables, an interpreter of "the
law and the prophets," a man of great compassion, and an
enigmatic King of the Jews, even though his own reject his
reign. Regardless of what-ever else is written or proclaimed in
the four Gospels about Jesus, the story reaches its climax at
his death on Good Friday.
The first three Gospels each drop three clues predicting the
death of Jesus. These clues interrupt the storyline, and really
only make sense post-Easter. (See
the road to Emmaus story in Luke 24.13-35)
As we follow Luke’s Gospel these Sundays in Lent, we will
hear the third of these clues on March 13th.
"Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and
tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. Yet today,
tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is
impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem." (Lk
13.32-33)
If there is any "good news" to be proclaimed during Lent, it is
that Jesus did finish his work at the cross. We remember this
"finished work" during every celebration of Holy Communion.
"This cup is the new covenant in my blood."
The older language said
"new
testament
in my blood,"
making clear that the heirs of Christ's "last will and
testament"
are all those who believe this story and receive its grace in
the bread and wine. In so doing, they have tasted their
inheritance—the forgiveness of sins through the death of Jesus.
—The
Reverend Philip Nesvig |
|
Ash Wednesday is on March 2nd this year and marks a day of
repentance, when we confess our sins and profess our devotion to
God. This day is the start of the Lenten period leading up to
Easter, when we celebrate Christ’s resurrection. During the
season of Lent, let us remain steadfast in prayer through daily
devotions and reading the Bible. A wonderful place to find
meaningful prayers is in our
Lutheran Book of Worship
under the section titled, “Petitions, Intercessions, and
Thanksgivings.”
This is also the time of year you can expect the Brief Order for
Confession and Forgiveness at the start of each Sunday worship
service.
The work of the Council continues to focus on the next steps for
First Lutheran Church as we prepare for the Call Process of a
new Pastor. We have added Pastor Doug Lindsay into the rotation
for pulpit supply and expect to see more of him in the coming
weeks. Pastor Horacio Castillo will also be part of our pulpit
supply on a few Sundays in March and April. More information
appears elsewhere in this issue on the backgrounds and interests
of those providing pulpit supply through April.
The Church Council, acting as the Transition Team, has started
the process of completing the Ministry Site Profile (MSP)
requested by the ELCA as part of the call process. The intent of
the MSP is to provide information on the makeup of the
congregation and to establish the needs of the congregation. The
Executive Committee has had two interviews of potential
candidates for the Interim Pastor.
We are hopeful that we will have an Interim Pastor in
place some time after Easter.
The Nominating Committee for 2022 consists of Dean Hard, Lynn
Hopson, Valerie Schorn, Ben Dobbeck and Carol Nelson. They will
meet to determine a list of names from voting church members who
may be elected to the Call Committee. Once the slate of
candidates for the Call Committee is formalized, we will convene
for a special congregational meeting some time in late March or
early April for a ballot vote. The Call Committee will consist
of four congregation members, two council members and myself,
the Council President, for a total of seven members. This is in
keeping with our Constitution.
As work gets accomplished at various rates, the council would
like to make sure information gets out to congregation members
in a timely manner. Information updates will come in many forms:
Messenger articles, bulletin inserts, mailers sent to your
home, and documents posted on the church bulletin board outside
of the lobby. Additionally, there will be announcements made
during the church services and posts will be made on the website
(flcws.org). We will do our best to communicate our progress
quickly and concisely.
Thank you for your continued prayers for our church leadership
during this season of Lent.
|
|
STEWARDSHIP
Faithful Giving
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit
into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting
forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to
him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to
become bread.”
Matthew 4:1-3. NIV This section
of the Bible occurs following Jesus’ baptism by John the
Baptist. He goes out into the wilderness where he is tempted
three times. First, the devil challenges Jesus to change the
stones to bread. Next, he challenges Jesus to throw himself off
of a cliff to test if God will save Jesus. And finally, the
devil promises that all the kingdoms of the world and their
splendor will be given to Jesus if he worships the devil. But
Jesus stays resolute, rebuking Satan three times.
During this season of Lent – the forty days signifying Jesus's
Temptation in the wilderness – we are to pray, confess our sins
and fast. We fast as Jesus did in the wilderness. For Christians
that can mean giving up a special food or a treat, or purchasing
“extras”. When we save money from giving up the item, we are
encouraged to give the money to a charity. When we save time
from giving up an activity, we are encouraged to donate your
time through volunteerism, helping out a person or a group in
need. We are encouraged to carve out a bit of extra time during
our daily schedule to read the Bible, pray and be still,
listening for God’s faithful response.
Stewardship means bringing the full tithe to the church, the
first fruits of all your labors. During this season of Lent,
with supplication and prayer, continue fulfilling your pledge to
the church. When you go to the grocery store, consider picking
up extra items to donate to the West Seattle Food Bank donation
box, located in room C. You can add non-food items to the
donation box, labeled for “Mary’s Place” or “Compass Center” or
donations of gift cards or new/gently used clothing.
Faithful stewardship can be a response to the many gifts we
receive as followers of Christ, gratefully acknowledging the
promise of the gift of eternal salvation that we receive through
the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Thank you for your faithful stewardship to the church.
‒Janine Douglass,
Church Council |
“SHINE YOUR FUTURE ON
THIS PLACE…..”
So begins the 4th verse of the anthem, “As
the Dark Awaits the Dawn” that the choir sang the 1st Sunday
in Advent last year.
The text is by Susan Palo Cherwien, set to music by Carl
Schalk. [I’m sad to add that both of these very gifted
individuals died in Christ in 2021.
Their many contributions to worship will be greatly
missed.] As we
enter the call process, the words seemed fitting.
Shine Your future on this place,
Enlighten every guest,
That through us stream Your holiness,
Bright and blest, bright and blest,
Come dawn, O Sun of grace.
This is a time of changes and that can mean big decisions as we
look toward the future of our church.
As we focus on and remember that as a church we are the
body of Christ, our prayers will provide us with direction and
guidance as we move forward.
From a procedural standpoint, the Church Council is acting as
the Transition Committee.
We have begun to complete the Ministry Site Profile (MSP)
which will be submitted to the Synod.
We have also, with the help of Phil Nesvig, secured
pastors to serve as our presiding minister at our 10:30 am
Sunday Eucharist liturgy through the end of April.
Specific information about each of the three people
serving is posted on the bulletin board and appears in another
part of this month’s
Messenger. By
the first of May, we hope to have an interim pastor in place as
well.
The Nominating Committee will be meeting soon to prepare a slate
of members eligible to serve on the
Call Committee.
Being on the Call Committee is extremely important work.
Calling a new pastor is a many faceted process, that
requires understanding the needs of the congregation, the
direction and goals that the church would like to move toward,
the “technical process” of actually calling a pastor, ie
housing, salary, various additional benefits, Synod required
paperwork, not to mention identifying potential candidates.
And most important, remembering that a “Call” is
ultimately the work of the Holy Spirit, and that we are but the
instruments to accomplish God’s purposes.
We will do everything we can to keep you informed on this
important work for the church.
Let us all together remember First Lutheran Church of
West Seattle, its 100+year history of faithful members, and pray
that the light of Christ
will illumine and direct this process.
-Larraine King for the Executive Committee |
PRESIDING MINISTER ROTATION
SCHEDULE
FEBRUARY 20 THROUGH APRIL 24 Sunday
February 20
Doug Lindsay Sunday
February 27
Phil Nesvig Ash Wednesday
March 2
Phil Nesvig Sunday
March 6
Doug Lindsay Sunday
March 13
Phil Nesvig Sunday
March 20
Horacio Castillo Sunday
March 27
Phil Nesvig Sunday
April 3
Doug Lindsay Palm Sunday
April 10
Horacio Castillo Maundy
Thursday
April 14
Horacio Castillo Good Friday
April 15
Horacio Castillo Easter Sunday
April 17
Phil Nesvig Sunday
April 24
Doug Lindsay 
The Reverend
Horacio Castillo
3/20, 4/10, 4/14, & 4/15
The Reverend
Horacio Castillo Echeverria comes from Guatemala, where he grew
up on a coffee farm.
After moving to Guatemala City, his father joined the
Catholic Church, then attended an Evangelical seminary, and
eventually became a (MS) Lutheran Pastor.
When Horacio was 10 years old, his father founded an
independent church, and at age 16 Horacio was ordained by his
father to help him in his work as a pastor.
Attending Luther Seminary on scholarship, Horacio earned a M.A.
in Theology. After
serving a church in the St. Paul, MN area, he returned to
Guatemala City.
During this time Amanda Olson, a classmate from seminary, did
ELCA mission work in Guatemala, where they were reunited, and
eventually married.
Returning to St. Paul 10 years later, they served two churches
in the St. Paul Synod of the ELCA. Horacio is currently pursuing
a Doctorate of Ministry through Luther House of Study in Sioux
Falls, IA.
In 2019, Amanda received a call to Creator Lutheran Church in
Bonney Lake, WA.
Along with their two children (a son age 10 and a daughter age
13), they moved to Buckley, WA.
Horacio has been doing supply preaching at Waterville
United Lutheran Church (LCMC) as well as serving as a bilingual
case manager for Plateau Outreach Ministries in Enumclaw, WA.
A strong proponent of Law and Gospel, he also
incorporates everyday life experiences into his sermons in ways
that support the Lutheran teaching.
The Reverend DOUG LINDSAY
2/20, 3/6, 4/3, & 4/24
The Reverend
Douglas Lindsay first began attending FLCWS in the 1970’s while
he was a bus driver for Metro.
He had been raised a Lutheran and was looking for a
church to attend.
He was a bit of a hippy so he thought he’d see how this
congregation would receive him before he got too serious about
us. Fortunately we
did a pretty good job! He
became a member, taught some Bible Study classes and served on
the council. He was
on the council at the time FLCWS called Pr. Marshall and was in
favor of calling him as an Associate Pastor.
They became good friends and supporters of each other.
With encouragement from the pastors and members he went to
seminary in the 1980’s, and after serving as interim campus
minister at the UofW, he was called to Luther Memorial Church in
Tacoma, where he served for five years.
Following this Doug served 23 years at Denny Park
Lutheran, where he was actively involved in many outreach
activities. He now
serves at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church as a teaching pastor and
pulpit supply pastor.
He is married to Paula, who was baptized at FLCWS; they have two
adult daughters and one grandchild, and are close friends of the
Harty/Marshall family.
Doug and Paula live in West Seattle.
The Reverend PHIL NESVIG
2/27, 3/2, 3/13, 3/27, 4/17 Many already
know Pr. Phil as a member of our church, and a singer in our
choir, but he has had a varied career as a pastor.
He graduated from PLU with a degree in music and
religion. [He and Andy were both undergraduates at the same
time, and both took organ lessons from David Dahl.]
Then in the 1970’s he attended Luther Seminary, where he
and Pr. Marshall were roommates for a year.
His first call was to Christ the King Lutheran Church in Milton-Freewater,
OR, where he served 12 years.
This was followed by two years at Holy Trinity Lutheran
in Port Angeles, WA, and five years at the International
Lutheran Church in Stavanger, Norway.
After an interim in Boise, ID, King of Glory Lutheran, he
served First Lutheran, Tacoma for eight years, retiring in 2013.
Since then he has both become a member of FLCWS, and
served as an interim and/or pulpit supply pastor in Gig Harbor,
Yakima, Walla Walla, and various other churches in Western
Washington.
He is married to Natalie, a retired R. N.
They have two daughters, both professional musicians ‒
one is a flutist who lives in Grand Rapids, MI, and the other is
a violinist, who lives in Seattle.
They have three grandchildren.
|
|
Compass Housing Alliance
People Serving Neighbors in Need
Homelessness is
obviously a visible problem. It has been for decades. With all
that time and the money spent talking about and “addressing” the
problem, why does it seem that there are more people
experiencing homelessness now instead of fewer? A
Mystery? A book has
been written about this and about Compass Housing Alliance.
However, the book, Homelessness Is a Housing Problem, by
Gregg Colburn and Clayton Aldern (forthcoming, March,
2022), does not mention Compass Housing Alliance (CHA). How can
the book be about CHA and yet not mention CHA?
Waterfront Backstory.
Let me tell you. First, some of CHA’s backstory. In 1920, the
Lutheran Sailors and Loggers Mission was founded near the
Seattle waterfront by Rev. Otto and Mrs. Alva Karlstrom. Many
seamen didn’t speak English. The Mission’s purpose was, and
still is through CHA, to provide a welcoming space for people in
need. Walk
Today’s Streets. For
a while in the late 1980’s, on most Fridays I volunteered at the
Lutheran Compass Center (LCC) (as it was then called). Sometimes
I helped serve food in the dining hall. Usually I “walked the
streets” with the chaplain, Rev. Nyer Urness. We visited with
unhoused people in the vicinity of Pioneer Square and Pike Place
Market. We listened to whatever was on their minds and when
appropriate, we told them about what was available at the
Lutheran Compass Center. What Was
Available? In those
days LCC had one location: a six-story building at 77 South
Washington Street, next to the Viaduct (Viaduct is gone but CHA
is still there). One floor provided night shelter and beds for
women; another floor for men; the kitchen and dining hall were
on a different floor; downstairs were the hygiene centers,
separate for men and women, providing showers and laundry
services. The main floor provided a variety of services: chapel;
places for staff to meet with clients; a mail center for
unhoused people (4,700 people used this in 2019); banking
services for those not accepted by a commercial bank (600 people
in 2019). Today there is also a Day Center with case managers
available, computers for use, and at certain times a nurse is
available. A Clue
for Our Mystery. The
one building that was LCC has now become 21
programs! Compass Housing Alliance now has three programs
that provide 222 beds of 24/7 enhanced emergency shelter.
CHA has 14 buildings around King County providing 678
units of affordable housing for women, women with children, men,
families, and veterans etc.
“Affordable housing” means that the rent for these units is not
set by the commercial market! This feature is what connects with
the Homelessness book. I also want to note here that these
buildings are staffed with people who support the residents in
accessing needed social services as well as gaining skills to
advance themselves. The
“Mystery” Book. In
the research for their book, Colburn and Aldern set out to
identify and document the root cause(s) of homelessness. Ask
people what causes homelessness and you get a list headed by
factors such as alcoholism, drug abuse, mental illness,
availability of welfare benefits, January temperatures, job
loss, divorce etc. Silence
of Data. Colburn and
Aldern compiled data on cities and some counties in the USA.
Considering each possible factor, was homelessness high where a
particular factor was high? No significant correlation was found
for any factor. However, they did find that it is true these
precipitating factors do increase the risk of homelessness, as
we might expect, but none of them were shown to correlate
directly to high rates of homelessness.
Persistence. So,
Colburn and Aldern pressed further (and there is much more in
their book than in this article!). In short, in a tight housing
market where rent is pushed high, and buildable land is scarce
and expensive, homelessness is pushed high. (Their data shows a
significant correlation: R² = 0.55) The homeless, of course, are
people below the poverty line who obviously cannot afford the
rent demanded by the commercial market. The
Solution Key. Private
contractors cannot afford to build housing and rent it out at
rates affordable for people below the poverty line.
Non-profit charities are needed to build (that is costly)
and maintain such affordable housing for this vulnerable
population. By the way, the Puget Sound region needs 37,000
more units of such housing. Mystery
Solved. It turns out
that the Colburn and Aldern book advocates for what CHA is in
fact already doing, although CHA itself is not mentioned in the
book. Thank
you! With an annual
budget of over $18 million, CHA, on behalf of the
vulnerable people they serve, needs and welcomes your
contributions. Thank you.
Bob Baker, on behalf of the Committee for Extended
Ministry
They highlight in
The Messenger particular charities for your designated
giving.
|
|
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
FOOD BANK DONATION
suggestions for March are canned meats, chilies and stews.
Your donations will be taken to the West Seattle Food
Bank when left in the box provided in room C.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS –
Tickets
are on sale now for the annual Instruments of Change 2022
dinner & auction, happening on Saturday, May 14th!
This year’s will be a hybrid event, with options to
attend in person or virtually from your own home.
This is a popular event with an evening of fun,
community, and raising money to help our community.
Tickets can be bought at
https://westseattlefoodbank.org/
PARISH PRAYERS:
please
contact the church office with your requested prayers by
phone (206) 935-6530, email flcws.fd@gmail.com or come by
during office hours 9am to 3 pm Tuesday – Thursday or 9 am
to noon Fridays, and talk with someone from the office.
Home Communion
is available to those in the congregation or friends of the
congregation who are not yet comfortable attending our
Sunday liturgy at 10:30 am.
Call the office to make arrangements.
HOLY EUCHARIST
– Communion:
Those who are baptized in the name of God the Father, Son
and Holy Spirit and believe are welcome to receive the
Sacrament of the Lord's Supper. If you are not able to walk
up to communion but would like to receive, talk to one of
the ushers before
the liturgy.
The Lenten season:
A time for spiritual preparation through repentance and
growth in faith as we remember the suffering and passion of
Christ.
Looking for
Information Regarding the Call? Updated
information will be posted as it comes into the Parish
Office. Please
check the bulletin board in the Parish House hallway
regularly.
|
|
The Annunciation
of Our Lord
Friday,
March
25th,
is
the
Feast of the
Annunciation of Our Lord.
On this feast day
the angel Gabriel's announcement to Saint Mary that she will
be the Mother of Our Lord
is honored.
Prepare for this feast
day
with the following prayer:
Pour your grace into our hearts, O Lord, that we, who have known the incarnation of your son, Jesus Christ, announced by an angel, may by his cross and Passion be brought to the glory of his resurrection: who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen. |
|
Robert Schorn, Jane Harty and family, Kim Lim, Melanie Johnson,
Holly Petersen, Leah and Melissa Baker, Felicia Wells, Eileen &
Dave Nestoss, Kyra Stromberg, The Rev. Howard Fosser, The Rev.
Alan Gardner, Yuriko Nishimura,
Hank Schmitt, Mary Ford, Andrea
and Hayden Cantu, Dana Gallaher, Jeanne Pantone, Kevan & Jackie
Johnson, Eric Peterson, Gary Grape, Nita Goedert, Mariss Ulmanis,
Shirley & Glenn Graham, Karen Granger, Mike Nacewicz, Mike
Matsunaga, Bill & Margaret Whithumn, the Robert Shull family,
Mary Cardona, Angel
Lynne, Randy Price, Paul Sponheim, Nick Karlson, and
Grace-Calvary Episcopal Church (Clarkesville, GA).
Pray for our professional
health
care
providers:
Gina Allen, Janine Douglass, David Juhl, Dana
Kahn, Dean Riskedahl, Jane Collins
and all those
suffering from the coronavirus pandemic.
Pray for the shut-ins that the light of Christ may give them
joy: C.J.
Christian, Joan Olson,
Bob & Mona Ayer, Gregg & Jeannine Lingle, Robert Schorn, Nora
Vanhala, Martin Nygaard, Lou Landino.
Pray for our bishops Elizabeth Eaton and Shelley Bryan Wee, our
pulpit supply ministers The Reverend Philip Nesvig,
The Reverend
Douglas Lindsay and The Reverend
Horacio Castillo,
our choirmaster Dean Hard and our cantor Andrew King, that they
may be strengthened in faith, love and the holy office to which
they have been called.
Pray that God would give us hearts which find joy in service and
in celebration of Stewardship.
Pray that God would work within you to become a good
steward of your time, your talents and finances, and pray to
strengthen the Stewardship of our congregation.
Pray for the hungry, ignored, abused, and homeless this Lent.
Pray for the mercy of God for these people, and for all
in Christ's church to see and help those who are in distress.
Pray for our sister congregation
El Camino de Emmaus,
in the Skagit Valley, that God may bless and strengthen their
ministry. Also,
pray for our parish and its ministry.
Pray that God will bless you through the lives of the saints:
Thomas Aquinas, teacher, 1274;
Joseph, guardian of our
Lord.
Pray for this poor, fallen human race that God would have
mercy on us all.
Pray for this planet, our home that it and the creatures on it
would be saved. |
|
A Treasury of Prayers Almighty
Father, whose blessed Son before his passion prayed for his
disciples that they might be one, as you and he are one:
Grant that your Church, being bound together in love and
obedience to you, may be united in one body by the one Spirit,
that the world may believe in him whom you have sent, your Son
Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the
unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen. [All the Saints I:509-510, altered] |