First Official Pastoral Message

Pastoral Message

Week of the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost

September 2022

Dear People of God at Faith/La Fe!

Here is my first official message to you as your pastor. I am so very glad to be here among you now and to claim this occasion to address you via the written word. It’s been quite the journey of faith for all us that has brought us together now, at last, at Faith/La Fe. Thanks be to God!

As I become acclimated to the routines of this congregation – a major focus of my first weeks here – I seek your patience as I climb some steep learning curves. All of this is happening simultaneously with preparations to move into a condo which I am purchasing as my Phoenix home. Life in transition is complicated, so kindly bear with me in these coming weeks.

I anticipate that my usual hours in the church office will be as follows: Monday – Thursday between about 9:30 am and 2:30 pm. Of course, during these hours I may have scheduled meetings with people from the congregation and beyond, and I may be called away to pay visits to members in this timeframe. But please know that there will be regularity to my presence on the church campus.

Until we find ways to enhance our communications as a congregation, the best ways to reach me will at this point be via email (pastor@faithalive.com) or by calling the church office (602-265-3394). If Logan or I are not in the office to answer the phone, please leave a message to encourage a returned call. We are hoping soon to provide systems for more direct communication with me, but for now, this is what we have in place. I monitor my emails constantly. And Logan handles messages on the office phone which he will then communicate to me.

One of my highest priorities is to begin to make contact with members of the congregation. I am working with lay leaders to prioritize a listing of folk to reach out to. We are also intending to schedule occasions in various formats and locations to meet and to greet one another beyond our Sunday gatherings for worship. Watch for news of such occasions in the coming weeks.

I will also soon begin a regular weekly Bible Study which will focus on readings for the upcoming Sunday to enhance your worship experience. These Bible Studies will occur on Wednesday mornings at 10:30 and then also on Thursday evenings at 6:00 for those who cannot attend during the daytime. The format is intended to be hybrid, that is to say, people can join us in person at the church or from home via Zoom. Watch for further word, but we’ll begin these bible studies during the week of September 18.

Also, as an additional expression of my teaching ministry, I plan to lead brief adult education sessions on Sunday mornings between liturgies, from about 10:15 – 10:45. Again, watch for further word about these occasions, and particular topics, and when specifically, we will begin these offerings.

Another major focus and priority for me, and for us as a whole community, is to give special attention to shepherding the Spanish language ministry here at Faith/La Fe. Already, congregational leaders and I have been working with synodical and churchwide staff to secure grant funding for a half-time pastor to work with me in leading worship and other ministry initiatives in Spanish. These are some very exciting developments, with more specific information coming soon as all of this quickly develops.

Also, in these first months of our ministry together, congregation leaders and I will engage in discerning conversations about the particular gifts and qualities we as a congregation under my leadership have to offer our wider communities as we proclaim the gospel of God’s love and mercy in Christ in word and deed. What are the particular gifts that are manifest in this community of faith with me as your shepherd? And how might those gifts be offered to the wider community and world to meet both need and opportunity? Over time, the vision for our life together will emerge and be revealed in greater clarity and will guide our missionary initiatives.  

Finally, please mark your calendars now: Grand Canyon Synod Bishop Deborah Hutterer will be present with us to preach for and to preside at my installation as Pastor of Faith/La Fe on Wednesday, October 5, with the liturgy beginning at 6:00 pm. A reception will follow. On that day, we’ll also commemorate Francis of Assisi, whose life and witness cultivated both humility and care for all of God’s creation, a fitting focus to formally and liturgically inaugurate our life together in ministry.

Again, stay tuned for more specific information about what’s next in our life together. But I didn’t want any more time to pass before giving you a heads up about some of the important things that are already unfolding here at Faith/La Fe.  

With thanks to God and to you for this opportunity to lead and to serve,

Pastor Jonathan Linman