This week at Faith 10/4
Ok, I don’t want to speak too soon, but I’ve had a couple of really nice, slow-ish weeks, where things have been pretty run-of-the-mill. In truth, I haven’t seen a run-of-the-mill day since February 1, so this was very exciting for me. Pray for me that things remain the good kind of exciting!
The Courtyard Fountain
Have you noticed, by chance, that the fountain in the courtyard hasn’t been… fountaining? That is because we thought the pump was broken. Joke’s on us! Dave Hulin & Nick Pegelow came down to campus over the weekend to investigate, and discovered that the pump is, in fact, functioning, but there is probably just a clog in the hose that feeds the water to the fountain. And thank heavens for that because water pumps aren’t cheap! If you’d like to help fix it (or learn how because you also have a fountain at home), let me know and I’ll get you in touch with the right party!
75th Anniversary Celebration
I think I only said it once in Faith Alive, so I should probably repeat myself: this has been postponed, and will be incorporated into big, exciting things coming on Reformation Sunday (10/31). The celebration had originally been planned to take place over the course of this coming weekend, but the Delta variant had other plans for us. We decided that it was most important to prioritize the health and safety of our congregation, and delay it just a couple more weeks. If you have any questions about Re-Formation at Faith, make sure you take a look at these sweet teaser articles.
In recognition of this huge milestone for Faith, Pastor Miguel Gomez-Acosta will be joining us from the Synod this weekend, preaching at both the 9am and 11am services. Make sure you come down to say hi!
Bible Studies
We had a full house for our New Testament Bible Study on Wednesday this week. We’re studying the ever-controversial book of Revelation, so join us at 10:30am next Wednesday in the church office. And ne vous inquietez pas (that means “don’t worry”) if the house gets too full, we’ll just move into Parish Hall. If you’re still not comfortable with that, you can always join by Zoom.
On Mondays, we are studying one of my personal faves, Joseph, as told in the book of Genesis. This Monday, October 18, Bible study will not take place, but come join us on Monday, October 25 at 10:30am for a deep dive into Joseph’s story.
In the garden
Jan Hulin, Brenda Lund, and Art Escoto took advantage of the cooler weather last week, and came down the the garden to clean some beds of their deeply rooted weeds. In doing so, they discovered tomato plants, full-sized peppers, and a praying mantis! Just take a look!
If you’re interested in weeding, planting, probably some sweating, and maybe catching sight of some sweet bugs, contact Jan Hulin to offer your green thumb!
Neighbors
I hope you don’t tire of me sharing with you what I glean from sitting here at the corner of Camelback & 7th St every week, but it’s such an interesting little world unto itself during the week. Cooler temps this week seem to have offered respite and relief to our transient neighbors. Upon my arrival Monday morning, I found a couple asleep in the parking lot, basking in the sun. It was hard for me to walk past them without offering food, water, or shelter, but to protect my own safety, I decided it best not to approach them as they slept. They were gone by lunch, but I find myself regularly pondering whether my choice to avoid engaging with them in any way minimizes their humanity. What do you do when you’re faced with the poverty of others? How do you reconcile what you have with what they don’t? I struggle with this question more often than I’d like to admit.
On Tuesday, we had another overnight visitor sleeping on the back porch at Faith Place. He awoke mid-morning, and left all of his belongings on campus. The police have told me to throw this away, but I really struggle to chuck things when it may be 100% of what a person can call his, so I didn’t. Good thing too because he called the office the next morning, explained why he was sleeping on the property, asked if his stuff was still here, and came to pick it up. I had a lovely chat with him and I felt just so blessed to have an opportunity to get to know someone - if only for a moment - whose life was so different from mine. He really brightened my day. He said to me “I can only ever remember faces. I never remember names. But if I like you, I’ll remember both. I’ll remember yours now.” and my goodness if that wasn’t just the loveliest moment of my morning.
Faith Place
Pastor Sarah and Jane have been hard at work preparing the parsonage for another family to move in. We do not yet have a family assigned, but Dave Hulin continues to work with Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest (LSS-SW) to make sure we’ve got the goods to help a refugee family. A huge thank you to Jennie Carr for donating her gas stove, which Jane & Pastor Sarah installed earlier this week. Thank you also to Bunni & Caroline Rowlett, Amy & Judi Duemler-Tyler, and Jan & Ken Kuenzli for generously offering beds and other goodies.
Due to the nature of… furniture, we are working on scheduling a pick-up date where Faith will rent a truck, and come to you to pick up your furniture and bring it back to Faith Place. If you would like to volunteer to drive, help move the furniture, or any other assistance you can offer, please contact me in the church office (info@faithalive.com) or Dave Hulin.
Finally, KITTIES!
First of all, Lucky was waiting at my exterior office door when I drove up on Monday morning. Look at this little beggar! I forgot to give them wet food last Thursday when I left, and this is what I come home to!
