Advent Lutheran Church - Mentor, OH

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I sense a deep desire among you for ways to grow in Biblical understanding, to grow a stronger relationship with God, one another, and your pastors.   I sense a desire to worship and pray with stronger awareness of God ’s presence and to make a difference in this world for Jesus.

I am committed to pray and study so that I can continue to grow into the spiritual leader who can serve and lead you to accomplish these things.   As much prayer and work has led to creating more space to be a community of worship and fellowship, I hear God’s call for spiritual renewal so that we may truly be a church focused on mission.

Our mission statement is “To Know Christ and to make Christ Known.”   Our mission statement is a mighty call to always seek reformation and renewal as we grow in faith, hope, and love.   Join me in a deeper partnership in the gospel.   Consequently, the upcoming Spiritual Renewal Summit (formerly known as “leadership summits”) will reflect this call for spiritual renewal in name and intent, for it is time we grow from the inside out.  I thank God for the ways we have responded to His love at Advent, and I pray that you will keep asking the question, “What does God require of me?”   This is a time for obedient listening and humble service.  This is a time for deeper knowledge of God in Word, grace, and faith alone.   This is a time for us to partner together for a journey of heart, soul, and mind.   I pray for you in the coming weeks and ask for God to reveal Himself in mighty ways and in quiet ways so that you may know the richness of Christ.

(1) If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, (2) make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.    (3) Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves.   (4) Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.   (5) Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, (6) who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, (7) but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness.   And being found in human form, (8) he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death even death on a cross.  (9) Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, (10) so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, (11) and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. —Philippians 2:1-11

Yours in Christ,
Pastor Kovitch
(July 2007)

Pastor Mackey's Reflections

What is your favorite brick at Advent Lutheran?   What is absolutely essential in the structure of our church?    What do you know has to be in place or the walls might crumble for you?   This is an important question to consider!   The future of your church can be affected by skills that you employ to maintain its walls.

We all have "bricks."   It might be a stained glass window or the cross that hangs at the front of the chancel.   It could be the Christian Education program or the flower garden out back.   For some it could be the outreach program (I like that brick),the music "brick," Care Team "brick," Praise Team "brick," worship services "brick," Youth program "brick," fellowship "brick," .....!   You get the idea.  It ’s the stuff of which a church is built.   All is essential – all is needed for a church to carry out a ministry and grow.  That ’s why it ’s your favorite brick!    Duh?   Right!

But sometimes we might think that our "brick" is not being appreciated or maintained as it should be.   Someone moved it or painted it or put a different color cover on it – and I don ’t know if I like it now!   It was fine the way that it was!    I don ’t know how I feel about not being asked.   Maybe you don’t need me.   Maybe I don ’t matter.   What are you doing to my church?    Maybe it ’s time.....

Do you see the importance of knowing what your favorite "brick" might be and why?   Do you gauge your involvement by the importance given to your "brick?"   Do you advance or retire according to the place of honor bestowed on the brick?   Does the status of the "brick" influence giving?   Does the "brick," perhaps, even overshadow the cornerstone of the church, the Gospel?

Bricks work when "mortared" together by the love of God.   All are needed to carry out the ministry of Christ at Advent.   All need to be supported by time, talent, and treasure.   All need to be part of our prayer life.

It ’s time to pick up a trowel, or level, or hod, or hoe, and get back to work.

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Larry
(September 2007)

Pastor Mackey's Reflections

Lida and I do volunteer work with the Alzheimer’s Association.   She leads and counsels with a support group of family members and friends of those with Alzheimer’s and/or memory loss.   I co-lead a group who deal with Alzheimer’s and/or memory loss due to dementia.   We meet monthly and learn from each other.   I am sharing this because in preparing for last month’s gathering, I encountered an article that I felt might be of help to the Advent family.

We are in the midst, here, of a spiritual renewal which has led to a worship renewal, which has led to questions of how to best go about our spiritual journey and improve worship practices that will inspire, lift up and focus our daily lives with God.  No great surprise here; you can’t seek to grow in spirit and faith without ‘messing’ with everything else.  One of the issues we confront at times like this is guidelines; rules that might make it easier and maybe a little less painful.

The article, or maybe it’s just someone’s musings, is "All I Really Need to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten," written by Robert Fulghum.   It’s really just common sense, but maybe it might be helpful.

1. Share everything.  (The good and the bad; out of love and caring.   God gives us that responsibility as heirs of His love, forgiveness - no exceptions if we take Him seriously.)

2. Play fair.  (Everyone gets to "bat".)

3. Don ’t hit people.  (See above...if "pitching," don’t throw at the batter; if "at the plate", swing only at the ball.)

4. Put things back where you found them.  (Including damaged feelings and hearts.)

5. Clean up your own mess.  (Please!)

6. Don’t take things that aren’t yours.  (See 7th Commandment)

7. Say you’re sorry when you hurt someone.  (And mean it!)

8. Wash your hands before you eat.

9. Flush.  (And repeat number 8.)

10. Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.  (Especially oatmeal!)

11. Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day - some.

12. Take a nap every afternoon.  (God give the Sabbath that we might rest and remember that He is God.  See the nap as part of the Sabbatical gift.)

13. When you go out in the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together.

14. Be aware of wonder.   Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: the roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.   (Yea, God!)

15. Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die.   So do we.   (But none of us are alone or forgotten by God.)

16. And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned - the biggest word of all - LOOK (at the world God gives to us out of love, that we might tend it and share it with our sisters and brothers).

17. (Or maybe Number One - Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so...)

As we seek spiritual renewal, the "God within us in our lives," may His love Guide us and empower us to seek and do his will.

Yours In Christ,

Pastor Larry
(August 2007)