February 5, 2021

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Dear Lake B family and friends,
 
First of all, thank you to those who were able to participate in our congregational meeting last Sunday. It was great to see all of your faces and share some time together.
 
As we move into 2021, your staff and elders on session have spent considerable time discerning what is ahead for Lake B. Many of you have been able to participate in these conversations hosted by the Justice League.  Our young people are weighing into these discussions as well.   We want to learn more as we continue pressing into the question that has shaped our conversations over the past year: 


Who are we becoming?
 
This question is calling forth our imaginations and has helped to surface the following commitments in 2021:
 
We commit to:

• Being informed by the community to guide our work
• Being formed in worship to sustain our work
• Working toward justice in our individual and corporate lives.
• Fostering a community where all belong (and are supported in their vocations).
• Growing in deeper love for God, for one another and for our community.

You will be hearing more about what this means for the kinds of ministry activities that will emerge in 2021, but here’s a sneak peek:

Practices that deepen our understanding of worship and its importance in all aspects of our lives – our families, our work, our friendships, etc.

1. Repurposing the use of Lake B’s spaces along with important capital improvement projects.
2. Focused engagement in the work of justice in the community.
3. Investing in the gifts, abilities and development of children and youth.
4. Creating opportunities for relationship building, shared ministry, and discipleship for service wherever we are.

As best we know and have discerned, these are the commitments and the broadly stated activities that will shape and guide Lake B’s ministry for 2021.  There is plenty of room for definition.  It’s not easy to plan right now (and hasn’t been for the last 10 months) but as we shared at last Sunday’s meeting, we have trusted the Spirit’s leading and God’s faithfulness to walk with us.  I encourage all of us to be ready to take the best next steps in our work together – trusting that God will continue to meet us on the way.  That said, we will continue to listen and learn how to be nimble, how to trust God and one another, how to be gracious, and how to be okay with what we don’t know.
 
If you have questions, please reach out to me, to any of our elders, or to our staff.
Our theme for 2021 is “Leaning in, full of faith.” These are not just words - they describe who we see ourselves becoming as people following Christ together.
 
With gratitude for you,
Pastor Lina

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