May 30, 2023
Dear Friends in Jesus, the risen Lord,
This day I took the advantage to worship with you at 11
a.m. It was my hope to be with you at 8:30 a.m. as well, However, in
my position as an assistant to our Bishop Suarez, there are times when my hopes
and expectations are interrupted and such was today. Please accept my
apologies.
It was a spiritual joy to be in worship with you and to
witness your witness to each other and to God in your Sunday celebration.
(Pastor Snare has a particularly inviting style for worship invitation and
leadership and I was captured by it. My yearning for God and God’s good
Word was wonderfully satisfied throughout the time we were gathered
together. How cool is that!)
There was a moment when Pastor Snare invited people to speak
before worship had begun and I could well have stood up and come to share a
word from the Office of the Bishop, but worship seemed much more important and
I didn’t want to be a distraction. So, now the word that I might have
shared if I hadn’t focused on my necessary time with God in community:
First of all, thank you for your commitment to God through
our Lord Jesus. I could see it, hear it, and therefore believe it.
Something profound of God is happening at St. Timothy! Pastor Snare
offered invitations to step into expressive moments and you all responded with
a fervor. That’s not seen a lot in our congregations, but you showed of
your outstanding faithfulness though your worship time. Wow!
It was a few months back that I was worshiping with you at
the ordination of Deborah Gelerter and enjoyed the event along with Bishop
Suarez and a vast host of others. The spiritual foundations that you
provide for your worshipers is outstanding and obviously leads to even more
far-reaching impact, even now to Alaska.
That you are a participating congregation in both the ELCA
and the FBS is something for which we are grateful. This partnership is
most impactful in the whole world as we all share some of the best of ourselves
beyond ourselves. You are seen as a congregation helping us to lead vibrantly
and spiritually in the vastness of God’s Kingdom as you continue to invest your
vital souls into the lives, needs, celebrations, and hopes of others.
Don’t hesitate to reach out to the staff of the Bishop at
any time that you might have a wonder or need. I am here to give you my
best as I serve the resurrected Lord, Jesus.
Be blessed!
Pastor Rob Carlson, Ass’t to the Bishop and Director of
Evangelical Mission in the North Region of the FBS, ELCA
