Dear friends in Christ,
It is both a pleasure and a privilege to be invited to serve among you through August. I'm grateful for the warm welcome you gave me on Sunday, at last night's council meeting, and in today's Bible study. As an interim pastor during HTELC's transition to a called pastor, my role is simply to walk with you in Jesus' name for a brief period of time, celebrating Christ among you in Word and Sacrament, study and pray with the Wednesday morning Bible study group, attend council meetings, and offer pastoral support and care.
I will keep office hours on Wednesdays from 11:00 am (after Bible study) until 2:30 pm. In addition, I will make pastoral visits on Wednesdays following office hours. I will also be available on most Sundays after worship.
My email address is InterimPastor@htelc.com. If you have an urgent need to reach me, you can contact Mark Donohue, Ministry and Office Coordinator, at 603-436-1704 or office@htelc.com and he will make sure I receive your contact information in a timely way. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you'd like to chat for any reason.
In my retirement, my wife and I joined Faith Lutheran Church in Cambridge, MA. We love our quirky congregation and our fine pastor! You may have heard that on Easter Sunday evening, the church building was consumed in a six-alarm fire. A little after 6:00 pm that evening, I received a call from my sister who had seen on local TV news that the church was on fire. Immediately, I went there and stood watch for several hours as the beautiful old building, our spiritual home, was destroyed.
The mosque around the corner from the church opened their doors to us this evening for an Evening Prayer (Vespers) service at 6:00 pm. I learned this afternoon that the service will be shared live on Zoom.
You can also read Pastor Robin Lutjohann's message today to the congregation and learn more about Faith's next tentative steps here: https://mailchi.mp/a6815031c36f/monthly-newsletter-gardening-tomorrow-capital-campaign-etc-6221892?e=ff6801d655
This coming Sunday at HTELC, we welcome Hunter Farley into the body of Christ through Holy Baptism. Little Hunter is himself a living sign that the God who raised Jesus from the dead is not finished with us yet. I hope to see you again in worship this Sunday, and the Sundays to come during my stay here.
Peace, Pastor Don