January 2014 – Pr. Anthony’s Letter

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Wow, 2014 is knocking on our door and what a year 2013 has been. For most of us, 2013 has been a year of changes. Some changes may have not been so nice, but many of those changes have been for good. For myself it has been graduating from seminary, being ordained, moving to Trimont, and beginning my new call with Circle of Faith Parish. What have been some of the changes in 2013 for you?

I know one change that happened for all of you, and it all started last January. January 22nd to be exact. On January 22, 2013, the dream of having a multi-point parish in southern Minnesota became a reality. Circle of Faith Parish was born and according to the calendar, we have almost made it a full year as a parish. That certainly is something to celebrate isn’t it? Well your pastors and parish council thought so. That is way we decided to hold a one year anniversary celebration of the parish. Below you will find the details for the celebration.

Circle of Faith’s 1st Anniversary
Sunday, January 26, 2014
10:00 AM Joint Worship Service
Trinity Lutheran, Welcome
Refreshments with cake to follow

Why even bother with a celebration? Because you, the members of St. Peter, Trinity, and Waverly Lutheran Churches decided to take a leap of faith and enter into this partnership to see where God would lead you. 2013 has been a good first year for Circle of Faith, but it has not been the best year for other churches around us. One church in our area has closed its doors forever and another church voted to close its doors in 2014. Even with other congregations closing, Circle of Faith has successfully made it a full year in this new partnership. A partnership that is made up of God’s people ministering to God’s people. Making this partnership work for a full year is certainly an accomplishment that deserves to be celebrated. Please join us as we celebrate together the first anniversary of our new parish on Sunday, January 26, 2013 with a joint worship service with Holy Communion at 10:00 am at Trinity Lutheran in Welcome.

As I look forward to 2014, I am excited to see where it is that God will take Circle of Faith Parish in this new year!

Happy New Year!

In Christ,

Pastor Anthony