New Space and Called Pastor

When I moved to North Liberty I was called as Assistant Pastor to St. Paul's Lutheran Chapel in Iowa City for the purpose of planting an LCMS congregation in North Liberty.  When I accepted that call the new mission congregation didn't have a name or members or a location, and if it was on me to make those things come about we still wouldn't have any of them.  But thanks be to God!  Just under a year and a half after being ordained and installed at St. Paul's the saints of St. Silas Lutheran Church in North Liberty, IA have called me to be their pastor.  After prayerfully considering this call (for over a year) I accepted and St. Silas now has their first pastor.  When I say, "As a called and ordained servant of Christ" that word "called" means a little more now to the congregation because Christ has called me through them.

Sunday I also had the pleasure of announcing after the service: "This will be our last Sunday in this space!  Next Sunday go to the storefront.  Don't come here."  And there was clapping and cheering.  The contractor is on track to have an occupancy permit for us by this Thursday December 19th, giving us a couple days to move things over from the North Liberty Living Center and get ready for our first service in our new space on The Fourth Sunday in Advent, December 22nd.  Then on Christmas Eve we'll have a Service of Carols and Lessons and on Christmas Day Divine Service.  This transition in space comes at a great time as we enter into the second most joyous season of the Church Year.

Christ has shown that he truly is the one who builds his Church (Mathew 16:18), the one who speaks into the darkness and creates something out of nothing.  Christmas Day when we hear the reading from John 1 we will be rejoicing and giving thanks to God that "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."

In Christ

Pastor Andrew Richard

St. Silas Lutheran Church
www.stsilaslutheran.org
www.facebook.com/stsilaslutheran
stsilaslutheran@gmail.com