Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people;    -1 Peter 2:10a

Welcome to the annual meeting version of the Holy Counselor Newsletter! Maybe it isn’t all that exciting but it does mean something. It means that the congregation gathered, discussed some of the possibilities for ministry this year and put themselves behind those ministries. We also worshipped together – fed at Christ’s table; then we fellowshipped together – fed at the potluck table.

If you were there I’d like to say, “Thank you”, if you couldn’t make it, then you were missed. If you have any questions please contact me and I’ll try to get them answered.

The annual meeting of the congregation is often looked at as a sort of necessary step in the business portion of what we do here. But I think that shortchanges the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Yes, the annual meeting is procedural, yes it often seems like we just walk through the required steps (especially on those years when there doesn’t seem to be anything too confrontational on the table), but that just isn’t the whole truth. The truth is that we believe that God works through people, flawed and often broken people. We believe this so deeply that we also hold that when God’s people work together through an assembly (yes, I purposely avoided using the words institution or organization) that God is at work. One of the ways that we know this is because the Holy Spirit calls, gathers, and enlightens God’s people. When we are called as God’s people in the world, when we gather as God’s people in the world – we also are enlightened as God’s people in the world. It’s not perfect, because we aren’t perfect. Luckily God is present with us anyway.

So check out the newsletter, pick up a copy of the annual report and see what’s going on with God’s people here at Holy Counselor. Then come together to move our ministries into the future – because the other piece of all this is that when all of God’s people aren’t gathered together we are less than what we should be – less than what we are when you are a part of the community.