Congregations and Community

Recent Wheat Ridge travels allowed me to join congregations in California and in northern Wisconsin on consecutive Sundays for worship and Bible study. As always, it was great to talk with people in these congregations about the seeding of new ministries of health and hope and to share examples of the creative and exciting initiatives that we are privileged to assist.

Visiting congregations is always so interesting. Every church is very unique, yet has so much in common with others. This was clearly evident as I visited Zion Lutheran Church in San Francisco, California, and Bay View Lutheran Church in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. One is located in a highly urban area, a neighborhood of interconnected homes in the center of densely populated San Francisco. The other is located in Door County, Wisconsin, a tourist mecca surrounded by the waters of Lake Michigan. Those who gather for worship at Zion are very diverse in age and ethnicity, with a strong representation of Asian Americans. The worship community at Bay View includes many retirees who, at some point in their life, discovered this beautiful part of God’s creation and are enjoying life there.

While the setting and the demographics are quite different, they are united in their practice of gathering to praise and worship God, confessing their sins and receiving forgiveness, and experiencing God’s grace through Word and sacrament. Young pastors who are excited about ministry and who are loved by those they serve lead both of these congregations. In both churches, a great sense of community exists. And in both I was grateful to be warmly welcomed as a guest.

These congregations share in common a high level of commitment to serving people in need, both within the congregation and in their neighborhood and community. When this is the case, I’m never surprised to learn that an active health ministry, led by a parish nurse, is an important part of the congregation’s leadership team. Indeed, this is the case at both Zion and Bay View. While neither congregation would be considered a large church, both provide volunteers and financial support for a wide variety of outreach activities, including Crop Walks, health fairs, Habitat for Humanity projects, food pantries, “meals on wheels,” and many others. When I asked people in these congregations to name all of their areas of service involvement and impact in which the congregation is engaged, even they were surprised at the length of the list!

It is always exciting to visit congregations that, like Zion and Bay View, clearly envision themselves as centers of health and healing in their community. God’s spirit is undoubtedly at work in these places, moving people to respond to His grace by serving others. I am thankful whenever Wheat Ridge Ministries has the opportunity to encourage and assist congregation leaders whose response to the Gospel leads them to develop impactful new health and human care initiatives offered in the name of our healing Christ!!