Preparing the Ashes!

On February 23^rd the confirmation class, Melinda, and I took the old dried palms from past Palm Sundays and burned them to make the ashes that will be used on Ash Wednesday.  The process to get from palms to ashes begins with taking the old palms and cutting them into small pieces to fit in the large metal bowl.  After we filled the bowl, we went outside to burn the palms.  Each confirmand was given the opportunity to help light the palms with long matches.  There is something special about using long matches to light a fire that everyone seems to enjoy.  It didn’t take long for the palms to quickly burn to a small pile of ash.  While the confirmands enjoyed some hot chocolate, I stayed outside with the smoldering ashes until they cooled enough to bring them inside.  After the ashes were fully cooled, we sifted them through a flour sifter twice.  What was left was finely sifted black ashes, that will remind us that we are dust.  After we put the sifted ashes in the jar, we talked about what is said when they receive the imposition of ashes, “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.”  We also talked about what it means when we say that we are dust, and how we are connected to and a part of the earth. 

We went back to the café to enjoy a snack.  As we enjoyed our snacks we talked about what was surprising about the process.  The responses were; they were surprised how quickly they burned, how little ashes there were compared to the large amount of cut up palms, and how black the ashes were compared to the yellow/green color of the dried palms.   I have burned palms with confirmands before and each time there seems to be that element of surprise, a bit of fear at how quickly the palms ignite, and a bit of awe at the whole process.  For me, one of the best parts is the connection between the celebration of Palm Sunday where we shout Hosannas to the humbling reminder on Ash Wednesday that we will return to dust.  Also, the youth get to be a part of the “behind the scenes” preparation for a worship service.  This is one of the more unique worship preparations. 

On Ash Wednesday Pastor Chad and I will make the sign of the cross on your forehead with ashes from old palms burned by the confirmands.  I love this and it warms my heart knowing the confirmands helped with Ash Wednesday preparations.   

Yours in Christ, 

Pastor Katrina Steingraeber

Celebrating 2021

 This article is adapted from the 2021 Annual Report of the Senior Pastor.

Every year, our congregation prepares an annual report. It’s a thick packet of updates from staff and committees about everything we have been up to. And even though we are required to put it together, it can be a real gift. It may not be a birthday card stuffed with cash, but this collection of reports is here to remind us of everything we already have. After all we have been through the past two years, I pray that you will be able to read what is inside, reflect on the richness of our community, and find joy in the life we share together. Members can pick a copy up at church or call the office for assistance.

When you do read through it, one thing you will see is a timeframe of all the various ways we have worshipped since the pandemic began almost two years ago. I knew we had been through a heap of various strategies, but until I saw it all laid out, it didn’t hit me just how much we have done. We slowly eased back into the building, returned outside for Palm Sunday and Easter, and then added a second service in May. We celebrated our 60th anniversary with a special service in April and a weekend full of events in September. Every month was a little bit different. We worshipped in the Sanctuary, the Fellowship Hall, the parking lot, and the east lawn.

That service on the lawn became an unexpected favorite for so many. It also took the most work. Every Sunday for four months, our praise band set up our worship space on the lawn, led the service, and then packed it all up again. You would be hard pressed to find a more dedicated group of church musicians. We are already planning ways to continue that unique summer service with a more permanent outdoor worship space.

When we added a second service, it was an opportunity to evaluate not just what we needed in the moment, but what would serve us best as a larger congregation. We settled on sticking with two services, with an hour for Sunday school between. Having a dedicated learning hour has enabled our families with young children to worship together. I hope and pray more families take advantage of the opportunity to raise children to grow in faith both in the classroom and in worship. And I hope we find more ways to welcome children as vital members of our worshipping community.

We had a small taste of post-pandemic life in late summer, when we left our masks at home and prayed that those difficult days of caution were behind us. And though we have since returned to the same strict measures we were using a year ago, that moment of closeness helped many of us remember what we appreciate about this place. We can endure the changes and restrictions if it means we can be together and keep one another safe. And, we can continue to stay connected to those who are yet unable to be with us in person.

I am so grateful that we were able to call Rev. Katrina Steingraeber to be our new associate pastor. Since beginning in July, she has settled in and continues to grow and thrive. Over a year after you called me to be your senior pastor, you all installed both of us in a moving service during Rally weekend. I am thankful for Pastor Chuck, who has been the only one of us allowed to visit our folks in the hospitals since the pandemic began. Our volunteers with outreach, Sunday school, and worship ministries have continued to make our congregation a community. And our staff has worked with joy to hold us all together. Every day is a reminder of just how fortunate I am to be able to not only be a member of this congregation but to lead it as well. 

In Christ,

Pastor Chad McKenna