Note: the following pastoral letter was included in our latest church directory.

Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord!

        Did you know that those words are a greeting from the New Testament? That’s how St. Paul greets Pastor Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:2. Many of the New Testament letters begin with a similar greeting. Just as St. Paul prayed that Timothy would abundantly receive God’s grace, mercy, and peace, I pray the same for you!

        I also thank God that our congregation has grown in the past year – and with it, so has our pictorial directory. This resource has become a helpful way for members and guests at St. Matthew to get to know one another, learn names, and get in touch.

        This year, as we print an updated pictorial directory for 2024, I’d like to suggest another use of this directory – as a prayer guide. This directory includes some long-term members, new arrivals, and frequent guests. Some of the entries are of people you may have known for decades. Others you may have just met. But one thing we all have in common is that we all need Christ our Savior, and we need one another, the body of Christ, which is His Church.

        “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27). Those words are just as true of the Christian Church today as they were in the first century. Together, we are the body of Christ whom the Holy Spirit has called and gathered. And each of us is a key member of the body. We need one another, and our neighbors and community also need our loving service and witness to the Gospel.

        When you're using this directory, please pause and pray for those who are included in it. Pray for the individuals, marriages, families, and all the households who are part of the body of Christ at St. Matthew Lutheran Church. Pray for those whose needs are known – such as the ill or the grieving. Pray also for those who needs are unknown, remembering that we all have our own burdens and challenges.

        A Bible word study reveals at least 375 direct references to prayer in Scripture (not including other terms for prayer). God’s Word shows us what a priority prayer is meant to be in our life in Christ! Let the following words inspire you toward faithfulness in prayer for Christ's people:

        “I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which He has called you.” And "be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might … praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplications for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel.” (Ephesians 1:16-18a; 6:10, 17-19)

        Let’s keep each other in prayer this year.

              In Christ,

                   Pastor Kory Janneke