Dear members, There has been the thought among some pastors at least that if we are required to wear masks, that it seems to accomplish the same thing as not singing, or as we have been doing, limiting singing to the very end.

As I announced at the beginning of last Sunday’s service and live stream, after discussion among our elders, we intend to go back to “normal” services on Sunday, with sung liturgy and hymns throughout. The windows will remain open and fans on. Hymns and some parts of the liturgy will still remain shortened. The liturgy and hymns will be printed out in the single-use service folders. Our cleaning procedure will remain as it has been.

However, I welcome feedback. I want to be able to accommodate as many people physically in church as possible, and will seek to do what I can to make that happen.

Private communion services (without singing) for families will continue on Thursdays via registering on our website.

Hymns, in the Lutheran Church, are not mere “songs of praise.” If they were, we could do without them, since God is clear that He doesn’t need anything from us. Rather, hymns are proclamations of the Gospel. The Gospel is something we need. All the more now. So as we proclaim to each other the wondrous works of God and encourage each other, God is pleased.

One final note of encouragement: If you haven’t been coming because of the mask mandate, know that no one will shame you for wearing or not wearing a mask. This is a place where comfort is given to sinners in need. Nothing – not even masks – should keep someone from the Lord’s House and all the gifts distributed here. We are, after all, a family, in the truest sense of the word through Baptism into Christ.

“Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have the habit of doing. Rather, let us encourage each other, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:25)

In nomine Jesu,
Pastor Hendrix

Edit: After this was sent out, a news article from the BBC claimed that singing is hardly any more risky than speaking when done at the same volume.

Buy one Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary (ELH) for your home, and another will be donated to church (up to 30).

Hymnals are an invaluable tool to have for your family devotional life. Next to the Bible itself, a hymnal is probably the second most important book you can own. Hymnals are full of Bible promises, set to poetry and music, making the words of Scripture easy to memorize and a wonderful comfort.

The ELH is the current hymnal of our church body, the ELS (The WELS’ Christian Worship, the hymnal in our church pews, is being phased out next year across that Synod so it makes little sense to buy that hymnal). In addition to hymns, the ELH contains the Small Catechism, a number of options for morning or evening devotions, daily prayers, and, for those who wish to dig deeper into their Lutheran faith, the Augsburg Confession.

Order Hymnaries Here

We have been given a special group rate of $12/hymnary.

Simply order your personal hymnary/hymnaries directly from our BLC Bookstore at the link above. Shipping is a flat rate of $5 and they will be shipped directly to your home. Pastor Hendrix & the BLC Bookstore will work out how many hymnaries will be given to Faith afterwards.

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Join us on Saturday, December 21, 2019, from 4pm-6pm at Faith Lutheran Church for a unique, multi-sensory Christmas family event called “The Miracle of Jesus!”

Your family will step back in time to Bible-times Bethlehem, exploring Jesus’ miraculous love in an interactive marketplace setting.

Kids and adults will be placed in a fully immersive experience where you interact with shopkeepers and discover surprising details about Jesus from Bethlehem characters such as the census taker, the wool trader, and the fisherman. Get ready to build memories as you follow the town map and collect stamps at each station, including “The Bakery,” “The Spice Shop,” and “The Stable.”

During your travels, you will also create adorable keepsakes that will remind you of God’s eternal love and help you grow closer as a family.

At one stop, the stable, you will experience a fun, interactive drama that retells the joy of Jesus’ birth as we join to sing the angels shouting, “Gloria.”

Brews & Bible Study. Wednesday, June 5 at Viking Brew Pub, Stoughton at 7pm.

Join us for a monthly informal Bible Study ‘hopping’ around to various microbreweries. Our first study is Wednesday, June 5 at the Viking brew Pub in Stoughton at 7pm.  We will discuss a Let the Bird Fly Podcast episode on “Vocation.”

Please listen in advance to add to the discussion.

The pick-up from our Spring Cleaning Drive is now complete! We got to (almost) every home we hung a door hanger at. If we missed you, we’re sorry! You can still donate by dropping items off here at Faith anytime through Saturday, April 6. (We will sort items first before taking them to the Food Pantry on April 6)

We’ve been thrilled with the positive responses from our community! A big thank you to all of our volunteers who helped hang flyers and collect items!

Here’s what we’re accepting:
unopened hygiene & cleaning products, including:

• Laundry Detergent (preferably non-scented)
• Personal Hygiene Products (deodorant, toothpaste, shampoo, etc.)
• Feminine Hygiene Products
• Multipurpose Cleaners