Saint Lucas Lutheran

Do you love a good adventure story? Pick up the book, Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand. Hillenbrand is a master storyteller, and in this book you’ll find out why. The main character in this book is a man by the name of Louie. Louie is an ingenius but unrepentant thief. But then he discovers running. He runs so well that he qualifies for the 1936 Olympic games in Berlin. He meets Hitler. He steals a Nazi flag right from under the noses of snarling Nazi guards. When World War II begins, Louie becomes a bombardier in the Pacific. He takes part in a terrifying but brilliant bombing raid. His plane later crashes. He floats on a raft for 47 days, fighting off sharks, madness and strafing from enemy planes. Then he is rescued – by the Japanese. At that point the story kicks into overdrive.

The only complaint people might have about this book is that, as a work of fiction, the plot might be a little too fantastic. But the story is not fiction. It all happened. In fact, the main character of the book, Louie Zamperini, is alive and well today at 95 years old.

When it comes to sheer plotline, the story of Jesus is, perhaps, the greatest story ever told.  The songs about him are endless in number. Books about him are infinite. And every few years, Hollywood cannot resist making another movie to tell the story again.

But Jesus and Louie have something in common. Both are real. Their stories really happened. And both are still alive.

A significant difference between the two is this: Louie’s story is an adventure. The story of Jesus is more. It’s the account of the Son of God coming here to carry out the greatest rescue mission of all time. And he succeeded. He has paid for our sins in full. He has covered us in his perfection. Jesus’ story has become our story. And the story ends with our victory in heaven.
 

The Congregation was invited to attend an Open Forum on January 22^nd.  Information was presented about three separate projects for the church: the basement, replacing the front steps, and an elevator.  Attendees were given the opportunity to ask questions and make comment and were asked to fill out a survey. 

At the Quarterly Congregation meeting held on Sunday, January 29^th, the Church Council informed the congregation that, based on the comments made during the open forum and on the survey results, it was apparent that congregation members have a heart for ministry opportunities beyond the bricks and mortar project.  Therefore, the council will be spearheading a congregational self-study to determine priorities for our ongoing and future ministry to souls.

The voters ratified the council recommendation to move ahead with the basement renovation according to the newest architectural plans with the cost not to exceed $592,000.  The council made no recommendation with regard to the front steps or the elevator.

The voters also passed a recommendation from the floor to establish an elevator fund in order to gauge the congregation’s interest in pursuing an elevator as part of the present basement renovation.  Any money that is to be contributed toward an elevator would need to be in the fund or firmly committed not later than April 1^st in order to meet the timeline necessary to order the custom manufactured parts that comprise an elevator.  The reason that we are looking into this is because it would save 10-20% by including it in the current basement renovation.