In anticipation of developing a new website in 2025, the weekly Elim Extra will no longer be posted here. Please check our Facebook page for the weekly posting of announcements, upcoming events and the weekly worship bulletin.
Pastor’s Reflection: Comings and Goings
Thank you for the lovely farewell potluck for my family and welcome reception for our new members this past Sunday. During this time of comings and goings, I am reminded of the story of Jacob’s ladder in the Bible, when Jacob saw the angels “ascending and descending.” The two-way flow between heaven and earth reminds us that “the circle will be unbroken,” in the words of the old gospel hymn, even as we endure the temporary separations that life offers.
Speaking of separation, I want to explain to you the separation ethics that I will uphold as a departing minister, in order to support the ministry of your next pastor. I will not be providing pastoral care (baptisms, weddings, funerals, hospital visits) to Elim members after September 29th. I will refrain from conversations about Elim, nor discuss religion with Elim members, for a period of one year. I am organizing the resources I have from my ministry to leave behind for you in the office. If there are any items that come up that you need from me, please pass your requests through Peggy.
Thank you for accepting these healthy boundaries, as you step into Elim’s next era and receive all that it has to offer. Please know that even as I focus on my new ministry setting, you will be in my hearts. My memories of Elim will always remind me of two lines from 1 Kings chapter 8 – “Your servants walk before you with all their hearts” (v. 23) and “This house is for all the peoples of the earth” (v. 43). You welcomed me with open hearts when I wasn’t a Lutheran, and you have made me one. Thank you for welcoming this foreigner!
My last Sunday at Elim happens to fall on the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels, which is a lesser feast on the Lutheran church calendar. The Lutheran hymn “In Sacred Manner” by Susan Palo Cherwien urges, “In sacred manner may we live among the wise and loving ones/Sit humbly, as at sages’ feet, by four-legged, finned, and feathered ones.” I agree with her that “the animals will teach,” so I am very excited that people will be bringing their dogs (and cat pictures!) into church for a Blessing of the Animals at 12:15 p.m. this Sunday. Thanks be to God for our furred angels!
with love, Pr. Chelsea
Pastor’s Reflection: Welcoming Others in His Name
On Sunday we will have a potluck celebrating our new members and associate members who have joined Elim: Austin and Christina, Kristen and Alexis, Leslie, and Stephen! Worship will be an opportunity for everyone to affirm their baptisms and write their name in the membership book if it isn’t already there. Council has reviewed and affirmed our updated membership roll, and including associate members and non-member participants, Elim is 80 souls strong!
Jesus said that whenever we welcome a child of God in his name, we welcome the One who sent him. The new members we welcome help grow and expand our faith, as they help us to see God in different ways. It reminds me of the extraordinary diversity we enjoyed at the annual Ogden Interfaith Concert last Sunday night; the music offered by people of different faiths was absolutely top-notch, and such a counterpoint to the political violence that continues to shake our souls. What a privilege it has been to be part of this amazing Ogden community!
In our sermon series on “High Flying Geese,” we are hearing about how God calls each of us and our church to become “a new creature, transformed in mobility, in perspective, and in beauty.” The author Pastor Browne Barr asks, “But what is the nature of that transformation, of that resurrected life pulled out of the mud and given wings by God’s active love in Christ?” It is the new life we make together as a community, risen with Christ through baptism, flying together in formation, making the shape of a “V” to represent Love’s Victory over evil.
May our little church, united in love with our interfaith community, be a sign of healing for all to see.
with love, Pr. Chelsea
September 22nd – Potluck luncheon celebrating Membership Sunday (Affirmation of Baptism) and Farewell for Pr. Chelsea’s Family
September 29th – The Lesser Feast of St. Michael and All Angels, Blessing of the Animals, Blessing of Release for Pr. Chelsea
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting –
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things. -Mary Oliver
In worship on Sunday, I passed around a clipboard with a list of Elim’s voting members and active participants. Bev is also helping me prepare a list for Council of inactive members, so we can remove them from our voting roll. This is the job of an outgoing pastor, in conjunction with the congregation’s secretary. Hopefully you found your name on the active list I passed around, and if you didn’t, please let me know so I can add it.
But why do we bother with all these names? In Isaiah 65, God laments, “I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’” God put his name on the temple – and on our churches – because he wants to be known by us – just like he knows each of us, and calls us each by name (Isaiah 43). We are free to show up in return, and declare our name to him – or not. That is the point of a roll call or membership roll – it says we are present, and we are going to try.
Friends, names are holy. Your name announces your place not just in your family of origin, but also in God’s family, or as the poet Mary Oliver puts it, in the created order of things. You belong. Even if you are not an official voting member of a congregation, even if you no longer affiliate with any particular denomination, you can be on our active participant list at Elim. You belong here. We want to get to know you by name, as God knows you. Thank you for putting your name on our church.
with love, Pr. Chelsea
Saturday September 14th – My Hometown Ogden service project, Goodbye Open House in Salt Lake City, 9-12.
Sunday September 15th – Council meeting, Special People’s Church service at 2:30 – Pastor Chelsea will deliver a repeat of Elim’s morning sermon, with Spanish interpretation by Pastor Angel. Elim members are invited to consider attending church later in the day to experience worship with our siblings in Christ. Pastor Chelsea will serve communion in the sacristy at the conclusion of the afternoon service.
Upcoming Events: September 22nd – Potluck luncheon celebrating Membership Sunday (Affirmation of Baptism) and Farewell for Pr. Chelsea – September 29th – The Lesser Feast of St. Michael and All Angels, Blessing of the Animals, Blessing of Release for Pr. Chelsea
Pastor’s Reflection
On Sunday, I will have a clipboard with a list of Elim’s voting members as well as active participants. One of my jobs as an outgoing pastor is to work with the church council to remove inactive members from our voting roll. Our constitution, which was revised this year by Council and will be brought to the congregation for approval, outlines this process. But why do we bother with it?
The church is a place that belongs to everyone – we all belong at Elim, and Elim belongs to all of us. But from a practical point of view, the *responsibility* for managing the church belongs *only* to the voting members (not the pastor…did you catch that?…nor the denomination!). Those who feel called to help lead Elim, whether as Council members or just voting members, take on the responsibility of membership. How do they do this? By officially joining the church and staying active in it, which is defined as participating and giving at least once a year. Of course, others are welcome to participate and give as well!
Unlike in some other faiths, in the Lutheran church, church membership has zero eternal significance – it is no way a requirement for salvation. But that doesn’t mean it has no spiritual significance. When people join our church, as some will on September 22nd, they affirm their baptism, repeating the promises made during baptism to follow Jesus. Any baptized person can do this, not just members. When you affirm your baptism in corporate worship with the congregation, you are reminding yourself – voting member or not – that God has given you a community of support to help you live out your desire to follow Jesus more closely. What a spiritual blessing!
Speaking of blessings, thank you so much for your generous response to our second collection for the Restoration Fund! We raised almost $500 on the first try! We will repeat this on Sunday, for those who did not have a chance last week, and then continue monthly until our Restoration Fund is back up to a sustainable level to maintain our building.
This Sunday is God’s Work Our Hands, an annual activity in the Lutheran church. We will be doing our service project during worship so that all can participate in the pews. We still need the following items donated; please let Peggy know what you can bring:
Gloves, Small Notepads, Soap – wrapped, Comb/Brush, Elastic Hair Ties, and Feminine Products.
Thank you for blessing our neighbors who are experiencing homelessness with these “manna” survival supplies!
with love, Pr. Chelsea
Upcoming Events to Note: – September 8th – God’s Work Our Hands Sunday – Making manna bags – September 14th – My Hometown Ogden service project, Goodbye Open House in Salt Lake City, 9-12 – September 15th – Pr. Chelsea preaching, Council meets – September 22nd – Potluck luncheon celebrating Membership Sunday (Affirmation of Baptism) and Farewell for Pr. Chelsea – September 29th – The Lesser Feast of St. Michael and All Angels, Blessing of the Animals, Blessing of Release for Pr. Chelsea
Special People’s Church service – September 15, 2:30 to 4:00 PM – Pastor Chelsea will deliver a repeat of Elim’s morning sermon, with Spanish interpretation by Pastor Angel. Elim members are invited to consider attending church later in the day to experience worship with our siblings in Christ. Pastor Chelsea will serve communion in the sacristy at the conclusion of the afternoon service.
Pastor’s Reflection
Living Stones
In Eden at our church picnic on Sunday, we heard from King Solomon that “heaven cannot contain God, much less the house we have built” (1 Kings 8:27). Yet God is gracious enough to come and dwell with us anyway, and we certainly feel his holy presence in our building. This Sunday, our church president Craig Bjorklund will be asking us to bring an additional offering for the Restoration Fund, to help maintain our sacred sanctuary. Come hear about special projects we have planned and plan to give as generously as you can.
When Jesus taught in the Temple, he said that *the people* were the living stones of God’s sanctuary. Do you remember when he rode into Jerusalem and the crowd went wild with their Hosannas? The religious leaders were offended and ordered him to shush the crowd. Jesus would have none of it: “Truly I tell you, if the people stayed silent, the stones would be shouting out!” (Luke 19:40)
Because Elim is truly *the people* and not just our building, we will be celebrating a Membership Sunday on September 22nd. For the next three Sundays, I will be passing around a membership clip board where you can check for your name on our membership roll. It is common in churches to have long-time participants who, for many different reasons, have not chosen to be baptized (or affirm their baptism) in order to formally join the congregation as voting members and be eligible to serve on Council. Church membership is deeply personal, and those who are not “on the list” are still fully contributing, belonging, valid, and beloved participants at Elim, gathered as one around Christ’s communion table.
At the same time, in the Lutheran faith, the congregation and our building belong to *the people* – and our members are the ones who make all the decisions. So we need to make sure we are inviting everyone in the Elim family to consider church membership and join our member roll. If you are not sure of your status or think you might like to formally join Elim, please check the list and plan to join us in worship on September 22nd for our new member liturgy!
with love, Pr. Chelsea
For the celebration of life for our beloved Jane Beasley this Saturday at 2 p.m. at Elim, we will be serving Jane’s favorite desserts! Please bring a plate of snickerdoodle cookies, brownies, fruit, or a dessert of your choice, and let Joan Dawes know so that we can make sure to have enough for all Jane’s family and friends.
Upcoming Events to Note: – September 1st – Austin Buckius preaching – September 8th – God’s Work Our Hands Sunday – Making manna bags – September 14th – Goodbye Open House in Salt Lake City, 9-12 – September 15th – Pr. Chelsea preaching, Council meets – September 22nd – Potluck luncheon celebrating Membership Sunday (Affirmation of Baptism) and Farewell for Pr. Chelsea – September 29th – The Lesser Feast of St. Michael and All Angels, Blessing of the Animals, Blessing of Release for Pr. Chelsea
Special People’s Church service – September 15, 2:30 to 4:00 PM – Pastor Chelsea will deliver a repeat of Elim’s morning sermon, with Spanish interpretation by Pastor Angel. Elim members are invited to consider attending church later in the day to experience worship with our siblings in Christ. Pastor Chelsea will serve communion in the sacristy at the conclusion of the afternoon service.
Ogden’s Interfaith Concert will happen on September 15th at 7 pm. Elim will be one of the faith groups recognized in attendance at the Interfaith Concert
Elim’s New YouTube channel is now fully operational, with our initial streaming attempt on August 18th. We welcome any feedback on how it’s working out for our online audience. You can post comments on the channel, post on our facebook page, send an email or a note to the office, or let a more internet-savvy friend know and ask them to convey your comments. Thanks for subscribing and for watching!
A huge and heartfelt THANKS (in advance!) to My Hometown Ogden for returning to do yet more clean-up work at Elim on Sept.14th. We encourage Elim members to join in and help out!
Manna Bag items still needed for God’s Work Our Hands Sunday – please tell Peggy what you can bring (10 or 12 of each):
Hand Sanitizers, Gloves, Ball Point Pens, Wash Cloths/Wipes, Small Notepads, Band-Aids, Socks
Slim Jims/Jerkey, Granola Bars/bags, Trail Mix, Fruit Cup/Applesauce/Spoon
Soap – wrapped, Comb/Brush, Elastic Hair Ties
Deodorant – small, Chapstick, Kleenex pkg small, Feminine Products, Dog Treats
Thank you for blessing our neighbors who are experiencing homelessness with these “manna” survival supplies!
Pastor’s Reflection: The High Places
Last Sunday we heard that King Solomon, even before he built the Temple, loved to go up into the mountains to worship God “in the high places.” That’s where we are going this Sunday, as we head up to Eden for our church picnic! Elim will be CLOSED on Sunday so please let us know if you need a carpool. Bring a camp chair if you want a softer seat and a light jacket, as the weather forecast for Sunday morning is chilly. There is a five or ten minute delay at the mouth of Ogden Canyon so please leave yourself extra time. We will serve communion. All are welcome to join us at 10 a.m. with a meal following!
2100 N. 5600 E., Eden, Utah 84310
The celebration of life gathering for our beloved Jane Beasley will be at Elim in the fellowship hall and fishbowl room, on Saturday August 31 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Volunteers are needed to bring refreshments and flowers. Jane’s obituary will be posted at: https://www.lindquistmortuary.com/obituaries/jane-beasley. Please keep the family in your prayers as they grieve the loss of their beautiful Jane.
We are collecting donations for Manna Bags to put together on God’s Work Our Hands Sunday on September 8th in partnership with Ascension. We plan to make 10 bags so we need 10 each of the following items. Items are due in to the office by Wednesday September 4th. If you would prefer to donate money for the church to shop, please give cash to Gloria. Thank you so much!
Small Bottles of Water, Hand Sanitizers, Gloves, Ball Point Pens, Wash Cloths/Wipes, Small Notepads, Band-Aids, Socks
Slim Jims/Jerkey, Granola Bars/bags, Trail Mix, Fruit Cup/Applesauce/Spoon, Peanutbutter / cheese crackers
Toothpaste, Toothbrush, Toothbrush/toothpaste combo, Soap – wrapped, Comb/Brush, Elastic Hair Ties
Deodorant – small, Chapstick, Kleenex pkg small, Feminine Products, Dog Treats
Pastor’s Reflection
Pastor’s Reflection
King David never built the temple. Solomon did. But the story of how David’s baby son Solomon came to join his family is a wild one. On Sunday we will be hearing the third installment of this tragic but ultimately redemptive “Bible back story.”
Speaking of God’s house, please pray for our security grant application from FEMA, which is being decided on this week. Dave Thomas has done an amazing job of going after this whopping $180,000 to improve the safety of our building. Elim is blessed to have a long presence in our dynamic neighborhood. Let’s keep it that way!
And speaking of our neighborhood, this Sunday after church offers two amazing opportunities to go out and build relationships with our neighbors. At 11:30 we will cross the street to join the Ogden Christian Church for their fellowship hour to welcome their new pastor from Ireland, Pastor Jared! And at 2 pm, Bruce and Diane Jardine have arranged a tour of the gorgeous historic Ward building down the street from us on 21st. Please let me know if you can join!
with love,
Pr. Chelsea
This Wednesday from 5:30-7:30 p.m. – Bibliodrama workshop with counselor Rob Pramann! Please plan to join us and get to know our new members at Elim and bring some food or drink to share.
Please note, the week of Aug 5-10, the office will be open Mon 8-12 & Tues 8-10 & 11:30-2. The office will be closed on August 7, 8, 9, 10, 11th.
Sunday August 25th at 10 am – Church Picnic in Eden Park with worship service.
2100 N. 5600 E., Eden, Utah 84310.
Pastor’s Reflection
I was humbled by your kind responses to my sad news that I will be leaving Elim in September. Thank you for your deep grace and understanding about our need to be closer to family. It looks like I will be able to continue at Elim through the end of September. I will cherish having this remaining time with you.
Our upcoming August lectionary offers a deep dive with one of the families of the Bible – David, Bathsheba, and Solomon. Last summer we spent time with Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac, and I love these deeply human stories in our Scripture. This year’s family is particularly troubled, beginning with last Sunday’s story of King David’s rape of Bathsheba and his cowardly betrayal of her honorable spouse Uriah. We will see how God’s judgment continues to unfold this trouble on Sunday, providing a starkly realistic backdrop for the beautiful Bread of Life discourse in John’s gospel.
Christ continues to meet us in all our troubles and brokenness with the breaking of the bread – his body given for the life of the world. I look forward to seeing you in worship, where we can receive God’s comfort and the joy of gathering together in the spirit of Christ’s love.
with love,
Pr. Chelsea
Please note, the week of Aug 5-10, the office will be open Mon 8-12 & Tues 8-10 & 11:30-2. The office will be closed on August 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 as Peggy and Paul take a well deserved trip! Thanks to Peggy for ALL she does to keep our church thriving.
Please pray for our security grant which will be decided on this week or next.
Potlucks galore! This Sunday at 11:15 a.m. to say goodbye to Alan and Brenda; and next Wednesday from 5:30-7:30 p.m. for our Bibliodrama workshop with counselor Rob Pramann. Please plan to join us and get to know our new members at Elim.
Bruce and Diane Jardine from My Hometown Ogden have graciously planned a tour for me to visit the historic LDS ward building down the street from Elim. Let me know if you would like to join me on Sunday August 11th at 2 p.m for this friendly neighborhood visit.
We got enough subscribers on our Youtube channel! Thanks to all who subscribed! Please keep an eye out on Facebook and our new Youtube channel to see where our worship livestream will air during the coming weeks.