Pastor’s Reflection

Craig and Lucille reported from the Rocky Mountain Synod assembly that we have elected a new bishop, the Rev. Meghan Johnston Aelabouni! Bishop Meghan will begin on August 1st. She is a member of our synod who previously led Trinity Lutheran Church in Fort Collins, CO, and was recently an ELCA missionary serving in leadership and pastoral roles in Palestine and Israel. She has a doctorate in religion with 18 years experience in ordained ministry, and is a committed advocate for peace and justice. We look forward to welcoming her, even as we thank Bishop Jim for his many years of amazing service!

Bible study resumes on Sunday before worship, when we will pick up 2 Corinthians together. You know when Paul writes you a second letter that you are experiencing some real problems, so we have much to learn from this early Christian community! This text contains some of my favorite jewels in scripture, including treasure in jars of clay (4:7), becoming a new creation (5:16-17), the ministry of reconciliation (5:18-20), the cheerful giver (9:6-7), and Paul’s thorn in the flesh (12:7-10). Its main theme is that when we are weak, God is strong. Please join us!

Finally, mark your calendars on May 22 at 5:30 p.m. for a lively dialogue between jazz and worship, with music to uplift your soul! The Elim worship team is organizing the first annual Ogden Jazz Vespers, a “Wind and Fire” Pentecost concert at Elim Lutheran Church. Bring a friend, date, or treat yourself to an evening of spiritual improvisation, live jazz, and contemplation in Elim’s beautiful sanctuary, featuring the Tracy Quartet. A proud member and musician in the Ogden community, Daniel Tracy is organizer of Jazz at the Station and director of instrumental music at Ben Lomond High School. This event has free admission and light refreshments will be served. A free-will offering will be taken to support future Jazz Vespers at Elim. Please spread the word and invite your friends!

We are heading into another busy and exciting time at Elim. During our Easter “Grounded in Love” series, I have been preaching every Sunday with Ephesians 3:16-21 on my lips, so I will leave you with this prayer:

May God grant for us to be strengthened in our inner beings with power through his Spirit, and may Christ dwell in our hearts through faith, as we are being rooted and grounded in love. May we have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that we may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

with love, Pr. Chelsea

Upcoming Events: 

May 5 – Worship team meeting 

May 12 – Rev. Gordon Young preaches, Mothers Day 

May 19 – Church Becoming meeting, Pentecost 

May 22 – Jazz Vespers at 5:30 p.m. 

May 26 – Council Meeting, Trinity Sunday 

June 16 – Fathers Day 

June 30 – Church Becoming meeting 

Pastor’s Reflection

Thanks to Pr. Rick for leading worship last Sunday! It was inspiring to see our little palm parade on Facebook. At my home church in Salt Lake I preached about the “2 P’s” of “people power” going up against the “2 P’s” of Pontius Pilate. Here in Weber County, we are also seeing an uprising of people power against another “2 P’s” – the Polluting Port planned for the Eastern shore of Great Salt Lake in Weber County. As Elim’s council knows, I wrote a letter to the editor of the Standard Examiner about the importance of keeping God’s wetlands wet, so we will see if that gets published.

It’s Holy Week and I’ve been thinking about what makes this regular work week holy. I think it’s because this week Jesus is alive for us in a special way through our remembrance of his story. Come relive the stories of Holy Thursday and Good Friday this Friday at 7:30 p.m. in Elim’s sanctuary. It’s such an amazing time to feel close to Jesus and all he did for us.

This Easter Sunday at 9 a.m. we will be having breakfast downstairs instead of Bible study. Folks are asked to bring pastries or fruit to share if you can, and Gloria and I are going to provide ham and hard boiled eggs. Breakfast will repeat after worship at 11:30 a.m. It will be a celebration!

Looking ahead, on April 7, we will be having a Church Becoming meeting after worship and doing a “Scrapbook of Memories” tour. For Bible study that morning at 9 a.m, I am going to lead an evaluation of our book Embracing God’s Future without Forgetting the Past. Our final book study meeting date will be April 14th led by Pr. Rick (the Zoom group will finish at a later time). Then, we will take the rest of April OFF from Bible study, before starting Second Corinthians in May.

In Christ’s holy love,

Pastor’s Reflection

Pastor’s Reflection

At our Annual Meeting on January 28th, we (re-)elected the following Church Council Members. President – Craig Bjorklund Vice-President – Stephen Wright Secretary – Lucille Rossbach Treasurer – Joan Tonn Member-at-large – Leslie Ortiz Member-at-large – Suma Anson. Please thank them for their willingness to serve the congregation on the council! Their formal installation will occur this Sunday during worship.

On Sunday we will also post Elim’s scrapbooks and timeline in the social hall, so you can look back over God’s hand in Elim’s history and bring your own memories to the table. In Lenten worship, we are remembering truths about our relationship with God, allowing God to hold us and refresh us. Please join us on Wednesdays at 5:30 to join in singing Holden Evening Prayer, or if you don’t sing, come and let the music wash over you.

with love,

Pr. Chelsea

More listening suggestions for Lent: 

“New Again” by Brad Paisley and Sara Evans

“There Was Jesus” by Dolly Parton and Zach Williams

(Thank you Rob for these recommendations!)

Pastor’s Reflection