Message from Pastor Karyn for Aug 2025
I recently visited one of my favorite places, Disneyland. Some people find it strange that a 54-year-old woman would make a point to visit such a place as least once a year. Others have experienced the magic and know. The magic though, isn’t mysterious to those who take a moment to watch and notice. The Disney franchise is all about being intentional in their welcome and hospitality. From the moment you enter the orbit of Disneyland, what you see and read and hear has been thought through to ensure guests’ experiences are the best they can be, from making sure that tree roots don’t cause tripping, to clear signage so people know where to go and how to get there, to being immersed in the experience of a ride from the moment you get in line. Expectations are managed by making sure the information people need is easily accessible. Finally, each cast member (employee) knows what they need to do when and how, and they have fully bought into the values of the place they work. I observed a member of the security team who was checking bags before we got on the tram engage the kids ahead of me in fun ways, asking if they had any mousetraps or poison apples. He didn’t need to do that, he could have just checked their bags, but he is a part of the magic and part of what makes Disneyland the Happiest Place on Earth.
“Pick one thing and jump in to help not only serve your faith community during it’s primary gathering, but also to be a part of making First Lutheran worship a place where We Welcome All by being intentional about how we do that from the moment people step in the building.”
I bring this up because I was there not only to have my cup filled once again, but also to observe and learn and then imagine what we can do at First as we enter this program year that will be focused again on our value We Welcome All. I go back to the magic being because there was intentionality behind everything that is done. When I hear people talk about why they like First, welcome and worship are pretty neck and neck. We do both of those things well, but we can be better. We can be more intentional about the ways we do both of these things. It starts with making sure we have trained and well equipped volunteers to fill the various roles needed for worship to be the best it can be. It is our hope that every person who attends worship regularly would commit to one worship assistant role. You can be a greeter or an usher or a projectionist or a reader or an acolyte or a communion server. You can sing in the choir or play in the bell choir. You can offer your baking skills by baking bread for communion or help set up communion. You can offer your writing skills by helping to write various elements of worship. You can offer your creative skills by being a part of the soon to be formed Worship Arts Team. None of these things require you to be in worship every week (not even Pastor Stanton or I am here every week). Most require a Sunday once every 6-8 weeks, and while some require attendance at rehearsals most weeks, most require attending a one-time training. Keep your eyes open for the dates of these trainings, coming in September. If you are interested in being in the choir, connect with Cori at corissa@firstlu.org. If you are interested in being a part of the bell choir, connect with Jim at jim@firstlu.org. If you are interested in being a part of our writing team or the Worship Arts Team, connect with me at karyn@firstlu.org. Pick one thing and jump in to help not only serve your faith community during it’s primary gathering, but also to be a part of making First Lutheran worship a place where We Welcome All by being intentional about how we do that from the moment people step in the building.
