Peru Here We Come!
June 14-18 (Lima) 19-23 (Excursion)
Our annual trip to Peru will happen in June this summer – we hope you can come! Register 
now – get all the details from the brochure, excursion information and FAQ’s or contact Jim Young or Peggy Hahn for conversation about this opportunity to be immersed in the Peruvian culture – one of our companion synods. Our lives are changed because of our relationship with people living in Peru. We want to share this with every congregation in our synod. Some congregations choose to start a companion congregation relationship following a trip to Peru, others join in the Sembrando ministry – either way, a trip to Peru will deepen your faith and expand your world view. Visit the Peru Trip website.
Worship Does God's Story
By Clayton Faulkner, Worship Excellence Team
Every time the church gathers together for worship it does God’s story. God’s story is that 
epic narrative that we can see unfolding throughout the Bible. When we step back and look at the big picture that the total Bible paints we can see a three-part story unfold. The three parts arecreation, incarnation, and re-creation. Every time we gather for worship at Faith we do God’s story.
The story of God begins at the story of creation. God, existing as a Triune community, created human beings to participate in the community of God. Unfortunately the idyllic community didn’t last forever and corruption and evil entered the picture. But God sets in motion the plan to redeem and fix everything that went wrong. Out of the desolation of the desert the line of Abraham is established to begin the process of bringing back the peace once found in the Garden. God kick-starts the plan of redemption. Read More...
Insiders and Outsiders: Part 2
By Bishop Mike Rinehart
Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” –Luke 15:1-2
Who was Jesus hardest on in the gospels? Jesus was a magnet to outsiders, and he 
took a lot of heat from the insiders. He loved them all, but seems to be exasperated with the insiders. When I ask people, church folk and unchurched folk, “Who was Jesus hardest on in the gospels, “sinners” or “Pharisees?”, they all know the answer. It’s funny. Everyone knows.
Jesus enters Jericho and he immediately gravitates to the most disliked person in town. It just so happens he is up in a tree. Zacchaeus is drawn to Jesus as well. He has become rich collecting taxes for an occupying army. Zacchaeus admits openly to fraud. Jesus goes to his house for dinner. Reading the story carefully in Luke 19, “all” begin to grumble. If you pay attention to outsiders, the insiders will grumble. Expect it. Love the insiders anyway. Pay attention to the outsiders anyway. Live in the tension, knowing that it leads to a cross. Read More...
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