Ministry Site Profile

This commentary is one portion of the Ministry Site Profile, the first step in the Call Process.

It only takes a spark to get a fire going.
These classic lines from Kurt Kaiser are a metaphor of sprit and community for generations of Christians. In our faith and spirituality, even a spark brings hope and promise as the glow, the spiritual pilot light that lives within each of us in the midst of a sinful life, awaits our personal invitation from the Holy Spirit to direct us to blow on that ember, to start the fire and pass it on.

This metaphor can also be used to describe our faith journey and nature of our ministry site as Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. We know we have that spark within us, but our fire is not burning in the bright way we want and need it to. Our elder generations have lovingly tended the fire for many years; their wood has now burned into deep coals, still there but gradually dimming. We as church body, especially a younger generation, now need to not just stir up the coals, but bring new fuel to the fire. Of course, it is the power of the Holy Spirit within us that reminds us of the promise of God’s love, redemption, and forgiveness through God’s Son Jesus Christ. We know this, but we need that spark lit, since it truly does only take a spark to get a fire going.

So how do we ignite the spark? One way may be through our gift of music. Holy Trinity is known for our tradition of choral excellence in a congregation with a strong emphasis on worship and music. The pastor and musician have historically formed a worship planning team/partnership, the result being integrated worship in which the preaching and music support the Word. The choir sees its primary goal as that of liturgical leadership and support.

With this emphasis, talented individuals, and a long-term (24 years) Minister of Music, it may be possible to light a spark into the music program, both inviting in and extending out into the communities around us. Genuine spirituality, like art, is open and dynamic; both are the hope of a world so badly in need of transformation. Music and art could be a distinguishing feature of our spirituality, our witness to the world, and an identity for who we are a church community.

Another way to light the spark may be with a physical transformation of our narthex. Early in 2010 a team was convened to discuss our worship life. One of the outcomes of this is that we wish to upgrade our narthex to be more welcoming to visitors and functional for the congregation.

One of the key assets of our church family at Holy Trinity is our endowment funds, both materially and symbolically. Lovingly given and loyally stewarded by our earlier generations, these monies are the lifeline of our financial ability to provide for our practical means of salary and expense. However, this can also give us a sense of complacency and cause us to be adverse to risk. Our challenge is to understand how we can use and share these resources not just for our survival, but towards building our church and to answer God’s call for Holy Trinity’s ministry.

It only takes a spark to light a fire. While there are challenges in this small congregation, there is also a desire to see the new fire. We eagerly await our new pastor so that we can work together to reignite the fire that burns brightly in this congregation.