Dear friends in Christ,

About ten years ago, I came to a worship service at Saint Michael Lutheran Church just like you do without a clue that someday I would be your pastor. It's pretty rare for a pastor to have the privilege of getting this kind of fellow-worshiper perspective on his congregation but this first impression is a special memory that I cherish. From the start our church impressed me as a clean, modern facility that was comfortable yet elegant, and the people had an informal friendliness about them that was warm and inviting. The worship space was conducive to focusing both on Christ and on His body that was worshiping with me. Praise the Lord for all those who have given of their time, treasure and talent over the last forty-two years to give us this beautiful house of God we call our church home.

I trust that you join me in being grateful to God for giving this congregation the vision to expand its facilities over the years as its ministry has grown--from the original educational building that served as the worship sanctuary for nearly thirty years; to the addition of a fellowship hall / educational wing in the late 1960's; to the improved offices, hallways, and entrances in the 1980's; to the current sanctuary in 1990; to the most recent renovations in the original east/west wing which gave us new offices for the church, for Covenant, for Christ for Kids and Saint Michael Lutheran School; and finally all the necessary educational space to operate a 3 and 4 year old pre-school, day-care, kindergarten and first grade.

It would be easy for us to say, "Wow! I think we've done enough already!" Indeed, by the grace of God, we have done much for Him in His harvest field. Yet we can never say we've done enough, not while the mission field around us is still "ripe unto the harvest" (John 4:35). As our ministry of planting the Word of God, nurturing what it produces, and reaping the harvest continues to grow, so does the need for the facilities to accommodate this Kingdom work. Beyond this, I'm convinced that the construction of a new wing, a "Family Life Center," would prepare the soil for even greater growth in ministry and an even larger harvest of souls than we have seen to this point.

If the lay leadership in our "Gather a Harvest" campaign is any indication, God is continuing to do great things through us. Our beginnings have already told us to expect an abundant harvest. At our Awareness Forum on October 20, and the awareness visits that followed, we have became aware of many important prayer concerns that we are taking before the Lord even now and we are anticipating with excitement bringing them before our Lord during the 24-hour Prayer Vigil on November 9-10. Our special stewardship Bible Studies and Worship services have begun and will continue through November 17, the Sunday in which we will gather in the evening for our great Congregational Commitment Dinner at WMU's Bernhard Center.

Can you feel the excitement building? The Kingdom of God is growing, from a small mustard seed of faith into a giant plant. The Lord is filling His vineyard with workers. The joy of the harvest is not far away. Let us gather together!

In Christ's love and service,
Pastor Paul Naumann