Tomorrow we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the first worship service of what became Life in Christ Lutheran Church. According to a time line that one of our members put together, the first service took place at Everest College. Somewhere between 25-30 people gathered to be blessed by the Lord.
Surely those folks had no idea what God had in mind for this church. Could any of them imagined the "Church with the Heart" located on 75th Avenue? Would any of them dreamed of the kind of busy church campus we have, not only on Sunday morning but also throughout the week? Who would have predicted such things?
What we know today is that for 10 years people have come together to receive the gifts of God - forgiveness for their sins, peace for their hearts, and the assurance of eternal life in heaven. They've come to grow in faith through the preaching and teaching of the Gospel and by receiving the Sacraments. They've discovered community and a place where warm and friendly people come together to study and pray and serve the Lord, each other, the valley of the sun and the world.
During the Board of Ministry Directors meeting last month we stopped in the middle of what we were doing to pray and give thanks to God for seeing us through another year and for having blessed us in so many creative but unexpected ways. The BMD sat in awe as it talked about the love and power of the Lord.
Tomorrow is going to be an exciting day. At 3 pm we will have a special worship service of thanksgiving to the Lord for 10 great years of His grace. Pastor Vern Trahms, who helped to shepherd the group that first met at Everest College will be our guest speaker. Special music has been planned. A video has been prepared to offer a retrospective of the Lord's work here at LICL. We'll cap off the day with a reception on the patio, featuring lots of delicious hors d'oeuvres and an opportunity for fellowship.
What will the next 10 years look like? Who knows? The Lord knows! As we have done, let us continue to trust that God will lead and bless our ministry as we faithfully proclaim the wonderful salvation that Jesus Christ offers the world. We know how the Gospel has changed our lives. Let's keep on telling that good news to our community and world so that more lives are changed and come to know and trust in Jesus as the only Savior and Lord!
