Happy Easter!

Alleluia! Christ is Risen! Christ is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!

The hillsides are lush green. The field behind the labyrinth is blazing yellow in the sun. The wisteria vine outside my office window is heavy with gorgeous purple blossoms. New life is bursting forth! Spring is in the air! Hope is in the air!

There are so many reasons for hope right now. Even though we are still in a race with covid variants, more and more people continue to be vaccinated bringing us closer to a time when we can get back together safely with friends, visit with the grandkids, gather together for worship and prayer. We’re not quite there yet but hope is in the air!
Hope is in the air here at Coastside Lutheran Church for other reasons too! Our Pathfinder Congregational Revitalization program successfully kicked off last month with Phase 1 - listening. Through the online survey and the interviews with Kristin, our Joshua Group Consultant, we’ve been listening to each other as we share our hopes and dreams for our congregation.  Through the two Community Listening Forums our congregation hosted on zoom, we opened up a channel to listen to the hopes, dreams and needs of our Half Moon Bay community.

Listening is the first step in revitalization, not only because it allows us to get a sense of who and where we are but also because listening in community allows the Holy Spirit to speak. For example, did you know that in our Lutheran faith tradition, it is not enough for an individual person to claim the role of minister even if they personally feel called by the Spirit and have met all the education and training requirements? In the Lutheran church, before that person can be ordained, the call must also be confirmed by the community; in other words, a congregation must also hear the call and feel the movement of the Spirit. It is the same for our congregation as we discern the mission and future into which God is calling us; no single one of us can set that direction alone but together we hear the voice of the Spirit and discern where she is leading us.

Perhaps at this point you’re thinking, I haven’t been as involved as I used to be since I’ve gotten really busy at work or since the kids have left for college; or I have only become involved recently, worship on line and don’t even live in Half Moon Bay. Should I participate in the survey and the interview? The answer to that is a resounding YES! Each person brings into the conversation a unique perspective and the Spirit speaking through you will help fill out our collective understanding of what CLC is now and what it could be in the future. And it is not too late if you haven’t completed the survey or signed up for an interview yet. The survey and interviews will continue until April 12.  Links are provided on page 8 of this newsletter.
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Once we have completed our initial round of sharing and listening, our next step is to get together to look at the information we’ve collected and talk about what we’ve heard. Kristin will be holding two sessions in April to provide us with summaries and lead us in discussion: Sunday, April 18 from noon to 2pm and Sunday, April 25, from 11:15am to 12:15pm, both on zoom using the Sunday morning worship link. The two hour session on April 18 is meant to provide extra time for diving deep into discussion and questions. The meeting on April 25 is a shorter session meant to provide a synopsis of the findings. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend either or both of these sessions to hear and discern what the Spirit is saying to us through our Coastside Lutheran community and the Half Moon Bay community.

​Thank you to everyone who has already participated in phase 1 by completing the survey, talking with Kristin and attending the community listening forums. If you haven’t done one or more of these things yet, there is still time. The survey and interviews will continue until April 12 and the community listening forums are posted online for you to view and re-view. See page 7 of this newsletter for links.
Blessings to you as we enter this season of Eastertide that is bursting forth with new and abundant life and is energized with the hope and expectation of resurrection. 
Alleluia! Christ is Risen! Christ is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!  

Peace, Pastor Sue