Interim Associate Pastor

February 27, 2023

Dear Lord of Life,

I am pleased to announce the Associate Pastor Call Committee has completed its work and has recommended Cassandra Nagle for the position of Associate Pastor at Lord of Life. At its meeting on February 21, the Congregation Council unanimously approved their recommendation, and we now bring Cassandra to the congregation for approval.

This letter serves to inform you of an officially called congregational meeting to take place at 12:15 pm on March 12, 2023. The only agenda item for this meeting will be the Associate Pastor Call. Any voting member of the congregation is welcome to attend. This meeting will only take place in person, and we are not able to accept absentee voting.

Please join me in thanking the Call Committee for their dedicated work over the last 7 months. If you have questions about the meeting or about the call process, please feel free to contact Pastor David, any of the Call Committee members, or myself, and we will be glad to help. We hope you will make a point to join us for this exciting opportunity in the life of our congregation.

Peace in Christ,
Linda Nicolosi
Congregation Council President
Lord of Life office: 281-367-7016
 
Call Committee Members:  
Deb Spiess – Chair
Pastor David Bauser EMAIL
Rich Kreitz
JJ Minarcik
Charles Payton
Emily Vacha
Zach Wirt
June 2020
 
Dear Lord of Life,
 
It is my pleasure to announce to you that the Congregational Council has voted to extend a contract to Ms. Cassandra Nagle for the position of Interim Associate Pastor. The base period of the contract will run from July 12 through the end of this year with monthly extensions possible afterward.
 
Cassandra is a native of Houston and comes to us as a recent graduate of Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. During her studies she spent a year as a pastoral intern at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church in Renton, WA. When her internship was complete, she continued working for this community while she finished her coursework. To Lord of Life, she brings a fresh energy, a diverse perspective and a strengthening of our ministries. During this contract period she will also be working through the Ordination process. The Synod office has indicated they will extend to Cassandra approval to fully function as an Associate Pastor at Lord of Life for the referenced period.
 
Please join me in welcoming Cassandra into our Congregation.
Joe Cox
Lord of Life Council President


Spam Emails

 

Dear Lord of Life,

We are aware that there are more attempts to scam our members by someone pretending to be me. The email/text message claims to be from “Pastor David” and generally asks you to respond in the same manner because there is a “confidential issue” I need to speak to you about.
 
Unfortunately, because the emails are “spoofs” (emails that pretend to be from someone they are not) there is very little we can do as a staff to prevent this. However, there are a few easy things you can remember to protect yourself:
 
1) If you ever have a question or concern about something you receive from the church, you can call the church office at 281-367-7016 or contact the staff/volunteer member directly. We will never communicate with you about money and refuse to talk to you in person about the same issue.
 
2) DOUBLE-CHECK THE EMAIL ADDRESS and not only the “name” that appears. Spoof emails are often some form of “pastor” + random numbers @gmail or other email providers (yahoo, hotmail, etc.). Whenever possible LoL staff will use our staff emails coming from @lolonline.org. If you see a different domain please contact the church or staff directly to confirm the information.
 
3) All the staff at Lord of Life have access to funds to make purchases in emergency situations. We will never ask you to purchase gift cards or process other funds by simply claiming an “emergency.”
 
Thank you all for your patience and continued faithfulness to God’s ministry at Lord of Life!

Peace,

Pastor David


Uvalde

Dear Lord of Life,
I, for one,  feel broken and empty.
 
I find myself grieving for the community of Uvalde, grieving for the teachers and staff of our local schools, grieving for the students – like my daughter and all our kids at Lord of Life – for whom this has become a reality, and grieving for our communities that are weary from the regularity of these tragedies.
 
I am exhausted.
 
I am at a loss for solutions.
 
I am at a loss for explanations.
 
One thing has become clear to me: we have a spiritual problem. Some may point to guns, or to mental health, or to some other issue. I believe these are merely symptoms of an underlying cause. Our spiritual sickness prevents us from seeing one another as beloved children of God, it prevents us from reaching across divides to search for common ground, it entrenches us in our idolatry of political posturing, and it distracts us with anger at our neighbors rather than a love that seeks healing.
 
As you have heard me say over and over, at Lord of Life we cling to a vision of a world in which “all have life through the love of Christ.” Yesterday at Robb Elementary 19 children and 2 adults had that life stolen away. We hold firmly to the promise of the resurrection and that life does not end with our final breath on this earth.
 
Yet we also believe that life through the love of Christ begins now and so, as we pursue this vision, we must seek healing for our spiritual illness. We must see one another, even those who call us enemies, as children of God. We must treat others with humanity even when they deny our own. We must turn to one another in community when we are told to draw lines and choose sides. We must stretch beyond the boundaries that separate us — those we choose and those placed upon us. I have been in prayer for the community of Uvalde, for the teachers of our community, for students across the country.
 
The reason I pray is not for God to fix some problem on my behalf. I pray so that I may be drawn closer to the heart of God. When this is my aim, then I become the agent of God’s mercy, love, and justice on this earth. In prayer we feel God’s heartbeat, we are held close like a newborn on their mother’s chest, and our life echoes that beat into the world.
 
So, I encourage you to join me in prayer. Prayer for the victims and the perpetrator; prayer for leaders who will work for change; prayer for our friends and our enemies; prayer that our very lives would echo God’s heartbeat and “that all have life through the love of Christ.”
 
God loves each of you and I do too,
Pastor David
 
P.S.
If you or anyone in your life needs a place to process or discuss these incredibly challenging issues, please know that I, and the entire staff at Lord of Life, are here for you.
Call us. 281-367-7016
Do whatever you have to.
But always remember that we do not need to walk these roads alone. We are here for one another.


Covid Update 3-2022

We are following the CDC’s updated guidance which currently puts our area at “Medium Risk” for transmission.
 
We encourage all our members to take appropriate precautions for their health and the well-being of the community.
 
As always, if you are feeling unwell (cough, sneeze, fever, etc.) please stay home and take advantage of the live-stream of all our worship opportunities and most of our adult education courses.
 


Pastoral Response to Ukraine and Transgender Youth

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