You I


bless what?


Peter’s when Jeff Cours and the evangelism commit- tee brought up the idea last year. “Many members are transplants, born and raised in the Midwest, and blessing surfboards and surfers is a little outside their range of experience,” Cours explained. But as committee member Jamie Foley, who was the driving force for making Cours’ idea happen, said, “Ocean Beach has a huge surfing community, and we wanted to reach that part of the community we see every day but don’t necessarily interact with.” Surfers drive by the church, and park nearby. They have a reputation for taking up parking spots and discarding the gallon jugs that held water to wash sand off their feet, Foley said. But at the same time, locals are aware of how dangerous the popular spot is to surf—access to and from the ocean is via a nearby cliff, not a sandy beach. “We just wanted them to know ‘We’re here and we


34 The Lutheran • www.thelutheran.org


Karen Mahron, pastor of St. Peter’s by-the- Sea Lutheran Church in Ocean Beach, Calif., blesses a surfer and surfboard in what will likely become an annual event at the church. Jamie Foley (below), a member of the evan- gelism committee, draws surfers to the church parking lot with her signs.


From Atlantic to Pacific … blessings abound By Julie B. Sevig


t’s not unusual for congregations to bless pets in October and children’s backpacks (sometimes even the briefcases of professionals) at the beginning of a school year. But in the summer, a congregation in the West and another in the East gather to bless something entirely different. In Ocean Beach (San Diego), Calif., St. Peter’s by-the-Sea Lutheran Church blesses surfboards and those who ride them. In Barnegat Light, N.J., Zion Lutheran Church par- ticipates in an annual Blessing of the Fleet: commercial and recreational boats. “You want to bless what?” was the reaction at St.


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