Two months out
Youth celebrate ‘bold’ women in their lives
B
old Women’s Day, observed on the fourth Sunday in February
by Women of the ELCA, celebrates Lutheran women who are boldly living their faith in Jesus Christ. Members of All Saints Lutheran Church, Port Orange,
The project created a renewed sense of community among the women in the church.
Fla., have celebrated this day for four years but last year kicked it up a notch. In addition to an installation service for the new Women of the ELCA officers, the congregation’s fourth- through eighth-graders created a “Bold Women Wall.” The six youth sought out “bold women” they know at
For more information, contact Liz McCandless, church administrator, at
lmccandless@aslcpo.org
All Saints, interviewed them and took their photos. Kellie Lehr, youth group leader, turned the information and pho- tos into letter-sized posters to be displayed on the bulletin board at All Saints. Each featured woman received a postcard ver- sion of her poster as a keepsake for participating. “I wanted our youth to know
more about the women of our church and how close they are to
women who use their lives to proclaim Jesus,” Lehr said. The 18 women featured play various roles at All Saints.
“These bold women are all around us at church,” Lehr said. “These women aren’t read about in the newspaper, seen on the news or written about in a book, but they are on the front lines of helping our church and our community. They are women following where God is leading them.” One of last year’s posters read: “I am grateful to know
[woman’s name] because she is so loving and kind, and she believes and stands for what God wants in her life.” Another read: “[Name] is bold because she believes in God and does what is right for those who need a voice. I am grateful to know her because she is a joy in my life.” While the project helped the youth learn more about the
women, the wall had an added bonus of creating excitement and a renewed sense of community among the women in the church.
By Megan Brandsrud, an associate editor of The Lutheran.
Send congregational stories—those for a specifi c month/holiday or your best timeless idea—to
julie.sevig@
thelutheran.org.
42
www.thelutheran.org
Youth at All Saints Lutheran, Port Orange, Fla., last year honored women in the congregation by creating a “Bold Women Wall” of posters in celebra- tion of Women of the ELCA’s Bold Women’s Day.
Good one! Share your good news
T
o share the unique stories of its parishioners, WestSide Lutheran, Sioux Falls, S.D., created “WestSide Stories,” online video vignettes of its members sharing their faith and passion for the congregation. “From the beginning, WestSide has been infused with story,” said Heidi Binstock, pastor. “The purpose of doing these videos is to tell our stories for the sake of faith. Our stories are confes- sions of God’s extraordi- nary work in our ordinary lives. They are stories of good news, and when good news is shared, it works faith.” The videos start with members introducing themselves and saying, “This is my WestSide story.” Those featured then tell a little about their faith journey, how they found WestSide and what they like about the congregation. The videos help members get to know more about each other and introduce the culture of WestSide to those who come across the videos on the church website. “When we get used to seeing someone in the same place, we start thinking we know each other when we really don’t,” Binstock said. “Telling our WestSide stories is a reminder that there is more to know and keeps us curious about one another. Being known is an important aspect to community, and we want to create an environment in which we gather as real people, with real stories to share.”
For more information, contact
info@westsidelutheran.com
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