An Easter Letter from Pastor Tony
“Why do you look for the living among the dead?
He is not here, but has risen.”
Luke 24:5
Happy Easter—He is risen indeed, Alleluia! I thank God for Easter, for the holy day, and for the whole seven-week holy season of Easter. It is such a blessing to get to celebrate our faith and hope in Jesus, the risen Lord who gives us the good news of new life.
We can see that new life all around us as Spring shoots forth. I am loving all the colors bursting forth in the green of the grass, all the flowers (oh my goodness, all the flowers!), and the trees leafing out as well. It is a beautiful spring and it reminds of God the creator, who created all out of nothing who gives new life even after death. Praise be to God!
We can see new life in our ministries together. This Lent we were able to gather in-person for worship, music, and faith formation. We have been celebrating our growing endowment and our generous givers to on-going ministry operations. We raised over $18,000 for our refugee family, youth mission trip, and the first-ever Emmanuel Lutheran Church Young Adult Trip!
We can see new life in our many outreach ministries. Along with the good people of St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Centreville and the folks of Lutheran Social Services, we have been working to support a refugee family settling in the area. We continue to support the Lamb Center, Facets, the Committee for Helping others and more. The number of volunteers and hours they put in serving others is inspiring. The thousands of dollars sent by our Global Mission Team in mission support and our Endowment Team in grants is your giving put into making a real difference in people’s lives near and far.
We can see new life in our staff who are working so hard as is our council and our lay leadership. We are looking forward to Vacation Bible School and youth ministry summer programs. We have even more property improvement projects underway. We are looking forward to Welcome Church Sunday on May 1 and inviting friends to join in worship at Emmanuel. We will kick-off our second year of our endowment campaign continuing to strive together toward our goal of raising $500,000 in lifetime gifts and seeking 50 legacy gifts from estate plan intentions.
We can see new life in our preschool day in and day out too. They have a great leadership team and staff. The kids are active, having fun, learning and growing. The staff are so careful with them during this pandemic. This month, we celebrate the month of the young child, so we give thanks to God for our preschool, our kids and their families—God bless them. They are a gift and an inspiration to us!
My prayer for you this Easter season is that God bless you with a constant sense of God working in your life, giving you new life, raising you up everyday with signs of God’s grace, love, and hope all around you!
Happy Easter,
Pastor Tony Prinsen