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Dear LPC Family Member,

My name is Curtis Harder and I am currently the Chair of the Board of Elders. We are already well into fall and on behalf of the Elders I am here to provide a status update for the church.

I’m writing this letter after participating in a “Marriage Matters” evening this week at the church, led by our own Mark deLeeuw. There were 18 of us in the room, some familiar and some not, all with an interest in learning how to improve our marriages and ourselves. It was amazing to see so many people spending time in community, on a Monday evening, earnestly seeking God in what is surely their most deeply personal relationship. Even though we have been back to meeting in person on Sunday mornings for a while now, I was reminded again of some of the things that we put on hold during the pandemic and how great it is to see these things reintroduced. 

This very special evening at the church actually proved to be the inspiration I needed to write a “fall update” for you, on behalf of the Board of Elders. There are some great things happening at Lambrick that we are noticing and want you to notice too. The gifts of those in our congregation being utilized in new ways (think “Fruitable” series this summer). New ministries/initiatives being added to longstanding ones. Evidence of people seeking Christ with us, growing up in faith, hearing God’s voice, and even responding to God for the first time. 

As the height of the pandemic seems to now be behind us, we see more people returning through the church doors on Sundays and are getting a clearer sense of who we are in this new chapter, even while we know some aren’t quite ready to join us in person. It’s true, we are missing some old familiar faces. Some of those we have loved deeply have passed on. Some have moved on to other church families. And sadly, there probably are some who came and left before we even got to know who they were (oh, how we hope this number is small). But on the other hand, we are excited to regularly be seeing new faces and fewer seats empty on Sunday mornings.

With all that has changed over the course of the pandemic, and all that is underway at Lambrick right now, this seems like a good time for us to “take stock”: to clarify who is with us (old and new), how God is moving among us, and where we collectively feel God challenging us to grow. The “Holy Conversation” plan that begins with a congregational group discussion on October 30 is a part of this - and there will be more focus on this leading into 2023. We hope that you will personally consider how God is calling you to contribute your gifts/talents as a part of the Lambrick body. 

And while this is isn’t a “finance update” letter, I need to mention with concern that Lambrick’s giving revenue hasn’t matched its increase in growth. We have a deficit that is increasing and that at its current rate will require us to make some difficult decisions within the coming months. If you’ve been at Lambrick for a while, you probably already know about this trend in Lambrick’s finances. Thank you for your prayers and ongoing giving. Please continue with both! And if Lambrick has become your church recently and you have yet to contribute financially, we hope you will begin to enter into this with us.

If you have read this far, you likely have already made a decision to lean in at some level and be a part of the Lambrick church body. Thank you for your engagement. We look forward to seeing what God has in store for Lambrick through people like you. Last but certainly not least, on behalf of Lambrick’s leadership, I want to ask for your prayers as we seek God’s direction for Lambrick in the months ahead.

May the Lord bless you and keep you. Thank you for listening.

Curtis Harder

Chair, LPC Board of Elders