Updates from congregations around the Church of the Lutheran Confession
“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.” (Psalm 127:1 ESV)
What a comfort it is to know that the Lord is building our house (our congregation), according to His own plan and His own timetable! At the same time, what an encouragement it is to know that the Lord, in His wisdom and grace, has delegated his ministry to us! Surely the Lord will bless our humble efforts on His behalf.
Week by week things seem fairly consistent at Living Savior. A look back at the past five years, however, reveals significant changes. Having served the congregation periodically as a guest preacher for about a year and a half, I received and accepted the call to serve as full-time pastor in 2022. We continue to rent the Huber Funeral Chapel in Eden Prairie, but in 2023 we revised our agreement with Huber, allowing us to use the space for midweek services (Wednesdays in Lent, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Ascension, Thanksgiving, Wednesdays in Advent, and Christmas Day) in addition to every Sunday morning. These special services have been a great blessing to us.
Josh Fabian’s Baptism with Pastor Luke Willitz
The Lord has showered us with many smaller blessings that may easily be taken for granted. The donated wooden hymn board gives our rented space a more churchly appearance. The hand-me-down paraments that we have received from two other congregations serve as nice reminders of the general theme of each season and help to beautify our altar and pulpit. The donation of new communion ware has added to the beauty of our altar and has aided us in receiving the body and blood of Christ with reverence and thankfulness. Many small acts of service, words of encouragement, and gestures of love and of fellowship easily fly under the radar; but the Lord uses all of them to build us up in the body of Christ.
We hope and pray for more change in the future, but presently we find ourselves in a sort of chicken/egg situation. Reaching out to the community is challenging when we have no permanent building of our own, when we have no permanent sign out front to let nearby residents know that we are here, and when we meet at a location that many are likely to avoid on account of its association with death (and they have not yet heard that we have the cure for death!). At the same time, acquiring a permanent building of our own is challenging for our group of thirty souls. The Lord has blessed us greatly as a self-supporting congregation, but currently the purchase of a building suitable for our needs seems to be beyond our financial reach.
Please join me in praying for Living Savior Lutheran Church. Pray that the Lord will open opportunities for us to reach the lost in our community with the saving message of the Gospel. Pray that the Lord will bless us with the dedication, the courage, and the boldness necessary to take advantage of these opportunities. Pray that the Lord will bless us with a permanent facility fully dedicated to the carrying out of our mission.
While we are hoping and praying, we are tremendously grateful for the things that remain the same. “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning.” (Lamentations 3:22-23, ESV) The pure Word is proclaimed among us, the sacraments are rightly administered, and the Holy Spirit continues to work through these humble means to enrich each of us with forgiveness, new life, and salvation. Attendance at our weekly divine service averages about twenty-five. Special service attendance averages about fifteen. Some of our adults gather for Bible class on Sunday morning while the children attend Sunday school. Ten individuals (including a few from a sister congregation) attend our weekday morning devotion via Zoom, with an average daily attendance of seven. Four individuals participate in a midweek Bible study. Throughout my time as pastor, we have had two students enrolled in confirmation class each year. It would be easy for one to overlook these seemingly mundane activities as nothing more than “the usual,” but we know better. We know that the Holy Spirit is working mightily among us in Word and in sacrament. Blessed be the name of the Lord!
Pastor Luke Willitz and a recent confirmand
Of special note are a few of our most recent celebrations. Joshua Fabian (a brother/brother-in-law of a member couple) began attending our services in the late spring of 2024. I began meeting with Josh regularly for adult instruction. Appropriately, Josh was baptized on January 12, 2025 which, on the church year calendar, is “The Baptism of Our Lord.” On April 20, The Resurrection of Our Lord, Josh was confirmed in the faith and we received him as a communicant member of Living Savior. On June 8, The Day of Pentecost, one of our catechism students was examined, confirmed in the faith, and received as a communicant member. Blessed be the name of the Lord!
We are thankful for the blessings of the past. We are prayerful for the needs and desires of the future. Above all we are joyful for the grace of the present! The Lord is building the house. Blessed be the name of the Lord!
is pastor of Living Savior Lutheran Church in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.