Family of God Lutheran Church     ELCA

General News and  Events

RIC Discussion

Sunday, January 11 at 11 am

Greetings to everyone at Family of God —

     Now that Christmas is over, we want to take some time to refresh our collective memories on an upcoming vote at church. You may have heard that we held discussion sessions about something called “RIC.” If you haven’t had a chance to participate in  any of the gatherings, or if you’d like a reminder on what that is, please check out the information below so you’re well informed for our annual meeting.

  What is RIC? RIC stands for Reconciling in Christ. This is a program that helps congregations fulfill their goals of being welcoming to people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, races, and ethnicities. The program has existed since 1983. A number of congregations in our synod (as well as the synod office itself) are now RIC. We are considering RIC for our congregation now, too.

  Why does RIC focus on these groups? Unfortunately, over the years, people in certain groups have not experienced the same welcome that others have in the Christian church. Focusing on these groups seeks to address that hurt. If you remember the parable of the lost sheep, this story helps illustrate how some individuals have different needs that require additional care from the church. Some of our members have expressed that RIC would be a 

meaningful step in showing that care.

  Why is this program helpful? Can’t we accomplish this on our own? It is true that the values expressed in the RIC program do align with our congregation. The program itself may help deepen that focus and give us tools to live that out. It can also make us aware of growth opportunities we may have otherwise missed.

  What would this program require of us? This is a customizable educational program that can be tailored to fit our needs. It can take two years, or seventeen years if that’s our preference. We learn together, discuss, and reflect on who we are and where we’d like to go. Upon completion, we would need to take steps like indicating our full welcome on our website and be open to calling future clergy to serve our church (should the need arise), regardless of their sexual orientation, race, etc.

  Who runs the RIC program? ReconcilingWorks is a ministry that has been around since 1974. They advocate for the full welcome and inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community and have incorporated antiracism into their ministry in the years since then. ReconcilingWorks receives no funding from the ELCA but works with both our denomination and the ELCIC (Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada).

  What does it cost? As it is so customizable, the program requires a “meaningful” annual contribution. There is no dollar amount set. That is for the congregation (or synod, or campus ministry, etc.) to discern.

  Why do you need to actually know any of this? We will be voting on starting the program at our annual meeting on Sunday, January 25 at 11 am! We will meet one more time to discuss and answer any questions you may have. You’re invited to join us on Sunday, January 11 at 11 am. In the meantime, please feel free to approach us if you want to chat. You can also learn more by going to reconcilingworks.org. It’s important to us that everyone has as much knowledge on this as possible so we can make an informed choice at the annual meeting. We look forward to hearing from you and beginning another year of ministry together!

— Pastor Paul Burow and Pastor Erin Koster

2026 FoG Drama Production:

“The One-Act Play That Goes Wrong” by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer & Henry Shields

Auditions: January 11 & 12

Performances: April 23 - 26

We are looking for actors from age 10 to adult for a variety of roles--no experience necessary. Everyone who auditions will get to participate. Please plan to stay for the whole two hours of audition time, and come:

• Dressed for movement.

• With a list of scheduling conflicts. Rehearsals will generally be held on Sunday afternoon and Monday & Thursday evenings. Performances will be April 23-26.

• Ready to play!

Note that no prepared monologues are necessary--sides from the show will be provided during auditions. If you have questions, please reach out to stage manager Nicole Lang at nicole.lang@gmail.com.

More about our 2026 production: “The One-Act Play That Goes Wrong,” directed by Lynn Mullin. From Mischief--the creators of the West End smash “Peter Pan Goes Wrong’ and the Tony Award®-winning Broadway hit “The Play That Goes Wrong”--this is the original one-act play which started everything going wrong. This comedy about an amateur theater company trying to perform a murder mystery will both keep you on the edge of your seat and give you a stitch in your side! Rehearsals will generally be held on Sunday afternoons and Monday and Thursday evenings. Performances will be April 23-26.

Annual Meeting of the Congregation

Sunday January,  25

11 am

Annual Super Bowl Party:  Please join us for our annual Super Bowl Party, Sunday, February 8th, at 5 pm. It will be a potluck with a big screen to watch the game. Sadly, the Vikings will not be joining us.

A special winter request for new altar care volunteers. The current people who prepare and clean up communion each Sunday are mostly retired and take advantage of the opportunity to escape winter for warmer climates.....very smart, don't ya think? We are needing 2 to 3 people to step up to altar care January - March. If you take just one Sunday a month, that would be much appreciated help. It would mean 20 - 25 minutes before service and 20 minutes after to clean up.

Couples and families have participated previously making light work. Any one of us is more than happy to help you. Please contact Sue Elsass 612-418-9509 or susanelsass@yahoo.com. Thank you for prayerfully considering this most important service.

A Message from the Pastor: There is a bogus/ scam email purportedly from me going around. Please discard it—it has the wrong email address for me. I never ask people generalized requests on email. If it doesn’t sound like me, it is not. Please call if you need to confirm. Thank you—Pastor Paul

December Updates:   A huge thank you to all who contributed to our mitten tree. We were able to bring 2 snow pants, 1 winter jacket, 26 pairs of mittens/gloves and 21 hats to BOTH Evergreen Park & Adams elementary. Headstart donations include, 23 pair gloves/mittens, 16 hats and 28 pair of boys and 39 pair of girls underwear. Some of the mittens were purchased with a $250 Thrivent grant. All three schools were thrilled to have these winter wear extras for their students. 

Our CEAP Food Collection was also a huge success!!!! We brought in 324 lbs of baking & holiday meal items. We were also able to send a $1,000 check to CEAP to use for their holiday programs. Cash donations were from congregational donations & garage sale receipts. Thanks to all who helped out. 

In January we will try to restock the Pirate Pantry at Park Center. Items needed are all grab & go snack items such as: granola bars, cookies, fruit snacks, chips, pop tarts, Gatorade, Easy Mac single bowls, and ramen bowls.

Every Meals Backpack Summary: Family of God volunteers just finished up another successful year distributing back packs each week to students to bring home for the weekend. We partner with Clarity church (they meet at the school). Our total impact was distributing 2,712 food bags to the students. That’s over 10,414 meals. Always looking for new volunteers to help with this project. Think about it for this fall.