An Apostle from COS

16 October 2024

What a delightful shot in the arm.

My teacher wife, LuAnne, wanted to take advantage of her day off this past Monday and take a trip to Savannah for the weekend. The good news is that she invited me to join her. 😀

As part of our trip, LuAnne and I worshiped Sunday at a church older than our country and positioned on the historic Wright Square, Lutheran Church of the Ascension. A few years back, one of our COS confirmands-turned-young adults, Hannah Swensen, took my advice to check out Ascension. Hannah was moving to Savannah with her F.B.I. post and I hoped she’d appreciate my buddy who serves Ascension, Pastor Matt Henning. She did! And actually, not only were Hannah and her fiancé Chase married at Ascension, but they joined the congregation too.

I asked Bob & Margie Swensen, Hannah’s grandparents and faithful COS worshipers, for Hannah’s latest phone number to see if she might be in worship when we visited. Well, not only did Hannah greet us and showed us where to sit. Hannah presented up front a “ministry moment” as part of Ascension’s stewardship campaign!

You see, despite living in an era when fewer young adults see congregational connection as important, Hannah is one of the key leaders of Ascension’s feeding ministries to the homeless. Every other week, Hannah bakes 10 casseroles before getting up at 6 AM on Sunday to prepare the feeding center for the early morning breakfast that will nourish almost 100 under-resourced neighbors! Set up, caring conversations with the hungry homeless, logistical oversight, clean up. And then she still goes to church to worship at 8.30 and then returns to the final clean-up afterward. Plus, she takes turns with the Tuesday dinner crew too!

As a COS member or friend, aren’t you immensely proud of Hannah? I know LuAnne and I are. You probably join me, excitedly knowing that Hannah represents hundreds of young people that COS helped raise in the promises and plans of Jesus, and then sent them out across the nation where God is using them for all kinds of amazing purposes! In her ministry moment, Hannah called me out and shared that it was her participation in her childhood congregation’s (COS) Summer Backpack Ministry that lit a fire for her to someday join another church’s feeding program. And Hannah invited all the worshipers to share their gifts and take some part in Ascension’s ministry.

Hannah is evidence that what we do at COS really matters! Our offerings transformed into paid ministry leaders that stand by parents to help form our children who love and are lifted by Jesus really matters. Faith formation at COS helps our kids not only enjoy their childhoods more but also see themselves more clearly as wonderful agents in God’s future unfolding plan!

Our generosity series, Stewarding God’s Mysteries, kicks off this Sunday with the fun question, What’s in the Gift Box? Hannah gives us a big clue, demonstrating that God instills in each of us all kinds of gifts to make the world a better place while allowing God to fill our own hearts with joy.

Proverbs 22:6 states, “train up a child in the way she should go and when she is old, she will not depart from it.” Yes, it might be a mystery why this doesn’t always seem to hold true, many parents anguish. BUT, in many important cases, Proverbs is right on the money. Hannah is evidence!

Thank you, COS, for your generous support of our kids, like Hannah, in a faith culture where they are watching, learning, and making decisions for their futures . . . even if they don’t always articulate their thoughts along the way. Sometimes, time is required for the story’s chapters to unfold and for the seeds to germinate.

In Christ’s hope,

Pastor Fritz

Questions for Reflection:

How did you replicate, in your own way, one act of faithfulness demonstrated by your parents?
What’s one lesson your home congregation taught you that you still appreciate today?
Why might it seem that young adults like the well-engaged and church-involved Hannah are the minority of today’s younger folks? What can we do to help?

Let us pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for the privilege of coming together as COS and making a formative difference in the lives of children like Hannah. Guide our younger generation toward pathways that will honor you, bring joy to them, and drive your loving agenda for the sake of the world. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

P.S. And can’t wait to have a ball with you at Octoberfest out at Palmetto Road this Saturday!