AS I AM
As we walk through this summer series titled "As I Am" we are being called by God to "be holy as I am holy." Each week of this series we're exploring a different character trait of God's and how he is developing that same character trait in us. As we do, I invite you to do three things.

1. Allow yourself to experience the blessings of God's character. He is faithful, loving, reliable, compassionate, merciful, and more. What a blessing it is to us that God is so good and holy.
2. Consider how you can allow God to develop within you that same character trait so that you, too, are faithful, loving, reliable, compassionate, merciful, etc. Examine your ways and your motivations and let his Holy Spirit work in you.
3. Remember God is gracious and forgiving. Don't let shame and guilt define your life—God doesn't. He gave us Jesus through whom we have forgiveness once and for all. Your faith in Jesus makes you a beloved child of God, defined only by him.

May the beautiful character of our holy God also define who we are as the people of God.

STAGE LIGHTING
The Full Council is exploring the possibility of upgrading our stage lighting for both the center (preaching) stage and the side (music) stage. This isn't really a matter of "needing to upgrade again" after what we did in 2019. This is more of an area of remodeling that wasn't really done in the first place.

Those of you who attend onsite might not notice the need very easily. That's likely because you've gotten accustomed to the way the lighting is in the room and it's a soft home-like experience. And it works. But those of you who watch online can tell the need for this because our video appears blurry and dark and washed out. That's not a problem with the cameras. It's the lighting. In lighting terms the minimum amount of "lux" needed (think brightness) for video is 1000 with 1500-2000 being better. Our current stage lighting is only 200-300 lux (which is probably about the same as your kitchen) using standard led floodlight type fixtures. We need more professional lighting to achieve the brightness that other churches have who do well with their service livestreams. When this upgrade takes place, you'll notice a significant improvement to the quality of the online video and a much brighter experience onsite. Please note, we're not talking about flashing laser lights and smoke and all that. This is just white lighting to brighten up the faces.  

Giving has been strong this year so we'll likely be able to cover the expenses but if you'd like to financially support that project, your gifts will help us ensure it gets done well.

MORE NEW PEOPLE
Last week Deanna and I enjoyed hosting half a dozen young couples (with no kids or with one baby) who are new to the church within the last 10 months. We had a great time getting to know each other and making connections. Sarah tells me that she's added 16 new families to our database within the last 8-10 months. Please, make connections with these new people by introducing yourselves and getting to know them.

STAY CONNECTED TO YOUR CHURCH
As we all move into the summer with so many opportunities to get out do stuff we couldn't all winter, I'm inviting you to consider making it a priority to stay connected to your church. If you're away, watch the service online. You can always find them on our Livestream page or our YouTube Channel. If you're nearby, try to make it a priority to join us for worship! Summer is also a time when giving tends to go down. Many people only give when they're present. Would you be willing to come up with a way to continue your giving even if you're not here? Your consistent contributions to the mission of this church will help us continue to grow our staff, ministry programs, and missional impact on the Red Wing community. 

AS I AM
Our next preaching series, June through August, is called, "AS I AM: How the Character of God Defines the People of God." In the scriptures, God commands us to "be holy as I am holy." Each week we'll explore a particular character trait of God's and how it blesses us.  Then we'll explore how we can develop that character trait in ourselves, with the help of the Holy Spirit, and bless others, as well. If you happen to be away, try to catch us online on our Livestream page or our YouTube Channel.

REFLECTIONS ON OUR 150TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
President Rev. Tammy Swanson-Draheim
This last Sunday, May 26 2024, we had the honor of hosting Rev. Tammy Swanson-Draheim, President of the Evangelical Covenant Church (our denomination). Pastor Tammy's presence and message were so inspiring to all who were here! She honored First Covenant so well by acknowledging so many important parts of our church's history and the people who were part of it all. I'm so glad so many of you got to hear her message and even meet her. You were all so gracious and encouraging. I'm so thankful for such a great weekend. If you didn't get to see her message, you can watch it on YouTube or on our 150th Anniversary webpage.

Superintendent Rev. Kara Stromberg
We also had the honor of hosting Rev. Kara Stromberg, Superintendent of the Northwest Conference of Covenant churches on May 05 2024. I've know Pastor Kara for many years and watched her grow from being a children's pastor, to joining the conference staff as the Director of Children and Family to becoming the Associate Superintendent and now as the Superintendent. Kara and I serve on the NWC Ministerial Association's Executive Board together and I truly appreciate her leadership and pastoral heart. Pastor Kara, too, honored our church's 150th Anniversary well and she is such an encouraging person. I'm so thankful that you all have had the opportunity to hear and meet her. If you weren't in church the Sunday she was here, you can watch the service on YouTube or on our 150th Anniversary webpage.