John Louk

I am encouraging our congregation to fast during Lent which begins on Ash Wednesday, February 17. This is simply an invitation and not an expectation. There will be a short meeting following worship (about 12:45 pm) on Sunday, February 7 for everyone planning to fast during Lent . We will make sure everyone understands how to fast, answer questions, and encourage one another. As I said at the beginning of January , fasting is a spiritual discipline; it means abstaining from food for spiritual purposes. Fasting and prayer go together. Therefore we devote the time normally used for eating to reading scripture and prayer. Furthermore, the feeling of hunger is a reminder to draw near to God. Doing so often leads to greater intimacy with the Lord and to hearing more clearly what the Lord is saying to us. While there are interesting physical things that happen when we fast, far beyond anything physical is the spiritual. This is a discipline that helps us hear from the Lord and be in the...

John Wesley, the instigator of the Methodist movement, was an Anglican clergyman. In March 1739 he left London and met his friend, the evangelist George Whitefield, in Bristol. He then did something stunning. He preached outside in a field. Wesley wrote in his journal: [March 31, 1739 ] “I could scarcely reconcile myself at first to this strange way of preaching in the fields, of which [Mr. Whitefield] set me an example on Sunday; I had been all my life (till very lately) so tenacious of every point relating to decency and order that I should have thought the saving of souls almost a sin if it had not been done in a church. April 1.—In the evening (Mr. Whitefield being gone) I began expounding our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount (one pretty remarkable precedent of field-preaching, though I suppose there were churches at that time also), to a little society which was accustomed to meet once or twice a week in Nicholas Street. Monday, 2.—At four in the afternoon, I submitted to be more vil...

I am encouraging our congregation to fast during Lent. This is certainly not an expectation but rather an invitation. Since Lent begins on February 17 (Ash Wednesday), those of us who choose to do this need to begin preparing now. I am using Richard Foster’s wonderful book, Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth , to help us prepare. Much of this post is directly from his book. Fasting is a spiritual discipline; it means abstaining from food for spiritual purposes. Many persons in the Bible fasted, including Moses, David, Elijah, Esther, Daniel, Anna, Paul, and Jesus. This is an ancient discipline that we too would do well to practice. Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) about giving, praying, and fasting as virtues of the kingdom people. Jesus did not say, “If you fast.” Rather he gave directions for “When you fast.” A few chapters later the disciples of John the Baptist approached Jesus and asked why both they and the Pharisees fasted but Jesus’ d...

A year ago I wrote my first “State of the Church” for Salem. What a difference a year makes. I have come to understand much more clearly Salem’s heart for mission. How amazing! During a difficult year as we moved forward following the flood, our congregation continued to give regularly to mission. Our Mission Committee does a wonderful job of being a “town crier” in our village, keeping before us the needs of others locally and globally. In December, we delivered a check for $1,200 to Matthew 25 to support their Thanksgiving and Christmas meals for people in need in Cedar Rapids. It looks like we will give about that much to our Advent offering for local shelters. What a way to celebrate “Christmas is not your birthday!” Way to go, Salem! During the first part of 2009 we instituted a new organizational structure, the Leadership Board. The Leadership Board members have given a great deal of time this year. I have appreciated their work and leadership. This streamlined structure has be...