Hello Friends!
What a month it’s been! First, I want to thank you for letting me start this month on vacation. Ben and I had a lot of fun at the beach with my family. What a delight it is to watch our nephew play with the monster trucks we got him last Christmas! He’s also a big fan of bubbles. Oh, the joy of simple things! Upon our return, I dove right into things here at Solomon’s! It was so neat to meet the High School volunteers who pack for the Power Pack program. The team have a great system! It is so special to know that this congregation, with the help of Solomon’s Lutheran, New Franklin Assembly of God, and the Ruritan club are feeding 20 kids every weekend! If that’s not God’s work in the world, I don’t know what is. Thank you all for your continued support of the Power Pack Program! I love Solomon’s focus on one particular mission area. I think focusing on food resources in our community is a great way to establish our “niche” and our identity as a congregation. Other opportunities to address food insecurities are coming up! Both the Harvest Home food drive and CWS Crop Hunger Walk will be on October 16. Please prayerfully consider supporting one or both of these missions! As we continue getting to know one another, here are some logistical things to keep in mind. I won’t have regular church office hours, but I am available to meet by appointment. Simply give me a call or send an email and we’ll set up a time and place to meet. If calling/texting, just be sure to let me know who you are and how best to get back in touch with you. If I don’t answer a phone call, especially if it’s “after hours,” please leave a voicemail – I do listen to those prior to returning a call. That also lets me know if it’s an urgent need/emergency or if a response can wait until the next day (if after hours). I’m excited about all that is happening at Solomon’s! In addition to this newsletter, you can stay informed by checking the website regularly or following our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/solomonsucc1594 May the peace of God surround each of us this fall, and may the harvest season remind us to always be grateful for God’s provision. – Pastor Julia To everyone at Solomon’s, thank you! I am so excited for what God is doing at this church, and I feel so blessed to get to be part of it! I know that pastoral transitions and visionary planning take a lot of work, prayer, conversation, discernment, and creativity. You’ve worked hard to figure out who you want to be and, more importantly, who God is calling you to be. It will be my honor and great privilege to walk alongside you all in this new journey.
As we get started together, I want to encourage you all in the leadership you’ve already shown. I am not here to “take over.” I am here to help you be the church you’ve envisioned. Keep up that visionary work, that creativity, that prayer and discernment! I am here to “’Wow’ your ideas to life,” not “’how’ them to death.” (I think I heard that from Andy Stanley during a Global Leadership Summit…) Together, we will faithfully pursue God’s calling as we understand it. A little bit more about me. I grew up in Fairfax County Virginia. My Penn State education in Animal Science brought me to Hagerstown, MD, and my parents moved to Waynesboro, PA around the same time. I’ve been in this neck of the woods for a little over seven years. I have an older brother, Jeff, who is married with two kids. My husband, Ben, and I met online in 2019, shortly after I started Seminary. We got married in November 2021 and we’re expecting our first child this Christmas! Ben went to Shippensburg University and now works at the YMCA. We have a dog, Pepe, and two cats, Hank and Monty. They are the loves of our lives as well as the banes of our existence! Lol! We’re looking forward to getting to know all of you and to becoming part of your community. See you soon! -- Pastor Julia |