When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest? He said to him, ” ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” – Matthew 22:35-40

Hearts and flowers surround us each February as Valentine’s Day approaches. The bible’s teachings about love are deeper and point out that love requires more than cards and chocolate.

At the heart of our faith is a commandment to love: to love our God and to love our neighbor. Jesus gives no stipulation for what to do when your neighbor acts poorly toward you or doesn’t look, act, or think like you. There is no asterisk or footnote. The command is “love.”

Notice how this commandment to love our God and love our neighbor is used in a moment intended to stump Jesus. But Jesus is able to stop his critics in their tracks with his seemingly simple response that God’s command to us all boils down to love. We are called to err on the side of love. We are commanded to act out of love even in circumstances when it is difficult to love the other or inconvenient to ourselves. When we are faced with hate, we are called to respond with images, words, and acts of love. When offered the choice between vengeance and love, the situation demands love. Matters of injustice, faithfulness, community: they all come down to doing what is most loving.

Our God knows it is easy to love the people we like. God knows that we have no trouble loving God when it appears all is going well for us. But we are commanded to love because there are times when loving is hard, when we would rather not love. God also knows that the best way for us to help his “kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven” is for us to daily show our love and devotion to him and to share his love with our world.

In God’s Love,
Pastor Stephanie

REENGAGING ELCA SOCIAL TEACHING ON THE CHURCH IN SOCIETY

Join Pastor Stephanie in a discussion about the ELCA’s social statement on The Church in Society as well as conversation about topics we would like to discuss further on Sunday mornings beginning March 2nd. Beginning at 11:30am in the Meeting Room off the church office, we will explore this social teaching using a resource from Augsburg Fortress’ “For the Sake of the World” series. Each discussion will end between 12:30 and 12:45.

The books are $11.99 and can be ordered through the church by contacting Leanne or Pastor Stephanie via email or phone. Please do not allow the cost of the book to prevent you for joining us! Let Pastor Stephanie know if you need a copy to borrow. Please sign up for your copy no later than February 16^th so we can be sure to have them delivered in time for people to read the first chapter by March 2^nd.

LENT IS COMING! BUT NOT THIS MONTH…

Ash Wednesday is March 5^th this year. We hope you will plan to make time and devotion here at NVLC part of your Lenten practice. Our theme this year is taken from a book titled Lent in Plain Sight: A devotion through ten objects.

Ash Wednesday we will hold a service at noon with the imposition of ashes. The church will remain open for devotion, prayer and receiving the imposition of ashes from 1-2pm for those who cannot make the service at noon.

For our mid-week gatherings, we will once again join around soup and tables starting on March 12^th. However, this year we will try one more new thing: Lenten Lunches! No Soup Suppers, instead we will meet for our soup and bread at noon along with our worship time. There will be a sign-up sheet coming soon to provide lunch and clean up for these gatherings.

DEVOTIONAL RESOURCES

CHRIST IN OUR HOME: The January, February, March 2025 booklets are available now. If you would like to have one of these delivered to your home, please contact the church office at secretary@napavalleylutheran.org or 707-226-8166 to make arrangements.

COUNCIL UPDATES

The council met on Thursday January 16, and these items were on the agenda:

Approved the 2025 budget to be presented at the annual meeting.
Reviewed statement of values on buildings and contents for property insurance.

Discussed plans for annual meeting on February 2, 2025, and reports from teams and committees that are due.

Approved expenditures to repair and replace wood siding on the parsonage (352 Jefferson) and obtain estimates to paint the exterior.
Discussed plans for the installation of Pastor Stephanie Johnson, scheduled for Saturday February 15 at 2:00 PM to be followed by a reception in Luther Hall. Reviewed roles and responsibilities for the call committee, worship and hospitality teams.

ANNUAL MEETING

The Annual Congregational Meeting will be held on Sunday February 2 following our worship service. The meeting agenda will include selecting a nominating committee (Council elections in the spring), and delegates to the Synod Assembly in June, as well as approving the budget for 2025.
This is your opportunity to ask questions and have input into how we plan to use our resources to further the vision and mission of Napa Valley Lutheran Church. Print copies of the 2024 annual report are now available. If you wish to have a PDF copy sent to your email, please contact the church office. The reports document the work that has been accomplished in the past year, and plans for the next year and beyond! service. This is your opportunity to ask questions and have input into how we plan to use our financial resources to further the vision and mission of Napa Valley Lutheran Church.

SECOND MILE GIVING FOR FEBRUARY – COPE FAMILY CENTER

Each month we designate a ministry partner for our Second Mile Giving emphasis, inviting members to donate as they feel moved to support the work of various synod, Churchwide, and community organizations. This month our Second Mile Giving recipient is COPE FAMILY CENTER. COPE is family resource center. Their mission is to empower parents, nurture children and strengthen communities. COPE provides parents with the education, resources and support they need to raise children who thrive. If you would like to contribute, you can make a donation (checks payable to NVLC) this month – just mark your gift as “2^nd Mile Giving” and include it with your offering anytime during February.

HAVE YOU UPDATED YOUR ZOOM APP OR DESKTOP APPLICATION LATELY?

NVLC is still using Zoom on Sunday mornings and to create hybrid experiences for meetings and other gatherings. Sometimes a program like Zoom that has never failed you in the past gets “buggy” for seemingly no reason the next time you try to use it if it has been a while. Zoom stopped alerting people about updates a while ago, so you may not know that you’ve been using an “old” version. To hopefully save you some frustration the next time you log on to Zoom and perhaps even fix some sound or video issues you’ve been having, try looking to see if there is an update available. When you go directly through your Zoom desktop application or to the app store for your mobile device you can be confident that you are only installing software that is meant to be installed. Here is what you should do:

How to check for updates on the desktop (computer- laptop or desktop) app

Open the Zoom desktop app
Click your profile picture
Select Check for Updates
If an update is available, you’ll see a notification with a loading bar
Click Install when the download is complete
Restart your computer if prompted

How to check for updates on the mobile (tablet or phone) app

Open the App Store or Google Play
Find the Zoom app
Check for updates
Click Update next to the Zoom app

Just as a reminder, our Zoom meetings require a password, but by using the link on our website, you will be taken straight to the meeting without needing to enter the password. Our website is www.napavalleylutheran.org.

GUN VIOLENCE AND PUBLIC SAFETY FORUM

On Thursday February 6 from 6:30-8:00 PM, at Napa Methodist Church, 625 Randolph Street. Representatives from Napa City Council, Napa Police Department and Napa County Office of Education will be present to discuss various topics of concern. Check out the flyer on the bulletin board in the Narthex for more information.

G R A T I T U D E

December 31, 2024

Dear Friends of NEWS:

Thank you for your donation of gift card valued at $1,000 on 12/18/2024 to NEWS this holiday season. While our end-of-year fundraising campaigns help us meet our annual goals, it more importantly is a reminder of the impact our community can make in ending the cycle of violence in Napa County.

As we close out 2024, we reflect on the challenges and opportunities that we faced. This year, NEWS was named a California Non Profit of the Year by assembly member Cecilia Aguiar-Curry. We couldn’t be more proud of our staff and volunteers that work to make a difference each and every day. At the same time, we saw another 20% increase in services needed by our survivors and their children. Clients experiencing crisis were in need of not just safety planning, but also financial assistance and referrals. Clients in need of housing assistance were also in need of community resources, application help, mental health referrals, and children’s services.

Since all of our services are free of charge, support from our community helps us increase resources for our clients. The services people receive are life changing-and sometimes lifesaving-affecting generations to come. Your donation helps us to uphold our mission and provide the excellence in service our clients deserve.

Thank you for your support of NEWS, and believing everyone deserves safety and hope. Your donation reminds us that our survivors are not alone and that the Napa Community is stronger together.

May this holiday season bring peace and joy to you and your family.

Sincerely,

Tracy Lamb, Executive Director

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January 14, 2025

Dear Napa Valley Lutheran Church Women of the ELCA,

Thank you for your recent gift of $266.50 supporting the ministries of Women of the ELCA. Your gift makes a real difference to the organization and those we serve…it is a great joy to be part of this community in which members share their gifts of time, talent, and financial resources in order to support each other in our callings, engage in real action and healing ministry, and promote love and justice in the church, society and the world…Together, we can do so much good in the world.

With gratitude, Jennifer Hockenbery, Interim Executive Director

Hope Circle remains suspended for the time being.

LUNCH BUNCH will meet at Grace’s Table, 1400 2nd St., on Thursday, February 27 at 12:45 p.m. Call Carol Holmes for reservations.

FOOD DONATIONS

Carol Shirmang reports that the food donated in December was delivered to the Napa Food Bank in January. It was 86 pounds of canned and boxed food, by far the highest weight since she has been delivering these past 5 years! Hunger and food insecurity are still present in our community, so please continue to contribute as you are able.

REMINDERS FROM THE CHURCH SECRETARY

It is time to update the church membership directory. If you have had an address change, or wish to update your preferred telephone number or e-mail address, please send your changes in as soon as possible. Are you getting your newsletter via snail mail &/or email? If your preference has changed, please let me know. As my time in the office is limited, the best way to get a message to me, and ensure that the spelling is accurate is to email to secretary@napavalleylutheran.org. You can also leave a voice mail on the church phone # 707-226-8166.

Thank you to the members of our congregation that have been sending in your contributions to the church office. It is much appreciated. Your financial giving to NVLC is still necessary for us to maintain needs of the congregation. Remember, that although we did not provide boxes of offering envelopes, as in past years, we still have the opportunity to make special offerings for special occasions, any occasion that is special to you!

NAPA VALLEY LUTHERAN CHURCH IS ONLINE!

Yes, we do have a website, and for the past several months, we have been working with a consultant to make it more useful. Have you checked it out? You can find it at:

https://napavalleylutheran.org/

We hope that the site will make it easy for folks in the community and visitors find out who and where we are, and we want it to be helpful for members, as well. If you have misplaced your NVLC newsletter, you can find it on the website, as well as the calendar. The Servers can find their schedule under the “resources” tab. If you are joining the Sunday worship on Zoom, there is a link on the home page, and you can even make your offering online with Tithe.ly! What else would you like to see on our website?
Please let us know and we will try to make it happen.
We have also established some new email addresses.
So if you want to contact the Pastor, you can email to: pastor@napavalleylutheran.org
If you have news for the Secretary, You can email to: secretary@napavalleylutheran.org
And, the Treasurer email is: treasurer@napavalleylutheran.org
The general email, nvlc@sbcglobal.org still works, too, for general communication with the church office.

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Click here to access newsletter archive.
Click here to view the August 2024 Newsletter.
Click here to view the September 2024 Newsletter.
Click here to view the October 2024 Newsletter.
Click here to view the November 2024 Newsletter.
Click here to view the December 2024 Newsletter.
Click here to view the January 2025 Newsletter.