In February we see a shift as we journey away from the manger and closer towards the Cross. Of course, no matter what our liturgical calendar says, this represents many years not a few weeks. We re-embody these stories of awaiting a savior, welcoming Emmanuel, carrying the Gospel out from Bethlehem to the world beyond and the intimate encounters Jesus has in towns and villages as told in the Gospels every year to remind us that Jesus’ story is our story too.
Lent is more than a time for self-improvement or penance. As Advent recalls a world in turmoil and the oppression of God’s people waiting for God’s intervention and salvation, Lent also calls to mind our need for a Savior. But where Advent begins on a cosmic level with vague expectations, in the person and ministry of Jesus, Lent strikes close to home with God coming near to us – so near that he eats with us, walks our roads, comes into our homes and prays at our sickbeds. He feeds us, quenches our thirst, and somehow, the more he knows about us, the more he shows us his love for us. This love is what Lent and Easter are about.
When we ponder God’s love for us while we acknowledge of our imperfections and sinfulness, we recognize just how astonishing and radical God’s love can be. Not just for us, ourselves, but for anyone and everyone! We are not perfect as Christ was, however that is not what Jesus asks of us. Just as Jesus called out to fisherman, tax collectors, doctors, those who were on the fringes of society and deemed unacceptable by most to follow him, we are called. We are called to be led by God’s Spirit into unexpected places to see what God is already doing and to offer who we already are to that work. We are called to meet unexpected people and ask them to “come and see” how Jesus is Emmanuel, God with Us, in our midst.
I hope you will join us on Sundays and Tuesdays as we ponder what it means for God to be near.
Blessings,
Pastor Stephanie
WEDNESDAY AGING DISCUSSION GROUP
In January we have hosted presentations from Pastor Stephanie regarding funeral planning, members of the Providence PACE program helping us review advance directives and planning, and Dexter Cypress the Associate Transit Planner from NVTA explaining transportation options and opportunities for people with varying needs. These have all been well received and very informative. Please let Pastor Stephanie know if there are additional topics or speakers we would like to invite in the future.
This month, we will return to our discussion of Roland Martinson’s book Elders Rising: the promise and perils of aging. We meet in Luther Hall from 11:00am – 12:30pm on Wednesdays. Everyone is invited. If you need a book, Pastor Stephanie has a couple of extra copies. If you haven’t read the chapter but would like to join the conversation, please come! Our next meeting is Wednesday, February 4th. We will discuss chapter 11.
WE WILL NOT MEET ON ASH WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18TH.
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
NVLC will be sponsoring the 9th Annual Napa Valley Black History Month Celebration on February 7, 2026, to be held at Crosswalk Community Center. For the last 8 years, this community effort has provided meaningful education by sharing historical, modern, and local stories of Black culture. This is an opportunity for our congregation to support and participate in an important community event to help build a more inclusive community.
Not only will our congregational sponsorship provide positive name recognition for our congregation, it will also help to reduce ticket costs to increase accessibility for community members, as well as to provide stipends for our speakers and volunteers. For some additional context for our congregation to support this event, I recommend the book, “Dear Church, A Love Letter from a Black Preacher to the Whitest Denomination in America,” by Lenny Duncan, a former ELCA Pastor.
The event includes an afternoon/evening of education, fellowship, food and wine. Tickets will be available online at www.napavalleyblackhistory.org soon.
DEAR CHURCH
A Love Letter from a Black Preacher to the Whitest Denomination in the US
This Black History Month, join a discussion about this importantly frank book written by an ELCA preacher. Please order a copy of a book for yourself right away so you can read the book in preparation for our discussion on Sunday, February 22nd at 11:45am. Books can be found in multiple formats (paperback, Kindle, ebook, and audiobook) through bookstore.com (select Napa Bookmine!), amazon.com, AppleBooks, etc. This is the only conversation planned to discuss this book, but hopefully it will spark other conversations in the future.
About the Book
Lenny Duncan is the unlikeliest of pastors. Formerly incarcerated, he is now a black preacher in the whitest denomination in the United States: the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Shifting demographics and shrinking congregations make all the headlines, but Duncan sees something else at work–drawing a direct line between the church’s lack of diversity and the church’s lack of vitality. The problems the ELCA faces are theological, not sociological. But so are the answers.
Part manifesto, part confession, and all love letter,
Dear Church offers a bold new vision for the future of Duncan’s denomination and the broader mainline Christian community of faith. Dear Church rejects the narrative of
church decline and calls everyone–leaders and laity alike–to the front lines of the church’s renewal through racial equality and justice.
It is time for the church to rise up, dust itself off, and take on forces of this world that act against God: whiteness, misogyny, nationalism, homophobia, and economic injustice. Duncan gives a blueprint for the way forward and urges us to follow in the revolutionary path of Jesus
ANNUAL CONGREGATIONAL MEETING
Join us after worship in Luther Hall to conduct some important business. We will be selecting voting members for the Synod Assembly meetings, hearing reports from the various ministry teams and committees, approving endowment grant proposals, and our budget for 2026. Lunch will be provided by the Hospitality Ministry Team.
COUNCIL UPDATES
The church council met on January 8. Pastor Stephanie reported on worship happenings and her plans to attend a conference in late January. The council approved the amount designated for the Pastor’s housing allowance for this year. Ellen Wulf distributed financial reports and presented a preliminary budget for 2026, which was approved to present to the congregation at the annual meeting on February 1. The Council voted to approve changes for the signatures on the Endowment Committee checking account at Wells Fargo and approved their request to close out undrawn funding commitments from previous years to allow reallocation of these funds for new purposes. The council also met on Saturday January 10 for a strategic planning session and discussed many priorities for the coming months….stay tuned for more information! The minutes of council meetings are posted on the bulletin board in the narthex for more details.
DEVOTIONAL RESOURCES
LOVE OUTPOURED: Devotions for Lent 2026. The booklets have recently arrived and will be in the Narthex for you to pick up.
CHRIST IN OUR HOME: The January, February and March 2026 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 by phone at 707-226-8166 to make arrangements.
SECOND MILE GIVING FOR FEBRUARY
Each month we encourage you to offer extra support for one or more of our fine Synod, Churchwide, or Napa community ministries. This month our Second Mile offerings will go to Global Refuge, an internationally recognized leader in welcoming refugees and immigrants from around the world. Here is some information about their mission from their website:
We believe in the Long Welcome.
Many immigrants and refugees arrive in the United States with nothing more than the bags they could carry, and resettling is about far more than just finding a place to live. Global Refuge is committed to walking alongside newcomers as they become valued and empowered members of our community. We do this by helping them find a place to live, connect with services and resources, learn a new language, enroll in school, and meet a new community.
From there, we work with individuals and families to build a strong economic foundation, from financial literacy to employment and job search assistance. We also connect with local employers to build positive hiring and workplace relationships.
If you would like to contribute, you can make a donation (checks payable to NVLC) this month – just mark your gift as “2nd Mile Giving” and include it with your offering anytime during January.
THE WOMEN OF NAPA VALLEY LUTHERAN CHURCH are invited to meet together each month in Luther Hall. Our next meeting is Wednesday February 25 from 1:00 to 3:00 PM. If you are interested, please notify Pastor Stephanie so she can make sure you are mailed your own copy of Gather, the quarterly magazine published by WELCA. During our meetings we discuss the themes presented in the magazine along with projects we may be interested in supporting or undertaking ourselves.
Gather with us for community, prayer, and partnership in the Gospel. Please also let Pastor Stephanie know if you wish to be included but are unable to attend our monthly meetings.
LUNCH BUNCH will be on Thursday February 26th at 12:45 PM at Downtown Joe’s, 902 Main Street. Call Carol Holmes for reservations.
SAVE THE DATE for our annual Bridges Conference meeting held at All Saints in Novato Sunday, March 8th at 2:30pm. This meeting is held each year to bring resolutions and nominations for consideration and voting at the Synod Assembly. Everyone is invited, lay people and clergy alike.
We are looking for a few more members to step up and help with worship. We would like
to schedule regular greeters to help welcome members and visitors, in addition to the ushers and assisting ministers that have been so faithful.
Please contact Pastor Stephanie or Jill Jameson to let them know if you are interested, and we will be happy to provide you with a bit of training and add you to the schedule.
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 meet the 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!
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