So glad you're here, Beth, and thanks for taking the time to participate in Bergen's intern project. We've had some time this morning to get better acquainted and was surprised to learn your grandparents were very involved in starting Grace Lutheran in Cashmere. That makes you a long time Lutheran.
I grew up going to Grace in Cashmere. Actually I grew up in Dryden and my grandparents helped establish the church when they met in the bank and then eventually built the church.
What brought you to Grace in Wenatchee?
Tory and I graduated from PLU and were married in 1992. We lived in Seattle for a couple of years. With my work and Tory's interest in agriculture we decided to move back to Wenatchee Valley. We lived very close to Grace Lutheran and since Tory and I were both raised Lutheran we were interested in attending a Lutheran church and started going to Grace. Being traditional Lutherans we didn't shop around :) and chose the church closest to our home. Paul Lundborg was pastor at that time. We did leave for a short while and attended in Leavenworth.
Was there a particular reason you left Grace?
After Paul and Pastor Rieke left we began attending more regularly at Faith Lutheran in Leavenworth with my family. They used the Marty Haugen "Now the Feast" liturgy that had been used at PLU and we liked it and we thought it would be nice to attend with my parents and a good time to transition as things were changing at Grace. When Pastor Aalgaard came to Grace our boys were getting older and ready to be involved with a youth program. Faith Lutheran was small and didn't have an established program. We heard good things about Grace's programs and knew there were more kids so thought we would transition back. We also lived right up the street and since we wanted to begin attending regularly it was pretty easy when we could just walk out the door and up the street. Those were the main things that brought us back.
So you're feeling more at home at Grace now.
We enjoyed being at Grace in the past and it felt very natural to be back. We were thrilled with the different outreach programs, the youth programs and youth choirs. With James and his family coming to Grace it was good time for us to transition back.
Was there anything in the church community you wanted to join?
It's been tricky and I have two jobs so I felt like my time was focused in the schools and theater with both boys. I'm not always good at saying no but I could only do so much. I loved being involved with music and worship planning at PLU so maybe eventually would like to be involved with that. There are so many activities for involvement at Grace for people in the church community to bond with and various ways to worship.
Has Grace been important or supportive to you during any stressful times in your life or the life of your family or with health issues? Do you feel Grace was there for you?
I certainly feel Grace is the type of church that is available for people who have those issues in their lives, but I myself have not had to seek that out. I know the support is there if I or someone else needed prayers or personal comfort. I have seen that happen at Grace.
What are your feelings about the reopening?
That's a good question. Working in health care and being a science major and a big proponent of science, I have been very supportive all along of being careful. As a congregation there are different ways to worship and function as a church. It doesn't mean we necessarily have to meet in person. I have definitely missed meeting in person and we're getting closer to that happening. However, we still need to be cautious. We now have opportunities for people to be vaccinated and my hope would be we can begin working with small numbers gathering. I know it's more of a challenge for people with small children since they can't be vaccinated yet. When we meet outside it's easy to see how excited everyone is to see each other. We miss seeing church people.
Being in the Lutheran Church almost your whole life, is there anything you see for the future of Grace? Not necessarily with the Fox trust.
We always have room for growth. I think Grace works hard to be active within the church and within the community. Generally, continue trying to be inclusive and welcoming to everyone. I think those are already part of our church community, but continue to be aware that the outreach is important.
If you were to meet someone not connected with our church, what would you like to tell them about Grace?
Grace is a very active, welcoming and inclusive church. Open to everyone. A traditional Lutheran church with members who are active in the community. Always looking for ways to be helpful in our outreach.
Are there one or two things you think Grace does well?
They do many things well. There's a welcoming environment and supportive programs like the youth programs. No negatives come to mind. The Faith Enrichment team has continued to be involved during the closing. Plus there were still some classes and book discussions available. Pastor James and the council worked hard to make the church available in various ways. The various community outreach programs are so important.
Is there anything you would like to add that we haven't covered?
In general, I enjoy the services and having different types of services and music. The liturgy is very much who we are. We enjoy the special music and various involvement by members. Jameson was a wonderful music director and Judy is amazing. When we were Zooming with the Easter service Liam mentioned how much he missed the participation by several members that made it enjoyable like Mike Mueller with his drums. We are really looking forward to being back in person together.