Rev. Mark Thomas, Senior Minister

Dear Friends,

It is a good thing that we do not include sound with the columns, otherwise you would be hearing my labored breathing. This picture was taken after a seven mile hike from where we were staying in Big Sky, Montana, up into the Spanish Peaks mountains. In the picture, I'm standing at 2 miles in elevation, so you can imagine how majestic are the peaks yet above me. To get to the end of the trail we had to cross streams and fields where, even in July, the snow was still waist deep. It was a beautiful trip to a most beautiful part of our country.

I mentioned during my sermon on August 16, that the day before marked the 5th anniversary of my call to serve as your pastor. I ended that message with the story I concluded that first message with when I began with you. The story speaks well to our place and our time as we prepare for a new church year beginning on September 13.

A young man approached the Buddha and said: "I am holding in my hands a butterfly. Tell me, great One, is the butterfly alive or dead?" The Buddha looked at the young man for a long time. He knew that if he said it was alive, the young man would clench his hands and the butterfly would be dead. If, on the other hand, he said it was dead, the young man would open his hands and out it would fly. After a long pause, the Buddha answered the young man by saying, "The answer is in your hands."

Could there be a more true statement than that as we begin our sixth year together? The answer is in our hands to be sure, but mostly it is in your hands - as members and friends of this beloved church. You will determine the level of either courage or complacency that will be the spirit of LCC. It will be your vision on what it means to be a transformation ministry.

In his book, The Effective Executive, Drucker writes,             "Efficiency is doing things right.
             Effectiveness is doing the right thing."

If LCC is going to continue to grow in ministry, we must be efficient. No argument there. But, the spiritual, transforming
call is to be effective in our work, doing that which truly is
life-changing for both ourselves and others. That vision for effective ministry will come from someone sitting in the pew during worship and discovering something we could be doing as
a church to better the life of someone else. The vision will come from a young person who has become excited with an idea we can all share and do together. Visions will come from those who have been members for a long time and from the newest of members. In short, everyone is invited to bring an idea, a vision, a dream we can all make reality. The answer is in your hands!

Rev. Mark