Since I was in the Panhandle this weekend, I wanted to visit two of our congregations that were a first for me Immanuel in Posey and Grace in Slaton. They are only five miles apart and often have combined worship, which they did for my visit. We gathered together at Grace in Slaton. Grace has not had a steady pastor for a while but are served twice a month by retired Pastor Mike Holmes (who is not so retired.) They have been blessed to find other ecumenical pastors in the area to help out as well.

When they combine for worship, they are led by Synodically Authorized Worship Leader, Alan Ehlo. He serves on a regular basis at Immanuel and has also now been helping out at Gloria Dei in Lubbock as they are in transition too. We are grateful for his consistent and faithful leadership as well.

Since I had never been to Immanuel, SAWL Ehlo also took me there after worship to see their historical building. The congregation has been declining for some time but they have worked to preserve their history so it can live on even after the congregation closes. They realize they have hard decisions ahead of them, as many other congregations do too. But for now, their living history is a gift.