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HOPE LUTHERAN INSTALLS  REV. CHER CLAY by Amy Siegert Our Christmas present arrived early on December 22, 2002!  That was the day that our acting president, his grandson, and another church member helped move Pastor Cher Clay and her belongings from Sandusky, Ohio, to Platteville, Wisconsin.  In mid-November we extended a letter of call to Pastor Clay, and by the grace of God she accepted!  Pastor Clay led our Christmas Eve worship at the Free Methodist Church on Lutheran Street in Platteville, Wisconsin.  We celebrated the humble beginnings of our Lord's life and OUR life as a congregation with a new pastor, together.  It was a wonderful experience.

Pastor Clay was installed on December 29, 2002, at the Free Methodist Church.  We praise God for this congregation who let us use their facility for two afternoons.  We asked Pastor Ron Rasmussen, from Loganville, WI, to install our pastor.  Chaplain John Rasmussen preached a dynamic and moving sermon on the call of Isaiah (Isaiah 6).  Lenae Rasmussen extended warm greetings on behalf of the Augsburg Lutheran District, and delivered a very generous contribution.  Pastor Clay administered the Lord's Supper.  John Rasmussen and Ron Rasmussen also offered special music, "I the Lord of Sea and Sky."  It was a meaningful, emotional service  … and God was at the center of it all. We are truly a lucky group of people, called by Christ to proclaim His Word!

The new year has brought in a new worship schedule for us.  With our own pastor, now we can worship on Sunday mornings.  Praise God!  We worship in the "Upper Room" (our affectionate name for an upstairs conference room) at the Platteville Chamber of Commerce, every Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m.  Pastor Clay has been such a blessing to us.  She is a loving, healing, and caring pastor, diligently visiting with our members and the clergy around town.

We have met with some resistance from the clergy here in Platteville; Pastor Clay has been told "[Hope] will never make it" and, to paraphrase, "we have too many churches in town already."   We at Hope, however, hold firm to our anchor—Jesus Christ—and believe we DO have a much-needed message to share with our community:  Christ Crucified & Resurrected for you!  In the midst of the chaos in Platteville, we are a confessing church called by the Holy Spirit to witness to the gospel in its purity.  We gather to hear God's word as law and gospel–the radical message of forgiveness of sins for Christ's sake and justification by faith alone in Jesus Christ.  This message is more than just "the way we've always done things."  It  is God's promise for you and we are called by God to proclaim it to all the nations.

At our annual meeting in late January, we elected four people to our council and are currently praying for a larger, more accessible worship location.  The Fishermen (small group ministry) are growing in faith and fellowship, and our congregation currently has 20 members (5 of whom are young children).

With faith, prayer, and hard work we at Hope Lutheran Church will do whatever we can to make this mission start work and help provide for our pastor … and we thank God for the support (both spiritual and financial) of the churches of the Augsburg Lutheran District and LCMC.  We pray that 2003 will bring God's healing hand to us and a renewed conviction in outreach in the community where God has planted us.

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