Category: News

College-Student Zoom Connection

Attention college-age students! We miss you and want to provide a space for us to chat!

The world is drastically different than it was a month ago. We have had to adapt to new ways of connecting and learning that many of us never would have chosen. As college students it may feel even more overwhelming if you are far away from home and now separated from your peers and classmates, not to mention the new challenge of online classes. We want you to know that we haven’t forgotten you and we want to encourage you in this new (but hopefully temporary) way of living. 


If you feel comfortable we would love to have your names and emails so we can keep in touch. If a lot of you are interested we could even have a group Zoom hangout. Email Michaela Eskew, our Minister of Faith Formation at michaela@flccs.net to be included in our new college email chain. 

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May we Pray for You?

Now that we are attending church online, our usual way of submitting prayer requests has changed. You may now email your requests to flc@flccs.net. Names are generally kept on the list for 2 weeks. If you need them on for a longer period of time, please include this in your email. Our prayer list will continue to be published weekly in the Ekklesia so your church family can support you and your loved ones through prayer.

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A Message About Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Dear First Lutheran,

Many of you have been following the news around the Corona Virus and the responses of various communities around our country. More updates are coming in all the time and we are considering all of it as we make decisions for our faith community. Our staff has met to discuss our current response, knowing that we will need to remain flexible as new information becomes available.

With that said, First Lutheran will hold services this week, including Gallery of Living Art. However, we are advising people who have underlying health conditions not to attend. Those who are elderly should also consider staying home until this virus is subdued. Those who do attend are asked to follow good public health hygiene. The above advice applies to all church activities.

For worship we have made a few additional changes. We will not be shaking hands during the peace or at the conclusion of worship. We will not be passing the offering plates but will invite people to give their offering as they come forward for communion. Communion will be by intinction; only the pastors will handle the bread, and they will have washed and sanitized their hands prior.

We anticipate that further precautions may be required next week. We plan to video record services this week and post to our website so for those whom it is unwise to attend public gatherings may still participate in worship. We will also continue to audio record sermons, and those are available on our website. If it becomes necessary to cancel worship for a time, we will provide sermons and other worship opportunities online. Keep up to date by checking our website http://www.flccs.net, and make sure to find us on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. Check your email and mark emails from flc@flccs.net safe.

The Pastors and Christian Caregivers have suspended visitation at this time. Most hospitals and nursing homes are not allowing visits. We will connect with people through phone calls and emails instead.

We believe these are prudent steps to take. We are not fearful or anxious but are simply being smart and trying our best to care for the congregation. Sometimes loving each other well means interrupting regular practices to keep one another safe.

In addition, we will be asking for volunteers to help us check in on elderly members and those who are unable to safely leave their homes. These volunteers will make phone calls and communicate with pastors the needs of our people. Volunteers may be needed to run errands for those who need to stay home. We will also be collecting money to purchase groceries for those who rely on school lunch in case of schools being closed (the cards will help students in the summer if schools remain open). We continue to pray for all those affected by this virus and seek God’s direction for how we can be part of His healing and protection for our community.

In all of this we trust that God is with us and will guide and protect us.

In Christian hope,

Pastor Travis

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Order Your Easter Lilies Online!

Help us decorate for Easter and honor your loved ones. Easter lilies can be ordered by clicking here. When ordering online, payment needs to be submitted online. Remember the deadline this year is March 22. Thank you for helping First Lutheran celebrate the resurrection!

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Peel House Perspectives – February 13, 2020

Design choices….

In January we have continued to move forward with design choices for the Peel House. We are working with Senger Design Group (SDG) to select finishes, flooring and lighting. We have developed a great sense of collegiality with SDG; they have come and listened to our vision for the house, the different usages, and conducted much research on homes of this age. It is exciting to catch glimpses of what the spaces might look like upon completion.

We were presented with several options for color schemes, fixtures, and flooring and have selected a primarily historic look for the main floor. The color scheme includes: tans, creams, and muted blue tones for the wall coverings to include both fabric and paint, and for any additional furniture that may be selected. The flooring on the main floor will be hardwood with the possibility of adding rugs as desired. We hope to remove the carpet on the grand staircase, refinish the wood and add a carpet runner. It promises to be a very elegant look. All of the ceiling light fixtures will be replaced to add both beautiful new pieces and optimal lighting for a bright and clean look. Where ceilings have decorative plaster applique currently we will add understated lighting to enhance the existing ceiling and provide adequate lighting for room usage. We plan to replace the lighting in the house with LEDs.

Soft, subdued tones. Soothing color scheme associated with harmony.
Relates to exterior palette.

The second level of the house will largely be meeting space in addition to new restrooms and a coffee bar. We will follow the color palette from the main floor and add carpet in all the spaces with the exception of a few. The coffee bar will be in the West facing room that connects the two existing classrooms. We will remove a closet from the hallway to create a bigger space and access from the hall to that room. The room will have tile flooring and a back splash of really beautiful picket tiles. It will be a great space for a quick meeting, a reading nook, or just to relax and enjoy the view of Pikes Peak. The room that is attached an in the Northwest corner will be used as more of a comfortable lounge and meeting space. It would be perfect for an Aspen Group, a book club, or to hang out before another meeting! The room will have a hardwood floor with rugs, and will potentially be styled with comfortable furniture, tables and chairs, and a large screen.

The lower level of the house will become the new location for our youth center and will have dedicated space for our 12 step groups in what was the billiards room. The flooring will largely be carpet, we are still discussing some of the choices for the youth room. The color scheme in the lower level will be brighter and more contemporary in its styling.

We are really excited to share some of the ideas and selections for the Peel House as we move forward. It will be a lovely space regained to use for ministries new and old, celebrations, concerts and all that one might imagine.

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Peel House Perspectives – January 2020

As we continue moving forward with the Peel House renovation project this will be the space where you can find updates on the different pieces of the renovation. 

The renovation team for the Peel House will be meeting about once a month to track progress and finalize design decisions on the project.  When we gather, our meetings typically include a financial update, design and architect update, construction update, and comments from the group on specific details.  In addition to the full renovation committee we also have a design team and a group of “owners reps.”  The owner representatives will be a group that meets with the Nunn Construction team at least weekly throughout the pre-construction and construction phase of the project.  They are trusted to make real-time decisions, work with the Nunn Construction to ensure that plans are being followed and timelines adhered to, and that any changes can be dealt with quickly and efficiently.  This group will keep the full renovation committee informed of progress and bring any big changes or construction issues to the full group.  The design team is working on the interior design choices such as finishes, lighting, kitchen design, and flooring.  This group includes the architect firm and the design firm.  As selections are being made by this team they come back to the renovation committee for discussion and to move forward with selections.

In terms of finances we are closing in on making a choice for the loan that will support the project as pledges continue to be fulfilled through the three-year commitment time frame of the capital campaign.  We are so grateful for the pledges made and so pleased that many pledges have already been fulfilled which means we are able to apply for a lower loan number.  We continue to work with Nunn Construction on maintaining the scope of the project within the financial gifts of the congregation as pledged during the campaign.

It is really exciting to have reached a point where groundbreaking is not far off and we can even begin to visualize spaces and uses in the newly renovated facility.  It will be a gift to open this facility to the ministries of our congregation and expand our outreach opportunities to create new life at First Lutheran as we live into our mission “to equip members to be fully committed followers of Jesus Christ, who seek to glorify Almighty God in their lives and share with others the joy and salvation of the Christian faith.” 

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The Power of Church

Chris Beyer gave a fantastic presentation to the OWLS (Older Wiser Lutherans) group on January 22nd. As part of her presentation she shared how important it is for adults to form caring relationships with younger people. She gave the group practical and simple skills to get started, like learning a name and what young people are interested. During the course of her presentation she shared an interview with one of First Lutheran’s own high school students and how a friendship developed over the course of the years between him an older member of the church. A good reminder of the opportunities we each have to make an impact on the lives of young people in our midst. Here’s that interview with Joey Heiny.

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Christian Caregivers

People need people. We are hardwired for connection. There have been any number of studies from neuroscientists and researchers that show our need for human connection is as great as our basic needs for food, water, and warmth. Think of a newborn baby, totally dependent upon their mother for all their needs, from birth we are dependent on a human connection. As we move through different stages of life we are no less dependent on relationships and connections to keep us healthy and happy.

We have the opportunity here, at First Lutheran to make those connections. We are especially blessed to be able to connect people in different stations of life with others who want to create new and meaningful relationships, being church together when one can’t get to church. Our Christian Caregivers visit our homebound members, those who are hospitalized and those in rehab. They bring the gift of relationship and a piece of church when perhaps getting to church just isn’t a possibility. We have a dedicated group of caregivers that are excited and eager to bring their gifts and the blessing of the church to those who are open to receiving their calls and visits.

If you are interested in training to be a caregiver, bringing communion to hospitals and our homebound members, visiting with those who are no longer able to get out, or making calls to check-in on those recovering from hospitalizations or illness please call the church or send an email to Pastor Carrie at carrie@flccs.net.

If you are in need of a one-time visit or would like to receive ongoing care and connection in your home call the church office or email Pastor Carrie at carrie@flccs.net.

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