What a summer it has been! God has been growing faith in and around the congregation, through VBS, Confirmation Camp, Sunday worship and serving our neighbors in all sorts of ways.

Now as we move into the fall, the backpacks have been blessed and schools around us are off and running. Our Salem Sunday School is starting up on September 13, Rally Day/God’s Work, Our Hands Sunday. A new season has begun, including a new season in worship, where we’ll be focusing on “How to Read the Bible” with materials from the “Book of Faith” Initiative. It was an initiative started in the ELCA about 20 years ago as resources for congregations looking to learn more about the Bible, God’s amazing, living Word. If you’ve ever felt lost in reading the Bible, or aren’t sure where to start, my prayer is that this worship series will help! I think sometimes we can get tied up in knots with doubt and worry, but with helpful tools and questions, I think at Salem we will start to open the Bible in a whole new way. This “Book of Faith” series focuses on 4 main methods of reading the Bible:

1.        Devotional Method (Sept. 20) – What scares, confuses, or challenges me in this text (Bible passage)? What delights me in this text?

2.        Historical Method (Sept. 27) – Who wrote this passage? When and why was it written?

3.        Literary Method (Oct. 4) – What is the plot? What happens right before and after this passage?

4.        Lutheran Theological Method (Oct. 11) – In what ways does this text point to or lead us to Christ? What does sin look like? What is the Good News in this passage?

I am so excited to explore these themes with you! Bring your Bible and let’s dive into God’s Word together this Fall.

God bless,

Rev. Allison Siburg

Cell – (425) 301-9122

Church – (402) 721-6639