Nazareth Lutheran

From the Pastor of the New Nazareth,
To our members and friends in the Facebook community:

As we reflect on the eighteen months journey we have shared, I am convinced that God is working in His people that which is good and suitable to His own purpose. Have we arrived at our destination? Not at all! But if we’ve paid attention to the road signs along the way, we may conclude that Jesus of Nazareth is leading us to where He wants us to be. And as long as He is in the lead, we can answer the curiosity expressed by the disciple, Nathanael, (John 1:46) “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” And the answer, by the grace of God is, “Yes indeed,” whether we’re speaking of the hometown of Jesus; or of the congregation that carries the name of that town. In our case, we know that the goodness from Nazareth comes solely through the grace and mercy of the One who hailed from Nazareth, the One whom we serve.

Because our Lord is constantly in the process of making everything new, you may hear us, at times, being called the “New Nazareth.” Our new-ness is based on who we are as the body of Christ – a living organic reality in which change is constant.

Evidence of new-ness: Recent baptisms (both adult and children); recently confirmed adults and youth; a new group of young people taking their first communion; new worshipers among us; some returning members; new and existing groups coming together for fellowship and nurture. A new song group – Vocal Celebration – to lead us in worship and praise on Sunday mornings. Like a human body the body of believers is constantly regenerating itself.

To mention a few ways by which we are the New Nazareth we have developed a new organizational structure which identifies us as a mission outpost and enables us to more effectively serve our church and community. We approved and executed a plan to restore the facilities in our basement which were constantly flooded. The result is a newly tiled floor, new classrooms; in essence a new fellowship and educational facility. Last week, we elected the first leaders under our new constitution; the New Nazareth Mission Leadership Team.

As your “nearly new” Pastor, please hear my commitment to you, the saints of Nazareth: As God grants me the grace, health and the means, it is my privilege to serve the people of the New Nazareth so that God’s Kingdom may continue to come into our midst.

May you be blessed by Jesus of Nazareth as we deliver His goodness to the world around us,

Pastor Wally Shifflett


Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Eph. 3:21-22)