It is my privilege to serve Jesus Christ at St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Palo. I am pleased that you have called me to be your pastor.

God has a mission in mind for every congregation. This congregation is no exception. My task here is to assist you in finding God's mission for this congregation and to assist you in carrying out that mission. We will discover some of what God has in mind for us over time, and some things we already know.

We know that we are to be followers of Christ. We are to be disciples. We have been given the gift of faith, and we are to nurture that faith and help it grow.

When asked if their faith is important to them, most Christians automatically answer yes. Faith is a lot like health in that way. When asked if their health is important to them, most people automatically answer yes. It is not until we delve deeper into the question that we discover how important it is.

When we ask the following questions we discover how important a person's health really is:

· How many hours per week do you spend exercising?

· How much and what type of foods do you eat each day?

· What vitamins do you take?

· Do you smoke?

· Do you consume excessive amounts of alcohol?

Our physical appearance is often a dead give away. Couch potatoes don't look like marathon runners. If our health is important to us we do the things that improve our health and avoid doing the things that ruin our health, and it shows.

If our faith is important to us we will do that things that improve our faith and avoid doing the things that damage our faith. Any time people do things they know Christ would not approve of, their faith is weakened. When we do what Christ calls us to do our faith is strengthened.

Here are some obvious things we can do to strengthen our faith.

· Read and study the Bible.

· Pray.

· Sing hymns.

· Practice good stewardship.

· Tell someone about Christ.

· Teach someone about Christ.

· Feed the hungry.

· Shelter the homeless.

Part of my function here will be to encourage every member to do the things that strengthen faith, and avoid doing the things that weaken faith. Personal trainers and dietitians encourage people to do the things that improve health, and pastors encourage people to do the things that strengthen faith.

For those of you who have Internet access, here is an idea that could help strengthen your faith right now. Go to www.elca.org/eteam/resources/mentors1.htm and read the "Invitation to Discipleship" booklet. You will see the story to two people on their way to becoming disciples. I recommend it to you, for I too am on my way to becoming a disciple of Christ. I hope you will accompany me on my journey. May God bless each and every one of you.

Sincerely,

Pastor Birk