Advent Letter to Great Lakes Conference Churches

A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” (Isaiah 40:3-5)

Dear Churches of the Great Lakes Conference,

Isaiah’s deep valleys, high mountains, rough ground and rugged places are images for me of the year we have endured. Heightened racial tensions, rampant COVID-19 spread, intense political polarization, rising unemployment, closed businesses, conflict over masks, overwhelmed medical care systems, exhausted medical personnel, disproportionate infection rates, closed schools, deaths of friends and loved ones, and long stretches of personal separation, isolation and quarantine have taken a mighty toll. On us. On our families. On our neighbors, our churches, our communities. On our nation. And on our world. A desert experience, indeed. However, God’s voice has not been silenced. In the midst of our collective desert experience, He invites us and all those we care about to prepare the way for our Lord. And He promises that as He comes the deep valleys will be lifted, the high mountains lowered, the rough ground leveled, the rugged places made smooth …. and God’s glory will be revealed for all to see.

We in the Conference office are grateful to you for helping the people of your community hear God’s invitation to “prepare the way for the Lord” and to experience God’s promises as you serve them. And we are grateful for your partnership with the Great Lakes Conference as we seek to start new churches, strengthen existing churches, develop stronger leaders, and support all of our churches in their efforts to engage in meaningful ministry in their communities. Thank you for your part in helping to “prepare the way for the Lord, and make straight paths for Him” in your community and throughout the Great Lakes Conference.

May the season of Advent fill you with hope, may Christmas Day be a day of rest and restoration for you, and may God bless you and your family as you begin the New Year.

Respectfully, and on behalf of our (mostly part-time) GLC Staff: Alan Tumpkin, Jody Eidnes, Kim Carlson, Dani Van Voorst, Peg Wolter and Kevin Butcher

Garth McGrath, Superintendent