Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church and School, Tacoma, Washington

Bread is a staple food, something people eat every day (especially in Jesus’ day). Scripture will sometimes refer to bread and water as all one needs to sustain physical life. In this worship series we will examine what Jesus is teaching when he calls himself “the Bread of Life.” We will discuss why people would abandon Jesus for making that claim. And we will wrestle with whether we would ever do the
same.

Physical food is a blessing from God without which we would literally wither away and die. That is why Jesus lovingly and miraculously fed thousands of followers with only five loaves of bread and two fish. Yet, while physical food is a good thing, it is far from the greatest thing God provides us. The greatest blessing God provides is spiritual food. The best thing God gives us is his Son, the Bread of Life. Without that spiritual food, we wither and die in a
much worse way.

Join us on Sunday as we begin our new series: I Am the Bread of Life. Our theme for this Sunday: Spiritual Food for Those Focused on the Earthly. Service times are 8:00am and 11:00am (online). We look forward to seeing you!

Before he ascended, Jesus told his followers they were to engage in meaningful ministry—to work their way through the world, sharing the good news of salvation. Our loving Lord knew that was a big and often intimidating task. So, his next words were a promise. “Surely I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20). The Lord of the Church has called all believers to meaningful ministry. Ministry will come with challenges. So, listen again to your Savior. “I am with you always.”

Join us on Sunday at 8:00 or 11:00am (online) as we complete our series, "Meaningful Ministry" with the Theme: "Fear Not, For the Lord is With You!"

In Scripture meaningful ministry is often pictured as a compassionate shepherd caring for his sheep. Certainly, gospel ministry requires specific skills. But ultimately, meaningful ministry requires a compassionate heart. An individual might know God’s Word backwards and forwards. But if they lack compassion, they will not fully perform meaningful ministry. We ask the Spirit to see how Jesus models a compassionate shepherd’s heart so that we might be filled with that same compassion.

Join us this Sunday! Services are at 8:00am and 11:00am (online).

As believers carry out gospel ministry, encouraging others to turn to Christ in repentance, people might push back. “What gives you the right?” When our God calls us to do ministry, he also gives us authority. We are sharing God’s own authoritative Word. Gospel ministry is conducted by believers but with God’s own authority behind the effort.

When Christians share the law of God, applying it both to themselves and their listener(s), God's authority stands behind it. But that is not the ultimate goal. How wonderful that this authority from God also stands behind the message of grace, forgiveness, and peace from God through Christ! That is the goal of our conversations!

Join us on Sunday for worship--8:00am or 11:00am (online)!

If ministry involves serving others with love and compassion, you would think that people would respond only with glee and gratitude for the help they received. Sometimes, but not always. If you offer to help a family member who is having trouble paying his bills, he might be offended, wondering if you are implying that he is not a good provider. Likewise, if you try and share the gospel with someone, he might resent the message that he is a sinner in
need of salvation. You are trying to minister to this man’s greatest need. Your intentions are loving. Yet he responds with rejection and resentment.

When our ministry efforts are met not with glee and gratitude but rejection and resentment, we are in good company. The prophets, apostles, and even Jesus himself all had those who responded negatively to their ministries. When that happens to us, it doesn’t mean our ministry is no longer meaningful. For if others do not appreciate our efforts to serve them, God still appreciates our efforts to serve him.

As we begin this series on the personal and public ministry in God's Kingdom, we will also seek God's blessings for our member and Ministerial Candidate, Andrew Bleasdale, in a farewell rite during the 8:00am service. Andrew has received and accepted a Divine Call to be a secondary teacher in Michigan. Congratulations, Andrew!

Join us for worship at 8:00am and 11:00am (online)!

Mark your calendars for July 20th, our Annual Community BBQ and Yard Sale! Food is free and fellowship is welcomed!
We look forward to seeing you there and helping make this the event of the year with your smiling faces and helping hands.

Don't forget to vote today!!

2024 Best of Pierce County Vote once per day from June 17 through July 8.

Faith Friends and Family! Vote Evergreen Lutheran High School for the best high school in the Best of Pierce County News Tribune contest! If you've been to an ELHS music concert, drama production or sports event, you know why Evergreen is in the running for best high school! And, don't forget those WIAA Academic cups shining on the shelves in the school office! Faith isn't participating in the contest this year (we missed the nomination period), so consider voting for Parkland Lutheran School, our sister ELS school! Like Faith, they have a strong academic program, dedicated teachers, and the love of God to build up strong children with confidence, knowledge, skills and faith!

2024 Best of Pierce County Vote once per day from June 17 through July 8.

A powerful tornado rolls through your neighborhood. A massive hurricane heads straight for your city. We cannot stop storms from coming. However, we know the Almighty God can stop storms. He could also remove metaphorical storms, other types of troubles and trials. So why doesn’t he?

Well, would you rather have a God who was distant from you but removed all the storms of life? Or would you rather have a God who allowed some storms to come but promised to be right there by your side within them? May God give us the top-down faith that sees that the latter is by far the better option.

Join us this Sunday at 8:00am or 11:00am (online) to hear how "Our Gracious God Is with Us through All the Storms of Life!"

Join our team and make a positive impact on our school community!

We are urgently looking for an office administrator for the 2024-2025 school year!

Qualifications:
*Positive & Team Focused Personality
*Proficient Computer Skills
*Good Communication Skills

Hours:
*40 hours / week during the school year
*15 hours/ week during the summer

If interested, contact Principal Jensen at [email protected] , call Faith Lutheran School at 253-537-2696 , or fill out the Google Form below!

https://forms.gle/veqP2QkJFB5weHNB9

Usually, a kingdom advances and is secured through things like military might or political force or worldly wealth. It can be tempting to believe the same holds true in the kingdom of God. This way of thinking is breathtakingly wrong. We need God to give us the top-down faith that grasps the fact that the kingdom of God advances in ways that are imperceptible. Through something that seems insignificant to most—the gospel—the King of kings establishes his reign in human hearts. Even Jesus himself compared the gospel to a tiny seed. Yet within a seed is hidden life. As the seed of the gospel is planted, the largest of all kingdoms grows.

Join us this Sunday at 8:00am or 11:00am (online) for worship! We will continue our series, "A Top-Down Faith," focusing on the theme: "From the Tiniest Seed Grows the Largest Kingdom."

Look at our lives—the problems, the pains—and it’s easy to conclude that we are losing. Look at the world—the
brokenness, the bedlam—and it’s easy to believe that the
devil is winning. It all can lead us to despair. We need a top-down faith to understand that things are definitely not what
they seem. Yes, the devil and his allies are constantly doing
their worst. Yet, ultimately, Jesus always wins. And his
victory is our victory.

Join us this Sunday at 8:00am (with Holy Communion) or 11:00am (8th Grade Graduation, no Communion) (online) as we continue our series: A Top-Down Faith: The Devil does his worst, but Jesus always wins!

Join us on Sunday, June 9th to celebrate the retirement and faithful service of Mrs. Jill Holter!

12:30-3pm at Evergreen Lutheran High School

Burgers and hot dogs provided. Bring a side to share. We look forward to seeing you there!

Happy Birthday to our May students! God's blessings on the year ahead!

After a long day of work, you have earned the right to sit
down in your favorite chair, put your feet up, and watch
your favorite program. This is how everyone thinks: rest is
something you earn through hard work. Since that concept
of rest being earned is so deeply ingrained in us, to properly
understand spiritual rest requires a top-down faith. The rest
we need most—from guilt, from worry, from shame, from
hopelessness—is graciously given to us by the Lord of the
Sabbath.

Join us this Sunday at 8:00am or 11:00am (online) as we continue our series, "A Top-Down Faith: Rest is a Gift; Not Something to be Earned." We will also celebrate the Confirmation of our students in the 11:00am service!

The phrase “from the top down” is often used to denote a
hierarchical system of management or governance. The will
and beliefs and directives of those “at the top” are
imposed—sometimes aggressively, sometimes even
oppressively—on those below. Next week, we will see that
Christianity is very much a top-down faith because it tells us
things about God that are so beautiful and good—teachings
that couldn’t possibly have originated from human thinking.
God sent his Spirit from heaven to earth—from the top
down—to empower his children to believe that which
would otherwise be totally unbelievable.

Join us on Sunday for a new series: A Top-Down Faith. Services are at 8:00am and 11:00am (online).

Join us this Sunday, May 26th!