This latest adventure started when I realized that during my first spring as bishop of the Northwest Intermountain Synod, I missed serving a congregation during Holy Week. I have loved being with my mom during the end of Advent and over Christmas, in part because that’s when my dad died in 2020. Last year I visited a variety of congregations as a worshiper during Holy Week and I simply missed shepherding one community through the week. So, after talking with the rest of the synod staff, I decided to email St. John’s Lutheran in American Falls, ID, one of a number of congregations in the pastoral transition season (waiting to call their next pastor) in our synod. I explained that I did not know what their traditions were, but if my coming could be helpful, I’d be happy to be with them Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter. Yes, was the reply, followed by the explanation that a retired teacher had been preparing five youth, all girls, for Confirmation/Affirmation of Baptism and could I confirm them on Easter Sunday? Absolutely, I said. The next time we emailed, the leadership wondered if I could baptize some people on Thursday. Sure, I said. How many? Around 14. What???!!!

St. John’s, American Falls was served faithfully by Pastor Jon Beake from around 2008 until just about a year ago. The congregation experienced a split in 2010, like many ELCA congregations, and it was painful for so many. Pastor Beake and the leadership kept doing faithful ministry not just within the church but with and for the American Falls community. Beake was the town pastor, in the very best way. When he announced his retirement last January, lots of people who now have kids asked if he could baptize them before he left. He went to Oregon to look for a home for retirement and got really sick and never could make the trip back for a good goodbye. (He’s doing much better now and we had a great phone conversation a few weeks ago). All this is to say that when I said I could preside at the confirmations, the baptisms came up again.

I asked that they please do some preparation with the families. On an earlier trip through the area, I had stopped by the church and looked over the supplies in the pastor’s study (I think that was on my trip to Jackson, WY). I spotted many copies of Dan Erlander’s classic Baptized We Live and mentioned that those were worth saving or sharing. So apparently, all the baptism families got a copy of the book sometime early in Lent. With that many baptisms, the leadership decided to have a 5pm Maundy Thursday worship followed by a special 7pm Baptism Worship. I gave a short message on the gifts and promises of baptism and we sang few baptismal hymns. Several of the girls I confirmed today, I baptized Thursday evening. I explained about simply baptizing them as adults, but the leaders decided, rightly so in my opinion, that they wanted them all to go through the same ritual Sunday morning since they had done the learning together.

I am so very grateful to Pastor Beake for planting seeds over the years and loving the people. I am grateful to Pat, the retired teacher, who taught the confirmands. I am grateful to Lacy, the mom and lay woman who runs Sunday School on Thursday nights all year long. And I am grateful to current council president Patty, who is leading the congregation faithfully. I am praying for the pastor God is preparing to take the call to St. John’s Lutheran.

Meanwhile, it was such a gift to be with the congregation for Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter morning. I swung up to New Day Lutheran in Idaho Falls for Easter Vigil Saturday evening.