Easter Reflection: Happy week after Easter! This morning I (Seth) was reading in Galatians, where Scripture reminds us, “it is for freedom that Christ set us free.” What a beautiful reminder of what Christ’s death and resurrection hold for his people. The intention of being freed was so that we’d live in freedom. Not fleeting freedom. But true and lasting freedom. For those who are in Christ, we are living proof that we can walk freely, being broken from the bondage of sin and death. What an incredible joy!
 
Yet we must also remember that shortly after, Paul also warns us not to use our “freedom as an opportunity for the flesh” but instead to “serve one another” through love. It made me think of these words from Paul David Tripp in his book Everyday Gospel:

“The most significant function of any human being is his capacity for worship. Every human being is a worshiper. I don’t mean this in the formal, religious sense. The most irreligious person is a worshiper, because that’s how God designed him. The worship capacity is meant to drive us to the Lord, to offer ourselves to him, and to find our identity, meaning, purpose, and rest in him. Being a worshiper means you will always give over the rule of your heart, the causal core of your personhood, to something. Whatever controls your heart will then shape your thoughts, desires, choices, words, and actions. Nothing is more life-dominating than worship.”
 
His words are a powerful reminder that by God’s design we are, and will always be, worshippers. The question is, of course, what or who are we worshipping?
 
Easter has a way of pointing all our focus to Jesus. But what about the day after? The week after? The month after? Where does our worship turn? Do you continue to revel in the goodness of Jesus each day? Or fall back into old habits? Paul’s exhortation is that we each keep in step with the Spirit. So, as we think about the nature of our Vision, to grow in Christlikeness and see those where we live, work, study, or play come to know Christ - may we each walk daily in this resurrected life, making much of Jesus in the broken world we get to call home! It is for freedom that Christ has set us free, so may we continue to walk in that freedom, not just on Easter, but every day!
 
Financial Update: You’ll hear more on Sunday, but here is a brief picture of where we’re at in the year:

• As we close out March, we are encouraged by how the first quarter of the year has taken shape. March giving came in strong, which helped offset a slower start to the year.
• Year to date, giving is now ahead of last year, and expenses continue to be managed with care and intentionality. As a result, the gap we saw earlier in the year has narrowed significantly, and our overall financial position remains stable.
• While we are still slightly behind budgeted expectations, we are deeply grateful for the consistent generosity of our church family and the faithful stewardship across our ministries.

We are incredibly thankful to you for your continued generosity, faithfulness, and support! As we look forward, we want to continue to invite the whole body of Salem to give generously and joyfully as they can, with the hopes that our financial stability continues to strengthen, allowing us greater freedom to more fully accomplish the Mission and Vision that God has given us.

Staffing Update:

• As elders and staff, we wanted to say thank you to everyone who turned out on March 22nd to honor all that God has done at Salem through Pastor Kent. It truly was an encouraging time to have so many together. We know he felt encouraged and loved! So thank you! Moving forward, a Youth Search Team was compiled, and it consists of Matt Snead (Elder), Ken Bohney (Staff), Sara Carlson, Beth Karges, Liz Jost, and Brian Windingland. Please be in prayer for them as they continue to actively engage with potential candidates. We want this process to go as quickly as possible, but as slowly as necessary.
• Luke Johnson will be stepping out of his part-time role in worship technology this coming May. His wife, Talia, got into vet school down in Kansas, so they’ll be moving this summer. Be sure to say thank you if you see him!
• Also, if you didn’t know, Peg Hannestad, who was our Interim HR/Finance role, has been trying to find her replacement for well over a year! She finally found her replacement in Faye Wiedenmeyer. Peg now lives in Walker, MN, and has been commuting in. She has done an absolutely fantastic job, and we are so thankful for how God led her to us for the interim. Be sure to say thank you to her, and welcome Faye!

 
With our love, gratitude, and prayer,
 
Seth Dunham (Senior Pastor) & Matt Snead (Elder)

This past week I was meeting with a dear friend (and mentor) to catch up on life. After much laughing and some (almost) crying, the subject of evangelism came up. My friend then shared how this past week he was approached by a coworker who was a devout Muslim.

The conversation went a bit like this:
Coworker: “Do you know what this Wednesday is?”
Friend: “Of course. It’s the start of Ramadan.”
Coworker: “Oh – I didn’t realize you’d know about Ramadan.”
Friend: “I do. Did you know that this Wednesday is also the start of Lent?”
Coworker: “Indeed. So, what are you giving up this year?”
Friend: “Nothing.”
Coworker: “Nothing? Isn’t that something Christians do during Lent? Fast?”
Friend: “Yes. Some do. But I’ve found that when I’ve done it in the past that I’ve done it for the wrong reasons. But I know for some it’s a really powerful season.”

Their conversation, which continued for a powerful 10-15 minutes, captures several things worth highlighting. First, I’m guessing my friend wasn’t expecting this to happen, but his interaction that day is such a wonderful and beautiful example on how our Vision is supposed to work! He had built enough of a friendship up to this point that his coworker felt safe enough to start this kind of conversation. Of special note is how God opened up a door through my friend’s knowledge of Ramadan. I’m blown away by the man’s response: “Oh, you know about Ramadan?” Knowing about what’s going on around us is a key and vital way to have real conversation. And I’m so thankful that my friend jumped on the opportunity. It’s so easy for us to forget Jesus’ famous words, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) Those words ring with authority and invitation. But we also remember that we are the ones called to be ambassadors and ministers of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18-20). The gospel is the starting point for faith! So, I invite you to pray with me for people like this coworker during Ramadan! You can signup HERE for a special daily 30 second video to help you pray for Muslims. Second, this story also captures the possible beauty, or the potential harm if something is done for the wrong reasons. Each person must make a choice for themselves what is most appropriate for them as they approach Easter. Yet we remember that Easter is the most important holiday of the Christian calendar and is worth preparing for. Lent can be a powerful tool in the hands of the Holy Spirit for those who might want or need to surrender in this season to draw near to God. So, what are we surrendering? Our idols. Tim Keller captured the idea of idolatry best when he said in his book Counterfeit Gods,
 
A counterfeit god is anything so central and essential to your life that, should you lose it, your life would feel hardly worth living. An idol has such a controlling position in your heart that you can spend most of your passion and energy, your emotional and financial resources, on it without a second thought. It can be family and children, or career and making money, or achievement and critical acclaim, or saving ‘face’ and social standing. It can be a romantic relationship, peer approval, competence and skill, secure and comfortable circumstances, your beauty or your brains, a great political or social cause, your morality and virtue, or even success in Christian ministry.

Idolatry is a hard reality to escape, even for Christians. So, as we prepare for Easter, what idols might be stealing our worship from our Heavenly Father and keeping us from following Jesus? The gospel is the starting point for our faith, but it is also what empowers us to daily follow Jesus! And as we’ll see on Sunday as we continue in Matthew, following Jesus comes with a cost. The question is: Do you think it’s worth it? As you ponder, consider this: Jesus is far more valuable than anything you can possibly surrender! Jesus offers us life as it was designed, so is any other life even worth pursuing? Rhetorical enough? And yet, it’s far easier on paper than in real life. So, whether you choose to practice Lent or not, the season itself reminds us to “set our minds on things above” (Col. 3:1-2).

If you’d like to read more on Lent, consider reading this recent BLOG by the EFCA on Evangelicals and Lent. It offers a thoughtful and articulate perspective, with a variety of considerations. If you’re looking for more practical reflection, look especially at the Biblical meditation and reflection portion.
 
So, whoever you are, wherever you’re at in your journey with Jesus, I pray in this season – as we all prepare for Easter in different ways - that we each find the same unconditional love in Jesus that offers us unequivocal identity and unprecedented purpose.

“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.” (Ephesians 3:20-21)

This past Sunday, we saw that there were people coming from Jerusalem and all Judea to be baptized by John in the Jordan River. Baptism wasn’t common, except for when outsiders (Gentiles) came to publicly demonstrate they were leaving behind their old life. But the incredible part of that story was that it wasn’t Gentiles who were coming down. It was the Jews. It was the religious insiders who had been waiting for God to act and move. So, when they heard God’s story was unfolding, they longed to be a part of it. In essence, they left the “cultural Christianity” behind (yes…I know it was Judaism). They felt God calling them out of sin towards righteousness, out of lesser things, and for greater purposes. Their response wasn’t half-hearted. In fact, it says that they were confessing their sins. But what does that look like?
 
When I was in seminary, I remember sitting in a counseling class when a professor said, “When you go to ask for forgiveness…remember that it’s not about you.” She went on to explain that so often we ask for forgiveness so that we can feel better about ourselves. We have guilt in our heart, but we treat it like a chip on our shoulder. We ask for forgiveness and then brush the chip off, without really caring if we cared for the person in front of us. Is that selfless? Or selfish? In Luke 15, Jesus tells a parable about a young man who gathers his inheritance early, only to squander it in another country. Upon realizing his error, he repents. He turns from that life and goes home. But in coming home, he says, “I have sinned against God, and against you (his earthly father).” When we sin, it hurts someone. First and foremost, it hurts God, who, as a holy God, is grieved by our sin. But it also hurts others. Yet how easy it is to make a half-hearted confession, asking for forgiveness so that we can move on.
 
When our confession is shallow, it’s likely that our conviction is shallow. We need a view of sin that doesn’t sugarcoat or candywrap it. When we do that, it not only minimizes its hurt and destruction, it also denies that sin is an outright cosmic rebellion against the One to whom we actually owe everything. It doesn’t matter how big or how small, acceptable or unacceptable sin is (in our culture)…sin shows us our total depravity. Apart from Christ, we would be totally corrupt. Yet Jesus, knowing our inability to fulfill any sense of the righteousness God demands, offers to step in “to fulfill all righteousness.” His baptism was a glimpse into what he would accomplish through his life, death, and resurrection. And he invites us, rather commands us, to follow his example by leaving behind our old way of life and following him into a new identity and new purpose.
 
If we want to take part in the great things that God is up to in bringing heaven to earth, then we need to pray for deep conviction and learn to practice deeper confession. Try these 7 A’s of Confession from Ken Sande’s book The Peacemaker.
 

• Address everyone involved. Think about how easy it is not to go to the person whom you hurt. Or to address only one instead of two. Or to talk to God and not to the one you hurt. True confession addresses each party.
• Avoid if, but, and maybe. Who hasn’t started confessing, only to find themselves a few minutes in, realizing that they’re actually justifying their behavior by shifting some of the blame. Often, that starts with one of these words. 
• Admit specifically. Whether it’s to not deal with guilt or shame, or out of pure laziness, we generally say, “God forgive me.” That’s not wrong, nor does it mean that God doesn’t accept it. But admitting specifically helps us own our sin.
• Acknowledge the hurt. This step makes sure we don’t gloss over the hurt. It seeks to understand it so that we know exactly how broken the relationship is. This is a great time to practice your empathy skills, showing you care about them more than yourself.
• Accept the consequences. Depending on the nature of the hurt, this may mean several things. What I do know is that we often want zero consequences. We say our peace and move on. We can’t just own the sin and hurt. We also own the process.
• Alter your behavior. Of course, this is with the Spirit’s help. But confession isn’t simply a plea so that we can continue living in the same behavior. It’s about repentance. We seek change because we care about those whom we hurt more than ourselves.
• Ask for forgiveness. Think about how much deeper our asking for forgiveness is if we’ve followed the steps above? It makes us appreciate how the depth of our sin allows us to experience a greater depth of God’s grace.

 
Not every situation will demand all seven steps. So don’t panic! And remember, while God will always forgive, others may not. But if we follow the steps above, we can be sure we’re not only doing our part, but we’re also doing it well. Plus, the more we understand conviction of sin and confession of sin, the more our hearts become aligned with God. Tell me, where else can you express such a deep confession and walk away so joyful? Only in Christ. Praise be to God who grants us such a beautiful expression of love with himself and with others!

After many weeks of waiting, we are thrilled to announce the Salem Church App is now live and ready for use on any Apple or Android device!

1. Search for "Salem Church Moorhead, MN" in your device's app store. Look for our little blue people circle logo.
2. Click HERE.

1. Create an account and sign in. If you have already created an account through online giving, you'll simply use that login for the app as well.
2. Turn on push notifications.

• Tap on the circle in the corner of the screen with your initials. This will open your profile information.
• Scroll down to App Settings, and tap on Notifications.
• Toggle ON the General notifications.

• As we begin creating groups in the new database, the app is going to be a great way for group members to communicate.
• We will send push notifications for weather cancellation announcements.
• Individuals will be able to message each other directly through the app without revealing personal information, and push notifications will let you know of new messages. Many of you have expressed frustration about not having printed directories to be able to contact someone. Well, this is your tool to do that! (Don't worry, if someone does bother you too much, you can block them.)

3. Explore! Check out all the tabs at the bottom and see what you can do!

• Can you find calendars and events?
• Can you find last week's sermon? What about a sermon on hope?
• When you go to the Bible portion, look up Mark 1. Do you see the related media suggestion at the top?
• Can you find something interesting in the Bonus Content Library?
• Can you find your giving history? (This one's tricky, it's not in the giving tab.)

Join Sarah Hanson and Liz Jost on Tuesday, September 16, at Techexercise. Bring your device, and we'll help you with whatever downloading, login, or navigation problems you run into.

The number one question we have been getting is related to finding giving information. There are a couple of different ways to do this, so let's get started.

Click on Give on the top navigation bar. At the bottom of the donation field, there is a light grey button that says "Log in to your giving account." 

The first time you click on it, you will need to set up a new account. Don't worry, by using your personal email address, the database will automatically recognize your account in the system, and your giving history will all be there. You only need to create your account the first time.
NOTE: Combined household giving is not available. If a donation is missing, check under your spouse's account. Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do to combine the giving into one report as in the past.

At the very bottom of each webpage, in the footer, there is a link to Access the Personal Web App. That link will take you to a scaled down version of our (future) mobile app. The personal web app will allow you to eventually message your groups, watch sermon content, and access your giving account.

Unless you have already set up your account through the giving page, you will need to do that on the web app page. Once you're logged in, click on the Give tab at the top.
HINT: Explore what the other tabs have to offer! For an added challenge, find the overlapping quotation boxes. This will be where you will eventually be able to see all the groups you are in, and be able to contact groups and individuals directly!

Each user must have a unique email address to connect with their account. The email address from the former database was carried over, so be sure to set up your account using that email address. However, if you shared an email address with your spouse, only one of you will have that email address now. If you have questions about which person the email address was assigned to, please email Sarah.

All of the groups are still in the process of being set up, so you may not see everything you're involved in just yet. Most communication is still being done through our former database, CCB. If you are not receiving any communication, please email Sarah. If you are having trouble creating your account, please email Sarah.

If you feel there is a discrepancy in your giving history, please check your spouse's giving history. If the numbers between both accounts are not adding up correctly, then email Peg.

Come to Techexercise on September 16! This event will be focused on navigating the new website and app, and Sarah & Liz will be there to help you get your personal account set up or figured out.

A church's website is like a virtual front door. Potential visitors will usually check out a church website to gauge the community before deciding to visit or not. As we have built the new webpage, we have kept potential visitors at the forefront. This is why the main page is mostly information for visitors. Groups, class descriptions, and events can still be found from the navigation bar, but likely not directly from the homepage. None of the bonus content from the app is available on the website, nor will users be able to save giving information or stop/resume watching sermons - this is why you will want to download the app!

Here's a short preview video of what the website looks like so far. It's a work in progress!

There are two big benefits of the app that we are most excited to get into your hands: Event Information and Media.

From the Connect tab of the app, you will be able to find specific ministry department calendars to find upcoming events, register, and add your events to your phone calendar. You will also be able to submit prayer requests, visitation requests, and contact the church office.

The Media tab is where you'll be able to find the sermon library (browse by series, speaker, or topic) and bonus content (The Bible Project, The Chosen, Adventures in Odyssey, etc.). The Bible tab is going to give you multiple translations of the Bible, Bible reading plans, and it cross-references to our sermon library! This cross-referencing means that if you are reading a section of scripture that has a sermon from that same section, the past sermon will pop up at the top as a clickable link.

Here's a short preview video of what the app looks like so far. It's a work in progress!

Similar to CCB & PushPay, users will each have their own login for the app and database. This login is tied to an email address, so users cannot share an email address.

Several people received an automated email last week informing them that their email was removed from the CCB database. This was part of the data cleanup ahead of the transition, and was only done in situations where more than one person in a family had the same email listed. It is important not to share a login with a spouse because if you, not your spouse, is a member of a specific group any communication sent to the group you are in would not get to you. Another benefit to using a personal login is that you'll be able to chat with others, participate in group messaging, save media, and store giving information.

As of July 11, online giving is being handled through Subsplash. The GIVE link on our webpage is already directing to Subsplash. If you want to get ahead of the game, go ahead and give through our website, click on "continue" after making your first gift, then follow the prompts to set up your Subsplash account.

I had a lunch appointment recently. Leading up to the meeting the individual, with the best of intentions, wrote, “I hope your summer has been restful!” Summer does provide a change of pace to some degree, but his message was sent July 14, the day after returning from our Greater U.S. Mission Experience in Laredo, Texas. I wasn’t rested. ?
For many of our youth this summer has provided amazing opportunities to serve the Lord in exciting ways.

Many of our youth have been serving at Cooperstown Bible Camp, Camp Joy, and other Bible camps in our region. Fifteen of our youth and leaders spent a week on our annual Local Mission Experience (LME) June 8-12. Nineteen of our youth and leaders spent a week on our semi-annual Greater U.S. Mission Experience (GUSME) in Laredo, Texas July 5-13. Every Wednesday in June and July many youth gather at a different house each week for Summer K – the K stands for Koinonia which is the Greek word for Christian fellowship.

LME was filled by serving at Summer Blast and doing projects for the Cushings, Adamsons, Cooperstown Bible Camp, and Camp Joy.

GUSME was filled with leading a VBS at Las Penitas Community Center, building beds and making pillowcases for children, highlighting verses in Bibles and handing them out in a local park, praying for people in a park, doing a Prayer Drive throughout Laredo, doing projects for an Immigration Center and interacting with some children at the Center, and doing projects for the ministry that housed us.

Praise the Lord for all He is doing in and through our youth during this summer of “rest.” ?
Pastor Kent