Update (Saturday, March 14) on Pastor and his family:
I’m writing to let you know that we spoke with Pastor on several occasions this week.
He wants you all to know that he and his family appreciate the calls and emails of support, your prayers, and offers of other assistance.
In particular, please keep your prayers coming as it will be a long and difficult transition to something that resembles normalcy and permanency for the family.
Know, as well, that Pastor is surrounded by the comfort of his family members. In addition to their daughter, Allegra, and Pastor’s sister, Marina, daughters Mercedes and Dominique have also taken turns traveling across the country to be with their parents, brother, sister-in-law and nephew.
Beyond prayers, please review the link on our website (www.flc-boston.org) to learn how best to make donations to Pastor and his family.
[highlight] FAQ: How you can help [/highlight]
Good news is also found in the fact that Pastor’s longtime friend and New England District colleague Brenda Bacon (many of you know her from her work at NED-LCMS and with the Lutheran Church Extension Fund), is with Pastor and his family, assisting them with the early issues related to the fire. Those of you who know Brenda know that Pastor, Daria, and the family are all in excellent hands. Brenda is tireless and relentless in prioritizing and completing tasks – her talents are much needed and willingly accepted.
As Pastor is in good hands, so are we as a congregation. He is relieved that in his absence the FLC family is in the care of many members of the clergy he loves as brothers and trusts as our spiritual leaders.
Tomorrow, Sunday, March 15, New England District President Timothy Yeadon will lead our worship. His sermon, based on the text for the Fourth Sunday in Lent of John 3:16, is “It’s a God Thing.” Those words were expressed by Pastor in one of the interviews he gave to WHDH the morning of the fire. If you haven’t seen those clips, please look for them or reference the several below:
While they show the terrible devastation of the Dutzmann home, they also serve to show the wonderful witness and faith of our pastor that we have learned to love and that give us strength (even if he does mention something about “pass the potatoes” during the interview). During our Sunday morning worship, there’s also a good chance that you’ll see one of our four-legged friends from Lutheran Church Charities Comfort Dogs.
Next Sunday, Pastor Carlos Hernandez, another very close friend of Pastor’s from Sacramento, CA, will lead us in worship.
We’re fortunate that Rev. Dr. David Cowan, who became somewhat of a fixture here at FLC while fulfilling responsibilities at Boston College, will return from Europe to help lead our worship on Palm Sunday, during Holy Week for the Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services, for the Easter Vigil on Saturday evening and for our Easter Sunday celebration services. He will be traveling with his wife and daughter. The family was going on holiday to a much different part of the world, but they agreed that Pastor Cowan’s consistent presence during this important part of the church year would be a relief to Pastor Dutzmann. It is.
Finally, Pastor Jeremy Pekari of Messiah Lutheran Church in Lynnfield will help our Elders meet any day-to-day spiritual needs of the congregation. Should pastoral care of any type be required, please contact me at the church office at 617-536-8851, or by email at admin@flc-boston.org. Steve Perko, our senior elder, may be reached at senior-elder@flc-boston.org. I know that Steve checks his email early and often and responds immediately (when he’s not “somewhere over the United States” at 35,000 feet in his profession as a pilot).
Pastor and his family are in good hands. And, he believes that we are in good hands, too. Please continue to pray for the Dutzmann family and that God will continue to strengthen both their, and our, faith and continue to protect them, and us.
Peace,
John Lindemann
Acting Parish Administrator
