Imagine what those who first met together in the Spring of 1960 were thinking when they decided to start a new Lutheran Congregation on Kent Island. Surely they wanted a church where they and their families could worship their Lord in a liturgical setting, where they could regularly celebrate the Sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion, where they and their children could read and learn the Word of God, and where their different and unique talents and abilities would be put to good use in furthering the message of the Gospel in their community.

Now, almost fifty years later, the people of Galilee Lutheran Church have the same goals. And I fully expect that the same will be said of the next fifty years (and a hundred or more, or until the Lord returns, whichever comes first). By the way, we will be celebrating the Fiftieth Anniversary of our congregation's official organization and charter in December 2011.

This year marks the twenty-first year that I have been privileged to serve as the Pastor of Galilee. During that time there have been many changes: births, weddings, deaths; new members joining as others left; several improvements to our building and grounds; even the move that Sherry and I made a couple of years ago out of the parsonage into our own home near Greensboro.

But what has not changed is the determination and dedication of our members to continue to do what we've always done: honoring God our heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in our worship, receiving the Sacraments on a regular basis, growing in our faith and understanding of the Holy Scriptures, and serving each other and those around us by giving our time and our gifts. And everything that we do is motivated by God's love for us and our love for one another. Galilee is indeed "A Healthy, Caring Community in Christ, Reaching Out with the Gospel to Those Around Us."

In addition to our new home, there have been some other changes. Sherry is now a licensed Beauty Consultant for Mary Kay Cosmetics. Our daughter Michelle is a Maryland State Trooper living in Federal Hill and working out of Harford County. Our son Ben is a Finan5ial Officer at the newly-opened Hertrich Auto Dealership_ in Easton. He and Erin, who is the Office Manager of the City of Greensboro, live on the property adjacent to ours. And our grandchildren Cole, Madison and Zachary are close by so we get to see them often. In addition to my ministry at Galilee, I also serve on the Chaplaincy Staff at Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis.

I trust you will join me in the prayer that God will continue to bring his richest blessings to my family and to yours, to all of us at Galilee and in our surrounding community, and to all who through the Internet are reading about our church and our ministry. We welcome your response, and invite you to worship with us. And we pray that our great God will bless you now and always.

Pastor Chuck