Our Pastor
Pastor Andrew Wendle was born and raised in Madison, WI. The oldest of three, Pastor Andy was gifted with loving parents, grandparents, siblings and extended family and friends. During his college years he served four summers as a camp counselor at Sky Ranch Lutheran Camp. It is there that he met his lovely wife, Linden Kron Wendle, and they were married shortly before entering seminary at Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, IA.
Together Pastor Andy and Linden served for 10 years in Oregon - Trinity Lutheran in Gresham, OR and Our Redeemer Lutheran and Asbury United Methodist in Hood River, OR - before moving to Somers, MT. Together with their three children they enjoy life in the great northwest. They hike, bike, camp, enjoy Flathead Lake and all that God's bountiful creation has to offer.
Below you will find Pastor Andy's monthly newsletter article written for God's people of Eidsvold Lutheran Church. May it inspire you to faithfulness in God's name as you read and receive this humble offering.
Blessings to you and to yours.
Contact him at: pastorandy2@charter.net
Pastor Andrew Wendle was born and raised in Madison, WI. The oldest of three, Pastor Andy was gifted with loving parents, grandparents, siblings and extended family and friends. During his college years he served four summers as a camp counselor at Sky Ranch Lutheran Camp. It is there that he met his lovely wife, Linden Kron Wendle, and they were married shortly before entering seminary at Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, IA.
Together Pastor Andy and Linden served for 10 years in Oregon - Trinity Lutheran in Gresham, OR and Our Redeemer Lutheran and Asbury United Methodist in Hood River, OR - before moving to Somers, MT. Together with their three children they enjoy life in the great northwest. They hike, bike, camp, enjoy Flathead Lake and all that God's bountiful creation has to offer.
Below you will find Pastor Andy's monthly newsletter article written for God's people of Eidsvold Lutheran Church. May it inspire you to faithfulness in God's name as you read and receive this humble offering.
Blessings to you and to yours.
Contact him at: pastorandy2@charter.net
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October 2020
Grace and peace to you in the name of our living and loving Savior, Jesus the Christ!
Beware that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah!’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places: all this is but the beginning of the birth pangs. Matthew 24:4-8
This passage, which comes as the disciples and Jesus have entered Jerusalem leading ultimately to his death, is a pastoral passage from Jesus to his disciples and other followers about what the end will look like. I say “pastoral” because it is meant to reassure the disciples that even though they are going to experience tremendous challenge, difficulty and likely even death themselves, God has a purpose and direction for them. God’s story will be larger, wider, longer than whatever momentary persecution or upset is going on in their world. I want to offer you a similar word, in the spirit of Jesus, today.
If the past four years, and likely longer, have taught us anything it is that we are not in normal times. People make a lot of what 2020 has been and there is certainly a lot there, however while the COVID-19 pandemic is new the civil unrest and challenge we’ve been seeing this year is not. We, in the United States of America, have entered a period of transition and turmoil and it is just a hard time to figure out exactly where we can turn for stability and security right now. In short, life right now is just tough.
In the midst of this tough environment we are also going to be electing a whole new slate of public servants at the end of this next month (on my birthday to be exact!). If you’re anything like me maybe keeping it all straight has been a bit tough. We have a former governor running for the US Senate, a US Congressman running for governor, a former governor candidate running for Congress and a former candidate for Congress also running to be governor. And this is to say nothing about the Presidential election.
The pastoral word I have for you in this is that while we may know the results of the more local elections on the evening of November 3rd, we are unlikely to know the national results that evening. And it is even more likely, given the national fervor that I spoke of above, that we will have protests amid celebrations, riots amid calls for unity, marches – violent and peaceful – amid calls for settling down and political court battles while many long for and end. In short, it is likely to be as tumultuous if not more after November 3rd as it has been recently. There is just too much built up animosity on all sides for it to just end when one side wins the election and the other loses.
However, my fellow disciples of Jesus, followers of God’s way, people who pick up your cross – God’s ultimate guiding of our lives will see us through this time of tumult too. God’s purpose will be larger, wider and longer than whatever momentary persecution or upset goes on in our world. I can’t tell you what this will look like for us as a country, the elections and everything else will have to play themselves out, but what I can tell you is that God’s grace will still guide us, God’s love renew us and we can, centering of God’s revelation to the world in Jesus Christ, still be one as God’s people after the election as well.
It is with this in mind that I want to invite you to vigil on the evening of the election. Due to the pandemic I don’t know exactly what this will look like yet, whether it will be inside our sanctuary or in the parking lot in our cars, but we will be hosting a service of prayer and communion that evening to draw us together, reassure us with hope and let ourselves not be swept away by however it is that people respond after the election. Let us not forget who’s and who we are and gather together to live under the one name that resounds in heaven and earth.
In Peace,
Pastor Andy
p.s. Look for more information about our election evening worship service to come in the next few weeks.
Grace and peace to you in the name of our living and loving Savior, Jesus the Christ!
Beware that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah!’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places: all this is but the beginning of the birth pangs. Matthew 24:4-8
This passage, which comes as the disciples and Jesus have entered Jerusalem leading ultimately to his death, is a pastoral passage from Jesus to his disciples and other followers about what the end will look like. I say “pastoral” because it is meant to reassure the disciples that even though they are going to experience tremendous challenge, difficulty and likely even death themselves, God has a purpose and direction for them. God’s story will be larger, wider, longer than whatever momentary persecution or upset is going on in their world. I want to offer you a similar word, in the spirit of Jesus, today.
If the past four years, and likely longer, have taught us anything it is that we are not in normal times. People make a lot of what 2020 has been and there is certainly a lot there, however while the COVID-19 pandemic is new the civil unrest and challenge we’ve been seeing this year is not. We, in the United States of America, have entered a period of transition and turmoil and it is just a hard time to figure out exactly where we can turn for stability and security right now. In short, life right now is just tough.
In the midst of this tough environment we are also going to be electing a whole new slate of public servants at the end of this next month (on my birthday to be exact!). If you’re anything like me maybe keeping it all straight has been a bit tough. We have a former governor running for the US Senate, a US Congressman running for governor, a former governor candidate running for Congress and a former candidate for Congress also running to be governor. And this is to say nothing about the Presidential election.
The pastoral word I have for you in this is that while we may know the results of the more local elections on the evening of November 3rd, we are unlikely to know the national results that evening. And it is even more likely, given the national fervor that I spoke of above, that we will have protests amid celebrations, riots amid calls for unity, marches – violent and peaceful – amid calls for settling down and political court battles while many long for and end. In short, it is likely to be as tumultuous if not more after November 3rd as it has been recently. There is just too much built up animosity on all sides for it to just end when one side wins the election and the other loses.
However, my fellow disciples of Jesus, followers of God’s way, people who pick up your cross – God’s ultimate guiding of our lives will see us through this time of tumult too. God’s purpose will be larger, wider and longer than whatever momentary persecution or upset goes on in our world. I can’t tell you what this will look like for us as a country, the elections and everything else will have to play themselves out, but what I can tell you is that God’s grace will still guide us, God’s love renew us and we can, centering of God’s revelation to the world in Jesus Christ, still be one as God’s people after the election as well.
It is with this in mind that I want to invite you to vigil on the evening of the election. Due to the pandemic I don’t know exactly what this will look like yet, whether it will be inside our sanctuary or in the parking lot in our cars, but we will be hosting a service of prayer and communion that evening to draw us together, reassure us with hope and let ourselves not be swept away by however it is that people respond after the election. Let us not forget who’s and who we are and gather together to live under the one name that resounds in heaven and earth.
In Peace,
Pastor Andy
p.s. Look for more information about our election evening worship service to come in the next few weeks.
