from the Pastors

Hello Friends,

Change is underway. Like tossing a stone into still water, ripples have been set in motion. Movement has begun—and it hasn’t yet reached its final destination. As I’m writing this, we’re packing boxes in Colorado, and hopefully by the time you’re reading it, those same boxes have arrived in Rhinelander. And let’s be honest… some of these boxes may never get unpacked!

Change is happening for us—the address we call home, the people we see each day, the grocery store we shop at, the route we walk our dogs, and so many other little things. And change is happening for you too, as we step into your daily life.

God offers us some guidance for times of change in Peter’s vision, as recorded in Acts 10 and 11. As Jesus’ resurrection sent shockwaves through the world, change was underway. In Peter’s dream, a sheet full of animals was lowered down, and he heard a voice say, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean” (Acts 10:15). For centuries, generation after generation had faithfully followed the food laws God gave to Moses. But now that era was ending.

That kind of change is not easy—especially when it touches something so deeply woven into our identity. But the dream wasn’t really about food. It was about people. What mattered most was that Peter changed—he opened his heart and welcomed Gentiles into the family of God. Jesus’ resurrection tore down the barriers. The gates of heaven swung open wide. The restrictions were lifted, the “keep out” signs taken down, the hoops to jump through laid flat. Jesus simply said, “Come to me.”

Friends, here we come.

The Grade family is on our way to you—as we, together, come to Jesus. I imagine that some of your ways and traditions will feel unfamiliar to us, just as some of ours may seem odd to you. But we are all in this together. One church. One Spirit. One journey.

With anticipation and grace,

Tim & Susie Grade, your new co-pastors