Grace and Peace to you from God our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ!

Welcome to Tree of Life Lutheran Church, located in suburban Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. We are a congregation of over 900 baptized members, diverse in our membership and welcoming in our ministry. If you don't know us, please browse around to learn who we are and what we believe. And if you are seeking a family of faith, we hope you'll visit us in person. We are rooted in faith and growing in love. We'd love to have you as a part of our faith family!

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

When I finished filling in all the details of the May calendar to give to Carol to prepare for Plantings, I made the comment that I'm not sure how we could fit one more thing into our building's weekend schedule. Weddings, Guatemala Silent Auction, various receptions, recognitions, and celebrations, Sudan Church, Eagle Scout ceremonies and our own services... a whirlwind of activity will happen at Tree of Life during this busy month.

As we close in on summer, I've been thinking about a question that came up among a group of my clergy peers when we talked about the commitment of members to our respective congregations. We all acknowledged that the word commitment has fallen on hard times, even in the church. Parents call to schedule a baptism. They make promises to bring their children to the services of God's house. After the baptism, they disappear. Maybe we see them at Christmas or Easter, maybe not. Young adults make promises during the Rite of Confirmation. See the comment about baptism for the typical results.

A faith community only flourishes by the commitment of its members. When they support the congregation's services, Sunday School and various ministries, the congregation grows and is fruitful in its response. When members fail at commitment, the congregation inevitably fails as well. My clergy friends all had the same sad tale to tell... diminishing commitment.

I love our congregation. When I look at our busy May schedule, I see a congregation extending itself to share the love of Christ with its community and I see a devoted core of people striving to be a fruitful, faithful servant community. But, then too, I see how many of our members are standing on the sideline and I recognize that I am helpless to reach so many personally in an effort to grow commitment.

What is your commitment to our family of faith? Are you standing close to the center or on the sidelines? Are you here to receive what we have to offer or are you here to support what we offer? It's a question all of us should think more intentionally about.

As we approach summer, a time when too many "escape" from worship, give some thought to the question yourself. Do you value our mission and ministry? Are those who are part of this family of faith important to you? What have you received here? What can you give here?

Blessings!