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During her childhood, Kristen Beckler grew up in the Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELC), while her husband, Phil, attended various Protestant denominations when he was younger. Therefore, their union required some negotiation; she told him that she would attend any church with only a couple of exceptions. She says that actually, to be honest, she fibbed, and was really hoping for him to become Lutheran. Consequently, she picked Lord of Life as their first "trial" church. They've now been members for 31 years!
Kristen recalls that after a service in the old round setup in what is now the Fellowship Hall, during a service with an inspiring message by Pastor Chuck and great music, the couple in front of them turned around to give them a warm welcome and coo over their baby. Kristen stated, “Remember, I grew up in the old, very German, ELC church, so that kind of personal interaction was pretty rare with new people.” They instantly felt at home and have never left Lord of Life since.
Currently, Kristen most appreciates that Lord of Life values history and still offers a liturgical service, while at the same time is a living church that truly tries to emulate Christ with serving the community – including outreach to vulnerable populations that are spurned by other churches. She appreciates that Pastor David says the difficult things and lovingly helps us grapple with divisive issues.
Kristen states that her childhood taught what a lack of generosity felt like, and she never wanted to treat others like that. She then met and married her husband and learned to live by seeing his simple, honest, and spontaneous generosity of spirit. She states she learned tithing from her parents' strong faith and commitment to it. The two things together led her to commit to giving at our church. She chooses to support LOL with her financial gifts because Lord of Life has always been a loving and theologically-based church. She says our church’s commitment to acceptance, inclusion, social ministry, and outreach makes her financial commitment easy.
Her greatest hope for the next generation that calls Lord of Life their home is that during that time period, other churches can show their true colors and counteract the lack of acceptance of ALL people and the hatred that is taught from some pulpits these days. She hopes that, in the future, all Christians can unite to show love and to minister to those that need it most.
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