August 2025

We are all in the midst of those summer doldrums, or at least I am. That time between the hectic business of the first few weeks of summer, and then the return of a longer than normal to do list as we prepare to enter into the Autumnal months. The big holidays have come and gone; the community celebrations are largely done. At church, our weekly attendance has noticeably dropped, as people have other events happening on Sunday mornings or weekends. It’s very much a ‘blah’ time of the year.

We get the term doldrum from the world of sailing. A doldrum is that time when the wind disappears, when a boat that is dependent on the wind to move, is cursed to just sit and wait until the wind returns. The sailors of the past had no idea if the wind would be back in a day, a week, or a month. They just had to sit and wait.

But they didn’t wait without doing something. They took the opportunity to repair sails, and masts. To ensure the boat had been scrubbed free of barnacles and other unwanted passengers. They couldn’t just sit and wait, or else emotional depression would find them. Still, they know that too long in the doldrums could lead to their supplies dwindling, an increase in scurvy or disease. When a boat doesn’t move for too long, bad things happen.

Those same things can be true for the church. While we are in those doldrums, we cannot allow ourselves to do nothing. Are there projects we can help with? Are there volunteer opportunities in the Fall that we could begin preparing. Do you have an       idea for service or outreach that you want to present to the council? The more ways in which we can keep ourselves active, the more we will be prepared when the winds return to our sails.

One of the ways in which we can all be a part of the communal life at St. Ansgar is responding in obvious ways to requests for help or information. It is a common thing for our sign-up sheets to remain empty, and yet people will show up for the event. This makes it very difficult to plan. Please, sign up for an event if you plan on attending. If folks are not signing up, we have no idea who and how many will actually participate, and the chances of the event being cancelled greatly increase.

Don’t give in to the doldrums. Participate as you are able in the life and activities of     St. Ansgar. As I mentioned in a recent sermon, balancing our times of activity and inactivity is important. So, relax, enjoy this time of relative calm, but prepare yourself to do something!

With the Greatest of Hope!

With the Greatest of Hope

Pastor Erika