Returning From Rest

Dear Salt House Community,

Pastor Sara has returned!

Pastor Sara Wolbrecht, our senior pastor, is has returned from her three-month sabbatical — a time for spiritual and physical rest and renewal that was enthusiastically supported by the Salt House Council. We are grateful for the gifts and presence of Pastor David Hahn, who has served the Salt House community as our interim pastor while Pastor Sara was away. Pastor David’s last Sunday with us is August 30.

The Work of the Salt House Council

Your Council (along with staff and many of our key volunteers) has been praying and working to support the many ministries and programs at Salt House. With the guidance from the Wisdom Council we’re moving into our next steps as a community called into loving service, joining God’s movement of healing, justice, and hope for the world.

So much of what the Salt House Council does is behind the scenes, and our church community doesn't always get to see these efforts. To provide more visibility to the community, a Council member will provide a brief update on what was discussed the Sunday following each monthly Council meeting. You can also review the meeting minutes on the Church Council page of our website.
 

Annual Meeting Recap

The Salt House Annual Meeting was held on June 14. We were so pleased with the participation of the Salt House community in this work. The congregation voted to approve the full slate of Council nominees. Annemarie Russell (Vice President), Paul Brambila (Secretary), and Jim Anderson (At-large) were re-elected for second two-year terms. Bill Lennon and Brian Janous were newly elected as At-large members. Additionally, Kathrine Goetz was appointed at our new treasurer! Special Thanks for Irwin Dolobowsky for serving as treasurer for the past 4 years.

Our Nominating Committee was also elected: Irwin Dolobowski, Sherry Gorder, and Pam Waring were elected to serve on the committee for the upcoming year. We still need one more person to serve on this team and nominations are still open.

And finally, the FY27 budget was approved. And on July 22 Katherine Goetz gave a finance update highlighting the end of our FY26 budget year.

Wisdom Council Report

During the annual meeting in June, Council President Marc Templin gave a Wisdom Council report! The Wisdom Council was formed in November of 2025 with the intent of discerning a sustainable five-year vision for Salt House guided by this question: How is God calling Salt House to follow Jesus, love each other, and love and serve our communities now and in the next five years?

The resulting work helped to generate a roadmap of sorts that prioritizes immediate needs while also planning for long-term goals. There are three distinct phases to living out this vision for sustainability and growth!
 

• Phase 1 (June > 6 Months): Focus on simple summer worship, rest, play, and joy during Pastor Sara's "sabbatical summer" and our reintegration period this fall.
• Phase 2 (6-18 Months): Prioritize shared ownership (decentralizing leadership from the pastor), kids and families, and achieving financial stability.
• Phase 3 (2-5 Years): Focus on deeper spiritual growth, belonging, and being "good neighbors" through community connections.

Return from Rest

As we turn the corner from Summer into the Fall season, we are evaulating our rhythms, programs, and connections with an emphasis on deeper engagement and growth. How might Jesus be calling you into these next months?

This Summer has been a simple one, filled with worship, meaningful connections with others, and spacious time to be with God amid easy (or sometimes hectic) schedules. We’re grateful for Pastor David’s leadership and focus on the Book of Acts from the lens of curiosity as we discern the work of the Holy Spirit and ask, What is God up to? 
 
 Now What?
 
We’ll be capping off this season with Pastor Sara’s return and Pastor David’s sending on August 30. We will also be commissioning our Church Council for the year ahead. And then, on Sunday, Sept. 6 we take one more sabbath breath with a Sabbath Sunday (no worship gathering that day) before we reengage with our Fall Launch on Sept. 13.
 
This season, it is our hope that you will:

• Follow Jesus more faithfully and grow in love for God and neighbor
• Remember your belovedness and trust that you are worthy of love.
• Discover ways to volunteer and engage in ministry at Salt House
• Give joyfully and meaningfully to Salt House
• Register your kids (ages 0-18) for youth programs at Salt House
• Consider supporting our youth this season by volunteering for events
• Join a Small Group or ask about leading a group

Many Blessings!