PULPIT: New leader, attitude at Falcon church
The rendition of “Amazing Grace” at Family of Faith Lutheran Church in Falcon is not your grandma’s version.
This one sounds modern, accompanied by a driving beat, and reflects the changes going on at the church, which meets Sundays at Falcon Elementary School, 12050 Falcon Highway.
Within a 14-month span, Family of Faith got a new name, a new attitude and a new leader — 60-year-old Mike Wnorowski, who draws on the successes and tragedies of his life in his practical sermons.
“We try to be the best blend of traditional and modern we can be,” Wnorowski told me.
Founded in 2001 as Abiding Lutheran Church by the Lutheran Church of the Missouri Synod, the worship center was stagnant for years, having only 18 members.
Denomination leaders wanted an overhaul, and chose Wnorowski to do it.
Wnorowski was a deacon at a Woodland Park LCMS church, and is now studying for his Master of Divinity. In the meantime, he leads the church as deacon.
Wnorowski’s real-world experiences have helped him become a strong church leader.
For 20 years, he was president of USA Imaging, a Woodland Park-based company that created in-house images for sports organizations around the country.
But in 2004, he was in a severe automobile accident that left him unable to work, he said.
Tragedy struck again in 2007, when he was diagnosed with a genetic heart condition. He had three open-heart surgeries and nearly died on the operating table, Wnorowski said.
Wnorowski says his auto accident and health problems have deepened his faith and made him more compassionate.
“I believe if you smile at the world, the world will smile back,” he told me.
Since he took over Family of Faith, membership has risen to about 70. Younger people have joined, lowering the church’s average age from the late 60s to the mid-40s.
Services include a traditional communion, but also modern touches, such as an overhead projector splashing power points on a screen, sermons on real-world issues rather than Christian doctrine, and “Amazing Grace” with a back beat.
“We want to be inviting and accessible,” Wnorowski said.
Alicia Wiseman, of Falcon, has been attending since March.
“He isn’t afraid to show how much he loves Jesus, and how much he loves the people who come to church,” she told me.
Today is a special youth day at the church. Children and teenagers will usher, greet worshippers and perform worship music at the 10 a.m. service.
For more information about Family of Faith, go online to www .falconfamilyoffaith.com.
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For more religion news, go to my blog, “The Pulpit,” at
www.thepulpit.freedomblogging.com
