NEWSLETTER | October 2026

UPCOMING EVENTS
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The mission of Hope Lutheran Atascadero is to live in and proclaim Christ’s love through worship, faith formation, fellowship, and service to the community.

PASTOR'S UPDATE

Reds. Yellows. Browns. Greens. The colors of the leaves staring at me from outside the window. Welcome to autumn. It’s a season of changing leaves and changing daylight, and a time when we reflect on our own changes. It’s a good time to take stock of where we are as a church and to share some of the exciting things that have been happening recently at Hope. I hope you are as encouraged and energized as I am by these happenings over just the past month:

We packed dozens of LWR kits for school, hygiene, and infant care, as well as beautifully handcrafted quilts, followed by a delicious lunch and engaging fellowship.

We kicked off our fall stewardship campaign, “Love in Action,” focusing on why we do the ministries we do.

We gave thanks together for the life of our sister, Carol Mosher, commended her to the love of God, and took hold of our hope in God’s promised resurrection. Discussions are underway for Richard Ennes’ memorial, probably mid-November.

We welcomed three new members into our Hope family. If you haven’t had a chance, greet Nick, Stacy, and Ron next time you see them!

We enjoyed a visit from our synod’s Directors of Evangelical Mission along with a representative from the ELCA Innovation Team. Enthusiastic about our partnership with Habitat for Humanity to build 10 homes and integrate our ministries into the life of that new community, they directed us to possible grants and ruminated about how they might share what we’re doing with churches across our synod and the ELCA’s 64 other synods.

For the third month in a row, our finances stayed in the black.

We began preparing for our annual Harvest Festival and Chili Cookoff, and secured $750 in funding for it from Thrivent grants. I’m especially looking forward to hosting the event jointly this year with Atascadero United Methodist Church.

We launched our adult Bible Study series and What’s on Tap conversations considering “The Big Questions People Ask and the Answers Lutherans Give.” Nineteen of us gathered at Wild Fields for round one. Join us at 5:30p on Oct. 15 at The Poisoned Apple for round two.

We started 2026-2027 kids’ Sunday School and Confirmation. It’s been a blast so far!

We reached out with newly-designed cards offering information about Hope.

We furthered discussions about a field trip in November when we'll see Monarch butterflies with our resident biologist and Monarch researcher, Jim Walth. You’re not gonna wanna miss this one.

We’ve got plans forming for All Saints Sunday, the culmination of our stewardship campaign with a barbeque after worship, and our annual Thanksgiving dinner.

We continued to experience vibrant worship led by dynamic, gifted musicians and singers. Worship remains the foundation on which everything else we do is built.

At the prompting of God’s Spirit, we’re acting on faith and growing together. The days may be shortening, but the light of Christ brightly shines. It’s an exciting season at Hope!

Pastor Aaron

Affordable Housing Land Use: A Progress Update

Habitat for Humanity SLO continues to report on progress made since receiving Hope's overwhelming support to sell approximately 2 acres of Hope's campus to them for an affordable housing project. Habitat continues to move the project from the early planning stage into active due diligence and design.

Project Schedule: Habitat's preliminary development schedule was reviewed by both their Board and Build Committee and accepted. Their schedule lays out the anticipated sequence of work and major project milestones and is generally consistent with a typical development and construction process and includes the current project cost estimate of over $5 million. The amount of time required to secure this necessary funding remains uncertain and could ultimately affect the overall project timeline. The schedule will continue to be refined as the project develops.
Consultant Team: Habitat's Board supported moving forward with their consultant procurement. They have RFPs ready for the survey, geotechnical, civil engineering, and architectural work and will add structural engineering later as the project is further developed.
Project Budget: Habitat will continue refining the budget as they receive actual consultant proposals and better information about the site and project costs.

Hope's previously shared priorities were also reviewed at the recent Habitat Board and Build Committee meetings. They include: formalizing the purchase agreement, confirming the SB 4 requirements before the sale is finalized, developing a realistic project schedule and site plan, and continuing to think through how the church property and Habitat development work together. Habitat continues to share that those priorities are aligned with the work they have underway.

Land Use Roundtable with ELCA and SW Synod

Members of Hope's Land Use committee and Pastor Aaron met September 28 with Laura Salazar-Kreuger and Rev. Amy Beveridge, co-directors of Evangelical Mission of the SW Synod, and Tyra Dennis, Innovation Program Manager for the ELCA.

The objective of the roundtable discussion was to provide detailed information to the ELCA regarding Hope's participation in providing affordable housing in our community. For their part, the ELCA presented information on how ELCA Innovation supports efforts like ours to help them come to fruition.

"It was time well spent," stated Mark K., committee chair. "We came away encouraged by learning of additional support which may be available to us as we navigate this project with Habitat for Humanity."

ANNUAL FALL FESTIVAL TO BE HELD 10/30 AT HOPE

Bring the whole family to Hope for our annual Fall Festival held Friday October 30 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm, offered this year in conjunction with Atascadero United Methodist Church. We'll have a selection of carnival games with prizes, bounce house, trunk-or-treating, and of course the famous chili cookoff with cornbread.

Prepare your best chili recipe to participate in the contest. Contact the office if you'd like to sign up to bring cornbread to share (non-competitive).

Dress up, come hungry, and bring your friends!
This event is free and open to the public. We hope to see you there!

Click Here to Download Event Flyer to Share

HOPE Thanksgiving Dinner

Mark your calendars for Hope's traditional Thanksgiving Dinner slated for Sunday, November 22 at 5 pm. The sanctuary will be transformed after worship into a welcoming family dining space for the evening meal.

Watch for additional details and note that sign-up sheets for attendance, food and event assistance are already found in the narthex on Sunday mornings. Questions? Contact Lynn S. or the church office.

Hope Stewardship - Love in Action

"Let us love not in word or speech alone, but in deed and truth."

1 John 3:18

Nowhere was love more in action than at Hope's stewardship kickoff on Sunday, September 13 during God's Work Our Hands packing.

This past Sunday, we heard about Love in Action through Hope's outreach ministries, specifically ALF, ECHO and medical missions abroad.

You'll want to return to church on Sunday, October 11, where the Hope ministries of Legacy and Learning will be spotlighted and we hear how Hope is reaching out to build a legacy for future generations through generosity and education.

On our final Ministry Sunday, October 18, hear from those who put Love in Action each and every Sunday morning to support our worship.

For over three decades, Hope has put Love in Action. Come every Sunday and learn more about what happens when you love others through your generosity. Then celebrate that generosity on Sunday November 1 by pledging your commitment to Hope Lutheran Church and sharing a meal and witness what God does with your gift when it multiplies.

See how generous giving can also be Smart Giving.

TREASURER'S UPDATE

By Karen P.

“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.” - Robert Luis Stevenson

Thanks to your continued giving to our congregation and community, we have been able to meet our budget again for September. We are grateful for the continued fruit of our community’s faithful stewardship!

WHAT'S ON TAP & ADULT CONFIRMATION BIBLE STUDY SERIES

Pastor Aaron continues to lead topical studies on Big Questions People Ask and the Answers Lutherans Give. Each Big Questions Bible Study will be followed by a correlating What's on Tap meeting, allowing us to tease out the topic's implications.

After Pastor Aaron has introduced each topic, individuals from the congregation are invited to lead a conversation about it on subsequent Sundays, sharing how the matter is of personal relevance. If you'd like to lead a conversation, let Pastor Aaron know! Midweek devotions and discussions will be scheduled during advent weeks.

Each What's On Tap will be held 5:30-7 pm. On Oct. 15, we'll be at The Poisoned Apple in Atascadero. Join us!

E-MAIL Pr AARON TO LEAD