The ingathering is the kick-off of the church year for our congregation. A treasured part of this service is the Water Communion ritual. Fellowship members collect small amounts of water from the places they have been over the summer. Or water is collected from a rainstorm. Or water is collected that is otherwise significant or symbolic in some way. During the ceremony, the water is poured into a large bowl where it is mixed together. In turn members of the Fellowship may take some water home to symbolize that all members contribute to the larger group. The La Crosse Fellowship also has a tradition of including rocks picked up from the beach, or a campsite or backyard. The rocks are used in the joys and concerns portion of Sunday Services throughout the year. In addition to our traditional gathering of waters and rocks, Keith will introduce this year’s Fellowship theme – Let Your Life Speak. This will be an Intergenerational Service.

Keith Belzer has been a member of our Fellowship since he moved to La Crosse from Chicago in 1992. During that time he has dabbled on most of the committees and held a couple of offices. During the week, Keith works as a lawyer protecting the constitutional rights of those among us accused of criminal behavior.