Well, we are half way through 2022 already. We have been busy maintaining the property, and some restoration of the church building again.
Last December, we hosted several candlelight outdoor services with a Bell choir performing from inside the church, and the vocal choir outside the church. While it wasn’t the traditional candlelight services, it was nice to gather together and prepare our hearts for the Christmas season. In this gallery are photos from those services.
In April, we hired Hicks Masonry to help with the removal of some building stones that were showing deterioration related to moisture and the winter cold weather. Hicks Masonry procedurally removed these soft sandstones and replaced them with harder sandstone. Securing them structurally with cement and mortar. This restoration was done on the lower east wall and the southeast corner of the church. We then had Hicks masonry repair holes and cracks in the mortar on all the exterior walls. We are presently working to coordinate with a contractor to have all the exterior sandstone walls sealed to prevent future moisture deterioration. In this gallery are photos of the stone erosion, the repair process, and the finished results (without the sealant).
One day while visiting the stone restoration work at Ryssby, I was pleasantly surprised to see a group of painters with Plein Air Artists Colorado(PAAC) painting throughout the grounds. There were about 8 painters all doing paintings of the church from different views. They shared personally how they really enjoyed the peace and serenity of Ryssby for their morning painting session. In this gallery are photos I took, and others shared by one of the PAAC members:
On June 28th First Lutheran Longmont enjoyed the annual Mid-Summer picnic. We were blessed with a pleasant day with mostly good weather this year. We had a 10-minute rain storm come through around 1:45 that put a damper on the event, but it was well attended and enjoyed. The worship service was at 11:00, followed by a lunch of grilled hamburgers, brats, hotdogs, and several sides. With ice-cream treats served at 1:00 for everyone. (Drumsticks, Kit-kat cones, Fudge bars, Oreo sandwiches, Fatboys, etc.) As a special activity this year besides the jumping castle for kids, we had members display there Classic or Special car for others to view. We had 8 cars on display that were for observation and good conversation. Thanks to everyone who volunteered to make this a really nice event for worship service, choir, food, parking, tables & chairs, games, and car display. Thanks to everyone attending and being part of the conversations and fellowship.In this gallery are photos taken by Lewis Geyer
There have been several weddings and memorials held at Ryssby in 2022, and several events planned for this year. Thanks to our staff who coordinate and support this activity. (Betsy Winn – Coordinator, Brian Winn – Caretaker, and Peggy Shupe – Sexton)
With the dry weather, and lack of rain we are blessed to have our sprinkler system and water shares to keep the grounds green for now. We’ll continue to use water as available, and pray for good rains along the front range of Colorado through the summer and fall.
Herb Hergott
Ryssby Committee Chair