October Pastor's Note
This month’s note is a little less reflective and a bit more all over the place, but I hope you’ll forgive me. September was a busy month, and I thought I’d offer some snapshots of the past month as we look ahead to October and beyond.
The Harvest season began on September 6 with the invitation to “Come and Center.” I asked, “Knowing that God is holding you, what can you put down?” I’ve been accused of preaching directly to some of you before, but the truth is, I’m preaching sermons I need to hear, too. Confession: I’m better at preaching them than I am at heeding them. I haven’t figured out what I can put down, but my body, spirit, kids, and therapist are all encouraging me to figure it out. Some of you have shared with me what you’ve actually been able to let go - and I love hearing about it! This is an ongoing invitation as we proceed through the season.
On September 13, the invitation was to “Come, Celebrate, and Connect.” It’s always pretty amazing to hear about the ministry that is happening here. In case you missed it, you can view the group presentations here:
We celebrated Pride! Our High Street front got a bit more colorful with the additions of a Pride flag and painted steps. Thanks to Mark and Lisa for powerwashing and priming, and to Ethan and Jordan King, who answered the call to help and volunteered to paint, along with Mark and Stephanie. The Second Annual Ecumenical Pride Worship service was held on Saturday, September 19. It was a joyous service and a great prelude to the Pride Festival on Sunday afternoon. Thanks to all who came out to support and participate in both events!
Our church retreat was held in Martin Chapel at EMU on Sunday, September 27. Jonathan McRay was our guest facilitator, and he offered us some exercises and tools rooted in conflict transformation. We’ll continue to explore some of these themes in Nurture in October. We began by reflecting on our own experience of conflict. How does conflict make us feel? What are the stories we tell about it? How would you respond?
We bid farewell to Barbara Bowman on September 20. Barbara was so gracious in extending her interim time with us, and we all hated to see her time come to an end. Sadly for us, her season of life isn’t the most conducive to the position, as she has more grandkids to visit, family events to attend, and freedom and plans to travel in the coming months. We wish her the very best. The Personnel team has spent a considerable amount of time searching for our next hire, but still has not found the right candidate. We recognize that our needs are increasing, and that if we want to find and retain the right person for the job, it needs to be sustainable for their needs, so this position may grow and shift as we respond to those realities. Prayers are very welcome for the right person to be called!
Last year, recognizing the depth and complexity of our administrative and communication needs, and the need to make the position sustainable, we consolidated two positions into one full-time position, which Christabell officially began on January 1st. We have been so wonderfully blessed by her work with us, her presence on many Sunday mornings, her cheerful office presence, and her competence and creativity. September was a month of particularly heavy lifting. “Come, Celebrate, and Connect” Sunday, our table at Pride, and the church retreat all came together because of her work and organization. I just wanted to put in an extra note of appreciation for all she does. Much of her work is unseen, which is a testament to how well she does it!
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