“Tradition for Today”
When I saw something happening slower than I would have liked it to, I used to describe that thing, whatever it was, as “moving slower than molasses in January.” But since I started seminary, I have begun using the expression “moving at the speed of church” instead!
Congregational churches, especially fully autonomous ones like ours, are deliberative by necessity. We take time, consider options, and proceed forward. That is as it should be. Even so, we have managed to accomplish quite a lot together so far. Consider that in the last eight months, we have begun several new ministries together, including:
-Participating in the Kessler Elementary Backpack Buddies program and provided three completely full grocery carts worth of food for it in a span of under three months
-The monthly Christian Music Jam sessions
-The evening Bible study
-The young adults Sunday School class
-The “Second Sundays” new member’s class
-A new Pastoral Relations Team and a new Personnel Committee
That’s an awful lot for moving at the speed of church!
And there are still more new opportunities on the horizon—Lynn Taylor and I have been collaborating on a new Sunday evening prayer service to take place in the Fellowship Hall beginning May 6. Look for this exciting new service to be making a splash very soon!
But as with every ministry that we do, these new programs emphatically do not mean “out with the old.” They mean that we are discovering new and exciting ways to be church together in the 21st century while also continuing to be inspired by the Christians who have come before us. As The Daily News headline about us in October said, we are about tradition for today. Let that be our vision as we continue to move forward together.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Eric
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