It was in 1963 that the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and told the world that he had a dream, a dream that his children would “one day live in nation where they would not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” Dr. King did not survive to see whether his dream would come true, but if he were alive today, he might well conclude that the day he dreamed of for his children had still not yet come.
Forty-five years after that historic speech and it is clear that we still do judge people by the color of their skin, by their country of origin, and by their ethnic background, long before we ever get to the content of their character, if we get there at all. The political campaign has often brought out the worst as racial epithets have become a disturbing part of the conversation. At times comments have been blatant and overt, but more frequently and more insidiously, they have been veneered in respectability. What would Jesus think?
Judea in Jesus’ time was the crossroads of the world that surrounded the Mediterranean Sea. Romans, Greeks, and Jews lived together, crowded into a small country, but the diversity in Judea was even richer and wider, with men and women coming from every point on the compass. And Jesus reached out in compassion to all, teaching us that there is no limitation on or boundaries around the word “neighbor”. Everyone is our neighbor, and we are called to love our neighbor.
In his 1964 acceptance speech for the Noble Prize for Peace Dr. King argued that humanity “must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.” For Dr. King, a follower of Jesus Christ just like you and me, that love is the love that Christ teaches us and calls us to share.
We have invited the Reverend Dr. Kenyatta Gilbert, assistant professor at Howard University’s Divinity School, to be our guest preacher in worship on November 9th to help us address these concerns. Professor Gilbert is an old friend from Princeton Seminary, where, in addition to his Master of Divinity degree, he also earned his Ph.D. I am delighted that he’ll be with us to help us explore such a persistently difficult issue.
When we look at a garden, we thank God for creating beauty in so many varieties. How dull a forest would be if all the trees were oaks. God has blessed us with richness in diversity in all life. In this time of year when the word “thanksgiving” is very much in our minds and on our lips, we should thank God for the diversity in all God’s creation, including humanity, and remember that in every face we see the image of God.
Grace & peace,
Pastor Skip
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
Responding Joyfully
At the top of my list of things to do before I left for vacation in August was “Return Stewardship Pledge Card”. The Stewardship Ministry Team met with our Elders and Deacons in early August and asked that the officers lead our Stewardship 2009 campaign by returning pledge cards even before the start of the Fall Stewardship campaign.
I filled out my pledge card joyfully, gratefully, and eagerly, happy to have the opportunity to make my pledge of support to the work God calls us to do through this Body of Christ that is the Manassas Presbyterian Church. There are so many wonderful ministries we do together all in the name of Jesus Christ. And, there is so much more we could and should be doing.
Each Sunday throughout the Fall we are focusing on the work of our 9 different Ministry Teams. We’ve already heard from Christian Education, the Early Learning Center, and the Worship & Music ministry teams. Over the next few weeks we will hear from Mission, Personnel, and, of course, Stewardship. Property, Membership, and Finance & Administration will share their ministries with us in November.
Our Ministry Teams are eager to share both the work they do and the challenges they face as they try to respond faithfully to their respective calls to ministry. A few Sundays ago we learned from Christian Education that we spend only about $30 per child per year on their Sunday School education! The Early Learning Center shared with us that over the past 40 years, more than 6,000 children have walked through our classroom doors to learn, sing, play, and be nurtured and loved. Our Worship & Music Team shared with us how many people are needed and how many little details go into planning even the simplest worship service each week.
Every ministry is important to our church, and every ministry we do is a response to God’s call to service. And, for as much as we do, God always calls us to new, different, and expanded ministries. We are particularly eager to expand the ministry we offer our youth, and we also want to expand our education ministry to our adults – and we can provide both vital ministries by restoring the Associate Pastor’s position.
Our Stewardship Ministry Team has put in countless hours to make this Fall’s Stewardship campaign successful and fun in the process. When the saddlebag comes to your home, I hope you will fill out your pledge card as I did: eagerly, gratefully, and joyfully. Henri Nouwen captures perfectly the opportunity we each are given through our pledge cards, “to invest yourself through the resources that God has given you -- your energy, your prayers, and your money --- in this work to which God has called us." Everything we do is ministry and the way we live our lives is stewardship, all as we follow the one who came to serve, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace & peace,
Pastor Skip
I filled out my pledge card joyfully, gratefully, and eagerly, happy to have the opportunity to make my pledge of support to the work God calls us to do through this Body of Christ that is the Manassas Presbyterian Church. There are so many wonderful ministries we do together all in the name of Jesus Christ. And, there is so much more we could and should be doing.
Each Sunday throughout the Fall we are focusing on the work of our 9 different Ministry Teams. We’ve already heard from Christian Education, the Early Learning Center, and the Worship & Music ministry teams. Over the next few weeks we will hear from Mission, Personnel, and, of course, Stewardship. Property, Membership, and Finance & Administration will share their ministries with us in November.
Our Ministry Teams are eager to share both the work they do and the challenges they face as they try to respond faithfully to their respective calls to ministry. A few Sundays ago we learned from Christian Education that we spend only about $30 per child per year on their Sunday School education! The Early Learning Center shared with us that over the past 40 years, more than 6,000 children have walked through our classroom doors to learn, sing, play, and be nurtured and loved. Our Worship & Music Team shared with us how many people are needed and how many little details go into planning even the simplest worship service each week.
Every ministry is important to our church, and every ministry we do is a response to God’s call to service. And, for as much as we do, God always calls us to new, different, and expanded ministries. We are particularly eager to expand the ministry we offer our youth, and we also want to expand our education ministry to our adults – and we can provide both vital ministries by restoring the Associate Pastor’s position.
Our Stewardship Ministry Team has put in countless hours to make this Fall’s Stewardship campaign successful and fun in the process. When the saddlebag comes to your home, I hope you will fill out your pledge card as I did: eagerly, gratefully, and joyfully. Henri Nouwen captures perfectly the opportunity we each are given through our pledge cards, “to invest yourself through the resources that God has given you -- your energy, your prayers, and your money --- in this work to which God has called us." Everything we do is ministry and the way we live our lives is stewardship, all as we follow the one who came to serve, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace & peace,
Pastor Skip
Monday, August 25, 2008
See You In September
It is mid-August as I write this, but the signs of September are everywhere: school buses practicing their routes, stores in full “Back-to-School Sale” mode, college-bound students packing suitcases and trunks, and the temperatures at night cooler and dry.
September always brings a feeling of renewal that is as refreshing as an autumn breeze. With September comes a new year in Sunday School, the return of the choirs, the switch back to worship at 8:30 and 11:00, and all the activities that keep our building humming. I enjoy the slightly slower pace of Summer, but I miss the activity and the liveliness of Fall, Winter, and Spring.
Things don’t stop in Summer, of course, and many Ministry Teams were hard at work even on the steamiest days. We are still searching for a new director for our Early Learning Center to succeed Linda Lindamood. The ELC Board has been working diligently and faithfully to discern whom God has chosen for the position. We hope to have a candidate by mid-Fall, but we also know that we are working on God’s schedule, not our own.
It’s almost impossible not to see the results of the never-ending work our Property Ministry Team does all year-round maintaining our property: a new parking lot in front (I love the speed bump!), fresh paint on the cross on the steeple, and freshly painted offices, just to point out the more obvious changes.
Our Finance Ministry Team also had a busy summer working with the accounting firm we hired last spring to help us review our finances and provide better reporting not only for our Session, but for the whole congregation. Lisa Faust, our Financial Administrator, has been a wonderful addition to our staff as she updates reports, systems, and how we manage our finances. The accounting firm will provide a detailed report and presentation to our Session in October.
Perhaps the Ministry Team that was busiest over the Summer was Stewardship, which has been planning for what is sure to be an exciting Fall Stewardship campaign. The Team didn’t even wait for Labor Day to get started, meeting with the Elders and Deacons over lunch in early August to share their ideas and sign up volunteers. If you are asked to be a “Station Agent” or a “Trail Boss”, say “yes”!
The Stewardship Ministry Team conducted two “Focus Groups” at the beginning of the summer to learn how we can do a better job with our Stewardship campaign. One of the things we learned is that we need to do a better job communicating information about our Ministry Teams. So, beginning in mid-September, every Ministry Team will have a Sunday to participate in worship leadership and share with all of us how they serve God and our church through their work.
God is always at work in us and through us, Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring, renewing us, transforming us, and guiding us, as follow our Lord Jesus Christ. The page on the calendar turns to a new month, but God’s abiding presence remains constant, God’s love for us unwavering. That’s reason to celebrate all year round.
See you on Genesis Sunday!
Pastor Skip
September always brings a feeling of renewal that is as refreshing as an autumn breeze. With September comes a new year in Sunday School, the return of the choirs, the switch back to worship at 8:30 and 11:00, and all the activities that keep our building humming. I enjoy the slightly slower pace of Summer, but I miss the activity and the liveliness of Fall, Winter, and Spring.
Things don’t stop in Summer, of course, and many Ministry Teams were hard at work even on the steamiest days. We are still searching for a new director for our Early Learning Center to succeed Linda Lindamood. The ELC Board has been working diligently and faithfully to discern whom God has chosen for the position. We hope to have a candidate by mid-Fall, but we also know that we are working on God’s schedule, not our own.
It’s almost impossible not to see the results of the never-ending work our Property Ministry Team does all year-round maintaining our property: a new parking lot in front (I love the speed bump!), fresh paint on the cross on the steeple, and freshly painted offices, just to point out the more obvious changes.
Our Finance Ministry Team also had a busy summer working with the accounting firm we hired last spring to help us review our finances and provide better reporting not only for our Session, but for the whole congregation. Lisa Faust, our Financial Administrator, has been a wonderful addition to our staff as she updates reports, systems, and how we manage our finances. The accounting firm will provide a detailed report and presentation to our Session in October.
Perhaps the Ministry Team that was busiest over the Summer was Stewardship, which has been planning for what is sure to be an exciting Fall Stewardship campaign. The Team didn’t even wait for Labor Day to get started, meeting with the Elders and Deacons over lunch in early August to share their ideas and sign up volunteers. If you are asked to be a “Station Agent” or a “Trail Boss”, say “yes”!
The Stewardship Ministry Team conducted two “Focus Groups” at the beginning of the summer to learn how we can do a better job with our Stewardship campaign. One of the things we learned is that we need to do a better job communicating information about our Ministry Teams. So, beginning in mid-September, every Ministry Team will have a Sunday to participate in worship leadership and share with all of us how they serve God and our church through their work.
God is always at work in us and through us, Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring, renewing us, transforming us, and guiding us, as follow our Lord Jesus Christ. The page on the calendar turns to a new month, but God’s abiding presence remains constant, God’s love for us unwavering. That’s reason to celebrate all year round.
See you on Genesis Sunday!
Pastor Skip
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Faith Seeking Understanding
How did you do with the questions I asked in my sermon a few weeks ago? Did you open up your Bible to look for answers? Did you find out that Noah’s wife was not named in Genesis? Did you read Psalm 150, at the very end of the Book of Psalms? How many Proverbs are there? Have a look!
Each week I lead two Bible Study classes, and I always look forward to our time together. We read, we learn, we ask questions, as we seek to grow in understanding. I love leading the classes because every time I read a passage in the Bible, no matter how many times I’ve read it before, I always learn something new and find something fresh. That’s God’s Spirit at work, opening my eyes!
Our Wednesday morning class decided last December to make 2008 a “Year With The Bible”. So we all bought copies of “One-Year” Bibles, in which the Bible is divided into 365 daily readings: a text from the Old Testament, a text from the New Testament, a bit of a Psalm, and a Proverb or two each day. Each day’s reading takes about 20 minutes, and we now find ourselves half-way through the entire Bible!
Our Thursday evening group has chosen a more eclectic path this year, combining Biblical texts with articles and books. The past few weeks we took a fascinating journey asking questions about what Jesus means when he speaks of “eternal punishment”. We wanted to ask how we reconcile God’s grace, mercy, and love, with what appears to be unforgiving wrath and torment. We read from theologians and pastors who present a very different perspective from what most of us learned in Sunday School when we were growing up. If you want to learn more, come join us, or just ask!
I devote at least 6 hours of every week preparing for these two classes and then participating in them. It is rich time for me -- time to immerse myself in the Bible, in our Book of Confessions, in thought-provoking articles and books by theologians and other scholars, and in prayer for guidance by the Holy Spirit.
It was Anselm who almost a thousand years ago spoke of “faith seeking understanding” – that even as we take things on faith, we still are filled with a desire to understand, and that as we grow in understanding, we grow in faith. And that understanding comes through questioning, reading, studying, and learning, with our minds open to God’s guidance through the Holy Spirit. The Psalmist put it best when he wrote, “The unfolding of your words gives light”. Now: can you find the Psalm that verse comes from!
Grace & Peace,
Pastor Skip
Each week I lead two Bible Study classes, and I always look forward to our time together. We read, we learn, we ask questions, as we seek to grow in understanding. I love leading the classes because every time I read a passage in the Bible, no matter how many times I’ve read it before, I always learn something new and find something fresh. That’s God’s Spirit at work, opening my eyes!
Our Wednesday morning class decided last December to make 2008 a “Year With The Bible”. So we all bought copies of “One-Year” Bibles, in which the Bible is divided into 365 daily readings: a text from the Old Testament, a text from the New Testament, a bit of a Psalm, and a Proverb or two each day. Each day’s reading takes about 20 minutes, and we now find ourselves half-way through the entire Bible!
Our Thursday evening group has chosen a more eclectic path this year, combining Biblical texts with articles and books. The past few weeks we took a fascinating journey asking questions about what Jesus means when he speaks of “eternal punishment”. We wanted to ask how we reconcile God’s grace, mercy, and love, with what appears to be unforgiving wrath and torment. We read from theologians and pastors who present a very different perspective from what most of us learned in Sunday School when we were growing up. If you want to learn more, come join us, or just ask!
I devote at least 6 hours of every week preparing for these two classes and then participating in them. It is rich time for me -- time to immerse myself in the Bible, in our Book of Confessions, in thought-provoking articles and books by theologians and other scholars, and in prayer for guidance by the Holy Spirit.
It was Anselm who almost a thousand years ago spoke of “faith seeking understanding” – that even as we take things on faith, we still are filled with a desire to understand, and that as we grow in understanding, we grow in faith. And that understanding comes through questioning, reading, studying, and learning, with our minds open to God’s guidance through the Holy Spirit. The Psalmist put it best when he wrote, “The unfolding of your words gives light”. Now: can you find the Psalm that verse comes from!
Grace & Peace,
Pastor Skip
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
A Visit from Mrs. Mary Dingleberry
Over the past few months I have focused on the work of our Session in my Pastor’s Letters. I have wanted to highlight the work our Elders do as they govern and lead our Church, following Jesus as the Head of our Church. I have also wanted to add some clarity about how our Session works and what our Elders do.
A common assumption that many folks have is that Session meetings are long and tedious. Most of our meetings take about 2 hours; we are a busy church with a great deal for us to discuss. Twice each year we schedule meetings for Saturday mornings to give us extra time to discuss issues in depth. In an effort to make our meetings more productive we are working to leave more of the details to Ministry Teams. Session should be focused on overall policies and practices.
Our April meeting was one of our two Saturday meetings and it was a wonderful example of why our meetings cannot be called tedious! Linda Lindamood, the Director of our Early Learning Center, gave us a lively and informative presentation on this wonderful ministry MPC has provided to the community for more than 40 years. Members of the ELC Board of Advisors were there as well to answer questions. And Linda brought a special guest, Mrs. Mary Dingleberry, who filled the room with laughter as she dispensed her unique, lavender-scented wisdom.
When we turn our attention to Christian Education programs at each Session meeting, I have the joy of providing updates on our Confirmation Class. I have had the privilege of teaching our Confirmation Class this past year with Mary Langley. The students in the class have been enthusiastic, inquisitive, and fun, challenging us as they have sought to grow in faith. They are now finishing their Service Projects and will turn their attention to their Statements of Faith. We will close our year with a Retreat at the church on May 10th, and then celebrate the year together with Confirmation Sunday on the 18th, first at breakfast with the Session and then in the 11:00 worship service as the students make their public profession of faith.
When our Elders meet as the Session, we try to follow Paul’s wise words to the Colossians: “Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body…And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” These are words to guide us not only in Session meetings, but in every part of our lives as we follow our Lord Jesus the Christ.
Grace & peace,
Pastor Skip
A common assumption that many folks have is that Session meetings are long and tedious. Most of our meetings take about 2 hours; we are a busy church with a great deal for us to discuss. Twice each year we schedule meetings for Saturday mornings to give us extra time to discuss issues in depth. In an effort to make our meetings more productive we are working to leave more of the details to Ministry Teams. Session should be focused on overall policies and practices.
Our April meeting was one of our two Saturday meetings and it was a wonderful example of why our meetings cannot be called tedious! Linda Lindamood, the Director of our Early Learning Center, gave us a lively and informative presentation on this wonderful ministry MPC has provided to the community for more than 40 years. Members of the ELC Board of Advisors were there as well to answer questions. And Linda brought a special guest, Mrs. Mary Dingleberry, who filled the room with laughter as she dispensed her unique, lavender-scented wisdom.
When we turn our attention to Christian Education programs at each Session meeting, I have the joy of providing updates on our Confirmation Class. I have had the privilege of teaching our Confirmation Class this past year with Mary Langley. The students in the class have been enthusiastic, inquisitive, and fun, challenging us as they have sought to grow in faith. They are now finishing their Service Projects and will turn their attention to their Statements of Faith. We will close our year with a Retreat at the church on May 10th, and then celebrate the year together with Confirmation Sunday on the 18th, first at breakfast with the Session and then in the 11:00 worship service as the students make their public profession of faith.
When our Elders meet as the Session, we try to follow Paul’s wise words to the Colossians: “Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body…And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” These are words to guide us not only in Session meetings, but in every part of our lives as we follow our Lord Jesus the Christ.
Grace & peace,
Pastor Skip
Thursday, March 27, 2008
The Wisdom of our Elders
Each time our Session meets we have a detailed agenda befitting our practice of doing things “decently and in order”, as the Apostle Paul teaches us. We begin our meetings with a brief lesson and devotion, followed by prayer. If our meeting is in the evening, we share an enthusiastic thank-you to Audrey Little for preparing a delicious dinner for us. Our Clerk, Jo Ann Staebler, updates us on Presbytery activities and changes in membership.
We then move on to reports from our Ministry Teams. We now have 9 teams: Administration & Finance, Christian Education, Early Learning Center, Membership (combining Fellowship and Evangelism & Assimilation), Mission, Personnel, Property, Stewardship, and Worship & Music.
We don’t always hear from every Team at every meeting. We are trying to focus on different Teams throughout the year to help us all develop a better understanding of each Team’s ministry. In April we will hear detailed reports from two Teams.
First, we will hear from the staff and Board of our Early Learning Center. Did you know that each week hundreds of 2, 3, and 4-year-old boys and girls participate in different programs our ELC provides? Under the leadership of Linda Lindamood and Chris Fox, the children play, learn, and sing, all in a very compact 3 hours. It is a ministry that is easy to miss because it happens on weekday mornings in rooms that we think of as Sunday School classrooms, but it is a vital ministry and one we strongly support.
We will also hear a more detailed report from our Mission Ministry Team. This Team spends long hours wrestling with how we can best and faithfully respond to the overwhelming needs we see all around us, stretching from within our own church family, to places and people thousands of miles from us. The needs will always exceed our abilities and resources, so Mission has the difficult task of assessing where and how we as a community of faith are called to respond.
Mission has also been working to lead us in becoming more faithful stewards of God’s creation. The Team has developed an environmental stewardship policy that all Elders have adopted. We will implement the policy in all that we do here at MPC to help us reduce, recycle, reuse and tread more lightly on this beautiful creation. God reminds us in the Pentateuch that the earth belongs to him, and that we are to look after it for future generations.
I encourage you to pray for our Elders, that they be graced with wisdom, energy, and faithfulness. Our Elders work hard to serve God and this church. In all we do as the Session of our church, we are guided by the prayer offered by our Lord, that we seek to do God’s will, and not our own, and that makes our service a joy.
Grace & peace,
Pastor Skip
We then move on to reports from our Ministry Teams. We now have 9 teams: Administration & Finance, Christian Education, Early Learning Center, Membership (combining Fellowship and Evangelism & Assimilation), Mission, Personnel, Property, Stewardship, and Worship & Music.
We don’t always hear from every Team at every meeting. We are trying to focus on different Teams throughout the year to help us all develop a better understanding of each Team’s ministry. In April we will hear detailed reports from two Teams.
First, we will hear from the staff and Board of our Early Learning Center. Did you know that each week hundreds of 2, 3, and 4-year-old boys and girls participate in different programs our ELC provides? Under the leadership of Linda Lindamood and Chris Fox, the children play, learn, and sing, all in a very compact 3 hours. It is a ministry that is easy to miss because it happens on weekday mornings in rooms that we think of as Sunday School classrooms, but it is a vital ministry and one we strongly support.
We will also hear a more detailed report from our Mission Ministry Team. This Team spends long hours wrestling with how we can best and faithfully respond to the overwhelming needs we see all around us, stretching from within our own church family, to places and people thousands of miles from us. The needs will always exceed our abilities and resources, so Mission has the difficult task of assessing where and how we as a community of faith are called to respond.
Mission has also been working to lead us in becoming more faithful stewards of God’s creation. The Team has developed an environmental stewardship policy that all Elders have adopted. We will implement the policy in all that we do here at MPC to help us reduce, recycle, reuse and tread more lightly on this beautiful creation. God reminds us in the Pentateuch that the earth belongs to him, and that we are to look after it for future generations.
I encourage you to pray for our Elders, that they be graced with wisdom, energy, and faithfulness. Our Elders work hard to serve God and this church. In all we do as the Session of our church, we are guided by the prayer offered by our Lord, that we seek to do God’s will, and not our own, and that makes our service a joy.
Grace & peace,
Pastor Skip
Friday, February 22, 2008
What Do They Do?
A question I am often asked is, “what is the Session?” The follow-up is usually, “what do our Elders do?” It often seems that our Session does its work so quietly that most folks are not even aware of its presence. Yet our Elders work very hard as members of the Session called to lead our congregation.
Our most recent meeting reflected the broad expanse of our calling and our work. We spent quite a bit of time discussing a new policy for building use: what outside groups may use our building, under what circumstances, and if we charge the group, how much we should charge. We have lots of requests for our space; more than we can handle, so we need to have a policy.
Did you know, for example, that every week the BEACON program is here teaching English as a second language? Did you know that we host Girl Scout leadership teams? Or that we are the meeting space for Toastmasters? Support groups have used our space in the past, and we currently host a Brazilian Church congregation that worships here twice each week. All this is in addition to the many programs that are run directly by our church.
Our Property Ministry Team is also scheduling a number of large maintenance projects for this year, including repaving the front parking lot, cleaning and painting the cross on the steeple, and painting more interior spaces.
We decided to merge the Fellowship Ministry Team with the Evangelism & Assimilation Ministry Team into a newly named Membership Ministry Team. The new Team, chaired by Spence Curtis and Susan Simmons, will take responsibility for all aspects of membership: welcoming new members, organizing fellowship activities, and working with the Deacons to look after all our members. Membership will also oversee a newly created Task Force that will help us redesign our website this summer.
Over the new few months we will focus on our Early Learning Center, a vital ministry we offer to our community. The demographics in our neighborhood and community are changing and we need to adapt to those changes. We are also working on new ideas for Stewardship; we are still eager to find the financial resources to allow us to restore the position of Associate Pastor.
I plan to share more information about our Session in the months ahead, but if you have questions, just ask me or any of our Elders. We post minutes of Session meetings on the bulletin board across from the church office, along with information about our Deacons. Both groups work faithfully remembering the words of our Lord, “I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit.” Our Elders and our Deacons work with great dedication to bear fruit for all in this Body of Christ.
Grace & peace,
Pastor Skip
Our most recent meeting reflected the broad expanse of our calling and our work. We spent quite a bit of time discussing a new policy for building use: what outside groups may use our building, under what circumstances, and if we charge the group, how much we should charge. We have lots of requests for our space; more than we can handle, so we need to have a policy.
Did you know, for example, that every week the BEACON program is here teaching English as a second language? Did you know that we host Girl Scout leadership teams? Or that we are the meeting space for Toastmasters? Support groups have used our space in the past, and we currently host a Brazilian Church congregation that worships here twice each week. All this is in addition to the many programs that are run directly by our church.
Our Property Ministry Team is also scheduling a number of large maintenance projects for this year, including repaving the front parking lot, cleaning and painting the cross on the steeple, and painting more interior spaces.
We decided to merge the Fellowship Ministry Team with the Evangelism & Assimilation Ministry Team into a newly named Membership Ministry Team. The new Team, chaired by Spence Curtis and Susan Simmons, will take responsibility for all aspects of membership: welcoming new members, organizing fellowship activities, and working with the Deacons to look after all our members. Membership will also oversee a newly created Task Force that will help us redesign our website this summer.
Over the new few months we will focus on our Early Learning Center, a vital ministry we offer to our community. The demographics in our neighborhood and community are changing and we need to adapt to those changes. We are also working on new ideas for Stewardship; we are still eager to find the financial resources to allow us to restore the position of Associate Pastor.
I plan to share more information about our Session in the months ahead, but if you have questions, just ask me or any of our Elders. We post minutes of Session meetings on the bulletin board across from the church office, along with information about our Deacons. Both groups work faithfully remembering the words of our Lord, “I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit.” Our Elders and our Deacons work with great dedication to bear fruit for all in this Body of Christ.
Grace & peace,
Pastor Skip
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