As I write this, sitting in the office at church (well, converted Sunday School space used as our office) the sun is shining, and through the window I can see a blooming pink-flowered tree. What it stuck in my mind, though, is how much rain we've had lately...the very same thing that brings life also threatens it.
For example, Sunday, as my fiance Chris and I drove to church from his house for confirmation and youth group, right in front of us, on the 340 bridge over Catoctin Creek, a black Mustang hydroplaned...into the side of the bridge. We stopped, and the 17-year-old guy was okay, but there it was...a split second, and everything stopped...and I was struck by how one thing could've changed it all...for better or worse. If the kid hadn't been wearing a seat belt.... If we'd been closer behind him and not able to avoid his car... If he'd been going a bit slower (though even at that, he wasn't speeding)... We all know it...life can change in the blink of an eye.
At the same time, some things change at the pace of a snail...or worse! This week, delegates from United Methodist churches around the world will gather in Texas for General Conference. GC is held every 4 years (on leap years, in fact) and is where policies and practices for the denomination are set.
All of this is well-suited as well to the beginning of my sermon series this next Sunday on denominations. All sorts of groups, some claiming to be the "true" Christians, some other Christians are sure are not Christian, and the rest of us in the middle...have been in the news. From the Mormon-fringe sect in Texas who of late have once again made the news...this time as the government took over 400 of the children of the polygamous sect into state custody. Pope Benedict visited the US this week for his first trip as Pontiff.
All of this, and it is difficult to understand what separates, unites, and defines Christians. This week will be an intro to the series...talking about why all these things even matter. What do you think? What have been your experiences with different denominations?
for all that life can change in the blink of an eye, even getting some of these denominations to just TALK together can seem an endless process...but recent steps towards Christian unity have been exciting...but change at times can be very...s...l...o...w...
:-) Sarah
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Something Going Around
So I'm not sure what it is, or whether it's always this way but we're only aware of it a times, but it seems like a number of pastors and church leaders have some challenges right now. Maybe it's because everyone is still a bit tired from the Christmas to Easter dash we had this year. Maybe the general tension that seems to pervade out nation these days between campaign accusations and economic fears. People just seem grumpier. And, yeah, it just seems like it's going around. I was talking to a pastor serving right now on a leadership role outside of a local church, and she sais she's hearing lots of pastors with some problem or other that just seems frustrating. Maybe it all just goes in cycles.
Meanwhile, it's exciting to see all the amazing things that are happening in our church and conference...we get really good at obsessing when things aren't going perfectly and we sometimes forget to celebrate the successes, like people growing as a result of Bible studies, or people being drawn into the congregation through authentic relationships and programs that reach them where they are.
In our conference, new initiatives related to ministries with young adults, the Hispanic population of Frederick, and our continued relationship with United Methodists in places like South Korea (from where our congregation hosted a pastor and his wife last year) and the support our apportionments give to work in Liberia all remind us of our role in a much larger mission.
So it's cool to see that, to be reminded that growth--which is always a mark of life, and the absence of which is a mark of death--may include some "growing pains," but always draws us into exciting opportunities and new places to serve Jesus Christ.
Where have you seen God this day? I saw God while taking a brief lunch-time walk with my fiance Chris, near Harpers Ferry, WV. On the Maryland side of the Potomac River, we saw rocks which are normally dry and which form an otherwise rather dangerous-looking ravine down the side of Maryland Heights. Today, after recent rains, and with the sun shining warmly upon us, there was water flowing down the rocks in a series of waterfalls. Chris said, "Well, I guess God did alright with this." Indeed. Of course we talk about God's creation all the time, but sometimes we need to be reminded of it more explicitly. Yep, God did alright for sure.
:-) Sarah
Meanwhile, it's exciting to see all the amazing things that are happening in our church and conference...we get really good at obsessing when things aren't going perfectly and we sometimes forget to celebrate the successes, like people growing as a result of Bible studies, or people being drawn into the congregation through authentic relationships and programs that reach them where they are.
In our conference, new initiatives related to ministries with young adults, the Hispanic population of Frederick, and our continued relationship with United Methodists in places like South Korea (from where our congregation hosted a pastor and his wife last year) and the support our apportionments give to work in Liberia all remind us of our role in a much larger mission.
So it's cool to see that, to be reminded that growth--which is always a mark of life, and the absence of which is a mark of death--may include some "growing pains," but always draws us into exciting opportunities and new places to serve Jesus Christ.
Where have you seen God this day? I saw God while taking a brief lunch-time walk with my fiance Chris, near Harpers Ferry, WV. On the Maryland side of the Potomac River, we saw rocks which are normally dry and which form an otherwise rather dangerous-looking ravine down the side of Maryland Heights. Today, after recent rains, and with the sun shining warmly upon us, there was water flowing down the rocks in a series of waterfalls. Chris said, "Well, I guess God did alright with this." Indeed. Of course we talk about God's creation all the time, but sometimes we need to be reminded of it more explicitly. Yep, God did alright for sure.
:-) Sarah
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Hymns and Such
So I'm right in the middle of getting together my worship stuff for a new sermon series I'm doing on Christian denominations...my current task is getting hymns chosen. It seemed appropriate to choose hymns from each denomination's history and tradition to use on that Sunday. That's an easy enough task for some denominations, but others (like Quakers) have been a bit more challenging. Even the Quakers have a hymnal, but since I don't own a copy, I've had to rely thus far on Google to find information. And as you know, that can be a bottomless pit of random information which is difficult to sift through.
One of our shut-ins, Helen Seek, who is one of the most internet-travelled people I know, has been suggesting to me for a while that I check out the website for a series she follows called Speaking of Faith. She has lately recommended their latest on the subject of parenting. Indeed, if you haven't heard of this series, you really should take the time to check it out. And I say that as one who kept putting off checking it out...
To learn more, visit http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/
I haven't listened to any of the broadcasts yet, but looking over the site, you quickly learn what a great balanced and comprehesive examination of religion this is. The topics range across religious traditions, and also delve more deeply into specific trends of each.
For example, in the show on the spirituality of parenting, host Krista Tippett interviews Rabbi Sandy Sasso. Rabbi Sasso shares about how children raise some important theological questions--like why there are here, and what happens when people die. And that there is often a lack of resources for parents and teachers to answer these questions.
You should check it out now. You're already online, reading this blog, right?
I find it one of the dichotimies of ministry, that people expect pastors to be the source of all manner of good recommendations for books, sites, etc., but it's often pastors who have very little time to just explore those things. My father, himself a pastor, is a good resource for me, and he is a voracious reader. But I really value people like Helen, my father, and those others who are able to pass along a good find...even if it takes me a bit to follow up on it.
Off to go hymn searching...
Sarah
One of our shut-ins, Helen Seek, who is one of the most internet-travelled people I know, has been suggesting to me for a while that I check out the website for a series she follows called Speaking of Faith. She has lately recommended their latest on the subject of parenting. Indeed, if you haven't heard of this series, you really should take the time to check it out. And I say that as one who kept putting off checking it out...
To learn more, visit http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/
I haven't listened to any of the broadcasts yet, but looking over the site, you quickly learn what a great balanced and comprehesive examination of religion this is. The topics range across religious traditions, and also delve more deeply into specific trends of each.
For example, in the show on the spirituality of parenting, host Krista Tippett interviews Rabbi Sandy Sasso. Rabbi Sasso shares about how children raise some important theological questions--like why there are here, and what happens when people die. And that there is often a lack of resources for parents and teachers to answer these questions.
You should check it out now. You're already online, reading this blog, right?
I find it one of the dichotimies of ministry, that people expect pastors to be the source of all manner of good recommendations for books, sites, etc., but it's often pastors who have very little time to just explore those things. My father, himself a pastor, is a good resource for me, and he is a voracious reader. But I really value people like Helen, my father, and those others who are able to pass along a good find...even if it takes me a bit to follow up on it.
Off to go hymn searching...
Sarah
Monday, April 14, 2008
Marathon Weekend
I'm finally resting a bit today after an insanely busy weekend! Saturday (after a late night helping at camp when the water went out in the lodges) was very full.
I led a marriage workshop 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., using the Prepare-Enrich program. That's what I use with couples for premarital counseling, but it was my first tiem using it in a group setting, and also the first time I'd used it with married couples. It ended up going really well though, and I spent the times when couples were off on their own, helping one of our youth, who had very graciously agreed to babysit. It was a really great time, and the weather cooperated so that coupels could really be out an enjoying Manidokan while they were talking. And together as a group, we had soem good sharing, and all done with a sense of humor--just a great mix of people!
Once that ended, youth began arriving for the lock-in at camp. In the end, we had a small group, but we just had a relaxing evening (well, aside from a few of us helping Chris clean up from dinner service, since the cook had gone home sick). We sat around a campfire and grilled hotdogs, made s'mores, and it was nice, I thought, to have some laid back time. We got to bed before too late, but Sunday morning came quickly, and I plowed through the two services only to head back to camp to help set up and be there for the annual Manidokan open house!
It was after 6 p.m. before Chris and I were done, though things all seemed to go well. We had 50 people or so out for the open house, and though it was chillier than Saturday had been, I think it went really well! We were very blessed, since the deaf camp is moving to Manidokan this year after a long stint at West River, that two of their interpreters were there for the open house. We had a good number of deaf campers and their families stop by, and it was fun to see all the kids' excitement looking around camp! I had a great talk with one of the translaters, and learned a lot about deaf culture and I am really looking forward to that week of camp!
One of the youth who came to the lock-in, Eric, wants to become a pastor, so he definitely got a view of how crazy things can be! Sunday morning, as we munched on little donuts and waited for the girls to get ready to head to church, I had my laptop out, finishing up the slides for the 9 a.m. worship service. I usually have those done Friday, Saturday at the very latest, but I just had NO time. And once we got to church, it was a busy rush getting things ready for the thousand little things that needed to be done.
One of the things I've been struggling with lately, both in my own life and in hearing the stories of others, is the unkind, often hurtful way that Christians speak to and about each other. Hearing about people who aren't very active Christians who find themselves working in specifically Christian settings should lead, it seems to me, to hearing of a life-changing experience in which a person feels drawn themselves to follow Jesus. In reality, too often these accounts end with that person being turned off, having seen how Christians, for some reason, treat each other in ways that do not testify to Jesus' love at all. Petty comments, sarcastic and manipulative ways, and controlling people seem too prevelent in the Christian community. Now, none of us are immune from those sorts of behaviors. After all, they all tie into the basic understanding of sin as a focus on self, being turned inward, and not towards God (and by connection, others). What gets me are the people who act in these ways but think the rest of us don't know what they're up to. Or that others who simply abide their behavior actually support it.
As a pastor, I find that you are a target for all the problems people have, especially at church , and sometimes even beyond! People give the pastor a lot of credit for what they're able to do, to the extent that they blame us for things that don't go how they want (because who cares whether anyone else in the church wanted it another way) or they expect us to read minds (like knowing when they're upset when they don't come to us, or knowing what they expect us to do, and hence, being upset when we don't do something they never asked us to anyway). No pastor got into ministry to upset people (well, I don't think so at least) and yet it is impossible to be all things to all people. And each pastor has different skills, and at any time in the life of a congregation, there are different issues that (a) are pressinging and (b) that particular pastor is actually able and equipped to address. It is certainly easier for people to sit back and expect someone else to fix a problem. Or blame someone when they don't get their way.
All that said, there are always amazing people who will step up and take part in making their little piece of the ministry thrive. And people who will just come and graciously but directly share their concerns with you. There are indeed people who recognize the position that pastors (or really any leader) are in, and they will do what they can to help. I think the challenge is not to let the difficult and unkind among us to dictate how we ourselves will act. The desire to push back at them with the same immaturity that they come at us with is strong, but too many people have been pushed out of leadership because of the meanest and pettiest among us.
May we all, in the model of Jesus, not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. And may we all have the energy to make it through marathon weekends!
:-) Sarah
I led a marriage workshop 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., using the Prepare-Enrich program. That's what I use with couples for premarital counseling, but it was my first tiem using it in a group setting, and also the first time I'd used it with married couples. It ended up going really well though, and I spent the times when couples were off on their own, helping one of our youth, who had very graciously agreed to babysit. It was a really great time, and the weather cooperated so that coupels could really be out an enjoying Manidokan while they were talking. And together as a group, we had soem good sharing, and all done with a sense of humor--just a great mix of people!
Once that ended, youth began arriving for the lock-in at camp. In the end, we had a small group, but we just had a relaxing evening (well, aside from a few of us helping Chris clean up from dinner service, since the cook had gone home sick). We sat around a campfire and grilled hotdogs, made s'mores, and it was nice, I thought, to have some laid back time. We got to bed before too late, but Sunday morning came quickly, and I plowed through the two services only to head back to camp to help set up and be there for the annual Manidokan open house!
It was after 6 p.m. before Chris and I were done, though things all seemed to go well. We had 50 people or so out for the open house, and though it was chillier than Saturday had been, I think it went really well! We were very blessed, since the deaf camp is moving to Manidokan this year after a long stint at West River, that two of their interpreters were there for the open house. We had a good number of deaf campers and their families stop by, and it was fun to see all the kids' excitement looking around camp! I had a great talk with one of the translaters, and learned a lot about deaf culture and I am really looking forward to that week of camp!
One of the youth who came to the lock-in, Eric, wants to become a pastor, so he definitely got a view of how crazy things can be! Sunday morning, as we munched on little donuts and waited for the girls to get ready to head to church, I had my laptop out, finishing up the slides for the 9 a.m. worship service. I usually have those done Friday, Saturday at the very latest, but I just had NO time. And once we got to church, it was a busy rush getting things ready for the thousand little things that needed to be done.
One of the things I've been struggling with lately, both in my own life and in hearing the stories of others, is the unkind, often hurtful way that Christians speak to and about each other. Hearing about people who aren't very active Christians who find themselves working in specifically Christian settings should lead, it seems to me, to hearing of a life-changing experience in which a person feels drawn themselves to follow Jesus. In reality, too often these accounts end with that person being turned off, having seen how Christians, for some reason, treat each other in ways that do not testify to Jesus' love at all. Petty comments, sarcastic and manipulative ways, and controlling people seem too prevelent in the Christian community. Now, none of us are immune from those sorts of behaviors. After all, they all tie into the basic understanding of sin as a focus on self, being turned inward, and not towards God (and by connection, others). What gets me are the people who act in these ways but think the rest of us don't know what they're up to. Or that others who simply abide their behavior actually support it.
As a pastor, I find that you are a target for all the problems people have, especially at church , and sometimes even beyond! People give the pastor a lot of credit for what they're able to do, to the extent that they blame us for things that don't go how they want (because who cares whether anyone else in the church wanted it another way) or they expect us to read minds (like knowing when they're upset when they don't come to us, or knowing what they expect us to do, and hence, being upset when we don't do something they never asked us to anyway). No pastor got into ministry to upset people (well, I don't think so at least) and yet it is impossible to be all things to all people. And each pastor has different skills, and at any time in the life of a congregation, there are different issues that (a) are pressinging and (b) that particular pastor is actually able and equipped to address. It is certainly easier for people to sit back and expect someone else to fix a problem. Or blame someone when they don't get their way.
All that said, there are always amazing people who will step up and take part in making their little piece of the ministry thrive. And people who will just come and graciously but directly share their concerns with you. There are indeed people who recognize the position that pastors (or really any leader) are in, and they will do what they can to help. I think the challenge is not to let the difficult and unkind among us to dictate how we ourselves will act. The desire to push back at them with the same immaturity that they come at us with is strong, but too many people have been pushed out of leadership because of the meanest and pettiest among us.
May we all, in the model of Jesus, not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. And may we all have the energy to make it through marathon weekends!
:-) Sarah
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Flashbacks
So I happened to think earlier today of the great Blackwell flood of '05. If you weren't living in Blackwell dorm at Duke University then, you just cannot understand the craziness of having two floors on one wing of the building flood due to a water sprinkler (the ones to stop fires, but not, as one freshman found out, to hang coats on). I was saying to Chris that since we've been dating I feel like I've had really good, regular sleeping habits, since he is not apt to stay up late, and is an early riser, and so I'm usually home and asleep well before midnight. Unlike the night of the flood, when I stayed up ALL night while the rooms that were flooded were left open as their carpets dried.
So here is what ministry...esp. when you're a pastor dating a camp director looks like...sitting in front of your computer at 1 a.m. on a Friday night, using your last bit of waking energy after the water and sewage goes out in two lodges! Yes, that's right. Tonight of all nights. But of course...the night before our marathon of: Saturday day-long marriage workshop, then youth lock in, then Sunday worship, then camp open house. Then...well, hopefully nothing for 24 hours. It's an insane pace, and the call Chris got a period into the hockey game (which he was so happy to be able to sit down and watch) that one of the lodges was having water problems...well, that led to all sorts of commotion including calling Scott, the camp maintenance guy, who called a plumber, who discovered that the problems had (it seems to me having overhead just a bit) nothing to do with the new well being worked on today, and mostly to do with a filter and a sewage pump, and then somehow the pump had to do witha circuit...and well, when I left, it sounded to me like they were going to rig a wire somehow to make it work for now.
This is the stuff they don't teach you in seminary. That moment when you're trying to figure out how the kitchen will serve 3 meals to retreat groups if there's no water, and you can't really help because you've got to lead a marriage workshop (oh, and you're not even married...my mom gets a kick out of that), and you're wondering then if you shoudl just cancel the youth lock-in because you're not sure how many will actually show, and maybe there won't be water anyway. Yep. Thank goodness for working in residence life. When I had dropped off the large containers of drinking water Chris had asked me to, using the house water (and thus well) to fill them, I walked up to him and said hello, and he said, "So there's water everywhere." I didn't realize it was a question, and for a second thought the lodge they were near had flooded. I instantly flashed back to the Blackwell flood (and experience which sadly enough has already come in handy, when my parsonage master bedroom ceiling was leaking water the day I moved in!...I knew just what to do to dry it out and clean up) and I started listing in my head all the supplies we'd need, who to call, and what to do. Fortunately, he was just asking if I'd been able to drop the water off in each building.
Excitement. Life. Always something new, and unexpected! And sometimes sleep-depriving...
So here is what ministry...esp. when you're a pastor dating a camp director looks like...sitting in front of your computer at 1 a.m. on a Friday night, using your last bit of waking energy after the water and sewage goes out in two lodges! Yes, that's right. Tonight of all nights. But of course...the night before our marathon of: Saturday day-long marriage workshop, then youth lock in, then Sunday worship, then camp open house. Then...well, hopefully nothing for 24 hours. It's an insane pace, and the call Chris got a period into the hockey game (which he was so happy to be able to sit down and watch) that one of the lodges was having water problems...well, that led to all sorts of commotion including calling Scott, the camp maintenance guy, who called a plumber, who discovered that the problems had (it seems to me having overhead just a bit) nothing to do with the new well being worked on today, and mostly to do with a filter and a sewage pump, and then somehow the pump had to do witha circuit...and well, when I left, it sounded to me like they were going to rig a wire somehow to make it work for now.
This is the stuff they don't teach you in seminary. That moment when you're trying to figure out how the kitchen will serve 3 meals to retreat groups if there's no water, and you can't really help because you've got to lead a marriage workshop (oh, and you're not even married...my mom gets a kick out of that), and you're wondering then if you shoudl just cancel the youth lock-in because you're not sure how many will actually show, and maybe there won't be water anyway. Yep. Thank goodness for working in residence life. When I had dropped off the large containers of drinking water Chris had asked me to, using the house water (and thus well) to fill them, I walked up to him and said hello, and he said, "So there's water everywhere." I didn't realize it was a question, and for a second thought the lodge they were near had flooded. I instantly flashed back to the Blackwell flood (and experience which sadly enough has already come in handy, when my parsonage master bedroom ceiling was leaking water the day I moved in!...I knew just what to do to dry it out and clean up) and I started listing in my head all the supplies we'd need, who to call, and what to do. Fortunately, he was just asking if I'd been able to drop the water off in each building.
Excitement. Life. Always something new, and unexpected! And sometimes sleep-depriving...
Friday, April 11, 2008
Friday Musings
Friday is my day off, though it usually means my day to catch up on my own stuff, and perhaps sneak in an e-mail or two. And it's also usually my day to help around camp, where my fiance is director.
Yesterday, in addition to the phone calls and e-mails that seem never ending, I got to visit some of our nursing home folks. Chris went along, and we had a nice visit with Joe Long, whose memory at nearly 89 is better than many people I know of any age! We stopped in to visit the Dinsmores, at their New Holland store in Ceresville. We also took advange of having lunch at Famous Dave's, the place we're having cater our welcome/rehearsal dinner for our wedding. Got to fit those little errands in where we can!
One of the highlights of my week is the women's study on Thursday nights...we've finished Bad Girls of the Bible, and have moved on to Really Bad Girls of the Bible. Liz Curtis Higgs, the writer, is just a hoot, and we have a great time. We get to study women who had all sorts of experiences, and each one brings up a new issue. Our study last night of Jael and Deborah led us to discussions of women is leadership, the men who support them, and gender roles in general. The story of Jael, which has her killing Sisera by driving a tent stake through his head, also brings up questions of violence, and demands the question of what situations might bring out the violent in us. I think there was general consensus that the truth is we don't really know what we're capable of...good and bad. And we all had experiences where we knew that the line between flipping out and being overwhelmed into passivity was thin indeed.
Meanwhile, I've been doing what I can to help as a member of the worship planning committee for annual conference. This year the bishop decided to aska group of young adult clergy to take on the task. It is a big one indeed, since Rev. Vivian McCarthy, who had led that in her role as conference staff, is now a district superintendent, and thus not able to do it. Trying to do Vivian's work indeed takes lots of us, though I think we started with two dozen pastors. That number has dwindled, and we've had less than a dozen at our past two meetings. Most people are still involved, and as we discussed at our last meeting, the time we'll really need all hands on deck is at Annual Conference anyway. I must admit I was unsure for a while there how it would all pull together, but I'm really excited now...with the orders of worship basically finalized, all the other pieces are much clearer to see, and I'm more confident than ever that we'll really be able to pull this off...though of course with a lot more work.
I didn't get a chance to send an announcement/update e-mail to the church yesterday, so that's my task for this morning, but hopefully I'll have that done quickly, and can move on to other things...like making and mailing a couple final wedding invitations and helping with flyers and planning for camp. At least it's awesome weather right now...
:-) Sarah
Yesterday, in addition to the phone calls and e-mails that seem never ending, I got to visit some of our nursing home folks. Chris went along, and we had a nice visit with Joe Long, whose memory at nearly 89 is better than many people I know of any age! We stopped in to visit the Dinsmores, at their New Holland store in Ceresville. We also took advange of having lunch at Famous Dave's, the place we're having cater our welcome/rehearsal dinner for our wedding. Got to fit those little errands in where we can!
One of the highlights of my week is the women's study on Thursday nights...we've finished Bad Girls of the Bible, and have moved on to Really Bad Girls of the Bible. Liz Curtis Higgs, the writer, is just a hoot, and we have a great time. We get to study women who had all sorts of experiences, and each one brings up a new issue. Our study last night of Jael and Deborah led us to discussions of women is leadership, the men who support them, and gender roles in general. The story of Jael, which has her killing Sisera by driving a tent stake through his head, also brings up questions of violence, and demands the question of what situations might bring out the violent in us. I think there was general consensus that the truth is we don't really know what we're capable of...good and bad. And we all had experiences where we knew that the line between flipping out and being overwhelmed into passivity was thin indeed.
Meanwhile, I've been doing what I can to help as a member of the worship planning committee for annual conference. This year the bishop decided to aska group of young adult clergy to take on the task. It is a big one indeed, since Rev. Vivian McCarthy, who had led that in her role as conference staff, is now a district superintendent, and thus not able to do it. Trying to do Vivian's work indeed takes lots of us, though I think we started with two dozen pastors. That number has dwindled, and we've had less than a dozen at our past two meetings. Most people are still involved, and as we discussed at our last meeting, the time we'll really need all hands on deck is at Annual Conference anyway. I must admit I was unsure for a while there how it would all pull together, but I'm really excited now...with the orders of worship basically finalized, all the other pieces are much clearer to see, and I'm more confident than ever that we'll really be able to pull this off...though of course with a lot more work.
I didn't get a chance to send an announcement/update e-mail to the church yesterday, so that's my task for this morning, but hopefully I'll have that done quickly, and can move on to other things...like making and mailing a couple final wedding invitations and helping with flyers and planning for camp. At least it's awesome weather right now...
:-) Sarah
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Introductions
After a somewhat unsuccessful attempt to maintain a blog for my church, I've decided it's just plan easier to keep one that is more personally mine. It will no doubt be similar to what I was writing for Jefferson UMC, where I serve, but also be a bit more casual, and thus, be more easily maintained! I just prefer speaking for myself rather than publishing "announcements" of upcoming events.
I must say I'm quite thrilled that Easter is over. It was wonderful, don't get me wrong. And at Jefferson, our kids and youth performed at the 9 am service, and it was awesome. But the short time between Chrismas and Easter this year was brutal. Really. And to be planning a wedding in the midst of that was rough!
So now, it's nice to be on the other side of it, but of course there's always something, and now is no different. My hope is that this blog will allow me to share with you some of what it's like for me, now as a young adult, female pastor in the United Methodist Church. I'm engaged at present, though my first two years, I was solidly single (like not dating, or anything...pretty much working 80+ hours a week!) And my now fiance...well, that's a whole other story I"ll have to write about later, but it involves me interviewing him for his current job!
Things have been crazy since I graduated from seminary in May 2005, then started serving as lead pastor on the Jefferson-Doubs Charge the next month. I have an assistant pastor serving at Doubs-Epworth UMC, and so I spend most of my time leading Jefferson UMC. We've seen some great growth, but our area is growing quickly and finding ways to reach the new people is challenging as we balance the things people are used to in the congregation. The interpersonal dynamics of any church is, as any pastor knows, challenging, and it reveals itself more and more the longer you're at a place.
I'll keep this blog up as often as I can, and I may end up posting more than once a day...so check back in, send your suggestions, and we'll see how this goes.
Oh, and if you're wondering why the blog is called "the Divine Passive," when I took Greek in seminary, I was intrigued by my professor explaining that when the passive form is used in the Greek, like "He was led to the desert," ("was led" being passive) is was called the divine passive...like it was evident God was known to be there as the one doing the action, even though "God" was never mentioned. That always reminds me, then, of how God is at work in our lives and our world in so many ways, even it's not stated, or sometime even clear. So that's how I think we live, in the midst of the divine passive...God at work!
:-) Sarah
I must say I'm quite thrilled that Easter is over. It was wonderful, don't get me wrong. And at Jefferson, our kids and youth performed at the 9 am service, and it was awesome. But the short time between Chrismas and Easter this year was brutal. Really. And to be planning a wedding in the midst of that was rough!
So now, it's nice to be on the other side of it, but of course there's always something, and now is no different. My hope is that this blog will allow me to share with you some of what it's like for me, now as a young adult, female pastor in the United Methodist Church. I'm engaged at present, though my first two years, I was solidly single (like not dating, or anything...pretty much working 80+ hours a week!) And my now fiance...well, that's a whole other story I"ll have to write about later, but it involves me interviewing him for his current job!
Things have been crazy since I graduated from seminary in May 2005, then started serving as lead pastor on the Jefferson-Doubs Charge the next month. I have an assistant pastor serving at Doubs-Epworth UMC, and so I spend most of my time leading Jefferson UMC. We've seen some great growth, but our area is growing quickly and finding ways to reach the new people is challenging as we balance the things people are used to in the congregation. The interpersonal dynamics of any church is, as any pastor knows, challenging, and it reveals itself more and more the longer you're at a place.
I'll keep this blog up as often as I can, and I may end up posting more than once a day...so check back in, send your suggestions, and we'll see how this goes.
Oh, and if you're wondering why the blog is called "the Divine Passive," when I took Greek in seminary, I was intrigued by my professor explaining that when the passive form is used in the Greek, like "He was led to the desert," ("was led" being passive) is was called the divine passive...like it was evident God was known to be there as the one doing the action, even though "God" was never mentioned. That always reminds me, then, of how God is at work in our lives and our world in so many ways, even it's not stated, or sometime even clear. So that's how I think we live, in the midst of the divine passive...God at work!
:-) Sarah
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)