Today was the fifth anniversary...

Today was the fifth anniversary of my call to First Church, Pittsfield ~ man, what a long, strange trip it has been!  Today was also the first Sunday after Easter ~ typically a "low" Sunday in our tradition ~ but the congregation (about 75) was roughly the same size as on that very "high" day five years ago.  For me, this is yet another small sign that God's renewal is taking place within and among us. 

Five years ago, it snowed; today it was in the 70s.  Five years ago our church was afraid of closing; today we have a deepening sense of mission and ministry.  Five years ago a very formal style of worship was the order of the day; today we are truly "blended" with jazz and rock, German chorales mixed with songs of praise, spontaneous choruses and LOTS of soul.  Five years ago most people were tentative about trusting me as their pastor; today we have become a community of faith, hope and love.

To be sure, there was a ton of fear and trembling for us all - and some years of wandering together n the wilderness - but today three additional things about our renewal are worth noting:

+ First, we have spent major time, energy, money and effort on making worship a place of joy and awe.  It is very accessible to guests - we explain everything and print clear instructions in the liturgy - because we want even people from outside ANY worship tradition to fully join in the action.  We practice the radically open table of Jesus at communion.  We include secular songs right alongside the traditionally sacred ones. We are finding new ways for the congregation to write some of our prayers and music.  And there is a lot of laughter as we try to practice Christ's hospitality.

+ Second, we have spent a whole lot of time creating small group study and reflection.  We reworked our mission statement, rewrote the church covenant and have dedicated most Monday and Wednesday evenings to Bible study, too.  We crafted a clear and compassionate Open and Affirming statement using small group study and are shaping a spring/summer justice series in the same way.  We have even established a midweek Eucharist each Wednesday at 12:10 pm that serves as an oasis of prayer and reflection in the presence of Jesus.

+ And third, it has been critical for me and the congregation that we develop relationships built on trust and respect - both of which take time and careful attention to being present in the hard times.  No congregation in our tradition simply plays follow the leader - nor should they - so the office of pastor is not one with a lot of built-in authority.  Many young clergy get themselves into trouble because they refuse to own this fact:  we have to earn the right to lead.  That means we have to show up in homes and hospitals not with a sense of duty, but with joy.  How did part of the reading for today in I John put it?  I have come so that your joy shall be full.

Through an emphasis on lively, authentic and honest worship that is theologically solid and edgy; through a deep commitment to study and prayer (and a willingness to organize people for participation); and through a humble sense that showing up with love is 80% of the calling, we have experienced something of God's renewal in our church.  Numbers are not everything, but they do tell a story:  on my first Sunday there were less than 40 people in worship on a regular basis; today we are close to 100.  We are moving towards biblical and liturgical literacy and our commitment to sacrificial stewardship and radical acts of justice and hospitality are part of this year's challenge.  We have rebuilt our staff ~ MAN are they GREAT ~ and constructed two very skilled musical groups, too.

Suffice it to say that I give thanks to God today for this calling.  I had a beautiful and full 10 years in Tucson - and I give thanks to God for that ministry, too.  (For Cleveland and Saginaw, too while I'm at it!)  We have found a spiritual home here in the Berkshires - and a place to use our gifts in new and creative ways - and I rejoice that the Spirit touched us all five years ago today.