Reflections on ministry after five years in Pittsfield...

At last night's church council I shared a few observations and reflections that have come to me over the past year.  Things like, "After 5 years, the glitz is all gone; we know one another reasonably well now.  What's more, all the people who wanted to project their needs/hopes/fears on to me have all been disappointed, those who were caught up in their own dramas about new beginnings are gone, too.  So now what we have are those who want to grow deeper in the unique ministry I can bring by the grace of God to this faith community at this moment in time."  It is something like the parable of the sower where we've moved through those who blossom but have no deep roots, etc.  Now we're ready to go deeper.

And there are three broad areas to nourish as we go deeper:

+ First is our Sunday morning worship and church school; this is the "front door" for most people so we must continue to enrich and strengthen everything that happens for these two hours.  I have the right staff, the right lay leaders and the right environment now to follow the Spirit's guidance into more beauty, deeper Biblical reflection and a wildly incarnational spirituality. This summer, for example, we talked about exploring how we might celebrate Eucharist more often on Sunday mornings.  Like Calvin once said, there should not be a split between Word and Sacrament - and maybe we're ready to cross that divide after 500 years.

+ Second is a ministry of hospitality through the use of our building.  On Saturday, June 1st we'll have a leaders retreat to evaluate how our mission to the community shapes our use of the building.  We will make some hard decisions about how to use limited funds in light of our call to worship, reflect, share compassion and do justice in our era.  We could, of course, dump millions of dollars into this historic building, but that would not be faithful to our calling; nor would neglecting this important resource.

+ And third we are finally ready to  go deeper into the work of compassion and justice.  There is a life cycle in renewal work - many people want to put the cart before the horse - but I am stubborn about getting our own house in order before engaging the community beyond our walls.  After five years, and steady work in focused justice and mercy ministries (with environmental action allies as well as those working to feed our neighbors in need), we chose to become a sponsoring member of a new faith based community organizing effort in the Berkshires.

These three broad areas will guide our efforts over the next five years - and I was excited to meet with the council to share my enthusiasm to go deeper.  As Di and I walked along the harbor in Portland earlier this week, thinking about our lives and marriage, it became very clear to me that we have both been shaped and nourished for this moment in ministry.  And as I shared that with my Council, they sensed it, too.  We are in this together - it is not all about me - but rather how WE are being moved by the Spirit to be a 21st century community of faith.

credit:
1) St. John's Bible
2) Naked Pastor