June 2025 Newsletter Article

  Dear Friends,

 As the calendar turns to June, and as our worship time changes from 10:45 to 10:00 on Sundays, we are greeted with three distinct Sundays, each of which speaks to something distinctive about the God we worship and serve.

 Technically, the feast day marking the Ascension of the Lord is Thursday, May 29, but (like most Presbyterian churches that do mark the occasion) we will observe it on Sunday, June 1. It’s no mystery what event is marked here; after his final instruction to his disciples, the risen Jesus ascends into the heavens. But what does that ascension mean for us?

 The following Sunday is Pentecost Sunday, marking the in-breaking of the Holy Spirit on Jesus’s followers with that sound like a rushing wind and those tongues like fire. Especially in moderate mainline circles, the Holy Spirit doesn’t get addressed or considered quite so often, so at least there is this one day that encourages us to focus on that member of the Trinity (and if nothing else, it’s a good day to wear red to church).

 And speaking of the Trinity, the third Sunday of the month is marked to remember that three-in-one and one-in-three nature of the God we worship and serve. It is one of two Sundays on the liturgical calendar that marks a doctrinal idea rather than an event or individual (any guess what the other one is?). It also marks the end of that part of the liturgical year with a lot of special days and seasons in it; afterwards, we move into that large portion of the calendar known simply as “ordinary time.”

                                                                                                                                      Charles

May 2025 Newsletter Article

  Dear Friends, 

          This year the month of May is fully enveloped in the season of Easter. Of course even that phrase “season of Easter” isn’t one that most people give much thought, but in the Revised Common Lectionary and the liturgical year the weeks between Easter Sunday and Pentecost Sunday do constitute a season of sorts. It may not have quite the heft of Advent or Lent, but it is a season, and there are ways in which that something is said across different parts of the lectionary.

          Gospel readings, naturally, will fill in what they can of the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus. There aren’t enough of those, though, to constitute the six Sundays between Easter and Pentecost for one liturgical year, let alone three. As a result, we “drop back” into the accounts of Jesus’s ministry on earth, often pointing forward to the time after the resurrection. The epistle readings are more variable. To give just one example, this year’s epistle readings for the season are from the book of Revelation, not a book that shows up in the lectionary very often. If I weren’t going to be out of the pulpit a couple of Sundays, I might have gone there.

          But we will, this year, be turning to the book that perhaps has the most to say about living post-Easter. For this season, the typical readings from the Old Testament (not the Psalm readings), though, are replaced by texts from the book of Acts. The readings stretch from the earliest days of the resurrection and the disciples trying to make their way in Jerusalem, to more being added to their number and the good news making its way out of Jerusalem proper, to the travels of Paul and his companions as the gospel spreads across the Greco-Roman world. That will be the route we follow for this Easter season .

 ******                          ******             ******                 ******

          Speaking of being out a couple of Sundays, I will be away on May 4 for some continuing education back at my old seminary in Virginia. I am grateful to Shannon TL Kearns for filling the pulpit. The following Sunday the pulpit will be filled by the Executive Presbyter of the Presbytery of Southern Kansas, Rev. Christina Berry, who will stay on after the meet-and-greet lunch on May 10 to lead worship (including communion) on May 11. Oh, that prompts one more reminder:  if you plan to attend that lunch  -  please, please RSVP to PSK connector Catherine Neelly Burton at pskconnector@gmail.com to let her know you’ll be there. You wouldn’t want the lunch to run out of chicken, would you?

                                                                                                                                Charles

April 2025 Newsletter Article

Dear Friends,  

     This year it is the month of April in which the season of reflection and repentance that is Lent gives way to remembering the events of Holy Week and particularly Easter Sunday.

      Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday on April 13, marking the occasion when people prepared Jesus’s way into Jerusalem. Unlike other gospels that mention branches or even palms (hence the day’s name), Luke’s gospel mentions only people spreading their cloaks on the ground before Jesus. We won’t ask you to spread your coat out on the floor of the sanctuary or narthex, but everybody should be prepared to bear a palm in procession for that day’s worship.

      Maundy Thursday, on April 17, will be marked with an “agape meal” and communion in Gehman Hall, starting at 6:00 p.m. The meal will be a true potluck; bring whatever you bring with no coordinating or assignments. The sacrament of communion taking place during the meal will be in the manner in which the sacrament was frequently observed in the early church as the faith was first beginning to spread. Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth describes in chapter 11 how the church there got it wrong, and incidentally provides the text that has come to be known as the “words of institution” of the sacrament.

      Of course the Sunday after that, April 20, is Easter Sunday. Expect a lot of music for that day. All are, of course, welcome for all of these celebrations. While our church is not holding a service for Good Friday (and I keep meaning to ask how that came to be), you are encouraged to find a local church that is holding one and mark that holy day in worship.

                                                                                                                              Charles

March 2025 Newsletter Article

Dear Friends,

   This year, the month of March is mostly taken up with the season of Lent, the time of reflection, repentance, and preparation as the church moves toward the observance of the events of Holy Week. There’s a long history in the greater church of Lent being a time of elaborate and somewhat ostentatious display of repentance, sometimes to the point that the act of prayer becomes little more than showing off. One might think of the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector praying at the Temple (Luke 18:9-14).

 In other circles Lent has been taken as an occasion for “giving up” something, possibly a favorite food or particular activity. This isn’t necessarily the worst thing, as long as the “giving up” becomes an occasion for reflection and maybe even prayer, rather than a slog to get to Easter Sunday without slipping up. Another stream suggests “taking up” some new activity or practice for the season; possibly a book to read and study or some biblical reading to study or complete during the season.

 I might make a suggestion of a service to take up. If you haven’t served on a committee for this congregation for a while, find a committee to join. There are several committees that could stand to welcome some new blood, and the work of the church gets done more effectively with more hands doing the work. Find a committee that fits with your aptitudes and interests, and get involved, for Lent and beyond.

                                                                                                                                Charles

January Annual Report Article from Rev. Charles Freeman, Interim Pastor

Interim Pastor’s Annual Report for 2024
First Presbyterian Church, Independence, Kansas

     Now that I have passed the (hopefully) one complete calendar year that I shall spend here, I am particularly struck by the peculiarities of interim ministry work. A year ago I was seeking to push the church forward into the process of preparation and search; now, with that search in full swing, my job is to fade into the background as far as that process goes. I’m certainly available for questions and general guidance, but I am bound to stay far away from anything involving potential candidates for the position.

     The “pastor” part of the position continues, of course. I have been called upon to preside at Services of Witness to the Resurrection for Donna Stigall, Dick King, and Paul Fairbank. I have tried to work with the committees of the church as much as possible according to the rules of how such things go. Working with the appropriate committees we have continued to refine the church’s order of worship, and continued to moderate session meetings and to preach and teach.

     Book study this year included two special summer books, for which the study was conducted slightly differently. The study did not proceed according to the usual weekly schedule but all in one sitting; after several weeks to read the book all interested parties gathered at Dickey’s for lunch and discussion (food and books go together well, right?).  Those two books were both related to the church’s impending search process, so opening the doors to as many as could attend made the most sense.

     I participated in Presbytery meetings this year, including three times in person.  One of those was to the far west in Kingsdown, an event at which the Presbytery welcomed its new Executive Presbyter (and probably marks the farthest west I will go in my time here). I was also able to help get the ball rolling for an elder training event here for those in churches in this far eastern corner of the Presbytery.

     Continuing education for the year included the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada in July, and an earth-care training event at the Ferncliff Camp and Conference Center near Little Rock, very conveniently timed to coincide with a total solar eclipse. I don’t know if I’ve ever been a bucket-list type, but if I were that would certainly have checked off an item on that list.

     With all love and friendship, I sincerely hope for the sake of the church that this is the last annual report I submit here at First Presbyterian Church of Independence.

Respectfully submitted,
Rev. Charles S. Freeman, interim pastor

February 2025 Newsletter Article

Dear Friends,                                                                                                               

     This year all of February falls into the season between the cycles of Advent/Christmas/Epiphany and Lent/Easter/Pentecost, the two cycles typically regarded as most significant in the church year. So yes, one could say we are an in-between season.

      Of course, this church has been in an in-between season for a while now. The Pastor Nominating Committee has been at work for a while now, interviewing possible candidates for the installed position with this congregation. For me, of course, that means a change is coming.  One of the ironic parts of interim or transitional work is that a main marker of the success of this interim position is that I lose my job. That’s baked-in where interim work is concerned.  For the church, though, the challenge can be harder. Patience can wear thin. It can be easy to forget what we’ve learned over the past year and a half. Frustration can set in if we’re not careful.

      The PNC has gotten to work very quickly to have gone through a number of interviews already and to look into multiple options. Give them a thank-you when you think about it.  In the meantime we are still in this liturgical in-between season, seeking to understand what it means to “be an epiphany” and show Jesus to the world in challenging times.

                                                                                               Charles  

January 2025, Newsletter Article

Dear Friends,

 I will be out of the office for vacation time January 6-11, but will be back for the service on January 12.
The next book study will start on January 26. The book for this study is Rhythms of Worship: The Planning and Purpose of Liturgy, By John G. Stevens and Michael Waschevski. It’s a small book (less than one hundred pages) but it includes discussion on both the patterns of a typical Sunday service and the patterns of the church year and how they motivate and affect worship.

 Study group sessions will meet on Sunday mornings at 9:15 a.m. in the church conference room. The gatherings will be on January 26 and February 2, 9, and 16. All are invited to attend, and you are also invited to get a copy of the book and read it even if you cannot attend the study group gatherings.

 Contact Alberta in the church office to have a copy of the book ordered for you. 

December, 2024, Newsletter Article

  Dear Friends,

      The first Sunday of Advent (the church’s “New Year’s Day”) is soon upon us, ushering the church’s observance of events surrounding the birth of Jesus, from those prophetic voices pointing towards the Promised One of Israel to the events in Bethlehem with angels and shepherds hailing the child, to (finally) those late-arriving Magi from the East bringing their gifts. You will find notices elsewhere in this newsletter about everything from the lighting of the Advent candles to the Service of Lessons and Carols for Christmas Eve (hint: we need readers for both). Since it falls in January, our service for Epiphany falls outside the scope of this newsletter, but it will happen on January 6 at 5:30 p.m.

      One small part of the observance of the season is December’s group study. Usually it’s called a “book study,” but in this case there is no book that requires purchasing.  “People Look East: A Study Pack on Advent Hymns” is a four-part series focusing on hymns that convey some part of the message of Advent, distributed as PDF documents rather than in book form.

      These studies will be directly reflected in the church’s worship during Advent, as each hymn studied will appear to be sung in worship that day. In other words, after you join in for the study at 9:30 each Sunday morning from December 1-22, the hymn that is featured in that study will be sung as part of worship. Nothing like immediate follow-up on your study, is there?

      Even if you are unable to attend the study sessions on Sunday mornings, you can follow along with the study pack throughout the Advent season.

                                                                                                              Charles

November, 2024, Newsletter Article

Dear Friends,

      I will be out of the office from November 4-11 and absent from worship on November 10. I am grateful to Fr. Shannon Kearns for filling the pulpit that Sunday.

    I will be away that week for a training course, hopefully to aid in finding my next calling. One of the oddities about interim pastor work is that if you do it well, you’re out of a job before too long. So, in aid of having work to do myself while this church is getting to know its pastor, I’m trying to prepare myself. Even at its most swift, however, that process won’t happen before Advent arrives. As strange as it may sound, it might be my favorite season of the liturgical year. There is anticipation, there is hope, there is song, and there is preparation. That all kicks in starting on December 1.

    Before that, though, there’s Thanksgiving. In the strictest sense, Thanksgiving is not a religious holiday. However, the word itself is inherently a part of Christian living (perhaps more often expressed by the more “churchy” word “gratitude”).  

     Thanksgiving will be acknowledged twice during the month of November. First comes the church’s annual Thanksgiving lunch after the service on November 10. You should be able to find more information about that elsewhere in this newsletter. 

     On Sunday, November 24, the service will be centered on the giving of thanks, perhaps with some extra emphasis on the “giving” part as stewardship campaign time approaches. After all, a true attitude of thanksgiving or gratitude inevitably results in some kind of giving, when one is following Jesus. Right?  

October, 2024 Newsletter Article

  Dear Friends, 

Over the course of the last two months of the liturgical year, there are a few special days on the church’s calendar that don’t necessarily have the pull of big events like Easter or Christmas or even Pentecost. That doesn’t mean that those occasions don’t merit at least some attention.

 Observed on the first Sunday of October, World Communion Sunday was first proposed by a Presbyterian minister and first observed in that minister’s church in 1933. Though the idea spread slowly at first, observance of World Communion Sunday grew dramatically during World War II – perhaps not a surprise in a time when holding the world together seemed all the more perilous than before. Today it is observed in many denominations around the world, emphasizing the unity of the worldwide church and its call to share with those in need.

 At the end of October comes Reformation Day, observed on October 31 (or the Sunday immediately before that day). Tradition holds that on that date in 1517, Martin Luther nailed his ninety-five theses to the door of the cathedral in Wittemberg, Germany, protesting against what he saw as the excesses of the church and its indulgence of the powerful. While Luther’s Reformation is only one such upheaval in the larger church during that period in history (as our book study during October will demonstrate), the occasion has spread among Protestant denominations as a reminder of what has been done, and what still needs to be done, in the work of the church.

 The very next day, November 1 (or the Sunday immediately after) typically gets marked as All Saints’ Day and is (unlike the previous two examples) actually part of the Revised Common Lectionary calendar. It most commonly becomes an occasion for remembering and making memorial for those who have died in the last year of the church’s life.

 All of these occasions will be marked in the worship life of First Presbyterian Church in the coming weeks. I hope you’ll be present to learn more.

                                                                                                          Charles

September 2024 Newsletter Article

Dear Friends,     

           The second summer book gathering, delayed because of the late delivery of the books, is now set for Sunday, September 8, after the morning worship service and a called congregational meeting. Even if you have not read “Gone for Good” you are invited to join in the discussion and lunch gathering, as the topic of the future of our church property is one that hopefully matters to all of us in the church.

           I will be away on September 15, and the guest preacher that day will be Catherine Neelly Burton, Mission and Ministry Connector for the Presbytery of Southern Kansas. The previous day she will lead a workshop for session members of the various Presbyterian churches in this area, which is part of what that “connector” title means – not just connecting the church to the presbytery, but especially connecting the area churches to each other.

           The following Sunday, September 22, we will gather for our annual service in the park, as we have done for several years. Get casual and comfortable and come for the fellowship and food.

           Finally, on September 29, the Worship/Evangelism Committee invites you for a movie time in the theater on the upstairs floor. We will be taking in the third film from the Sight & Sound theater series from Branson, MO. The subject: Moses. It promises to be quite the drama. You might want to bring along something to drink, but popcorn will be provided.

           Also, on September 29 the next book study group will commence. The book in question is a slender one, on the subject of “the Protestant Reformations.” Yes, that’s plural. Currently the expectation is that the group will meet before worship on Sunday mornings, probably at 9:15 or 9:30.

           That’s a lot for the first month of the fall season. Of course, there will be more to come in following months, especially as we draw towards particular events on the liturgical calendar. Let’s plan to be the church together this fall, sometimes in the sanctuary, and sometimes elsewhere.

                                                                                  Charles 

August 2024 Newsletter

Dear Friends,     

Our second summer book gathering will (tentatively) happen on August 25 after the morning service. That title is “Gone for Good? Negotiating the Coming Wave of Church Property Transition,” a volume of essays edited by Mark Elsdon, a part-time minister in the PC(USA) who also works in nonprofit management.

 Remember that this book, like our previous summer book selection, is not prescriptive. Nothing in either book is required of this church; both only offer ideas that have been useful in other churches. Of course, none of those churches is First Presbyterian Church of Independence, Kansas, so there’s no guarantee they will work here. Being aware of options, however, is never a bad idea.  

With that in mind, I invite you to spend some time contemplating what other services might be possible through judicious use of our church property. How about that movie room upstairs, or what is apparently a gym room in the basement? We know Gehman Hall gets a workout during the summer with the children’s theater groups rehearsing there; what might be possible at other times of the year?  The people of this church are keen to serve God by serving our neighbors; this much I have seen. Maybe the property of the church can be part of that service.

                                                                                 Charles 

July 2024 Newsletter Message

Dear Friends,     

We will be gathering on Sunday, June 30 for lunch and a discussion of the first summer reading book, Part-Time Is Plenty: Thriving Without Full-Time Clergy by G. Jeffrey MacDonald, a religion writer who also serves as a part-time pastor. We’ll get together in the private meeting room at Dickey’s right after the morning service that day

 The second summer book addresses a different subject that is nonetheless of interest to many churches in these challenging days. That title is “Gone for Good? Negotiating the Coming Wave of Church Property Transition,” a volume of essays edited by Mark Elsdon. Like MacDonald, Elsdon is a minister, in his case in the PC(USA), and also works in another field (nonprofit management).

 This book is a collection of essays by different authors, and some of those essays will be more relevant to our situation than others. No one essay offers the “perfect” answer, and some of them would not be practical in this setting. Furthermore, some of the essays are about what is done with church buildings after the church is closed, which is not where this church is yet.

 Nonetheless, sifting through these responses to varying situations is an opportunity to see how different ideas have worked in different settings, and possibly to get a spark of inspiration about how this church might consider how our property – a magnificent one, but quite expensive to maintain – might be used differently as an instrument of mission and service in this changing time.

Since it’s a longer book, we’ll allow more time for reading. As with our first book, we’ll gather over a meal and discuss it, but that won’t happen until the end of August. In the meantime, you can let Alberta know if you would like a copy of the book so she can get them ordered. 

                                                                                 Charles

June 2024 Newsletter

Dear Friends,     

      You will notice some slight changes in the order of service, particularly at the beginning of the service, starting in June. The prelude will move to a position directly after the welcome, providing that time for reflection and preparation for worship sooner. The announcements (or “the work of the church”) and the passing of the peace will follow. Hopefully this will clear up any confusion about what is going on as services are getting started.

      Of course, those services will also be starting at a different time. Summer schedule begins on June 2, which means that morning worship service will start at 10:00 a.m. instead of 10:45. We know that getting the sanctuary space cooled effectively and efficiently can be a challenge during the summer months, and this move helps cut down on that challenge just a little bit.

      June 2 will also mark the second “Sunday afternoon movie matinee” of features from the Sight & Sound productions from Branson, Missouri. The June 2 production will feature the story of Joseph, as related in the book of Genesis. In fact, before coming to that presentation, it probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to refresh your memory on Joseph’s story by reading from chapters 37 and 39-50 of the book of Genesis. (Chapter 38 is not related to Joseph’s story and you are invited to skip it.) Movies, plays, or other works based on material like this inevitably do some embellishing of the story in order to play up the drama, and it would be a good idea to have the story securely in your head to help sort out the main story from the dramatic embellishment.

      Finally, the Pastor Nominating Committee is in place and going to work on bringing in a long-term pastor as soon as possible. Pray for their work and pray for those seeking opportunities, that they would see this church and this town for the opportunities that they represent for ministry and mission. 

                                                                                 Charles

May 2024 Newsletter

  Dear Friends,     

           Given the scheduling challenges of summer, with changing worship times, vacations, and other
interruptions, book group studies will operate with a different approach for this year’s summer season. We will read two books, named below, but rather than trying to schedule weekly meetings to discuss individual chapters or sections, we will get together once, perhaps over a meal, and discuss the whole book at one meeting. Both of the books will be on subjects that this church, like numerous churches in our denomination and others, might need to face in the near or further future.

          First we’ll read “Part-Time Is Plenty: Thriving Without Full-Time Clergy,” by G. Jeffrey MacDonald. The author is a full-time freelance religion reporter who is also a part-time pastor in the United Church of Christ. The book draws on his own experience and the experiences of more than twenty other pastors leading churches part-time, discussing issues such as overcoming perceived stigma about churches with part-time pastors and laypeople stepping up to responsibility. At six chapters this is a fairly compact read, and we will take orders and deliver in May for a gathering sometime in late June.

          The second, rather longer volume is “Gone for Good? Negotiating the Coming Wave of Church Property Transition,” a collection edited by Mark Elsdon, an ordained PC(USA) minister, entrepreneur and non-profit executive. The authors of this volume address topics ranging from what happens to church properties when churches close to finding ways to make the property part of the community, and a range of other topics. In some cases the authors will actually disagree or offer differing perspectives or suggestions; nothing is prescribed here and all are possibilities for churches to consider before that time comes. We will get this book ordered in June for a discussion time in late August.

           Hopefully, folks who care about the future of this church and want to be part of making that future happen will grab these books and get in on the conversation.

                                                                                      Charles

April 2024 Newsletter

Dear Friends:

     Certain passages of scripture have, at various times in the church’s history, been “weaponized” as a means of restricting the degree to which women have been able to participate in the full life of the church. That might be hard to imagine today, when so many churches could not function without the full participation of women, but it is true, and it is still a pattern in a number of different church traditions even today.

      Many of those passages have come from the letters of the New Testament, particularly those attributed to Paul. How do we deal with such passages, particularly those which seem to be inconsistent with other parts of scripture?

      Frances Taylor Gench, professor of New Testament at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, VA (my alma mater), wrote the book “Encountering God in Tyrannical Texts: Reflections on Paul, Women, and the Authority of Scripture” to address such questions. This book will be our next reading in the regular book study group. The group will return to meeting Sunday mornings at 9:15 a.m. in the conference room beginning April 14, and continuing through May 19. All are invited to attend; let Alberta know so she can order enough books.

      Note: I will be away for a brief study leave from April 6-9, an event on creation care wrapped around observing the upcoming solar eclipse, at the Ferncliff Camp and Conference Center near Little Rock, AR (which will be in the path of totality).  Shannon TL Kearns will be preaching in my absence.

                                                                                           Charles

March 2024 Newsletter

Dear Friends:

     March has many things going on, as the month concludes with the work of Holy Week. Indeed, the final day of the month is Easter Sunday. The service that day will be characterized by a lot of music, among other things.

      Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday on March 24, and everybody should be prepared to bear a palm for that day’s worship.   

     Maundy Thursday, on March 28, Will be marked with “agape meal” and communion in Gehman Hall, starting at 6:00. The meal will be a true potluck, with the sacrament of communion taking place during the meal, in manner in which the sacrament was frequently observed in the early church as the faith was first beginning to spread.

      All are of course welcome for all of these celebrations. While our church is not holding a service for Good Friday, you are encouraged to find a local church that is holding one and mark that holy day in worship.

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     The work of the transition group is accelerating. If you have ideas about the move towards a new pastor, why aren’t you working with them?

                                                                                           Charles 

February 2024 Newsletter

Dear Friends:

        During the month of February a few different things will happen. They might seem unrelated to one another, but I think they may be connected in more ways than might be apparent.

        The season of Lent, a time of self-examination and preparation leading up to Holy Week, begins on February 14 (yes, Lent starts on Valentine’s Day this year). While there will not be a full service that day, there will be a time, yet to be determined, that the pastor will be available to provide the imposition of ashes for any who so desire.

  Sometime after Lent begins the study group that began its examination of the oratorio Messiah will resume its studies. One teaser: it turns out that even so beloved and consistently sung work has its small dark sides here and there. 

In the meantime, the transition group will come together and start its work in earnest.  What does the transition group need to do? It needs data gatherers – folks who enjoy digging up information and sharing it with the group. It needs what Walt Disney called “imagineers” – folks who can not only dream of new visions and callings for this church, but also can work out how the church can step up and live into those new dreams and callings. It needs communicators – folks who can communicate to the church as a whole, to the presbytery officers who will work with the church in this process. It needs listeners – folks who will, with minds open, hear from and listen to each other and to the whole church, and even to the community around us, as to what this church can and needs to be.

  If any of those sound like you, talk to Kym Kays or myself about finding a role in this transition.

                                                                                         Charles

January 2024 Newsletter Message

Dear Friends:

          On January 6, 2024 (I’ll have to get used to typing that), First Presbyterian Church will hold a service at 11:00 a.m. for Epiphany, marking the visit of the Magi to the child Jesus. After the service we will share a simple soup-and-salad lunch, and after lunch the holiday decorations in the sanctuary will be taken down and put away for the year.

          Then, following on the work of last fall’s book group, it will be time to kick this transition process into high gear.

           We will be looking to start a ‘transition group’ to engage in the research and follow-up questions arising from that study, for the purpose of putting together the church’s Ministry Development Profile (or MDP, the new name for what was previously called the Ministry Information Form or MIF). Some of the work will involve ‘homework’ or some basic data-gathering on the church and the community; other parts of the work will involve sharing and receiving information from the larger congregation, and some will involve being in touch with representatives of the Presbytery of Southern Kansas about Presbyterian process and development (this will be important as some parts of the process look different now even since I was called as interim here).

           It is not necessary to have been a part of the book team to be part of the transition group, nor does being a part of the transition group require you to be on the eventual Pastor Nominating Committee. The point is to get as broad a representation of the church as possible. Meeting times will need to be flexible, and some Zoom meetings with presbytery representatives will probably be necessary. If you care about the future of this church, this is a good opportunity to show up and help develop that future.

                                                                                   Charles
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I will be on vacation the week of January 15-21. It has not yet been determined who will fill the pulpit that Sunday. 

December 2023 Newsletter Message

Dear Friends,

          The season of Advent is probably one of the least understood elements of the life of the church, as well as possibly one of the least fully-observed. The season is marked on the four Sundays preceding Christmas Day and is designed to promote reflection and devotional meditation on the impending coming of Jesus. This includes the Nativity at Bethlehem and the coming for which we all await now, the time to be united with Christ for all eternity (that is mostly marked on the first Sunday of Advent). Scriptures for the season also point us to the foretelling of the prophets in Hebrew scripture, the work of John, Jesus’s cousin, crying out in the wilderness, and the angel’s announcement to Mary of what was to come.

          It’s common for the Sundays of Advent to be marked by a particular theme around which the scriptures and hymns and prayers for the day can be loosely organized. For this season the themes of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love are identified with the four Sundays of the season. It may be that, in a time when those properties seem especially lacking in the world around us, deliberate reflection on those ideas might be the best possible way to prepare for the coming of the Messiah in the birth of a child.

          December 24 becomes a particularly active day when the calendar for Advent falls this way. The morning’s service will mark the fourth Sunday of Advent and then the Christmas Eve service at 5:00 that afternoon will bring in the season of Christmas with a lot of music and scripture, among other things, in a Service of Lessons and Carols. The following Sunday, December 31 (also known as the seventh day of Christmas) will feature possibly even more singing of music for Christmas, even if the rest of the world has moved on from Christmas by then.

          One added feature this year will be a special service and lunch here at the church on Saturday, January 6 at 11:00 a.m. in observance of Epiphany, the festival marking the visit of the Magi to the child Jesus. The service marks the official end of the season of Christmas. A simple soup-and-sandwich lunch will follow, and at long last the decorations that went up on November 26 will be taken down.

          I hope you will make extra effort to join in this season of preparation and celebration in the worshiping life of the church.

                                                                                                 Charles