Dear Friends,
October brings many changes. The weather cools off (hopefully). The big Neewollah festival happens (I’m told it’s rather a big deal). And in the church, it’s stewardship season. That’s a lot.
This is a particularly pivotal time in the life of First Presbyterian. We are of course in a period of transition, as the process of preparing for and seeking a new installed pastor kicks into gear in earnest. The financial health of the church is not the only issue that matters in that preparation, but it is an important one. Aside from the obvious implications for actually hiring and paying an installed minister, it also speaks to the health of the church and its sense of mission and purpose, both among the membership and in the larger community. I hope that as Stewardship Sunday approaches on October 15, you will be prayerfully considering the ways you can support the work of this congregation, with gifts both financial and personal.
In other matters, I will be away on October 8, taking one brief bit of vacation before the final stretch of the liturgical and the approach of the seasons of Advent and Christmas. We are fortunate to have Father Shannon TL Kearns to step into the pulpit for that Sunday.
Finally, a brief acknowledgment of some health issues I have been experiencing. I know some of you saw me desperately struggling to walk or stand while suffering a bout of sciatica. I can say with great relief that a period of physical therapy, just completed last week, has rendered that nerve painless and allows me to walk and move around more freely.
Unfortunately, a second issue has come along that might cause a slightly bigger problem. I apparently have developed a rather painful cyst that, while it has responded somewhat to being drained and treated, has not quite gone away. The concern is that it might be deep enough to require surgery to deal with. That evaluation is set for the first week of October; hopefully by then it will have gone away and averted the need for surgery. You’ll know more when I know more.
Sometimes we know the challenges ahead; sometimes they come as a surprise. Either way, we trust in God to work for our good through all of those things that challenge us.
Charles