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