Dear Grace Community,

Lillian Daniel, a pastor and writer, tells a story about talking with a man finding a church:

He told her that he visited all twenty-one churches in his hometown but didn’t find one to be part of.

“What was so wrong with them? They don’t sound too bad to me. No church has it all. Couldn’t you even find one that you liked?”

“Oh, it wasn’t that,” he said. “I liked a lot about all of them. It’s just that they wouldn’t like me. I’ve done bad things in my life. I don’t belong with those people.”

“Didn’t they say God loves you despite all that?” I asked.

“Sure,” he said. “They all say that. But I don’t think I believe it. I can’t love everybody. And if they knew me, or what I think, they wouldn’t want me there.”

He gave me a lot to think about. Somewhere along the way, he learned that churches are places anyone can visit, but only incognito. If they knew who you really were, they’d kick you out.

He was looking for a church that was real. He was looking for a church where he could be real. Real churches are out there. They’re all over the place. But I could also see why he hadn’t found one yet. Sometimes in religious communities, we save the real stuff for the insiders—or even worse—we just don’t deal with it. Either way, the outsiders leave feeling as if they’d never fit in.

From Outreach Magazine, October 6, 2016

This interaction gave me a lot to think about.  Do we at Grace save the real stuff for the insiders? Do we let visitors or new community members know that they can be real here?

After six years as your pastor, you’ve shown me the real stuff. I know that this is an authentic community, but I wonder if it’s possible for new people to enter into, or if there is an unspoken season of earning their place. What do you think? If you’re new and reading this, I’d love your thoughts.

For those of you who’ve been here for a while, take a look around, what do you think?

As a community we must always think about who is not here and ask ourselves why they aren’t. This is challenging work, and it is our call as a church. Join me in this.

In Christ,

Catherine

Dear Grace Community,

Every month we advertise our bus ticket ministry, and it occurred to me that some of you may not know what happens in and through that ministry.  Our church, like many churches, receives regular requests for help with transportation. In the mid 2000’s it was decided to allocate some mission money every month to purchase bus tickets.  When someone called or came by the church asking for transportation help they would receive a packet of 10 tickets – enough to get to and from work for a week.

In time demand was higher than the available tickets, and people were often turned away with no tickets.  More mission money was allocated, and more people came by for tickets.  Eventually a new system was put into place.  Tickets would be given out once each month.  Over the last seven years this process has evolved and evolved. Tickets are now given out on the 15^th of the month at 8 am, though people start gathering by 7 am.

One evolution in the process involved a lottery.  Everyone who came got a raffle ticket, and X number were drawn and those people received tickets.  This was popular with ticket recipients and not with those who left empty handed. The key to the success of this ministry is that the Grace leaders work hard to listen to and work with the bus ticket community.  When a question comes up about how our system works the guests are part of the decision-making process.

There are usually between 40 and 50 people here each month.  Some people are here regularly, some only come once.  My guess is that about a third of the regulars live on disability, and in addition to needing the assistance, they like the community.  Probably half of our guests are what I would classify as working poor.  Even with jobs, money is tight, and a little extra help really makes a difference.

The bus system went through a major overhaul last winter.  The routes changed as did the ticket system.  We now give out day passes, and everyone who comes receives four-five depending on demand.

A few years ago we added a worship service with communion to the morning. There are no strings attached, no requirement to worship in order to get tickets, and so not everyone comes. There are usually five to 10 at worship.  I am grateful for the ways our guests interpret scripture and value the sacred time with them.

By adding the worship, I hoped to get more connected to this ministry, hoped to introduce myself as the church pastor to our guests.  It turned out though that they already had a pastor.  For years Kirk Anderson had been praying with them and listening to them.  People from bus tickets call Kirk with prayer concerns, call him to celebrate a new job, call him to talk.  Kirk makes hospital visits and gives rides.  He’s the bus ticket pastor, and it’s a gift to be part of the congregation.

I encourage you to stop by some morning when we are giving out tickets and get a glimpse of the bus ticket church. The next time is October 14.  Come early if you want to help, or come around 7:40 am for worship.

In Christ,

Catherine

All things bright and beautiful,
all creatures great and small,
all things wise and wonderful,
the Lord God made them all.

The cold wind in the winter,
the pleasant summer sun,
the ripe fruits in the garden,
God made them every one.

Dear Grace Community,

The words from the hymn, “All Things Bright and Beautiful,” come to mind as I take note of the change of seasons. Yes, it still feels very much like summer with 90 degree days and the air conditioner blasting in the church, but school has started, and we’re gearing up for fall. So a new season is here at Grace.

he choir returns to worship on September 11, and Sunday School classes for children, youth, and adults kick off that same day. The youth group begins a new schedule that  week, and a Bible study on Psalms begins too. Our fall worship theme is “Faith is a Verb,” and each week in worship we look at a different verb and how it relates to discipleship.  An active faith takes an active commitment. A new season is a good time to take stock of where things are in your life. Is your faith life active?

My hope for members of our community is that you live out your discipleship through study, mission, worship, and fellowship. Is there an area where you would like to connect?  Seek out opportunities this fall.

I often say that our church is an organic body, always changing.  As new people come into our community it’s a big help to them if you wear a nametag on Sundays. If you need one, contact Martin Burch in the Grace office, 316-684-5215 or marburch@mygpc.org to order one.  The cost is $5 per nametag.

In Christ,

Catherine

Dear Grace Community,

We had a wonderful adult Sunday School series in June.  Each week we heard about different aspects of being human.  Dr. Francie Ekengren talked with us about end-of-life ethics.  She shared about the Transportable Physician Orders for Patient Preferences or TPOPP.

The TPOPP is a tool to allow individuals to best express their end of life treatment goals and preferences. It’s something that is filled out with a physician. It is then recorded in a database that is available to the hospitals in Wichita.

Francie shared eloquently about her faith and her understanding of end of life issues. She wove together her calling as a Christian and a physician. I hope you take time to talk with your physician and your family about your end of life care, and that you take the time to complete a TPOPP.

I invite you to talk with me about what happens when you die. As your church, we are honored to walk with you all the way to the grave and to witness to the resurrection at your death. There are some Grace members who have given me instructions for their funerals or memorial services. Others have given me a list of hymns they want at their services.  One of you in our congregation likes to sit down every summer and go over the service details to make sure nothing has changed.

The act of planning your memorial service or funeral is an opportunity for your loved ones to enact their grief, but giving them some guidance can be a gift. Call me anytime to set up an appointment to talk.

In Christ,
Catherine

Dear Grace Community,

At her birth, our daughter Alice joined one of the more exclusive groups at Grace. It’s a group that includes Brian Whepley, Laurie Mulford, Will Snook, and me, to name a few. We’re all PK’s, Preacher’s Kids. At my latest count, there are around 11 of us in the congregation.

Being a PK is interesting. There are only a few other jobs that involve taking your child to work as much as this one does. I was fortunate to have a mostly positive experience as a PK. I loved how well I knew the church: where all the rooms, closets and hallways were. I loved running up and down those hallways when no one else was in the building. I loved how awe inspiring and spooky the sanctuary seemed late in the afternoon when the lights were out, and it was empty of people. I felt like I should whisper, and yet I wanted to shout and hear my voice echo.

I remember the time when I made it clear to my dad that he was to never talk about me in a sermon again unless he had my explicit permission. I was in fifth grade, and he referenced something a young person had said to him about the new movie Batman. I was the young person, and as people commented to me after worship that they figured it was me, I became livid. This doesn’t seem like a big thing now, but to me at age 11 it was. I have to remember that what may not be a big deal to me might be a big deal to Alice, and I will be careful about how I talk about her at church and in worship, though I’m sure I will make her livid at some point.

The best thing about being a PK is how loved I was by people in the congregation. We did not live near family, and so church members were surrogate great aunts and uncles and cousins. They took a genuine interest in me. One of those women, Jocelyn, now lives in Georgia. Jocelyn, who knew me when I was three, served on my ordination commission when I was 30. Church connections last.

I have a few requests of you regarding your interactions with my PK. First, never stop showing her God’s love. Alice was baptized in May, and you promised to help raise her in the Christian faith. Make sure she knows that God loves her, no matter what. Show her the love of Christ by the way you treat her and each other. Show her this through the ways you serve.

Second, cut her some slack. That’s easy to say now when she’s three months old, but the day will come when she’s rude or runs down the hall loudly on a Sunday morning. If she needs redirecting, do it gently. Remember that I work here – she doesn’t, and some days she may not want to be here. Finally, be careful of what she hears you say about me. There will be times when you get frustrated or upset with me, and that’s fine, but she doesn’t need that stress.

John and I are grateful that you are helping us raise Alice in the faith. Growing up can be lots of fun, and it can be hard. We need all the help we can get in making sure Alice knows that she is God’s child.

In Christ,
Catherine