There is a congregational meeting on Sunday, July 26 at 10:30 am in the sanctuary, and I hope you’ll attend. The purpose of the meeting is twofold. First, you vote to elect Karen Wagner to serve as a deacon, filling an unexpired term for the class of 2016. This meeting is typically quick and simple. The second part of the meeting is a little unusual.

You vote on extending me a call to serve as your pastor. Yes, I am already your pastor, and yes you have to call me again. In the fall of 2012 you called me to be your designated pastor. That word designated is important because it means my call is for a particular period of time, three years. We are now at the end of that time, and so we have to decide what to do next.

In April you received a letter from the Grace Session inviting you to talk with them about this process. I expressed to the Session that I continue to feel called here and want to remain as your pastor. They received feedback from you, the congregation, and the sense the Session got is that the congregation wants me to continue on as pastor. It’s great that we’re on the same page!

The next step was for the Session to approve my new terms of call. These are available to you beginning on Sunday, July 19. This all is approved by a committee of the presbytery. In June, Sandy Remsberg, who serves on the Session, and I met with this committee and all was approved. The next step is for you to call me at the congregational meeting on July 26. The final step is for the entire presbytery to confirm the call at the August 11 meeting. Once that is complete I will be installed, again, as your pastor.

In many ways this is cumbersome, but it’s important. Some of you will recall that three years ago we had just come through a hard season as a church. The decision to call me for a designated period gave the congregation the chance to catch its breath. I’m grateful for the last three years and excited about what God will do with this congregation in the future.

In Christ,

Catherine

Each August members of Grace attend the Willow Creek Global Leadership Summit, right here in Wichita. That introduction alone might be confusing. Willow Creek is a church in Illinois, but they put on a leadership summit that is broadcast all over the world. We attend at Pathways Church in West Wichita.

When I got here five years ago I was skeptical of this event. What could a mega-church in Illinois have to say that would relate to my life at Grace? And (this is what I was really skeptical of), why would I go sit in a church and watch a screen for two days?

Well, it turns out that Willow Creek does a really good job with this event, and there’s a lot I’ve learned. Once I decided to open my mind, I realized that this was an incredible chance to hear from amazing leaders and thinkers. Willow Creek spends at least a year putting together each summit. Their philosophy is that everyone benefits from better leaders: churches, businesses, homes, everyone. With that in mind, they compile a diverse group of speakers. Each year I am energized and challenged by what I hear, and I always leave with ideas about how what I experienced relates to my role as the pastor at Grace.

To my second concern of watching a screen for two days, it’s always a little strange at first, but then I don’t really even think about it. This event is really well done, so much so that the technology is seamless, and somehow the atmosphere created is that we are really there hearing the speakers in person. It helps that it’s a live event, and so it’s neat to know that we’re watching along with hundreds of thousands of other people.

If you’ve never attended the Leadership Summit, consider joining us this year. The dates are August 6-7. If you can’t attend both days, it’s possible that someone might split the ticket cost with you and attend one day. There is a cost, but don’t let that deter you. Please contact Martin Burch, marburch@mygpc.org to learn more.

There is an unofficial society at Grace, a society that no one wants to be part of, yet many are. It’s a group loosely bound together because they’ve experienced the death of a child. They do not get together for meetings, but once one recognizes another, and the connection is made, there is a bond.

Last year a colleague, Yvi, shared with me that she had led a worship service in her church, For Those Who’ve Loved and Lost. The service was open to anyone and everyone recognizing that some loss is not visible, whether it is a miscarriage, infertility, or a death one tries to forget. It’s also true that loss is felt by those who may not be parents. I certainly grieve for the adult children in this church whom I’ve buried. Perhaps you’ve grieved alongside a friend or family member.

Yvi said that she planned a simple service for a weeknight and that only three people came, but that it was still important, and she was glad she did it. She noted that part of the service involved a tree branch in a vase on the communion table. During the service people were invited to come and tie a ribbon on a part of the branch for those they had loved and lost. She left that branch on the table for the week, and during that time others made their way into that space. By the end of the week, the branch was covered in ribbons. While some did not come to the service they still longed for a way to express their loss.

Yvi shared the details of her the worship service with me, and I will lead a similar service on Tuesday, May 19, at 6:30 pm in the chapel. You are all invited, and please invite anyone who you think might find this meaningful.

It’s hard in a 500 word column to transition smoothly from something so somber, but I also want to mentions something else. As I’m writing this on April 14, I’ve just come from the Grace Tutoring Celebration. Every August I hold my breath wondering if we’ll manage to get enough tutors to make the program happen, and every year (so far) we do, and I am grateful.

At the celebration I described the tutoring program comparing it to the Colorado River carving out the Grand Canyon. It’s hard to believe that a river could turn mountainous rocks into majestic canyons, and it’s hard to believe that an hour of one on one reading with an adult twice a week could improve a child’s reading so much, but it does. This ministry is an amazing gift to our community. Maybe you should be a tutor next year!