From the Pastor’s Desk: January 3

In the fall I had the privilege of leading a study on the Psalms. Two groups met for ten weeks to dig into the text. There was a Tuesday morning group and a Wednesday night group – about 20 people total.

I expected to grow in my knowledge and understanding of the Psalms, and I did. I expected to have my faith enriched by the individual reading and group discussion, and that happened. I expected to enjoy getting to know people better through study, and that happened too.

Then there were things that I didn’t know to expect but that I was blessed by.

One of these things was how much the study made me think about worship. The Psalms were used in the context of worship in ancient Israel. Some of the Psalms are hard for me to read. In one verse there’s an outpouring of praise for God, and in the next verse there’s a plea for God to crush enemies or a question about God’s presence.

When I include a Psalm in worship I often leave out the challenging verses. This study pushed me to reconsider this. Reading and hearing challenging words together is an opportunity for our congregation. The Psalms reflect honest emotions that God’s people have felt forever and that God’s people in our congregation have likely felt too. In the new year I am committed to using more full Psalms in worship, even the Psalms with verses that make me cringe.
One of the activities our study asked us to do was to pray the Psalms. This means reading and praying the text as though it was our own prayer. Praying the Psalms is a challenge and a gift.

To pray and ask God to destroy enemies is counter to what Jesus teaches. It also was hard for me because it forced me to admit that there are times when I really want to have enemies destroyed. I’m not talking about the person who takes my parking spot but about the Syrian forces slaughtering people in Aleppo.

The Psalms remind me that I can be honest with God about this, about the dark thoughts and feelings I have. God knows I’m not a perfect Christian, so I don’t have to pretend in my prayers. As one wise class participant noted, praying the Psalms in this way gives us a framework for being honest.

During a week when we focused on lament we discussed whether or not people at Grace can be honest about how they are doing when coming to church. Is it okay to say, “I’m having a hard time,” or is the expectation to say, “Everything is great?”

In light of this conversation I have a challenge for all of us for the New Year. In 2017 when you ask someone at Grace how they are doing, ask them how they are doing; don’t tell them. Too often we say, “Are you doing well? Did you have a good Christmas?” These questions set the responder up to have to answer, “Yes, everything is good.”
By making a simple change you leave space for the person you’re engaging with to be honest with you when you ask, “How are you? How was your Christmas?” It’s a small change but one I hope creates space for more honest
community at Grace.

2016 was a good year at Grace, and God is on the move here. I’m excited about where the Spirit will lead us in 2017.
In Christ,
Catherine

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From the Pastor’s Desk: December 2016

In November, Dr. Katie Rhoads made a visit to Grace. Katie is a missionary in Uganda and Sudan. Grace is one of Katie’s supporting congregations, and it’s always a blessing to hear from her.

Katie is a physician. She serves as a doctor and a teacher.  As a doctor (and specifically a surgeon), she provides a wide range of medical care.  As a teacher, she teaches medicine, and she teaches Christians in the communities where she works about Christianity and about the joy of sharing the good news.

As I listened to Katie, I realized that I sometimes forget the power of the gospel – the transformative nature of Christianity. She shared that people she works with have conversion experiences but don’t necessarily know anything about Christianity, about what’s in the Bible. It’s one thing to come to faith. It’s another thing to have your faith inform your life.

She told us a story about being in a village where someone from another tribe came and killed some animals. The response of the people she was with was to retaliate by killing the families of the perpetrators. The people she was with were Christians, but they didn’t know teachings of Christianity; they didn’t know that their faith should inform their actions. Katie told us of sitting with these people and sharing scripture after scripture about forgiveness. Their hearts were changed.

Faith changes lives.

We’re in Advent – the time when we await Christ’s coming. We remember that God took on flesh to live among us, and in that, everything changed. If you are new to faith, I hope you’ll hear the scripture of the season and let it shape you. If you’ve been a Christian for a long time, hear these stories in new ways.  The incarnation, God’s taking on flesh, changed everything.  Continue to let God change and transform you.

In Christ,

Catherine

 

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From the Pastor’s Desk: November 2016

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

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From the Pastor’s Desk – October 2016

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 15th 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

 

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From the Pastor’s Desk: September 4

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

 

 

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