Dear Grace Community,

Last week I had the opportunity to travel to Montreat, North Carolina, for the Presbyterian Association of Musicians “Worship and Music” Conference.  The good news for me is that you don’t have to be a musician to attend, though musicians do outnumber pastors in attendance.  I last attended the conference in 2018 and was glad to return.

Some of you know that Montreat is an important place for me, so it’s a double treat to attend an enriching conference there.  Alice got to go with me and participate in “clubs,” which is day camp, and my parents and sister (and her family) were there to help me juggle things. In addition, I got to see cousins, ministry friends, and some of my seminary professors.

I took three classes. The first was a lecture on the joy and value of singing together  The lecturer, Tom Trenney, was wonderful, and the time was holy.

The second class was on copyright.  My answer for the last 15 months when it comes to questions about streaming and copyright has been, “ask Martin,” so when I saw this offered, I thought I should take advantage of it.  While not loads of fun, the instructors (two musicians, one of whom is also a lawyer) were great.

The final class I took was Bible Study with Dr. Margaret Aymer who teaches New Testament at Austin Seminary.  She previously served at Johnson C. Smith Seminary and worshiped at the church where I served in Atlanta.  The entire week focused on Matthew 18, with us looking at a different section each day.  You get to experience some of what I learned when I preach from this book in August.

Then we worshiped. We worshiped together six times, each worship service focusing on a different holy day: Pentecost, Baptism of the Lord, Ash Wednesday, Christ the King Sunday, All Saints, and World Communion. When passionate people spend two years planning worship, it’s pretty incredible, and I loved the worship experience.

The Presbyterian News Service wrote multiple articles about the conference, including this one>

I’m grateful for the opportunity to attend this conference.

In Christ,
Catherine

Dear Grace Community,

On Sunday, October 25, you surprised me at the end of worship.  I knew that the personnel team wanted to recognize my 10 years at Grace, but I thought it might be with a nice note.  Instead you gifted me with new paraments for worship, and me and my family with the means for a wonderful vacation.  We love to explore and travel together and can’t wait to plan our next adventure.

Speaking of adventures, being your pastor is certainly that.  When I came here 10 years ago, I thought I might stay three years, maybe five if it went well. Things in the church were unsteady in that first two years, and I wondered if I’d make it to three. I’m so glad I did.

While much was unsteady in those early years, you were not. You welcomed me as your pastor. You trusted me. You prayed for me.  You encouraged me and supported me. You let me try new things. Day after day and year after year, I am blessed by your faith, your compassion, and your love for God.  It is an honor to be your pastor.  Thank you.

In Christ,
Catherine

Dear Grace Community,

When I last wrote to you about my service as a commissioner to the General Assembly, I had completed the first weekend.  I’m sure you’ve been waiting with anticipation for my final report.  I’m kidding of course, but I do want to let you know how it went.  My first two blogs are here:

• Blog 1
• Blog 2

The second weekend of service began Friday morning, June 26, and went through Saturday evening.  (Don’t worry, we got a break to sleep.)  The outgoing co-moderators, Elder Vilmarie Cintrón-Olivieri and Pastor Cindy Kolhmann, led worship Friday morning and did a wonderful job.  I’m grateful for the ways they led the church over the last two years.  When the new co-moderators, Elder Elona Street-Stewart and Pastor Gregory J. Bentley, took over the gavel I was impressed with their agility in leading and monitoring the many digital screens before them.

It was remarkable what was pulled off with technology.  The staff in Louisville was incredibly prepared, and there was only one minor Zoom glitch the entire time.  Still, being in a Zoom meeting with 700 plus people, most of whom were delegates was not my favorite way to serve the church. The platform made what was already a tedious process more so because we couldn’t do voice votes.  This meant that the simplest things (like calling the question) had to go through a 5-10 minute vote instead of a voice vote.

On Saturday morning, we re-elected our national Stated Clerk. The Rev J Herbert Nelson has served in the office for four years and will continue for four more.  I’ve worked with J Herbert and his wife Gail and admire and appreciate them both.  While J Herbert was the only candidate for the position, I’m excited about his leadership and am glad I got to vote for him.

Over the weekend we covered a lot of required assembly business, things like approving people to boards with ease, but everything else took a long time.  There was a sense that all needed to buy into the process, and not everyone did.  When I say “buy in’ I mean that everyone had to agree that we couldn’t do much of the business and move on. Those who didn’t buy in were determined to get their specific items to the floor, and this took a tremendous amount of time and caused great frustration.

As I watched the social media commentary of the meeting there were many critiques of what we, the assembly did or failed to do.  If you’re interested in my thoughts on specific issues, I’m glad to visit in person.

Despite a less than thrilling experience as a Zoom commissioner, I believe there are many good things about the PCUSA.  There is no perfect denomination, or individual church, but I am grateful for the ways we, together, strive to be who Christ calls us to be.

In Christ,
Catherine

June 17, 2020

Dear Grace Community,

At its June 15 meeting, the Session voted to begin in-person worship on July 5. We look forward to again gathering at Grace. The worship services also will be live-streamed in real time and available online. Sunday School will not meet.

While we are excited about this return, it is important to note that the Sunday morning experience will be different than it was March 8, the last time we were here. The dangers of Covid-19 are real, and it’s important that we observe the requested safety measures. While many things will be different, we know some things will be the same:

• We get to greet (at an appropriate distance) the church community.
• We hear music, some live and some recorded.
• There will be scripture, prayer, and the word proclaimed.
• We share one another’s joys and bear each other’s burdens.
• God’s name will be praised.

On July 5, we worship with One Service at 10 am in the Great Room. Starting on July 12, we have two services: one at 9 am in the Great Room and one at 11 am in the sanctuary. The following guidelines apply to all Sundays moving forward. The Session also emphasizes that we may return to on-line only worship at a future date because of the virus.

What to expect when you come to worship at Grace:

• The main doors to the church will be open – no one needs to touch door handles.
• You may be asked to give your name as you come in. This list is internal only and allows us to contact worshipers if we learn that someone who was present tests positive for Covid-19.
• There will be hand sanitizer and masks at each entry. Please bring your own mask if you have one. The expectation is that all wear masks unless prevented from doing so by a medical condition.
• The coffee bar is closed.
• There will be no paper distributed and no hymnals or Bibles used.
• We will have a place to give offering after the service, but no offering plates or bags will be used in worship.
• There is no passing of the peace.
• There is no congregational singing.
• For the month of July there is no nursery available. Children of all ages are welcome in worship – noise and all!
• Windows will be open to help with air circulation.
• Ushers will seat and dismiss the congregation.
• The seating is socially distanced so limited by space. If we are not able to accommodate crowds, we will have to turn away people.
• A custodian will be on duty to clean surfaces throughout the morning.

We encourage those of you in high risk categories to remain at home for online worship. Please stay home if you have any symptoms of illness.

In Christ,

Catherine Neelly Burton, Senior Pastor

The Grace Session:

Sandy Blaylock                       Dennis Buteyn                        Darcy Eads

Pam Head                               Fred Heismeyer                       Dave McIntire

Betsy Ross                              Elyse Scholl                            Ginny Vincent

Joe Wangombe                        Alisa Watkins