From the Pastor’s Desk: October 21, 2015

Dear Grace Community,

In his book, As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner tells the story of the Bundren family. Addie Bundren, wife and mother, dies, and the family must transport her body from their home to its burial place. They plod across Mississippi with Addie’s casket in the back of their wagon. It is a punishing journey. At one point they cross a river, and catastrophe ensues. The casket floats away, living bones are broken, and whatever pride was left is lost. While fraught with disaster, at its core, the Bundren’s journey is a familiar ritual, that of moving from death to burial.

The Bundren family needed someone to help them ford that river. Today when families are faced with death there is figurative water they do not know how to cross. My role is to help them. Others might be able to lead the grieving so far, but when it comes to crossing the water, it is my job to offer a steady hand.

This year as we approach All Saints Sunday onNovember 1, I decided to share this metaphor with you as it informs how I approach death, funerals, and memorial services as your pastor. I am the one who stands in the water. Standing in the water is not for the faint of heart, but it’s what I was called to and trained for. In time I’ve learned how to bend my knees at the right moment so the current doesn’t overwhelm me, though I still get wet and weary sometimes.

In five years at Grace I’ve led more than fifty funeral or memorial services. Each time I find myself, pants rolled up, wading into the waters of grief, holding out my hand, and helping to guide people to the other shore. This means being with them after a loved one dies, making service plans, and leading a service that both witnesses to Jesus’ resurrection and honors the one who died.

I cannot carry someone through the water. I cannot make the journey from death to the grave easy. It is hard work, and work that must be done by those grieving. My role is to guide them as they carry their loved one.

When a family makes it across the water, I don’t keep going with them. I stay by the water’s edge, which can be hard for others to understand. It’s not that I don’t want to go with them; it’s that I know there will soon be another family coming to ford the river. It may not be the next day or week, but soon someone else in our community will die, and there are others who can walk with a family beyond the shore: friends, family, neighbors.

On November 1, we say aloud the names of saints who are no longer with us. I give thanks for those people I’ve been privileged to know, to love, and to serve as their pastor. In our tradition, saints are not only the dead but the living, and so I give thanks for you who serve as witnesses and inspire me in my faith. It is my privilege to be your pastor.

In Christ,
Catherine

 

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From the Pastor’s Desk: September 27, 2015

Dear Grace Community,

Please be at Grace on Tuesday night for the same-sex marriage program. Dinner begins at 5:45 pm ($7 for adults, $3 for children, family cap of $17), and the program is at 6:30 pm. Childcare is available.

Same-sex marriage is now allowed but not required in the Presbyterian Church USA. This means that each congregation may decide whether or not same-sex weddings are permitted on church grounds. In March, the Grace Session began to address the question about what we would do as a congregation. The Session sets all wedding policies for the church.

In April, the Session held three listening sessions for the church community. The purpose of these gatherings was to share thoughts and questions about same-sex marriage. The Session reflected on these groups and discussed how to move forward in this conversation.

In August, we established a study group to read and discuss two books, Washed and Waiting by Wesley Hill and The Bible’s Yes to Same-Sex Marriage by Mark Achtemeier. The entire congregation was invited to participate in this five week series. Approximately twenty people attended one or more study groups. The two books represent different viewpoints on same-sex marriage and were recommended to us by men who represent organizations with the PCUSA.

These two men are here on Tuesday night to speak and to answer questions. They are Paul Detterman and Brian Ellison. Paul represents the Fellowship of Presbyterians, an organization opposed to same-sex marriage. Brian represents the Covenant Network of Presbyterians, an organization in favor of same-sex marriage. They very much disagree with each other on this issue and yet agree about the value of being in PCUSA together. Their willingness to dialogue and stay in relationship is a powerful witness to church unity.

Our congregation will not be of one mind on this issue, but my hope is that we can learn from these men both about their perspectives and about their commitment to being in a Christian community with people they disagree with.

The gathering on Tuesday is the final step in our Session’s process before voting on a same-sex marriage policy for Grace. The plan is for the Session to make this decision at the stated meeting on November 23. (This is one week later than originally scheduled.) You are strongly encouraged to reach out to any or all of the Session members to talk with them about this issue before the October 19 Session meeting. Session members are listed at the bottom of this letter. Call, email, or write them. Any unsigned correspondence will be disregarded.

As the Session prayerfully considers this decision I ask that you do the same and that you pray for them. See you Tuesday.

In Christ, Catherine

Session Members:

Ron Brown

Cindy Dethloff

Fred Heismeyer

Jerry Juhnke

Maggie McIntire

Don Murphy

Charlene Randle

Sandy Remsberg

Janet Rhoads

Betsy Ross

Sue Steele

Bill Vavra

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From the Pastor’s Desk: September 22

Dear Grace Community,

“Rejoice in the Lord always: again I say Rejoice!” This was Paul’s message to the Philippians and a good message for us too.

This summer we introduced you to, “Rejoice,” the proposal to enhance our worship spaces at Grace. The church leadership set a goal of $65,000 in order to make updates and changes to both the Great Room and Sanctuary. I was hopeful, even confident, that we would meet the goal, but what happened was more than I expected.

We not only met the goal in gifts and pledges, we exceeded it!

Again and again the generosity of this congregation amazes me. In the coming weeks the Board of Trustees will set a timeline for these enhancements to begin and will discuss the best way to steward the gifts that are above what we requested. Know that any money received that is above what we asked for will be used for worship enhancement.

There were some projects that we did not include in this campaign because we couldn’t get good bids and confirmation of work or because they were seen as useful enhancements but not immediate needs. Now we may be able to consider some of those projects as well. We’ll keep you abreast on the progress in both spaces in the coming months.

As we continue in our common life together we do so rejoicing, and I look forward to seeing you in worship.

In Christ,

Catherine

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From the Pastor’s Desk: September 10

Dear Grace Community,

I hope to see you at Grace on Sunday morning. We begin a new sermon series at 9 am and 11 am and a fresh approach to Sunday school at 10 am. For the next three Sundays I preach from Mark’s Gospel, chapters 8 and 9, where Jesus has some hard conversations with the disciples. The series is called, “Straight Talk with Jesus.”

The Sunday School hour might sound the same, after all, it’s Sunday School at 10 am, but it’s actually quite different for adults. For over fifty years adult Sunday School at Grace was driven by the Mariner system, and it worked really well for a long time.

This meant that individuals joined classes (or ships) and stayed together forever. The ships arranged for their own Sunday School classes, and the system ran itself. Over the last five years all but one of these ships has stopped meeting as a Sunday School class. I am grateful that the Steamers continue to meet and plan their own classes as well as fellowship events. All are welcome to join them.

In light of the reality that there is only one Mariner class left, the Christian Discipleship Team put together a brand new approach to the fall. Starting this Sunday there are three new options for adults at 10 am. These classes meet for four weeks. There is no long-term commitment. We have excellent teachers and topics lined up, and I’m sure there is one that you’ll find interesting.

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After this four weeks Sunday School won’t meet on October 11, and then we start a new series on October 18. As always, our children and youth classes look to be excellent. Kirk Anderson and Jennifer Snook worked hard to recruit and equip teachers, and I look forward to the ways our young people will encounter Jesus this fall.

In Christ,

Catherine

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From the Pastor’s Desk: August 20

Dear Grace Community,

On August 17, I shared with the Session that I am expecting a child. John and I are excited about this and glad to share this news with you. You were part of our wedding three years ago, and we look forward to you being part of our child’s life.

While pregnancy is a fairly personal matter, I have a pretty public life in this congregation. So, you might think of this letter as, “What to Expect When Your Pastor is Expecting: Part I.”

Our approximate due date is February 21. This is during Lent, not a particularly slow season at Grace. The personnel team and I are meeting to begin conversation about how things are covered while I’m on maternity leave.

My first trimester was fair. I was fortunate not to be horribly sick, but I’ve been quite tired and haven’t felt too hot. My general practitioner told me that one of the great things about pregnancy is that you can do most anything during pregnancy that you did before. She should have said, “in theory,” you can do anything you did before, as my evening trips to the Y have been replaced by much earlier bedtimes and naps. With that said, other than taking the occasional nap here at church I haven’t found pregnancy to impact my work too much. Perhaps you’ve noticed me yawning a bit more since I’ve cut back on the caffeine.

Pregnancy is a whole new world for me, and a pregnant pastor is a whole new world for you. I’m sure we’ll figure it out together. For now I ask for your prayers for me and John and for a healthy pregnancy.

In Christ,

Catherine

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