From the Pastor’s Desk on August 13

“How are things going with the Laundry Project, Catherine?”

That’s a question I get from time to time. People aren’t wondering about my home laundry (which is fine), but instead they’re wondering about Laundry Love.

What is Laundry Love?

Last fall the presbytery was offering “evangelism grants.” A church could submit a proposal for an evangelism project and might be granted some money. Our evangelism team talked, and most of our ideas had to do with getting people to Grace. This is not a bad thing at all, but we started to wonder what evangelism in the community might look like. What would it look for us to share the love of Jesus with the community? That’s when we landed on Laundry Love.

Laundry Love is a national grass roots effort. The idea is that a group (maybe a church) takes over a laundromat the same time each month and pays for everyone’s laundry. Laundry Love was born from a conversation with a man who noted that if he had clean clothes people might treat him like a human.

Our evangelism team saw this as an opportunity to offer a blessing to the community, as a chance to help make life a little bit easier for some people, and as a way for us to enact the love we know in Jesus. We applied for and received a grant to fund Laundry Love for one year.

We identified a laundromat that would have us, College Town Laundry on 17th St by Wichita State, and we began in March. We are there each month on the second Sunday from 3-5:30 pm. The first month no one expected us, and it was fun to surprise people and offer to pay for their laundry. The next month was more of the same, and we brought snacks, and a board game to play with the children there. The slow easy rhythm continued until June. In June, things got wild.

In June the word was out, and the place was packed when we arrived. People had claimed machines, and we had no idea where to begin helping people and taking names. It was hot and humid, and not everyone was cheerful. On that day I had to acknowledge the shadow-side of my motivation for this project.

You see, I’d put on a good face about how we were doing this to offer a blessing, how we were doing this to share Jesus’ love, and all of that was true, but deep down I was hoping for some good publicity for our church and an infusion of new members who thought this was a great thing.

That’s the shadow-side, the side I don’t like to talk about. We all have one, and the shadow-side made it harder for me to show Christ’s love that day. Instead I found myself grumpy with the man who claimed too many machines and grumpy with the woman who was impatient about waiting for a dryer. I had to be honest that I was in this as much for myself as I was for those we were serving, and that was painful to acknowledge.

As we prepared for July’s Laundry Love, it was evident that we needed a better plan to deal with high numbers. There are about 20 people who’ve helped with Laundry Love, and some of us got together and came up with a strategy.

We came up with a basic sign-in plan that actually worked, and while the numbers were again high, we were better equipped to serve. Not only that, but I went in with a different approach. I went into July’s Laundry Love aware of my shadow-side, and because of that, I was intentional about the way I treated people -with kindness, and with the love of Christ. I still have plenty of room to grow, and I’m grateful for the chance to serve in this ministry with you.

In Christ,

Catherine

Laundry Love - College Town Laundry

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Same Sex Marriage Conversation

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Dear Grace Community,

Last spring the Grace Session invited you to participate in listening sessions regarding same-sex marriage. People were able to share feelings, and Session members heard a wide range of views. These were not debates but time to talk and listen.

Same-sex marriage is now permitted, though not required, in the Presbyterian Church USA, the denomination Grace is part of. Since the Supreme Court ruling this summer, same-sex marriage is now legal in all 50 states. The Grace session has discussed how else we might engage the congregation before making a decision about whether or not Grace will allow same-sex marriages.

As your pastor it is clear to me that we will not be of one mind on this issue. There are far too many opinions and convictions in this congregation. Instead, my hope is that we can remain a unified church no matter what we decide.

With that as my hope and with the Session’s encouragement I reached out to two men this spring and summer. These two men lead organizations with differing viewpoints and yet have found a way to work together. They are Paul Detterman from the Fellowship of Presbyterians and Brian Ellison from the Covenant Network of Presbyterians. The Fellowship is opposed to same-sex marriage while the Covenant Network is in favor of it.

Last year as presbyteries debated this issue Paul and Brian spoke together before many of those meetings, not debating one another, but both speaking honestly about their opinions and their convictions about same-sex marriage and the importance of church unity.

Our Session invited Paul and Brian to Grace, and we host them on Tuesday evening September 29. We’ll have a casual dinner from 5:45-6:15 pm for $7, and the program is from 6:30-8 pm in the Great Room. Both men will speak, and there will be plenty of time for questions and answers. Please make plans to attend.

I know that many of you know how you feel and will not change your minds on this issue. That is fine, but it’s important that we know how to be a church with people we disagree with.

In preparation for their visit we are offering a book study in the weeks leading up to September 29. We will read two books, one recommended by Paul and the other by Brian. The books are Washed and Waiting by Wesley Hill and The Bible’s Yes to Same-Sex Marriage by Mark Achtemeier.

The study group meets Sundays August 23 and 30, September 13, 20, and 27 from 2-3:30 pm in the Grace Parlor. Copies of the books are available at Grace for $22 total, or you may purchase them on your own. Please reach out to me or anyone on the Session if you’d like to talk about any of this.

In Christ,

Catherine

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From the Pastor’s Desk on July 23

Best Years is a ministry of Grace Presbyterian that provides spiritual, missionary, educational, and social opportunities to people in our community. And, after many years of faithful ministry, Best Years is ending.

I am so proud of this ministry and grateful for the countless volunteers who’ve made it run for so many years. In recent years the programs were opened to all people, but older adults remained a special part of Best Years, and I am humbled by the ways people drove all over town to make sure anyone who wanted a ride could get here. I’ve been amazed at the faithful planning team that put together programs, went to great lengths to decorate tables, and planned thoughtful mission projects.

Even with all of this, the reality is that numbers have dwindled in recent years, and the work required to manage this program is too great. This should not diminish what this ministry has meant to this church and to the individuals who’ve led and participated in it. Instead, I hope you’ll join me in celebrating Best Years and thanking God for this incredible ministry.

The final Best Years is on Thursday, August 6. As always, the group gathers at 10 am for mission project. (This group has created countless neck pillows for the Veterans Administration, stuffed animals for the Police force, knitted hats for Cloud Elementary, and many other creations.) There is a program at 11 am and lunch at noon. There’s still time to join in the fun and come to the last meeting. RSVP if you want to eat – otherwise come and join us.

In Christ,

Catherine

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From the Pastor’s Desk: July 9

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

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From the Pastor’s Desk: June 25

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.

 

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