From the Pastor’s Desk: Preaching the Verbs

In early May I traveled to Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia, for a preaching conference. It was fun to be back on the campus where I’d lived for three years, and it was invigorating to engage with scripture alongside peers. The conference was called Preaching the Verbs. It was led by two of the seminary’s preaching professors, one of whom, Anna Carter Florence, was a favorite professor of mine when I was a student.

Anna’s emphasis in teaching for the past few years has been to get students to focus on the verbs in scripture. One of her main points is that we share the same verbs with the people in scripture. Abraham and Sarah walked, talked, and prayed. We do the same. Thinking about the verbs gives us another way to enter into a text.

Another point that Anna emphasized with us was the importance of reading scripture in community. She suggests getting a group together each week to read the scripture for the coming Sunday’s sermon. The group is to focus on the verbs, not try to write sermon for the preacher. The preacher leads the group, and the participants engage with the text and share ideas.

This is not something I’ve done much of at Grace with any consistency, so I want to try it during the month of June. Each week in June you’re invited to read scripture with me. We meet for an hour, and we read and talk about the text. I hope you’ll join me. We meet:

  • Tuesday, June 2 at noon
  • Monday, June 8 at noon
  • Tuesdays, June 16, June 23 and June 30 at noon

We’re calling it Sermon Preview as those of you who come will engage with the sermon text for the coming week.

Speaking of scripture reading, our Disciple Class wrapped up its 34 weeks with the Bible on Thursday, May 21. For 34 weeks this group gathered for two hours each week to study scripture together. Seventeen people completed this intensive Bible Study.

One person summed up my thoughts when she said, “I’m ready for it to be over, and I’m really going to miss it.” I’ve loved co-leading this course, and yet it will be nice to have a break from the intense workload. I think Disciple is my favorite Bible Study that I’ve ever led. The daily readings and study fed me spiritually, so not only was I leading, I was growing through the process.

There is great value in reading scripture and studying it together. If you’re looking for a way to do this, join me during June.

In Christ,

Catherine

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From the Pastor’s Desk: May 11

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!

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From the Pastor’s Desk: April 2, 2015

,

Easter is coming! I love Easter. It brings me deep joy to stand with you and proclaim that Christ is Risen. Easter is a wonderful day at Grace. It’s a day when we anticipate large crowds at both worship services, and so I’m writing to ask for your help. Here are a few simple things you can do to help visitors feel more at ease here on Easter:

  1. Park in the west lot or at the back of the north lot.

Most visitors don’t know that we own the lot on Douglas to the west of Bleckley. Park there and leave the other spots available. Or, if you park in the north lot, park at the back so that visitors can have the spots closer to the door. Please leave the east lot for visitors.

  1. Sit near the front in worship.

You may like to sit near the back, but I encourage you to leave those spots for visitors. I’d rather you be a little uncomfortable than to have a visitor feel uncomfortable. See this as your chance to try something new; sit on the front pew or at the front tables and expand your horizons.

  1. Come early, stay late, spend time at the reception, and look for people you don’t know.

Yes, Easter is a great day to spend with families and to connect with old friends, and it’s a great day to offer a welcome to guests. Look for people you don’t know, and say, Happy Easter, or Good Morning. You don’t have to engage in long conversations, but a simple greeting goes a long way.

  1. Be here!

Your presence is important, so join us for worship.

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From the Pastor’s Desk: March 26

What’s next for Grace? Little is predictable in the life of a church in 2015. There was a time when things were assumed about churches. For instance: there would always be the next generation to pick up where someone left off; and there would always be specific ways to study the Bible or to worship that people would flock to.

We can’t assume anything about the life of a church anymore. In many cases the next generation isn’t interested in what the prior generations have done. Our old ways of structuring Christian Education don’t connect with the majority of our congregation. The model of opening the doors and waiting for people to come to us is gone. This is a lot to grasp. In some ways this is hard, but it many ways it is exciting because it means that we must listen for where the Spirit is leading us to try new things.

This leads to my next question. What’s next for my leadership at Grace? My time serving at Grace has been both predictable and unpredictable. In the predicable: I preach and lead worship; I lead Bible study; I work with you on ministry initiatives; I visit you in the hospital; and the list goes on. In the unpredictable, many of you will recall that I originally came here as your associate pastor. After a most unusual series of events in 2012 I became your designated senior pastor.

The word ‘designated’ is important because my call was to serve in this position for three years. I am now working with the Grace session to determine what my future looks like at Grace. I very much feel called to serve here as your pastor. Because of the nature of my contract, a new call must be extended. As I work with the session on this, I want all of us to take some time to talk about where we think God is calling our church.

When I came into this position the church was coming out of a place of crisis, and that shaped my leadership. We are now in a place of possibility and excitement, and it’s a great opportunity to look at what kind of leadership is called for now at Grace. As we move forward together it may mean that I focus my time differently. Because of the nature of my call and contract we have to think about this, which is an incredible opportunity. Too often churches keep doing what they’ve been doing without examining why.

In the coming weeks and months you’ll be hearing from your church session. You’ll receive a letter from them detailing the process that is before us. They will invite your feedback, and I hope you will reach out to them.

What’s next for Grace? There’s a lot I don’t know, but I believe that the Spirit is at work here, and I am confident that when we open ourselves up to the work of that Spirit, we will know what’s next.

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From the Pastor’s Desk – March 19

Dear GPC Community,

The Presbyterian Church USA made the news this week regarding same-sex marriages. I put together some Questions and Answers to help us think through what happened.

Q. Was there some kind of big vote on Tuesday?

A. Yes and No. Last summer the General Assembly of the PCUSA (national gathering of elected ministers and elders from each presbytery) voted to change our constitution to allow for same sex marriages. In order for the constitution to change, a majority of the 171 presbyteries have to approve the changes. On Tuesday, two presbyteries approved the changes creating a majority. The changes go into effect in June 2015.

Q. Will PCUSA ministers be required to perform same-sex weddings, and will churches be required to hold them?

A. No. Ministers will not be required to perform same-sex weddings but may choose to. In the same way, churches will not be required to allow same-sex weddings but may choose to.

Q. What will we do at Grace?

A. I’m not sure. I am aware that we have people in our congregation who are in favor of this change and people who are opposed to it. We also have people who are unsure about all of this. We will not do anything hastily. Last fall our Session began to have conversation about same-sex marriage. We had honest conversation and listened to one another. We are not of one mind, and we will continue to talk and listen.

Q. Who can I talk to about this?

A. Please talk with me about this, and please talk with your Session members.

Earlier this week I attended a wonderful conference. At the final worship service, Tom Are, pastor at Village Presbyterian Church in Prairie Village, KS, preached on John 13:31-35. He lifted up verses 34-35 which say, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

In his sermon, he talked about the idea that we are bound together, not always with people we like or would choose, and yet we are called to live our Christian lives together. You may believe differently about the issue of same-sex marriage than your sister or brother at Grace, but instead of choosing to avoid that person, I encourage you to think of those you disagree with as fellow disciples to love. We are bound and united by our common love for Jesus. I hope that in spite of our differences we can focus on the one who unites us.

 

In Christ,
Catherine

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