Dear Grace Community,

This May I leave for a month-long sabbatical.  I am grateful to our session and to you the congregation for granting this time of rest.  I love serving as your pastor, and I am aware that I am tired in a way that means I’m not as effective as I’d like to be.  The blessings of 8.5 years of serving with you are many, and at the same time, I need time for restoration.

During my sabbatical there are three area clergy on call for pastoral emergencies.  If you need pastoral assistance, contact the church office, and Dr. Martin Burch will connect you with a pastor.  In addition, I hope you enjoy the variety of preachers and worship leaders on Sunday mornings.

I do not plan to be involved in any worship or regular activities at Grace during May.  I look forward to worshiping with different churches during the month.

Keeping the Sabbath is mandated in the 10 Commandments, and it is the commandment I break most freely without pause.  My prayer is that this time of sabbatical will be a time to rebuild sabbath into my life.  I am grateful that Grace has a policy that allows for this time.

I look forward to being back with you in June.

In Christ,
Catherine

Dear Grace Community,

I look forward to Holy Week and Easter. Holy Week begins on Sunday, April 14, with Palm Sunday worship. On this day we hope to capture the excitement of Jesus’ triumphal entrance into Jerusalem and to foreshadow what is to come.

Each year on Maundy Thursday we worship in different styles.  Last year we worshiped around meals in homes.  In 2017 we experienced a drama of the Last Supper.  This year, April 18, we worship at Grace in the sanctuary with a Tenebrae service at 7 pm.

During the Tenebrae service the sanctuary gradually gets darker as we hear the stories leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion.  We end the night in silence as we strip the worship elements from the chancel of the sanctuary.  The visual experience always moves me.

Our Good Friday service is simple but powerful.  We sing and read the story of Jesus’ crucifixion.  For a couple of years early in my pastorate here we included a short sermon in this service.  Then one year we didn’t, and it was so moving to let the story stand on its own with no interpretation that we’ve continued this.  The service is at noon and lasts about 30 minutes.

Then we wait.

And on the first day of the week, Sunday, April 21, we gather to celebrate the good news.  We celebrate with worship at 9 and 11 am.  In the sanctuary the dark curtains that cover the windows during Lent fall, and the light comes in.  At both services we celebrate with joyful brass accompaniment.  All are invited to witness to the resurrection by adding flowers to the cross on the lawn.

It’s not even close; Easter is my favorite day of the year.

These are days best experienced in community.  I hope you’ll join us.

In Christ,
Catherine

Dear Grace Community,

We give thanks for 30 years of Jacob’s Learning Ladder.  For 30 years children and families have come to Grace for education, care, encouragement, and growth. Over 30 years ago Grace members Merodee Grannis and Nancy Morrow began to dream about Jacob’s. In time their dream became a reality, and Jacob’s has flourished under their leadership.  It has also changed significantly. What began as a part-time pre-school has grown into a full time daycare and pre-school.

We are grateful for the ways Merodee and Nancy have led so faithfully, and we now prepare for a big transition. Merodee retires this May.

How do we replace the person who co-founded and led this incredible ministry for 30 years?  First, we adjust our expectations.  There’s no way to replace Merodee (or Nancy). There’s no way to find someone who has Merodee’s love and depth of knowledge for Jacob’s. However, there are people who are gifted in leading childcare centers, and we are excited about finding the next leader for Jacob’s.

This fall a task force formed to look at Jacob’s and to determine what we need to do to prepare for a search. The task force consisted of Catherine Neelly Burton, Martin Burch, Nancy Morrow, Pam Head, Jim Remsberg, and Brian White.  We presented updated job descriptions for the Director and Assistant Director positions to the Session in February.

A search team is looking for a new director.  If you know of someone interested in leading this incredible ministry, have them apply.  Please pray for us in this process.

In Christ,

Catherine

Dear Grace Community,

It’s exciting to see the progress of the Deep Roots Campaign. Your giving and pledging make incredible things happen. In the week between Christmas and New Year a large hole was knocked into the wall at the bottom of the north entrance stairs. It is now covered by boards. Doors and glass are on order, and when they arrive the next round of construction begins.

On Monday of last week, two different people asked me when we would start on the parlor renovations. No doubt it needs it, but the answer is, not yet. We are taking the construction and renovations one step at a time, and right now we’re focused on the security updates and renovations to Jacob’s.

However, we’re already sharing the community giving portion of the campaign. Earlier I shared about taking our gift to the International Rescue Committee. Then right before Christmas we had the joy of sharing with Hyde Elementary.

I contacted the school principal and asked if a few of us could come over and bring the check. Matthew 6:2-3 says, “So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.”

Following scripture entirely would have meant sending the check in the mail, which seemed anti-climactic, so I planned for something simple. I had Carolyn Benefiel (Grace tutoring founder and former director), Anne Woolsey (former tutoring director), and Lib Hooper (current tutoring director) go with me.  I figured we’d go to the principal’s office, pray, give her the check and leave.

Instead we were met in the office by smiling students who said they were to escort us to the cafeteria.  There we found classes lining up on the floor.  To our surprise the entire school assembled to thank us. The principal began by asking all the students who attended Jacbob’s Learning Ladder to raise their hands.  We were amazed at how many hands were in the air.

She went on to talk about how grateful they were to now be able to purchase equipment for their playground. Our gift allows them to get benches and shade devices.  I was then invited to speak and told the students how glad we are to be their neighbors and that our God talks a lot about treating our neighbors well.

It was a delightful morning, and I’m glad that God surprised us with the unexpected. I’m grateful to you for making it possible.

In Christ,

Catherine

Dear Grace Community,

One of the paradoxes of church is wanting a church to grow and wanting it to stay the same. In some ways Grace is the same church it was 20, or even 10, years ago, and in some ways, it is entirely different. For starters we’re a much smaller church than we were in 1999, but we continue to add to our membership. Every time someone joins the congregation, I say the same thing, which is that the church will never be the same; we are a new church.

Since 2012 over 130 people have joined our church. Granted some of these new members joined as teenagers so were not really new to Grace, and some within this 130 are no longer with us; still, this is significant number. We are not the same church we were.

In 2017 we started Messy Church. Messy Church is our once a month worship service for all people, designed with children and their families in mind. This year we meet on the second Sunday of the month at 4:30 pm. We worship through song, dance, play, art, Bible story, and more. We always conclude the evening with free dinner.

Percentage wise, Messy Church draws more non-members to worship than either of our Sunday morning services. On average we have 10-11 family units participate in a Messy Church night, and about half of these are non-members. In addition, for these non-member participants, Messy Church is often the one time a month they attend worship anywhere.

This is an incredible opportunity. People who may not go to worship anywhere are coming here to worship!

This is also uncharted and challenging territory for us as a congregation. Part of being a church in 2019 is being flexible and creative. Messy Church is creative. Is our congregation flexible?

Messy Church is currently a place of energy and growth in our congregation, and while this is wonderful, there is a risk of it being too isolated and seen as something for the kids. In actuality, this is one of the best opportunities our congregation has to engage with new people.

If you’re reading this ,and you don’t have children or grandchildren to bring to Messy Church, you may wonder how to get involved. You can volunteer. Each month happens because of a rotation of volunteers who lead activities, tell Bible stories, and prepare and serve dinner.

In addition, you can come and attend and not volunteer. I think this is harder because you may wonder what you’re supposed to be doing. That’s okay. You’ll sing, and create, and hear stories. Then you’ll eat dinner with children and adults you might otherwise never meet, and as Jesus shows us again and again, it is at the table where community most often forms.

If you don’t think you can actually come on a Sunday at 4:30 pm, talk to me or Jennifer Snook and ask what kind of supplies you can get for us. Ask us specifically what you can pray about regarding Messy Church.

I look forward to 2019 with you, and I look forward to continuing to explore how we can faithfully and creatively share the good news of Christ with the world.

In Christ,
Catherine