Pastoral Ponderings – June 2022

“And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what isexcellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.” ~ Philippians 1:9-10

As we look to the future and continue to discern what call God is placing on us as a church community, one of the most important things we can do is be honest with ourselves. Honest about who we are, and what we as a community are physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually able to do. This will sometimes include difficult questions and conversations.

This month, we are going to begin discussing the ministry of our annual Holiday Bazaar, held on the first Saturday of November. The Attic Shop was added to the Holiday Bazaar in 1982, which means this event has been going for more than 40 years! That is a long time, and it has been wonderful. As I read past annual reports, there were many changes made to the bazaar along the way—times were changed, meals added, attic shop added—and now it is time for us to take a breath and evaluate once again.

Every year it gets harder to make this event successful. We have fewer volunteers, even since you called me here. And let’s face it, none of us are as young as we used to be!

Currently, we are in need of someone who will be willing to step up and lead the Attic Shop portion of the bazaar. Leading means just that—making sure there is a team to help clean and price the items (or choose to do it differently); make sure there is a team to help set up the week before the bazaar; a team to cashier; a team to walk around during that Saturday and help customers; and a team to help pack everything that is left over when the bazaar is finished.

At our Council meeting on Sunday, we decided we want to see what you think. Please watch your email (or mail) for a short 8 question survey regarding the Holiday Bazaar. We are asking that you answer the questions no later than Wednesday, June 1. We will collect the data, and then we will have a brief congregational gathering following worship on Sunday, June 5, where we will give you the results we collected, as well as offer a time for further discussion.

The purpose for this survey is to see if we are going to continue forward with the Holiday Bazaar, either as we are doing now, or with some changes, or if we need to let it go and find other fundraisers that will fit our congregation’s gifts and talents differently.

I know these discussions are difficult, because we like things the way they have been, but as we have all seen over the last 2 years, life is different, and honestly, different can be good! It can breathe new life into us, so that we can breathe new life into our community, and into our world.

As we continue with these difficult discussions and decisions, remember that we are not alone because we are being led by the Holy Spirit, and keeping God at the center. When we do that, we can be confident that we are following the missional path that God is leading us to. May it be so.

~ Always Peace,   Pastor Heidi