Thoughts Along the Way . . .

Saturday, November 1st, is All Saints Day. It is an ancient Feast Day in the life of the Church, when we remember that we are, in the words of the writer of Hebrews, surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses. A vitally important part of what it means to be human is to be in community, and that community is ultimately made up of far more than just those in some small inner circle. Indeed, our connections stretch out across space and time, encompassing all those who have gone before us. On Sunday during our morning worship service we will celebrate this powerful reality with a special litany. There will be an opportunity for you to name a loved one who has died, and then later in the litany a chance for you to name someone still living who touches your life in a personal way. I hope you will join me in worship on Sunday as together we catch a glimpse of the larger reality in which we live.

- Pastor Roger

(keeping my feet firmly planted in the flow)

Thoughts Along the Way . . .

Your voice matters. We are a community of faith and our community would be diminished without your participation. So I invite and encourage you to get involved in the Visioning Process which is currently underway. The next phase of that process, exploring the intersection of our congregation’s strengths and the world’s needs, will take place in November. There will be ten opportunities for you to participate in a small group discussion around this theme. You can sign up now by logging in to: www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0d4faeae22aafb6-cottage or by visiting the sign up table in the Fellowship Hall during Coffee Hour following worship on Sunday morning. I also invite you to make plans now to attend the All-Church Retreat on Saturday, December 6th from 9am – 3pm. What we come up with in these discussions will help to inform the Search Committee when they begin constructing our Congregational Profile, which will be their first task as they begin the process of searching for your next Settled Pastor. Let your voice be heard.

- Pastor Roger

(keeping my feet firmly planted in the flow)

Thoughts Along the Way . . .

The Bible Study phase of our congregation’s Visioning Process has concluded. More than 50 people participated and the reports I’ve been hearing are very positive. A special thank you to all those who led one of the sessions. And a thank you to all who took the time to participate. Now comes the next phase in the process – opportunities for small group discussions that will center around our congregation’s gifts and passions, and where those intersect with the needs of the world. Ten sessions will be offered during the first three weeks in November (see elsewhere in this Church Update for those dates and times). Sign up for these sessions will be available no later than Sunday. I encourage you to get involved and participate in one of these sessions even if you did not attend one of the Bible Study sessions. Your voice matters as we continue to seek God’s guidance and direction in this time of transition.

- Pastor Roger

(keeping my feet firmly planted in the flow)

The Wider Church

We traveled to Pendleton for the Central Pacific Conference of the United Church of Christ Annual Meeting. There were four of us from this congregation who participated – Marcia and Steve Gilliland, Marcia Simms and me. Folks from all across the conference, from Ashland, Oregon to Boise, Idaho, gathered together. And together we worshiped and studied, ate and played, discussed and debated. In other words, we were the church. This was my first such gathering in this Conference. I was pleasantly surprised that I knew more people than I expected to know, and I am looking forward to getting better acquainted with several people whom I met for the first time.

The business which was discussed, debated and voted on included the budget for the Conference, new officers and leaders for the coming year, and resolutions concerning climate change and the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. The discussions around the issues were thoughtful and civil. We clearly demonstrated that it is possible to disagree on important issues and still be sisters and brothers in Christ. All of the resolutions and other documents related to this Annual Meeting are available on-line at Google Drive or Dropbox.

One of the workshops I attended was titled “Bringing Your Body to Your Church and Life: a body-centered experience for a head-centered people.” We discussed and practiced ways to expand our faith experience by including practices which involve our senses. I found it to be a helpful workshop and I expect to include some of the ideas with the congregation in the coming weeks and months.

If you have never attended an Annual Meeting I would encourage you to consider doing so next year. It is a rewarding experience that offers a perspective of the wider church.

- Pastor Roger

(keeping my feet firmly planted in the flow)

Thoughts Along the Way . . .

I continue to be so grateful for the opportunity to be your pastor at this moment in your history. It is an exciting time. You are such a leader-full congregation, filled with health and vitality. God is alive and working in you and through you in such diverse and amazing ways. The future that is stretching out before you is filled with possibilities beyond imagining. We cannot yet see where the path will lead us, but I have every confidence that it will be a rich and rewarding journey. Keep breathing. Keep taking each step. Keep being as fully present in each moment as you can possibly manage. Thank you for the opportunity to share this time with you.

- Pastor Roger

(keeping my feet firmly planted in the flow)

Thoughts Along the Way . . .

Our congregational visioning process is now officially underway. Three of the Bible Study sessions have already taken place and the reports from participants have been very positive. There are still some questions about how this Bible Study fits in with the whole search process. “How will this help us find a new pastor?” This is my perspective on the matter.

1) The search process is a spiritual endeavor. Beginning with a Bible Study helps to ground the whole process in faith – orienting us towards scripture, prayer and spiritual gifts.

2) Finding the right pastor begins with knowing who we are. Knowing who we are as a congregation begins with knowing who we are as individual members. Thus the Bible Study includes a focus on our spiritual gifts.

3) The next steps in the process will focus on the spiritual gifts of our congregation. So having spent some time paying attention to our personal gifts helps to prepare us for that conversation at the congregational level.

4) It also helps to bring us closer together because we have all participated in the same experience.

If you have not already done so, I hope you will sign up to participate in one of the Bible Study sessions. There are several more opportunities. You can sign up on-line by clicking here or signing up in the Fellowship Hall after worship on Sunday.

- Pastor Roger

(keeping my feet firmly planted in the flow)