|
I looked at the calendar and realized that I've been with you for nine months! It has been a time of getting to know you, learning about the church, working with the teams, discussions with the transition team, lots of activities, and meetings, meetings, meetings! Where did the time go? It seemed like Easter occurred only a couple of weeks after Christmas!
In terms of our transition process, we moved through our history and heritage phase and began on our identity phase. But over and over again I received feedback that people were tired. Even on Saturday, the issue of fatigue emerged. I heard that it was hard to envision the future or to conceive of renewed mission in the current state of exhaustion.
On Sunday morning, as I drove to church, the song, "It is Well With My Soul" came on the radio. It made me ask the question, "Is it well with our soul at BUCC?" As I thought about this it occurred to me that you have been pressing on since COVID - responding to the crisis with new ways of worship and meeting, mask rules, and changes to coffee hour, small groups, and more. You have been through an unexpected leadership change with the loss of your settled pastor, a time with a supply pastor, and now an interim. Each pastor represents change - all three of us have different personalities, worship styles, and work styles. You've been expected to "keep on keeping on" through it all. So, it is not surprising that there is physical, emotional, social, and spiritual weariness.
The physical, emotional, social and spiritual make up the balance model. And if any of those areas are out of balance, then we are affected. For a faith community, the spiritual quadrant of the balance model affects all the other quadrants. When you are spiritually weary, then you can't really get very excited about the physical, emotional, and social parts that put demands upon you.
Recognizing that, the transition team and I have declared this summer a summer of spiritual refreshment and soul renewal. We will rest in God, breathe with the Spirit, and sit at Christ's feet. The goal is to be able to declare at summer's end, "It is well with my soul." Then, being refreshed, nourished, and renewed we will have the spiritual resources to continue on with our transition process.
What does this mean? MORE change pastor? No. Be assured that you are not being asked to take on an additional project in this. This time will be all about you opening yourselves up to God's healing, caring, and love. Worship will reflect this theme. That doesn't mean everything will be contemplative and quiet. We want to experience joy and laughter as well. It might mean that we do something social together, walk outside, listen to music, and maybe, just maybe, dance. Ok, now I've probably scared you! Just know it will be a time of renewing ourselves, our connections, and our church.
May it be well with your soul,
Pastor Jill
| 
