Church
Mad-Libs
by Rev. Dr. Tassie Green,
FPCE interim senior pastor
First Pres, you have lived through a huge amount of transition in the last 2 ½ years, with Rev. Hylton’s and Rev. Golbek’s leaving, with recent staff transitions, even with COVID pivots before that. Thanks to good leadership, caring small groups, active deacons and Stephen Ministers, friends, and family you have grown strong, as a united community of faith through it all. Way to care for one another! And thanks to the nearly 100 of you who joined in Pastries with the Pastor and the Leadership Retreat this week to give thought and input into “What can be FPCE’s greatest impact?” (See word cloud above based on PWP table discussions.)
Do you remember the party game Mad-Libs? Here’s a church version to fill-out today:
Now (pronoun) might be tempted to start asking, “When will it all get back to (adjective)?” Or “When can I go back to the way I prefer to (verb), at the 9:30 am service?” Or we might think, “When the new pastor comes someday, he or she will certainly solve the problem of (noun) and (verb). They will fix the church (adverb) and (verb). Then First Pres will (verb). (Positive exclamation)!”
Without realizing it, we may begin acting as if First Pres’ health and vitality depends upon (proper name) or (noun) outside my own effort--that magical “it” factor. Or perhaps depends all on the new pastor. I wonder if, in that same line of thinking, some of us are taking a “wait and see” viewpoint toward First Pres, waiting to decide how involved to be in the future or how much to give? (# between $1,000-$10,000).
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