Welcoming A New Pastor

As you likely have read in the newsletter, the Call Committee has recommended a candidate to the Church Council for consideration for our next Associate Pastor. There are still several steps that need to happen before the official call is offered and accepted, but the good news is we are getting closer! I am excited about the prospect of a new colleague on board, and I know many of you are as well.

It was about two years ago at this time that I was on the the other end of the conversations and interviews, so it is all still pretty fresh in my mind. Much of it is a still a blur. It is an exciting time, but also an anxious time - did I say the right thing? Will I say the wrong thing? What does that facial expression on that call committee member mean? Is this where God wants me? Is this where God wants my family and me? How can I be sure? How can the church be sure?

There is a lot of time devoted to prayer and discernment and conversation with loved ones, colleagues and friends. It is a big step to make, and a substantial commitment on everyone's part. Some have equated it to a dance, or even courting. There is give and take, getting to know you, learning each other and finding out what the other is really like. Yes, we put on our best and do our best to present ourselves in the best possible light, but we also seek to be honest with each other, so in the end there are no surprises. I always figured when interviewing that the congregation was going to learn who I am sooner or later, so it was always best to be honest and up front about everything.

So as we hopefully see that the end of the process may be coming soon, I would like to offer some words of encouragement and guidance in welcoming a new pastor to our church. How we welcome that person and family into our lives in these first months will shape our future together. These are some suggestions I gleaned from others, including Mark Fenstermacher, Lead Pastor of First United Methodist Church in Bloomington, Indiana and Pastor Ron Edmonson, Immanuel Baptist Church in Lexington, Kentucky.

• Pray for your pastor daily. Truly, there is no greater comfort for a pastor than to know people are praying for him/her.
• Honor the pastor's family. Especially if there are still children at home, they will need more family time at home, not less. The family is stretched and stressed, out of their comfort zone and pulled in so many directions. Let the family time be honored as much as the church time. 
• Tell the pastor your name … again. And again. And again, if necessary. Learning names may be the hardest thing a new pastor has to do. Give the pastor ample time to learn yours. Remember there is one of them and 2000 of you!
• Don’t prejudge. This pastor will make mistakes. Remember, grace abounds, and forgiveness is a gift we receive and are called to share!  Yes, look at the new pastor with the eyes of grace. The new pastor will not be a duplicate copy of the former pastor, or current senior pastor. Pastors have different ways of preaching, different ways of leading, and different ways of thinking. I would work hard to let the new pastor be who he or she is created by God to be – not demand he or she match my expectation of perfection.
• Encourage the new pastor to stay well. That means taking a day off, keeping the Sabbath, eating well, getting 7-8 hours of sleep each night, exercising, knowing it is okay to say a loving “no” when parish expectations are unrealistic. Jesus says we are to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. So I would want my pastor to take good care of him- or herself.
• Speak directly with the pastor if I have a concern. I would want to say what I say with love, not huddle with friends in the parking lot following a meeting to discuss the pastor’s strengths and weaknesses. The New Testament way is to be direct with one another.
• Be patient. Vital, life-changing ministry happens with time. Ministry is a long distance run and not a sprint.
• Love the pastor and family. I would want to ask myself if my relationship with my pastor is shaped by what the Apostle Paul has to say in 1 Corinthians 13 about love (am I being patient and kind, not keeping a record of wrongs but rejoicing in the truth).

I imagine you can offer others to the list, but this is a good start. 

Continue to pray for the Call Committee and the process itself. May we do that which is pleasing in God's sight!

Peace,

Pastor Charlie

Seeing is Believing

I was on vacation last week. I posted a few pictures on Facebook and Instagram to share some of the beautiful views of the Gulf Coast we experienced all week. I am not sure everyone enjoyed seeing them as much as I did in sharing them. I love to take pictures and enjoy all the more sharing them with others. The intent was not to make my friends jealous, but to capture the moment and let others experience the beauty of God's creation. (That's my story and I'm sticking to it). Below are some pictures I took last week.

In the Gospel of John, seeing and believing are often tied together. In chapter 9, we hear the story of the young man born blind. Jesus heals him, and as he regains his sight, he also grows in faith. At first, he knows Jesus as only the one who healed him. By the end of the chapter the young man sees that Jesus is his Lord and Savior, and he bows down to worship him. Later in John, after Jesus has risen from the dead, he appears to most of his disciples - Thomas is not present. When the disciples see it is really Jesus, they believe. Thomas is told by the others what they saw, but Thomas will not believe until he sees it for himself. Jesus does appear again and grants Thomas' wish. Thomas responds with the strong words of confession - "My Lord and My God." Jesus then says, "Blessed are those who do NOT see and yet have come to believe."

While in Florida, we found out that friends of ours from a previous congregation were nearby for a business trip. We made arrangements to join them for dinner at a place between our two locations, and had a great dinner and wonderful conversation. We got caught up on one another's families, and reminisced about a dear friend from the church who recently passed away.

When the meal came, my wife gave me the "Hey, Pastor, don't you think we ought to have a prayer" nudge, and so I offered. As is my habit, I bowed my head and closed my eyes, and I prayed for the meal and offered words of thanks for the time together. When I was done, I opened my eyes to see my friend, Bill, eyes fixed on me and a smile on his face. Bill is deaf. You wouldn't know it in passing. He has the gift of reading lips, and focuses intently on those speaking to him. He would always sit in the first pew and want to make sure he had eye contact with the pastor and leaders. St. Paul writes that faith comes through hearing. For Bill, faith comes through seeing.

I was touched once again by Bill's attention to me when I spoke, and catching his eye at the end of my prayer touched me deeply. How intently do I listen? Where is my attention? What do I look for and what is it I am listening to? Maybe I need to pay more attention.

Yes, seeing is believing. I give thanks to God for the beauty of creation, found not only in the sea and sky and plants and trees, but also in the faces of those who share God's love with me.

Peace,

Pastor Charlie

Dinner with Friends

Breakfast at a favorite spot 

A morning sail

Lisa and Me at Father's Day Dinner at a nice restaurant

After a morning walk on the beach

The view the other direction on the beach

A 360 degree panorama of sunset

Blog Takes a Vacation

My weekly weblog is going on vacation for the next two weeks. When the blog returns, I will give you an update on the call process for the Associate Pastor position. I CAN tell you that things are moving along, and I am optimistic about what will transpire in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!

 We will be back to post more on June 26th. In the mean time, feel free to read some of my older posts - and a song to put a smile on your face - by one of my favorite groups, Straight No Chaser!



Peace,

Pastor Charlie

Neighbor or Stranger

Will Rogers is quoted as saying, "A stranger is just a friend I haven't met." We are encouraged at a young age not to talk to strangers. There is wisdom in that, of course, because we want our children to be safe, and you never know who that stranger is and what is their intent. But sometimes we find ourselves in a position that the stranger sitting next to us on a plane is going to be there for a few hours, so we might as well greet one another and even strike up a conversation.

Last month, I was on a Southwest Airlines flight from Denver to Dayton. Southwest has a "pick your own seat" policy, so when you get on the plane, you search out a seat. Being 6 feet 4 inches tall, I hope for a seat in the exit aisle so I can have a bit of room for my knees. When I got on the plane, I saw my seat and headed for it - a window seat in an exit row. A man stood on the aisle - he was saving the middle seat for another passenger and the aisle seat for himself. I made my way into the seat, and watched as many hoped to secure that middle seat, but were turned away by the man on the aisle.

Finally, a young woman made her way down the aisle and embraced the man holding a seat for her. She made her way into the seat between us, and the two started talking, obviously catching up on time past. I set to reading my Kindle for the duration of the flight.

After getting off the ground and settling in for the flight, I couldn't help but notice the folder the young woman pulled out of her bag, filled with printouts from the "realtor.com" web site. Having moved less than two years ago, these looked familiar. I started to listen in a bit on the conversation next to me - the young woman was off to buy her first house. It was going to be in the Dayton area, and the man with her was coming along to help her in the process. Since I had some recent experience in this, I crossed the barrier and entered into their conversation.

Her husband is in the Air Force, and will be stationed at Wright Patterson. She was coming to town to look for their first house. Her husband couldn't join in the hunt but trusted her judgment. She was so excited. She wanted to know how far the houses she was considering were from the base, because her husband was not looking forward to a long commute. I shared with her some of my opinions on different areas and things that make Dayton a great place to live. I guess you could say we moved from stranger to neighbor in that short time.

We got off the plane and headed in different directions. I remembered the excitement and uncertainty of the process. I also tried to remember what is was like when we were looking for our first house. I wondered how the house-hunting went, and if she found the home of her dreams. I guess I will never know.

Hebrews 12:2 says this:  "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it." Can you imagine it? Maybe offering a bit of hospitality we can receive a message from God (share the message of God is what angels do). Have you ever had those chance interactions when you look back and realize how the word or action of a stranger made a difference in your world at that time? How about a time you were the one to offer a word or assistance to a stranger? 

God creates us as a part of community. Everyone we encounter is one who God loves. And maybe we can be the ones blessed by that love, or reflect that love to others.

A postscript:

Last week, my wife and I headed up to Cleveland to help our son, Andrew move into his new house. Andrew's very good friend and college roommate Ryan came over to help. He was the volunteer "muscle" of the day. It has been a year or so since I have seen Ryan, so I asked him about his family. How are his parents and his brother? All are doing fine. He said, "As a matter of fact, my brother is moving to Dayton - he will be stationed at Wright Patterson.  His wife was down there a couple weeks ago to buy their first house. And her Dad came to town with her to help her out." Really? I asked Ryan to text her and ask her if she happened to sit in the middle seat in an exit row on her flight from Denver to Dayton. 

Southwest Flight 2203 - Row 17 Seat E.  Yep. That was her.

I guess she wasn't a stranger after all.

Peace,

Pastor Charlie