As I predicted in the last Spire article, Christie and I are even happier to be here! Most of the unpacking at the parsonage has been completed. Meanwhile, here at the church, we have unpacked a lot of information and questions, and possibilities during our Onboarding session with members of the Christ UMC family on July 12th. Christie and I enjoyed letting the participants get to know us a little better, and we enjoyed learning about the congregation. The session helped me to get a feel for your expectations of your pastor and some areas of growth and ministry on which we might focus together going forward.
As with moving into a house, unpacking the smaller boxes in the life of the church takes a little longer. We have mentioned now several times in worship my intent to have small group gatherings with all of the members of the congregation. I don’t expect those to be as structured as the Onboarding session. These will be times of conversation for members to get to know Christie and me. These will also be times for Christie and me to know all of you better. I intentionally use the word conversation, not interrogation. I don’t intend to pelt people with questions. We’ll talk (maybe we’ll eat???) and we’ll pray. What will we talk about? Honestly, whatever. I have a great deal of confidence in God’s active presence during conversations. Even a conversation about everyday life can lead to wonderful ideas and deeper relationships.
I will be working with church leadership to start organizing the small group conversations in early August. Hopefully, we will have small group conversations happening before the end of August. In the meantime, I want you to know that you are always welcome to stop by my office for a visit during the week. Bring a friend or four if you like. We’ve got room and we’ve got coffee. If coffee isn’t your thing, we’ll happily provide an alternative with a little advance notice. If you would rather meet out in the community or at your home, that’s fine too. Just email or call me, or call the church office, and we will set up a date and time. Lastly, if you already have a small group you want to put together, go for it! Let me know where and when to be there, and we’ll make it happen. Whether it’s a small group or a personal visit, I look forward to our conversations.
Talk to You Soon…A Lot, Hopefully,
Pastor Joe