In 1922, a bunch of men crossed
over from British colonial India into Tibet on a quest to climb to the summit
of Mt. Everest. When they crossed that line, they were on totally new ground – for
English-speaking people! No one who was British had ever been there, mapped the
territory, spoken to the native people or seen many of the plants and animals
there. Crossing that border was like a leap into outer space: they were on
uncharted ground. In 2011, Wade Davis wrote a gripping book about the first
three expeditions to climb Everest – before maps, before down clothing, before
portable oxygen and it is called, “Into the Silence.” I strongly recommend it.
There are some analogies to those
three journeys and to the interim journey here at Christ Church…. We are moving
on totally new ground – at least not traveled since 1980, when Larry Potteiger
was called to be the Senior Pastor here. And during that time, so much has
changed in the landscape of how we plan for and search for pastors, that it
might as well be totally new.
The British mountain climbers
learned some good lessons very quickly, mostly to rely on the experts they had
brought along – the map makers and the naturalists and the explorers who had
been on uncharted ground before. And, they
learned to rely on the Tibetan
people, for whom the terrain and the weather and surviving in thin air were not
new. They were also wise enough to know their limits (most of the time) and to
not assume that climbing in Tibet was just like climbing in the Alps.
This is a new journey for most of
you, but you have ‘in-house’ folks who have had experiences in other places and
who sought out the wisdom of others, who have been on this journey more
recently. You have Pastor Fred, who knows you well and cares about your future.
You’ve called me to be a guide, not to take the trip for you, but to walk with
you and help in whatever ways I can. And, you have Thom Webster and others in
the Penn Central Conference who have lots and lots of wisdom and expertise to
share.
Those first attempts at Everest
were not easy. In fact, they were brutally difficult and required great courage
and patience and willingness to trust in each other. Church transitions are not
easy, either – they never are – but, yours can be filled with opportunities to
be excited about the future, to develop trust in each other and to strengthen
the ministry of an already strong community.
We’re on uncharted ground, and as
Paul wrote to the Romans, “We hope for what we do not see.” What we do know is
that we are not alone and that if we are patient, God will guide us to the next
adventure.
Blessings – Laura Lee
