Travelling On Uncharted Ground

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