IT WAS A VERY GOOD YEAR

When I was young, my dad was a BIG Sinatra fan. Whenever we listened to the nostalgic song, “It Was a Very Good Year,” my dad would say, “Just remember, Laura Lee, EVERY year is a very good year. Never let them slip away from you.”

That’s good advice in our frantic, rushing world. It seems we race to the new year so we can get the old one behind us, as though we’re eager to forget and move on. I know this has been a very good year for me. I can celebrate the relationships built in Elizabethtown, moving here and creating new ones, my daughter’s wedding, good health, lots learned and always, always love given and received.

It’s been a very good year for Good Shepherd Church, too. You celebrated a long and successful ministry with Pastor Christi and begun a transitional relationship with me. In 2014, you continued to do all of those things that are special to the rhythm of life in this church. You’ve also begun to see some changes: 56 people attending cottage meetings, 40 more people at Rally Day, half-again as much donated for youth programs at our White Elephant Sale, a bit of growth in Church School attendance and in worship…..It’s been a very good year for all of you to glimpse some possibilities for the future. It’s been a very good year for listening for the StillSpeaking voice of God.

So, 2015 is coming. I know it will be a very good year and I am grateful for all of the blessings that God showers on the ministries here. I am hoping you will continue working together to find new ways to be faithful disciples, devoted Christians and the community of Christ.

New Year’s Blessings to you all from Pastor Laura Lee

ANTICIPATION

 Advent is often described as a season of anticipation. Every time I hear this, I think of the old Heinz Ketchup commercials with Carly Simon singing,  “An-ti-ci-pa-tion, an-ti-ci-pa-a-a-a-tion, is making me wait…,” while we are all watching the agonizingly slow descent of a glob of ketchup fall onto the french fries! Studies showed this ad created anticipation in the viewers. People would actually stop breathing while the ad played and would start again, as soon as the ketchup hit the fries!

I wonder – In this Advent season, are any of us are so eagerly anticipating the birth of Christ that we are holding our breath? I wonder what you are anticipating with particular eagerness this year – A special gift? A time with family or friends? A long-awaited vacation?

Or, perhaps, the anticipation is filled with dread – Not wanting to be alone? Missing a special loved one? Being overwhelmed by too many activities and tasks to be done?

What are you anticipating at Good Shepherd Church – the Lighting of the candles or the communion service on Christmas Eve? Selecting Gifts from the Wish Trees? Seeing the sanctuary all decorated in greenery? There are many traditions, projects and events here in the Advent season. Will any of them cause you to hold your breath as you anticipate the birth of Christ? Ponder the possibilities and join us as we all anticipate the great Good News that God has in store for us! It just might change your life!

Blessings – Laura Lee

WHAT'S THE BUZZ?

Most of the books and articles on ‘church’ these days end up talking about ‘engagement’ in one way or another. Most of the time, I feel like I’m being given some kind of corporate model – like the one below. And then, there’s another kind of ‘engagement’ – announcing a marriage. We all know about that one: hearts and flowers, showers, rings and planning and planning for the BIG day.

Neither word fits with my experience of church and church people. Since we are part of the United Church of Christ, I think we have a better word – Covenant. We usually describe relationships with God, with each other and with other settings of the church in terms of our covenants.

The Hebrew Scripture scholar, Walter Brueggemann says that we enter into contracts to protect our own interests. (e.g., If  I agreed to sell you my car, our contract would stipulate the price you would pay and my understanding of the condition of the car. If either of us fails to meet our end of the bargain. The contract is null and void.)  Brueggemann goes on to state that we enter covenants for the sake of the other. So, if we are working on a covenant, each person leads with what he or she has to offer that will strengthen the relationship, the project or the program. AND, she or he will commit to giving the ‘best’ possible to this enterprise. That is always my best hope for the church: that we keep working at these fragile relationships called covenants, because, as we find in Hebrews 3:1 says, we are “holy partners in a heavenly calling.”

In this Interim Time it is good for all of us to reflect on the covenantal relationships we have as members and friends of Good Shepherd, UCC – with Christ, with others here and with those who need to hear their own holy calling. It is a time to think about what you bring to the table to strengthen this part of the Body of Christ. It is a time to become engaged – totally involved – committed to the future and full partners in this holy calling.

Blessings Always – Laura Lee

FIRST - PUT ON YOUR WINGS

Someone once told me: “Anxiety is living in an unknown future that robs us of the glorious present and of the possibilities that the future holds.”

By this definition, anxiety is the opposite of faith.

Times of transition usually stir up our anxieties – How are things going to be different? What will the next pastor be like? Will I like her? Will he agree with me? What if we fall?

But, times of transition also call on us to rely on faith – How will God lead us into the future? What spirit of new life is stirring among us? What exciting things will we be able to try and do? What kind of new pastor is God preparing to lead us? What if we fly?

This is the story of our faith ancestors: the Hebrews in the wilderness, the Germans in the Reformation, the Pilgrims going to a new land and others.

All of these transitions are marked by faith that asked, “What if we fly?” What are the possibilities? What are the new things that God will do in our midst? And, like the little girl in our picture, each group had to first put on their wings: gather their things and follow Moses and Aaron; prayerfully move through the radical changes of the Reformation; get into those leaky boats.

We are embarked on a journey of faith. And,everyone at Good Shepherd can choose to worry about falling OR embrace the idea that we just might fly! But, first, we have to put on our wings.

By the time you read this, we will have completed a wonderful series of cottage meetings – a chance to share our hopes and dreams and commitments to Good Shepherd Church – to consider what it will be like to fly. AND, coming up on October 11^th we will have a “Leapership” event to focus on who we are, where we are being called to go and what we need to do to get there. In short, we’ll be putting on those wings.

So, join us on the 11^th to put on our wings. Who knows? We just might fly!

Blessings – Laura Lee

CLEANING CLOSETS

In my experience, every church has some closets that need to be cleared out. In one church, it was the Christian Ed closet that was stuffed to the brim with dried up glue and kindergarten pictures drawn by folks who were now married with children of their own. In another church, the closet was spiritual, they needed to clear out the pain of some previous pastors: one who was an alcoholic and another who had sexual relationships with a couple of church members. But, we all have closets that need to be cleaned out.

Ronald Heifetz, Director of the Leadership Institute at the Harvard School of Business, talks a lot about change and leaders who can foster change. He argues that to make way for new ideas and adaptive solutions to challenges we face, we must first clear out the closets.

Closet cleaning is an interesting process. First, you have to pull everything out of the closet. And, then you have an awful mess! In fact, it’s easy to survey all of the ‘stuff’ and just get overwhelmed! But then, you begin the sorting: 1.) There are things like the dried up glue that just go into the trash – easy. 2.) Then there are the things to give away or to sell in a yard sale. That too is pretty easy, even though it may take some time to get everything out of the house. 3.) Then, the work becomes harder. You have to go through the things that are left. Some things are important to keep, they help you function or they express your values. And, then there are some things that are also precious, but you don’t need or use them any more. This is the hardest part. Do you get rid of those things, or do you put them in a special place to honor them as your history?

Finally, you put the things you need and use back into the closet. In the end, you have a closet that is organized, so you can actually find things. And, you have some room for new things.

Interim work involves a process of cleaning out the closets in a church. We need to look carefully at what we have, what we do, who we are as a people. And then, decide what we need to keep and what we need to memorialize; what we need to give away and what needs to be thrown away……Once we do this work, we’ll have room to welcome new pastoral leadership, to create new opportunities for ministry, and to respond to Christ’s calling. So, the closet cleaning begins, hard work that can get a bit messy. But think of how it will be when everything is put away!

GETTING TO KNOW YOU

In “The King & I”, when Anna, the English Governess, meets the King’s children, she sings the familiar: “Getting to Know You…..Getting to know all about you….Getting to like you…Getting to hope you’ll like me…..”

It's the less familiar introduction that lives in my heart as an Interim Pastor:

            It's a very ancient saying

            But a true and honest thought

            That if you become a teacher

            By your pupils you'll be taught

I believe good Interim Ministry involves a commitment to learning from each other all along the way. And so, our Interim time begins, in the summer, when things are hopefully, a little bit slower and perhaps, “the livin’ is easy" and hopefully, with some time to get to know each other.

I am eager to begin my work with you and there will be lots of work! Over the coming months, we will try some new things – keep some of them and reject others. We’ll reflect on the strengths of Good Shepherd and the ways you can improve on them. We’ll identify the challenges you face and imagine ways to address them. And, most importantly, we’ll work together to create an excellent Church Profile that will help you seek and find your next Pastor.

But first….we need some time to get to know each other. We can learn by listening to each other and by listening for the ways that our StillSpeaking God is leading Good Shepherd Church into the future.

As you welcome me in the days ahead, I invite you to help me get to know you:

            Come to worship as often as you can. Meet with me for breakfast, lunch, dinner, coffee or just a little ‘office time’ – I’ll be around for the rest of the summer. Come to one of the cottage meetings that the Transition Team will host. Give me a call, send me an email……….You get the picture. I want to hear as many of your stories and hopes and ideas as possible, as soon as possible.

I'm going to enjoy 'getting to know you'……as we begin this rich time together!

Blessings, Laura Lee