My friends in South Central Kentucky have been posting pictures of flowers, crocuses and daffodils, on their social media pages for weeks now. Here in southeastern Massachusetts, we’ve been watching the snow melt ever so slowly over that same period of time. Now February has come to an end, and March holds the promise of Spring, a real Spring “with flowers and everything” as the youngest among us might say.
By the end of the month, Spring will have made real progress. There will be more light in the day each and every day, earlier sunrises and later sunsets. We will be encouraged to look toward the future. And that’s a good thing because by the end of the month, too, we expect that we will know the name of the church’s next minister; and that person and this church will begin the process of partnership, establishing priorities for the coming year and years to come, getting to know patterns, tendencies, preferences, and idiosyncrasies so as to establish a productive and mutually respectful relationship.
I still have four months to serve as your interim minister, and I hope that they, too, will be productive months. We’ve come a long way towards adopting a church covenant statement, one based on long held beliefs mostly captured in a different form, a lengthy mission statement from years past. We’ve made progress toward establishing an organizational chart which will give us all, especially newcomers, a way to understand who is responsible for what and which will encourage smoother operating procedures. The Parish Committee has been holding extra meetings over the past many months to learn more about how governance works in churches of various sizes. Dan Hotchkiss’s book Governance and Ministry has been central in guiding that understanding.
The Public Relations Team has come together in an exciting way with Bet Giddings volunteering to be the point person for communication and “getting the word out” about our many interesting, enjoyable and exciting activities. Susan Hotchkiss has been very active in pulling together a night of jazz which will enliven our church in April– as well as leading us in music and song each week throughout the year. The various committees responsible for the church’s finances– stewardship, investment, the treasurer, the pledge campaign coordinators– have been meeting together under the umbrella of the newly created Finance Committee.
Many things have come together to help us understand our various roles better and streamline our processes. And the Worship Committee has filled every slot for summer worship already! A bright Spring awaits! And then, Summer! Much to appreciate, much to anticipate, much to encourage our continued support of this multifaceted spiritual endeavor. Much to be grateful for.
I look forward to our continued work together and to seeing you in church!
Peter
