At the beginning of every calendar year I am reminded of the past year and look in hope to the new year. It is not true that our days really change with the event of the new mark on the calendar yet it is common to look back at the past at this time and think with anticipation of what is going to happen in the future.
The symbol for the interim ministry process among the denomination's Settlement Department is the ancient Roman deity, Janus, for whom the month January is named. You might remember representations of the god Janus. He is commonly shown as a head with two faces. One of the faces looks toward the past, the other looks to the future. Like Janus, in interim ministry, the congregation looks at the past and it also looks to the future.
And where are we this January? In the past sixteen months the congregation has reflected on its past, instituted new committees, policies and procedures to enable the congregation to fulfill its mission. The congregation has gone to two services to make room for membership growth. Members participated in events on the district level and the Fellowship’s leadership is engaging with the Rev. Tom Chulak through the Bridging Team to address its governance and leadership development plans. The Vision Team helped develop a new vision statement. At present, the Ministerial Search Committee is working diligently looking at ministers’ record sheets and packets to find the one who will serve the congregation’s vision and ministry best. In short, everything is going well.
When things are going well we often have the security to experiment with new ways of doing things. During the Sunday services in January the worship service will sometimes feature new chalice lightings and new music to sing the children to the religious education program. Neither should be considered a replacement for the current chalice lighting or "Go Now in Peace." They are intended to be variants to enhance the worship service and express the diversity among us.
As for myself, I am looking forward to 2006. It will be the year that I wed someone I love dearly. If I look dazed at times during my remaining seven months with you, assume that the wedding plans, moving, job transitions–basically an entirely new life–have overwhelmed me. I look forward to it!
As the song in our hymnal reads, "Don’t be afraid of some change." This year we will all be experiencing some change, personally and collectively. May we be at peace with this and know that love will guide us through this time. Indeed, it always has.
See you in church,
Rev. Larry Smith |
