September 2010
Dear Friends,
When I was a little girl, I loved the first day of school. I loved meeting my teacher, wearing my new clothes, and seeing my friends. I loved independent reading time; I loved signing up for clubs; I loved lunch on the first day of school in the cafeteria. Mostly, I loved the sense that we were on the verge of something great, of new experiences and new possibilities. I went to school expecting something wonderful. Though the church is not the school, I still believe that channeling the energy and anticipation of the first day of school is critical to being a vibrant church. After going to a church for many years, it might be hard to maintain excitement, to not feel jaded—but the God who makes all things new, promises to make us and our ministries new if we seek those opportunities. We must expect that God is breaking through. We must expect that hearts will be healed and lives will be changed.
But it takes more than our expectations and hopes to create and maintain the church that we yearn for. In the book of James, he talks about the importance of not just saying what you believe, but doing what you believe. He says that our words without our actions can ring false, that we have to match our intentions with our actions. He describes this interaction of valuing something and actually doing the things we value as “that seamless unity of believing and doing” (James 2:25, the Message). Though it’s difficult to do, we have to put our energies and talents where our beliefs say they need to be.
If we say we value mission, then we step forward to go on the Lakota Mission. If we say we value children in our church, then we step forward as teachers or youth leaders. If we say we value fellowship, we host events like Holy Heat. We step forward and do these things because part of our faith is recognizing that we are the ones that make it a living faith. If there is any magic pill to making and maintaining a church that teems with activity and promise—it’s by being a people that teems with activity and promise and not being afraid to step forward and give something a try, even if it is outside our comfort zone.
As we enter into this new time of visioning and the Road to Vitality, I pray that we continue to find ways to seamlessly unify what we believe with what we do. In the following pages of this newsletter, you will find countless opportunities to enact your faith—I pray that God will call you to find yourself in at least one of them.
This month marks the one year anniversary when I joined this congregation as your associate pastor. I thank you from the deepest parts of my heart for allowing me to be a part of this journey with you.
Blessings,
Pastor Danielle