Dear Friends

Isn’t it great to be able to sit in front of a glowing fire for a little bit when the wind is howling outside and rain beating against the window panes. There is a healthy warm fuzzy feeling of security in this setting.

Security is important to most of us in many dimensions, not the least being some sense of belonging to a community of people no matter how much we have been conditioned by upbringing and environment to be independent or how our basic human nature pushes self centeredness and selfishness upon us.

Perhaps part of my (and others) dissatisfaction with church also comes from a diminishing sense of community and belonging – why is this? A recent conversation indicated a possible insight for me and prompts the question “How important in 21^st century church life is the notion of good solid pastoral care that includes annual conversations with congregation members as to their state of spiritual wellbeing and walking with Jesus and praying blessing with them?” I wonder if this sort of care has been abdicated by pastoral leadership.  What I am thinking of is not the sort of thing that takes place in the small group setting, but rather more akin to a personal visit with a doctor.  If a pastoral staff person took this sort of responsibility for me I would know that I am truly valued and would want to stay connected.  That is what I found in the churches I was serving as a pastoral staff member.

The manner in which we worship or gather on Sundays has something to do with this also. On Pentecost Sunday this year the children stayed in the auditorium and sent the adults out to the hall where we sat around tables, shared a simple repast of soup and bread (reference to Old Testament Pentecost) that lead into Eucharist, and talked with each other about the New Testament Pentecost story and our own journeys to and current walk in faith. I was not surprised when people’s response was overwhelmingly positive and refreshing – this probably is a little more like what communal worship should be. And the “preached word” was literally only 5 minutes consisting solely of a series of powerful questions highlighting and applying biblical truths.

My heart leapt and it was something I have been keen to talk about since because I was connected and involved.  Are the lessons obvious?