Dear Fellow Congregants,
When I was a child, I went with my mother to a refinisher to have a chair repaired. Walking in the door the repairman told my mother she looked familiar and asked her where she lived. She said, “I am from Union.” He said, “I thought I had seen you before, I went to church there.” My mother asked (much to my total embarrassment), “Why didn’t you come back?” His reply? “I guess I got into some other things.”
I am telling you that story because I am confessing that I have gotten into some other things besides attending our online Sunday Services. When the weather became nicer, the outside beckoned, and I took advantage of it. Maybe some of you grabbed the chance to be together with others outside too. We may have channeled our freedom and the energy from the warm weather into both good works through mission outreach and diversions from the pressures and stresses of today.
Now we face the winter months. Although I have personally been sailing along with mostly good breezes and smooth waters, I am taking a look at restrictions that loom, and I feel as though I need an anchor to get through the choppy, maybe stormy months ahead and their challenges. What about you?
Under the guidance of Ernest Wong, the Worship and Music Committee has presented opportunities for us find a mooring and strengthen us as a reinvigorated church community. Frankly, the request for congregant responsibility caused me to think it would be a lot of work for the few people who “attend” the service. Then I reviewed the schedule of speakers and visiting ministers and am honestly touched by the people who are willing to reach out to us. These are people who have been or are in our community. Some may be physically elsewhere, but they all know and have a real connection to us and want to help us serve LAC with an energy that will strengthen our connections with each other and the community.
So look again at the schedule and think about helping with a service. I won’t minimize that it will take some work but don’t worry so much about the “bulletin maker” responsibility. There are guidelines and references for support, as well as resources for helping to record parts of the service. Except for the fact that there must be a bit of coordinating in time for online bulletin/program production, the responsibility is much the same as it would be with any visiting preacher. And remember you can do it from anywhere. Here’s the [LINK] for you to volunteer.
So maybe you are a choir member and are drawn to the musical sermons and can encourage one or two others to delve into the readings. Maybe Jed Koball was the Associate when you, your children, grandchildren were in confirmation. Or did you help with one of his mission trips? Why not get the old gang together to connect on one or more of those Sundays? We know Daniel Yang as a compassionate chaplain who has used his experiences to shed light on just what we need to see. Maybe you are a front-line worker(s) who might feel a special connection to his work and words. Or perhaps you know Rabbi Sirkman from community work together.
I encourage you to look for that LAC anchor too. Rather than wait for change, we can make this transitional period a time we embrace the control to make LAC home and, even given the online limitations, make it a place we love and bring back the church we used to know. My mother always said, “Many hands, make for light work.” So let’s get at it so we can say we DID come back and be ready to welcome our new pastor.
With love,
Ann Hitchings, Elder