The Springboard January 2019 Pastor s Reflection

Transcription

1 The Springboard January 2019 Pastor s Reflection Last month Minister Gabby concluded her short three-month tenure at Spring Glen Church covering for our Associate Pastor Clare s sabbatical. From the research I ve done, it seems that Gabby was the first clergy our church has ever hired who was black. Some people ask why we talk so much about racial justice, and that s a great question. Last month, inspired by one of our member s Advent testimonials, a young man came out as gay to his Southern Baptist family. After decades of not being able to be himself, decades of soul-crushing anxiety, decades of internalized homophobia, he finally found enough self-love and self-confidence to be honest about how God made him. Some people ask why we talk so much about LGBTQIA+ inclusion, and that s a great question too. They are great questions because they have a great answer. The answer is found in the tears people shed when they explain the healing they have found at Spring Glen Church after a lifetime of being hurt by church. The answer is found in the spirit-filled sermons Gabby delivered. The answer is found in the Stewardship testimonials that cited our church s Words of Welcome as a primary example for what makes this church so special. The answer is found in the Bible, which teaches God is Love, a love like a parent throwing a party for the returning prodigal son, a love like a shepherd searching for a single lost sheep, a love that liberates entire nations from slavery. The answer is found in Jesus, who teaches us to reconcile with our siblings before entering the sanctuary, to care for our wounded neighbors like the Good Samaritan, and to invite everyone to the parabolic wedding feast. The answer is that it s like brushing teeth. I hate brushing my teeth. It's not the act of brushing that bothers me, it s the ongoing everydayness of it. I brushed them last week. Isn t that enough? It took an embarrassing number of childhood cavities before I realized that you can t just do one big occasional brush and call it good. You ve got to keep at, build it into your routine as a consistent labor of self-care. And so it is with faith. And so it is with justice. And so it is with love. The life-saving, life-giving, life-changing ministries we ve created didn t happen by accident. SGC s healing welcome that inspires people to embrace their full selves wasn t something we fell into. It took over two decades of Open & Affirming education and reform to get to this point. We didn t stumble upon Gabby by chance. It took years of racial justice training to know how to reach beyond our usual hiring bubbles. Building a glimpse of God s kingdom on earth takes intentionality. Uniting Christ s body takes ongoing effort. For this reason, we will be doing an All-Staff Read in January and February. The entire staff will be reading a book called Microagressions in Ministry: Confronting the Hidden Violence of Everyday Church. And we invite the entire congregation to join us. Click the link to order the book or melissa@springglenchurch.org if you need us to help you order one and keep an eye out for details about discussion opportunities. Our teeth are looking pretty healthy. Let s keep brushing.

2 Sermon Soundbite What happened at the Temple was that Mary and Joseph and Jesus took the next steps in the story and accelerated the pace. Once a boy, now a youth, and one who has to be about taking on his identity and accepting his call and mission: to open up a new understanding of who God is for us and with us. ~ Pastor Clare Women s Retreat Leadership Team forming! Meeting January 10, 6:00 pm This coming spring, March 29-31, we will gather at Incarnation Center for the annual Women s Retreat. As has been our custom, a small group of women meet to form a Leadership Team, to brainstorm a theme and to guide the retreat development process. Once we have a theme, the Team turns over much of the work to our retreat leader, the Rev. Donna Mannochio, who meets with us once and then works out a program, subject to our feedback. Rev. Donna is an inspirational leader with many creative ideas. She has led us in for the past few years, and recently led the fall retreat at Elim Park. Some recent themes have been: Simplicity, Wisdom, Self Acceptance and Deeply Rooted --Branching Out. For those who join the Leadership Team, it s fun opportunity to serve, to meet other women of the church and to enjoy the creative process of seeing an idea take life. The retreat itself is a good time for self- renewal, deepening faith and community connections. And because Donna will lead us, the Leadership Team in not overly burdened by logistics during the retreat itself and can enjoy the experience. Please consider helping out in this way. We will meet on Wednesday January 10 at 6 pm. In the Fellowship Room. The meeting will last about one hour. We will meet 2 more times before the retreat. Interested? Contact Pastor Clare 2

3 Tools for Spiritual Growth Contemplative Prayer As the year turns we often make some steps to develop new habits or take some new directions in our lives. If you would like some support in your efforts to appreciate the beauty of the everyday, to learn how to notice the simple things around you, and to connect with God through silent prayer, meditation and other contemplative practices, you are welcome to attend the Contemplative Prayer group on January 28, 7:15 pm in the Fellowship Room. Since 2015, a small group of SGC folk have been gathering for with these hopes in mind for a monthly group meeting called Contemplative Prayer. We have ranged over many topics and have learned a lot from each other. The purpose of our time together is to help us connect with ourselves, with each other and with God, extending beyond the group practices we have shared. So often we pass by the grace moments in our haste to get on with life, achieve our goals, or just get through to the next thing. When we live at warp speed and we all do it, because sometimes we have demanding responsibilities which engross us or stress us or because sometimes we don t know how to do otherwise, life can seem to just rush by. We arrive at the end of the day, sometimes fulfilled, but sometimes wishing for more stillness, patience, awareness. We hit the pillow and give God a little peck on the cheek (in the words of Barbara Brown Taylor) and then take off the next morning to repeat the process. The group is not only for those who have extra or free time, but for anyone at any stage of life who would like to learn how to hit the pause button, even in the midst of daily busyness. Our format is simple. We will sit in silence, learn a meditative skill or two, and reconnect with the Spirit moving among us. Periods of quiet are alternated with times of sharing. Our practices help us extend our appreciation of the graceful connections, which are right before our eyes and hidden at the same time. Contemplative connections can occur at any point that we pay attention to what we are experiencing, are mindful and alert, and express a word or two of gratitude. The group will be open to new members in January but then will go forward together. RSVPs are requested, and for questions or comments, please contact: clare@springglenchurch.org. I look forward to our time together. Peace, Pastor Clare Sermon Soundbite This Us is a unique kind of organization, calling people to a common allegiance and still allowing for individuality. We have commonality of purpose and yet diversity of approach. The Us which is Spring Glen Church is dedicated to the cause of Christ but leaves it to each individual to work out what that means in their life. And over time. And in a world which is so divided, how wonderful that we can be different in many ways, and still find ways to live and work in harmony for a common good. For we are more than just random individuals with our own agendas, but a people God has called together to work together and walk together. ~ Pastor Clare 3

4 Abraham s Tent Feb 11-18, 2019 It s time to prepare for Abraham s Tent! For those who may not be familiar, Abraham s Tent is an overflow shelter program made possible through Columbus House. Each year, a group of up to 12 men are housed through the winter months in various congregations throughout the New Haven area for one week at a time. This program not only allows for additional beds to be available at the Columbus House location, but also affords the men selected to be part of Abraham s Tent the opportunity to demonstrate their readiness for more permanent housing and participate in a unique experience of communal living. We have been blessed with the opportunity to support this important ministry since its inception, and are excited to participate once again! Last year, we forged a successful partnership with Bethesda Lutheran Church, in which their congregation hosted the men and Spring Glen provided support in the form of meals, volunteers and donations. This year, we are pleased to continue working with Bethesda Lutheran, as Spring Glen steps back into the role of hosts and BL will provide support to our congregation. Spring Glen Church will be hosting Abraham s Tent guests in the Great Hall from Feb 11 through Feb 18. There will be opportunities to participate in the following ways: Prepare and provide evening meal Serve and clean up of evening meal Provide overnight coverage Financial donations to support bagged lunch and other supplies Provide fellowship for our guests during the dinner and evening hours If you would like to participate in any capacity, please contact Doug Hawthorne (dougdhawthorne@gmail.com) or Laurel Laster (laurelclaster@gmail.com) for more information. We are excited to continue our support of Abraham s Tent, and look forward to the arrival of our guests! Sermon Soundbite Sometimes it's scary to be hopeful. Sometimes when we're hopeful that's when we laugh the least, because I gotta be on guard, I gotta protect this hope, I gotta have stats & figures to combat everything everyone tells me about how my hope isn't going to come true. But the scripture today Psalm 126 says "We were like people who dream and their mouths were filled with laughter." As you hope, as you imagine, don't forget to laugh. ~ Minister Gabby View From the Pew Submitted By Dan Smolnik Many scholars describe the story of the magi as a metaphor for people on a quest for God on Earth. People in search of the eternal other, facing and overcoming challenges on their long journey. CLICK HERE to read the entire passage. Or, go to our website: SpringGlenChurch.org and click on the Featured Events link. 4

5 Notice of Annual Meeting & Second Hour The Spring Glen Church Annual Meeting will be held immediately after worship on Sunday January 27, 2019 to receive and vote on the budget for 2019, in addition to Vision Committee recommendations for the use of Ministry and Building Endowment income. If bad weather interferes, the meeting will be held the following Sunday February 3, All are welcome to attend; however, voting participation requires membership. Childcare will be provided. As in past years, a special second hour will be held at 11:30 AM on Sunday January 20, 2019 in the Fellowship Room for those interested in previewing the proposed budget. Representation from the Board of Trustees will be present, affording an opportunity for Q & A prior to the church-wide annual meeting. All are welcome to attend. A Special Thank-You! From the Advent Craft Fair - A hearty thank you to all of you who browsed our tables, who delighted in our work and who were able to find gifts for love ones. We raised a tidy sum to give as scholarships for the women's retreats. And thank you again to all our wonderful vendors who gave of their time, talent and treasure. We had a wonderful time and hope you did too. See you next year! ~ Ruth LeBar Keep Ringing In the New Year This is the perfect time to try ringing chimes or bells. The Chime Choir is a great way to learn to ring as well as read music and is open to children and adults. The Bell Choir is for teens and adults who can read music. Chime Choir rehearsals are Sundays at 9:15 am starting January 13th. Bell Choir rehearsals are Wednesdays at 6:30 pm starting January 16th. Please contact Susie Hawthorne with any questions at Sermon Soundbite The way I see it, God is less of a smiter and more of a smelter. ~ Pastor Jack Fellowship Hour Hosting Schedule Below is the Fellowship Hour hosting schedule for January If you are not able to host on your assigned date, we ask that you try to help find a replacement, perhaps swapping with an individual/family scheduled later in the months ahead. Please notify Debra Tangarone of any changes. She will update the master calendar and the church office. To find the phone numbers or addresses of other members, be sure to log in as a member on this website, and then you may access a downloadable church directory from the right hand navigation menu. Date Host Family 1 Family 2 1/6/19 Debby Jagielow Roger & Ruth Johnson Mary Cameron 1/13/19 Debby Jagielow Mary Cameron Meredith & Scott Cowperthwait 1/20/19 Braxton & Catie Carrigan Carol Boucher The Laster Family 1/27/19 No coffee hour Annual Budget meeting 5

6 Attendees from the November Women's Retreat at Elim Park Spring Glen Church Senior Pastor: Jack Perkins Davidson PLEASE PLACE STAMP HERE 1825 Whitney Ave. Hamden, CT Phone: