2010 Year-End Congregational Meeting December 12, The Report of the Senior Pastor (For May November 14, 2010)

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1 Office of the Senior Pastor 805 Glenwood Avenue Raleigh, North Carolina Phone: Fax: Year-End Congregational Meeting December 12, 2010 The Report of the Senior Pastor (For May November 14, 2010) This is GOD's Word on the subject: As soon as Babylon's seventy years are up and not a day before, I'll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. Jeremiah 29:11, The Message No Minister can save anyone. He [or she] can only offer himself [or herself] as a guide to fearful people. Yet, paradoxically, it is precisely in this guidance that the first signs of hope become visible. This is so because a shared pain is no longer paralyzing but mobilizing, when understood as a way of liberation. When we become aware that we do not have to escape our pains, but that we can mobilize them into a common search for life, those very pains are transformed from expressions of despair into signs of hope. Henri J. M. Nouwen, Author The Wounded Healer Beloved in Christ: Once again, I find amazed that we are at the end of 2010 and the end of my ninth (9 th ) year as Pastor of an incredibly blessed community of faith and spiritual center of which I am honored to be a member. How thankful I am to submit to you the Senior Pastor s Year-End Report for the time period encompassing May 23, 2010 through November 14, The past six (6) months have been fast and quick!! I am pretty sure that the speed with which these months have passed can be contributed to an array of events and activities that have been a part of both professionally and personally. Adventures, affirmations, challenges, a plethora of opportunities for growth, as well as time for renewal, reflection and rejuvenation are some of the ways I would characterize this last half of the year. Yet, in the midst of it all, particularly since Easter, I believe I have moved to a deeper, more sacred level in terms of my Living OUT Loud... In Our Worship, In Our Work and In Our Witness!

2 sense of self, the power of sharing the fullness of my sense of self intentionally and unapologetically, and the absolute joy of being reminded of God s words to the Prophet Jeremiah when God said, As soon as Babylon's seventy years are up and not a day before, I'll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for (Jeremiah 29:11, The Message). Even when I want to manage the path from a human perspective, God always finds a way to remind me that, in the end, it will always be about God s plan and purpose for my life and ministry, no matter how much I may try to persuade God to do things a little differently! God always wins!!!! As I look back over the last six (6) months of this year, I am so thankful that God blessed me with the opportunity to live to see and witness the spiritual growth moments of our community of faith. In so many ways, our Living OUT Loud theme this year has challenged and encouraged us to spread our wings to a depth and degree that I has shocked and surprised most, if not all, of us on most occasions. Without question, God is still growing in us and growing us up... sometimes at the same time! And even though there have been tough challenging and frightening times, I would submit to all of us that there are still those times when, in the midst of it all, I get charged up again because I know the best is yet to come and God indeed has done some great things through us and has even greater things in store for St. John s MCC! We have much to be both grateful for and excited about! Reflecting back, I believe there are some things we have done well and some things we could have done differently. Likewise, there are some things I believe I have done well and some things I could have (and in some cases, should have) done differently. Some plans and projects were well thought out, others probably should have been thought our differently and in many cases, other projects simply did not get off the ground due to lack of financial resources. Mistakes have been made, missteps have been taken and disappoints have been experienced, yet in the midst of it all and through it all, I believe with all my heart that God has still used and is using all of our individual and collective gifts and experiences to strengthen our spiritual foundation, trust and resolve to learn our to lean and depend on God for everything! I continue to be incredibly grateful for the knowledge that, as followers of Christ and the Christ Way, we are still under construction and that God is not finished with any of us yet... for we are still being molded into God s Divine tapestry of care, commitment, compassion, love and humility the very tapestry that God needs and desires us to be... one heart, one spirit, one mind and one soul at a time. My hope and my consistent prayer is that we will always keep before us the desire to be and become all God has ordained just for us, as individuals and as a community, and that we will commit ourselves to love, support and encourage each other in this life-transforming journey. As I have done before in past reports to you, I have once again outlined for you some highlights of the work and ministry I have been engaged in during the past six (6) months: Living OUT Loud... In Our Worship, In Our Work and In Our Witness! 2

3 GENERAL ADMINISTRATION AND LEADERSHIP FUNCTIONS: Moderated the Mid-Year Congregational Forum and Meetings for St. John s MCC in July, 2010 Moderated bi-monthly meetings with the Board of Directors including, but not limited to other correspondence with Board members when needed Attended and/or moderated Strategic Planning Team Meetings when scheduled Held both scheduled and impromptu individual meetings with members of the Church Staff, including various meetings with members of the Strategic Planning Team Held ten (10) off site lunch meetings with members, former members and ministry colleagues Held meetings with the Church Administrator when scheduled and/or necessary, including a meeting on the proposed 2010 Budget drafted by the Church Treasurer Held scheduled supervisory meetings with our Clergy Candidate, Jim Whalen, as a part of his Clergy Candidacy Participated in Deacon/Deacon Candidates meetings when needed Met with Stan Kimer about the 2010 Living OUT Loud Leadership Challenge Participated in the General Conference Security Conference calls as scheduled Attended the 2010 Pre-Conference gathering in Acapulco, Mexico Attended the 2010 General Conference in Acapulco, Mexico Sat on one (1) Ordination Interview Teams in Acapulco, Mexico during General Conference Attended a gathering with our Moderator and Regional Elders during General Conference Participated and served as one (1) of the facilitators during the General Conference Dialogue on Evangelical Perspectives Served as the Co-Team Leader for the 2010 General Conference in Acapulco, Mexico Attended the People of African Descent (PAD) Luncheon meeting in Acapulco, Mexico Met with a group of parents about starting the Children s/youth Ministry Participated in MCC Mentoring Conference Calls for those who attended the 2009 Leadership Mentoring Retreat Attended and participated in four (4) meetings of The Triangle Interfaith Alliance (TIA) Attended and participated in meetings of The Alliance of AIDS Services Carolina Board of Directors Facilitated six (6) conference calls with the Pastor s of the NC/SC Network as the Team Leader for Metropolitan Community Churches Participated in monthly calls as a NC/SC Team Leader with Rev. Elder Ken Martin as his schedule permitted Attended the Church Affiliation Worship Celebration for Sacred Journey MCC in Hendersonville, NC GENERAL PASTORAL/PASTORAL CARE FUNCTIONS: Held forty-two (42) scheduled meetings in the Church Office Performed three (3) youth baptisms Conducted one (1) home blessing Living OUT Loud... In Our Worship, In Our Work and In Our Witness! 3

4 Facilitated two (2) interventions for regular attenders of the church in crisis Facilitated three (3) membership classes Facilitated four (4) couple spiritual growth meetings Worked with two (2) couples planning for their Holy Union/Covenant Ceremony Participated in and offered the Eulogy for Leon Hampton during his memorial service at MCC Washington, DC Made room for unscheduled meetings with members, regular attenders and friends in and outside of the Church Office Received, read and/or responded to s messages, phone messages, letters, invitations and other inquiries MINISTRY AREA EVENTS AND OTHER ACTIVITIES: Researched, prepared and preached twenty-plus (20+) sermons/homilies Edited bulletins for Sunday and/or Special worship services as needed Prepared, participated and facilitated Tuesday Night Bible Study as my scheduled allowed Attended in our 2010 Spring Revival weekend with Rev. Terri Steed Attended the Spring Revival Bowling Event at AMF Pleasant Valley Lanes (and bowled my average after two years of not bowling!!! Attended and participated in our 2010 Faith In Action Sunday in Moore Square Visited the work sites of our 2010 Faith In Action project in Raleigh and Durham Served as the Guest Preacher for Rev. Debbie Coggin s 10 th Anniversary as Pastor of Vision of Hope MCC in Mountville, PA Served as the Guest Preacher for Vision of Hope s Fall Revival/Anniversary Weekend Presented a workshop as a part of Vision of Hope s Fall Revival/Anniversary Weekend Attended and participated in the Pastor s Anniversary Celebration Participated in the Prayer Workshop presented by Rev. Marilyn Bowens PASTORAL CARE AND PRESENCE: Attended the 2010 NC Pride Day Events on the campus of Duke University Attended the 2010 Gospel Drag Show Event sponsored by St. John s MCC Served as a Lay Committee member for a Duke Seminary Intern with the Faith Ministries Program of AAS-C Attended the Welcome Reception for Kelli Walker-Jones, the new Director of Triangle Pastoral Counseling Attending the Thank You Reception for Suzanne Luper, former Director of Triangle Pastoral Counseling Served as a Clergy support person for the Faith Ministries Program of the Alliance of Aids Services Carolina Served a presenter for the 2010 Fall AAS-C Volunteer Training at Millbrook Baptist` Church Living OUT Loud... In Our Worship, In Our Work and In Our Witness! 4

5 PUBLIC RELATIONS AND COMMUNITY SERVICE PARTICIPATION: Serve as the Team Leader for the NC/SC Network for Metropolitan Community Churches Participated in an exploratory dialogue with members of the NC Harm Reduction Coalition Held a future planning meeting the new Executive Director of the LBGT Center of Raleigh Serve as a member of the Board of Directors for The Triangle Interfaith Alliance Served as a facilitator for one of the 2010 Amazing Faiths Dinner Dialogue home groups in Cary Serve as a member of the Board of Directors for The Alliance of AIDS Services Carolina Serve as a member of the 2010 World AIDS Day Planning Committee Serve as a member of the Denomination s People of African Descent Advisory Committee There is no doubt that I have left some things out of this snapshop, but I do hope that it gives you some indication of my schedule over the past six (6) months. Still, the about events and activities do not include the additional commitments and responsibilities I have outside of church, including: Time committed to engaging in my on-going therapy, including my monthly meetings with the therapist I m working with as I journey toward transitioning Time committed to meeting with a Spiritual Director Time to continue to nurture my ever-growing relationship with Sandra (as long as it s not the rut... you can ask her!) Time to attend my youngest niece s wedding in July Time spent doing house/home stuff (including packing up some three locations and moving into a new home) Time for Sermon reading, research and preparation Time caring for My Aunt (for whom I am becoming the primary caretaker more and more each day) Time to listen to my body as it ages slowly and gracefully Time for intentional meditation, reflection and communion with God, Time to be just be with me, enjoying times of quiet and stillness I am keenly aware that I am still learning the importance of delegating and letting go of those tasks that I have a tendency to be protective of, but I must admit, I believe I am getting better. Even with taking some time off from time to time, the truth of the matter is, even times off often end up being times of work or worry (and sometimes both!). Thus, I am committing myself in even greater ways to not only know the importance of self-care, but to likewise be intentional about caring for myself in healthier ways. As always, I need an invite your continuous encouragement of me in this area. I am more than clear that there is much work to be done and much that we have yet to accomplish, thus I pray that as you are invited and encouraged to take a more active and intentional role in serving God through this community of Living OUT Loud... In Our Worship, In Our Work and In Our Witness! 5

6 faith, you will see this both as an opportunity to spread your wings to fly for the glory of God, but also a great way to help support the working and on-going ministry of both the church and your Pastor. Words will never be able to appropriately express the depth of gratitude I feel to How have The Reverend Carlton Rutherford as our Pastor for Congregational Care and to The Reverend Wanda Floyd as our Pastor of Congregational Life! They are such incredible gifts to us and a blessing to me in ways that I could never put into words. We are and are continuing to learn the meaning and importance of being a pastoral team and it is such a joy to see how God works things out God s way. And with this said, I continue to long for the day when we adequately and sufficiently compensate all of our Staff members for the work that they do on God s behalf here at St. John s. It is about a long-term commitment, selfless and sacrificial giving, a fervent belief in the ministry of this community of faith and an inner resolve to support this work through the giving of our time, our talents and our financial resources. A WORD OF GRATITUDE AND THANKS: Each and every day, I am very much aware of the tireless efforts and diehard devotion many of you embody serving God through this community of faith. I am also very clear that many of you giving well above and beyond that which we, on a human level, could ever compensate or fully acknowledge! While, on the one hand, it would be easy to name specific individuals in this report, I am also aware, on the other hand, that many in the process maybe intentionally overlooked. Because I have and will continue to share my gratitude with many of you personally, I want to publicly say THANK YOU... Thank you for your sweat equity Thank you for your witness Thank you for your faithfulness Thank you for your willingness to hold each other up, even in the difficult times Thank you for never giving up or giving in Thank you for trusting and believing in the God who has called us Thank you for being forgiving, gracious and merciful Thank you for your openness to stretch and grow, even when it s painful Thank you for seeing beyond what is to what can be Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! While most of the members, friends and regular attenders of St. John s are unaware of the tremendous amount of work that you do, please know that as one who sees, observes and experiences much of what you do, your work and your witness does not go unnoticed or unappreciated. I thank God for the opportunity to serve in and build this ministry with God and you. Thank you will never be enough. My heart is filled over again each time I think of your devotion. Living OUT Loud... In Our Worship, In Our Work and In Our Witness! 6

7 A CLOSING THOUGHT: I also want to thank you, as a community of faith, for the privilege of taking this journey of faith with you. Thank you for affording me the opportunity to be faithful to what God has called me to do on God s behalf amongst God s people, even as I learn how to get better at doing better. Thank you for your love, thank you for giving me permission to grow and learn, thank your for your mercy and forgiveness in the process, thank you for your patience, thank you for your pushing, thank you for your pulling, but more than anything... thank you for your prayers. Thank you for supporting me in being fully and unapologetically who God created me to be before I was formed in my mother s womb and for being willing to take the journey with me. How grateful I am to be your Pastor! Every time I see the broom in my office, As Delores would say, I fall in love with you all over again. As we enter this tenth year of ministry together, I am reminded of the words of the Apostle Paul who, in speaking to the Philippians, said, I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that [the One] who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:3-6, NIV). As we continue in this sojourn together, may God continue to bless us with all of the gifts and graces that we need to accomplish that tasks that God wants us to accomplish to fulfill God s vision, God s plan and God s purpose for our lives. And in this season of anticipation and expectation, may we expect God to do even greater things in us in the days to come! Thanks be to God for God s indescribable gift! Let us continue, Beloved, in the... Journey Toward Health, Wholeness and Holiness, Pastor B (The Rev.) B. Y. Boone, Senior Pastor St. John s Metropolitan Community Church Living OUT Loud... In Our Worship, In Our Work and In Our Witness! 7