In the Season of Lent we are teased, nudged and challenged with the life of discipleship. Our sacred readings from the gospel of Luke guide us in our Lenten journey with Jesus. It circles around and will end in Jerusalem. It may be hard, but I encourage us to hold fast to the hope of God’s presence in all our journeys. We have individual and community challenges along our life’s journey. To name a few of the obvious in our time are the COVID-19 pandemic, the distrust and disruption of competing visions for our country, and the changing pastoral leadership for Redeemer and Grace congregations.
What is it that we, as disciples of Jesus, bring to our time? Patience? Grace? Humility? I hope! But I also depend on God’s ability to hold us fast when we are scared, or selfish or try to hide from other people, our selves or God.
During these times, your church councils are being intentional about our life together. The following are two ways they are leading us through the challenges of our time.
WORSHIP LIFE WITH COVID-19
As the pandemic’s rates of infections are slowing, the congregations will begin the process to a more normal worship life. At Redeemer, beginning with Easter Sunday, April 4, worship will continue in the simplified format. The recorded service (available online as now) will be at 10 AM. In person “outside – masked – socially distanced” – service will be at 11 AM. Reservations will be required for the outside service. Redeemer households will be contacted in advance with more information.
Grace may also do a socially distanced “in-person” worship service. Please stay tuned.
At Redeemer, this way of worship will likely continue for the season of Easter, through May 16 (The Sunday before Pentecost). Depending on what the pandemic is doing and guided by the Redeemer Implementation Team (our health professionals guiding the congregations through the COVID-19 challenges) we may thereafter move toward indoor worship.
Please pray for warm April and May sunny Sundays!
YOUR TRANSITIONAL WORK
As both congregations are free of major disruptions to their respective ministries, other than the COVID-19 Pandemic, the congregations will begin to focus on their respective ministry site profiles and then the actual call/interview process of pastoral candidates.
During March the Redeemer Church Council will appoint six members of the congregation (two as alternates) to the Call Committee. The Grace Church Council will appoint one or two of Grace’s members to the committee. The initial work of the committee will be for members of each congregation to do a general overview of their respective congregation’s ministry, mission and clergy leadership needs. This initial work may include conversations with members of each congregation.
The Call Committee (operating, in part, as the “discernment” committee of the two congregations established by the congregations to evaluate and recommend to continue or not the agreement to share Redeemer’s called pastor with Grace) will work to forward such a recommendation to both congregations. Should both congregations vote to continue the sharing of a pastor, then the Call Committee would “flesh-out,” likely with input from members of each congregation, the full ministry site profile.
That profile will explain 1) who you are; 2) where you believe God is calling the two congregations (your vision for mission and ministry); and, 3) what skills and attributes you seek in Redeemer’s next regularly called pastor as she or he walks with you into your future. The congregations will both review and approve the profile. The synod will also review and approve it.
The approved profile is the basis for the Call Committee to begin the interview process of clergy candidates. The members of Grace that are part of the Call Committee will have voice but no vote in the process. The “Call” will include the expectation for the Redeemer pastor to provide pastoral services to Grace via an agreement between the two congregations.
Usually during the “in-between” time of regularly called pastors, many congregation members find themselves much more involved in ministries. Its often time consuming with many unexpected benefits. Please keep your brothers and sisters in Christ in your prays during this time, especially, your Council leaders, Call Committee members and, uniquely in this time, those on the Redeemer Implementation Team. If all goes smoothly the transition/interim time should likely be complete within a year. If you have questions, please contact me, Transition / Interim Pastor David Ernat.
As is true with our personal and community journeys, we sometimes are happily surprised, and sometimes not, with interruptions along the way. During this season of Lent and as we move into the other seasons of the church, I pray all goes well with you and we stay free of too many bumps in the road. If we do have a few bumps, I trust we can laugh as we find our bums up in the air. God is with us!
Your co-journeyer in Christ,
Transition (Interim) Pastor David Ernat
