It’s Friday, September 5th--the end of the last week of my summer routine. The fall season is here. Traditionally, this is the time when everything “kicks in” here at HCC: Sunday School resumes (we have three adult classes this year!), choir and bells begin again, youth and children’s ministries start their weekly meetings, and people take on new activities, programs and studies. A new nine week worship series from the book of Acts is set to begin too.



However, as I stand here, at the beginning of my 29th season of ministry, on the edge of regular ministry “kicking in,” I’m feeling unsure about what lies ahead. I wish I could just do everything the way I’ve always done it! Having weeks of worship planned out in advance, choirs and ensembles in place and music selected through Christmas, special events scheduled, and the comfortable security of knowing how everything unfolds--and that I can manage it.



But times are different. The congregation is different. “Life” is different! People’s choices and ideas and routines are more complex and diverse. The dynamics in our church and community are more complex and diverse too. I’m aware that there are a multitude of feelings about Sunday worship flying around out there--many different preferences, attitudes, concerns, and emotions. I have talked to a number of people about the fall, who are already feeling overwhelmed with schedules, activities, responsibilities, and commitments. Handbell choir looks good; the ringers are all returning and ready to start practicing again. Unfortunately, choir numbers were already down last spring, and now some singers are not going to be able to continue this fall. Unless new participants join us, I’m wondering how we’re going to be able to sing regularly in worship. Because the Veritas seminar is going to be so important for our congregation in deciding how we are going to move ahead this fall, Bruce and I have not been able to do our usual long-range worship planning, because the results of Veritas will impact our worship life as well as other aspects of our church life. This leaves me feeling unprepared and rather directionless--because I’ve never done it this way before!

I know that all of this is just another sign of what is occurring in churches across America. Rather than writing about all of this again though--about what too often is taken as depressing or negative or frightening, regarding the Church and culture today--I’d like to let John Weinrich offer some insight and wisdom about this situation, through his blog. John heads up revitalization ministries (like Veritas) for our denomination. Listen to what he has to say:

John's Blog


I’m excited about tomorrow; about Veritas, and how our congregation is going to walk through the process of truth-telling to gain clarity about the future of our church and its mission. And in spite of what I wrote above, I’m really excited--and at peace--about what lies ahead in church this fall. I actually feel more free! More flexible (most of you know I’m already extremely physically flexible--now I feel more flexibility in my spiritual walk with Jesus too)! More ready to embrace whatever it’s going to take to “re-tune” as a church. To me, it is all very energizing, refreshing, renewing. More uncertain, perhaps; less predictable, and definitely more messy--but oh! Think of the potential! The opportunities! The extremely positive aspects of embracing we’ve never done it that way before instead of putting up roadblocks against new things. I believe many in our church are chomping at the bit for revitalization and fresh ways of “being” Hilmar Covenant. This came through in most of the prayer items that people wrote down last week during worship (thanks to all of you for your input!).

So I guess I really am ready for the fall season. It may be completely different from the past 28 years, but I am truly O.K. with that. I know the Holy Spirit can be trusted to take us where He wants us to go. We have to be willing, in the wonderful words of Dorothy Peterson, to “let go and let God.” Some have a hard time with this, I know, but it is definitely our hope for the future. I think we all know that this is what must happen too, for just as a physical body must grow and change and adapt to its surroundings, so must the spiritual Body of Christ, the Church, grow and change and adapt. When bodies stop growing, flexing, stretching, exercising, and keeping healthy we all know what happens. We grow fat, complacent, compulsive, muscles turn weak and flacid, deterioration sets in, and...we die. It’s a fact of nature--physical and spiritual. We at HCC prefer the first scenario, right?


See you in the morning--at Veritas!