GREETINGS FROM THE PASTOR
The month of June arrives and with it comes the end of another church program year. The ‘last Sunday’ of choir is June 3rd and Children’s Sunday on the 10th marks the end of Sunday School. Though not officially her last day, that’s not till July 13th, we will celebrate the retirement of our Christian Education Director, Sharon Chamberlain, on June 10th. On June 17th we will begin summer worship in the chapel. During coffee hour someone remarked to me that they “don’t do change well.” I’m not sure any of us do; in large part because change marks the end of one way of being and the start of a new way of being. The disciples experienced this transition as they faced the challenges of life and ministry after Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension.
I spoke about this on Sunday May 13th in my sermon titled Taking Our Place— “There is excitement for what will be and anxiety over what was. The disciples were in a “liminal time in between, a time of change and transition.” The disciples, however, were not unique in this regard. We all face change and uncertainty, and sooner or later, we too live in a liminal time, a time for decision and a time for trust. We see in the disciples the very human desire to cling to what they have known while realizing that things are no longer what they were before, this time of change poses them with some pretty tough challenges. In order to survive and thrive as people of faith they will need to rethink their priorities, reorder their lives, and reconstitute their community.”
I then asked the (rhetorical) question—Does that sound familiar? We too are living in an in between time as we continue to discern God’s call to us as individuals and as a community of faith. Perhaps this time of change is the Spirit’s way of nudging us to consider new ways of being.
As the program year comes to a close, my focus over the summer will be to work with church leadership to continue the process of discerning who and what God is calling us to be in the future. There are a few areas of church life that we will focus our attention on, such as Stewardship, Young Adult Ministry and Worship. Please feel free to contact me with any ideas, suggestions or if you are interested in taking an active part in any of these ministries. My hope is that together we can come up with some concrete plans for living faithfully into our call as God’s hands, heart and feet in the world.
Peace,
Rev. Margret
INVITATION TO OUR CHAPEL
Our Chapel is open for a private moment before Sunday’s service or during the week. You are invited to come early and take a moment to thank God for a good week or for help with a challenge.
830 Corbin Avenue
New Britain, CT 06052
860-229-3709
Contact us at firstnewbritain@snet.net
“ROOTED AND GROUNDED IN LOVE.” . . . Ephesians 3:17