Pastor's Message - July/August
As you read this I will have been your pastor for two years. Does that still make me the new pastor? Maybe it still does. Also this is my first call and my 2nd anniversary of my ordination at this time of year too.
So how have the first two years been? I certainly have learned many things about being with you in ministry, and these seem to be separated into two roles: a) spiritual leader and b) administrative leader. Not that these two are independent roles since they both inform each other in content and context. The spiritual role informs my approach to administration – for example the ideas of God’s grace and acceptance, the themes of love and forgiveness are carried with me as I deal with matters of the “business” administration of the church. For example, unlike secular businesses, profit is not a goal and we can approach our work at St. Peter’s from a position of plenty rather than from a position of scarcity. The reverse is also true that the spiritual role is contained within the practical limits of ministry at St. Peter’s out in midst of the fields and set in the village community of Brodhagen. One example of those limits would be that I had hoped to start a Vacation Bible School program on PA days, but the reality is that our setting, 15 minutes out from Mitchell and Seaforth, presents a real barrier.
So how do I try to discern what am I called to do here? Intuition and prayer have been my starting position. That is pretty much what you would expect of a pastor. I believe that those two are inter-linked. Intuition is that “in breaking” of God’s spirit that shouts or whispers God’s will. Prayer is that communication to God of my thoughts, hopes, dreams, concerns and plans. Prayer can also contain answers to our prayers.
Does this seem too spiritual, too abstract and too unreal? Let me give you some very real examples. The first time I stepped on the parsonage front porch when I was here for my interview with the call committee, almost immediately, I saw a picture of having a concert right there with lots of people in lawn chairs and that people in the cars driving by would slow down to see what on earth was going on. I shared my intuitions with the 150th Anniversary Committee and others at St. Peter’s. On Saturday 21st June we had our concert just like I had intuitively pictured it. The added detail was that we put on this concert with the talent coming from two congregations – St. Peter’s and our friends 1¼ miles to the south on the “Front Line” – First Logan Lutheran. Another example has been my hopes to start a youth group at St. Peter’s. I had published this hope in the annual report in February 2008 and voiced that hope with various committee members and others in our congregation. I had been asking around about possible youth leaders. I had engaged in conversations with Dan Walker from the “Youth for Christ” ministry in Mitchell and was hoping that something might emerge. For over a year I prayed, and prayed, and prayed harder still for a way forward. I had come to the point where I thought that I would just have to start the youth group and maybe then someone would come forward to lead the youth group. Then my prayer was answered. Out of the blue (really its more of that in breaking of God’s spirit in action again) I received a phone call from Joanne Hinz. “I want to start a youth group at St. Peter’s”, she told me. In our subsequent conversations I discovered that Joanne had not heard about my hopes to start a youth group. Her decision to call me had come from elsewhere (that is God’s in-breaking again).
I’m sharing this story with you to encourage you to trust your intuitions – that in breaking of God’s spirit shouting or whispering God’s will for you and our community. I’m sharing this story with you to encourage you to pray about those intuitions.
In my first two years in ministry and in ministry with you, I have discovered something else. Although it might make you vulnerable and it might seem frightening, you should test your intuitions not only through prayer with God, but also test your intuitions in conversation with your partners in faith – you might call that conversational prayer. Tell others about your intuitions, own them and let others know that these are your intuitions of God’s will for you and this for this community. Then let God take care of the results.
Peace – Pastor Steve
Additional note posted 30th July: The above message was written in June and that in-breaking has occoured again.
Last Friday morning at working group meeting for the anniversary, I shared my intuitions
to hold a prayer meeting for some families that are in particular need at the moment.
My spiritual partner in faith (Rose Robinson) told me then, that she too had been
thinking the same thing. But it was only in the outward sharing of our ideas that
we tested this and the result was that the following Sunday evening we held our first prayer
group worship/meeting.
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