10) The dinners...oh, the dinners...
-We like to eat at Memorial, just like any church! What amazed me though was the effort everyone put into the dinners- some people cooked, some cleaned, some served, some brought dishes, and all participated. We liked just spending time together over a good meal. My favorite dinners were always when the men cooked for the women for their "women's night out." The men always looked so proud, especially when they were all wearing their aprons ;) The bottom line- Memorial is a congregation that enjoys serving one another, and a lot of times, we ate for a good cause- the Jonah Fish Fry which went to mission efforts, the pancake dinners which helped give scholarships to college students, the lunch served during the auction that went to preschool ministries...we ate, we fellowshipped, and we usually ate for a good cause. You can't go wrong there!
9) Being a part of the choir and praise band- Memorial allowed me to share my gift of singing with them each and every Sunday. This also gave me a chance to get to know the people in these groups very well and be a part of their lives. Memorial has wonderful music opportunities and many talented people. We all bring our own gifts, tastes in music, and together, we made music happen. More importantly, we made music together that glorified God and helped people experience God in worship.
8) Scott's sermon about the Compliment Machine- Scott did a sermon one week where he made a "compliment machine" out of an old fridge box, complete with paint and glitter, and he put his son, who is over 6 feet tall in the box with a microphone in the narthex. When someone would walk by, a mysterious voice would give the person a compliment. I'll never forget people's faces when they walked by, trying to figure out where the voice had come from. The sermon was about how we should encourage and support one another in the name of Christ. It was an effective and fun way to share in the gospel message, and a very memorable one. This also is an example of how open this congregation is to doing different and sometimes unusual things in worship. You are patient with Scott and I when we try something different, we have had our times when we have laughed together in worship, and there have been times when we have been challenged. I remember one Holy Communion Sunday in Prayz worship when we gathered in a circle and served communion to one another while singing "One Bread, One Body." We have also gathered together to bless yarn ministry items and to send each other off on mission trips by laying of hands. We have prayed together, gathered at the baptismal font together, have had many a communion Sunday together, we have sung together, learned together, experienced God together.
7) Learning how to use the sign and website- one of the most frustrating but worthwhile things I've done during my time at Memorial was setting up the sign and website, which have been 2 tools that have brought many people into our church. I remember when we first got the sign, there were mixed emotions about it, and Scott and I heard some very funny comments from people about the sign, which I am not at liberty to go into at the moment! The website has been its own adventure, but I have learned a lot and am thankful for the opportunity to be a part of this outreach of the church.
6) Watching the 14th and Chestnut cart fill up each week- I mention this because this is just one of MANY mission efforts at Memorial. This congregation is SO passionate about missions, mission trips, 2nd mile givings to local, national, and international mission opportunities, people in need, etc. Memorial is such a generous congregation, and I am continually amazed at its heart for mission.
5) The meetings/committees- I'll admit, meetings are NOT my favorite part of ministry, but in all of the meetings I attended or helped run, I realized that this is a church that gets things done. We brainstorm, we discuss, we might deal with a conflict, we pay attention to the details of the budget or the needs of the church buildings, we think of new ways to welcome in members or bring in new ones. You name it, there is a committee at the church who will get it done, and if not, something will be done to make something happen.
4) Bad Girls of the Bible Class- I'll never forget gathering on Thursday mornings to study the "bad girls of the Bible" with a group of women who ranged in age, seasons of life, married, single, moms, not moms- we bonded, we had fun, we ate, and we pondered about the strangest of women found in scripture, some of which the women in the class had never even heard of. We learned from these strange women about our own doubts and questions, and realized that they deal with a lot of the same issues that we as women still deal with today. We loved our bad girls so much that we did Bad Girls, Really Bad Girls, and Slightly Bad Girls! I've loved all of my classes at Memorial- NOOMA, Lent and Advent studies, hearing all of the opinions about the Social Principles and being a part of some heated debates, and the trust and respect that it took to be a part of classes like that. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your growth and learning.
3) My first Christmas Eve as your pastor- the first time I received communion was at a Christmas Eve service with my dad when I was home visiting in college years ago. Then there were a few years where my dad and I went to church together on Christmas Eve. It was something special that we did, and it became a tradition for a few years. So the first Christmas Eve that I experienced as a pastor was here at Memorial 4 years ago. To be on the other side of such as special worship service and to experience it for the first time is something I will never forget. I always hear people say how magical this sanctuary is when we light the candles and sing "Silent Night" on Christmas Eve, and it is so true. We experience the Christ Light coming into the world together. My first Christmas Eve happened here, and it was my first Christmas Eve as a pastor- it was a time where I truly began to embrace my pastoral identity and understand the importance of my calling to serve the local church.
2) The first time the Prayz service had over 100 people in attendance- in my 4 years here, the Prayz service has been "my baby" of sorts. When I first started here, the service had about 50-70 people in attendance. After awhile, we revamped our music, added new and very talented people to the band, changed some of the order and focus of the worship service itself, and although it took some time, eventually the word spread that we were doing something exciting with the 11:00 service. People began telling their friends and inviting them, getting excited about worshiping at Memorial. And one day, our attendance went up to 100 people, and then 108, then 120, and one day, we had 150 and so on! It's been a blessing, a challenge, a celebration to watch this happen and be a part of it. Amazing!
1) My first baptism, funeral, wedding- and finally, Memorial was home to my many "firsts" in ministry. My first baptism, funeral, and wedding, my first time filling out charge conference papers or running a committee meeting. My first time leading a worship service by myself, my first Vacation Bible School- I could go on. But the bottom line is that the people of Memorial were patient with me and helped me along the way. You let me into your lives at the most crucial times, the worst times, and the happy times. You let me sit beside your hospital beds, you let me pray with you, you let me hold your babies as they were baptized, you let me be a part of the day you promised to love your husband or wife for the rest of your life, you let me make mistakes and forgave me for them, you celebrated my ordination with me, you opened your homes to me, you let me prepare a funeral service for someone you loved and lost, you opened yourselves to me at those trying times in your life, you came to me for guidance, you asked me the tough questions, you let me rant with you, you let me help you through a difficult decision- these were all firsts for me in ministry, and you let me into that. You helped me learn who I am as a pastor- you helped shape my future for the pastor I hope to be, and I thank you for that. And for Scott, I cannot thank you enough for the hours we spent in the office, in the car to and from conferences and clergy meetings, where you have mentored me, answered my questions, helped me discern about a particular situation, listened to me, and were there for me. I could not have asked for a better senior pastor to be in ministry partnership with for my first appointment.
How do I sum up 4 years of ups, downs, challenges, gifts, firsts, celebrations, ministry moments, meals, laughter, tears? I can't really, but I hope this gives the general idea. Looks like I'm prepared for my sermon on Sunday...the scripture is Hebrews 12:1-2, title, "Just Keep Running!" In the midst of transition, we are to keep running the race set before us, focusing on Christ, and encouraging one another along the way, and passing along the responsibilities to the next person and entrusting them to "just keep running!"
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