Letter to Congregation 12-01-2021
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I have been hearing that some of you are wondering what changes are coming, what is going on with the building, how can we get more people in the church and more. To answer some of those questions begins with sharing that we don’t know because we are in a liminal period. A liminal time is the in -between what was done and the changes to come. It is an uncomfortable time for most people because it is living in the unknown. We can’t fall back on the way it is always was, but also don’t know what the future will be. It causes us to say often to ourselves, “what can I do?” I mean I am only one person, and I am too busy, too tired, too old, the myriad of excuses we tell ourselves to avoid moving into a new thing.
Edward Everett Hale (1822-1909), an American Unitarian minister and writer, who lived and worked in Boston, Massachusetts, and inspired many by his story Ten Times One Is Ten said this, “I’m only one, but I am one. I can’t do everything, but I can do something. What I can do, I ought to do. And what I ought to do, by the grace of God, I will do.” In this liminal time as we continue to discern what the future holds for this church, for the Presbyterian presence in this area, and in the church universal, it is important to remember we may only be one and we can’t do everything, but we can do something. We must do what we ought to do and, by the grace of God, we will do it. As we continue figuring out our future, may we remind ourselves of this which will help us live into who God is calling us to be in this new way which has yet to be fully revealed to us. May we each open up ourselves and ask how God is calling us to be in this liminal time and in the future. May we not put God in a box, but open ourselves up to God who is, as Isaiah says, doing a new thing.
In His Peace,
Pastor Nicki
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Additionally, bulletins and an online hymnal have been put on the website and can be found at https://www.espresbyterian.com/worship/sunday-bulletin/
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