A Word from Pastor Nathan

Dear Friends,

On Monday, a church leader and I shared good and generative conversation. This person said, “We’ve changed a lot in the past couple of years.” Those are true words, friends. Some of the change we’ve experienced has been on purpose. For example, we moved to a single worship service on Sundays. Some of the change has been forced upon us, i.e. COVID-19. When you think about all that’s taken shape for our church—and the shifting landscape beneath our feet—we’re doing alright. We’re going to be alright, too. Here’s what I trust to be true: We keep the faith in spite of the evidence. We chose hope even when we couldn’t be optimistic. This choice will be before us for the better portion of 2021. It sucks, and I’m sorry, and I wish it weren’t this way.

But here are some things that keep waking me up in the morning with excitement to be your pastor and partner in mutual ministry. 1) You are good and faithful. 2) You are generous stewards of the ministry God has given us. 3) You are creative and imaginative, and you are willing to take risks. 4) We love each other well. 5) And—this one is the most important—we trust that God will have the future God wants and that somehow, we’re co-participants with God in bringing God’s reign on earth.

We have to be honest, too. It’s tough to be church under “normal” circumstances. COVID-19 makes being church even more difficult. We feel these challenges in different and similar ways. Here’s a standing invitation: Call me. I’m glad to listen. If you want to rant and rave about COVID—or anything, including how much it stinks that we cannot congregate—I’m glad to listen. We’ll mourn together, even if we cannot be “in-person.” You may also want to celebrate that you received your COVID-19 vaccine or that you made it one more week through this “melluva hess.” I’m glad to celebrate with you, too.

To borrow from Jonah’s story, it may feel like we’ve been in the depths, swallowed by some fish, for 10+ months now, but God will deliver us. The work has already begun. I can feel it—and sense it—and I hope you can, too. If not, call me, and we’ll talk about that, too.

Peace abundant,