The Pastor's Study

 

Pastor’s Corner

There is a sense of sacred stillness in the sanctuary as I sit down to write these words on Ash Wednesday. People are quietly coming and going, pausing to sit for a while in the hushed atmosphere of the prayer vigil.  Several folks have come in to my office afterward to comment on how beautiful the altar is.  I love prayer vigils. For that matter, I love the whole season of Lent, and I realize this probably makes me a little strange.  People talk about celebrating Christmas or Easter, but nobody celebrates Lent.  Instead, we observe Lent!  Lent is a serious season that challenges us to go deeper.  The joyful celebration of Easter, with the gift of the risen Son, is far more meaningful for having observed this somber season of personal reflection during Lent.  As I sat for my own time of prayer in the sanctuary I couldn’t help but reflect on the radical juxtaposition of events that we’ve experienced as a church family in the last couple of days.
            First there was the warm glow of enthusiastic community that infused the Valentine’s Day dinner.  We all agree that it was beautiful and are thrilled that we raised several hundred dollars over and above our goal of $1,000, but one of my favorite comments was, “this definitely does not feel like a church fundraiser!”  Morale and the awareness of the Holy Spirit’s blessing upon us as a church family is strong, for which I thank God. But . . . !
            But then, just two days later, we met at a special gathering of the Church Council in order to pass a balanced budget.  Regretfully, and with real trepidation, we voted to cut all staff salaries by 2% and to reduce our program associate’s position to three quarter time.  It is a very bitter pill and some are obviously asking if it’s worth compromising local staff and programming in order to pay 100% of our Annual Conference apportionments. 
            We’ve all heard that there are big changes coming to our Annual Conference, so I’ve written Bill Mullette-Bauer, the Director of Stewardship and Finance, asking him to meet with us and help us understand, as much as he is able, what the future holds.  Morningside is a strong and healthy church and, if we’re struggling, you know there are many other churches that are struggling more.  Something, obviously, has to change!
            In the meantime, we have our work cut out for us.  My job, as pastor, is to help us understand where Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit fit into this picture, because faithful stewardship is a spiritual issue.  My challenge is to help inspire us all to give joyfully, and gratefully, out of the abundance that God has provided for us.   We have been blessed, and our mission, our vision and our passion is to be a blessing!
            Lent is a season of challenge, but it’s also a season of celebration.  God is calling us to do a new thing, and when God requires something of us, God is able to make a way. Thanks be to God. And, as always, may Christ be your shalom! Michael