Pastor's Corner

Pastor's Ponderings ~
One Thing I Hope You’ll Never Forget

Dearest Members and Friends of New Covenant,

I’ve always found newsletter articles difficult to write – far more difficult than sermons, professional papers or class outlines. I’m not sure what the root of this difficulty is, exactly. Perhaps it’s because I’ve never quite gotten a handle on what a newsletter article is supposed to be. Whatever the reason, every month as I have come upon the Spectrum deadline, I’ve suddenly felt like I – a person who loves writing and whose vocation is oriented largely around words – have completely lost the ability to put sentences together. But this article, my friends, takes the cake in the “difficulty department.” It is without a doubt the most difficult Spectrum entry I’ve had to write, as it’s the very last one I’ll be writing as the Pastor of New Covenant. With my final day quickly approaching, I find myself thinking that I might actually miss even this dreaded task! I guess that’s because I will miss you and everything about my life with you – the faithful, committed, generous and affirming community of faith that you are.

On June 21st, 2002, this community formally invited me to share with you in mutual ministry by serving as your first called Pastor. It is a deep joy for me to see the incredible transformation that has occurred in this congregation over these past six years.

Simply put, we have become a church, not only in name but also in spirit. We have grown from an almost exclusively white, gay, middle-aged male community into a diverse congregation that reflects much more fully the kingdom of God in its racial, cultural, gender, generational and sexual variety. We have grown from a group of loosely-bound spiritual seekers into a deeply united Body of Christ that is rooted in an awareness of God’s love and that takes seriously our call to care for one another and for the world around us. We have grown from a collection of people without a common religious identity into a theologically reflective community that claims our traditional faith in a way that’s real and relevant and liberating for our unique time and place.

We have grown as people of faith, overcoming our fears of God, Jesus and the Bible – fears engendered by the misappropriation of the treasures of our tradition by those who would exclude minorities, make war and promote hatred. We have learned to love one another – to boldly speak our truth in love, to be who we are in deep relationship with others who are different from us.

We have developed a joyful, authentic, Christ-centered worship that is both radically Christian and radically inclusive. We have developed our music leadership, growing from a small cadre of volunteer pianists into a committed and talented ensemble, with multiple instruments and vocalists, that is ever expanding its repertoire and its ability to inspire our community’s song. This ensemble not only serves our congregation but also participates in music leadership for the broader community – from local PRIDE services to national conferences like the National Black Justice Coalition’s Black Church Summit.

We have made connections between our personal faith and the work for social transformation. We have grown from a community that had no social transformation programs to one that is a contributing partner to the Oaklands Food Pantry and that conducts regular collections for those in need – from school-supplies drives to Christmas collections for kids affected by HIV/AIDS.

We have developed a strong lay leadership and infrastructure, with effective, skilled and committed leaders serving on our Board, our Ministries Council, and our three Ministry Teams. We have developed our own website and Myspace page, and we’ve had wonderful leaders who have maintained and “tweaked” them. We have committed ministers who work behind the scenes to format and publish our monthly Spectrum and our weekly Orders of Worship. We started a Children’s Church that helps to address the spiritual needs of our youngest member and that makes space for other children to “come unto” Jesus.

These are only some of the ways we’ve grown over the past six years, and it has been a great joy for me to shepherd you on this exciting journey. But take note: I have not been responsible for these wonderful and exciting developments. You have. You, along with the Holy Spirit, have built this house of prayer for all people. You, along with the Holy Spirit and a little guidance from me, have developed the ministries of this church. You, along with the Holy Spirit and a little guidance from me and some creative risk-taking on all our parts, have grown this community from a fledgling parish extension into New Covenant Metropolitan Community Church. You are the church, and with the Holy Spirit to empower you, you will continue to be the church after I am gone. New pastoral leadership will come and go, but the pastor is not the church. I hope you never forget that you are the church of Jesus Christ, and no transition of pastoral leadership changes that. You are fully equipped and empowered to be the church now and in the future, and I look forward to seeing all the ways you will continue creating community, inspiring spiritual growth, and transforming the world through the love of Christ.

On August 24th, we will have a farewell event at the home of Debbie D. and Penny S. in Laurel. Folks will begin gathering at 2:30 p.m. At 3:00, we will have a time to honor one another and say our good-byes. After that, we will celebrate our final worship together, which will include a Rite of Membership for the incorporation of our newest members and a Ritual of Parting for David and me. After I depart, I will no longer be serving as your Pastor. I am bound by the guidelines set by our Regional Elder to have no pastoral or work-related contact with you for at least a year after leaving my position. I am leaving, but New Covenant Metropolitan Community Church continues. We entered this covenant by God’s grace, and I know that God’s grace will be with each of us as we journey forward.

I am grateful to have journeyed with you for these past six years. I look forward to our paths crossing again a little further along our pilgrimage.
 

In the Spirit ~
Pastor Lance
 

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