From The Pastor's Desk
It seems like we have been talking about New Beginnings for forever, but we have only been part of this process since January. That is not a long time when it comes to doing anything in the church. We began this process of discernment when our session said “Yes” to the invitation from the Presbytery. A trained church assessor then came to visit us, to collect our history, look at our area of ministry and our demographics, and to enter into conversation called Appreciative Inquiry with our church leaders. A “New Beginnings Assessment of the Fairgreen Presbyterian Church” was then created using all this information. The session then chose 5 church leaders to be trained to be conveners for our next step – the gathering and dissemination of the assessment to the congregation in “cottage meetings”.
That is where we are in the process – it is time to organize our congregation into cottage meeting groups where together we can discuss the Assessment and begin to think about where we are now and where God is calling us to go. Our leaders – Pat Gibson, Fred King, Joyce Koback, Cindy Bosley-Smith and Patti Nordhoff – will each convene a six-session series of meetings. You, as friends and family of Fairgreen Church, are invited to sign up for one of these six-session series. As you can see they are to be held on a variety of days and times. Yes! We are asking each of you to come to a meeting once a week, six weeks in a row! Your session has gone so far as to cancel some regularly scheduled meetings so that people can attend. In fact, we are even waiting to start some of our fall adult educational offerings so that people will be free to attend the cottage meetings. That is just how important your input is!
Look at the schedule on the next page. Pick the cottage meeting that best fits your schedule, your location. Do not let the need for transportation keep you away. Call the office or indicate on the sign up sheet that you will need a ride and one will be arranged for you. For these meetings to be truly productive we need to have as many folks there as possible. You do not need to be a member of Fairgreen to attend. If you are interested in this church and its mission and ministry in any way, please join us for these holy conversations. We are really hoping that we will have 10-12 people in each group. The sign up sheets are near the Welcome Center. Add your name to one of the groups or give the church office a call and we will write it on the New Beginnings Signup sheet for you. We are asking that you try to attend all six meetings with the group that you sign up for but if you need to go to one of the other groups for a meeting, do not hesitate to choose another meeting group for that week.
Need more information!?!?!?! Join us for worship and our Rally Day activities on Sunday, September 11. During worship we will dedicate ourselves to this continuing process; after worship we will gather in the commons for a pot-luck so bring a dish to pass and your own dishes. During the meal your New Beginnings Leadership team will make a presentation and answer any questions you have. If you have not yet signed up for a Cottage Meeting by then, we will again offer you the chance at that time.
Recently we have been using a prayer in worship that invites us to be open to New Beginnings. There are several lines that really speak to me when I get both excited and anxious about the process ahead of us. We will use this prayer not only in worship on the 11th but at the beginning of each of our cottage meeting. Look for it again on the back page of this Sunday’s bulletin. It is the first line and last line that intrigues me the most as I think about yet another New Beginning here at Fairgreen.
The first line is – “In the gift of this day never given before, may we be open to new beginnings.” My prayer since the beginning of this process has been that “In the gift of this opportunity never given before, may we be open to new beginnings”
The last line is – “Guide us, Spirit of New Birth, that in the matter of our lives we may be bearers of hope” For me that line has become “Guide us, Spirit of New Birth, that in the matter of our lives we, as this Body of Christ, may be bearers of hope.”
Bearers of Hope! How are we the bearers of hope? Now? How will we be the bearers of hope – God’s amazing, indescribable hope – in the future? Our cottage meeting conversations are designed not so much around problem solving or correcting the past or brainstorming the future. They are designed to help us discover our passion to be God’s bearers of hope with the help of God’s Spirit of New Birth.
Blessings, Rev. Pat
“May the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,so that you may abound in Hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.“ Romans 15:13 (NRSV)
That is where we are in the process – it is time to organize our congregation into cottage meeting groups where together we can discuss the Assessment and begin to think about where we are now and where God is calling us to go. Our leaders – Pat Gibson, Fred King, Joyce Koback, Cindy Bosley-Smith and Patti Nordhoff – will each convene a six-session series of meetings. You, as friends and family of Fairgreen Church, are invited to sign up for one of these six-session series. As you can see they are to be held on a variety of days and times. Yes! We are asking each of you to come to a meeting once a week, six weeks in a row! Your session has gone so far as to cancel some regularly scheduled meetings so that people can attend. In fact, we are even waiting to start some of our fall adult educational offerings so that people will be free to attend the cottage meetings. That is just how important your input is!
Look at the schedule on the next page. Pick the cottage meeting that best fits your schedule, your location. Do not let the need for transportation keep you away. Call the office or indicate on the sign up sheet that you will need a ride and one will be arranged for you. For these meetings to be truly productive we need to have as many folks there as possible. You do not need to be a member of Fairgreen to attend. If you are interested in this church and its mission and ministry in any way, please join us for these holy conversations. We are really hoping that we will have 10-12 people in each group. The sign up sheets are near the Welcome Center. Add your name to one of the groups or give the church office a call and we will write it on the New Beginnings Signup sheet for you. We are asking that you try to attend all six meetings with the group that you sign up for but if you need to go to one of the other groups for a meeting, do not hesitate to choose another meeting group for that week.
Need more information!?!?!?! Join us for worship and our Rally Day activities on Sunday, September 11. During worship we will dedicate ourselves to this continuing process; after worship we will gather in the commons for a pot-luck so bring a dish to pass and your own dishes. During the meal your New Beginnings Leadership team will make a presentation and answer any questions you have. If you have not yet signed up for a Cottage Meeting by then, we will again offer you the chance at that time.
Recently we have been using a prayer in worship that invites us to be open to New Beginnings. There are several lines that really speak to me when I get both excited and anxious about the process ahead of us. We will use this prayer not only in worship on the 11th but at the beginning of each of our cottage meeting. Look for it again on the back page of this Sunday’s bulletin. It is the first line and last line that intrigues me the most as I think about yet another New Beginning here at Fairgreen.
The first line is – “In the gift of this day never given before, may we be open to new beginnings.” My prayer since the beginning of this process has been that “In the gift of this opportunity never given before, may we be open to new beginnings”
The last line is – “Guide us, Spirit of New Birth, that in the matter of our lives we may be bearers of hope” For me that line has become “Guide us, Spirit of New Birth, that in the matter of our lives we, as this Body of Christ, may be bearers of hope.”
Bearers of Hope! How are we the bearers of hope? Now? How will we be the bearers of hope – God’s amazing, indescribable hope – in the future? Our cottage meeting conversations are designed not so much around problem solving or correcting the past or brainstorming the future. They are designed to help us discover our passion to be God’s bearers of hope with the help of God’s Spirit of New Birth.
Blessings, Rev. Pat
“May the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,so that you may abound in Hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.“ Romans 15:13 (NRSV)
