Musings Along Lifes Way: Strengthen The Church

This Pentecost, May 27, we will be celebrating the vibrant ministry of our church. We plan on that day to affirm the gifts of all our ministers (that is everyone, as we are all followers of the Way of Love, the Way of Christ). In addition, we will celebrate those called to the ordained ministry. At our morning worship services we will be celebrating our relationship with our Minister in Training, Andrew Metcalfe. Andrew will graduate from PSR on May 20th. He will join the ranks of "former ministers in training" here at FCUCCSR. In addition, he was designated as a Minister in Covenant with our congregation. We are likely to see him around from time to time. After 10:30 worship we will continue our celebration with a picnic with Andrew and the Samoan congregation (no Santa Rosa Junior College Community this time). And after the picnic, we gather again in worship to affirm Rev. James Scherfee as our Pastor Emeritus and to welcome Rev. Dale Webb to the UCC as he becomes a Three-Way Covenant minister with our congregation. What a day! What a celebration! So yes a vibrant ministry! Yes, Strength.

This brings me to our Strengthen the Church Offering, received on May 27th. We are officially a renewing congregation in the United Church of Christ having received a grant from the National Setting and the Conference. Funds for our renewal are provided by the Strengthen the Church Offering of the UCC. I would love to see a great outpouring for this offering. The United Church of Christ, 50 years old this year, is a beacon for the Christian Church in the United States. We are an inclusive, multicultural, Open and Affirming, Christ-centered denomination. Today's world is deeply in need of a spiritual perspective such as ours. Through our gifts to Strengthen the Church, we further our commitment to be just the sort of church that we are. Though this offering is a few weeks off, I thought that I would mention it now so we could prepare.

Blessings, David