Dear Edwards Church Community,
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven ….”
Different people relate to church in different ways, depending on an array of factors: their prior experience, if any, in being part of a church; the size of the congregation; the style of worship; the approach to church governance; the energy directed to social justice; the degree to which “ordinary people” (and not just paid staff) are involved in caring for each other as members of the community; and other factors. All of those factors and even more influence how we experience church at a given time.
Sometimes, church can and should feel like family. We often get to know well a small group within the larger community. We might work in the kitchen together, for church events or for a community service meal. We might volunteer to greet people or help organize the refreshments on Sunday morning and end up making new friends. Over time we make new connections that deepen and, even though we may never have met that person outside of church, they become someone we care about. Like family, sometimes there are even disagreements, but we do our best to work it out. Like any healthy family, we try to communicate and grow together.
When it is really humming, church can also feel like a movement – a group of people who converge around a shared value or cause, one to which you would gladly give your time and your creative energy, even risk some of your hard-earned security. For a newly formed church, that excitement comes from starting something new and watching it take flight. For a church that has already become a mature organization, it comes from new programs or other big changes. Adam Simon’s arrival and his approach to leading music have that energy for me and others who have met and worked with him.
Church is not only an interpersonal gathering and a movement. It is also an institution. A church like ours, which has been a local institution for almost 200 years, has a history. We are blessed to have a community of caring, faithful people, a modern physical plant that is well maintained, and inherited wealth sufficient to protect us (and to sink us if we rely too much on it).
We are also blessed with leaders who appreciate all the dimensions of being church together. They know that appropriate attention to the institutional dimension will serve the long-term health of the interpersonal and movement dimensions. Toward that end, a team consisting of Laura Frogameni, Jeff Prince, and Janet Tucker will be developing proposed amendments to our bylaws for your consideration at the annual meeting in January. Those amendments will, at a minimum, seek to incorporate what we have learned from experience with the new way of organizing lay leadership in our church, approved as a pilot project in January 2020 and reauthorized each year since.
We have been through a difficult three years. Everyone in the world endured the pandemic. Depending on your circumstances, it has been at least scary, if not traumatic. We, as a church, also endured the added stress of controversy surrounding the dismissal of a long serving, well liked employee. Lingering feelings from those challenges can obscure the good news. Although we have experienced some of the same losses as many mainline churches from the pandemic, and we lost 10-15 members due to controversy, we are still here, still devoted to following the leading of the Spirit and midwifing the unfolding kin-dom of God.
Our people care for and about each other. We respond to the needs in our community and the demands of justice near and far. We are in touch with the people and other institutions around us. Our Sunday service continues to feed our spirits and attract return visitors. In short, we are in good shape, all things considered, and looking forward to new growth. I’m glad to be part of it and even happier that you are!
In faith, with hope, for love,
Michael
From the Minister of Faith Formation
Dear Beloved of God,
“One generation commends your works to another,
they tell of your mighty acts.
They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty-
and I will meditate on your wonderful works.
They tell of the power of your awesome works-
and I will proclaim your great deeds.
They celebrate your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your righteousness.”
Psalm 145: 5-7 (NIV)
Nicholas Wolterstorff in his book Until Justice and Peace Embrace, defines shalom as “the human being dwelling at peace in all his or her relationships: with God, with self, with fellow, with nature.” Fleshing this out for his readers, Wolterstorff goes on to say “shalom incorporates right, harmonious relationships to God and delight in God’s service; right, harmonious relationships to other human beings and delight in human community; right, harmonious relationships to nature and delight in our physical surroundings.”
Paul Hammer writes that as a biblical term “shalom stands with other major biblical terms such as justice, truth, love, righteousness, and salvation. In fact, we cannot understand shalom without them.”
So, began the introduction to a final paper/project for a directed study I was engaged in at then Andover Newton Theological Seminary. It was titled – perhaps not surprising to some of you -Educating for Shalom. The words and concepts of both authors and multiple others, as well as the significant biblical mandate of shalom in the Hebrew and Christian scriptures were helpful in forming my personal working definition of shalom – a quality of life resulting in a transformation of the way people live and relate to God, to one another, to self, and creation.
The word salem in the Hebrew scriptures is used to express the concept of peace. A derivative salem, salom, literally translated means to be safe, uninjured, whole or sound. In Zechariah 8:16-17 salom is joined with mispat (justice). In Micah 6:8 we read that God’s people are to “do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God.” This is life long work requiring practice and intentionality.
Our Vision Statement (2015) appearing on the walls in our sanctuary and our Values Statement (2015) each speak in some way to the concept of shalom as does our new Welcoming Statement (2023) and to be sure there are ways we live it out. I have been wondering about how we might practice shalom, and living out Micah 6:8 intergenerationally, so….
When Church School resumes on September 10, those present will be introduced to the concept of shalom and Micah 6:8. We will spend time in the following weeks envisioning ways to live it out in our lives, with one another, with God, and with creation. In the Psalm referenced above, the author speaks of one generation commending to another in action verbs tell, proclaim, celebrate, sing the mighty acts, the glorious splendor, great deeds, abundant goodness and righteousness of God. As always, it would be wonderful to have some adults join us in our exploration. Our life long faith journeys will be richer for it. Please let me know if you would like to be part of this.
Youth Group – open to all in Grades 6-12 – will resume on September 10 at 11:30 in Addis Hall. Parents and younger siblings are invited. I am thrilled to share that Ella Stocker will be joining in the leadership of this group! During our time together, we will share a meal and do some planning through December. Some things to think about in advance: the timing of our gatherings, your hopes for the group, meeting with other youth groups and anything else on your mind.
On another note, in the July issue of Sojourners, colleague Debbie Gline Allen and the SNEUCC’s minister for faith formation was quoted along with two others in an article titled The Case for Ending Children’s Church, by Bekah McNeel. While you have heard me express much of the same, I thought I would share the link to the article. As always, I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas: https://sojo.net/articles/case-ending-children-s-church.
Blessings and Shalom,
Deb
1) Wolterstoff, Nicholas, Until Justice and Peace Embrace, (Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1983), 69.
2) Ibid.,70.
3) Hammer, Paul, The Gift of Shalom. (Philadelphia: United Church Press, 1976), 12.
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