From the General Presbyter

“We Is The New Me” (from the movie Khakee: The Bihal Chapter)

So how was it? Christmastime worship, I mean. Did folks come back on Christmas Eve? Was the sanctuary fuller? What about Christmas Day? Did your “friends at home” as my yoga teacher would say, experience the celebration of the birth of Jesus?

Now 2023 is here and I am giving you two choices! First choice: start worrying, blaming, scrambling, and fretting over attendance, programs, youth and/or budget. Or, second choice: start planning, shaping, praying, communicating and connecting! Connecting? Yes, not only with your online community but with your fellow/sister congregations. Believe it or not, many churches in this Presbytery, large, medium or small and across the country are experiencing the exact same shift. Attendance is low and pastors are stressed.

The good news is that you are not alone. Think of this as a shared experience. In other words, “We is the new Me!” The “answer” lies in our collective intelligence and imagination. How and where can you collaborate with other congregations? Youth group? Community mission projects? Pulpit exchanges? Bible study? Even inviting a colleague to lunch can calm your nerves and perhaps get ideas for this year.

In 2023, we are going to expand our ministries inside and out. We are going to wait with hope and excitement for what God will show us. We will walk by faith and by sight because God is working in our midst, even now, still…

Happy New Year!

– Jackie