But Where Do I Fit In?

 

Dear Friends,

First, let me say “thank you” for your welcome to me as your Interim. I am especially grateful to Pastor David and staff for getting me “up to speed” with all the ministry and activity here at Lord of Life. Through the hard work of former pastors and dedicated lay folk, Lord of Life is a church with high quality worship, fellowship, outreach, and educational opportunities. It is apparent that when God planted this church here in the Woodlands, it was placed here to be a beacon of Christian witness and welcoming Christian fellowship.
 
So, as you can tell by my title, I am here in a transition time. While transitions must occur in all different parts of life, our reaction to them can be mixed. Perhaps the greatest example of mixed feelings and actions is the example of Moses leading the people of Israel through the wilderness into the promised land. But new and creative things can come in a transition time as well. For example, it was in the wilderness, that Moses learned how not to “be all things to all people” through the advice of his father-in-law Jethro and delegated some his authority to others. Perhaps the greatest “positive” story about transitions was the period between Jesus’ ascension, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Acts. Prayer was the main theme of that transition, and they even held a “business meeting” to replace Judas Iscariot. Surely, we can say that all that happened in Acts 1 was a preparation for Acts 2.
In this transition time, you might be asking, “where do I fit in?” My first response, especially when the “mechanics” of the call process kick in, in the search for a new pastor, is to pray early and often. The late Rev. Dr. Lee Miller, who was one of the bishops I served under in the Upstate New York Synod had a phrase “Pray first”. It was for a time incorporated in the synod mission statement. I know this all seems a bit obvious, for Christians to pray. But sometimes we (I included) do not make it the priority we should.
 
Secondly, once the call process unfolds, there will be opportunities to have a part in it. There will be recruitment of a six-to-eight-member call committee that reflects the spectrum of the congregation. There will be surveys to fill out (I know, more surveys.) that will help give a prospective candidate a true and accurate picture of LOL when we describe LOL on what is known as the “Mission Site Profile” form from the ELCA. There will also be another survey sent out to determine what qualities LOL will want in a new senior pastor to help the synod in suggesting names of candidates.
 
These are just the early parts in the process. There will be more parts to the process, especially for the call committee before a new senior pastor is voted on affirmatively and installed. This will all take time. But as I heard someone here once say “trust the process”. To that I would add, trust God. Or as an old hymn says, “God never did forsake in need, the soul that trusted God indeed.”
 

Your brother in Christ,

John
 
Pastor John Van Haneghen, Interim Senior Pastor


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