United Ministry of Delhi

A WORD FROM THE PASTOR….. “…I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.  Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.  Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace,  there is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. “(Ephesians 4:1b-6 New International Version)

Dear Friends in Christ, 

I hope that you are each well and are enjoying the continued unfolding of the season.  We have had cold days, cloudy days, hot days, downpours and drizzle, even reports of snow in the northeast within the past week as spring continues to “spring” surprises on us!  Still, it’s wonderful to watch the earth wake up and stretch after winter and to see the hills come to life with a million shades of green leaves, flowers blossom, birds care for eggs and babies in the nest, as we prepare for the coming summer.  What a wonderful reminder that God created everything within a system and a structure where each piece knows its part and creates and recreates within that great design.  It would never work if the system broke down.  Imagine if the daffodils opened last and the birds laid eggs and hatched their young before the plants blossomed and insects arrived!  Nothing would work out well without the system in place that allows one thing to lead to the next and then the next….

I was thinking of this as I reflect on my arrival at the United Ministry of Delhi in the fall of 2019.  My purpose when I arrived was to help to work with you through a time of brokenness and hurt that followed the departure of my predecessor.  I don’t want to revisit all of that with you now because I believe we have come a long way since that time – even with the complications brought on by COVID and social distancing.  In fact, for me as a pastor, it was actually a bit helpful to have things nearly come to a full stop in terms of meetings and worshipping at the church.  Why?  Because it was easier for me to discover the strengths and the weaknesses of the church and the congregation while focusing with you on administration and ministries.  One thing I learned was that though the congregation isn’t large, there had been a breakdown of communication and shared information.  This is normal in most churches, especially those congregations where things have been pretty much the same for a long period of time.  People can operate in “silos” as they do what they do without telling others the why, the how, and the what.  This can be equally true with staff and with those in volunteer positions.  The climate, though, can easily become negative because while things are getting done, systems and structures aren’t in place.  Then, when something goes wrong – a miscommunication, hurt feelings, a misunderstanding of some kind – conflict usually follows.  

Let me share this illustration.  My brother and his wife have been members of their church in Evansville, Indiana for many years.  They started attending while they were in college and once they settled in Evansville, where they raised their family, they continued to attend that church.  It has been nearly 60 years since they first began to worship there; my brother has chaired the trustees for at least 30 of those years and my sister-in-law started the Parish Nurse Ministry that still exists to this day.  About 15 years ago my sister-in-law was the designated chair for a large social event that involved all or nearly all of the congregation.  I think it might have been part of their stewardship/giving program that year.  She made all the plans, had her committee lined up, and went to the church on the day they were to begin working, only to find that she was locked out of the kitchen – and no one knew where to find a key!  There was a huge kerfuffle over this as the work was delayed and the plans began to unravel.  People were angry.  Feelings were hurt.  And as things settled down, new decisions were made, as keys were made available to all the leaders in the church – and – eventually, the kitchen was simply left open for ongoing use.  The problem?  Lack of communication and operating in silos (there was a key in a “special place” but the information sharing didn’t happen).  Systems and structures allow the safety needed for ministry to take place openly and in healthy ways.  This is just one example of how complicated things can be when there are silos operating in the church and not everyone is included or this is a lack of transparency.  

During my time with you, we have been working hard to keep updates and information current and transparent.  The Weekly Update, timely announcements, openness on the boards and committees, inclusion at Church Council from Ministry Leaders and the Playschool chairperson and director, have all been ways we have increased the level of communication in order to keep good operating systems in place.  Yes, we have had to change some things and it certainly has meant a lot of adapting during the past year, due to Covid, but I believe communication is improving and the silos where staff and laity were operating have been removed – or at least reduced.  Since openness is essential to the vibrant health of this church and every church, I hope that you will continue to use systems and structures that allow things to blossom and bloom in their season, as guided by the Holy Spirit AND that you will be watchful in maintaining good communication, transparency and dismantling any silos you discover in the days and years ahead.  

Paul wrote to the Ephesians, a community of believers in the early church, reminding them of the necessity of being open, inclusive and transparent with one another. He said, that peace would prevail when things operate with an open and loving spirit, under the direction of Christ.    When everyone feels that they are respected and included as part of what’s going on – the Spirit can guide and lead – and wonderful things happen!   

As we focus on what the church will be as we continue to come out of the pandemic and as you prepare to welcome your new pastor in July, I invite you to join together in daily prayer at 8 am and/or 8 pm as we seek to deepen our relationship with God through systems that lead to Fruitfulness and Excellence in Ministry   AND  be sure to join with me in reading the book, Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations, by Robert Schnase (available online – or through the church office where we have pre-ordered a few copies). Fruitfulness and Excellence is one of the chapters in the book.    A group discussion will be offered from 7-8:30 pm on June 14^th and June 23^rd.  Be sure to register online or by calling the church office.  I’m looking forward to wonderful blessings for us all!

In the meantime, stay in love with God through prayer and remember, you are in my prayers…. I love you and I need you to survive!

Peace,

Pastor Betsy 

A WORD FROM THE PASTOR….. “Then Jesus said to his host, ‘When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters’ your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid.  But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed.  Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.’’’  (Luke 14:12-14 American Standard Version)

Dear Friends in Christ,  

I hope that you are each safe and well these days and that you’re continuing to enjoy this beautiful spring season!  This past week I was delighted to find the wisteria blossoming at my “family home” in Franklin!  It’s been years since it bloomed and I guess that having the root “cracked” last fall did the trick.  I’m really enjoying the “welcome of those flowers every time I stop by to check on the house.  Those blooms are reminding me of how important welcoming is and how much I, like you, have missed those times of visiting or hosting friends and family during the social distancing of the pandemic.  I admit, that my skill set seems a bit “off” as I try to adjust to new realities – do I wear a mask, or not? – how close should we sit together? – is food to be offered or is it better not to?  There is just so much to think about as I long for the relaxed and easy-going days when there was less to worry about.  

I recall being in Israel some years ago and how, everywhere you went, at the doorway of hotels, restaurants, and homes, there was always a tray at the entrance-way with small glasses of some kind of refreshing juice.  Traveling in the middle-east, even today on buses, is hot and dusty.  While I was there, a sandstorm was blowing fine, talcum powder-sized particles of sand from the Sahara and they dried your skin, settled into your hair and made you incredibly thirsty.  Those little glasses of juice were a way for your host to express kindness and caring for the visitor – customer or friend – as they entered their space.  In our own part of the world it’s pretty common to offer a guest or visitor some kind of beverage – water, juice, soda, tea or coffee (I have drunk about a million cups of coffee during visits over the years as a pastor!)  And when the visit is expected to be longer or carries some kind of special significance, food is offered.  I had a friend who never let you visit without offering ice cream and who was deeply confused and disappointed if you declined.  He would often say, “Who turns down ice cream?”  Another story that sticks in my memory is of a family where the son went off to college and found a job in a city far from home.  There he met the woman he intended to marry and like most young couples, they made their trips to each family for the “introductions” before the wedding.  The young man’s family wanted to do their best at offering this special woman a warm welcome so they asked their son, “What is her favorite food?”  Assuming perhaps, pasta or maybe steak, they were surprised to hear that she loved lobster.  Though lobster wasn’t a food they ate or served in their home, they made the effort to put together a traditional lobster dinner for the “meet and greet” with their son’s future wife.  Over the following years, it was a warm and happy memory for them all as they felt they had truly done all they could to welcome her and she felt deeply loved and cared for by the family she became part of through marriage.  

Often, in church, we believe we’re being welcoming.  In fact, I have never talked with anyone from a church who doesn’t tell me, “We’re a friendly church.”  In fact, right along with that statement, usually comes this one, “We’re like a family.”  And I get it.  As a minister’s kid, I grew up in the church and I know that statement is intended to sound hospitable, but the truth is that not every family is welcoming.  In fact, some families are down-right hostile, though often in subtle ways.  Most often, it boils down to treating visitors and guests in ways that say – you can be in our house but you’ll never be one of us – or you have to earn your way into our family by being just like us – or you’ll never really understand what it’s like to be in “our” family.  In these cases, guests never make it beyond the doorway, even if they come all the way in for a while.  These are the church visitors who come – and go.  And sometimes, it’s church people who’ve been around for years who walk away because the church just isn’t offering them what they need.  And what do people need?  Radical hospitality – like juice at the doorway, or even going so far as to offer what amounts to a lobster dinner in church terms.  It means putting aside our “family” preferences, likes and dislikes, and doing whatever we can to bring others into relationship with the God we love and serve – by making our relationship with them our priority.  

As I recall searching for a church where my young son could be confirmed, I remember visiting churches in several towns in my area.  My son wanted to be confirmed as a Methodist and the Methodist church in our town had closed years before.  So we went from place to place and again and again we did not feel “at home”.  In one place not a single person spoke to me except the pastor.  At another place people said “hello” but then went over to their friends and sat or talked with them for the entire coffee hour, leaving us to stand alone.  It took a while but we did find a church with “radical welcome” and the follow through that showed how they cared for visitors.  On the first Sunday we were greeted, walked to a seat, introduced to leaders of programs we might be interested in.  That week there was a follow up call – not from the pastor – but from a lay person, inviting us back again and asking if there was anything we might need to feel welcome. At that church we got the “cup of juice” and the “lobster dinner”!  Radical hospitality is more than offering a “hello” – it’s putting ourselves “out” to bring the visitor “in”.  

As we focus on what the church will be as come out of the pandemic and as you prepare to welcome your new pastor in July, I invite you to join together in daily prayer at 8 am and/or 8 pm as we seek to deepen our relationship with God through radical hospitality   AND  to join with me in reading the book, Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations, by Robert Schnase (available online – or through the church office where we have pre-ordered a few copies). Radical Hospitality is one of the Five Practices that Schnase writes about.    A group discussion of the book will be offered in early June with a major focus on: Passionate Worship (chapter three) and Fruitfulness & Excellence (chapter seven).  Please register online or by calling the church office – a separate informational announcement will be sent this week.  I’m looking forward to wonderful blessings for us all!

In the meantime, stay in love with God through prayer and remember, you are in my prayers…. I love you and I need you to survive!

Peace,

Pastor Betsy

A WORD FROM THE PASTOR….. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

Dear Friends in Christ,  

I hope that you are each safe and well these days and that you’re enjoying this slowly emerging spring!  I think the cool weather has kept things from moving too fast so that we can enjoy the flowers and budding trees at a leisurely pace.  I know that we are all looking forward to warm and sunny days, but for now, I am trying to remain grateful for the blessings this season offers.  Somehow, I think a slowly paced spring brings us a special gift as we are also slowly emerging from the isolation and social distancing of the long months of the pandemic.  One thing I know for sure is that with God in charge, everything is done perfectly and at the perfect time!

Lately, I’ve been reflecting on my years of active ministry and all the many opportunities I’ve had to learn and grow, with God’s help and guidance.  One interesting point I’ve been thinking about involved a program called, Natural Church Development, which the NY Annual Conference began to use in the early 2000’s.  The process involves surveying the local congregation to identify where the congregation’s strengths and weaknesses are in the following eight criteria:  Empowering Leadership, Gift-Based Ministry, Passionate Spirituality, Effective Structures, Inspiring Worship Services, Holistic Small Groups, Need -Oriented Evangelism, and Loving Relationships.  These eight “characteristics” are essential to healthy and vital churches and the program challenges churches to build up their weakest “gift”.   Interestingly, the weakest area of focus in nearly every church surveyed at that time was in “Passionate Spirituality” followed closely by “Inspiring Worship”.  Truthfully, it was my hope to work with you all in coming months and to take a Natural Church Development journey of discovery with you.  However, God had another plan and there isn’t time for us to complete that process now that I am re-retiring in July when you will welcome your new pastor.  So, instead, I’m focusing with you on what is often the weakest link for most churches – passionate spirituality.  Honestly, even if that’s not the weakest link at UMD, it is such an important part of our Christian discipleship that we can always benefit from focusing our energies in deepening our spiritual gifts and relationship with God.  

So, the next question is – how do we do that?  And the answer is, of course,- through prayer.  Prayer is the way to deepen our relationship with God, to strengthen our faith and to enter into a more loving relationship with our Creator and with one another.  In fact, this morning one of my email feeds had this message, “Love isn’t a state of perfect caring.  It is an active noun like ‘struggle’.”  This nugget of wisdom comes from Fred Rogers, of television fame, who was also an ordained Presbyterian minister.  “Mr. Rogers”, as he was known to many children, was a dedicated and life-long “pray-er” who exemplified the power of prayer in everything he did.  T. 

The fact is that without passionate spirituality, everything else we would do as Christians eventually fades away and falls flat because it is through prayer that we receive the gift(s) we most need to stay strong in the faith – loving and companionable relationship with God!  I am convinced that with dedication to prayer all the challenges we face in our lives and in our church and in our community will be overcome – and I would like to ask you to join me in dedicating ourselves to the following:

Daily prayer at 8 am and/or 8 pm as we seek a deeper, passionately loving relationship with God  AND  joining with me to read the book, Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations, by Robert Schnase (available online – or through the church office where we have pre-ordered a few copies).  A group discussion of the book will be offered in early June with a major focus on: Passionate Worship (chapter three) and Fruitfulness & Excellence (chapter seven).  Please register online or by calling the church office – a separate informational announcement will be sent this week.  I’m looking forward to wonderful blessings for us all!

In the meantime, stay in love with God and remember, you are in my prayers…. I love you and I need you to survive!

Peace,

Pastor Betsy

A WORD FROM THE PASTOR….. When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments and with trumpets, and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their places to praise the Lord, as prescribed by David king of Israel.  With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord: “He is good; his love toward Israel endures forever.”  And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.  But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy.  No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise.  And the sound was heard far away.   (Ezra 3:10-13)

Dear Friends in Christ,  

Well it’s been a wild weather week here on the hillside as April let us know there is still some “winter” left before we fully arrive in the spring season!  I hope you’ve stayed safe and enjoyed the seasonal “show”!

I had a chance to catch up with some friends and family this week and it was a real pleasure to get out and socialize once again.  Then when I was around and about I saw a neighbor on the street where my mom lived for many years.  He’s a contractor and, right now, is so busy with renovations and builds that he’s working six days a week (and sometimes more).  He told me what the news has been reporting which is, as people are now working remotely from home, they want a home that is functional in ways they never considered before – with office space, living space and cooking/eating spaces upgraded to fit with their new priorities.   He also said that he’s having to adapt and adjust his working models as he talks with architects and designers about new plans, options and ways of making functional but livable homes for now and the newly emerging future.  

After that conversation, I began to think about our Covid-time changes and what the Bible has to tell us about adjustments people made to changes in the past, as I recalled that after the 70-year exile in Babylon, the people returned to Israel only to find their country was in ruins.  The magnificent Temple of Jerusalem, built by Solomon of cedar with golden inlay was razed by Nebuchadnezzar’s armies.  The Book of Ezra and Nehemiah tell of the rebuilding of the city and Temple, but also the rebuilding of the way of life of the Jewish people.  In other words, to put it simply – things had changed – and everything had to be looked at through a fresh lens.  As the rebuilding began, some things were restored, some were replaced, some were done away with all together, and some new ways of living and being were added.  And, as in any time of change, there were mixed feelings and emotions as those who remembered the past grieved what was lost and judged the new to be “less” than what they’d once had, while others celebrated the new with great joy.  (see above)   

I think of this as I reflect on what we face as we emerge from the “captivity” of social isolation caused by Covid.  We are slowly returning to our familiar places, seeing people we have missed for so many months, and looking forward to resuming our usual activities.  But the truth is we won’t be the same and we aren’t “returning” to what once was.  We are entering into a new time where there will keep some things that are familiar and add some new things that we will adjust to.  As we “rebuild” our church community, we will re-enter our familiar building and resume worship in the same pews we sat in a year ago, but we will also be rebuilding programs that have been dormant for that time as we reassess their continuation in present realities.   Some things will be revived while others will be left behind as new programs and ministries develop because of the changing times and our new perspective on what it means to be in ministry in the here and now.  It’s an exciting time, friends, and God has chosen us and entrusted us with the opportunity to rebuild our church and community – and our lives – with renewed focus and purpose.  I look forward to seeing the new “city and temple” that will come!  In the meantime, stay strong and well, keep the faith, remain grateful and experience the love, peace, joy and hope that God gives us each day!

You remain in my prayers….and remember, I love you and I need you to survive!

Peace,

Pastor Betsy

CHURCH REOPENING:

We plan to resume worship Sunday, May 2nd, 10:30 am.  We will open doors and windows for fresh air flow through the sanctuary.  We will still wear masks, maintain social distancing, and keep a record of those attending in case notification is needed should anyone present be infected with COVID.  The service will be available every week on line and recorded for remote viewing during the week.  If you need a DVD, please contact the office and a copy will be available for you on the Monday following the Sunday worship service!

HAPPY EASTER!

Forget the former things, do not dwell on the past.  See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? (Isaiah 43:10 New International Version)

Dear Friends in Christ,
I greet you in the glorious name of Jesus Christ who has opened the doorway to the life eternal for us as he conquered sin on the cross and death through his glorious resurrection!

I think of bamboo as a quick growing plant that can overrun areas where it is planted as it spreads.  This may be true for the bamboo that grows around here, but there is a type of Chinese bamboo that takes a long time and a lot of patience to grow.  In fact, this type of bamboo must be planted carefully and watered/tended daily for five years with no sign of growth, at all!  Five years of waiting with no results, but then, in the fifth year, the plant sends up a shoot that will grow ninety feet tall in just five weeks! WOW!  

I think of this as I reflect on the Easter story.  Yesterday was the joyful celebration of Easter and Christ’s triumph over suffering and death and now, we begin the fifty days of the Easter Season, which concludes with Pentecost. During these days we remember the first disciples who experienced the resurrection, but who didn’t really understand what had happened and who, like the Chinese bamboo, were in a time of waiting for their own blossoming and the fulfillment of God’s plan in their lives at Pentecost.  That “awakening” is like the shoot of the bamboo which, after all the watering and tending, shoots and grows tall with astounding speed!   As you know, God repeats this same cycle in our lives again and again!  We, too, are in that time between Easter and Pentecost, a time of waiting and nurturing ourselves in preparation for the new growth that is in God’s plan for our lives.

In fact, there are a lot of new things coming to the United Ministry and this time gives us an opportunity to do many “new” things (and to return to some things that we once did in new ways).  I anticipate opening our church for worship services in the next few weeks (pray for warm weather!).  We will resume in person meetings, gatherings and small groups very soon.  AND we are preparing to receive a new pastor, effective July 1, 2021!  So, during these coming days, I invite you to join with the Church Council in setting aside time each day for prayer and devotions.  The Council is taking this journey to “water” their spirits and to get ready for the burst of new growth that is coming!  Won’t you join in this prayer journey with us as we strengthen ourselves, our relationship with God, and our connections with one another – so that when the big growth “push” arrives – we are strong, able and spiritually ready? Feel free to pray at any time during the day that fits your schedule – or at 8 am and/or 8 pm.  Remember to pray for the church, for new beginnings in ministry, for your new pastor and the churches she is leaving – and for your interim as I prepare to re-retire!

Behold!  God has done wonderful things for us – and new things are on the way!  Let’s be ready to grow!

May your Happy Easter blessings continue – each and every day!

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Betsy Ott

Dear Friends in Christ,  

I hope that you each well and safe as we come to the last few days of March and enter Holy Week. Before Easter.  March has had a few surprises for us but with April almost here, the grass is greening, trees are budding, birds sing in the morning and we can have a new outlook on life as more of us receive our Covid vaccinations!  Thanks be to God!

Recently, a friend asked me why Easter changes from month to month and is on a different day, depending on the year.  It gave me pause to think as I recalled that there is no set day for Easter as there is for Christmas because Easter is determined by the lunar calendar since it is linked directly with the Celebration of Passover.  The Passover date was set when the Hebrew people fled Egypt, on the date given to them by God to Moses (Exodus 12) as the 15th day of Nisan.  Nisan is the first month of the Jewish religious calendar and the 7th month of the Jewish civil year, which begins with Rosh Hashanah.  Since the Jewish calendar is lunar, Passover always falls at the time of the full moon and, as a result, Easter is always in the same week.  Jesus, we remember, was in Jerusalem for the Passover Celebration when he was arrested and crucified.  

Thinking about this has me reflecting on the old saying, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”  It has been nearly 2,000 years since Jesus met in the Upper Room with his disciples, shared a meal with them, washed their feet and fed them traditional bread and wine in a new way that expressed love and forgiveness.  It is hard to imagine the layers and layers of time and of Passovers and Easters celebrated across that span of time!  Things have changed.  Cultures and nations have risen…and fallen.  Fashion has come and gone like the flowers that blossoms and fade.  Winters and springs have become summers and falls – again and again and again.  Yet, in the constancy of God the world has been made new each day!  We humans generate 300 billion new cells, on average, each and every day!  What a fine way to recognize how God makes us and all creation new – over and over again.  Yet, with the constancy of God, the moon has shined full and bright on every Passover (and also during Easter week) since that first Passover in Egypt about 3,000 years ago.  

“For every time there is a season and a purpose to every matter under heaven.” Is the scripture that was on the Weekly Update as we began this Lenten Season.  Clearly, there is a weaving that God does between eternity and our human reality within the framework of time.  Some things we see and know and easily recognize.  Others things are known by God and revealed to us at the “appropriate time”.  I would say that hearing about the appointment of a new pastor, Rev. Cathy Schuyler, to the United Ministry of Delhi, effective July 1, 2021, fall into the category of being something God has known and we receive at the “perfect” time.  I want you to know that I am very excited about this pastoral appointment and have hope that it will bring new and opportunities to the congregation, the community – and to Rev. Schuyler.  To God be the glory!  As things move forward, we will all hear more about your new pastor and will begin planning ways to welcome and receive her.  However, the second passage at the start of this article gives us direction for what we are to do, right now:  “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”  I suggest that this is the time for each of us (all of us) to focus in on prayer.  When life got tough in Jesus’ ministry, we find that he retreated to pray and to reconnect with God.  This is so very important for us, always, but especially now, during this new transition time.  Please do pray for Pastor Cathy, for the churches she is leaving, and for your ministry together in the coming years.  And, please know that I also appreciate your prayers, as I “re-retire”.  

Remember, the more things change – the more they stay the same.  Yes, you will be adjusting to a new leader who brings new ideas and new, positive energy to the ministry she will do with you in Delhi.  There will be new things to learn and to experience.  But the God who set the timing for all things at the beginning and who keeps the seasons turning, places within us the ability to generate and re-generate new cells each and every day, and who placed Passover and Easter under the “full moon” – has got this!  There is the steadiness of God’s hand on life’s “steering wheel”,  and all will be well.  To God be the glory!  

In the meantime, stay safe!  You remain in my prayers….and remember, I love you and I need you to survive!

Peace,    

Pastor Betsy 

A WORD FROM THE PASTOR…..But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.  They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.  It does not fear when heat comes, its leaves are always green.  It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.   (Jeremiah 17:7-8)

Dear Friends in Christ,

Happy Spring!  As I write to you this week, the sun is shining, the cloudless sky is brilliant blue, the last patches of icy snow are melting and the stream near my house is noisily rushing along, its water topped with white caps, as it races over the larger rocks and stones.  This morning I looked out to see deer grazing on the fresh green patches in the yard and noticed that there are buds on the apple and cherry trees that were planted last fall.  The earth is warming and the water is flowing up from the frozen ground as new life emerges again. 

All this new energy around the changing season has me thinking about the possibility that there are new ways to look at the challenges of the pandemic.  We’ve been focused on how difficult the time is and how much we miss doing things the way we used to do them – but what if there are positive changes that came about through the pandemic?  What are the signs of new life, new beginning and new possibilities as we begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel and look forward to a return to some of our longed-for pre-Covid pleasures?  

Well, it’s interesting because people who study these things can already see some positive changes and new opportunities that are the result of the pandemic.  Here are a few for our consideration:

1. There is a new focus on genuine connections, relationships and family.  Focusing on only a few relationships has deepened their bonds.   Families are finding a new for more genuine connections. 
2. Corporations are being challenged to demonstrate a commitment to excellence in how they care for customers, employees, communities, and the environment.    
3. General hygiene has improved and people are more courteous (generally) about staying away from others when they are sick (not just with Covid).  
4. There have been innovations in tools and software that will benefit businesses, schools and homes.  Remote work has become easier and mainstream (not just for the very wealthy anymore).
5. Living peacefully together in a global network is a new priority for many, as we recognize how closely interconnected we are in a “smaller” global community.  
6. Reimagined education, especially college and advanced programs, have become more readily accessible, more affordable and digitized. 
7.  GRATITUDE!  There is a deepened awareness of how fragile life is and how important it is to be grateful for all of life’s blessings and joys – especially the “simple” things that are easy to take for granted.   

As I think of the tree planted by the water image from the Book of Jeremiah (see above) and how the water must bubble up out of the frozen ground to bring new life to the plants and trees in springtime, I find I’m thinking, too, about the frozen time of the pandemic and the “winter of challenge” it brought.  How wonderful to see how that time has been “watered” and “nurtured” by God so that out of that hard, cold ground, drought stricken lives are blooming with new life and new possibilities.  What a wonderful reminder to us that for those who are planted by the waters of God’s nurturing spirit, there is nothing to fear – not winters’ cold or summer’s drought.  We will survive and thrive because of God’s care! 

In the meantime, stay safe!  You remain in my prayers….and remember, I love you and I need you to survive!

Peace,

Pastor Betsy 

A WORD FROM THE PASTOR….. “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”  (Joshua 1:9)

Dear Friends in Christ,  

I pray that you are each well on this cold but beautiful March day.  The temperatures here on the hill are still below 20 degrees, but the sky is clear, cloudless blue.  The forecast is for temperatures near 60 degrees later this week!  Of course, that warm weather will introduce mud season and my dirt road will become a sticky, slippery mess, but it’s how the seasons shift and turn the earth over in springtime.  Best of all, even though we might have some more snowstorms, we know that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel!  

Speaking of “lights at the end of tunnels”, I’m wondering if most of us (in the designated groups, at least) have received our Covid-19 vaccination?  I’ve heard that some of us have completed the requirements, some are scheduled but waiting for their appointment, and others are still trying to get into the system.  I’m scheduled to go this week and am hoping for the one-shot option (though I’ll be fine with going back for the second shot if I don’t).  As I talk with friends, family members and with some of you, I sense a shift taking place as people begin to look forward to a release from the isolation and uncertainty we’ve all been experiencing through this long season of the pandemic.  I’m also hearing uncertainty and questions about what this will mean for us.  I know that we all hope to be able to see family and friends, to travel, to eat out and enjoy doing things we did “before”, but we are also hearing that we will need to continue to wear masks and remain socially distanced in public, while staying within small groups when unmasked.  It seems that the experts are concerned about the new strains of the virus that are vaccine resistant and spread easily.  And the fact is that after being so very careful of what we touch, where we go, who we see, and how we cover our faces to protect ourselves and others – it will be a big shift for all of us to return to “normal.”  In reality that “old normal” will probably never return – or will take longer to come back than we thought when we first heard about the vaccines.  We are still adjusting and readjusting to the new normal – as we try to figure out what new thing lies ahead.  There are reports out about new levels of anxiety about this reopening process.   I just read that some people are experiencing panic attacks and social anxiety – even as they can begin to resume some social engagement – because of fear of touching, contamination, new viruses, and other deep worries.  I wonder if we, too, will find that it isn’t as easy for us to relax our vigilance and enjoy some of the social freedoms we have longed for?    

The line of scripture from Joshua (see above) is very early in the biblical account of the entrance to the Promised Land.  After their generations of slavery and oppression in Egypt, and the forty-year sojourn through the desert, at last the people of Israel were in the land of milk and honey!  All that they had been promised and had hoped for was theirs!  Only, if you read this passage or go back to read this part of the Book of Joshua, you will find that things weren’t as easy as they thought they would be.  They had to fight with the people who had been living there as they “reclaimed” the lands that had belonged to their ancestors.  Then, they had to rebuild their lives, make new homes, establish communities, work out family problems, feed and clothe themselves, and on….and on….and on.  Isn’t that just like life?  To promise a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is yours – if you can get it!  And that’s how it was for the Children of Israel – here’s the Promised Land – it’s yours if you can face the challenges and do what it takes to adapt to your new reality.  I think this is how it will be for us as we face the new reality of a post-vaccine, Covid world.  We will still need to reclaim our abandoned activities – in new ways.  We will need to find ways to build community and reconnect with friends and family.  We will have to figure out how we will creatively feed our spirits and our needs for social connections, as we continue to accept the need to take necessary precautions.  

Still, the good news is right in this verse from the scriptures where it clearly says, we are not to be afraid or discouraged.  Why?  Well, aren’t we the people of the resurrection who live daily with the promise that God is always with us – no matter what we are facing? – This is why we have hope that whatever comes our way, we can face it and live through it to the dawn of the new day!  Good news!  Spring is coming.  The clocks are springing ahead (this week)!  Hope is in the air.  God is always with us – what do we have to fear?  

In the meantime, stay safe!  You remain in my prayers….and remember, I love you and I need you to survive!

Peace,

Pastor Betsy

Pastor’s Office hours this week:  Worship Planning at home.  See meeting and other scheduled events below.

Thursday (this week) recording session for Sunday worship.

WEEKLY CALENDAR OF EVENTS  

Monday 3/8 4:30 pm – Food Insecurity Ministry planning meeting (zoom)

Monday 3/8 7:00 pm – Financial forecast meeting (zoom)

Tuesday 3/9  6:00 pm – Trustees (at church/face masks and social distancing required)

Thursday 3/11 – Recording for weekly service/office hours