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This year has been both eventful and fruitful in the life of
FRCRH. We saw revitalization continue in the spiritual, physical and emotional
life or our church. I
am continually amazed at the congregation’s willingness to follow God’s
lead; to walk forward in faith even when others would sit still in complacency.
Here
are some highlights and specific areas where we have traveled together this year:
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Theological Reflection This is the second year intentionally focused on theological reflection; seeing God in everyday
things, (music, art, media, movies) situations
and relationships. We have continued using a muti-sensory and interactive worship format; often integrating various forms of media/technology in creative ways in order to encourage theological
reflection and facilitate life application of the message. Worship services are designed with a single theme in mind; the hope being that attendees can leave the church saying, "that's what I
learned today." Theological reflection was also in the forefront in theme based services such as Rock, Jazz, Country and Folk Sundays. We also held a Foreign Film Festival during the summer
months to discuss theological themes in movies. This will be a recurring theme in the life of our church, as we should always be on the lookout for the movement of the Holy Spirit in our lives
and in our world.
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Acceptance We began the fiscal year discussing (in
worship and in Consistory) what it means to be a "Walls Down, Arms
Open" type of church. We allowed ourselves to dream about what it might
look like for people to come into our church and feel welcomed and accepted
unconditionally; to receive a message both from the pulpit and the people, that
God loves without stipulation, and so do God's people. At the same time, The
Bible Study classes were studying Romans, learning from a scriptural perspective
how the earliest churches understood God to be a God of love and acceptance; how
Paul entreated them to do the same for one another.
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Spiritual Youth We heard testimonies from our newest
Confirmation Class Graduates, demonstrating the spiritual awakening and growth
that had taken place in their young lives. Later in the year those same
confirmands would participate often in worship, sometimes with great poignancy
and tenderness. The groups attended a spirituality retread mid-winter, and have
continued to attend youth group meetings, Sunday School, and are seeking to grow
deeper with their relationship with the Lord. The Plunge
Youth Group has been joined by several members of the Blawenburg Youth, and have
formed a cohesive group. Annie, our youth minister, successfully integrated the
groups hosting events, outings and get-togethers. We were so fortunate to have
her among us. She will be greatly missed as our youth pastor.
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Summer Series/Connection We traveled though the summer
discussing the parables; gathering new insights and a better understanding of
God's love for us in the stories of Jesus. We learned through drama, role
playing and other creative avenues during this series. We enjoyed celebrating
our connectedness as a people of God and other RCA churches in August with
combined worship services, and also with the Children's Choir form St. Paul's
Catholic Church.
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Healing and Reconciliation Although this is also
a recurrent theme in preaching, teaching, leadership and group meetings, through
this fall and in the season of Advent, we dug a bit deeper into ourselves to see
how we can live out the ministry of healing and reconciliation God has given to
each of us. A lot of personal work was done by individuals in the area of
reconciliation (sometimes painfully) but always in the spirit that
"God is calling us to heal relationships." We leaned (and in some
cases implemented) strategies to avoid gossip and mudslinging. We focused on the
pitfalls of comparing ourselves to one another, and how this kind of thinking
leads to broken relationships, discord, hurt and divisiveness within the church.
And as an alternative, we learned to celebrate our individual gifts, and to
discern how God may be calling us to use them in our community.
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Individual Spiritual Growth We celebrated our
"Star Stories" on Epiphany, and listened to the faith journeys of
those in our congregation. It was truly amazing to hear the way the Holy
Spirit has moved in the lives of our church family. Our Bible Study classes are
well attended (Well, all except the one on forgiveness (I guess that's a goal
for next year)) and attendees are engaged both in the study, and in individual
Bible reading and faith exploration. To me, this is a major area of growth
in our church body that will yield much fruit in the future. Let's continue to
encourage each other to attend classes, and grow together in grace.
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Moving Beyond Survival Mode This year saw a lot of
physical growth for our church-best evidenced by the painting of the exterior
of the church building. We discussed it as an outward sign of the new life and
revitalization taking place inside the people of FRCRH. We spent the bulk of the
winter months learning about Jacob; how God can use each of us (no matter how
hard we try to mess things up) to further God's plan for the faith, the
church, the world and salvation! But we also discovered that our church,
like Jacob, has spent a lot of time in "survival mode" (struggling to
survive). Directly before Jacob took his rightful place as Patriarch, he
stopped at a place called Shechem, and settled there. Although it was a safe
place for Jacob and he made a living there, it was not God's plan for him. He
needed to go toward the Promised Land in order to live out everything God had
for him to do and be as a Patriarch. In the same manner, we also need to
begin to make our way toward the "promised land." We are in a place
where we can move as a group to where we can live out everything God has for our
church to do and be beyond strictly taking care of ourselves and feeling safe.
We have been focused through this spring on how to move beyond survival mode,
and to discern as a group what God is calling us to do in our community and
beyond.
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Vision for the Future Hand in hand with moving beyond
survival mode comes discerning God's vision for the future. We cannot move
toward the "promised land" if we don't know where/what that means for
our church body. To that end., we have formed a long term Vision Team (LTVT)
which has already begun the process of envisioning God's will for our church and
our mission for the future. We still have many "survival" type issues
to overcome, (finance, facilities) but I believe with my whole heart that if we
spend time discerning God's will for our future, and we step up to what God may
be calling us to do as a church, then God will provide the means necessary for
us to accomplish what may seem impossible! We are in the midst of perhaps
one of the most exciting time in our church's history. I know that the future
holds the God's promise and purpose for us. I look forward to continuing in
ministry with you. It is a privilege to work alongside people who willingly and
generously share themselves and their gifts; who have a thirst for faith and
knowledge, and who hold a passion for becoming even stronger Disciples of
Christ. We are truly blessed.
Peace, Pastor Linda
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