I have been thinking a lot about change lately. In some ways, the last 17 months have been about a lot of change. The new clergy-congregation relationship alone is about change: changing expectations, learning new systems, shifting identity. Then there are all the concrete changes: liturgical, formational, programmatic, and aesthetic. I would imagine around this time of our relationship, we might want to sit back and say, “Okay. That’s enough change for now. Let’s take a break!”

  I certainly w

ould understand that sentiment. As many of you know, my father is a United Methodist minister, which meant we moved around a lot. Change seemed to be the only constant in our family. And yet, even knowing that things could always change, our family still experienced a lot of anxiety whenever the new postings were listed. You just never knew from year to year whether you had more time to build relationships and experience familiarity or whether you would need to start all over again. I totally understand the desire for a sense of being settled.

    But this past month, I realized how much more unsettledness there is to go for us. Our Vestry met in April with a consultant whose specialty is evangelism and church growth. We learned quite a bit in the morning, and began to understand the systems of Church and church growth. But in the afternoon, as we moved into application, we all got a little more leery. Some of the suggestions were not so challenging. For example, in order to start meeting people where they are, the consultant suggested we start moving some parish meetings, groups, and functions off campus. This step seemed pretty reasonable and easy to do. But then came the hard part – redesigning and redefining the use of our space to maximize ministries and reorient ourselves toward newcomers. Since all of us have parts of our building that are important to us, every single person present got a little defensive.

And then we remembered that change is never easy.

  For many of our ministries, as we think about winding down this program year, we might be thinking about this summer as our light at the end of the tunnel – a time in which we can kick up our feet and hit the beach. And I certainly hope we all get a little rest this summer. But these next four months leading up to the beginning of the program year in September will also be very busy months. We have closets to clean, items to purge, and walls to paint. We have programs to enhance, a website to redesign, and new ministries to form. We have a new garden to water and neighbors to feed. We have neighbors who need to hear the Good News – and we are going to figure out how to share that News more effectively.

  I say all of this because it is my hope that we can all encourage one another when our anxieties start to rise. We will need to encourage one another when we feel weary; we will need to call each other out when we start getting overly defensive; and we will need to celebrate the Good News we see happening around us as a result of our openness to change. I know the next several months might bring moments of challenge, but I also know that we thrive in the face of challenge. So buckle up! It is going to be a fun ride!!

- The Rev. Jennifer Andrews-Weckerly