Faith, Love, Hope and Grace: Keeping An Eye On the Crops!

Before Valley Pastoral Charge ventures on into the future, it pauses to write Annual Reports so as to be gathered together to set a record that marks this particular stage of our call of God. Let us pause and reflect on ‘this particular stage’ of our Christian journey.

The Apostle Paul offers four words to the church in Colossae that encourages their journey together. These words are faith, love, grace, and hope.

"For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. You have heard of this hope before in the word of the truth, the gospel that has come to you. Just as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God." Colossians 1:4-6 

I suggest we pay attention to Paul’s words and allow them to shape our journey too. Let us turn towards our faith in Christ, our love for all, the grace of God poured out, and the hope God lays up for us in heaven.

Faith In Christ

We continue to “Learn Christ” together. This does not so much mean we are learning about Christ (although that happens in a major way) but we are continuing to learn to be the people that Christ intends. As I look back on the past seven months I am reminded of glimpses of this transforming journey as I see how we flourish together.  First of all, the Joint Worship Committee is a group committed to discerning the worship needs of Valley Pastoral Charge. Since I began in July this committee has met four times. Its agendas are full but Cheryl Weichern is not afraid to use her gifted talent to keep all on task. The Worship Committee and myself have chosen a Lenten Study called On the Highway to Holiness. This is a three-week study and we will literally be taking the highway. The first session will be on March 5 at Mary Anne and Glen Calder’s farm in Carlowrie. The second session will be on March 12 at Marni Benniger’s (170 Dennis St in Emerson). The third and final session will be on March 19 at Pam Clemens (7 McKercher St in Dominion City). Watch the bulletins and website for other details. Secondly, Valley’s Joint Music Committee is a working group made up of musicians, choir directors, and singers. These are the ministers of music and it is their task to discern the music needs of Valley Pastoral Charge. This group has met three times since I began and approaches their work seriously, with lightheartedness and great commitment. Thank you also to the musicians who add richness to Sunday worship through the playing of pianos and organs (that includes some of our youth too). Thirdly, Valley’s Sunday School teachers are heroes among us. These are the ministers of education whom we need to thank with many thanks as they work tirelessly behind-the-scenes “building the land that God has planned where love shines through” (VU #649) bringing creativity and purpose that shapes the Christian faith of our children. Fourthly, thanks to the choirs who add richness to worship encouraging all our voices. Thanks also to the worshipful work of the Church Boards. I have experienced fellowship, community, and tremendous respect for each other. It is great to see Valley’s youth serving as church leaders too. Lastly but not least of all, thanks to the dedicated ministers of hospitality and other things who work continuously and worshipfully preparing the Communion Table, installing railings, ringing the church bell, mowing grass (wherever the grass is these days), shovelling snow, greeting at the door, preparing the sanctuary for funerals, weddings and baptisms and everything else under the sun.

Love for all

The pastoral care needs of Valley Pastoral Charge are many. I am encouraged by Valley’s Church Pastors (some know this by the name of The Visitation Committee), and their willingness to serve the pastoral needs of the community on behalf of the church. I am also encouraged by all the care and compassion that just ‘happens’ in the community. The Church Pastors is a group that continues to discern its gifts and its call. Agassiz Presbytery is hosting a one-day workshop on April 26 (9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.) in Morden on Pastoral Care. Preliminary topics include:
• Empowering, encouraging, engaging, and equipping people in our congregations to serve as church pastors
• What is Pastoral Care and what is distinctively Christian about it?
• What are some of the care needs in our communities?
• Practical ways of practicing Pastoral Care.
• Practical ways churches can work creatively with Palliative Care Committees
As we all discover our gifts for ministry, it is my hope that Valley Pastoral Charge will support its Church Pastors group financially and prayerfully to attend this workshop.

The Prayer Shawl Ministry is another emerging and growing group. This is where concrete items can be touched, held, and felt, reminding all of us including the church itself that the prayers God prays through us move out into the world to bring God’s healing comfort and strength to all.

God has gifted Valley Pastoral Charge with ministry of wisdom, resources, pastoral care, worship, church growth, and a long list of others. This ministry is offered by Bob and Myrna. To this new minister their ministry enriches and blesses mine. Bob and Myrna play a significant part in equipping me to do contextual ministry which is the ministry I have been called to. It is ministry starting with you here in Valley Pastoral Charge and not ministry that starts anywhere else. Thanks be to God for Bob and Myrna.

The Valley Pastoral Charge website is a gathering tool for our members who are far and wide. It is one of the ways that I can share my reflections, prayers and weekly happenings around Valley to many of you.  I write an (almost) weekly minister’s update on the website. Because some of you have access to the website, and some of you do not, I am hoping that someone in each congregation will take it upon themselves to print a copy and post it on your bulletin board. Weekly sermons are loaded onto the website as well. The web address is written on the weekly bulletin:  http://www.valleypastoralcharge.org.

Grace of God poured out for us

Valley’s greatest gift is its people. I have been on the receiving end of gracious hospitality. First of all, I would like to thank Lesia Smith for being Lesia Smith. Her welcoming, accommodating, and warm heart have blessed me abundantly. Hugs to you Lesia! And grace upon grace to the people of Valley Pastoral Charge. I have noticed times when you make bold acts of taking risks for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ. To put it simply you work out your differences and make them work for the sake of living well together which is Christian love in action. You know what it takes to make it work. The Joint Advent Service was new to Valley and the three congregations came together well to celebrate our three unique congregations gathered into one worship service. Also, thank you for your patience and openness to the new music in More Voices. And finally, I want to add my gratitude for Bev Ward’s ministry. Bev has done much at Valley to allow the ground to be prepared and the seeds of grace to be sown. In July I was able to step into this grace and now I find myself called to the work of nurturing growth.

The Hope God lays up for us in Heaven

As we step out into the future together, and begin yet again, I pray that we will all continue to let God’s grace find us. I recall driving to worship one Sunday, October 21, 2007 at 7:00 a.m. and I found myself in heavy fog. At times I could see only a few feet in front of me. That is what ministry is like sometimes. God so often shows us only the next few feet of road. Our next few feet of road is marked in areas like pastoral care through the Church Pastors and the Prayer Shawl Ministry groups and perhaps other places. Also, what lies ahead this year is continuing to get to know each other. I am learning more and more what it means to live at a distance from the pastoral charge I serve. Getting to know you well will take longer than I thought. But it will happen (in Bernice Weninger’s words: God willing and the creek don’t rise!). I will be taking time in February to prepare a Confirmation Class that will run sometime after Easter. Check the bulletin in March for details. In May I will be attending the Festival of Preaching in Minneapolis. And in June I will be doing a self-directed study on rural issues.

As we reflect on where Valley Pastoral Charge is in the present moment, may we keep listening and watching as God continues to encourage our journey, growing the crops of faith, love, hope, and grace among us.

May you find blessing in all you do,
Barbara