A Season of Change

One of our pastors has accepted a new call. This past Sunday was his last with our congregation, so we sent him off with a blessing.

Now as we approach Spring - a season of change - we find ourselves also in a season of change at church. It will be a time of reviewing what works and what does not. We will evaluate programs and leadership. New strengths will be discovered among "old" parishioners, and newer parishioners will share talents and passions.

With any change there is work to be done. Do we not all dread "spring cleaning"? And yet every year it gets done - throwing open the windows, washing drapes and linens, trading darker colors for light. THis is all part of the process to prepare for the new season.

We celebrate the spring by changing the clothes in our closets, putting away heavier items and bringing out the lighter, brighter clothes and the sandals. All this of course requires work: laundering, checking for fit, and perhaps some shopping. Again, all necessary to be prepared for the new season.

And in the yard we must clear away branches and leaves that have fallen and accumulated in the bushes, ready gardens for flowers and vegetables, and do what is necessary to make the lawn ready for a new season.

So too it will be in this season of change for our congregation. We will check to see what responsibilities fit which leaders. Programs and ministries will need to be cleaned up and readied for new leadership.

Sometimes it is difficult to accept the change... perhaps we are not tan enough for those sleeveless and short-sleeved tops, or fit enough for those shorts. We like the warmer weather but wish we had just a little more time to prepare. And there can be unplanned challenges - there is not always unanimous agreement, or perhaps we find that something needs more attention than we thought.

With the changes in our congregation we may also come upon times when we wish there was more opportunity to prepare. God's time is not always our time - we must always be at the ready to move to the next season in order to be where God wants us and doing what He needs us to do. Of course to make it work, we must always put His plans ahead of ours.

I hope you will pray for us in this season of change - and that in your prayers you will also ask God to keep you ready for those seasons when He needs you to change.