Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Something is going on.
No kidding. Something is always going on.
The question is, “what”. What is going on?
A lot of people (experts, pundits, teachers, preachers, etc.) are asking same question in and about the Church. Now, here I am talking about the big and wide Church, not just our congregation. However, whatever is going on in the Church impacts what is going on at St. Paul’s.
The point is: the Church is changing. In some respects that means it is declining. For years membership in mainline (Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, etc.) has been declining. On one hand, it may seem that our society is just becoming more secular (non-religious). But, that’s just not the case. The number of people who believe in God or say that they are spiritual is increasing. People are looking for something, but it’s not just an organization to join. People are looking for LIFE—real life. They want vibrant welcome and real love—not mere tolerance. They are hungry for real ways to make an impact or create change in our communities and in the world.
As an expert (Rev. Dave Daubert in his blog D8 Strategies) has put it: the Church doesn’t need another project. What we need is not another evangelism strategy. What the Church needs to be is in an on-going process or movement to live the life of Jesus.
As I’ve shared in an earlier Pastor’s Page, St. Paul’s has begun the initial steps of meeting with some leaders of our sister congregations along Wisconsin Avenue (Our Savior’s, Redeemer, and Calvary). We have had a two-fold objective. The first was to continue to find concrete ways and opportunities to be church together. Examples of this include: the joint Pentecost and Maundy Thursday worships, our combined Sunday School with Redeemer, and a joint First Communion classes held this early Spring.
The other purpose was to explore the possibility of hiring a consultant to lead our congregations in organized and structured conversations about being church together. Through a grant from the local Presbytery, we are able to hire a consultant. We interviewed 3 potential candidates (one each representing the ELCA and the Presbyterian churches and one from a non-sectarian and non-profit background). Through a process of consensus, we decided to work with Christine Hill from the Nonprofit Center of Milwaukee. The process has not yet been constructed, but it will entail various opportunities to discuss together the gifts of St. Paul’s and the opportunities and realities of our context. Some of this work will be done just within our congregational family and other work will be done with our brothers and sisters from the other congregations.
I encourage you to take every opportunity to explore what’s going on. This can be a truly Spirit driven time for the Church, for St. Paul’s, for followers of Jesus to see how we can be more faithful in our homes, in our neighborhoods, and along Wisconsin Avenue.
Peace,
Pastor Donna
