Dear Friends at Faith,
What a weekend! There was a celebratory time of giving thanks for the ministry of Pastors Jon and Marsha at Faith on Saturday. And then on Sunday I was blessed to be called to be your pastor as Faith moves forward into the future.
I am grateful to so many during this past year who have taken part in this time of discernment. Thank you to the transition team, call committee, staff, and church council. Thank you to each of you who took part in cottage meetings, history meetings, and one-on-one meetings to share your hopes and dreams for the future.
My first priority is to help us re-connect with each other. The pandemic is not yet over, but there are ways in which we might safely gather for conversation and renewed relationships. Consider coming to “The Table” for 5 Wednesday evenings beginning October 13. We’ll have dinner. We’ll talk. We’ll wear masks indoors except while eating. The theme for these five weeks will be “spiritual wellness.” Adults will gather for topical discussion from 5:15-6:00PM and then stay for conversation over dinner at 6:00 PM. This will be an intergenerational opportunity as Tom Schauer our youth director will be simultaneously leading the children of Faith (and their friends) for the first session of Kids’ Club.
For those who are not yet ready to gather with those beyond your household, I encourage you to invite me to join you for coffee at an outdoor coffee shop or on your patio. I am fully vaccinated and will be masked (except while sipping my coffee). I will also begin “office hours” for people who just wish to stop by at Café Nero on Main Street in Andover on Wednesdays from 10:00am-Noon beginning October 6.
Another priority is our outreach to the community so that the entire Merrimack Valley knows that Faith is a church committed to its neighbors. This year, the social ministry team has set a goal of 50 volunteers for God’s Work Our Hands day of service. In fact, we have so many opportunities for service that it’ll actually be a week of service from October 9-October 17. Next week we will have a flyer and an opportunity to begin signing up for your favorite service project – outdoor work at Stanley reservation, preparing a meal for Bread and Roses, cutting and tying fleece blankets for foster children, building beds for formerly-houseless children, painting at a Habitat for Humanity home, and more. Help us reach 50 volunteers!
Finally, worship is certainly a priority – and while we are pleased that we have indoor worship safety precautions and we have fixed audio difficulties we’ve had in the past, our livestreaming worship experience is not where we’d like it to be as yet. This is frustrating for those who are already part of Faith who worship online. And it hinders us from inviting new people to join our online community because we do not yet have a consistently-excellent online experience. Several people have been working diligently on improving the livestream and we will not stop until it is satisfactory!
Thank you for your continued commitment to Faith as together we learn how God is calling us to love our neighbors in this place!
In Christ,
Pastor Jen