Wow! Sunday’s Town Hall Meeting (Step 5) and luncheon was one of hope for Grace’s future.
I’m shifting gears to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) in this time of such devastating hurricanes. Presbyterian Disaster Assistance is a most significant mission arm of the Presbyterian Church (USA).
From the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) website:
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) is the emergency and refugee program of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. The core budget, including staff and administrative costs, is funded through the One Great Hour of Sharing, and its program work is additionally funded through designated gifts. Presbyterian Disaster Assistance
- Focuses on the long-term recovery of disaster impacted communities.
- Provides training and disaster preparedness for presbyteries and synods.
- Works collaboratively with church partners and members of the ACT Alliance (Action by Churches Together) internationally, and nationally with other faith-based responders.
- Connects partners locally and internationally with key organizations active in the response — United Nations, NVOAD (National Voluntary Agencies Active in Disaster), World Food Program, Red Cross, FEMA, and others.
Participate with thousands of other Presbyterians as we partner with Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) to bring hope out of the chaos. Follow this link >
Returning to last Sunday’s Town Hall Meeting, we learned that Grace, like many mainline churches, is confronted with the category 5 chaos of the hurricanes of societal and cultural change. From my perspective as a historian and our Interim Pastor, what has worked for centuries in Presbyterian Church (USA) congregations might not be as effective any longer. Oh, some things are important to continue. Might Grace need to rethink and organize a different way of being church when it comes to growth in membership and younger families? How about envisioning services we can provide at Grace for our increasingly aging population in Wichita? Or how might we welcome guests and regular attenders as well as say goodbye at all our doors on Sundays. Or, what about providing seminars at Grace on parenting, post-traumatic stress syndrome, and living on a budget? Perhaps we can work on developing hearts for reaching the unchurched and sharing the good news of Jesus Christ in word and deed.
On the journey of Christian discipleship and spiritual formation with you, I remain faithfully yours.
Steve
The Rev. Dr. Steven M. Marsh
Interim Pastor
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