From the Pastor's Desk

From the Pastor’s Desk: October 21, 2015

Dear Grace Community,

In his book, As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner tells the story of the Bundren family. Addie Bundren, wife and mother, dies, and the family must transport her body from their home to its burial place. They plod across Mississippi with Addie’s casket in the back of their wagon. It is a punishing journey. At one point they cross a river, and catastrophe ensues. The casket floats away, living bones are broken, and whatever pride was left is lost. While fraught with disaster, at its core, the Bundren’s journey is a familiar ritual, that of moving from death to burial.

The Bundren family needed someone to help them ford that river. Today when families are faced with death there is figurative water they do not know how to cross. My role is to help them. Others might be able to lead the grieving so far, but when it comes to crossing the water, it is my job to offer a steady hand.

This year as we approach All Saints Sunday onNovember 1, I decided to share this metaphor with you as it informs how I approach death, funerals, and memorial services as your pastor. I am the one who stands in the water. Standing in the water is not for the faint of heart, but it’s what I was called to and trained for. In time I’ve learned how to bend my knees at the right moment so the current doesn’t overwhelm me, though I still get wet and weary sometimes.

In five years at Grace I’ve led more than fifty funeral or memorial services. Each time I find myself, pants rolled up, wading into the waters of grief, holding out my hand, and helping to guide people to the other shore. This means being with them after a loved one dies, making service plans, and leading a service that both witnesses to Jesus’ resurrection and honors the one who died.

I cannot carry someone through the water. I cannot make the journey from death to the grave easy. It is hard work, and work that must be done by those grieving. My role is to guide them as they carry their loved one.

When a family makes it across the water, I don’t keep going with them. I stay by the water’s edge, which can be hard for others to understand. It’s not that I don’t want to go with them; it’s that I know there will soon be another family coming to ford the river. It may not be the next day or week, but soon someone else in our community will die, and there are others who can walk with a family beyond the shore: friends, family, neighbors.

On November 1, we say aloud the names of saints who are no longer with us. I give thanks for those people I’ve been privileged to know, to love, and to serve as their pastor. In our tradition, saints are not only the dead but the living, and so I give thanks for you who serve as witnesses and inspire me in my faith. It is my privilege to be your pastor.

In Christ,
Catherine

 

Sunday Morning Preaching Schedule for November 2015

November 1  

This Sunday is part III of our God calls us to…series. Catherine Neelly Burton preaches as we explore how God calls us to commitment. We’ll focus on Mark 12:38-44. This is also All Saints day, and we will celebrate our Saints and receive communion in both worship services.

November 8 

This is the final Sunday in our series, and we’ll explore how God calls us to celebration. Our scripture for the day is John 1:1-9, 14-18, and Catherine Neelly Burton preaches. Both services will include a time for us to dedicate our pledges for 2016.

November 15 

Joyce Daniel, retired PCUSA pastor and friend of Grace, preaches at both services this day.

November 22 

This is a ONE service Sunday with worship at 10:30 am. Sisters and brothers from the Presbyterian churches in Caldwell, KS, and Chase, KS, will join us for worship. Scott Randle preach. A commission from the Presbytery of Southern Kansas will install Catherine Neelly Burton as the senior pastor at Grace, and we’ll enjoy lunch together in the Great Room following the service.

November 29 

On this first Sunday of Advent we begin our series, “Do You Hear What I Hear?” Catherine Neelly Burton preaches at both services. The scripture for the day is Jeremiah 33:14-16.

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Growing in Faith – Join a Group for Five Weeks

Do you want to think about your faith and get to know people at Grace? Join a five-week Sunday morning group starting October 18. Groups meet from 10 am – 10:45 am. There are three groups during this series, and all use the same study materials.

Each group will explore the meaning of salvation using the series For the Life of the World. Read below to see which group is the best fit for you.

For the Life of the World with Cheryl Lyda & Randy Routsong in Room 101

The material is presented in a scaffolding format as we unpack sections of each video in a start-stop-discuss manner, building on learning from previous sections. Dialogue is in both large and small group format.

For the Life of the World with Kelly McFall in Room 103

This group relishes in the post-modern quirks of the series. Instead of trying to understand everything, this group immerses itself in the material, focusing on the experience more than getting to one set answer.

For the Life of the World with Tom Rhoads in The Chapel

This group is large group discussion based with Tom using primarily the Socratic Method. Come and explore the material together.

rescue

Refugee Support

As we view news clips of Syrian refugees struggling to reach a safe haven, many of you may be asking “How can I help?”

Grace is currently forming a small group to explore further how we as a congregation can answer God’s clear call to love those strangers among us.

If you would like to be involved in this group please contact Cheryl Lyda. The first meeting for this group is Wednesday, October 14 at 5 pm in the Grace Parlor.

 

 

 

choir

Men’s Chorus: Sunday, October 25

All men, including youth, are invited to come sing together to form a Men’s Chorus for the 11 am worship service on Sunday, October 25. This is a great opportunity for those who are unable to sing in choir throughout the year to join our Music Ministry for a short-term commitment.

Rehearsals are as follows:

  • Wednesday, October 14 at 7 pm
  • Sunday, October 18 at 10 am
  • Wednesday, October 21 at 7pm

Come join your voices together to praise our God! Questions?  Email Donna Hetrick.