Z-Notes, 10/15/20
OK, I’ve been warning you since I came to Rochester that you all would have an opportunity to share your thoughts during this time of transition. I have actually been employing my big ears in this effort since I got here. I have met with hundreds of you, mostly virtually, and a large number of you several times along the way. Some of you I have flat out asked, What do you think about Third Church? And you’ve obliged. I’m still standing, so I guess it hasn’t been too bad. In other words, I’ve been compiling my own intuitions about life at Third Church. I’m far from out the door here, but we’re also a fer piece from Square 1, as the following graph shows (we’re on step 4.5 or so):
Back to the warning. Most of you have received by email a link to a two-part congregational survey. Another large group will soon receive a hard-copy of the survey in the mail. The multiple-choice section should go quickly, but the second section requires more minutes and mulling. We are not looking for finely-honed stories, though they would be welcomed. More a sense of what’s been rich and rewarding in your relationship to Third Church, what you miss…even what makes you angry about the present state of things. We invite your honesty, but please remember that we are followers of Jesus. Kindly help us understand what you value about Third Church as you help in the process of Renewing Church for a New World.
We kicked off our 2021 Generosity and Gratitude campaign last Sunday. We will be gently inviting your financial support for a few weeks. Have we ever lived through a time when a greater sense of uncertainty has hung over us?!? We are hard-pressed to march confidently into the next year under the current set of circumstances. However, our faith provides resources and a context for the leap. One of my personal theme passages supplies my biblical inspiration on Sunday. The writer captures a chat Moses had with God way back there in the desert. I’m borrowing an interpretation from a biblical scholar that speaks profoundly to me. Uncertainty stems by definition from what we DON’T know. God points Moses back to an understanding of truth that he can take to the bank. We storm boldly into what we don’t know because we have been embraced by God’s faithful presence in days gone by. That’s enough for the teaser. More on Sunday.
Blessings!
Pastor Zomermaand
pastorz@thirdpresbyterian.org
Office: 585-271-6513, ext. 105; Cell: 618-606-1053 (after hours; emergencies)