Z-Notes 5/20/21

Greetings, Third Church Friends!

One more picture from my daughter’s graduation. We had a wonderful, celebrative, pride-inducing time. Then, I went back to Xenia and worked daily in my gardens.  Two nights of near-frost caused a little anxiety, but we’re beyond that now.

Like everything else about this goofy year, the end of my stay with you has arrived more quickly than I imagined it would. The nice thing about not being indispensable is that one realizes that what needs to get done will get done, before or after May 31 . The Trini Lopez tune from ‘60s, “Gonna Get Along Without Ya Now,” is my interim theme song (Google it). The plan for continuing leadership came together more slowly than hoped, but you will be in good hands on June 1 .

We will ordain and install some of those capable hands this coming Sunday.  Presbyterian churches thrive when members of the congregation step up and take leadership in the worship and work of the church. Some of you have been called to the biblical offices of elder and deacon. We will empower a new class to serve the congregation in these special ways this week. It is also Pentecost Sunday, the third great celebration day in our liturgical year. We appropriately ordain and install new leaders, with all of their diverse spiritual gifts, on this day when we commemorate the birth of the Church of Jesus Christ on Pentecost long ago.

I often celebrate the fact that Presbyterian pastors do not run Presbyterian churches. Like the ingredients of a salad, we toss our pastoral gifts into the mix and expect that the Holy Spirit will blend and season all the other elements. One is not always certain of the outcome, but we trust that our best efforts will be blessed and multiplied.

Pastor Zomermaand
pastorz@thirdpresbyterian.org
Office: 585-271-6513, ext. 105; Cell: 618-606-1053 (after hours; emergencies)