Advent 2021
Dear Friends,
The question is “where (or when) to start?” Let's go back to March, 2020. It's not the very beginning (which, as you may know, is a very good place to start) but it is a beginning. What seemed at the time to be a short-term pause has become a pivot point transforming our life together in more ways than we can name. In the last twenty months we have faced a time of upheaval and interruption on a scale we have never seen before – at least not in our lifetimes. When we first closed our building the magnitude of the Covid-19 pandemic was something we could scarcely imagine. We had no idea what lay before us, how long it would be before we could re-gather, or the circumstances under which that regathering has been possible. These months of uncertainty have strained our society, our institutions and each of us as individuals in many ways, and it has forced us to learn new ways of being the church and meeting our mission in this new world.
The challenges have been manifold. Pastoral care has been difficult – particularly in the early months when we were perhaps more vigilant about avoiding contact with people outside our “bubbles.” We learned new ways to care for one-another – and not always successfully – and I continue to learn how to meet the needs of our congregation and the community we serve in this new time. Even as we re-gather, this remains a work-in-progress.
But along with all of the challenges, there have been opportunities. Early on we were forced to learn new technologies to keep us connected. Sometimes this worked well and sometimes not so well, and we continue to learn. On that first Sunday of not being together in the sanctuary we learned Facebook Live – sort of. Early that Saturday afternoon I called a friend – who had been doing live posts for his business – to ask about how to do that. His reply was “What time do you want me to come over tomorrow?” So at 9:30 on Sunday morning, Mark helped me do a Facebook Live post on my phone. Since then we've all learned a bit about Zoom meetings, and drive-by celebrations. And we continue to grow, upgrading our technology, microphones and cameras, to the point where today – thanks largely to Alan Robinson and Mike Effenberger – we have fairly reliable and quality recording and streaming technology. There are weekly opportunities for YOU to learn how to continue this outreach ministry! See me or Alan!
Once we realized we weren't going to be gathering in the sanctuary for a while, we teamed up with the good folks (and their wonderful Pastor) at First Parish Federated Church in South Berwick and led worship “Live from the Pastors' Porch at Parson's Gulch.” Our musicians were faithful and full of good humor as we plodded our way forward with recorded music, upgrading our sound week by week. We started there on Palm Sunday 2020 and had our final gathering out there on a damp and chilly October morning, when we moved back indoors and began leading worship with only a tech-crew and musicians present one Sunday at Second Christian and the next at FPFC. It was an adventure!
But this is an adventure that never seems to want to end! I know many of us are frustrated and disappointed that we can't be more “back to normal” by now. But as I have said before, I don't want us to go back! We need to move forward! We have discovered through our online presence that we can get our message of welcome and care out to people who would never have come into the building without being able to check us out virtually, and we are reaching people every week who are unable to be with us in person because of distance. It's a new day!
I remain grateful for the support of this wonderful and generous congregation, for the sabbatical time in September to rest and re-charge, and for wonderful colleagues and staff who make ministry a joy even in difficult times.
Blessings of new beginnings one and all!
Pastor Brad
Dear Friends,
The question is “where (or when) to start?” Let's go back to March, 2020. It's not the very beginning (which, as you may know, is a very good place to start) but it is a beginning. What seemed at the time to be a short-term pause has become a pivot point transforming our life together in more ways than we can name. In the last twenty months we have faced a time of upheaval and interruption on a scale we have never seen before – at least not in our lifetimes. When we first closed our building the magnitude of the Covid-19 pandemic was something we could scarcely imagine. We had no idea what lay before us, how long it would be before we could re-gather, or the circumstances under which that regathering has been possible. These months of uncertainty have strained our society, our institutions and each of us as individuals in many ways, and it has forced us to learn new ways of being the church and meeting our mission in this new world.
The challenges have been manifold. Pastoral care has been difficult – particularly in the early months when we were perhaps more vigilant about avoiding contact with people outside our “bubbles.” We learned new ways to care for one-another – and not always successfully – and I continue to learn how to meet the needs of our congregation and the community we serve in this new time. Even as we re-gather, this remains a work-in-progress.
But along with all of the challenges, there have been opportunities. Early on we were forced to learn new technologies to keep us connected. Sometimes this worked well and sometimes not so well, and we continue to learn. On that first Sunday of not being together in the sanctuary we learned Facebook Live – sort of. Early that Saturday afternoon I called a friend – who had been doing live posts for his business – to ask about how to do that. His reply was “What time do you want me to come over tomorrow?” So at 9:30 on Sunday morning, Mark helped me do a Facebook Live post on my phone. Since then we've all learned a bit about Zoom meetings, and drive-by celebrations. And we continue to grow, upgrading our technology, microphones and cameras, to the point where today – thanks largely to Alan Robinson and Mike Effenberger – we have fairly reliable and quality recording and streaming technology. There are weekly opportunities for YOU to learn how to continue this outreach ministry! See me or Alan!
Once we realized we weren't going to be gathering in the sanctuary for a while, we teamed up with the good folks (and their wonderful Pastor) at First Parish Federated Church in South Berwick and led worship “Live from the Pastors' Porch at Parson's Gulch.” Our musicians were faithful and full of good humor as we plodded our way forward with recorded music, upgrading our sound week by week. We started there on Palm Sunday 2020 and had our final gathering out there on a damp and chilly October morning, when we moved back indoors and began leading worship with only a tech-crew and musicians present one Sunday at Second Christian and the next at FPFC. It was an adventure!
But this is an adventure that never seems to want to end! I know many of us are frustrated and disappointed that we can't be more “back to normal” by now. But as I have said before, I don't want us to go back! We need to move forward! We have discovered through our online presence that we can get our message of welcome and care out to people who would never have come into the building without being able to check us out virtually, and we are reaching people every week who are unable to be with us in person because of distance. It's a new day!
I remain grateful for the support of this wonderful and generous congregation, for the sabbatical time in September to rest and re-charge, and for wonderful colleagues and staff who make ministry a joy even in difficult times.
Blessings of new beginnings one and all!
Pastor Brad