Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Attending to Our Dreams

Ah, the beauty of springtime! The songbirds have returned, deer are nibbling on our plants, and the magnolia tree outside our dining room window is about to blossom. It's also a time of graduations and promotions, retirements and vacation planning. All around us, things and people are growing and changing.

In my previous work in Boston and in my seminary studies, I focused on pastoral counseling, particularly from a narrative therapy perspective. According to narrative theory, our individual, communal, and cultural stories create and sustain our reality. We make meaning through the ways we tell stories. And, our lives and communities are multistoried. Those of you who participated in the work of the Gathering Team and in last year's "Leapership" event helped bring out some of the many stories of this congregation. And Women's Ministries spent the day sharing stories and dreams at their gathering in March.

I've also learned that whatever you give attention to is what grows. Jane, our Church Secretary, can tell you that though I love plants, I'm not very good at keeping them alive. Thankfully, she lovingly tends the plants in my office, making sure they get enough water and sunlight. Without her attention, my plants would probably not survive, and they most definitely would not thrive.

Last week, you should have received an invitation from the Church Council to a special worship experience this Sunday. That email includes the Core Values identified by our Church Council - and really, those values come out of the work that the Gathering Team did before I came here. I can affirm that I see all of these values in our congregation: Welcoming, Caring, Serving, Growing. Click here if you haven't seen the invitation.


This Sunday, we will worship together and dream together - we will give attention to our core values and figuratively give them the water and sunlight they need to blossom. I would say that our only limitations are our imaginations - but I believe that if we are open to the Spirit's creative power, God can move our church beyond our wildest dreams and imaginings.




So come, whether you are a new visitor or an old friend, whether you drop in now and then, come every week, or are returning after a long absence. Bring a friend, bring your imagination, bring your wildest dreams. Come, let's shape our future together.

Blessings,
Manda

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