The article speaks to the dreams, hopes or wishes of most folks in the congregation who attend, but there is no active realization becuase we live only in the place of aspiring. In other words getting out of the box, being open to change, taking a risk or stepping out of ones comfort zones, is difficult. It is much easier to live in aspiring becuase you do not have to change or do anything differently. And yet here we are near the end of our sabbatical and this intentional time apart and I can say for me this has been more than aspiration to me. I have and continue to learn from the many books I have read, asking the question what is God saying to me. I have seen the poverty in St. Louis along with the beauty of the city still asking what should I be doing next. And words cannot decribe the many highs and lows of being in South Africa without asking myself, how and what ways am I to change so my ministerial leadership will meet the needs of today?
Therefore, I challenge myself with God's help to do more than aspire with our neighbors at Wilmorite Park by seeking these neighbors out to check in when I return. I plan to have diologue with our Police Chief, asking what I or we as a church can do to improve relations with the issues betwen citizens and law endorcement so relevent. While I take pride in the many community connections you and I make as a church, what ways might our building be more of a place of outreach or in-reach as sister Bill's might say. My friends a shack church offered space that 250 to 300 hundred children got a meal four days a week! And yes we need to have conversations about race becuase this year more than any other the church needs to be a place of actionable diologue on this issue.
You and I have got to move from simply aspiring to changing for the time and place we are in today. Two of the churches I visited and preached in their houses would like to engage in some form of partnership. So I asked what would this look like and they both said missional exchanges. Yes some of them coming here and some of us going there. This aspiration can be a reality becuase relationships have been formed. So I ask whatever you have been aspiring to happen let's do so in Jesus name as we join our experiences together once again, shortly.
Musings From
Pastor Michael