Friday, February 23, 2024

Interim Graces Notes for February 23, 2024

Welcome Hyo and Susan!

Last weekend was the first for our new organists -- Hyo Jung Kim is our Saturday organist, and Susan Barker takes the bench on Sundays. Grace has also hired Susan to direct the Chancel Choir, which plans to resume rehearsals on Wednesday, March 6 following Midweek Lent worship.

Both Hyo and Susan increase our Eastern Conference connections with the Presbyterian Church USA. Susan's church music career has been primarily in PC(USA) congregations in Oregon and Michigan. Hyo's husband Jin is the pastor of the PC(USA) Hanmi Covenant Church in Toledo. Our ELCA is a full-communion partners with PC(USA), which has enabled PC(USA) Pr. Matt Zuehlke to serve as the pastor at Zion Gibsonburg.

Hyo and Susan's first weekend as Grace organists has been described with many superlatives: excellent, wonderful, marvelous, beautiful, just to name a few. We'll just say that we at Grace are overjoyed to have Hyo and Susan join us in leading worship at Grace!

"Making Change" Lent Midweek Series Underway

The first of our five Lenten Midweek services began Wednesday under the theme "Making Change." Here is a summary from the Sundays and Seasons resource that we are using as a basis for this theme:

Change is a constant in our lives. Some changes mark gradual transitions, as when daytime shifts toward twilight or winter turns to spring. Others happen in the blink of an eye, separating time into “before” and “after”. We choose to undergo some changes after carefully considering our options, while others are forced upon us.

In the weeks, days, and hours before Jesus’ crucifixion, the disciples also experienced change: a change of venue as the gates of Jerusalem approached; a change of plans as their long-awaited. Messiah was arrested and tried; a change of circumstance as the crowds shouted “Crucify!”

Change is hard. We long for the expected and familiar, but all too often find ourselves in the midst of uncertainty and the unknown. We cannot predict how things will turn out. The hymn writer Joachim Neander proclaimed God’s steadfast love in the midst of life’s inevitable changes: “All my hope on God is founded, who will all my trust renew, who through change and chance will guide me, only good and only true. God unknown, God alone, call my heart to be thine own” (ELW 757).

Our first week's theme, "Change of Seasons," was presented at Grace, St. Mark and St. John's by me, Pr. Paul, and Pr. Matt respectively. For the remaining four midweek services (February 28, March 6, 13, 20), I, Matt, Paul and Maureen will cycle through the remaining four themes. Pr. Matt will lead worship at Grace on February 28 and present the theme "Change of Circumstances." I'll be at St. Mark's with the theme "Change of Habit." Pr. Paul will be at St. John's with the them "Change of Heart." Maureen will present "Change of Plans" beginning at St. John's on March 6.

At Grace, I have planned the 6:30 service around the Evangelical Lutheran Worship service of Evening Prayer, also called Vespers (ELW p. 317). This service includes the following elements:

  • Hymn of Light
  • Thanksgiving for Light
  • Psalms and Psalm prayers
  • Scripture readings and reflection
  • A musical version of The Magnificat, Mary's song in Luke chapter 1
  • Prayers
  • Spoken or sung version of Lord's Prayer
  • Blessing

I hope you join us for these midweek pauses to pray, sing and reflect on the changes we experience, the changes we hope to make, and The Change that has come through our Lord Jesus Christ that makes it all possible.

Healthy Congregations Facilitator Training Continues

On Thursday, via Zoom, I participated in the sixth of seven 2-hour sessions of training to become a Facilitator for Healthy Congregations Workshops. "What is that?" you may ask. Let me begin with an explanation of what Healthy Congregations is. Here is a description from the Healthy Congregations website:

Healthy Congregations is an ecumenical and interfaith organization that takes seriously the times that we live in and the challenges of thinking more clearly about families, congregations, and leadership. Healthy Congregations, Inc. offers resources and training that are based on a view of life that looks at communities as living systems that incorporate thinking, feeling, responsibility, and purpose.

Making use of the contributions of leaders in the field of Bowen Family Systems Theory and congregational life, Healthy Congregations, Inc. has created educational resources and leadership development material designed with the purpose of encouraging healthier, clearer and deeper individual and community life.

Over the years, Healthy Congregations has developed a series of six workshops that help promote the health and well-being of congregations. The first workshop introduces the basics of systems thinking; the second addresses healthy ways of addressing anxiety, change and conflict. Other workshops address growing strong leaders, healthy relationships, developing generosity in stewardship and strong spirituality. You can read more about these six workshops HERE.

The training that I have been participating in since January 18 will teach me how to lead these six workshops as part of our Northwestern Ohio Synod Congregational Resources Team which I joined earlier this year. There is much here that could benefit our synod congregations, including Grace. The team already has experienced facilitators that could help with any or all of the areas addressed by these workshops.

Excellent Learning and Fellowship at Confirmation Retreat

This past Friday and Saturday, Heather, I, and three youth from Grace joined youth and adult leaders from St. Mark's Bowling Green and Solomon in Woodville for scheduled activities of learning, worlship and fellowship. You can view the retreat schedule HERE. Lots of good fun and learning, which concluded on Saturday with ice skating at BGSU, and with Confirmation Retreat Youth leading the 5:00 pm worship at St. Mark's. One of the highlights was waking up on Saturday morning to a gourmet breakfast served by St. Mark's adults, complete with table cloths and adults refilling water and coffee, treating us like royalty. You can see a few pics from the retreat HERE.

Group Meets to Plan Hymns

On Tuesday, I, along with Becky Seibert, Jan Serwin, and both our new organists, Hyo and Susan, met to plan hymns for March and April. As it turned out, all we got done was hymns for March. This was the first meeting of the group, as prior to this, at least in recent history, hymns had been selected only by staff. We have several resources which designate certain hymns as appropriate for the day or season, and support the scripture readings assigned for that Sunday. We hope that you will be happy with our choices!

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