Come Holy Spirit

Dear Saints of Grace:

Yes, my retirement is fast approaching. But this is not my last pastoral letter for Grace Notes. GN Editor Debbie Bodett reminded me that the Deadline for the July Grace Notes is in mid-June, and I’ll still be the pastor. So, I will wait for that opportunity to reflect with gratitude on the time I have gotten to serve as your pastor.

 THIS MONTH I want to focus on what we celebrate at the beginning of June–Sunday, June 8th, to be precise. That is the Festival of Pentecost. That is the day that we look back to our earliest Christian ancestors and learn from them the power of the Holy Spirit. We learn from them the tremendous commitment to let everyone know that Jesus was alive and so was the movement that bore his name. We believe the Holy Spirit who has worked since apostolic time to lead, prod, correct and enlighten the church as it has faced new challenges century after century.

We believe in the Holy Spirit who, more than sixty years ago, called together the founders of our congregation. We believe in the Holy Spirit who inspired leaders–lay and clergy–to respond to challenges raised as our neighborhood and our church aged. We believe in the Holy Spirit who brought us through the Covid epidemic by inspiring us to make choices about new ways to include members who can’t be present for worship. We believe in the Holy Spirit who will guide the discernment process as you prepare to enter a ministry partnership with a new pastor.

We believe in the Holy Spirit.

Oh, yea! Don’t forget to wear red on Pentecost Sunday, June 8.

 In the love, joy, peace and hope of Christ,

Pastor Daniel Schwick