As March begins, the air holds a hint of spring, and bulbs planted in the fall may be pushing up through the soil. For less zealous gardeners, spring may be the time they discover bulbs still unplanted, in a sack in the garage. They spend a little time pondering the likelihood they will grow if planted in early spring, and put them in, saying a little prayer of hope.
There are seasons in our lives as well, seasons of growth, seasons of lying fallow and waiting for a time when spring will again come and quicken us to new life. As a church, we are starting to sense the hint of spring, a turning toward the light of the new future that God is preparing for us as a congregation. We may find the sense of spring is there strongly for some, and is just beginning to dawn for others. Some of the bulbs are nearly ready to burst into bloom, others will need a bit longer to take root and flower.
Over the next couple of months, members of the Visioning Team will be meeting with various groups in the church; the choir, the circles, the church committees, residents at Capitol Manor and elsewhere, to begin to discern with you some of your hopes and dreams for the new chapter of life and ministry for First Pres. They are doing this first with groups of members, because we as Presbyterians believe the will and direction of God emerges out of the creative interaction of God’s people. Together we will seek the leading of God’s Spirit as we discern what God is calling us to be and to do for his kingdom here in Salem and beyond.
In the midst of this visioning, we will be journeying toward Holy Week, and will be reminded of the deep mysteries of our faith, the God who has known what it is to be one of us, the Christ who loved us enough to lay down his life, the living Spirit of Christ who is with us always.
Whatever shape our mission and ministry may take in the coming months, it will be shaped in part around those central realities of faith. God who has loved us in Christ calls us to share that love with others. So we plant the bulbs, and say a little prayer of hope.
In faith and friendship,
Audrey Schindler
A Letter from the Interim Pastor 