Dear Beloved Community,
I occasionally have stretches of weeks where the gift of companionship on the way of faith is pronounced and clear, and this is such a stretch.
Last week, most of our staff slipped away to the sacred ground of St. Francis Springs Prayer Center in Stoneville for our annual sojourn to dream and pray, plan and vision for what God might be calling our church to be and do. These colleagues are so gifted, and our spirit together is abundant and grateful. Scott Hudgins opened our time together with a conversation about ministry and context, prompting us to reflect on the tension of great angst and division in our world with shared heart and unity and growth in our church. After our time with Scott, our staff revisited one of our shared goals that has spanned years and seasons of “being the caretakers of the spiritual environment of the church.” How are we doing with this? What time is it in our staff’s life and our church’s life? Where have we struggled or failed this year? What have we learned? As our conversation shifted from the 30,000-foot view to the calendar view, the broad scope remained: for a richly-diverse congregation with varied needs and capacities, how do we prioritize what matters most? What do our church’s offerings say about our values? Wouldn’t it be great if we could … (*here, we filled in the blank with a host of ideas!*)? What is one thorny question you have in your work or area(s) of ministry? How will we live into our new space? What might 2027 bring? Do we have too many meetings? (You might be pleased to know there was a hearty “yes!” to that last question!) Beyond the work conversations, we simply enjoyed time together. We shared about our full lives that exist apart from one another, made meaning in that beautiful space, and laughed – hard. It was gift and grace, and we thank you, beloved community, for knowing that this time and space away matters for our ministry!
This past Sunday, we were encouraged by our Baptist brother, Paul Baxley, who carried with him a story from our intersecting past and stories from churches around our Fellowship in the present. Along the way, he offered us a vision for what a transformed church might be, and how we are becoming one with God’s help. I trust you were as stirred and heartened as I was!
This coming Sunday afternoon at 4:00pm, I will join with the good folks of our sister church here in town, Knollwood Baptist, as they install Rev. Dr. Courtney Allen Crump as their fifth senior pastor. Courtney is my dearest friend, and the chance to pastor alongside her in Winston-Salem is a dream about which we’re still pinching ourselves! I’ll be preaching for the installation that afternoon, calling forth our two churches’ intertwining histories and offering them encouragement and blessing for their shared road ahead. All are welcome; come join us if you’d like! Please hold Courtney and Knollwood in your prayers as they commit to one another as senior pastor and beloved community.
Among the guests leading in worship at the installation will be the rest of our peer learning group, these fellow pastor friends of mine called the “Dear Friends.” You know them, as I’ve talked about them regularly over the past decade that we have been meeting for “preacher camp” and drawn from them some of the deepest inspiration, faithfulness, and companionship in my life. Following the installation, Courtney, Alan, Scott, Garrett, Greg, and I will head to the mountains of Western North Carolina for our annual sojourn of renewal and friendship.
We need each other, don’t we? What a gift it is to share the Way of life with each of them, and, of course, with each of you.
Together in God’s work of Love,
Pastor Emily