A congregation that continues to serve its community and love its neighbors

“This time together has been a unique one for discerning how to live out our faith”

I have enjoyed and continue to enjoy being pastor at Pilgrim Congregational United Church of Christ. Church Council is now tasked to determine whether our relationship will continue. Whatever their decision, I am grateful for this opportunity to serve you all, for the love and care you shared with me, and for the ways you all integrated my ministry with yours.

I have especially enjoyed the gentle ribbing I get from Carol about my freezer cookie-raiding, from Bob and my questionable miracles with prayer, and the many ways you all reminded me not to take myself too seriously. I loved working together to weave together the Beloved Community.

This time together has been a unique one for discerning how to live out our faith. Figuring out how to do communion, baptism, and regular Sunday worship can be a challenge in this pandemic era but also a joy as we figure out how to do the work together.

These past six months I loved seeing the young girls in our church sharing their wisdom during Children’s Sermons and providing leadership in reading from their new Family Story Bibles and during our lectio divina.

We embraced taking ancient practices and making them new again. Lectio divina, examen, Julian of Norwich’s Body Prayer, Encircling Prayer, the Imposition of Ashes, and Breath Prayers were all spiritual forms we practiced through this time.

Ronda Collier and Nicole Gibby humbled me with the great presentation they made on their study with other churches around the book, Me and White Supremacy. They helped us begin the hard work of developing a resource center for antiracism work. In February, Black History Month, we registered significant dates in U.S. history and adapted courageous poetry for responsive readings.

This last Thursday I completed Bible 101 with the hardy souls who were willing to stick with me, ask questions, and understand the Bible in a way that was counter to many of the ways we were taught the Bible. My hope is that this faith formation experience made the Bible more approachable and whets their appetite for further curiosity and study.

Finally, I am proud to serve a congregation that continues to serve its community and love its neighbors. From supplying essentials to migrant farm workers to CROP Walk to boxing food essentials for the indigent to a discretionary fund to provide emergency help for people in distress to supplying water dispensers for Benton Harbor residents, Pilgrim Congregational UCC continues to share God’s love in prolific ways. Even now, to taking the lead in hosting an Afghan family reflects ancient Christian values of hospitality that we are making new.

Again, thanks to Pilgrim Congregational UCC for this opportunity to serve. Whatever Church Council decides, I pray that you will continue in your faithfulness.

Shalom,

Mike

✝