Author: Rev. Katrina Hebb

O Happy Day to you Church!

The weather might still be nippy out right now, but today the sun is shining, yesterday’s snowfall is melting, and the crocuses are starting to bloom. Hallelujah!

Today I have loads of wonderful news to share with you, and I’m just about bursting at the seams I’m so excited! 🙂

PPP Loan

The first great news to share is that Sue Waters applied for us for the second round of PPP money, and we were approved for these stimulus funds from the federal Cares Act. To qualify for the forgivable loan, we had to show a 25% loss in revenue from at least one quarter in 2020. Because we met that requirement, we will be receiving $7,172 to help offset the financial burden that the pandemic has created for us in 2020. 

Free Lunch Friday returns

The next great bit of news to share with you is that starting next week, on April 9th, our Free Friday Lunch program will resume! Renee Stauffer, Sue Waters, Pat Roda, Robin Wilkinson, and Lydia, Levi, and Isaiah Stauffer will be making lunches and taking orders from people (who will wait for their pick-up orders outside in the parking lot). I know that our volunteers are delighted to be back together again and folks out in the community who have participated in Free Friday Lunch in the past are looking forward to it resuming. It’s been a long year of separation and financial hardship for many residents in Potsdam, but as more people choose to get vaccinated, we will again be able to gather together and help each other out more easily.

In-Person Worship resumes May2

Along these same lines, I have even more joyful news to share with you. Because the vast majority of us have been vaccinated–making it safe to gather together again– last night our Session met and approved returning to the sanctuary for Sunday worship. So…. barring any crazy spikes in Covid cases in our county in the next few weeks, the plan will be to return to in-person worship on MAY 2. 

Worship will not look like it did before the pandemic hit, however, which means that we will have to adjust our expectations. I think we’ve grown enough in this last year to be able to handle this though, haven’t we? Here are the details of how Sunday worship will work: We will set up the sanctuary for effective social distancing (cordoning off every other row of pews), we will continue to wear masks in the building at all times, and of course, ask that you stay home and watch online if you are not feeling well. For the time being we will also still refrain from congregational and choral singing, but when the weather is nice enough, we will gather together for coffee hour outside on the lawn. 

Can you imagine what it will be like to get together again? I can’t wait to see all of your smiling faces! 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 

Making Accommodations

In addition to these changes to worship, there are a couple other things that will be different when we come back– things I need to ask you to find grace in your hearts for. You know that when I came on as pastor a year ago, I was still recovering from major back surgery and was not fully functional as an able-bodied person. I had hoped to be able to bounce back from this surgery like most people do, but in the last year, the underlying connective tissue disorder I have (called hypermobility Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, or hEDS for short) has made it clear that I cannot expect to be able to live as a fully-functioning, able-bodied individual all the time. I have good days, where I can walk around well enough, but I also have bad days, where the pain makes it unbearable to walk even a few steps. Some of you, who live with chronic pain, know what this is like, but for those of you whose bodies don’t give you any trouble, it may be hard to imagine living life on this yo-yo. 

As a consequence, however, I’ve needed to figure out a plan for how I will be able to physically serve as your pastor in the church building once we resume in-person worship. Thankfully, God has been paving a way! A friend of mine in Rochester is giving me an electric wheelchair, which I will leave at the church. This chair will give me the ability to freely move around the building on the days when my legs just won’t carry me. While this will be wonderful for me, it will likely be an adjustment for you. It’s not easy to see a young(er) person– especially your pastor– walking around “normally” one week, and then in a wheelchair the next week. It’s not easy to see this, I know, but I need to ask you to adjust your expectation of me in this way. My body is different from most people’s, but I’m still “me”– I’m still the same Pastor Katrina– whether I’m walking on two legs, or moving around in a wheelchair. 

The second part of my disability plan asks for your grace in another way, too. Even on my good days, it’s hard for me to stand for extended periods of time– like a person does to stand in the pulpit to preach. Most of the time I won’t be able to do this, so I will be preaching in a different way in the sanctuary. I will have a chair up on the chancel, and will preach like Jesus used to do– sitting down. I know that in our church, preachers in the past have always stood to deliver their sermons, so this will take some getting used to. And it may take a few weeks to figure out how to work all the bugs out of the system, so I need to ask for your patience in this process. But I know that you are compassionate people, and I know that you’ve gotten a lot of practice at adapting to new situations in the past year, so I’m hoping that you will be able to meet me where I’m at. 

I may not be able-bodied and look like a “normal” person all the time, it’s true, but my struggles with my body are part of what have helped me become a better pastor. I am better at dealing with crisis situations and learning to adapt to new situations because of living in this particular body; I am more aware of how painful your struggles are, after dealing with my own; I am more patient, compassionate, and open-hearted because of living with chronic pain; and most importantly, I have learned how to trust God in tough situations and step out in blind faith as a result of this body of mine. All of these skills and characteristics that I’ve gleaned over the years from dealing with disability, well, I believe that they will help us to maneuver more easily through whatever Big Shift it is that God is calling us to next in our life as a congregation. At first, you may not see these other important aspects of my disabilities when you see me riding around in a wheelchair, but over time I hope that you will come to appreciate them too. 

Dear Hearts, we serve a God of possibility– a God who takes our inabilities, our broken bits, our dead ends, our greatest mistakes, and even our hardened hearts, and out of this “terribleness,” makes beautiful, abundant life. 

As we walk our way through Holy Week this week, and as we begin to prepare our return to the sanctuary, I pray that you will look to find God’s goodness living within those broken bits, as well as in the adjustments that we have to make in order to accommodate living in this, sometimes, terrible world. 

In grace,
Pastor Katrina

p.s. Next week I have one more adjustment to talk to you about, for when we come back to the sanctuary. It will be a continuation of last week’s discussion about being a place that is welcoming of children in our midst. Stay tuned! 🙂

Good Morning Church!

Today might still be a bit nippy out, but the snow has (mostly) melted, the sun is shining, and each day our daylight hours grow a little longer. It’s a good day to live in the North Country!

Next week Rev. Shaun will be preaching and leading worship, bringing us a word from the Word for Palm Sunday. And the following Sunday, April 4th, is Easter Sunday. And while it is sad that we are not able to gather together again this year to celebrate Easter, we know that resurrection for us is on its way! With every passing week, more and more people are being vaccinated, hastening the day when we will be safe to come together once again for in-person worship. (Session will be meeting on April 1st, and I hope to have a tentative date to announce after that for a return to the sanctuary. Stay tuned!) 

Speaking of vaccinations, I am delighted to announce that I received my second dose of the Moderna vaccine this last week. The day after for me was bumpy– I had chills and exhaustion, but the following day I was fine. I know that some folks are feeling nervous about getting the vaccine, so I wanted to share something my friend Robin McClellan said the other day. He commented, “I don’t think that science is always right and I fear that many of us have turned science into a religion of sorts. That said, I think science is a very good framework to analyze some aspects of health, particularly public health and communicable diseases. If it was just to keep myself safe, I might have waited. But I still have a scar from my smallpox vaccination, a reminder that vaccines do work! If we find down the road that there are ill effects, so be it. I knew that was a possibility and I won’t blame anyone for it unless there was malfeasance.” 

Is it fun to feel crummy for a day? No. Is it possible there may be side effects from the vaccine that we don’t yet know about? Yes. But in the big picture, are these potential side effects more important than all of us being able to come together safely and return to a more normal life? As you make this decision for yourself in the coming weeks, I urge you to keep in mind a sense of the big picture, while also considering the possible personal side effects.  

In other good news– Sue Waters took on the task of submitting an application for our church for the second round of PPP money being distributed by the federal government, which helps small businesses and nonprofits to stay afloat during the pandemic. (PPP stands for Payroll Protection Program). If we receive the money again, it will go to help pay our payroll and utility expenses for a 10-week period. Last time we were awarded around $12,000, so keep your fingers crossed! 

Friends, in some ways it feels like the pandemic is starting to wind down, and if you’re anything like me, you can’t wait for this to be over with! This is why we’re rejoicing as restrictions are beginning to lift and more people become vaccinated. These bright spots, however, combined with how sick and tired we are of social distancing, make it easy for us to want to throw caution to the wind and toss out our good sense altogether. I want to remind us though that St. Lawrence County is not out of the woods yet. While caseloads are falling in places like Jefferson and Essex counties, we’re still in the “orange zone,” and at critical levels of active outbreak. So while some of us are feeling freer to go out into public places–especially if you’ve been vaccinated–please still wear your masks! 

Every wise or foolish personal choice we make has bearing on our friends, neighbors, and family. So keep at it a little while longer, Saints! Persist with your persistence! We can do this! 

1 Peter was a short letter written to the early church at a time when believers were facing real and present danger from the world around them for their faith. This letter was written to encourage believers to hold fast to God in their struggles. While we do not face the same dangers of persecution those early Christians faced, the author’s words still make good sense for what we’re dealing with in this time of pandemic. 

“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.

1 Peter 5:6-9

May we remember to cast all our cares upon God, who cares for us! And may we continue to stay disciplined and alert!

Keep on Keepin’ On!
Pastor Katrina

Good Morning Church!

Had you forgotten what sunshine and 60 degree weather feels like? I had. The last couple of days have been glorious, haven’t they? A confidence booster that spring is indeed on its way. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! 

For today, our newsletter is filled with both extremes of joyful and sorrowful news. 

One the bright side– this week marks one full year since I came on as pastor here at Potsdam Presbyterian Church! It’s certainly been a rollercoaster of a year, but I am absolutely delighted to be part of this congregation. Your love for each other and commitment to living out the gospel have made this a positive first year experience– in spite of the pandemic. 

Humorously, this week also marks a full year of pandemic living. It’s funny now–remembering back to my first Sunday in the pulpit. Before worship had even started that day, Session and I held an emergency meeting (our very first meeting together) to put an end to in-person worship. What a way to start a brand new pastorate, huh?! 

Can you believe that we’ve made it a full 12 months through this pandemic? It’s a bit startling, when you take in the larger picture. This week I want to encourage you to spend a little time reflecting on this last year. What have you learned from the experience? How have you grown? And how, moving forward, will you live differently, as a result of the wisdom you’ve gained?    

Even as we celebrate how far we’ve come this last year, I have some sad news to share– Mary Ellen Frackenpol died under hospice care in Rochester this past week. I did not have the pleasure of meeting Mary Ellen, but the stories I’ve heard convey that this will be a real loss for some of you. With both her’s and George Davis’ passing, Terry de la Vega commented the other day that, “this is the end of an era for our church.”  If you’d like to send a card to the family, email me and I’ll pass along an address.  

The other sad –and disturbing– news to share with you is that our church has been vandalized …again (for the 10th time). This last week, both of the LGBTQ flags we’ve had wrapped around the trees on the south side of the church lawn were intentionally ripped, torn, and cut up by someone who desired to both intimidate us and send a message of harm to Potsdam’s LGBTQ community. 

For those of us who aren’t gay or transgendered, it’s hard to fathom being spit on, screamed at, or threatened with violence by people in our community on a regular basis, but this is what queer people in the North Country deal with in their everyday lives. It is not an exaggeration to say that being LGBTQ in northern New York means constantly having to look behind your back. You simply do not have the luxury of assuming that you are always safe.  

Today I invite you to spend a moment looking at these flags–items that belonged to the church. What feelings do you experience looking at the damage someone did to our property? 

Since most of us do not belong to the LGBTQ community, think of a flag that might represent who you are in your life– perhaps a Christian flag, or your alma mater’s flag, or an American flag. What happens if you imagine your flag being the one that was vandalized in these pictures. Those of us who aren’t LGBTQ will never be able to know what the pit feels like at the bottom of someone’s stomach who is LGBTQ, but in this small way we can learn to empathize.  

Jesus went out of his way to stand with people that his society harmed, intimidated, shamed, and hated. He talked with Samaritan women, he offered care for Roman soldiers, he befriended tax collectors, he visited with adulterers, and he healed disabled people. These actions were deliberate on his part. He, himself, did not identify as a Samaritan or a Roman. He was not an adulterer, a tax collector, or a disabled man. He himself was none of these things, but he knew that the wholeness and wellness of these people mattered to God, especially because they were spat upon by the society that they lived in. 

If you’ve ever been knocked down by a bully or made fun of, and someone came to stand next to you, you know how important it is to have that support. Jesus’ call to us is to care for those that our own society hates and despises– to be the hands and the feet of Jesus to them. One way that our church does that is by letting our gay and transgendered brothers and sisters know that we see them, and what’s more, we stand with them when they are being denigrated and harmed. 

So, for the 11th time, Renee Stauffer will make new flags to wrap around trees or poles. If you’d like to help her in this effort– either with your crocheting skills or with money to buy materials– I’m sure she’d appreciate the support. 

Now, for one last note of good news to end on–the votes are in, and the vast majority of us would like to plant a (blight resistant) American elm tree as the new sapling to grace the front yard of the church! As soon as the Tisdales receive the sapling and it’s warm enough to be transplanting, we will have a get together outside in the front yard to plant and to celebrate! 

I look forward to that day with you! 

In the letter written to the Galatians, Paul encouraged that church to carry each other’s burdens and to hold fast to their persistence in mimicking Christ. He writes:

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have the opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially those who belong to the family of believers.”

–Galatians 6:9-10

Looking for sunshine this week,
Pastor Katrina

Hello Church!

March came roaring in like a lion– will it go out like a lamb? It’s definitely still winter out there today, but from here on out, each day that passes gets us one day closer to green grass, daffodils, and the planting of our new sapling in the front yard. As my Gramma Huyler (who spent her life in Vermont) used to always say– “I have confidence spring will come!” 

While we’re still waiting, however, the big question of the day is– have you received your Covid vaccine yet? We’ve got one of the best vaccination sites set up in our area– did you know that? Maxcy Hall is well-organized, they have enough staff to keep things running smoothly, and you don’t have to sit around and wait for hours and hours– as is the case in other parts of the country. And more and more appointment times are opening up. If you’re eligible, it’s even possible to make an appointment for the very next day! 

Now, I realize that not all of us want to get vaccinated. Some of us are leery of the vaccine or we’re terrified of needles– and I understand this. But given the safety shown in medical trials, please consider that getting vaccinated is a gift that we can offer to everyone in our congregation, to our families, and to our community. Getting vaccinated is a real and tangible way of showing love to each other. 

For those of us who do want to get vaccinated, but who don’t know how to go about getting signed up, or who feel overwhelmed by the whole process, Renee Stauffer is offering to help. If you give her a call or send her an email, she will explain how the process works. She’s also willing to navigate the website with you, and will tell you what to expect when you get to Maxcy Hall. Her number is (315) 742-2478 and her email address is: reneestauffer@hotmail.com

I received my first shot a few weeks ago and I’m looking forward to getting my second shot next week. I’m one of those people who really doesn’t like needles (please, no!!!), so I was preparing myself for the worst. But I was taken by surprise at how easy and painless this vaccine was. It was actually over before I even realized that it had happened. 

As more and more people get vaccinated and the possibility of spreading the virus diminishes, the day is drawing closer to when we will be able to return to in-person Sunday worship. For those of you who are wondering– Session plans to take up the topic in detail at our April meeting. Details to follow henceforth! 

Speaking of reopening– enough volunteers from the Free Friday Lunch program have been vaccinated that both they, and Session, are comfortable with resuming the program. Beginning April 9th, take-out lunches will be available to anyone looking for a free meal on Fridays! Guests will be invited to pull into the parking lot, where they will be given a menu slip to fill out. The slips will then be taken to the kitchen, where the meals will be prepared in to-go containers, and then brought back out to folks in the parking lot. 

S-L-O-W-L-Y ….and thoughtfully…. we will soon be able to begin emerging from this pandemic. And in this, too, we will have patience confidence that “spring” will come. 

This month is also colorectal cancer awareness month, and Vernice Church has asked me to pass along to you the importance of screening yourself for this type of cancer (if you’re 45 or older). Last year Vernice was faced by it, and she knows what she’s talking about. “It’s a very quiet form of cancer,” she explained to me, “so you won’t know it’s there until you go looking for it.” Now, to go looking for it involves having a colonoscopy– which all of us can agree is not exactly an enjoyable way of getting to know your doctor better. But it’s important! “Getting one literally saved my life,” Vernice said, “and it might yours as well!” So….while you’re out there signing yourself up for a Covid vaccination, please also consider signing yourself up for a colonoscopy. 

Truly– your health and your well-being matter. They matter to God and to your church family, too. Having wellness and wholeness in our lives is part of what God means by bringing shalom/peace to earth. And so, as Christians, working towards our well-being is part of our spiritual calling– in our earthly bodies as much as it is in our spirits. 

To those stuck in the land of exile, God promised this very thing–

“For I will restore health to you, and heal you of your wounds, says the Lord.”

– Jeremiah 30:17

Calling You (and Me) to Health,
Pastor Katrina

p.s. While we’re still waiting to get together in person, Karen Davis had a great idea for how we can enjoy eating together. Every Sunday a small group of her friends looks to receive a dinner recipe from someone. Then, that next weekend, everyone makes this same meal at their own homes, and zooms together while enjoying. And presto! A pandemic-style dinner party! 

Hello Church! 

What a wonderful warm, sunshine Friday we’re having today. Winter has lost its tight grip, and its downhill from here to spring! Yahooo! 

Do any of you do maple sugaring? Folks at Birdsfoot have been gearing up for tapping, and there’s much discussion these days about the joys of all things “maple.” 

This reminds me to ask– a couple weeks ago I mentioned that the Tisdales would like to purchase a sapling to plant out in the church yard this spring, to replace the sugar maple that came down last fall. They need to know what type of tree to order. A couple people have chimed in with their “vote” on which type we should plant, but I’d like to have a little more feedback from you. Would you like a white oak, a blight resistant American elm, or a sugar maple? Please email me back and let me know.

As I mentioned in an email earlier this week, George Davis passed away Tuesday night, and many of us are thinking about the many ways that he’s impacted this community. I am attaching an obituary that includes lots of fun pictures to look at and reminisce about. I hope you’ll take the time to read it and remember him. 

George’s children have decided to hold off on having a memorial service for him until a safer time for all of us to meet together in-person. When I know more about a tentative date I will pass that information along. What I can share, however, is that Rev. Scott Barton, who some of you may recognize as one of the former pastors here at the church, has agreed to come and participate in the service! 

Since it will be some time before we can gather together to remember George, I wonder if some of you have a special story that you’d like to share now with everyone. Feel free to ‘reply all,’ if you’d like to pass along a short memory. 

Now to other news–

Back at our congregational meeting a month ago– if you remember–

we came to the realization that our church’s financial difficulties have been put on the fast track as a result of the pandemic. At that time, a visioning committee was formed, and we’ve already begun meeting, to do the hard work of deciphering what different ways of being in the world God might be calling us to next. 

Good things are happening on the visioning committee. We have a road map now to help us begin doing this work– something I will tell you about another week. But I think it’s safe to say that the team is feeling encouraged and positive about what this process entails, and we’re all excited to see where God leads. 

What I wanted to mention to the whole church now, as we start digging into this work, however, has to do with our finances and our projected timeline. I asked Cynthia Coleman to do a little research in our finances, to come up with a more definitive idea of exactly how much money we have to lean on, as we prayerfully work towards deciphering what God might be calling us to. Knowing where we stand with our assets will help us determine how quickly this process needs to be done. 

As your pastor, I believe it’s vital for church leadership to be transparent when it comes to finances, especially in these situations. You need to know what’s going on with your church. So, I have some information to share with you. 

Cynthia explained that of our $360,000 in assets, not all of that money is available to be tapped when we find ourselves running a deficit budget. There are a couple accounts that are “designated funds,” meaning that the money in those accounts can only be used for the purpose they were originally designated for. These two designated accounts are set aside for upkeep of the organ and for building maintenance projects. Aside from these designated funds, we also have money in the Presbyterian Foundation, which only allows us to draw down from the interest of the principal, and not the principal itself. The total of these designated funds and the money permanently set aside in the Presbyterian Foundation comes to $119,000. These are the monies we do not have access to spending when we need to draw from our assets to keep the church financially viable. 

This means that we have approximately $194,000 to work with. Based on that number, I’ll make an educated guess and say that we have somewhere between 2-4 years to figure out what direction God is leading us to next. 

That’s not a lot of time to do this work, but I feel confident that we can get it done. Before I came to be your pastor, y’all had already engaged in quite a bit of identity work. And there is a strong sense of commitment around discovering what God’s way forward might look like for us. As Bob Pickard put it at this last week’s visioning committee, we are “undeterred” in our mission! 

Please continue to be praying for our church, for session, for me, and also for the visioning committee. “God, put us where you want us, and show us what to do!” 

On that note, I want to highlight one small act of what I believe God is asking us to do in this work– and that is to take care of one another. Here’s an example of what I mean: Since we’ve switched over to on-line worship services, Renee Stauffer has been deeply involved in making those services happen. She hosts and records the zoom meeting that the worship service is recorded on every Saturday, and then uploads those recordings to Facebook for us on Sunday morning. (After that, Dale Hobson then takes it and also uploads the service to our church’s webpage.) Renee works quietly behind the scenes in many other capacities at the church, too. I’ve noticed lately that she– like all of us in the middle of this pandemic– is getting tired and weary. She needs a break sometimes. So this last week I asked Dale Hobson, who has the tech skills needed to do the needed computer work, if he would be willing to spell Renee once a month, and he said “Yes!” So beginning in March, Renee will be taking the second Sunday of every month off for rest. 

Churches are notorious for being places that work their people to death— both their volunteers and paid staff. This not only stands in antithesis to Jesus’ gospel, but when we fall into those patterns of behavior, we lose out on living into the good news that God offers to us, too. 

If we truly want to live the life of faith we profess, it’s important that we cultivate a culture of caring for one another in our church– especially as we engage in this hard work of moving our church into its next chapter. Now, not all of us can step into doing the tech job that Renee has sustained faithfully throughout this whole pandemic, but each of us have something that we can contribute to the whole of our community. Each of us can find a way to care for another person! It takes intentionality to build a structure of caring in an institution like a church, and even more awareness to foster a culture of caring and appreciation, but these are skills that we are going to need to get good at, if we are going to make the jump to what’s next for us. 

So– Church! This week I am asking you to think about the people in our congregation, and choose one person that you can do something kind for. Maybe it’s emailing them to let them know how much you appreciate them, or calling them to check in and say hi. You can send a card in the mail or drop a text. However you want to do it is up to you, but I’m asking that you engage in the practice of care for someone from church this week.

For as I John reminds us again– “Beloved, let us love one another!” 

God’s loving kindness is what holds us together, so this week while you are praying for our church and listening for God’s call, let someone in our church family know that you are thinking about them, and articulate your care of them. 

Appreciating you today!
Pastor Katrina

A Snowy Hello to you Church!

Have you finished shoveling out from the big storm we got on Tuesday? I hope so. What a winter it’s been, huh? And they’re calling for more of the white stuff again today! If there was ever a year to get to be a little kid– to tunnel, and build, and roll around in the snow– this is the year for it! 

Do you have fond memories of playing in the snow when you were little? If so, I’d love to hear about it. 🙂 

This week I’ve got just a couple of things to tell you about. 

The Sunday after next– on the 28th– the Rev. Dr. Shaun Whitehead will be joining us in worship once again. She is such a treasure to our community, and I am so thankful that she is able to give me a rest each month. Like many of you, I struggle with my body, and having a Sunday off on a regular basis makes a big difference for me. It’s also good for all of us to have a different voice bringing us a word from the Word on a consistent basis. It helps us to remember that God speaks to the people in many different ways. 

This last week the church received a curious email from a man named Jonathan Bruce, who lives out in Eugene, Oregon. He was wondering if we have any historical records relating to Lydia (Perkins) Sayles and Nicholas Sayles. He thinks they might have been married at our church back in the 1830s. I’m wondering if any of you historians out there recognize the name, or if there are any sleuths who might enjoy going on a treasure hunt in the history closet to see if a written record of this couple’s wedding exists. The history closet is a special place, which requires patience and delicate handling, but that offers great satisfaction to wondering and curious minds. Let me know if you’d like to help work on this project! 

And speaking of history– friends, George Davis has been hanging on all week, but the end is drawing near for him. I would ask that you would continue to hold him in your prayers in his final days. I’ve spent some good time at his house this week, and enjoyed hearing many stories of George and Ann in all of their adventures– in both our Potsdam community, and in our church. For nearly 70 years, they brought joy and good tidings to our community!

Dear Hearts, even as we sit with George this week, I wonder how you are faring. Right now is such a struggle, and on some level, none of us is ok right now. Between the pandemic, winter, growing older, and wondering what is to come next for our church, the weight is heavy. Isn’t it? 

Sometimes it’s easy to forget that we don’t have to carry this weight alone– that we are not designed to carry this heaviness alone. God created us to be social beings who need each other. So don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help when you are really struggling. It is not a sign of weakness to admit when you can’t bare your load alone. These last couple of weeks I myself have hit my breaking point, and found myself falling to pieces. But I have been reminded yet again, that when we can be truthful about the state we may find ourselves in, and we ask for help, God provides. 

Sometimes we need encouragement to acknowledge when we are cracking. Sometimes we need reminding that people who love us are able and willing to hold us together when we can’t do it for ourselves– if we can gather together the courage to ask. 

The book of Lamentations acknowledges that life is painful and hard– beyond what we ourselves can possibly bare alone. And/but…. God’s strength is there to uphold us in these times. If only we would be humble enough to open ourselves up to asking. 

“The Steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

Lamentations 3:22-23

Living in humility this week,
Pastor Katrina

Hello Church!

It is sunny and bitter cold out there today! The outdoor thermometer at my house said -18 this morning. It’s definitely a good day for long johns and a sweater!

This is about the time in the season when many of us start to lose our patience with the snow and cold. How are you hanging in there right now? As for me, I am not physically well enough to be able to move around in the snow, so I don’t get to be outside right now. That makes things hard. What about for you? Are you starting to climb the walls? Is covid making the winter blues harder or easier for you? I’d love to hear how you’re doing, if you want to drop a line.

Today I’ve got a pile of things to tell you about!

Lent

Next week Lent begins with Ash Wednesday. We won’t be coming together to mark the day, but I hope that you might take some time to “remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

Rock Charitable Grant

We’ve heard back about the Rock Charitable Grant. I’m disappointed to tell you that we did not receive funding this year. After talking with the director though, and learning more about what they’re looking for in an application, I’m confident that we will receive funding for other building projects that will need our attention in the next year or so.

Planting a Sapling

The Tisdales have offered to purchase a sapling tree to be planted in the front yard of the church, to replace the beautiful old maple that graced our presence for so many years and Betsy is inquiring about what we would like to see planted. Another sugar maple? A white oak? A blight resistant American Elm? What are your thoughts? Drop me a reply if you have a particular wish, and we’ll see what everyone thinks.

What a special day that will be this spring, to be able to gather together in the yard for the planting. Perhaps that can be the day we sing together. 🙂

Revisioning Work– “Change or Die”

This last week a core group of 10 of us zoomed together to start our re-visioning work on where God is leading us in this next chapter of our church. As you know, we are living in serious deficit spending, and we have before us the need to rethink how we live in the world. During the meeting we talked about how scary it is to be forced to change, and even how uncomfortable it can be to simply talk about changing. Even while acknowledging these fears, I was quite pleased to see a willingness in folks to meet our fears head on. Laughing out loud someone spoke up and said, “Yeah, we should call this work ‘Change or Die!'”

Recognizing the motive we have to change is helpful, and/but focusing on the financials must play second fiddle to the more important work of listening in for what purpose and mission God might have for us in this next stage of our church.

Since we know and believe that we serve a God who provides for us, focusing our attention on what God’s call is for us will lead us to the right solution to our sustainability problem.

But the question is, “How do we know what God is calling our church to?”

There are many different ways to approach that question, and so we will use a number of different strategies to figure out an answer. Firstly, as I mentioned last week, all of us need to be engaged in daily prayer for our church. Prayer opens up our hearts and invites God to speak– especially when we pray that powerful prayer, “God, put us where you want us, and show us what to do.”

Prayer is our first approach, but we also have another helpful way of engaging that question. It’s fair to say that when God calls us to something, the Spirit provides us with both the energy and the excitement to bring about that calling. So a great guiding question on this treasure hunt of ours is to ask ourselves, “What generates energy and excitement in our church?”

At our meeting this week I asked people to share what has generated energy and excitement in our church in the past. As people began talking and sharing, you could feel the energy rising. “Music!” someone said. “Caring for the world around us,” another voice added. “We always get excited about sharing food,” someone else laughed. “Youth!” someone added. “And social justice work,” another voice chimed in. The more examples people gave of times that energy and excitment was felt in our congregation, the more we began to see certain themes popping up.

Music— both making music and sharing it with others has created energy and excitement for us consistently throughout our life.

Mission/Community Outreach– sharing what we have with others in need has consistently sparked joy and rallied energy in our church, whether the need was felt among our own people, within our community, or around the world.

Fellowship— sharing experiences together and eathing food with others has always brought us together in positive ways.

Social Justice— Throughout our church’s entire 210 years of life, engaging justice work– as opposed to charity work– has sparked and rallied energy and excitement. (Even back in 1837 our church was on the forefront of social justice. That was the year we organized an anti-slavery society and spoke out strongly for abolition, even in the face of unpopular social pressure.)

Youth— Engaging with, teaching, caring for, and feeding our community’s young people has consistently brought joy and excitment to our congregation.

These were the examples our group came up with this week. But I’m curious to hear from you too! When you think back to times that you have felt energy and excitment stirring in our congregation, what comes to your mind? (Please respond with a Reply All if you share!)

Friends, God has something exciting in store for us in this next chapter if we choose to be open to where God might be leading.

Finding out what that calling might be will take–

• Vulnerability
• A willingness to practice trusting (God, ourselves, and each other)
• Discovering joy-filled curiosity
• Using our imagination muscles.

Are you ready for this adventure? I am! 🙂

“God, put us where you want us, and show us what to do.”

Warming up my Curiosity Muscles,
Pastor Katrina

Good Day to you Church!

It is wet and I-C-Y out there today! I had a close encounter with a tractor on the road this morning on my way into the church office. I was coming down a hill on my way to a stop sign when I realized that braking wasn’t slowing the car down at all. I could see the scenario playing out in front of me– of being hit by a tractor as I careened into the intersection in front of me. At the last minute, however, my tires found enough friction on the road to bring me to a stop and the John Deere peacefully passed by in front of me. Phew!! That was a close one. All that to say– be careful out there today! 

If you weren’t able to make it to our congregational meeting last Sunday, I thought I’d take this chance to catch you up on the latest news. 

As many of you already know, our church has been struggling with financial difficulties for quite some time now. There simply hasn’t been enough money coming in to cover all the costs of what has to be sent out. This is why, 3 or 4 years ago, the church made some major changes: the pastor’s hours and salary were reduced to half time, the office administrator’s position was reduced to 1/4 time, and other cost saving measures were taken. All of these changes helped with lowering the deficit budget, but they did not eliminate the financial strain entirely– much in part due to the fact that we live in a huge, old (beautiful) building.

Then, the pandemic hit. The economic impact of Covid-19 has been harsh for our church. Our pledged giving was down significantly in 2020, and we lost rental income, building use income, and fundraising opportunities. Looking into 2021, as we continue into the second year’s effects of the pandemic, our financial situation gets even tighter. Session is projecting a $84,000 deficit for 2021, depending on how long the pandemic lasts. 

This is a serious issue, I know. Give yourself a minute to catch your breath. 

That’s the hard news. The good news is that there is definitely enough money socked away in our assets to survive this year, and likely another year or so beyond that (depending on how much principal we have access to tapping). *This is something Cynthia Coleman is looking into.

This means we’ve got some time to listen in– to hear and understand what God might be calling us to in our next chapter, and then, to figure out how to financially make that a reality. 

Thankfully, there’s more good news. One of the other pieces ofgood news is that I have done this sort of work before. Both of the congregations I worked for in Rochester were dealing with these same issues, and I spent gobs of time learning how to engage in this process– of determining what God might be calling us to as we lean into this particular financial situation. 

You’re probably going to think I’m nuts for saying this, but the position we find ourselves in right now is one of the most exciting opportunities our congregation will ever encounter to grow in our faith, knit the bonds of our congregation tighter, and learn to trust God.

I’ve seen first-hand what this opportunity can yield in the lives of two different churches– when the process is done well. I won’t kid you. The work we have to do in the coming months is hard work. But if we can practice living into the beliefs we hold dear to our hearts– about having faith and trust in a God who is making all things new, this may turn out to be one of the most rewarding faith experiences you will ever encounter in your lifetime. (I kid you not.) 

Starting this Tuesday, a core group of church members and I will begin this work. In the beginning, this visioning team will do a lot of the “heavy lifting,” but that does not mean that the rest of you are off the hook. It’s going to take all of us engaging in this process together– talking together, listening together, and praying and meditating– to come out the other end in a healthy, revitalized way (assuming that God is calling us to remain as a living, breathing entity). 

Recognizing that all of us need to take part in this process of growth and change, I’m going to give all of us a little homework to do this week. 

The first request I have might be challenging for some of us, but that is ok. It is ok to do hard things. For the next 6 months, I am asking that each of us pray daily for our church body. Feel free to pray for our congregation in whatever way you feel led (it might not hurt for a couple of us to ask God for a winning lottery ticket, for instance), but in addition to your own prayers, I need to ask you to start praying a particular prayer: 

“God, put us where you want us, and show us what to do.” 

This prayer is important because it puts us in a posture of both openness and awareness to God’s leading. Yes, it is necessary that we work towards “fixing” our financial problem, but our most important job in the coming year is to discern what God is calling us to be, and to do. If we do this most essential task well– of learning to hear and to follow God’s beckoning– I can tell you that the important financial decisions will flow naturally out of the other work. 

Praying for our church must become one of our daily spiritual habits. I’m serious about that. We’re all going to have to step up our prayer life. (Remember I said that this is going to be hard work? Daily prayer is hard work.) 

The second request I have of you, is that you read the following article. It’s a short piece written about South Presbyteryian Church and their call-seeking journey. After four years of deliberation, prayer, and discussion by members regarding their grim financial situation, in 2014 they opted to gain financial stability (and freedom) by selling their building. 

https://www.presbyterianmission.org/story/church-sold-building/

God may, or may not, be calling us to a similar situation– that is something that we will have to discern together-– but I wanted for you to see an example of how special and invigorating this process can be. 

OK, that’s all for now, dear Hearts. 

“God, put us where you want us, and show us what to do.” 

in faith,
Pastor Katrina

p.s. I almost forgot to mention! We will be celebrating communion together this coming Sunday. So, on Sunday morning, pull out a bit of juice (or coffee, or whatever you have on hand) and some bread (or a cracker or, truly…whatever you have), and we will remember and celebrate Jesus together. 

Good Afternoon Church!

What a glorious but chilly today we are having! Sunshine– yay!! 

Today’s email will be very brief. 

If somehow you hadn’t received the news earlier, this Sunday will be our first-ever Congregational Meeting held via Zoom. Please plan to come to the meeting at 11:30 am.

Congregational Meeting Agenda.

If you’re joining us via the internet, you’ll need this link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85095954834

If you’ll be joining us via telephone, call the appropriate phone number listed below, and when prompted, use this Meeting ID#:

Meeting ID: 850 9595 4834

Dial by your location
+1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose)
Meeting ID: 850 9595 4834

On Wednesday you should have received all of the documents needed for the meeting. 

Please read them through before we start the meeting so we can jump into conversation.

While I expect there to be good discussion regarding the budget and our financial situation, our “work” will be short. 

There are only two items that we need to vote on– the pastor’s terms of call and the proposed 2021 budget. 

There will be time for adding new business at the start of the meeting, but if there is any new business you know ahead of time that you’d like to include, please email me back with a description. 

I’ll see you on Sunday! 🙂
Pastor Katrina

Good afternoon Church!

This afternoon as I write, the snow is gently falling from the sky–coming to blanket us in the peace-filled hush of winter’s embrace. Can you hear the quiet? Do you enjoy this silence? 

This has been a pretty quiet week, all around. I emerged from a second round of quarantining a couple days ago, thankful to find that all has been well at the church building in my absence. 

Looking at the next couple of weeks: 

This Sunday the Rev. Dr. Shaun Whitehead will be leading worship for us. 

The following Sunday–January 31st– we will be holding our annual congregational meeting over Zoom, beginning at 11:30am. Look for an email from me mid-week with annual reports for you to read prior to our meeting as well as the invitational link you will need to use to access the meeting. 

For those of you who are unsure of how to navigate Zoom, please feel free to practice “zooming” this week by joining Lora and Dick Lunt at our weekly Zoom coffee hour, which begins every Sunday at 11am. Lora will send you the email invitation on Saturday, for you to be able to participate. This weekly Zoom is a nice way to get to “see” each other, and to hear how others are fairing. 

With our congregational meeting coming upon us next week, I’d like to take a moment today to ask you to consider donating the per capita amount our church is required to pay for our members, for the services our denomination and our presbytery provide to us. This year the amount is $31 per person. For those who don’t know, per capita is money churches are required to pay to help support the governing infrastructure of our presbytery, synod, and General Assembly. This money is also used to create educational and missional services for us to use all year long. Each church covers this cost for its members, but if you are able to contribute towards it, it is greatly appreciated. If you send in a contribution, either for the entirety of the $31, or some portion of it, just write “per capita” on the memo line of your check. 

Friends, please continue to be praying for Seth Chichester and family, as they mourn the loss of Marlene. Due to the pandemic, the family is holding off on a memorial service until spring. In lieu of sending flowers, the family is asking for donations to be made in Marlene’s name to either The Alzheimer’s Association or United Helpers. 

A Word of Encouragement

As COVID ravages around us, and we find ourselves hunkering down even tighter for winter, I wonder what sort of opportunity this might lend for us to turn inward– to do the sort of work on ourselves that can only be done in the hush of darkness and the stillness of winter. It is a time for us to take stock and ask ourselves the hard questions. “Is the person I have become, the person I want to be?” we might ask ourselves. “And who am I, exactly?” As we dig down into the layers of our identity, we can also sit with the deeper question, “Who is God calling me to be right now?”  

Every day we have the fresh, new opportunity to make choices for ourselves– to keep living the path we forged the day before, or, to shift our energy, habits, and awareness to become something different. 

If there is one thing that the pandemic has shown us, it’s that change is all around us–something God purposefully built into creation! If, upon reflection, you are not happy with the person you have become, God created you specifically with the ability to grow and adapt. We may never possess the power to change those who are around us, but every moment of every day we have the power to open ourselves up to becoming a new creation.

In the book of Ezekiel, God tells the prophet to prophesy to all of the people of Israel. In the past the people have hardened their hearts against God, but God promises them, “I will give you a new heart and I will put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”

~Ezekiel 36:26 

Dear Hearts, if in the snowy silence of January you come to know that you need a change for yourself, God’s mercies are new every morning. 

When the student is ready, God provides the teacher. 

Sitting in the hush,
Pastor Katrina