May
On April 20th, in a stirring service in Covenant Hall and the garden, the congregation heard the stories of our delegation from the Biloxi work trip. These six intrepid volunteers gave up a week of their spring break / vacation to go and participate in the rebuilding of the Gulf Coast, still in great need nearly three years after the utter devastation of hurricane Katrina.
If you were there, you were probably touched by their commitment, their stories of hope and despair, and the way they brought us into the lives of the people in Mississippi.
I am very grateful for the time and energy these six volunteers put forth to help a great cause. But even more than that, what really struck me was the way the whole church supported them. People gave money, prayed for them, and helped coordinate the details of their travel. People helped move chairs, listened to their stories, and looked at their pictures. People asked them what was needed, commented on their blog, and offered them hugs (and tears) of appreciation.
RUCC is such an incredible community of people helping people and of pitching in wherever needed. As the Sabbatical Experience begins this month, we’re going to need that same spirit to carry us through the time while Sharon is away. The Sabbatical Committee has arranged for people to provide pastoral care, lead in worship, and serve the church in countless other ways that Sharon normally provides on a daily basis.
But it goes much deeper that that. Just as we do now, we will need to actively seek opportunities to help. We need to be attentive to the needs of our community. We need to remain patient when things don’t go exactly as planned. We need to remember that sometimes things are different; not right or wrong, better or worse, just different. We are all unique, with our own special mix of personality, talent, and opinion. One person’s quirk is another person’s endearment.
This is a real strength of our church and I look forward to the opportunity to exercise our abilities. Stay helpful, hopeful and happy and we will grow in our time of shared Sabbatical with Sharon.
With optimism and hope,
Loring Fiske-Phillips
