PJ’s Page –
On September 15th we installed Kirby Unti as the Bishop of the NW Washington synod. You might wonder exactly what it is a bishop does. A part of what a bishop does is oversee and guide the work that we do together as a synod – a group of congregations joined together by virtue of our geography. We do good work in this synod and we offer our prayers for Kirby during this time.
At his installation at St. Mark’s Cathedral, the outgoing Presiding Bishop of the ELCA, Mark Hanson, was the preacher. Bishop Hanson likes to have people talk to one another as a part of the sermon. On this particular day, he asked us to consider (and then talk to one another about) whether our congregation was a “settled” congregation or a “sent” congregation. He wanted to know whether we existed largely for ourselves or whether our ministries were geared toward being sent out into the world.
What would you say to this? Is Luther Memorial a settled congregation or a sent congregation?
I’ve been pondering this question ever since September 15th. Whenever I’ve engaged in some aspect of ministry since then, I’ve asked myself, Is this activity a part of being settled or sent? Because when I turned to the person next to me during Bishop Hanson’s sermon, to talk about this question, my answer was “Both”. That was her answer about her congregation, too. I think it’s true that most congregations are both settled and sent. But when we lean too far into being settled, we forget the very reason we are here as a church – to be sent out into the world.
All around us, there are opportunities to be sent. We are sent to serve the women and children of Mary’s Place. We are sent to feed the hungry through our gifts to the food bank, our support of the CROP walk, and our brown bag lunch program. We are sent to be a voice for justice through our support of the Faith Action Network. We are sent to say yes to equality for all people by marching in the PRIDE parade. We are a sent people.
I would like to know how you would like to be sent out into the world. What areas of ministry and mission are you passionate about? Where do you think God’s hands and feed are most needed? Will you tell me? And because I won’t possibly be able to remember all that you tell me….will you write it down and give/mail/email/send by carrier pigeon this part of the Messenger back to me? If you are reading this electronically, please print this page so that you can give me your feedback. Or better yet…open up a new window and send me an email! How do you think Luther Memorial is being sent out into our community and God’s creation?
Being sent with you,
PJ+