A Message from Ellen
October 26, 2022
October 26, 2022
Dear Friends,
One of the hardest parts of the last three years was the non-stop disruption to our “normal.” But one of the results of that difficulty, for which I am grateful, is the fact that having our world disrupted has forced us to figure out what is most important to us. It is hard to have the world turned upside down, because most of us are creatures of habit, and it is exhausting to have to change constantly or to be uncertain about what will happen. I remember that after the flood of 2015, when the bridge between my house and the church was washed away, it took me WEEKS to stop driving to the washed-out bridge on automatic pilot! And once it reopened, I had to retrain my brain again. It was sad how difficult that small change was for me. The pandemic has brought more drastic change, and some of us have survived giant, world-changing, earth-shaking disruption in the last three years. Don’t underestimate the potential gifts of this struggle.
The part of this terribleness for which I’d like to cultivate gratitude is the clarity about what really matters to us. When we could do little, go few places, and see few people, we had time to think about what was important. And, as the restrictions eased, we began to re-evaluate how we had spent our time, energy, and money in the past. Quite a few of us have changed a few things.
And, in that time of reassessment, I have noticed that some people have come back to the faith community called Forest Lake Presbyterian, and some have not. Some have determined that weekly worship is a practice that grounds, realigns, and centers their lives, and some determined that it did not. Some realized that serving and giving time and money to serve a larger purpose brings us joy and meaning, and some have determined to spend what they have on their own purposes. Some have looked up and realized that in our country there is great need and that some of how the world is organized needs to change for the good of the whole, and some have doubled down and tried to prevent change from happening.
Sunday, November 6th, we will hold our annual Stewardship Dedication Sunday. On this day members and friends of FLPC are invited to walk to the Communion Table and put their financial pledges on the table. This practice has the very practical result of guiding the Session as they make a budget for 2023. But this practice is also an exercise in prioritizing what is important to us. Where we invest ourselves will shape what we become. I invite you to invest in the adventure and challenge of living together as disciples of Jesus Christ in this particular place and time. Investing yourself in this community will change our hearts and will allow us to change our community for God’s purpose. Come and invest with me in life at FLPC.
Ellen
Ellen F. Skidmore
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