April 2023

Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit.

– Jeremiah 17:7-8

Every year, since we moved to the midwest, I find myself feeling impatient with spring’s arrival. Each cold day that passes, I find myself feeling a little more annoyed and just ready for warmth. 

We can get impatient with God in our lives, too. We find ourselves unsettled with where we are and long to be where we are not. Perhaps we are disappointed that God hasn’t brought the blessing we have been hoping for, or we’re frustrated that our hard work hasn’t borne the fruit we hoped it would.

Perhaps the season of Lent is a reminder that, sometimes, God asks us to just be here now. Rather than anxiously awaiting the future, maybe we can recall the blessings of right now. Maybe - just maybe - good things can be found in the present.

I know that many of you are anxious about what will happen around the church during my parental leave. I want to assure you that you will have a preacher every Sunday, and we have a team of folks who will provide pastoral care when needed. Chrissy will be working diligently to help coordinate things. And God will continue to work around the clock, caring for and loving you all well.

We are working on putting together a document that will tell you who is preaching which Sunday, who is on our pastoral care team while I’m away, and all of their contact info. Trust and know that you will be taken care of and all will be well. I will trust, as well, that you will be taking care of each other, too.

Thank you all for all the ways you have journeyed alongside me through my pregnancy; I will have one more pastor’s note to write to you before I go on leave, but just know that I am grateful this baby will be so very loved by all of you.

With grace,

Pastor Kelsey