Pastor's Page
From the Pastor
As we move into the Fall season, it is one of my favorite times of the year. The cool air of the mornings with some warm afternoons and the color of the changing leaves. Great time to enjoy the wonderful world God has created for us to enjoy and to care for. This time of the year has typically been a time of stewardship campaigns where the church board asks people to make a commitment to give a tenth (tithe) of their income to the church. The series I will be using in October addresses some of the fundamental aspects of prayer, empowering us to speak to God more boldly and more honestly. Fear of “praying wrong” keeps some people from praying at all, but Luke shows us that prayer is ultimately a way of practicing dependence on God. Exploration of that dependence lends itself to a stewardship focus and we all need to be better stewards.
I have continued to visit the people in the church facing surgery and mourning the loss of loved ones. With three funerals and a wedding in the past couple months all while dealing with my daughter’s accident, it has been a lot to deal with. Through it all Shannon and I have felt the love and prayers from all of you. Thank you for keeping us in your prayers. My daughter is doing better and has visited her doctors who say she is getting better each day, please continue to keep Briana and her family in your prayers.
I had an opportunity to attend a Pastors retreat sponsored by Indiana Kentucky Conference. The title of the retreat was “Claiming our Courage as Clergy” with the additional tag line “Professional Personal & Prophetic.” The sessions we had were all voluntary, but most of us were in the meetings. Walking the trails became wonderful times for personal meditation. It is always great to gather with people who understand and have walked through the things you have, late night phone calls, sermons every week, and all the other pastoral duties. We all need collegial relationships, those people who understand your work and your frustrations. I pray you have a group of people you can share those things that happen in your life and work with. In this time of polarization and all the violence we are seeing we all need people we can count on. Let us as a congregation be there for each other to support and to challenge. Together we are stronger, and we can move forward together.
Peace & Love
Allen R. Kahler, Pastor