September, 2010
I am truly delighted to have arrived in New Hampshire, to have settled in our home in Bow, and to officially begin my ministry with all of you. The first few days on the job were surprisingly calm and uneventful. The days since have offered me a chance to get immersed in the life of our congregation at a speed none of us foresaw, yet with an intensity I have come to consider a real gift.
The resignation of our choir director a few weeks before my arrival, and the process that led to the resignation, has stirred a broad range of reactions within our community. The death of long-time members Janet Copestakes and Graham Cole presented a loss for all of us. Then, a week before she was supposed to start her job, our new Director of Religious Education resigned from the position for personal reasons. In other words, there has been a lot to process, for all of us.
The gift I feel I received is to see how much you care about our church, about what happens here, and how it happens. The gift I received is to see that you will come together when it matters. The gift I received is to see that you continue to learn from the past. Yes, there was conflict - is conflict – but the conflict is acknowledged openly, discussed openly, addressed openly. Clearly, the work you have done over the past few years is showing, however hard it may be to feel that in the heat of the moment. There is more to learn, for sure, but you have given me the gift of hope and joyful anticipation of all that is possible as we move forward, together. Thank you.
Thank you also for the amazing welcome we received in July. Despite the heat and humidity, you helped move our belongings in record time, we got to eat food from our very own vegetable plot at church, and you brought us blankets and kitchen essentials when our moving containers were delayed. Thank you for the invitations to get to know you and the advice on what life around Concord has to offer. You certainly know how to spoil a new minister and his family with your impressive hospitality. Thank you.
Hot off the presses: I just learned the very good news that the DRE Search Committee is able to recommend to the Prudential Committee to hire Kristin Nelson as our settled Director of Religious Education. Provided the Prudential Committee accepts the search committee’s recommendation,
Kristin is happy and excited to bring her skills and experience to the DRE position.
~Michael Leuchtenberger |
