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Services:
Sundays
8:15 and 10 am
Child care provided
Office hours:
Tuesday - Friday
9 am - noon
Location:
5705 Lacy Rd.
Fitchburg WI 53711
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Phone:
608-273-1008
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| A time of beginning |
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January 2009 We begin the new year around Memorial with an amazing mix of emotions – sadness at Bonnie’s retirement, joy at the new adventures that await John and her, excitement about a time of new beginnings in our congregation, anxiety about what that all might mean. It’s all so much like real life, isn’t it? Some of you have heard me use this phrase before, but I think it’s worth repeating: I begin my time as your full-time pastor with my own mixture of emotions. I’m thrilled and I’m terrified. Thrilled, because I cannot imagine a better place to go about the work of ministry than at Memorial UCC. When I was here as a student pastor in 2004, I fell in love with the people of this congregation. This is a place of generosity, of welcoming, of caring for each other and of working to make the world a better place. And it is a place that knows how to have fun. The tone of worship here mixes reverence with informality. The music is superb. We have vibrant programs for our children. The respect for differences, be they of theology or politics or religious style, is one of the hallmarks of life around here. So when you called me back as your associate pastor in May of 2007, I could not believe my good fortune. And now I have a chance to do even more along with you. Which, of course, leads to the feelings of terror. Bonnie, her pastoral predecessors and the lay leaders of Memorial have created an amazing community here. I want to build on what they have done, not turn it to hash. Fortunately, in a place like Memorial, none of us operates on our own. I know the current leadership here will help us move forward and gently will keep me on course. I’m hoping that everyone will join in that process of helping Memorial chart its course into the future. That’s one of the main tasks for the year ahead. The council is considering some goals for 2009 and those will be included in the annual report and presented at the congregational meeting on Jan. 25. One of those goals is likely to be engaging the congregation in some long-range and strategic thinking. It is one of the opportunities that comes with a transition in leadership and we ought to make the most of it. The core of what I do around here as your pastor, though, is to help all of us grow in our understanding of the presence of God among us and to find ways to let that presence sustain us and then challenge us to go about life in ways that reflect the way of Jesus. As we walk this journey together, let’s hold each other in prayer as we keep Christ at the core of what we do. |