The Messenger - October 14, 2009
Pastor's Corner
by Rev. Neal Neuenschwander
The Call to Leadership
During the brief congregational meeting that was held last Sunday, October 11, the Nominating Committee of our church presented the names of several candidates for the office of deacon and elder in our church. This slate was assembled through several committee meetings, some personal interviews, and countless telephone calls beginning last May. In most Presbyterian Churches, elected officers compose at most 5 to 8 percent of the congregation. By contrast, our bylaws call for a deacon board of 32 members and a Session of 21 members. That's a total of 53 church officers--which is more than 17% of our current membership. Needless to say, the challenge of filling these 3 year "slots" is immense.
Our Denomination's "Book of Order" teaches that elders should be "persons of faith, dedication, and good judgment. Their manner of life should be a demonstration of the Christian gospel, both within the church and in the world." In a similar manner, deacons are to show "Christian love and justice," consistently demonstrating "sympathy, witness, and service on behalf of the church." No church officer fulfills these mandate perfectly, but, in my experience, all of them wish to do so faithfully. Thus, they need your help! Even more than that, they will need God's help in the months and years ahead.
These are the elders-elect:
- Don Iverson
- Einar Petersen
- Betty Loyd
- Mike Mantz
- Jim Waters
- Aurora Franck-Thompson
- Dariel Johnson
These are the deacons-elect:
- Betty Hughes
- Sue Waters
- George Duval
- Joanne Anderson
- Margaret Campbell
- Muriel Costantini
- Marilyn Falcon
- Sheryl LeBlanc
- Mariluz Ortiz
- Nancy Petersen
- Joyce Sjostedt
- Vivian Soykin
- Sharon McLachlan
According to our Book of Church Order, both elders and deacons must be trained in theology and polity, then "examined" by the session, then ordained (and/or installed) in January. That's a lot to learn within the next few weeks, and a lot to DO in the years that follow. Thus, would you commit to pray for them? This could really make a big diference in the end.
Editor's Corner
Some time ago, at the Seattle Olympics, nine athletes, all mentally or physically challenged, were standing on the start line for the 100 m race. The gun fired and the race began. Not everyone was running, but everyone wanted to participate and win. They ran in threes, a boy tripped and fell, did a few somersaults and started crying. The other eight heard him crying. They slowed down and looked behind them. They stopped and came back. All of them.
A girl with Down's Syndrome sat down next to him, hugged him and asked, "Feeling better now?" Then, all nine walked shoulder to shoulder to the finish line. The whole crowd stood up and applauded. And the applause lasted a very long time. People who witnessed this still talk about it. Why?
Because deep down inside us, we all know that the most important thing in life is much more than winning for ourselves. The most important thing in this life is to help others to win. Even if that means slowing down and changing our own race.
A candle loses nothing if it is used to light another one.....
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