The LINK: 4/01
To my Congo-Pres family and friends,
Grace and peace to you all!
As Spring is starting to bloom, I pray that the sunshine warms and the rain refreshes you and your soul. What gifts from our God! Let them be a reminder of the new life we’re going to celebrate later this month, first at the empty tomb, and then the resurrection life that Jesus gives to us all.
Julia and I are so grateful for the support, encouragement, and prayers as we’ve started our family. We felt so loved when we’ve brought baby Aubrey to church, and the amount of joy that she received from you all.
I wanted to update you on my plans with my family for this upcoming summer. After Julia’s FMLA (Washington family leave) concludes in May, I am going to swap with her and take my own family leave for seven weeks this summer in June and July so that I can spend quality time with and take on the care of Aubrey. One of our denominations, the PCUSA, voted in 2023 to amend the constitution to give full-time pastors paid family leave after the birth of children (or in the case of medical emergencies). As part of being a pastor in our denomination, I am grateful to receive that family leave.
Here's what you can expect for this summer. I will be out of the office and our family will be away from Sunday services throughout the month of June, and the first two weeks of July. I’ll be in the pulpit on May 25, and in the office up until May 29th. My first day back from leave will be Sunday, July 20th. Starting June 1st, I have invited a number of preachers to preach for those weeks. You’ll see preachers who have visited before, as well as a number of new faces, and so you will get a variety of voices and styles over that month, including one who will celebrate communion with you at the end of the month. You will have staff and church members on call for any pastoral needs, but if there’s an emergency or tragedy, I will be present, and am only a phone call away.
I am grateful to have this time away, and at the same time, I can also recognize that this might be new territory for you or this church. If you have questions or concerns, please know that I’m here for you.
While I might be away, it’s also good to look forward to some of the good things comings this summer:
-We have an intern coming! We are ready to receive an intern this summer from Whitworth University. They will be working with worship, children, youth, and a number of other ministries. And you can contribute to their experience! We’re looking for people to host our intern for meals, to be in a book or Bible study with them, to hang out with them and give them a well-rounded experience of our church. Look for opportunities to sign up in the coming weeks.
-VBS is on! Our fantastic Children’s Ministries is planning for Wednesday-evening VBS for the children and grandchildren of our church. You’ll hear all the opportunities to get involved
-Hang out with the neighbors! We have a team working to put on a BBQ/Block Party event for our neighbors on Normal Hill as an experiment (there’s that word again!) to connect with our community. We’re looking to do it late July or early August (or just when it’s not too hot). We’ll be looking for all kinds of roles to put on a party with food for our neighbors.
Looking forward to this summer!
Blessings,
Pastor Adam