Some have referred to interim pastors as “temporary shepherds”.  Others, often mockingly, have called them “very lame ducks”!  Actually, the ministry of an interim pastor is a much-needed and often complicated one.

1.  “Just don’t rock the boat” –  The nature of a temporary ministry may include attention to matters of vision, mission, building, staffing, budget, growth, and structure.  Sometimes congregations find themselves in severe conflict and a major state of decline.  Then “rocking the boat” has already happened and interim pastors tend to the system (congregation) and deal with urgent issues. Fortunately, BCMC has done incredible work in the past number of years in many of these areas.  “Rocking the boat” is not desired nor anticipated.  More than likely, I will be called to steer the boat, keep it on course, and encourage the passengers (BCMC leaders and participants) to keep on rowing.  There is much to be thankful for; there is much to look forward to.  I will hold up the mirror and reflect what I see as I minister in the name of Jesus Christ.
2.  “Just what will you do?”  The three areas that will require my 3/4 time are:  worship/preaching, crisis ministry, and administration.  We will work together as a current staff who already have a tradition of spiritual worship that combines the heart, mind, and soul in Christian discipleship.  I will work with the Worship Commission to invite many voices to participate–especially with attention to inter-generational worship–by offering their gifts in word and deed.  In the area of pastoral care, I will attend to crisis situations and major life changes.  Susan Wheeler and I will coordinate care along with the Visitation Team and Deacons.  And finally, I will attend to administration to be sure that communication is clear and goals are accomplished.  The Church Board will be setting direction and consulting with the congregation as the Pastoral Search Committee begins its work. I look forward to these varied ministries in the next 6-12 months.
3.  “Weren’t you retired?”  Yes, I was!  I enjoyed the less demanding schedule and the ability to sleep late and travel to see my mother in Minnesota, my brother in Colorado and our daughter in Ohio.  However, the tug to serve BCMC was very strong and the opportunity to again delve deeply into pastoral ministry a true calling.

May God grant us all new visions for mission as we conclude the 15-year chapter of ministry of Heidi Regier Kreider and prepare to welcome a new pastor in the next year.

Dorothy Nickel Friesen

MCUSA youth from across the country found themselves ‘on the way’ to downtown Kansas City for #Mennocon15. Many groups flew from far off locations, while other groups piled on buses to travel to KC from cities like Denver, Columbus, and Philadelphia.

The BCMC Senior High, twelve students and five leaders, enjoyed a nice little jog to convention in a big red van and a couple Subaru’s! (Thanks Orvin and Janet!)

Row 1: Laura Tran, Elizabeth Tran; Row 2: Sarah Turner, Jon Voth, Allie Shoup, Jason Wong, Will LeVan; Row 3: Mercedes Rodriguez, Maggie Dungan, Ben Lichti, Angus Siemens; Row 4: Christian Rodriguez, John Tyson, Austin Prouty, Zoe Siemens, Karen LeVan, David LeVan

The first word that comes to mind for me, as I think about the convention experience, is stimulating. We start by gathering downtown in a large city, a context quite different from the familiar wider Newton community. Once unpacked, we find ourselves, suddenly, in a big convention center amidst crowds of people. Everywhere we turn, there is a seminar, a game, an admissions counselor, a group of friends, a college exhibit, a free t-shirt, a hymn sing, a folk concert, somebody with a video camera, a movie – the list goes on! Twice a day, we gather for worship in front of an expansive stage adorned for a full band. Two large screens and an array of flashing lights create a highly engaging and – oftentimes – overwhelming atmosphere. Worship services begin with creative advertisements and calls to engage convention through means of several social media platforms. From a youth and youth sponsor perspective, the convention is more ‘on the move’ and less ‘on the way’!

Dining room at Kansas City Community Kitchen

I am grateful for the fact that mid-way through the week, our group had the opportunity to break off from the convention spectacle and spend an afternoon serving at the Kansas City Community Kitchen alongside Rich, John, Kenny, and Juan the baker. The Kansas City Community Kitchen serves 2,500 hot lunches per week and 130,000 hot, nutritious meals per year in a neighborhood not too far removed from downtown. As youth sponsor Karen LeVan noted in her reflection on our service experience, Lead Chef Rich asked us to “be honest about whether you give what you hope to receive.” I believe our group was abundantly faithful to Rich’s request, even as it meant cutting down raw chicken. (A helping of Juan’s fresh cookies served as additional motivation!)

As the week progressed, it was clear that Senior High youth were encountering and processing the issues and atmosphere of the adult delegate sessions as they attended numerous seminars and other events. On Saturday morning Ben Kreider, a BCMC delegate, visited with us to talk about his delegate experience and the content of the resolutions. Ben shared about the tension and widespread emotions present in the delegate assembly, but he also noted the spirit-filled dialogue that he encountered at the table with fellow brothers and sisters representing many diverse communities.

At one of our many morning breakfast and debrief gatherings, each of us in the circle shared one of our favorite aspects of the convention experience. I was struck by the fact that almost everyone shared something different. While #Mennocon15 at times felt overstimulating, I am grateful that the large buffet of activities and experiences meant that there was something engaging for everyone.

I am also grateful for twelve students who jumped completely into the convention experience. I am grateful for Ben Lichti, David LeVan, Karen LeVan, and Allie Shoup, who devoted an entire week to enabling the students to learn and grow. Finally, I am profoundly grateful for a congregation that values and supports the lives of youth.

– John Tyson

To read previous posts, click on “Pastor’s Post” below and scroll down

I recently joined others from BCMC to attend the Mennonite Church USA convention in Kansas City. Highlights for me included worship services with inspiring preaching and vibrant music; dozens of conversations with new and longtime friends; a gathering of other women pastors; and seminars on racial justice, theology for rural congregations, and inclusive congregations that welcome members of the GLBTQ community.  I served as a table leader at the the delegate assembly, and appreciated the love and respect shown as people of widely different viewpoints and experiences spoke their convictions and listened carefully to others.  I also felt deep sadness, as I witnessed pain, anger and division within our “beloved Mennonite Church,” (as the moderator called it several times).  I wonder what the experiences we have had and decisions we have made at convention will mean for our denomination, conference and congregation?  In this spirit, I share with you a column written by Richard Gehring, moderator of Western District Conference, in Sprouts, WDC’s weekly newsletter. ~ Heidi Regier Kreider

On Forbearance – by Richard Gehring, WDC Moderator

By now, most people who are interested have likely heard the results of votes taken at last week’s Mennonite Church USA Convention in Kansas City. While there were significant actions taken on several important issues, most attention has been focused on the two resolutions that speak to the role of LGBTQ persons in the church. Delegates affirmed the Forbearance Resolution that recognizes the diversity of perspectives in our church, and calls on us “to live in grace, love and forbearance” with one another. The same day, the delegate body also adopted the Resolution on Membership Guidelines that re-affirms the guidelines that prohibit pastors from performing same-sex marriages, and imposes a four-year moratorium on any action to change them.

The two statements clearly stand in tension with one another. Many would say that they are even contradictory. For WDC, the votes do little to help us clarify the potential impact of adopting or rejecting the resolution we face at our own Annual Assembly in October.

Much of what happened in Kansas City, however, is impossible to convey in news releases and brief reports. It was about much more than what the resolutions stated and how many people ultimately voted for and against each one. For several days, delegates sat around tables with sisters and brothers in Christ, seeking to discern the movement of the Holy Spirit. There were more than 90 such tables, each with 8 or 9 delegates present.

At my table, we came together from many different places, theologically as well as geographically. We spoke from the heart, sharing our convictions regarding the truth of Christ to the best of our understanding. We listened to one another. We wept with one another. We prayed with and for one another. We laughed with one another. And we wept with one another some more.

The table thus became a sacred space where Jesus was palpably present. I am convinced that all of us are deeply committed to faithfully following Christ. And all of us are deeply committed to living within the church, the Body of Christ. I remember and understand more deeply that Jesus’ promise to be present wherever two or three are gathered in his name is a promise given in the midst of instructions regarding church conflict. (Matthew 18:20)

I doubt that any of us ultimately changed our minds regarding the significant topics we discussed and voted on. We may not have been right in all our decisions. But I hope that we all came to a better understanding of why our brothers and sisters hold different viewpoints. I know that was true for me. And I hope that we can continue to be the church together even in the midst of our differences.

I know it won’t be easy. It is difficult—perhaps even impossible—to extend the experience of the table across the denomination, or even across WDC. I know that many will choose not to come, or feel that they are unable to come, to the table. I know that some have felt unwelcome or even unsafe at the table. I know others are tired of the conversation and don’t have the energy to come back to the table. I know that many—including me—have felt pain, anger, sorrow and fear at the table. But it is my prayer that we will continue to seek out those with differing viewpoints and experiences as we seek to do our best to be the church that God is calling us to be. We will make mistakes. And we will need to continually practice humility, grace and forbearance with one another.

In introducing the Forbearance Resolution, Pastor Charlotte Lehman of Reba Place Fellowship in Evanston, IL declared, “Conflict is not the enemy. The Enemy is the enemy. We want to glorify God in both the outcome of our dialogue and the way we conduct our dialogue.”

As conference moderator, this is my prayer for WDC. May the way we conduct our dialogue give glory to God. May the outcome of our dialogue bring glory to Christ. And may our dialogue continually seek to reveal the glory of the Spirit.

(To read earlier Pastor’s Posts, click in “Pastor’s Post” below, and scroll down.)