Welcome
Each week one of our pastors or staff members writes a column observing what is going on in our congregation, the Church and the world, and offering reflections on the Christian life and faith. Through this series of columns, we hope to connect your and our story to the enduring story of Christ; to offer pastoral reflections on our ongoing congregational life and mission; to report on news of the Presbyterian Church and Church universal; and to invite further reflection and deeper discipleship. We welcome your comments and suggestions. In other words, our words here are an invitation to continue the conversation.
We made it! We made it through the May sweeps of Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, graduations and confirmations and all the end of school year events… Weddings. Pentecost. Things are winding down for the summer, and you can almost hear sighs of relief.
Last summer we got so much positive feedback about our sermon series based on the Old Testament stories we teach our youngest children, we are doing a reprise with the New Testament! In the summer, preachers and congregants come and go, but the series provides a continuity of theme. Again, with artwork adorning our bulletin covers from the curriculum of our four and five-year-olds, we hope that worship will be a truly intergenerational experience as we explore the treasured Bible stories from the life of Jesus.
I am continually filled with gratitude during this season of transition. In fact, a spirit of thankfulness has filled each of the past six years in my ministry at BMPC. The first sermon I ever preached in the Sanctuary on Thanksgiving weekend was on the theme of cultivating an attitude of gratitude. Now, as I am preaching my last sermon in Bryn Mawr, I feel the same sense of gratefulness.
This Sunday, May 21, at 3:00 p.m., nearly 200 singers and 38 orchestral musicians will combine forces under the leadership of two of the world’s greatest choral legends, Anton Armstrong and André Thomas. Dr. Armstrong is conductor of the famed St. Olaf Choir, arguably one of the greatest choirs in the world and certainly the finest college choir in America. Dr. Thomas is renowned for his arrangements of African-American spirituals and composer of dozens of works, including a new Mass in gospel and jazz style. You will hear two movements from that Mass this Sunday.
As I approach the end of my ministry at BMPC, I find myself reflecting on the milestones and memories of the past six years. One of the greatest joys in my ministry is the opportunity to walk alongside our eighth graders each year during Confirmation.
May is always the month of many transitions. Folks begin to go and come for graduations, spring weddings, year-end school activities, concerts, and many other special occasions
This year ushers in both the usual transitions at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, like welcoming members of the Confirmation Class into church membership, the winding down of the program year, and the gearing up for summer’s special activities of Vacation Bible Camp and mission trips, as well as special endings and beginnings.
I am a big history buff – especially the history of churches and congregations. When I was finishing my undergraduate degree in history at George Washington University, I wrote my senior thesis on the design and creation of my home church’s current building in East Liberty, Pa., back in the 1930s. I loved reading through historic meeting notes where elders discussed the benefits of large Sunday school classrooms or the ways that the community would feel welcomed into this new massive church building.
