05-04-2022
To: TVLP Councils: Gilman, Spring Lake, St. John’s
From: Pastor Amelia
Re: May Pastor’s Report
Things to Celebrate
Things I am Reading and Listening to
Respectfully and Joyfully,
Pastor Amelia HOUDEK
To: TVLP Councils: Gilman, Spring Lake, St. John’s
From: Pastor Amelia
Re: May Pastor’s Report
Things to Celebrate
- Worship attendance is slowly increasing as we come out of the COVID pandemic
- Quickbooks is up and running! Thank you to Ann B and Shelli W. for your tenacity and commitment!
- We have hired our bookkeeper and also a payroll company.
- ChurchTrac is almost up for the parish! Thanks to Lisa N. for bringing this across the finish line.
- Money handling best practices have been implemented at all three churches for TVLP.
- A great year of Confirmation!
- Participation in our Lent midweek worship “experiment”. I have received testimonies from a few people speaking to the impact it had on their faith. Praise God!
- Meaningful Maundy Thursday experience. Thanks to all who came, served, and planned. Give a special thanks to Nancy C., Kim Davies, and Dianne Madsen! It all came together because of your leadership.
- The re-activation of the prayer chain ministry! Thank you Nancy C.!
- What are our next faithful steps in faith formation, ministry participation, and worship? I knew my first year with us would have to focus on organizational development ministry. Year 2 I intend to help us envision ways to share the limitless love of God in Christ within our church, our community, and the world. What is working? What is not? What should we keep doing? What do we need to start doing? What should stop doing? Are there more effective ways to approach lifelong faith formation? What are the resources we will need (which includes people!)
- Are there special speakers or musicians we should consider for summer worship or an evening event?
- What are some creative ways to care for our congregation and stay connected this summer?
- What would our church community look like if everything we did was done with intention and invitation to more fully live into and out of the limitless love of God in Christ?
- Chapel services at SVCC are engaging and uplifting. And, participation is increasing. I am there on the last Tuesday of each month.
- Provided a Good Friday worship service at the SVCC. Feedback was positive. Thanks to Hilary Boyer for playing piano for us!
- Working with the Ministerial group in the process to reorganize the governance of the SV Food Pantry
- Providing funeral services for those without a church home
- The participation of welcoming a family into their new Habitat for Humanity Home! The blessing is so special.
- Summer. Summer. And more Summer. In ministry it is a time to breathe after running hard for 9 months of programmatic ministry.
- Vacation
- Space in schedule to do visitations
Things I am Reading and Listening to
- Truthfully I have not been reading much during Lent. Mostly I read articles on ministry, leadership, and coaching.
- My playlist includes:
- Music for We the Kingdom (Holy Water https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfY7CGU8sck)
- Music from Elevation Worship (Million Little Miracles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Viiw6tGimHo)
- All things Dolly Parton!
- Podcast ‘Atlas of the Heart’ by Brene Brown
- The Apocalypse: Controversies and Meaning in Western History (This is on the book of Revelation…I’m in beginning stages of research for a Bible Study) (audiobook)
- Co-Active Coaching (audio book)
- The Practice by Seth Godin (audiobook)
- War in the Ukraine. It’ so huge that is all I have for words.
- The Holy Spirit to breath over the embers of faith in those who have disengaged and disconnected from our churches
- A holy imagination for our churches in visioning our future
- All those who are in need
Respectfully and Joyfully,
Pastor Amelia HOUDEK
