Change
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What Is Your Story?
St. John’s is in the midst of pastoral transition. After 28 years of total ministry at St. John’s, my colleague who I pastored with for the past 16 of those 28 years retired. So this month, my call changes from co-pastor to solo pastor. Many pastors have been through the life of St. John’s for…
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Stackable Pews & Flexible Seating
Needless to say that any change made in a church is difficult, which is why it is understandable that the process to replace 100-year-old pews took five years. The decision to get new pews was a mixture of need, desire, and hope. Background The church I serve, St. John’s Presbyterian Church, is over 140 years…
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First Year as Co-Pastors: How’s It Going?
A year has passed since this picture was taken. I look at myself in this picture who is still an associate pastor and see a person who has no clue what lies ahead of her as a co-pastor. I had no reason to not assume that my role as a co-pastor would be any different…
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Wreck This Church
This is my article I wrote for July issue of Presbyterians Today Magazine . . . I can only go a few days without kimchi—at most a week. Then my body begins to crave it. Just saying the word kimchi tickles my salivary glands and makes my mouth water. Kimchi is a staple Korean dish.…
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The Golden Calf and Letting Go
They gathered around Aaron and said to him, “Come on! Make us gods who can lead us. As for this man Moses who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we don’t have a clue what has happened to him.” (Exodus 32.1) I’ve preached and led a few workshops that loosely encompass the theme of…
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A Disciplined Experiment on Changing Worship
Before I went to seminary, I graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry. I was also a teacher for children with autism. The tools and skills I learned from science and teaching, I apply in my everyday life as a pastor. Change is an everyday occurrence in the field of science and education.…
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Lessons Learned in the Intergenerational Worship Experiment
In a previous post I asked “what is intergenerational worship? Is it merely people of all ages being able to worship together? The simple answer would be ‘yes.’ I believe it is more than that. At the church that I serve, intergenerational worship encompasses the full diversity spectrum of the congregation. Not only does it address the…
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A Sunday (37) in Life of a Pastor/Mother: Blessings
For the past nine years I served at my church, I have counted my blessings, especially as they have changed and made space for me to pastor while being a mother. When my son was born, he was one of few babies born. It’s hard to believe eight years later, we have had 10 babies…
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A Journey in the Intergenerational Worship Experiment
This is a picture of this past Sunday, our first Sunday switching to an intergenerational worship format. On the floor, you see tubs of play dough, tools, cookie cutters, and mirrors. Since I was preaching on James 1.22-25, I had the kids look at their reflection in the mirror and use play dough to recreate…
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Children in Worship: It’s More than Having Coloring Sheets
In the first issue of PLGRM, Rev. LeAnn Watkins, rector at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in St. Paul, MN, shares how after numerous attempts of increasing attendance of bible studies and other church-related programs, her staff decided to cancel it all – everything during the weekdays except seasonal services. You can hear her tell her…
Still Waters 