22 Aug Behind the Scenes
(August 20, 2023) Worship service with Rev Jane and Rev Fredd provides us our spiritual fulfillment. Our moments of meditation, of prayer, of communal singing, of lessons from scripture and sermons, and simply coming together as the church family we are once a week.
But what happens Sunday afternoon to the following Sunday morning? The behind the scenes work to keep our church, our faith, our spirit soaring is what I want to celebrate with you today.
Since becoming your Moderator, I have been proud to witness incredible work by so many. The Steeple repair would not be possible without the strong guidance of our building and grounds team. The Save the Steeple fundraising group, quite simply, has worked magic. We have a workgroup dedicating serious effort to determine if our Academy for Young Children should become a separate business entity from our church. A search committee is working towards finding a new Director of Faith Formation.
We have office staff who steadily provide the administrative backbone required to keep the church operations afloat. A dynamic library duo, a supremely talented musical director, an incredibly dedicated academy director, twin media masters. The list goes on and on and on.
When I joined First Church over twenty years ago, I had no intention of becoming involved in any major activity of the church. But then I was asked to teach Sunday School, and I said yes. I co-taught with other parents who subsequently became close friends. My two children forged life-time friendships during these early years. I began to know these children, eventually mentoring them as they became confirmands, and guiding them during their teen years in the youth group. These children are now young adults, and I consider them my friends.
I was asked to be a Deacon and I said yes. I learned more intimately how to support our pastors and our worship service. I learned about the sacraments as I prepared and served communion. I felt privileged to participate in such a meaningful way. I challenged myself to stand at the pulpit and read scripture to my church family. I was afraid, but I did it. But mostly… I made more friends.
I was the first leader of the Spirit Team when we moved into this team structure in 2015. I helped to define and motivate the team and to form three pivotal workgroups housed in Spirit: Deacons, Faith Formation and Music and Arts. These were years of gaining an even greater understanding of the meaning of our By-Laws and of our church structure.
I was asked to co-lead the high school youth group during my son’s high school years. This experience became one of the most important ways for me to bond with him and would not have happened if I didn’t say yes.
Have I said no? Many times! I am aware of my limitations and my time constraints and those are important for each and every one of us. But when I say yes, I am rewarded in a thousand different ways I never imagined possible.
So finally when asked to serve as Vice Moderator….well, I said YES! So here I am, faithfully and prayerfully guiding First Church to the best of my ability. I continue to be blessed with the mentorship and guidance of great leaders before me.
As we stroll through the hazy days of summer, I urge you to consider how you can become part of the Behind the Scenes work of First Church. On Homecoming Sunday, September 10, learn more about the opportunities that exist within our teams of Spirit, Business, Outreach and Inreach. Or give me a buzz and I’ll tell you more about them myself. What might you say YES to in the fall?
Yours in spirit and peace,
Wendy Wigglesworth, Moderator