Winchester for A Day...

Yesterday, Stephanie and I spent nearly all day in Winchester, IN, our new home.

We met with some church leaders, and it was very exciting to meet people and hear their thoughts. Together, we did an exercise of pastoral priorities...What did they believe was the most important use of pastoral time and energy. It sounds like an easy exercise, but when you have to choose prioritizing between Evangelism, Worship, Visitation, Teaching,and Leadership (among others), it becomes obvious that a church and the pastor need to really work hard at making priorities.

It was a fun exercise and very insightful. I look forward over the next few months to meeting folks and hearing their dreams, concerns, and feelings for the church. Together with prayer, these exercises will help us see the mission and vision God has for us.

We also shared some of our thoughts regarding the transition. I shared that some might be nervous with a new pastor, and that's OK...I'm nervous, too! Overall, the concerns and thoughts that I heard were very encouraging because they were concerns and thoughts that I have too. Some at the meeting responded that they were excited just to be having these conversations. So, overall, it was a very encouraging time for everyone. We left that meeting knowing that God put us together for ministry, and everyone seemed excited.

A big thank you to our SPRC chair, Rachael, for her kindness, hospitality, and the generosity of her time as she hosted us for the day. She guided us, introduced us, and answered all of our questions! Thanks, Rachael!

Thanks, too, to Bud, who helped us to feel at home in the parsonage! Here is a picture of the living room. Stephanie spent a lot of time picking colors and drawing sketches of where our furniture will go. She's a keeper.