A Surprise Party

November 20, 1994

November 23, 1014

A few weeks ago I realized that I was approaching a significant milestone in ministry.  I was ordained as a Minister of Word and Sacrament on November 20, 1994, so this year marks 20 years in this crazy and amazing line of work.  Well, I should have known, but Elisabeth let some folks at PCMK know about this anniversary and next thing you know we had a party!  My colleague in ministry, the Rev. Charles Barton had very thoughtful remarks and the Fellowship Team put on a beautiful reception.  The most embarrassing part was the picture from 20 years ago!  What happened!

As I think back over 20 years it is as though God has had a plan all along.  I feel the experiences I have had in three different congregations have prepared me to be the pastor of this diverse, intelligent, gifted, motivated and compassionate place we call PCMK!  If I try to think of the highlights of the last two decades I remember close to 20 mission trips with youth and adults; dozens of baptisms, weddings and funerals; hundreds of sermons; countless session and committee meetings and many wonderful staff colleagues.  But the best part of all is the rhythm of starting my week in worship with my church family.  I usually have lots going on, but it is still worship and it is still a chance to greet good people over a cup of coffee and a cookie.

That reminds me what happened to the guy in the picture--thousands of cookies over 20 years!

As we move through this week of Thanksgiving we prepare to prepare; we are getting ready to get ready.  We once again begin Advent, the season of preparation for the greatest celebration of all--the birth of the savior.  Advent is a month-long party that starts and ends with worship (November 30th and December 24th).  In between are celebrations like the Christmas Fair, the Children's Pageant, and Lessons and Carols.  And, oh yes, lots of cookies.

See you in church,

Pastor Dale

Stewardship is Fun at PCMK

Stewardship is a dreaded word at so many churches.  People brace themselves for lectures on how short the budget is and how much deeper they need to reach into their pockets.  The result is that stewardship Sunday is not exactly something to look forward to.

Not so at PCMK.  Stewardship is a highlight of the year at PCMK.  We have a great team that puts together excellent mailing materials, we celebrate all God's blessings in pictures and stories; and the children even get involved.  Last year the Sunday School used their offerings to buy animals through the Heifer Project.  This year they are going to provide clean drinking water through Living Waters.

Stewardship Sunday (November 16th) was one of our best-attended worship services in a while (not necessarily what you would expect.  There were children everywhere as the Angelikids Choir sang three delightful songs and we even had a baptism.  To top it all off we went straight to the Great Hall for a delicious luncheon sponsored by our Stewardship Team.

I came home from worship feeling full in every sense of the word.

See you in church,
Pastor Dale

A Busy Day

Tuesday, November 4th was election day at PCMK.  Our Great Hall has been a polling place for years, and usually it is a very quiet non-event.  Recently a local election turned out only a handful of voters for the entire day.  But this time around was different.  Tuesday was a circus of protesters, demonstrators, media trucks, police officers and, oh yes, the occasional voter.

All the excitement was in anticipation of the arrival of Governor Cuomo and Sandra Lee who would cast their votes in front of the cameras.  Elisabeth and I were ushered through the crowd to say hi once again.  After they voted the Governor held a brief press conference in our narthex.  I knew where he was going to stand, so I put the easel with our new logo right where it would be seen in any pictures.  But his staff cleared out all our material and he stood in front of the painting of Rev. Lee Fairchild, who seemed to be asking, "Who are you and why are you in my church?"

It was an exciting day and I must confess it was fun to be in the middle of such a significant event.  But once the Governor left, the parking lot cleared and we got back to work.  It is good to be back after more than a week away.  Session meets tonight, we are in the middle of stewardship season, and before you know it Advent will be here.  It was great to have the parking lot so full for arrival the Governor, I just hope it will be as full as we once again anticipate the arrival of the Savior.

See you in church,
Pastor Dale