Pride is considered one of the seven deadly sins, the infamous septet recognized as the cause of all other sins.
I am, therefore, more than a little apprehensive to admit that, in May of 2013, being the pastor of this congregation made me burst with pride.
I pray you will let me defend myself before you consign me to the depths of Hell (or urge me to go there voluntarily).
"Pride" as selfish arrogance induces people to commit sins rather than risk losing face. That form of pride deserves its place on the DS list.
But pride can also be a good thing which is why we say that we "take pride in something" (children, work etc.) and urge others to do the same. It is in that sense that I experienced pride in this congregation this past month. I was proud because we functioned the way a church ought to function.
Congregations must function as communities bound together by love and the Holy Spirit to serve and share Christ - not as payments of an obligation, but rather as acts of loving gratitude.
In May this congregation did just that in a number of ways.
First, we completed the new church directory and sent it off to the publisher.
The directory is coming into being because Sharon Hutchinson not only thought we needed one (agreement on that was unanimous), but also was willing to take the leadership role in getting it done. Things worked so well because Sharon and her committee devoted hours of work and were willing to share ideas and listen to the ideas of each other. Because of their efforts, nearly everyone in our community will be in this publication.
Second, we held our first annual Ladies Luncheon on May 19.
The luncheon came into being because Marcy Wilcox and Shelly Murray not only thought it was a good idea (again, agreement was nearly unanimous), but also because they were willing to take the leadership roles in putting it on. It worked so well because, in addition to hours of work, ideas were shared and listened to. Again, the congregational response was excellent and supportive.
Our community was - and will be - strengthened because parishioners with good ideas were willing to lead with hard work and open minds. The directory and the luncheon were two very different projects, but they have identical "birth" patterns.
These two events were examples for us. So was our celebration of Pentecost. We recognized our senior members and received our newest members, and in doing so, we were reminded that we are a multigenerational community, and a community which will thus continue to serve Christ throughout the ages.
Another, viable - albeit less visible - reason for my pride is the service of our community in the larger UMC community. As May ends, four lay persons (Marge Barnes, Kathy Demo, Chris Remick, and Walt Theobald) will give of themselves by joining me in representing this congregation and our district in Syracuse at the 4th session of the UNY annual conference.
One thing they will see while there, is the UNY Commission on Archives and History display titled "UNY Area Pastors In The Civil War." It was prepared right here by Adam Barnes who not only had the idea (which the commission agreed was a good one), but also was willing to take the leadership role in researching and putting it together. [The display has already received favorable comments in Portsmouth, NH. at the meeting of the CAHs from the ten northeaster annual conferences.]
WOW! In sending me here, God was incredibly good to me! I am proud to be your pastor (and glad that my 7th year here will begin in July.
Jim
[Editor's note: At the request of "The Trumpeter" Rev. Barnes has promised to not utilize this space to defend the other six deadly sins. While it might have been amusing to see how he would have defended lust, sloth, and wrath (or greed, envy, and gluttony, for that matter) in a church newsletter, we at "The Trumpeter" take pride in the fact that we have wrung this concession from him and are pleased to tell you that defending sin will not become commonplace on our pages]