Pastoral Ponderings – November 2024

”Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”  ~ 2 Corinthians 9:7

In my clergy group, we talked about spiritual disciplines. A spiritual discipline is a practice that helps us grow in our faith, like prayer, Bible study, worship, journaling, and evangelism.

We decided that most of us who were there, think of spiritual discipline as chore, instead of something that grows our faith. Our facilitator suggested a shift in our thinking. Instead of “discipline,” we were invited to think about it as  a “pattern.” A pattern is a form or model that is imitated.

XOXOXOXO is a pattern. How you drive to school, or work, or church could be a pattern.

I thought about it in terms of my recovery. I am a person who has a “pattern” when I get up and get ready for the day, as well as a “pattern” for getting ready for bed. After surgery, for several weeks, I couldn’t follow those patterns. Now that I am doing them again, I have found that they bring me comfort—a sense of being “normal” again.

Stewardship is another form of spiritual pattern. When we give back to God of our first fruits, instead of what is left over, and we do it in a pattern, or on a regular basis, we can create a sense of trust that God will lead us to those places which will take care of our needs, while helping others.

Giving to God first—before our bills are paid, before we put into our savings or 401K or pensions, or whatever we do—can be scary, especially when we don’t have much to begin with.

But this is the funny thing—by creating a pattern of giving, we create a way for God to bless us with more, so that we can share more, so we can be blessed with more, so we can share more, and so one. Do you see the pattern?

During the month of November, our theme is Stewardship. I know it is hard to talk about money in church, but to be good stewards of all God has given us, includes being good stewards of our money.

We currently have a deficit of more that $17,000 in our budget, and will likely end the year with a deficit between $25,000 and $30,000. Last Sunday, we unanimously approved a budget with a 3% increase, which means we will most likely face the same reality next year.

Yes, because of the merger, we have the funds to cover this deficit. But the money will run out if we do that too many years in a row. There are other ways to deal with this without dipping into that money. (Stay tuned in November for some of these ideas!)

In the end, God calls us to give with a joyful heart. When we decide to make giving a pattern in our lives, we can  begin to find hope and comfort, and each time we give, we begin to feel thankful, which brings us joy and makes us feel good, which moves us to give, which brings us joy and makes us feel good…..

Well, you get the picture!

Always Peace,  Pastor Heidi

P.S. I almost forgot my Health Update!  I am doing well. I have received 2 monthly injections. These are given once every 28 days, and will be for the rest of my life, at least at this point. My pain comes mostly from the inside—which makes sense, and occurs fairly infrequently. I do get tired more quickly than I like, but that, too, is getting better. There are some things I need to work out yet—like which foods my body likes and which ones are….well…….disposed of more quickly. But that will come in time, when I am ready to be more strict.

Otherwise, life seems to be returning to somewhat of a “new normal.” I’m so grateful to all of you for continuing to pray for me, as well as my family, and for all of the cards and gifts of food. I feel so blessed to be surrounded by this church family. Thank you!

 

Pastoral Ponderings – October 2024

 “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous hand.”      ~ Isaiah 41:10

The above scripture is my mantra right now. Since before my August 30 surgery, when I find myself feeling most

anxious, I repeat those words. And when I can’t, my head says, “DO NOT FEAR. I’VE GOT YOU.”

There were many times throughout my week in Iowa City where I needed to say them. In the morning on the way to the hospital; when David and Kirsten had to leave so I could get my epidural and prepare for surgery (which did NOT go well!); when I was in pain; when I was frustrated with my roommate situation; when I just wanted to go home.

Fear shows up like a thief in the night—totally surprising you. It brings with It its dearest friends—Anxiety, Anxiousness, and Anger. And when they all get together, creating the perfect storm of worst case scenarios within your head, it is hard to fight them off. Especially when you are facing unknown things.

But, not really to my surprise at all, I am learning a lot during this journey. First, that the unknown, while scary at times, is usually way less intimidating than Fear wants us to believe. Second, time continues to move, and suddenly, you find yourself just about 4 weeks post op, receiving your treatment already, and healing well—despite the fact that you didn’t ever think you would get to this place.

But maybe the biggest lesson that has been reiterated to me, is that God has me. God carries me when I can’t walk. God places exactly the right people at my bedside, or in front of me—my angels—at exactly the perfect time. (Remember, I said perfect. And perfect isn’t always MY time! In fact, there were many times I would have preferred they show up sooner than they did, but God is in charge, not me!)

I am not alone. I am surrounded by love. Not just from all of you, but from churches who have added me to their prayer list across the state and nation; from people I love, to people I have never, and probably will never, meet. They, you, continue to be my prayer warriors. I cannot express how humbling that is, and how grateful I am. (I mean, seriously, I am the one who is supposed to be at the bedside praying over someone, right? I am the pastor!)

But God has a different plan for me, one that includes good. One that will prosper how I live my life, and how I share the love and light of God with others. I am receiving new understanding and insight on so many things. I am growing my compassion for others like wildfire, and I feel my heart grow each day with new love and new life that God continues to gift to me.

I don’t wish this journey upon anyone—it isn’t easy. But then, I am a warrior for Christ, and I am being prepared for something new—something big. Something that has yet to be revealed to me. We—both you and I—will know it when it comes. So keep watch.

In the meantime, words will never be enough for all the love and gratitude I have for each one of you! THANK YOU!

Always Peace,  Pastor Heidi

 

Pastoral Ponderings – September 2024

“These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.” ~ Matthew 10:5-8

“I pledge allegiance to the flag, of the United States of America…..”  How do those words make you feel? Do you stand behind them? Or do they make your hair standing on end? I can imagine there are a few who are a little wary about what words you are about to read. That makes me sad. Because where we are in this society right now, even those words are enough to set some people off.

For some, it is the words “one nation under God…” which upset them most – that whole separation of church and state, you know. For others, it is the beginning: “I pledge allegiance to the flag…”. We are given the Commandment “You shall have no other Gods before me,” so some feel that when we “pledge our allegiance to the flag” we are placing the flag, and the country, before God. But I don’t believe that is what it was meant to say.

Simply put, a pledge is a promise. In terms of the flag, we are promising to stay true to our country, and its ideals, to the best of our ability.

Within the church, we have “stewardship pledges.” Much like hearing those words in the Pledge of Allegiance, many people’s hair stands on end when this conversation comes up. But a “stewardship pledge” is simply a promise you make that you will give a certain amount of money to the church each year – this is the “offering” we take every Sunday. This pledge helps the church fulfill its mission of serving in the world by paying bills, mending the church/parsonage/property, paying salaries, and the many missions we give to within our community, the wider Church, and the world. (As of July 31, our general fund is short ($9,439.86). If you have pledged, and have been gone for the summer, I encourage you to catch up. Contact Martha if you have a question about your pledge.)

God gives to us in abundance, and we are called to share that with those who need it. While many churches teach the practice of tithing (giving 10% of your gross income) there is no “right” way to give. We are, however, called to give of our first fruits, meaning offering to the church first, instead of last.

When you make a pledge, please understand that it is a promise – to do your best, with the help of God. But life happens. Sometimes things come up which makes it impossible to fulfill that promise. These pledges are made in good faith, they are not contracts, and therefore we will not come after you if you don’t fulfill them.

While as pastor I am not privy to the amount you pledge, I am told if someone isn’t giving, so that I can follow up to make sure things are okay, because most of the time, when an active giver stops giving, they are either upset with something in the church, or have an issue in life, either of which the pastor may be able to help with.

As we worship together, during the month of August, we talked about the awesome generosity of God, and move into the Season of Creation in September, and our Season of Stewardship in October and November. You will hear more about pledging, and hear testimonies from people in the church. I challenge you to think about how you pledge your allegiance to this country, and how you will choose to pledge to the church in November. 

Always Peace,  Pastor Heidi

Go to https://www.caringbridge.org, login and search for Heidi’s Caring Bridge to read her updates.

 

Pastoral Ponderings – August 2024

A surgery date has been set — August 30.  I plan to enjoy this month of not having to run to Iowa City every week—multiple times a week—but I feel like it is time to get this over with, so I can move on to the next phase.

I am very much not looking forward to this surgery, but know it is a necessary step in my healing process. And I know that I am in the right hands. Hands that are being guided by God.  I know what it is like being the one who has to trust that the medical team will do what they are supposed to do, and take care of you.

But, I wonder how the staff must feel. Being trusted to remove the bad parts within a person’s body, while the person is sleeping and helpless. What an immense amount of responsibility! My vision is that the surgeon allows himself to be handed over to the Holy Spirit who then guides his every move: intentional and deliberate, so that healing is allowed, and the person can be whole—in a new way—once again.

I have said before that this type of cancer has no cure, at this point in time. After I heal from surgery, I will go once every 28 days to get a hormone shot, and back every 6 months to monitor the growth. The shots will not dissolve the rest of the tumors left behind following surgery. The shot is meant to help slow the growth, and to help any side effects from the disease to be tolerated. Once the shots no longer slow the growth, we will move to another treatment. The good news is the potential for needing the next step quite honestly could be years away.

I am very blessed to be where I am right now. This cancer was caught by a doctor who cares very much for her patients, and passed along to some of the most knowledgeable people in the world. I am leader of a church who loves my family and I, and one another, so much, that I know their prayers make a difference. But what amazes me more than anything, is that God loves me so much, that God would put me exactly where I need to be.

Once again, God’s hand holds me tight. And once again, God is good, all the time. And all the time, God is good!

Always Peace, Pastor Heidi

Don’t forget to follow my Caring Bridge for updates on my health status. I will still keep you updated through my weekly letter, for anyone who doesn’t like to be on the computer!

 

Pastoral Ponderings – July 2024

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:6-7 

Every once in a while, as I write these, what I plan on writing about (prayer) is trumped by what Spirit wants me to write about (gratitude).

These last 2 months have been quite the ride, for all of us. Getting sick and being diagnosed with Neuroendocrine tumors was certainly not on my summer (or any other seasons) bucket list. And this on top of honoring the first anniversary of David’s mom’s death on June 22. I have walked this walk with many of you over the last 11 years, and I anticipate walking this walk with some of you in the future. But as your pastor who is your spiritual guide, not as the one who is being cared for.

For as many times as I have gone through it with you, though, it is very different going through it yourself. And dare I say, even more difficult when you are a pastor. Pastors aren’t supposed to get sick. They are the caregivers. The rocks that hold steady in the storms. But I am ever so gently reminded that, as I write that, God is laughing at me. (I know I have much to learn on this journey, and I plan on learning everything I need.)

It most certainly would be easy enough to sit back and let the sadness of the situation, the frustration, the cries of “This sucks! And “This isn’t fair!” to take over. But if you know me at all, that isn’t me, and it isn’t my nature. Like so many before me, and so, so many after me, I am sick, and life moves forward. I have no intention on sitting around and letting life go on without me.

Thus, where I find myself today. I haven’t been able to take our somewhat unruly dog out by myself until the last few days, and it has been so hot, I don’t like doing it any more than David or the boys. But today was different. It was warm, but not unbearably hot, and the breeze was enough to keep the gnats at bay. The kind of day that Nala, and I, love. So she laid on the ground in the shade, while I sat on the front step, for 45 minutes. I found myself noticing every detail of the day—the beautiful light blue of the sky, the puffy clouds floating overhead shape-shifting as they moved, hearing the rustle of the leaves of the trees, feeling the sun and wind on my face, smelling the air which was unusually unscented, and smiling and waving at everyone who passed by. With everything I noticed, I let the feeling of deep peace about the chaos in my life permeate my body, all the way to my soul. The deeper the peace felt, the more overwhelming the feeling of gratitude for all of it became. I am blessed, and I am so thankful for all that I am blessed with.

Every day brings new information, and more opportunities to express my gratitude to God for what I am given. Conversations with people I don’t expect to hear from, just to check on me. Surprise visits from friends I haven’t seen in 20 years. The amazing Care Team I have stumbled upon. Being surrounded by family. Not having horrible symptoms that I really could be experiencing.

And then there is you. My faith family. The loving, caring, supportive folks who pray for me and my family every day. Who bring food, and ask the questions, and express their fears, as well as their hopes. A church body who is allowing their pastor to work as she can, take the time to heal when she needs, and intentionally chooses to walk this journey with me. Words just do not express how grateful to you I am. The tears of gratitude continue to be shed each day.

And here’s the big thing: every time I offer God thanks and praise, the more peace I feel. I have zero clue what the future will be like, but I had zero clue about that before these NETs decided to rear their ugly heads. The truth is, none of us knows what the future will bring. And that is why I am not letting life move forward without me. It is why I choose to be grateful for each and every thing I am given, for each and every moment I am allowed to be here on this earth, to be wife and mother, daughter and sister, friend and pastor.

Thank you for who you are, and for how you shine God’s light and love into this crazy, chaotic, and very beautiful world!

God is good—all the time! All the time—God is good!

Always Peace,  Pastor Heidi

 

Pastoral Ponderings – June 2024

My Dearest Friends,

It has been a long week. One I know many of you have walked, because I have walked it with you. If there is anything that I have learned, it is that I am a wonderful cheerleader, and an awful patient!

I want to thank you all for your thoughts and prayers, for the food and flowers and plants, and words of love and encouragement. A huge thank you to Pastor Linda and Marcy for being in the ED with David and I, and for filling in the first Sunday. Thank you, Martha for keeping everything together, and for the God Squad, and everyone else for jumping in to help lead worship, and anything else that needs being done. I can be honest in saying that this is not a road I anticipated going down, ever. But I guess none of us does.

A week ago today, at this moment, I was being wheeled into the OR with more question marks on my chart than answers. But God placed me in the hands of the most wonderful physician, and her loving and compassionate team. I went in with stomach pains, thinking appendicitis, but found more. Once in surgery, Dr. Winter quickly assessed that it was not the appendix, but rather, my small intestine had been sucked into the colon, which resulted in them taking out 1/3 of my colon, along with what she called several “poop stones.” She did a colon resection  and took a biopsy of the tumors on my liver.

The poop stones, along with the spots on the liver, and some on my stomach lining, are called NETs, or Neuroendocrine Tumors. Mine is called Neuroendocrine Colon Cancer. My pathology report came back with the lowest grade, and what they call well-defined cells. That means it is the best of what you could hope for. The “good news” is that NETs have been found to be very treatable, and there are so many options in how to treat them.

I have to heal from this surgery before I can think about oncology and coming up with a treatment plan. David and I have decided to go to the University of Iowa, and Dr. Winter has referred me to Dr. Chitneni, who is here in the Quad Cities. She has a great rapport with her, and trusts her, so I am happy.

We have no idea what will happen, and that is what weighs heavy on my heart. I so want to be back among you, and look forward to being there soon, but I need to ask for your patience. Like I said, I am not a good patient, but I am practicing. I want to heal right, so that I don’t end up in a back slide. I love your texts and calls, and emails, and all the communication.

Please don’t be upset if you don’t hear back from me right away. It may be naptime, or that I have been on the phone all day already, and just need a break. I promise, I will get back to you. And please know that you are all in my thoughts and prayers, and I cannot begin to  share how loved I feel by all of you.

Thank you for being you. Thank you for caring for me and my family and thank you for caring for one another. I love you all so much and cannot wait to be back with you.

Always Peace,

Pastor Heidi

 

Pastoral Ponderings – May 2024

“Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the first fruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.” — Proverbs 3:9-10

Supporting a church, any church, is a community effort. Few people like to talk about giving, or tithing, to a church. More people leave over giving to a church than leave for political reasons. In fact, many people believe that a church should never ask for money.

As a community who has intentionally chosen to gather to worship God, to support one another, and to shine God’s light and love on a shadowed world, we are called to share our gifts with the community, and there are as many ways to share our gifts as there are people in the world.

Traditionally, when we discuss stewardship, people jump to giving money. That is wonderful, and we certainly need to offer money—because like it or not—there are bills and expenses that the church incurs every day. But offering our money is not the only way to give.

We can offer our talent of time. Believe it or not, not everyone has time, or at least a decent amount of time, to offer the church, for a variety of reasons. Many of our ministries require the time people can offer. Cleaning the kitchen, planning Anniversary parties, working with youth and children, teaching Faith Formation, decorating the Fellowship Hall, planning, cooking, serving, etc. for Share-A-Meal and Hope at the Brick House, serving on the Board, to name just a few.

These things would not happen without the support of all of your gifts. But again, there is another way to thank God by being a good steward, and that is through your physical donations. These include the meat and cheese for sandwiches, for diapers and backpacks, cookies and desserts, oil and gas for the mowers and snow blowers.

It is amazing how much is donated to Faith First Community Church in terms of non-monetary gifts!

Many years ago, we decided that we wanted a more accurate picture of how much was being donated to the various ministries of the church. We wanted to figure out what it actually cost for us to support our missions financially, in the event that, one day, we would have to add them to the budget because we couldn’t get donations.

So we asked people to turn in receipts for what they donated. If someone bought paper plates for the kitchen, they turned a receipt into Martha with their name and the words “In kind”.

The purpose for this is twofold. First, it gives us a more accurate picture on what is being given back to God. Second, when Martha gets these receipts, she records them so they show up on your giving statements, and you can claim them on your taxes, if you so choose.

This is what we are asking each of you to do. If you give something physical—that is an item or items rather than money—then please bring the receipt to Martha for her to record. It doesn’t matter how much or how little, we want to know what you have lovingly donated to this church community.

Just to let you know, for the first quarter of the year, In Kind giving totaled $687.74.

Always Peace,  Pastor Heidi

 

Pastor Ponderings – April 2024

“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” — Isaiah 40:31

It is finally “official”, according to the State of Iowa. After what seemed way too long, we have finally been informed that our Articles of Incorporation for Faith First Community Church are in place. I am very excited, because now we can move forward. Actually, most of me is just plain relieved.

When we have to wait for something longer than we anticipated, things can be……. a little tense. We tend to get more and more irritated as time moves on, with the situation, as well as with one another.

I wonder if that is what is happening with our world today. Jesus left this earth, promising one day to return and make everything right again. But we are still waiting. And some of us are getting a little impatient. So much, in fact, that they are leaving the faith altogether.

But we are promised that Jesus will, in fact, one day return. We do not know when, but he will. While we wait, we are to continue to move forward, caring for those who cannot care for themselves, and work toward God’s Realm here on earth. And as you already know, that can take way longer than we would like, and it can take more strength and patience that we think we have.

But through Christ, and in God, ALL THINGS are possible. Even patience while we wait for Jesus to return.

Just because we are now seen as an “official” church, it doesn’t mean everything is how we want it to be. We still have so much to do. And like I said before, we need everyone’s help.

Some of the things will be more fun than others, but everything needs to be done. For now, we are working on prioritizing what needs done first.

Martha is building our new website, as well as working to get our emails set up. She is also working to get the bank accounts opened. (Until we let you know otherwise, please continue to write your checks to Faith UCC.)

Glenn will begin the tedious job of going through the First Christian history files (along with a volunteer or three!), and we need someone to do the same for Faith UCC. If you are willing to help with either of these things, please let me know as soon as possible, and we can figure out how we are going to get started on that!

I am very grateful to everyone for their patience, and for their excitement! There is much to do, and yet, we have come so far! Thank you!

Always Peace,  Pastor Heidi

 

Pastoral Ponderings – March 2024

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. — Joshua 1:9

Last month I reported that our Merger Committee met for the last time. On January 25, we held our combined Annual Meetings, and we officially elected our first Board for Faith First Community Church! Your Board consists of: Martha Watters—President; Jan Hannel—Secretary; Doug Cox—Director; Jill Pepper—Director;  and Jim Sullivan—Director. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact any one of these faithful people.

I also reported that our Article of Incorporation papers had been turned into the State of Iowa for review and approval. Unfortunately, today, I received another paper that needed to be signed and sent in. I will let you know as soon as I hear anything! SO, we are still waiting for this to happen.

We continue to move forward with whatever we can, however!

Starting the week of March 3, we will have put together an official Faith First Membership count. It has taken us a while because we still have people we want to send information to, but aren’t members, so that is a different category. We also have those who are members but are not able to participate with activities due to health or distance. Of course we have our homebound. Thank you for your patience as we continue to get all of our ducks in a row!

Before we celebrate our opening of Faith First Community Church, I feel that we need to recognize that First Christian Church turns 185 years young this year, and Faith United Church of Christ turns 60. These are wonderful milestones and I don’t want us to overlook them!

While we don’t have everything planned for that celebration, we are planning a Trivia Night to help fund it! Please join us on April 6 for a night of fun! We will have more details out next week. Please watch for this information.

We are headlong into the season of Lent. Please see the schedule for Wednesday evenings, as well as Sunday mornings on page one!

I am so very grateful for everything each one of you does for this Body of Christ. We are blessed to have you, and have one another, to journey through life with.

Always Peace,  Pastor Heidi

 

Pastoral Ponderings – February 2024

But the Lord says, “Do not cling to events of the past or dwell on what happened long ago. Watch for the new thing I am going to do. It is happening already—you can see it now! I will make a road through the wilderness and give you streams of water there.—Isaiah 43:18-19

Life continues to move forward, even when we don’t feel like we are ready. Raising our children so that as they grow, they move on with their lives; ending relationships that weren’t meant to be; losing someone we loved; all of these are bittersweet.

The Merger Committee met last night for, what we believe, is the last time as this Committee. This group of 9 faithful people gathered to work through some of the most difficult discussions around this merger, and I am so proud of all of the hard work they put into these meetings and discussions. If you ever wonder how much these two-already/but not yet– churches are loved, these 9 people prove it. And not only do they love these churches, they absolutely love God and have come to love one another. These relationships are the purpose of our merging. The stronger our bonds, the harder we will work together to follow God’s path.

While their time is coming to an end, the next group of people (yet to be named!) will pick up the mantle and move forward. This will be our Board—the governing body of Faith First Community Church. The Board will be made up of 5 people (President/Secretary/+ 3), and will be nominated and elected at our Annual Meeting on January 28 following worship and our potluck.

The Board has some very big shoes to fill, but I know that whoever sits on this board, will do so because they love God, love this new church, and look forward to growing new relationships.

The Board will be responsible for negotiating the Letter of Call with Pastor Heidi, planning Anniversary Celebrations for Faith UCC (60 years!) and First Christian (185 years!); a hard opening (community) celebration for Faith First Community Church; signs and other ways to get our name into the community; policies (Safe Church/building use/etc.); to name a few.

But these things will not lie on the shoulders of the Board alone. The Board will seek people to help. If you want to be hands on in the creation of what Faith First Community Church will look like and be, here is your opportunity! If you find yourself drawn to any of the areas mentioned above, OR you believe there is an area that needs to be made aware of, please let me know! You do NOT have to be an artist (although we do need at least one of those!), or know about architecture, or be able to lift or climb ladders to be a part of this growing process. In the same way that God called those who didn’t seem to naturally fit for the position, we are calling on you for your ideas and God-given gifts and talents.

So whether you like to plan parties; have great marketing ideas; know about construction; or have a passion for writing policies and procedures, your talents are needed!

We will have more discussion on this at our Annual Meeting following worship and the potluck on Sunday, January 28.

In the meantime, if you have any questions, thoughts, or ideas, please feel free to contact myself, or anyone on the Merger Committee. (Don Walton, Cheryl Leamer, Jan Hannel, Glenn Perreault, Sharon Perreault, Doug Cox, Amy Dowell, Mark Christy, or Jill Pepper.)

OH! I almost forgot! The Article of Incorporation papers have been signed and are turned into the lawyer! Now we wait for the State of Iowa. Once those come back—we become “OFFICIAL!”

Always Peace,
Pastor Heidi