Its amazing to me how much time it takes to make a transition. When I think back over 2017 I realize that it was way back in the summer that my conversation with Tabernacle began. I submitted my resume to be considered for the Associate Pastor position in July, over 7 months ago. I met with the search team in the fall, and was selected as the final candidate in mid-September. I came for my Call Weekend in November— days that, for me at least, God’s spirit was most significantly stirring in my heart. Then in late December, just a few days after Christmas, I packed up all of my earthly belongings and “set out for a land I did not yet know, a land that God would show me” (paraphrase, Genesis 12:1).
There is so much excitement and fear that goes into the process of discernment. In some ways it feels like my arrival here has happened slowly, over much prayer, some tears, and with countless questions and conversations. But in other ways, it feels like it has all happened so fast—like I woke up one morning in a new place, a new life. Despite the whiplash that can come with transition, I want you to know how grateful I feel be here. It has been a warm and heartfelt welcome—despite it being negative 3 degrees on my first Sunday! Thank you for the kind words, the hugs, the cards, and the dinner invitations. Thank you for your openness in sharing your stories with me. It has already become a joy to get to know you—your dreams, your passions, your concerns, your heart. I look forward to the days, months, and years to come, in which our relationships will form, deepen, and grow.
When I think back over these past 7 months of transition and discernment, I find comfort when I remember that though ending up at Tabernacle may have come as a surprise to me (and to you!), it was not a spurpise to God. I have sensed God leading me here in countless ways, and have no doubt that God has been at work for some time, preparing me for this place, and you for me. I do not yet know fully what I am doing here—these days, I’m just trying to remember how to answer the phones! But I am trusting that God knows what I am doing here, that God knows what this congregation is doing here, and that God is at work within us and among us, guiding us toward a future of abundance and hope.
With excitement and blessing,
Meg
