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Kimberly P Chastain, Pastor
I am thinking about the 10th anniversary of my relationship with United Presbyterian Church, which we will celebrate on June 4th of this year, when we will also celebrate Pentecost (the birthday of Christianity). There will be another newsletter before that, but it feels like the time is right to start remembering the many turns we have taken on the path from then until now. We have been through seasons of loss and grief; of wild experiments — some successful, some not so much; of joyous fellowship and challenging mission. And always the music, and the stories, and the wandering and the wondering together as we try to follow God’s call into a future only God can see.
It is good to remember all that we have been through together: the troubles overcome, the moments of pure beauty when we have been surprised by joy, the wrong turnings that have put us in exactly the right place for the next right thing.
So let’s talk about what we want to remember, when we tell the story of ten years together. What are the moments, the changes, the highlights and the lowlights that you want to add to the story as we begin to gather the pieces for a celebration? Are there special photos that you’d like to share, or particular memories you want to lift up?
I don’t have a plan yet for how we can build the collection of memories, but I do want to hear from you! I get to tell you what I see every Sunday. But I don’t always get to hear from you about what you see, and know, and remember about the first ten years of the great experiment that is United Presbyterian Church.
God isn’t finished with us yet, and I am sure that even as we talk about what we remember about our first ten years together, God is preparing the way for something new to happen.
I went back to the newsletter from June of 2013, to the first Pastor’s Ponderings I ever wrote for this congregation. Here’s what I said then:
…we have to look ahead if we are going to find our bearings in the present.
And when we look ahead, we find our Lord has gone on before us, and that the Spirit is nudging us to follow where he leads. Even death did not stop him, and nothing will separate us from his love. He invites us to walk ever more closely with him — not by fleeing from the future, but by sharing his love with each other as we face the future:
We are pilgrims on a journey, here together on the road
We are here to help each other walk the mile and bear the load.
This congregation has been through so many changes in recent times that we will be taking some time to rest and celebrate even as we get to know each other in this new phase of our ministry, together. Change will come, and with it, new challenges and new life. But we do not have to be afraid, and we do not have to try to stop it. Because the Lord of Life knows what the future holds, and he goes with us on the way. Let’s remind ourselves and each other of this promise as often as we need to, so we all share in the blessings together!
Ten years later, all of those words still feel true, about us and about our journey together.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Kimberly
Becky Kindig, Associate Pastor
Greetings friends!
It’s been a great winter season together. Not quite as cold or snowy as we need, but I know many people found that to be a blessing this year. I am greatly looking forward to spring though with the daffodils, crocus, and tulips all on the verge of blooming.
It’s been a great learning season though. Kimberly has taken us through parts of the Bible together in worship that we don’t usually get to hear about. We are doing the same thing in Bible Study. And more of the young people have been able to join us in person for worship so we get to see them learning as well. Marilynn Guinanne and I have continued to send home Sunday School packets for the students and it has been a fun season crafting our way through the beginning of Matthew and then Romans. But I think the highlight of my winter was the renewal of baptism we all participated in and had the kids help us to remember our baptism and the love God has for us by sprinkling us all with water. It’s so wonderful to see how this community is truly an intergenerational community that includes all ages and abilities into the life and worship of this congregation.
Remembering our Baptism — Children sprinkling the congregation
Pastor Becky with Ellis and Aoife
Marilynn G. with Ethan, Declan, and Clyde
It’s been a great learning season with our campus ministry as well. We have had several of the Binghamton University Interfaith Council Common Ground Conversations with members of the Interfaith Council and members of the BU community. We have talked about our different faith practices around the topics of prayer, daily living, and death. The group really enjoys sharing their experiences and learning about what other faiths do and we are all learning a lot.
Ash Wednesday on Campus with Rev. Alicia Dixon Gerrard, Pastor Kimberly, and Pastor Becky
The other thing we were able to do on campus this year was Ashes to Go for Ash Wednesday. The Interfaith Council made a way to offer Ashes back in 2020 for the first time for Protestant students, and Kimberly and I participated, along with members of the Lutheran, Episcopal, and Methodist partners. Due to the pandemic, we had not been able to do that again until this year. So this Ash Wednesday, Presbyterian, American Baptist, and Lutheran members of the BU Interfaith Council coordinated and had a station for Ashes to Go again this year for students, faculty, and staff of the University. It was a meaningful time and was well-received.
Thank you all for all you do to foster these intergenerational and educational opportunities for our congregation and our community!
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Becky
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