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Kimberly P Chastain, Pastor
When I was in graduate school, one of the common topics for academic discussion was “liminal space”. A liminal space is a place of transition — a space between where you are and where you are heading, physically, psychologically, or philosophically. I hadn’t thought about that phrase for many years, but I have been thinking it, and feeling it, almost like a mantra in recent weeks.
We have been experiencing liminal space, and liminality, since the pandemic was declared in 2020. We had to make a series of rapid shifts then, to continue our worship, fellowship, and community… and we have been making shifts ever since. We know whose we are — we belong to God by the grace of Jesus Christ — and we know who we are called to serve — God’s people in need, whether they are in downtown Binghamton, or in a Ghanaian school, or in the Arizona desert. But how we are to live out our call in this transitional time is strangely uncertain.
Three days before Christmas, we were approached about hosting a warming station that would provide overnight housing and two warm meals for up to 40 people every night during the cold season. The Addiction Center of Broome County had received a grant for the station, and was ready to move forward with opening, when the location they were planning to use fell through. The Session agreed that this was a worthy use for the large rooms on our first floor, and we started looking at the things that were needed to make the warming station happen, and… we waited.
We are still waiting as I am typing. As we wait, we are using this liminal space to look at the furnishings and the clutter in first floor rooms, both those that would be used for the warming station, and those that would be used differently if the warming station comes into being. We are getting rid of some things, rehoming some things, and moving some things. From time to time you will be invited to look at things, to see whether they are items you can use yourself, or if you know of a place that they might be useful. Whether or not the space is used as we hope it will be in the coming months, it will look differently when we have finished.
The Session had already begun a process of exploration about where our journey will lead us in the coming years, and that conversation will continue. We are inviting a consultant from the Presbyterian Foundation to come and see who we are, and to help us frame conversations about our future together. We will be reading a book together called “Sailboat Church,” and if you are interested in reading along with us, let us know in the office and we’ll make sure you have access to a copy to read.
We’d like to invite you to join the conversation about the journey. We are seeking new ways to keep our whole community informed about what is happening, and we are also seeking ways to listen to what you see and hear and feel as we chart new directions and explore new possibilities.
The chorus of a worship song that we sing from time to time seems like the motto that I invite you to take as part of this worshiping community in the coming year. The singer is addressing Jesus, and the words are,
I know not where the road will end, I know not what is up around the bend,
but I will set my feet upon the road; I will follow wherever you lead.
May God go with us through this liminal space and into the future that has already been prepared for us.
Blessings,
Pastor Kimberly
Becky Kindig, Associate Pastor
Dear friends,
I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, New Year, and Epiphany. I had a wonderful time over the Christmas break getting to see family that we hadn’t seen in three years. New Year’s was quite restful. And Epiphany has been busy, as usual. But our Star Word exercise has once again reminded me to take some time every day to slow down and connect with God.
So what Star Word did you get this year? Was it something that you resonated with right away, or was it something that perplexed you? Was it something that was a reminder of something you have been putting off, or was it something exciting or nurturing to think about? This year my word is freedom, and it has so many possibilities and I look forward to praying about that this year.
Last year my word was contentment, and I was not happy to receive that word, especially after my diagnosis with Myasthenia Gravis. I thought I was being nudged to just accept my limitations and be content. But after a year with the word contentment, that was not what God and I conversed about.
In years past, practicing gratitude was a powerful way to bring contentment to my life. But gratefulness was not the lesson here. It was more about what did I need to place in my life to be content, or what did I need to let go of? Yes, some things were about my new medical journey, but so much was not.
Contentment last year meant taking steps to make sure that I took time to spend in nature, to make music, to keep in touch with friends and family, instead of saying, “I will do those things when I have time.”
Contentment also meant letting go of things that I cannot change and are a bit overwhelming. One thing I tried was that I stopped watching televised news. It is very important to be informed with what is going on in the world, but the TV news is overwhelming right now. The images along with the negativity were something that always just made me anxious and stuck. I now just read or listen to the news in the morning, when I am most able to receive it and learn from it and act on it if need be. And now it does not invade my sleep or consume my thoughts.
I also learned lessons in being content with what I can do and not focus on what I “should” be able to do. Yes, this part did start from my physical therapy around my muscle weakness. But I did find it was very helpful in all other parts of my life as well.
I hope you all found some lessons from your Star Words last year and have a good journey with your word for 2023! If you didn’t get a Star Word yet for this year and would like one, they are in the sanctuary and you can pick one up, or you can contact the church office and we can mail you one. You can also get a Star Word using an online word-generator: upcbgm.org/starwords
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Becky
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