On Sunday, we had our Congregational Meeting to choose our Ministry Focus.  With around 31 voting members present (quorum is 25 members), we elected to choose the LGBTQIA+ community as our Ministry Focus for the coming years.  This was not a unanimous vote: the unofficial paper vote was 21 LGBTQIA+ focus to 10 Young Adults focus and the official vote to affirm the LGBTQIA+ community as our Ministry Focus had 2 "nay" votes.

It might surprise some to hear but I am actually glad that this was not a unanimous vote.  Here is why:

1. Session worked hard to come up with good ideas for what our Ministry Focus should be. They were all good ideas. To me at least, a vote for one idea was not a vote against the other idea. The hope was that people would vote for what they saw as the BEST option for our community, not to condemn the other option as bad.
2. One of my worries going into this vote was that Northminster folks would be too agreeable and go with what they perceived as the majority opinion was.  One of the downsides to Robert’s Rules of Order is that motions must be made in the affirmative of one opinion/point of view.  It doesn’t really allow for an either/or vote.  This is why we did the unofficial paper vote first.  Furthermore, if it sounds like the majority of the room votes “yes” for a motion, it can be intimidating to be the only one to vote “no.”
   That said, if members really did think that the other option for a ministry focus was truly better for our community, I wanted to vote to show that.  Thank you to those who voted their conscience and made sure that the record accurately reflects the sentiment of our community.

What do you do when the community did not vote unanimously?

Especially when you get larger groups of Presbyterians together, votes are rarely unanimous.  But fear not! Our polity is rather explicit about how to proceed.

•        F-3.01 Principles of Order and Governance
•        F-3.0101 God is Lord of the Conscience
  •    b. “Therefore we consider the rights of private judgement, in all matters that respect religion, as universal and unalienable.”
  •    This means that every person has a right to their own opinion and that is between that person and God.
•        F-3.0105 Mutual Forbearance
  •    That, while under the conviction of the above principle […] we also believe that there are truths and forms with respect to which men of good characters principles may differ. And in all these, we think that it the duty both of private Christians and societies to exercise mutual forbearance toward each other.
•        F-3.02 Principles of Presbyterian Government
•        F-3.0205 Decision by Majority Vote
  •    Decisions shall be reached in councils by vote, following opportunity for discussion and discernment, and a majority shall govern.

Translation: every person has a right to their own opinion; good people will, at times, disagree; and the community will be governed by the majority opinion.  Discussion and discernment happen before the vote.  Once the vote is taken and the majority opinion is expressed, that motion is put into effect.  The voice of the minority is VITAL in this process because it is a key piece of discernment.  However, once the majority vote is taken, the minority opinion is expected to support and help carry out the plans of the majority until such time that it is up for debate again.

This is not a perfect system, but it is the best system the PCUSA has found to lift up voices to be heard but not to be hamstrung into inaction by the dissenting opinion of the few.

If you want to know what next steps look like, keep your eyes peeled for the November Newsletter where I will lay out in detail where we go from here.

Blessings,
Pastor Chris

We are finally at our final stage in the process of choosing a ministry focus.


As a quick refresher of this process:

1. Session brainstormed and fleshed out eight ideas for potential focus topics.  Then, over the summer?  I put together a presentation about what these ministries could look like. In September, I gave this presentation to Session, and they voted for their top four ideas.  
2. These four ideas were presented to the congregation.  Four town-hall style meetings were held over two weeks attended by 36 individuals.  An additional 9 individuals read the presentation on their own and got back to me with their thoughts and votes. In total, I heard back from 45 people, exceeding our goal of 42 participants (80% of our 52 members).  Each of the 45 people voted for their favorite topics (two votes for one topic or one vote for two topics).  These votes were then tallied and totaled to give us our top two topics.

There was a clear first place choice in topics: the LGBTQIA+ Community.
The second-place choice was a close call.  Young Adults and Persons with Disabilities went back and forth as the second-place choice.  In the end, Young Adults won the second place slot with two more votes.

• The final step of the process is to hold a Congregational Meeting in order to discuss these two potential ministry focuses, their merits, their drawbacks, what makes people excited, and what makes people hesitant.  An outline of the two potential ministries will be made available, but I will not be walking through the information in the presentation again.  Rather, this time is intended to hear from one another, debate the ideas, and come to as close as a consensus as we can as a community.  Once we feel that we have discussed the ideas adequately, we will take a Congregational Vote. For this to be an authoritative act of the congregation, we will need a minimum of 25 voting members.  While non-members cannot vote, the members of the congregation can vote to give voice to those individuals wishing to participate in the discussion.

I am very excited to be at this step in the process and even more excited to hear what you all have to say this Sunday about these ideas.

Here is one final promise I will make to you all: while we will have chosen our ministry focus for the next few years, we will not try to implement everything that I have listed on the presentation all at once.  We will have to grow this ministry slowly and strategically.  This means tackling easy projects first in order to build momentum.  Part of Session’s work in 2026 will be creating a strategic plan for the committees and congregation to implement slowly.  The journey will be long, but hopefully we will make friends and build relationship along the way that will sustain us.


Blessings,
Pastor Chris

With the leaves finally starting to turn colors and the air having a chilly nip in the air, it is finally starting to feel like fall. I admittedly jumped the gun on fall when we had a cold snap back in August. I brought out my sweaters and started brewing my favorite cinnamon spice tea. But after a few chilly weeks, it returned to the heat of summer throughout September. Now that we are entering into the middle of October and Halloween is right around the corner, it good and truly feels like fall.

But with fall comes a plethora of things here at Northminster. It is Stewardship Season, Budgeting Season, and Nominations Season. And we need to get this business done before the beginning of Advent.

So, to keep us in line, I thought I would share with you all some dates to keep in mind:
 
Stewardship Sunday
Oct 26 in Worship – Please bring your pledge cards

The question we are asking you to consider this season is, “What will be more vibrant and fruitful with little more time, energy, or resources?” If you want to read my full stewardship letter, CLICK HERE.

If you want to print your own pledge card, CLICK HERE. Pre-printed pledge cards will be made available on Sundays for you to use. A 2026 preliminary budget will be made available shortly.

Congregational Meeting: Final Round of Choosing a Focus
Oct 26 after Worship – In Person and on Zoom

This fall, we have gathered in a series of Town Hall meetings to hear a presentation about the work of Session in helping this congregation choose a ministry focus.  CLICK HERE to access that presentation.
This is the final step in that process: to gather as a congregation to hear the top two choices of the town hall meetings, discuss the merits and drawback of the two ministry focus topics, and then vote upon one to become our official ministry focus for the following years.  Non-members can be given voice in the meeting and discussion, but only active members can officially vote.

Memorial Service for David Lundquist
Nov 2 at 3 p.m.

Memorial Service for MaryEllen VanCanneyt
Nov 9 at 2 p.m.

Congregational Meeting: Electing Elders and Deacons
Nov 16 after worship. In Person and on Zoom.

The Season of Nominations has begun.  This Congregational meeting is our annually scheduled meeting of the congregation to hear the report from Nominations and elect the next round of Elders and Deacons.

Memorial Service for Rod Griffard
Nov 16 at 2 p.m. – In Person and Live Streamed on YouTube

Hanging of the Greens
Joint Northminster/CCB Service to prepare for Advent
10 a.m. – In Person and Live Streamed on YouTube

Advent is a time of preparations. A Hanging of the Greens Worship Service is a service to prepare ourselves and our space for the season of preparations.  After worship, Northminster and CCB will work together in teams to decorate the building for Advent.  Projects will be made available for people with limited mobility.
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Blessings,
Pastor Chris

I have this more or less memorized, but whether or not I say it exactly the same way every time is anyone’s guess.

This section of the liturgy is called, the "Invitation to the Table.”  It isn’t strictly necessary by the standards of our faith; many congregations and pastors don’t include it.  But I personally find this section necessary and will always include it.  Why?  Because I find that the Invitation to the Table does two important things:

1) It reminds us of the breadth of God’s love and
2) It situates us within the story of God’s loving redemption.

The Breadth of God’s Love
Many denominations and congregation have what they call a “closed table.”  Closed table theology dictates that only Christians that meet certain requirements – like baptism, confirmation/catechism, and/or membership in that tradition – can take Communion when it is served.  The scriptural reason for this goes back to Paul’s fist letter to the Corinthians where he is scolding them for abusing the Lord’s Supper:  “So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord,” (1 Cor 11:27).  In order to prevent people from sinning against the body and blood of the Lord, these traditions put restrictions on who can partake in Communion so that no one who approaches the table is unworthy.  The social/cultural reason to have a closed table is because some traditions have a certain set of ritual movements or patterns that go along with taking Communion.  Traditions such as the Catholic or Orthodox have such rituals and movements that are taught to people and children in the congregation, but which outsiders would not know.  By restricting who can come forward, they are ensuring that everyone knows the proper way to partake in the sacrament.

The PCUSA is an “Open Table” denomination.  That means that we do not restrict who can partake in Communion; we simply ask that people treat the sacrament with respect.  This theology comes out of the fact that Jesus, himself, doesn’t put restrictions on who can partake of the Last Supper.  Jesus even included Judas in the ritual as he is in the middle of turning Jesus over to the authorities.  So, we believe that Communion is a demonstration of the breadth and depth of God’s love, and all are welcome to experience that grace.


Our Place in God’s Story of Redeeming Love
The first major split in the Christian Church was in 1054 with the Great Schism that broke apart what would become the Orthodox tradition and the Catholic tradition.  Martin Luther’s 95 Theses in 1517 created further divisions and factions in the Christian tradition.  Protestant Christianity would continue to splinter into smaller and smaller denominations as the United States would grow in population and territory.  It is not uncommon to find congregations or traditions that want to claim that only they have the correct and true understanding of the Bible.  But Communion reminds us that we are only a one piece of the story.  We play a part in God’s story of redeeming love, but we are not the main characters.  Our God is a universal God that loves, guides, and protects people all over the world.  So, yes, while we might ask God to protect our family, watch over our community, and even guide our nation’s leaders, God does not favor any one country or group of people.  We don’t worship a Northminster God, a Presbyterian God, or even an American God.  We worship the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end; the God that always was and always will be.  We are invited into God’s story, but we play only a part in that story.

World Communion Sunday is a reminder of these things.  God is so much bigger than us and God’s love surrounds us and the world so fully.

Blessings,
Pastor Chris