Our "Trumpet" Newsletter . . .
. . . is a monthly publication that includes dates, times & details for all upcoming events both at the church & in our community.
Trumpet articles are due to the church office (EandRoffice@gmail.com) by noon on the 3rd Monday of each month.
Questions & Answers Part 1 October 2023
During our summer of listening, I provided the opportunity to answer questions anonymously. There were five questions asked in two sets. I received about 12 answers to each set of questions. While I am grateful for those who shared their answers. I also felt a twinge of disappointment about how few answers I received, considering they could have been answered on a card or online & that ample time was given to answer.
I wondered what kept people from answering. The reasons are likely as varied as each person. Some forgot. Some did not have or make the time. Some just did not want to do it (for any number of reasons). As I thought about it, I realized that sometimes answering questions, even anonymously, can be more difficult than listening, especially because of the self-reflection involved & the discomfort that can cause.
I hope that you all spent some time thinking about the questions I asked, even if you felt uncomfortable while doing it. I pray that you all understand the importance of asking and answering hard questions and of listening to one another’s answers while also listening to God speaking to and through us.
To those who did answer, thank you for your self-reflection, your thoughtfulness, your transparency, your vulnerability, and your willingness to be heard. Here are some of the answers to the first two questions. I will share the answers to the other three in November. Some answers have been combined and I edited out personal information and anything directly about me. A period indicates a new answer.
Rev Christine Wilke
Interim Pastor
Why do you attend worship? It provides me with a sense of peace & belonging. It makes my whole week peaceful & I feel a stronger connection to God. I enjoy the service format, feel very uplifted after service, & warmly included. I was brought up to do so. I consider it a privilege, a great joy & a source of strength, peace, & comfort. I need it, need to have reminders & love to hear Scripture. To grow & learn more about my faith, seeing friends & others in the church community. To praise & thank God, to honor/love Jesus, & to learn more about being a Christian. It is my time to worship our Lord & put peace in my life; with our world today, I need Jesus in my life. It is where I should be, where I need to be; I need to refresh & regroup my thoughts & habits; God has been good to me & I need to hear more about him. I like the positive atmosphere of the church; although there may be discord at times, it does not affect the overall feel of the church; it is uplifting & provides me with positive energy. Being at church creates a closer presence to our Savior & Lord where we can worship in our own way; with so much discord in the world outside the church doors it brings peace; reminds me that we need to be diligent in getting the good news to those who do not believe in Jesus.
What keeps you coming back to E&R? It is my lifelong church that plays a big part in my life. The comradery of the congregation; everyone is warm & friendly. I feel better. It is my home; I belong; I am wanted & my caring for others is accepted. All that we do for anyone in need & all of my friends. It makes me feel good; the community of people. The people who are coming are like family; opportunities to attend different events or to help others in need; I like to see how our church goes above & beyond to better help those around us, in our own church community, or those around our location & beyond. The friends I have made & the generously of our church to the community, all of the different organizations we support & opportunities to be kind to others. The congregation is very friendly & I enjoy all the activities that are available. All are welcome; a female can be the minister/speak in the church; the music. I like the many different opportunities to serve & sense of community.
Maybe like me, you saw some themes emerging from these answers: people are at E&R because they feel like they are welcomed, accepted, & belong, they like who we are as a congregation, our generosity with one another and within the wider community. They worship to learn about God and refuel spiritually and emotionally. Notice that only two of these things – worship & learning about God – really involve the minister. The rest are all things you provide for and with one another. Welcoming, accepting, creating space to belong, and being generous are all things you do!
This is who God still calls you to be! May we continue to listen to God as we learn how to live these things in new ways.
In joyful hope,
Pastor Christine
Beyond Sunday
Did you know we send out a weekly email full of lots of good information on meetings, special announcements, events, reminders & more? If you aren’t signed up, please let the church office know at (EandRoffice@gmail.com) or 262-547-2424.
If you have anything you’d like included in the Beyond Sunday, please email the church office by Wednesday at noon. Then, watch for your Beyond Sunday email which is typically sent out every Thursday afternoon.
