An Old Rhythm, A New Sound
Do you feel all the hustle and bustle in the air? It is Fall! And while we celebrate the official new year in January, September comes with a lot of new of its own. As summer winds down, we start to figure out the new rhythms of a new school year. I’ve learned over the years, serving in various churches that fall is also that time in the church where we get back into our regular rhythms. Often, the slow down of summer allows us time to evaluate and focus on what will be offered in the coming school year.
The beginning of this past summer left us with a lot to think about. On May 14, 2022, the Black community in Buffalo, NY was targeted and 10 of its members were shot and killed in a racist, terrorist attack. Ten days later, 19 children and 2 teachers were killed in a school shooting in Uvalde, TX. These events left much of the country reeling. And, many of us at New Hope were left reeling too. In Rochester, we’ve been experiencing such a high volume of gun violence that Mayor Evans declared a state of emergency. So, what do we do?
“What do we do?” That question is a common refrain in the response to this kind of incomprehensible violence. For me, it’s often been a question that comes from a place of helplessness and overwhelm. As I processed these events in a conversation with Pastor Scott, I remember saying, “ I don’t want to be a part of a church that looks around asking ‘What do we do?’ I want to be in the church that is already doing. I want to be in the church that other churches look to when they’re asking ‘what do we do?’” So, we began to ask “what would that look like at New Hope?”
Since coming back together for weekly Sunday Worship just one year ago, the Pastoral & Staff Team and Leadership Council have engaged in a lot of conversations exploring what makes New Hope, New Hope. What do we value? What do we have to offer to our community? What kind of impact do we want to make on our community? How do we, as a church and its people, continue to grow?
After a summer of reflection and preparation, the Pastoral Team is excited to continue an old rhythm with a new sound. In the life of the Church, Sundays are prioritized. It’s the day we come together, and learn, and worship, and spend time with one another. Sundays are the one day of the week that the building buzzes with life; an energy that we carry with us, and sometimes carries us, through the rest of the week. We have more people present on Sundays than for any other activity or event that happens on the other 6 days of the week combined. But, we also value engaging with and serving our community. And, we also recognize that life is busy, sometimes overwhelmingly busy. So, shouldn’t we do what we value during the time that we prioritize together?
With that in mind, the 2nd Sunday of each month will now be Action Sunday. On the 2nd Sunday of each month we will spend time practicing together the actions we say we value. We will still start at 10am. We will still have Children’s Ministry and Nursery available. Instead of a sermon that week, we might learn from the leaders of one of the community organizations we partner with; we might do a neighborhood clean-up around our church neighborhood; we might pack blessing bags for School 33 or East High students. There are a lot of possibilities for what we might do for our community as we look forward.
As our first community focus, we will continue building on the connections that Rev. Bill Gibbons created while serving as a pastor here. On September 11th, we will have a panel discussion with representatives from School 33 and East High followed with the opportunity for Q&A. They’ll help us to understand the needs that are most pressing for the families in the Rochester City School District and how our partnership impacts the children, their families, and OUR community.
We hope that you’ll be in prayer with us as we continue seeking God’s direction for New Hope. And we hope you’ll continue to join us as we expand our expressions of Sunday worship at New Hope; a place where we LOVE God, LOVE each other, and SERVE the world.
Peace,
Pastor Marissa