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Pam Russell, director of connections at the Congregational Church of Batavia, greets a congegation member. |
It's a busy time for everyone at the Congregational Church of Batavia, the church I attend and where I serve as vice moderator.
Pam Russell, the church's director of connections, told me the other day about an experience she had this past Sunday morning that should remind us all of the power of a positive word at the right moment.
Pam's duties include guiding individuals and families through the process of becoming members in our church, and she always does a fine job at that task.
Her job is a bit more challenging these days, because our longtime pastor, David Foxgrover, recently retired after serving our church for more than 22 years. We have been blessed with a talented interim pastor, Greg Skiba, who will work with us as we select a new "settled" pastor, and that's good news for the church.
It's also good news that we have 10 new members planning to join our church on Feb. 26. And that's why Pam's story from Sunday is important to me.
Pam told me that one of our new members talked with her after services Sunday and explained that she had arrived at church that morning having doubts about joining the church. As she sat in the pew waiting for the worship service to begin, she started a conversation with a woman sitting next to her.
The new member asked the woman if she was a member of the church. Yes, she was a member, the woman answered, a longtime member as a matter fact.
The new member then asked her if the church pressured members to take an active role with the church's ministries and activities. No, the woman said, there's no pressure at all, but many people here say they've benefitted from becoming involved with the church's ministries.
The new member later told Pam that the woman's comments eliminated the doubts she had and led her to commit to the church.
The best part of the story, Pam said to me, was that the woman the new member had talked to had attended services that morning for the first time in several weeks, after recovering from a serious illness.
God brought the two women together that morning, and a positive word from one reassured the other about committing to a new church during a very challenging time.
I find a certain amount of reassurance in that story.
