Pastoral Message Week of the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost September 15, 2022
Dear People of God at Faith/La Fe!
Here is another installment in what regular pastoral messages from me will be to keep
you up to date about what is going on in our congregation. This week, it’s another set
of miscellaneous things.
What to call me?
Some of you have asked me how you should address me. It’s curious that over my
many years in public ministry, I have come to hear the title “Pastor” as a first name.
So, I’m happy to have you simply address me as Pastor. In more formal settings and
occasions, Pastor Linman may be appropriate. If you’re drawn to calling me Pastor
Jonathan, or even more informally, Jonathan, that’s fine, too. Which is to say that I
answer to lots of designations, but I am definitely not drawn to being addressed as
“Doctor” in congregational settings. The long and the short of it is that I am flexible
about how you address me, and I encourage you to do what you’re comfortable with.
Calling a half-time pastor for our Spanish language ministry
As I suggested to you in last week’s message, congregation leaders and I have been in
conversation with Grand Canyon Synod Bishop Hutterer and churchwide staff about
their desire to help fund a half-time pastor here to work with me and with us on
shepherding the Spanish language ministry of our congregation. Our Executive Team
gave an enthusiastic green light to proceeding with the submission of an application to
receive grant funding from both the Grand Canyon Synod and our ELCA churchwide
organization. I am delighted to report to you that these grants have been approved for
the remainder of this calendar year 2022 and for all of 2023. This funding will be
eligible to be annually renewed for a period of a few years, giving us time to
strengthen this ministry toward self-sustainability. The outlay of costs to the
congregation will be about $5,000 more than what is currently budgeted annually for
the Spanish language services. Members of our Spanish speaking community will be
given the challenge of offering about $2,500 to this effort as an expression of them
commitment to growth. Likewise, members of the English-speaking community will
need to commit an additional $2,500 annually, an achievable goal in my estimation.
The Grand Canyon Synod is committing $10,000 up front to this proposal, and the
churchwide grant is $22,500 annually. So, our wider church is making a significant
commitment to this ministry, as they desire that there be a Spanish language Lutheran
ministry in central Phoenix and one in a congregation committed to nurturing fully
inclusive Christian community.
Veronica Alverez, who completed a significant portion of her practical training as a
candidate for ordained ministry here at our congregation, has been named by Bishop
Hutterer as the candidate for this half-time pastoral position. At our meeting on
September 13, our Congregation Council voted unanimously and enthusiastically to
proceed with this proposal and to present Veronica to our whole congregation for a
vote to call her as a pastor for our Spanish language ministry at a specially called
congregational meeting on Sunday, October 2 (to take place between our two
liturgies). So, please plan to attend this special meeting.
Should our congregation vote favorably to call Veronica, Bishop Hutterer is available
to preside at her ordination at a special liturgy on Reformation Sunday, October 30 at
2:00 pm.
This is a very exciting and hopeful development in our life together which we share in
partnership with our wider church. I would look forward to working with Veronica,
that together we would lead and serve as a pastoral team not just for our Spanish-
speaking members, but for our whole congregation which has both English speaking
and Spanish speaking members.
Midweek bible studies return
Please join us for weekly bible studies during which time we’ll conversationally engage
the readings for each upcoming Sunday – this to deepen and enhance your experience
of Sunday worship. Our approach will involve head and heart, study and devotion,
drawing from the spirit of the ancient monastic practice of lectio divina (sacred reading).
For those who are able to attend during the daytime, we’ll meet in person each
Wednesday at 10:30 am. For those who can attend in the evenings, we’ll also gather
on Wednesdays at 6:00 pm. Each occasion will take place in the conference room of
the office suite. For those who wish to participate via Zoom, please contact Pastor
Linman (pastor@faithalive.com) so that he can send you the Zoom link. One of your
stated highest priorities as a congregation is that you want a pastor who can lead you
into a deeper spiritual life. This bible study series promises to lay a foundation
precisely for that kind of spiritual growth. Please join us!
My installation on October 5
We will formally and liturgically mark the beginning of our life together in shared
ministry when I will be installed as Pastor of Faith/La Fe on Wednesday, October 5 at
6:00 pm. Bishop Hutterer will preside and preach on this occasion, during which we’ll
also commemorate Francis of Assisi. A reception will follow in the parish hall. Please
plan to join us!
Concluding thoughts
Even early in my time with you, there is a lot going on in our life together. I
encourage your continued patience with me as I get acclimated to routines of
congregational life here and begin to get to know you better. Which is to say, I’ll soon
embark on my outreach efforts to you, beginning with our homebound members and
others who have not recently shared actively in church activities. But don’t necessarily
wait for me to call you! If you are eager to have a conversation with your new pastor,
don’t hesitate to reach out to me – pastor@faithalive.com or at the church office
phone number, 602-265-3394 – to set up a time to talk. Our getting to know each
other is a two-way street.
On another miscellaneous note, this weekend, I’ll begin the process of moving into
my new condo, as my worldly belongings are immanently to arrive in a container pod
having been shipped across the country from the East coast. Such moving in will
demand some time and attention, so again, I covet your patience, and your prayers for
a continued smooth transition to this new chapter of my life as pastor in your midst.
Finally, I thank God and I thank you for the excellent beginning we had at worship
this past Sunday, along with the lovely and tasty brunch that followed the 9:00 am
liturgy. Thousand thanks to all of those who prepared food and otherwise shared in
leadership for that occasion!
With continued thanks to God and to you for this opportunity to lead and to serve,
Pastor Jonathan Linman