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Welcome to Minister E-Zine! by Rev. Debbie Kamm Editor |
Grace and peace to you and to those who are dear to you… and welcome to the first on line edition of MINISTER! It is a privilege to communicate with colleagues everywhere, using the often mysterious, sometimes quirky, yet usually dependable medium of cyberspace.
The first on line edition of MINISTER focuses on the sermons which blessed those who heard them “live” at the Ministers Council Preaching Pavilion at the Biennial in Denver, Colorado. The preachers – your colleagues – represent the multi-faceted faces and experiences and perspectives of our American Baptist family. It is my hope that you will be inspired, challenged, comforted, and blessed as you read the meditations of their hearts and delight in the rich harvest of their scholarship.
While the climate of the Biennial may have influenced how the preachers shaped their sermons, your colleagues have explored topics which are not tied to that event. An emphasis was placed on what it means to be Together In Ministry, and how this connectedness can and must serve to under gird us as we face the questions of what it means to be a denomination in the midst of redefinition and change. But more than anything else, these sermons open up oases for reflection and renewal, and truly give us reason to celebrate the history, the work, and the vision of the Ministers Council.
And celebration was very much part of the picture in Denver – as many of you know, the Ministers Council is 70 years old and still going strong! One of the Pre-Biennial events was a birthday party for the Ministers Council, complete with three huge cakes, festive decorations, and a clown who delighted those in attendance. Check out pictures of the birthday party throughout this article… it truly was a delightful time for all present.
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So… what is ahead for MINISTER e-zine? First, your articles/sermons/short stories/ poetry/pictures are always MORE than welcome! Please feel free to submit them (in WORD format, if possible) as an attachment to me at this address: djkamm@juno.com or via “snail mail” to: Debbie Kamm/34 Pleasant Street/Clifton Springs NY/14432. I would be delighted to hear from you! Second, your suggestions for future issues are also more than welcome. Some suggestions for future editions include: navigating the landscape of loss/ministry to the grieving; Christian-Muslim dialogues; maintaining healthy relationships; highlighting Together In Ministry groups; and celebrating milestones in ministry. What’s on your minds and in your hearts, Sisters and Brothers? What topic would you like to discuss with your colleagues? Do you have a book or movie you’re eager to discuss? Is there a particular “hot topic” impacting your life or the church you serve or the community in which you live? Please – let me hear from you! (In addition to the email address listed above, you can also use the “feedback” function at the bottom of the Ministers Council web site home page.)
And what is ahead for the Ministers Council? We might do well to remember the following words: “The Ministers Council was founded in 1935 by our forebears in the faith to deepen spiritual journeys, to encourage collegial relationships, and to strengthen professional effectiveness.” Sometimes that holy work must be done in the midst of conflict and challenges, but that holy work must be done, nevertheless. Are there challenges which we, as individuals, as members of the Ministers Council, as a society, and as a denomination face? Absolutely! And some of the most significant discussions about what is ahead for the Ministers Council will occur during the 2005 Senate to be held at Green Lake, Wisconsin. At that meeting, your Senators will elect a new President: Rev. Alice B. Davis (whose Preaching Pavilion’s sermon about “orderly chaos” and the “Butterfly Effect” you will find elsewhere on this site) is the candidate for this simultaneously demanding and rewarding office. Alice has said that in addition to working with other matters to be discussed and voted on at Senate 2005, she would encourage the Ministers Council to seriously consider and then implement ways in which we can support the General Board’s Declaration on an Issue of Importance concerning ministry to children living in poverty.
There can be no doubt that Senate 2005 will be a defining moment in the history of the Ministers Council. The potential exists for discord and division as we attempt to navigate the turbulent theological waters in which we find ourselves these days. But I believe in the power of prayer, and so in the days leading up to Senate 2005, I implore you to be intentional about the following:
Please be intentional about praying for Dr. Kate Harvey, the Executive Director of the Ministers Council, as she coordinates and prepares for Senate 2005.
Please also be intentional about praying for the Senators representing Ministers Councils from around the nation, that they might be given a clear sense of discernment and the overwhelming ability to listen carefully and caringly to one another.
Please be intentional about holding Senate 2005 in your prayers as the sessions unfold.
And finally, please be intentional about seeking ways in which you and I and we can develop new avenues of service and growth as we continue the holy work of deepening, encouraging, and strengthening our commitment to excellence in ministry, for we serve a Most Excellent God.
Debbie Kamm is a second generation American Baptist minister who has served churches in New York State and Vermont. She currently resides in Clifton Springs, New York, and is engaged in the ministry of caring for her father full-time.