Two Thank Yous
Legos, sabbatical, roadtrips, and The Blues Brothers
If you are reading this on email, it will be truncated as Substack says it is too long for email. But the reason is not the words, it is the number of pictures… So click through if you want to see it all.
Sometimes you just need to do some public thank yous. So today, I have two of them…
As a pastor, I’ve been connected with a lot of churches over the last 25+ years. Some as ones I’ve served as their pastor and others that I have worked with in different capacities in our connectional denominations. One of the realities that I have often seen (and experienced personally) is that churches can be challenging places. And often, what is shared about churches publicly is not positive. Declining participation, unsupportive and difficult congregants, financial difficulties, unrealistic expectations, and many other things are what is often shared about congregations. So, I do think it is important to also share when it is simply gratitude for a congregation. In this case, it is gratitude for the congregation I currently serve, Christ Church UCC of Fort Thomas, Kentucky. I can honestly say that I have never been connected to a congregation that has been as supportive, caring, and simply a beautiful community of people.
There is so much that I could list of the last six years that reflects this but the list would be really long. That’s not to say that Christ Church is perfect - we’re not. We have some of the same issues noted above - attendance isn’t what it used to be in decades past, finances can be tricky, and we’re still working out some things of how we understand our mission and ministry in this changing world, but in the midst of all that is a community of people committed to Jesus, committed to one another, and committed to their community. We are a community still learning what it means to live out our guiding statement - We embrace all as we journey the way of Jesus. We aren’t perfect in that statement but we’re working through it and learning how to live it. And that is a beautiful thing.
But two things I specifically want to lift up are two gifts that the congregation has given me over the last month or so. One is the sabbatical that I am not-quite-a-week into that will give me some beautiful time to restore, renew, spend time with my family in some beautiful places, and also to photograph and write (hopefully a lot on both counts). The other is a gift from a small group of the congregation but is one that I could imagine coming from the whole as well and it represents something I do experience of Christ Church. In the Gospels, Jesus speaks about letting our light shine and being a city on the hill and I do see Christ Church living that out in wonderful ways. But the gift I received for my birthday from one of the small groups I help direct is a beautiful representation of this. This group completely surprised me with the Lego Notre Dame set along with the light kit that illuminates it. I was completely surprised by this gift and I LOVED every minute of building the 4000+ pieces together and then working with my son to install the light kit after it was finished. So, here are photos of some of the building stages and then the final result. So, Christ Church UCC, thank you for this build, for this sabbatical time, and for being a community of faith open to God’s still-speaking Spirit.
The other thank you is to my son, but by extension to my whole family. While the adventure I took yesterday with my son was just him and me, I could see this thing being done by all of us and all of us having a great time. So, thank you for being willing to do crazy things like go on a Blues Brothers pilgrimage throughout Chicago (as well as the many other crazy things we have done in the past like waiting in line to walk through a replica of the Millennium Falcon, looking for the largest frying pan in Iowa, going shark cage diving in South Africa, and a host of similarly crazy things).
Yesterday, my son and I had to do a quick trip to Chicago for him to apply for his 90+ day visa for a study abroad program next semester (yes, we had to go to Chicago to apply in-person - urg - nothing quite like driving 4+ hours for a 30 minute appointment). But we had to make some fun out of the trip as well so we set up a Blues Brothers pilgrimage throughout Chicago since that is one of our family’s most beloved movies. So, to my son - thank you for being willing to do crazy things like this and to the rest of my family who weren’t on the trip, I know you would have done this wacky trip as well if you were available. So, y’all are awesome and thank you for loving me, your geek dad / husband.
Here’s the link to the google map my son and I worked up and then the photos in order of how they appeared in the movie…And yes that is a Lego Bluesmobile my son created…
Grace, Peace, Love, and Joy,
Ed
I'm so happy you got so much enjoyment out of the Notre Dame Cathedral and your son is definitely your son and not a kid anymore.
What a fun little escape. I love your imagination and love or life.