If this was Jeopardy, the question is “what are two congregations in transition?” I spent time at both on Sunday.

The morning began in Greenville, where I preached and led worship while interim pastor, Steve Kanouse, was gone. It was my first time in worship with this congregation. They have shown their resilience after surviving the damage from a tornado a couple of years ago. Their fellowship hall has yet to be reconstructed, but their ministry continues. Their biggest ongoing work is their bread ministry, where they gather leftover bread from businesses and restaurants and help to distribute it to the hungry in the community.

After worship, I met with their Future Directions team to talk about their journey of discernment and considerations for the future. They are determined to keep making a difference in Greenville.
After finishing in Greenville, I traveled to Farmers Branch for the council meeting at Walnut Hill Lutheran. They are a bilingual congregation that is now also in transition. Bonus for me was arriving in time to partake in their weekly homemade Mexican lunch. Extra bonus was a birthday celebration for Isidro Perez, a long-time leader of the congregation and former synod council member. We had good conversation with the council about their next steps as well.

Congregational transitions are a major part of my job, but I do enjoy getting to know all these places and people in the process!