As I type those words, so many questions fill my mind. I wonder if you are a long-time member of Trinity sitting at your kitchen table reading this letter leisurely with your morning coffee? Are you a youth or young adult who is reading this on the Trinity website while you are Facebooking friends or Googling a topic for a school report? Are you finishing up a long day at the office and checking your personal email before you head home for the day? Are you a parent with young children who will read this in fits and starts as you alternately attend to the needs of your little ones? Are you reading this on your BlackBerry while waiting to board a plane or to pick up a teenager from some extracurricular activity? Are you someone who is deeply invested in the life and mission of TPC or someone who is feeling disconnected from TPC and ambivalent about your role in the congregation? Dear Trinity Member...it sounds so impersonal, so broad, so generic. Dear Trinity Member....who are you? That is what I am wondering, just as I am sure you are wondering who I am.
We have caught a distant glance of one another through the eyes of the faithful and hardworking members of the Pastor Nominating Committee that you elected nearly two years ago. In the course of my conversations with them, I have learned a little bit about you, and through the introductory materials they have prepared, you have learned a little bit about me. As Katie Givens Kime put it, "this has the feel of an arranged marriage." What an apt description, for we are about to embark on what I hope and pray will be a long and fruitful partnership in ministry and mission. Beginning a relationship like this is a time of excitement and energy mingled with anxiety and even awkwardness. We need time to get to know one another.
My first priority is to learn more about you--you as a community of faith and you as a Trinity member. Having already begun to meet with the staff at Trinity, I can tell you that I am humbled and honored to be joining a team of such gifted people who demonstrate deep Christian faith and great joy in serving Christ. My first Sunday with you as a congregation will be October 3rd. In the coming weeks you will hear about other opportunities for us to get to know one another in smaller gatherings. Throughout the fall and winter months, I will be visiting with committees, fellowship and study groups, women's and men's groups, and youth and children's groups. If you have a group that you would like for me to visit, I hope you will contact Nancy Kirby to schedule that. I look forward to these beginning months with joyful anticipation.
There is no doubt in my mind that the Holy Spirit has arranged our "marriage." I am also confident that the Spirit will lead us as we live and work together to "serve God with joy and to bear witness to God's transforming love in Jesus Christ," and to discern what it means for us to "be God's faithful, hopeful people in this particular time and place." I hope you recognize those words from the Trinity Mission Statement. It is our common calling. I look forward to growing with you in faith and friendship as we seek to answer God's call.
See you in worship October 3rd! In the meantime, I ask you to join me in praying that God will grant us love, peace, and vision during this time of transition.
With affection and enthusiasm,
Pam Driesell
