Pat Megregian.

Once again, it is the time of year when I look outside and all I see are shades of white and gray.  Our eyes watch for a glimpse of the sun, hoping it shines briefly on our faces giving us a taste of the spring that we know is to come but seems so far away.  And in the midst of winter pops up this funny holiday, Valentine's.  Its colors are hot pink and rosey red fueled by the smell of rich, dark chocolate.  Words of heartfelt love abound.  When we were kids, we opened paper valentine's hoping we got one from our favorite person.  We never wanted to be left out.  The classrooms were decorated with red hearts and lace doilies.  Color came into our world at a time when all looked gray, bleak and maybe a little boring.

I don't know why it happened this way, but my most recent trip to the Upper Peninsula seemed like the coldest, snowiest, windiest, weekend of the winter.  The team of Steve Hammond, Mary McClure and I headed west to facilitate one of the planned "Elder Gatherings".  We encountered blinding snow, sub-zero temperatures, and white outs where I couldn't seem to find my side of the road.  Creeping along, we staggered into Marquette at night, a bit bedraggled, not knowing whether anyone would appear the next day at the gathering.

But, the Elder Gathering on Saturday was just like Valentine's Day!  We had a good turnout and folks came from different churches, large and small.  We spent time in the larger group identifying issues and topics we wanted to address and then broke up into two groups. In my group, the discussion was lively and interactive, colorful and productive. One of the challenges given to the Presbytery was to address the need for equipping elders to be able to do what "they are called by God and the church to be doing".  "You can't ask us to do something we don't have the tools to do".  The call was to, "equip us", and the plea was to "not let this fall through the cracks." 

We all felt encouraged being with one another, seeking God's call to us in this ever changing world.  We shared how each of us was walking in the footsteps of Jesus the Christ, sometimes in very different ways but with the same devotion to "love one another as I have loved you."

So, thank you for the Valentine my UP friends.  It was good to see you and learn of your faithfulness in Jesus Christ. 

Rev. Raafat L. Zaki

The synod has elected the Rev. Raafat L. Zaki as its new Transitional Synod Executive. The nomination for Rev. Zaki to the assembly came from the Executive Search Committee chaired by Elder Adrienne Adams of the Detroit Presbytery. Other members of the committee were:

Rev. Ruth Dunn, Presbytery of Cincinnati .Elder Trella Johnson, Presbytery of Eastminster .Elder Christine Wolf, Presbytery of Lake Huron .Rev. John Best, General Presbyter of Lake Michigan .Elder Florence Morrison, Presbytery of Mackinac .Marcia Young, Presbytery of Maumee Valley .Rev.

Francisco Pelaez-Diaz, Presbytery of Miami Valley .Rev. Virginia Birks, Presbytery of Muskingum Valley .Rev. Cynthia Birks (secretary), Presbytery of Scioto Valley .Rev. Ogden White, Presbytery of the Western Reserve

Rev. Zaki is an American of African/Middle Eastern background. He was born in Sudan to a devout Presbyterian family and grew up sojourning with diversity, immersed in ecumenism and interfaith dialogue.

Rev. Zaki was schooled at the Roman Catholic missionary schools in Sudan. He holds academic degrees from the Evangelical (Presbyterian) Seminary in Cairo, Egypt, a M.A. in Religion from the Asian Center for Theological Studies and Mission, Seoul, Korea, a Master of Divinity from McCormick Theological Seminary, Chicago, IL, and completed a Ph.D course work at the Chicago Theological Seminary, Chicago, IL.

He was licensed for ministry first by the Presbyterian Church in Sudan, completed several internships and field education in Sudan and Egypt, and was ordained a Minister of the Word and Sacrament by the PCUSA. He has served in three pastoral capacities in Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. He has also served two offices of the General Assembly, as Associate with the Churchwide Personnel Services, and as Area Coordinator with the Worldwide Ministries. He then served with Habitat for Humanity International as the Director of Global Faith Engagement and Church Relations, and most recently as the Stated Clerk and Associate Executive with the Synod of the Sun, PCUSA.

Registration is open for the Presbytery meeting scheduled for Saturday, February 26, 2011 at the Church of the Straits in Mackinaw City, MI.

Presbytery meeting materials will only be prepared for those who register online at www.presbymac.org.  Registration is on the left of the home page.  Please register no later than February 18th.

The unfortunate, but accurate, usage of the phrase "going to church" reflects, in part, the decline of the relevance of the church in the world including among Presbyterians.  The phrase also represents an unreformed understanding that hides our efforts to grow healthy faith communities.  We need to think and articulate the church as who we are in Christ and the reality of the new creation that explains us rather than a place or destination, where we go or attend.  While it is the Church that goes out into the world, we instead come to the church. 

The phrase "going to church" is carelessly used to imply many aspects of our faith journey.  It often refers to going to a particular location, mostly to attend worship, or to indicate affiliating with a particular congregation.  It may imply that the church is out there, it is a building, a location, a temple.

Coming to church instead indicates our belonging to God's people, the community of believers, the disciples of Jesus, when and where we leave, depart, or stray away, Presbyterians and future Presbyterians alike need to hear this message clear and loud that all are welcome as church, at church, and back to the church.  Living out our faith as disciples of Jesus Christ, we are always the church, 24/7, wherever we are we live and act as church, and as one.

Coming to church affirms the centrality of the church.  The sinful ego is replaced with a holy communion.  We need to drop language like "my church", "my pastor", "my pew", for the church does not belong to anyone, it is we who belong to the church.  Like the prodigal son, we come to our senses and come back to the Church.

Coming to church signals that the unity of the church is paramount.  The church is our communal identity, it is who and where we all come to iron out our differences, overcome our weaknesses, and to reach out to the world beyond our comfort zones.  We come to church to be and become, to build, reform, and revision the church of yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

GRACE,

Raafat L. Zaki