Appreciation

I am thankful for the congregation of Community United Church of Christ.

There is a theory in the realm of organizational development and growth called appreciative inquiry. It is the approach of taking note of what an organization does well and then focusing on enhancing those good things and learning how to make them happen in other areas of the organization’s life. It sounds easy, but we have such a tendency to dwell on negative aspects that accentuating the positive (as the old song advises) feels foreign. It requires a special effort.

Our church, like all churches, has weaknesses. There are areas in which we fall short. But there are also many strengths and positives in our life together. In the spirit of Thanksgiving I want to list some of them today.

First, Community UCC has a service orientation. Whether it is the Cruise Night crew serving food or doing the dishes on a Thursday night, or it’s people showing up to help with the Hanging of the Greens (which is coming up on Saturday, December 2, by the way), members of Community regularly pitch in to make church events happen.

This is true beyond the walls of our church building as well. Volunteers work at the Exeter Area Food Pantry, the In His Name food pantry, the Antietam Valley Community Partnership, and more. Folks consistently step up to provide food items for local agencies, to knit prayer shawls for community members, to gather, sort, and deliver donations of clothing to various nonprofit organizations. After the flooding back in July, church members came to the aid of those affected both by offering physical labor and by making financial donations. Community UCC also supports groups like Heifer International and Church World Service through our financial giving.

Something else that is right about this congregation is the way you welcome visitors and make them feel at home. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard guests comment on the genuine warmth and friendliness of Community UCC.

Other positives include our grief support group, which ministers primarily (at this time, anyway) to persons who are not official members of the church. I think also of our recent approval as a certified Accessible 2 All congregation, and I marvel at the hard work two of our Consistory members and a handful of other folks put in to make it possible. We also have a wonderful choir that consistently punches above its weight class, and a treasure of an organist and choir director. Finally, how could I make a list of the positives at Community without mentioning our indefatigable office manager/Consistory president/chief cook and bottle washer/Jack-of-all-trades-and-master-of-many? What would we do without the faithfulness and willing heart of Jeff Kistler?

There is a lot that is right with Community UCC, and I celebrate it today as I give thanks for this community of faith and all the people who make it what it is.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Grace and peace,
bob