The Spirit flows where it will

With apologies to Bob Dylan "the times they are a'changin'". Our churches are increasingly finding it difficult to operate under the time tested formula of one pastor for one church, and each church owning their own buildings.

Several congregations in the Upstate Region are responding in some creative ways. Groton City, Groton Community and Mclean Community churches have been combining for fellowship and worship with increasing regularity. The pastors of the churches -- Wayne Gustafson, Leslie Smith and Chris Xenakis -- also meet on a monthly basis to grow in their individual and mutual ministries. Recently, they all participated in a pulpit exchange.

Over the past few years the United Community Church, Cortland, with the leadership of their pastor Matt Medford, has embarked upon an extensive process of discernment regarding the congregation's vision for ministry. This is a congregation dually affliated with the American Baptist Churches and the United Church of Christ with a Presbyterian Church USA pastor.

As a result of this discernment process the congregation recognised that they were a smalled membership church carrying the burden of a huge building. They came to the realization that the church was the people and not the building. So, they decided to sell their building with the proviso that they could rent space from the new owner. And so, they have been worshipping and flourishing in the building that is no longer theirs.

Now, they are looking to connect with another church in the area either with which to merge, or from which to rent space. Presently, they are visiting four churches (two Presbyterian, on UCC, and one United Methodist) that have expressed an interest in entering into such conversations.

This is the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. It is a joy to witness the Holy Spirit at work within our churches (either between UCC congregations or between congregations of various congregations) to bring about a new breath of life for ministry.

Rick