Beloved,
If it’s good to be together, it must be bad to be apart.
And yet: the truth is that life has always been a rhythm of separation and togetherness, exile and return. We may prefer the “return” bit, the “bring you back to this place” bit, but that doesn’t mean separation isn’t part of the story.
Experiences of separation are at least as old as the ancient stories of the Garden of Eden, the Israelites’ exile in Babylon, and the parable of the Prodigal Son. Jesus and his followers were separated by betrayal and death, and then reunited by forgiveness and newness of life. Even on our most “normal” days, our lives are a rhythm of gathering and dispersing, coming together and going apart, calls to worship and benedictions.
We have just recently returned from what feels like a long exile. We have begun to find a way in which to offer safe, in-person worship, and what that means for our community. We extend deep gratitude to the Council, Compassion Team, and Worship Team for their hard work not only in this particular transition, but also for the ways they have found to sustain the community for the past year and a half.
We also know that the return means some rebuilding and re-commitment to our lives together. For us at this time, that involves our “Raise the Roof” Campaign to pay for much needed repairs to our roofs, and to think about this current act of stewardship and what the future looks like. We are so grateful for the support we’ve received for this campaign so far, and pray that the generosity already shown continues to flow for the future God is creating here in this particular place, with this particular building.
This past year has been another profound experience of this ancient pattern, and as challenging as it’s been, we can take solace in the knowledge that our ancestors, too, experienced seasons of exile. And here’s the point: thanks to this history, over time our faith — and our church — has been built to help us live through such seasons with grace and hope.
At our core, Hot Metal is a community of reunion, homecoming, and return. Now more than ever, in a world full of exile, our congregation stands as a beacon of hope, welcome, and radical hospitality.
With all of this in mind, we invite you to join us in giving thanks for all the resources — spiritual, theological, physical, and financial — that support this indispensable work. And as we look ahead, below you’ll find a special prayer, written by our own Megan Lindsey. We invite you to pray this prayer daily over the coming weeks, and to bring the below pledge card (not yet filled out) to in-person or Zoom worship on Giving Sunday, November 14th (or pick up a hard copy at worship any time the next few weeks). Together, we’ll fill out the cards; and together, we’ll celebrate God’s beautiful gift of “a future with hope.”
Blessings,
Pastor Erin Jones
On Behalf of the Council and Finance Committees
