Update on Don Mackenzie’s Health

November 30, 2007 at 4:35 pm | In David Anderson | Leave a Comment

Dear Friends,

Please continue to hold Don Mackenzie in prayer.  He is going to have laproscopic surgery next week.  That will mean a week or so in the hospital and then home.  While he is not looking forward to the surgery, he does have reason to hope this will help him feel better than he’s felt for a long time.  He is aiming for return to work in early February. He is not up for visitors or calls, but does treasure cards and is grateful for those and for our prayers. 

We will stay in touch together and let you know how he’s doing.   Blessings and thanks to each of you for your support and prayers. 

Catherine, Peter, David

Waiting For Advent

November 26, 2007 at 10:34 pm | In Catherine Foote | 4 Comments

by Catherine Foote

 

First, let me say how glad I am that Don Mackenzie is home and recovering after his hospitalization last week. We know he will need at least a month and a half for his body to heal, so look forward to seeing him some time next year. If that seems like forever, I will remind you that next year is only five weeks away.

Second, let me say thank you to Beth Gatewood for helping us get this blog going. There are so many conversations that we would like to have with our congregation, but we usually just see each other on Sundays. And if we said all we have to say then, our Sunday mornings would last well into Monday afternoon. Some weeks they would even stretch on into Tuesday. So this blog is designed to let us get a running start on the conversations that we hope will continue face to face.

Finally, let me say a word about waiting for Advent. Those of you who speak “church calendar” or perhaps Latin will know that there is either a mistake or a little joke in the title I have given my first blog. Advent is a season of waiting (because the word Advent literally means “Coming,” those of us who observe Advent are waiting for the Coming.). So to say we are waiting for Advent is redundant- it is like saying “We are waiting for waiting.” Well, although I have been known to use church terms incorrectly and I know there will be times you will catch me in a grammatical or usage error, in this case I’m just trying to be ironic. We are waiting for Advent because while usually the first Sunday in Advent comes right after Thanksgiving, every seven years or so (like this year) we get one extra weekend between Thanksgiving and the beginning of the new church year. For retailers, it means more opportunities to sell stuff as the rush begins with the Friday after Thanksgiving (known in my family as “Buy Nothing Day”). For children it means a longer wait between holidays. For parents it means the same thing. And for those of us who live our lives by the church calendar, it means we get to pause between the overwhelming sense of gratitude we are invited into in November, and the sense of anticipation which Advent is about.

So while we wait for Advent, let us take a deep breath and center ourselves. All the birth stories about Jesus remind us of his poverty. In the wealthiest country in the history of the world, it is hard to hold on to the possibility of a simple Christmas. This year, we have just a little more time to consider resisting the consumer gallop that this time of year has begun. We have a bit more time to prepare for the waiting, because we are those who wait in hope. And may God bless you in the waiting.

By the way, last night on NPR I heard someone pose an interesting Advent (Christmas gift) question: “What would Jesus buy?” I know Peter has been dealing with some consumer questions this week, so watch for his blog on this topic, coming soon.

Don is healing, and we’re planning to let him heal while we keep moving forward

November 26, 2007 at 3:32 pm | In David Anderson | 3 Comments

We continue to hold Don in prayer. He is home and healing, with much healing ahead. Please honor the request from Don and Judy and the doctors for no visits or phone calls. And please know that your prayers and cards are deeply appreciated! To give Don the space he needs to heal, we are assuming that he will not be back until January. We will keep you updated on the web site and in the prayers during Sunday morning worship.

 

We have looked at Don’s responsibilities to be sure they are attended to: Here are some specifics:

· Personnel: Peter will fill in.

· Mission and outreach: Catherine Foote will connect with the boards and ministry.

· Ecumenical work: Marty Curry and Don Mallett. David Anderson and Greg Turner as resource if necessary.

· Parish care. Catherine Foote is the lead for parish care support.

 

Our task and role as the leadership staff is to assure you that this team is leading by

· Continuing to move forward on our goals and direction

· Staying on top of issues and concerns,

· Keeping you informed and updated.

 

We will prioritize what will get done. The impact may be not on the goals themselves but on how we are able to implement them. We will continue to focus on:

· Worship

· Parish care

· Moving on the vision – and into our next steps of the process of making that shape our life and priorities together.

· Moving on staffing positions as recommended in the Long Term Staffing Report and affirmed at the church council.

· Supporting and affirming a strong, successful stewardship drive that we can celebrate.

And we as this faithful and loving congregation will move ahead, sure in the comfort of God’s presence with us, and knowing that what we do and how we live and love are our gifts back to God for our many blessings.

Catherine Foote, Peter Ilgenfritz, and David Anderson

News and Thanksgiving

November 17, 2007 at 2:51 am | In Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Dear Friends,
We offer prayers of thanksgiving for healing thus far, and continuing prayers of healing for pastor Don Mackenzie. Don has been hospitalized for the last few days with an intestinal blockage and then sepsis. He is recovering from both, but is still in intensive care in the hospital. He hopes to move to a regular room today or tomorrow. He and Judy (and the doctors) request no calls or visits, but cards to their home and prayers are most welcome.

And as we move in to this season of Thanksgiving we offer prayers of thanks for all that God has given us, and for the ways that God is present with us in our lives -in trials of the spirit and also in times of joy. Some of us will find this a poignant or lonely thanksgiving, and others will be filled with joy and connection with families and friends. May we all know and share God’s loving presence and gracious welcome in the time ahead.

Blessings to you -

Peter Ilgenfritz, Catherine Foote, and David Anderson

welcome!

November 14, 2007 at 10:42 am | In Uncategorized | 2 Comments

We love to stay connected with each other in this church. There are so many things to talk about—crucial issues of our day, our own sense of faith and faithfulness, God’s love in our lives—just to name a few. Already we have a wonderful church homepage that offers up-to-date information of the activities of the church, along with important church information. However, we want more!


The church now has a blog (short for web log). It is a way to share what your church leaders are doing and thinking, as we all—the leadership and the church community—take Love to Hard Places. In this blog, you will find individual entries from the leadership team of University Congregational United Church of Christ: Don Mackenzie, Catherine Foote, Peter Ilgenfritz and David Anderson. Find the blog at http://ucucc.wordpress.com/.


A blog is an electronic diary that will appear as a webpage. You will find the most current diary entry at the top of the web page. The entries are titled and dated, and they will also be archived. We will have new entries often (at least weekly) contributed by a member of the leadership staff.


As a unique way of connecting, you will find an area that you can comment on the blog (just click on “Comments” next to the date at the top of each entry). If you choose to comment, please know that what you write will be visible not only to the person who wrote the entry, but to all who read the blog, and that includes not only members of our congregation but the entire world. We request that all who wish to comment please enter into conversation as we would in the narthex or lounge, listening to the human heart behind the words.


For those that cannot access the blog electronically, entries will be printed weekly and bound in a notebook for perusal in the church office.


We delight in this opportunity for greater connection and communication with each other, and look forward to what fruit this new way of doing things may bear for us and our world.

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