Reconciler Update

This Sunday, November 18th, we say goodbye to Tripp. Tripp will be missed. I have worked closely with Tripp for three and a half years, and part of me has trouble imagining what it will be like at Reconciler without him. Yet, one of the joys in our starting and pastoring this congregation has been to watch Reconciler act like a congregation and do things Tripp and I as pastors did not expect or anticipate. From very early on we attempted to foster and rejoiced in the ways Reconciler was separate from us as the founding pastors allowing ourselves to discover the congregations interpretation of the vision of Reconciler.

I mention this now to remind us that while God gave Tripp and David Gortner the vision of an ecumenical congregation, who we are now is not simply that vision. It has grown beyond any of those of us who thought through in prayer what the vision of this church start should be. We may miss Tripp and even find it difficult to know what it will be like without him but in a significant way much of the shape of Reconciler has little to do with just Tripp. All of us have been brought together by God. The desire of us pastors as we started this congregation was that it grow into a healthy viable congregation and as such that it could exist without one or both of us. Now that day came sooner for Tripp than either of us had anticipated, but I have seen this congregation grow in astounding ways. Our question as we began Reconciler was if and how God was in this, because we knew that if this congregation and its vision wasn't guided by the Spirit that it would have no chance of succeeding. And so in the end the pastor that really counts and will always count for us, and after all is the pastor of the universal church, still remains Jesus Christ our God and Shepherd. God, Father Son and Holy Spirit, has lead us this far, continues to guide us and remains our foundation, as we say goodbye to a friend, pastor, and founder.

Announcements:

Immanuel is seeking to include Reconciler more in its life as a church, two aspects of that are the altar guild and properties committee. Immanuel is inviting members of Reconciler to help the altar guild of Immanuel, and inviting anyone who might be handy to help the properties committee with maintenance of the church property. If you are interested in being apart of either of these let Laura or Larry know.

Sunday November 18th Tripp is preaching and we will have a farewell party for him after the service at the 'Nidge.

Bible Study: No meeting of the Bible study this week due to Thanksgiving. Our last session of our current series will Be Wednesday November 28th 7:30 PM at the 'Nidge.

Church Retreat: Materials for the retreat will be available on the back table in the chapel the next two Sundays, for you to look at before the retreat.

Church retreat is November 30 beginning at 7PM at the Cynacle Retreat center and all day Saturday December 1st.

The First Sunday of the Season of Advent is December 2nd, and is Reconciler's Third Anniversary. It was first Advent 2004 when we had our first official worship service.

Also on Sunday December 2 Eileen Crowley Assistant Professor at Catholic Theological Union the Artist in Residence this year at Immanuel will join us for worship and then after the service present to us her ideas of media art in worship and ways we can be involved in the creation of this media art for Easter Vigil.

4th advent December 23 we will be having a joint worship service with Immanuel and St Elias, at St Elias' worship time of 1:30 PM. We will not worship at our normal time of 5 PM. We are invited to come to a brunch at 11:30 put on by Immanuel and a Christmas dinner organized by St Elias after the service. If you would be interested in helping out the preparation and organization of either meals let us know and we will get your name to the people in charge of organizing the meals.
In Christ,
Larry