fitting them in until after the weekly deadlines for the bulletins and
announcements, letters, and the plans for Pastor's last weekend at Salem
were finished. And, yet again, a struggle with what to write about. As
it's Pastor Janet's last week here, I thought I would write a little about
her and our staff meetings.
It was originally Pastor Janet's idea to begin weekly devotions written by
the staff. I remember thinking, when she suggested it during a staff
meeting, that it would be a great idea to have staff members write
something each week -- my idea of "staff" being Pastor, Carla, and Judy.
Then, to my surprise, Pastor stated, well … you know Ron and you are also
"staff" members. I remember my immediate feeling of panic that I would
have to write something and write it as well as Pastor, Carla, and Judy
write. Then I thought maybe it would get easier for me the more times I
wrote. It never has. It was just one of the ways that Pastor has helped
us all to grow and stretch and better ourselves and communicate with each
other. I have never been a great one for journaling my feelings or
thoughts, but GraceNotes has, over time, come to be a great way to express
my feelings and thoughts and I now truly appreciate the opportunity to do
so.
Some of Pastor's "words of wisdom" from our staff meetings are:
"Push back" – Pastor sometimes makes a suggestion or expresses an idea and
then she asks us to "push back" at her with our thoughts. Sometimes we
agree with her, sometimes we don't. But the communication – the giving
and receiving of opinions is very important to how the staff works
together and it shows that all opinions and thoughts are valued. I think
that this shows good leadership.
"I'm making this up as I go" – Some of Pastor's greatest ideas and plans
for the future are first heard when she says this phrase. She has great
vision and an energy that makes people want to work hard to see the idea
come to fruition. This saying can be seen when she is doing her
children's sermons. Vision and energy are also marks of good leadership.
"What If?" – This is my favorite of all Pastor's sayings! It is as if she
is seeing what is to come. That phrase asks for your opinion, your
thoughts, yet lets you see what she is visioning for the future. It can
also be used to look at new ways of doing old things. What if we did it
this way? The visioning, the wondering, the asking are also signs of good
leadership.
Now, Pastor would not rate herself as a good leader, that that wouldn't be
one of her strongest assets. But I disagree, she is a great leader and we
will all miss her as our Pastor, our "boss," our friend. And we will need
to use all the gifts and the "words of wisdom" she has given us to see
that Salem remains a strong, vibrant community of faith where we all are
"Living Christ's Love."
With a Farewell and Godspeed to Pastor Janet --
and with a Grateful Heart,
Sue McMillan
Upcoming at Salem …
Worship Services on Saturday @ 5pm and Sundays @ 8am and 10:30 am.
Hospitality Hour - Sunday at 9:15 a.m.
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