By Julie Long, Pastor
Last week while our kids were gone to Passport camps, I took advantage of a couple of quieter days to go on a spiritual retreat of my own. As I approach my first
anniversary as pastor, I wanted to spend some time in reflection on this first year – who I have been and want to be as a leader, what we have done together, and where we go from here. I decided to go back to the same place where I retreated in the fall nearly two years ago as a part of my discernment process around whether I would enter into a conversation with the pastor search committee.
Some of you have heard me tell the story of how, on that first retreat, I took a hike in Great Smoky Mountains National Park that traveled alongside a mountain stream. As I hiked, I remembered words that Chuck Poole had spoken to me just a week or two before: “Julie, it feels like you are being invited to step into a stream that is already moving in a certain direction.” As I paid attention to the stream that was moving beside me, I saw steep waterfalls and swift rapids, and I said to myself, “Yep, that’s exactly what it feels like I am stepping into!” Those were challenging and anxious days for our congregation. But as I continued walking, I noticed places where the river flowed more smoothly and peacefully, and I realized, “It could be like this, too.” As I made my way back down the mountain and reached the end of the trail, I felt compelled to take off my hiking boots and put my feet into the water.
Last week, I went back to hike that same trail, and my experience hit a little differently. On my first fall hike, I saw the decay of fallen leaves and bare branches. This time, I came in a much greener season. Trees were full, flowers were in bloom, butterflies fluttered about and lush moss covered the rocks. And when I found the waterfall that seemed so treacherous last time, I chuckled to myself, “That was it? It doesn’t seem nearly as scary as it did before.”
We’ve come a long way together in those nearly two years. We still must navigate swift-flowing waters and rocks along the way, but we also see lush and green, places of growth and blossoming. At the end of this first year as your pastor, I want you to know that I love this work, and I love you. I have experienced so much joy and beauty in this last year, and I am energized by what I am doing and the people I’m doing it alongside. Mostly, I am deeply grateful that God called me to step into this stream and that all of us had the courage and the grace to jump in together.
At the end of my hike, I returned to the same spot to take off my boots and put my feetin the stream again. The cold water was refreshing, and I took a few moments to rest andrecommit myself to this calling. Then, I laced up my boots, picked up my backpack, and started walking.