A Letter from Pastor Gene - Sorry to Bother You

For the first time in years, the Otts are headed to Block Island this summer. I grew up spending a week on the island each year, and I still look back on those days with a joy that is hard to put into words. Surf, sun, and sand as a kid is a pretty amazing combination, but when you get to do that same trip with your Grandmother…well, that’s even better. I cannot bring Grandma Faith up without mentioning that each year, it seemed like she got stuck between my sister and me in the back seat of the car, with something stuck between her feet…perhaps most infamously, an oscillating fan. She did this all with perfectly good humor, but occasionally, we’d all hear, “I hate to bother you, but…” Never one to cause a fuss, even my essentially sainted Grandmother could be pushed a bit too far.

It’s that phrase, “I hate to bother you,” that I find on my lips as I write this letter. I am deeply concerned about two issues, and while I hate to use my editorial opportunities to ask for your help, I find myself in just that position before I head West to Ridgefield.

The first is our Christian Education program and, more specifically, Sunday School. I believe you can tell a great deal about what people really value by how much time they’re willing to invest in whatever that is. Deacon Deb and I, along with others, have been banging the drum for quite a while, asking for volunteers on Sunday morning to work with our fantastic director, Elizabeth Webber, to make sure we have enough volunteers to adequately teach our kids and keep them safe. Some of you have heard us and volunteered: You have my sincere thanks. However, we still need more help. What I am looking for is a handful of further volunteers who are willing to help out once a month or roughly twelve times a year. One of my great joys is getting to interact on a weekly basis with our kids here at SUM, and I’d love for you to have the same opportunity. Elizabeth prepares fantastic lesson plans and simply requires you to show up and be present. Truthfully, if I wasn’t otherwise obligated, I would be there each week. Without adequate support, we will be forced to make hard decisions regarding this program and potentially start shutting down on Sundays when we don’t have enough help.

The second issue is our Safety program. When I arrived, there was some early conversation about what a safety program might look like. COVID got in the way of an early launch, but when we returned, Rick Acheson took the initiative to begin piecing together what is, in my opinion, an amazingly comprehensive program. The weekly responsibility for overseeing this now largely rests with Eric Lemke, our Head of Ushers, given Rick’s work schedule, and once again, we find ourselves short of hands to make that program run well. Safety requires a person to be aware of what is happening not just in the sanctuary, but around the campus during services on Sunday (and occasionally for other events). It also means that that person has received basic training in CPR, how an AED works, and most importantly, how to be the first person to make a required 911 call. Needless to say, this role requires a good degree of responsibility, but fear not because there is also training available. More importantly, this is a role that needs to be shouldered by more than one person. It simply isn’t reasonable to assume that just a few people can handle this week in and week out. Like so many other things in life, it takes a village to look after all of us.

So, as I said, I really do hate bothering you, but I think we should ask for help when we need it. Right now, your community needs you. I hope that you’ll strongly consider where you can be of service to SUM, and I ask this with the firm belief that we can absolutely take care of these issues. As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.

OTJ,
PG