I've been in Paterson for almost a week now. It's been a good week--overwhelming in its newness, but good. Change is hard for me; I love old friends and consistent routines. Leaving Grand Rapids for the summer was harder than I was expecting, but it helped me realize what a wonderful community (friends and church) God has blessed me with there. Developing a new community was one of my main prayer requests a year ago when I came back from China, so I praise God for the ways in which he has been faithful and provided for me.
Now I'm in Paterson: meeting new people, adjusting to a different lifestyle, figuring out new traffic patterns and crazy roads, observing the patterns of different cultures, and taking my first tentative steps into pastoral ministry. And it's all new. I've enjoyed the experiences (well, I could live without the crazy traffic and jaywalkers whose patterns I don't understand), but it is also tiring dealing with them all the time. I'm doing a wide variety of things this summer. I spent this week visiting some of the church's ministries, participating in a Habitat for Humanity clergy build, prayerwalking, attending meetings for the summer outreach team and worship leaders, visiting some of the sick and shut-in (two with the pastor and one on my own), and preparing for the Facing Your Future group that is coming in a couple of weeks. Over the summer I will also be preaching and leading worship, along with whatever else comes up.
In the face of all of this, the words of 1 Peter 1:1-2 brought me comfort this morning, "To God's elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces...who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance." Even though I am scattered to another new place, my identity in Christ is the same and God blesses me with his grace and peace for each new day.
Some of the grace has come in the form of the church's people and ministries. The congregation has embraced me with open arms--literally with lots of hugs. They are warm, welcoming, and very hospitable. I hope that these traits become a part of me before the summer is over. The many different ministries the church has to serve hurting people are also a form of grace. The church is a pillar in the community for many who don't have much hope left because of poverty, addiction, illness, family issues, etc., and it acts as Jesus' hands and feet in the neighborhood, pointing everyone to healing in Jesus. Even in the darkness and difficulty, God is at work here, and his grace is becoming tangible.
